21049: lyall on arias on abolishing army (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: J.David <his_voidness@yahoo.com>

> HAITI
> Don't reinstate army
> BY OSCAR ARIAS

..........
>  He cut the army's funding and set in
> motion a legislative process to have the abolition of the army
> enshrined in Haiti's constitution. In 1996, when I visited Haiti for
> the inauguration of presidential successor René Préval, Aristide
> happily noted that of the 7,500-man army, the only ones still on the
> government payroll were 20 marching-band musicians.

This is peculiar. Why is it that 9 years later nothing happened
with any process to legally abolish the army? Or legalise dual
citizenship?

Jerry the Turtle was interviewed on his first day back in the country
and asked about the army. The question was in english and he answered
in english. "what about the army?" or something was the question.
Tortue said that the problem is that theexistence of the army is
declared in the 1987 constitution and that it had never been legally
 abolished. He said that the abolition was unconstitutional actually,
and that the intervening governments had never tried to amend the
constitution to correct this. As far as I know this is correct.

The Turtle also said "what kind of army was it? It was one specializing
in human rights abuses." Then asking what kind of army people wanted.
DUnno if this made it into print but this was before some of his
diplomatic blunders. Guess he's not supposed to be a diplomat.
Who is the foreign minister in this regime anyway?

About dual citizenship. They are saying in haiti that the americans
have been protecting Neptune because he is an american citizen.
A lavalas friend of mine told me that he always knew that Neptune
was a US citizen. Well, this was electoral fraud, no? Being elected
to the Haitian parliament while citizen of a foreign country is
illegal, no?

So, what about LaTortue? Is he a US citizen or did he keep his
haitian citizenship? Has anyone asked him this? The US embassy
seemingly
will not comment on these things. Privacy I guess.

So, how many lavalas deputies are/were US citizens and holding
their seat in parliament in violation of haitian law? And why did
they never, over 10 years, attempt to amend the constitution to
allow dual citizenship? They promised the diaspora that they would
do this.

Whatta bunch of comedians.