21212: Fenton: Promo Capital Solicitation... (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Anthony Fenton <apfenton@ualberta.ca>

I'm wondering how many Corbet List members are receiving these
peculiar e-mails from Promo Capital. I have been informed by a number
of people that Promo Capital is owned by Andy Apaid's family.

If anybody can confirm this, please do so. It would seem rather perverse
to me, to financially support the American sweatshop owner who has
helped foster the conditions for another US military occupation, along with
its accompanying terror.

On a similar note, I'm wondering if it's true that Camille Chalmers of
PAPDA has the strong connections to the Duvalier era that I've been told
he does. Is it true that his father was a top Minister under Papa Doc? Is it
also true that Chalmers's Belgian education was paid for with Duvalier
money? What a '180' it would be for Chalmers to now be denouncing US
occupation and neoliberalism if this is the case. Of course, it's enough of
a 180 that PAPDA is now represented in the interim government.

I wonder, though, by denouncing the occupation, as PAPDA, Batay
Ouvriye, CONAP, SOFA, and other bourgeoisie groups are doing, what
exactly this means? There certainly haven't been any anti-occupation
demonstrations since the middle of March, around the time the foreign
occupiers are said to have slaughtered dozens of people in Belair. Plenty
of activity in the Free Trade Zones by PAPDA and Batay Ouvriye and others
[and this is commendable], but no direct action concerning the military
occupation. We've seen what opposition to US miulitary occupation
means in Iraq and Afghanistan. How long before we see something
similar in Haiti? And when we see this, will the aforementioned groups be
the ones helping mobilize the masses against the occupation?

I've seen photographs of US Marines pointing their weapons at
demonstrators on the last day that there were reported demonstrations.
Was this prophetic in some way, given that there have been no
demonstrations since?