23078: Allouard: Re:23072: Felux: Haiti: The Attica of the Americas (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: allouard@libertysurf.fr


ZNet
http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=6118&sectionID=30
The Attica of the Americas
by Justin Felux; August 28, 2004


QUOTE
In post-coup Haiti, prisons that once held thieves, murderers, and
rapists now hold journalists, activists, and teachers.
UNQUOTE

This is perfectly Manichean, simplistic, with no ground experience and dishonest a view. "We had order and light and it is now chaos and darkness"... Come on!!! Mr. Felux should leave this kind of rhetoric to certain president waving war in Iraq!

Should Mr. Felux be honest and interested to know Haitian situation, he would have NO DIFFICULTY at all to meet journalists, activists and teachers (as well as many jobless and 'politicalviewless' ordinary Haitian citizens) who were held in jail with no valid reason before February the 29th... He would also be able to meet thieves, murderers, and rapists actually in jail (the later category being seldom jailed no matter under which government, cf. previous Corbett exchanges on the topic)...
This is not to say that there was no thieves, murderers, and rapists jailed before February the 29.
This is not to say that there are no journalists, activists or teachers jailed now...
This to say only that Mr. Felux is ignoring, seriously ignoring Haitian reality.
He should perhaps look for Haiti on a map, come to visit, take time, speak with people (and LISTEN) and see and explore...

By the way, there is no evidence, absolutely no evidence at all that 1st January general evasion from Port-au-Prince "Penitencier National" was organized by rebel forces...

But I perhaps missed the point and omitted to notice Mr. Felux is a very talented SF novelist... He plays with facts and dates, and is a free mind who courageously freed his pen from Time and facts...



QUOTE
Rooms designed to hold ten people now have a hundred prisoners packed in like sardines.
UNQUOTE

This is unfortunate, but, unfortunately, not new... I happened to help having people released both before and after February the 29th... Prison is prison, and prison is the least place you would like to go even not behind the bars... February the 29th has little to do with this...

Again, please, Mr. Felux, leave Texas for a few days, come and visit...
Or do you think that Haiti does not deserve a true and balanced speech? That thinking about Haiti, only simplistic views can apply? Don't you believe reality is complex? Or do you believe Haiti is too small a country for you to take time to know and explore and understand? Please stop this simplistic speech I thought was the exclusive property of white colonialists... You might oppose them, but you might share their principles if you are unaware of sharing their rhetoric; even reversed, it is still the same logic... Extrema se tangunt... Same difference...

Regards to all,

                 Ph.

PS: I am surprised not to have read in this Znet paper that end of May rains and dead originated in President Aristide's departure... or equally the incredibly dry rainy season Port-au-Prince is facing this year. But perhaps should we explore the idea...


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