23217: Esser: Re: 23213: Walton: RE: 23192: Simidor: A Latortue watch for Haiti? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser <torx@joimail.com>

While the idea of the stoves is certainly great, in practice there
have been quite a few challenges in getting people to adapt to it.
Cloudy days, unavailability in the evening hours, requirement of
changing traditional cooking methods, the need to cook in the sun as
opposed to the shade and so on. Not that it doesn't work, but quite a
few NGO's have found that it isn't quite so easy to get people to
accept this method of cooking.

There are quite a lot of other ills that plague Haitian society that
could be resolved. Haiti under it's constitutionally elected
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was somewhat, at least according to
all indicators in reports by international organizations, on the way
to overcome many problems. Against all odds the Aristide and Preval
governments made progress in the fields of education, healthcare,
literacy and also raised the minimum wage, a crucial step for people
to empower themselves to attain better education. It's important to
keep in mind that these advancements were made with virtually no
international support, aside from such great exceptions such as the
help Cuba provided in improving the healthcare sector.

Many of the environmental problems in poor countries (and many other
issues as well) are intrinsically linked to better education,
especially that of women and girls. Latortue, the lider maximo of the
U.S. installed client regime, has left no stone unturned to dismantle
the gains made under Aristide. Nobody has to tell this man anything,
he lacks the legitimacy to run the country and has proven himself
inept at even creating the pretense of a functioning society. One
only needs to look at the sham trials of Chamblain and Joanis to see
that the Boca Raton government is against progress in Haiti by any
means necessary. It solely caters to the very elements of Haitian
society that stand to gain from collaborating with the perpetrators
of the coup: the urban business elite and the quasi feudal big
land-owners.

Real environmental problems need real solutions. With a solar-cooker
here and there nothing will change on a larger scale. Only a
legitimate government along with the curbing of neocolonial exploits
by the United States and their minions in U.N. helmets, will there be
a climate in which Haiti can move forward. Haitians in the diaspora (
see for example the gallery of images at:
http://www.wbai.org/gallery/nyc_haitian_resistance ) as well as on
the island, as indicated in many recent reports,  still come out in
force to oppose the violent overthrow of democratic gains of past
years, while the support for the de facto government, which never had
been great anyway, is eroding rapidly even among erstwhile allies.

Haiti needs a return to democracy above all, something that won't be
accomplished with the current persecutions and political murders
committed against the popular movements in Haiti with the tacit
support of U.N. troops and the Turtle regime. Whatever shortcomings
Aristide had; he was elected and until his, to date, last day on
Haitian soil had a majority of Haitians behind him. No government
brought to power trough (maybe) upcoming elections will be able to
claim the same, because the U.S. and France insured that Haiti's road
to stability, peace and economic justice will be impaired for years
to come. Haiti is the designated "poorest country in the hemisphere"
and it is not the intent of U.S., World Bank and other global
player's intention to really change the status quo. The goal is to
keep Haiti suspended in a state of suppression, both politically and
economically, to allow for the continued implementation of
neocolonial policies and hegemonic interests that can be traced back
to the Monroe Doctrine, which is by and large still very much in
effect.

Now all that should give great hope, since the Haitian spirit hasn't
been broken despite waves of murder and assorted other violence. The
very reasons that world powers look anxious towards the Haitian sense
of history and pride in historical accomplishments still persist. The
Haitian people have not given up and in the end the coup and it's
repressive aftermath will be all but a footnote in the history books
of future generations. The Haitian people won't be ultimately
defeated by the greedy business elite and it's interests
diametrically opposed to that of the majority of the populace. The
victory might be costly in terms of human lives, but the amount of
repression in today's Haitian society clearly indicates the fear of a
population able to express it's political will democratically.
Latortue and his backers from high above the Haitian bidonvilles and
the suffering in the countryside will not be able to stand up to the
floods of popular resentment, be they Lavalas with a capital "L" or
other groups that might channel Haitian discontent in the near future
in a mere lower case lavalas/flood. It is only a matter of time as to
when the Fadh/Tortue/Apaid criminals will be swept away by a return
to the path of democracy. Haiti is at a crossroads right now and
it';s destination is solely in the hand of the majority of it's
people.


> Haiti has an opportunity to break it's ecologically destructive cycle
> (deforestation for the production of charcoal) through the use of solar
> energy and cheap solar stoves.
>
> Somebody needs to tell LaTortue, he won't listen to me.  (1) The
> stoves are
> in everday use in parts of south/central America, Tibet and Africa.
> (2) The
> concept is simple; he should be able to understand it. (3) The cost is
> very
> low; even by Haitian standards and NGO help is available.