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26573: Leiderman: Re: 26571: Candidate in a Tailspin? (fwd)
From: Stuart M Leiderman <leidermn@cisunix.unh.edu>
Dear Readers:
Thank you for the long article from Port-au-Prince this morning about the
Haitian-born businessman who protests the presidential ballot because his name
is not on it. I note that there is also no name attributed to the article the
promotes the candidate. I conclude that it is a piece of campaign propaganda
and not actually a news-article.
For an attentive group of readers such as ours and a people such as Haitians
who defend the rights of journalists who risk their lives to identify with and
stand behind their writing, why should we post
this kinds of item without also posting the name of the person who created it?
I know that on some occasions we accept articles that only give the name of a
news service, such as "AP", etc., but that's because we can usually track it
back to the hand that wrote it. Is this the case with this article? If so,
please identify the writer.
Someday, maybe I'll meet the disappointed candidate and we might even find
common ground. But at the moment, I am tempted to say that the gentleman is,
indeed, acting too much as a "Haitian-born businesman" (his own words) and not
enough as a "Haitian-born citizen" (my words). He seems to be caught in the
fringes of two shadows: One shadow is his selective allegiance to two
countries that are still at war with each other. This leaves no friendly basis
for reconciliation among
opportunistic citizens/citoyens. The other shadow is Haitian national law that
often resembles "Haitian personal law", swinging back and forth between rigid
Constitution-thumping and floppy Constitution-bending. This is like an
adolescent caught between the demands of parents vs. peers. There is an
overwhelming desire to obey or satisfy everyone, but that only leads to
patterns of deception, disapppointment, betrayal and bitterness. The passage
of time never completely heals those adolescent wounds; I think the weakest
grow up to become law-breakers.
I acknowledge this predicament, but there will be no end of disappointed
candidates until their supporters come out from the shadows and identify
themselves.
Meanwhile, we should stand clear of their tailspins.
Thank you,
Stuart Leiderman