28897: Maurice (Comment)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Mmaurice39@aol.com

(Comment)

I would like to further comment on the dual nationality issue. It just dawned
on me that having been sick and needing aid from the public sector was not
the only reason I became a U.S. citizen. When I traveled to Haiti in the
eighties and nineties, there was one exit at the Port-Au-Prince airport for 
holders
of U.S. passports and another exit for holders of Haitian passports. The people
who had U.S. passports just zoomed by and went about their business. I, on
the other hand, a proud Haitian citizen,  was detained and questioned. In order
to come back to the U.S., I had to pay someone to go downtown and get me a
"visas de sortie" which was not required of holders of U.S. passports. Those
experiences left a bitter taste in my mouth and I remember vowing to never 
travel
back to Haiti unless and until I had a U.S. passport. I know I am not alone in
my experiences and Haiti is very deserving of a stern reproach from some of
her sons and daughters.

Most thinkers agree one should not complain unless he/she can offer some sort
of remedy. My advice is for Haitians to follow the cue from Israelis and make
their mission turning Haiti into a haven for Haitians paramount. Haitians
being able to find refuge at home should be a primordial goal for Haitian
politicians and the real "Friends of Haiti".

Magdalena Maurice