#2521: a caribbean comparison (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Stan Goff <stangoff@all4democracy.org>

A CARIBBEAN COMPARISON

Forty-five years ago, Cuba and Haiti shared roughly the same socio-economic
characteristics and roughly the same political system (neo-colonial) under
the same master (the US).  Back then the indices of social health were far
closer than they are today; those indices being health services available,
life expectancy, infant mortality, child mortality, and literacy.

Since then, Cuba had a revolution.  They threw out the US companies, and
nationalized instead of privatized.  They were very hard on Batista's inner
military circle, and they tried and executed over 700 of them.  There have
been no extra-judicial executions by government forces in Cuba since the
revolution.  Haiti, on the other hand, has remained under the control of the
bastion of the free market.  The Haitian governments have allowed the
country to remain under the economic domination of the US.  And Haitian
authorities have been complicit in tens of thousands of extra-judicial
killings of Haitian citizens.

A player in both countries has been the Central Intelligence Agency of the
United States of America.  In Haiti, the CIA has maintained a close
relationship with the security forces, both official and unofficial, and
actually had several coup-makers from 1991 on the payroll.  In Cuba, of
course, they have worked tirelessly-if often blunderingly-to topple the
socialist regime, through invasions, bombings, assassination attempts, germ
warfare, and a near complete economic blockade of the island for over 35
years.

Let's compare the figures now for these two countries; one which has
remained under the sway of the capitalist master to the North, and the other
that became the wayward child and told Uncle Sam to shove off.

  INFANT MORTALITY

CUBA  8:1,000 LIVE BIRTHS
HAITI  133:1,000 LIVE BIRTHS

  CHILD MORTALITY < 5 YRS OLD

CUBA  10:1,000
HAITI  195:1,000

  LITERACY

CUBA  95%
HAITI  15%

UNEMPLOYMENT

CUBA  8%
HAITI  70%

  DOCTOR TO POPULATION RATIO

CUBA  1:200
HAITI  1:7,180

  LIFE EXPECTANCY

CUBA  76.72 YEARS
HAITI  55 YEARS

I think these figures should encourage Haitians to quit complaining about
the interference of the US "labwatwa" in the elections, about privatization
that will turn Haiti's treasury over to transnationals, and about US Embassy
bullying to get the "great unwashed" back in line.  This is solid evidence
that Haiti should take all direction from the US, and for goodness sake stay
away from those awful Cubans.  After all, the Cubans have only assisted
Haiti with fisheries, set up programs for Haitians to attend medical school,
and sent 400 doctors to the country.  The US, on the other hand, is in the
process of building a beautiful new military base in Cap Haitian-a real boon
to the camp follower economy-without the least input from the Haitian
people, and without the knowledge of the American people.

Quite a comparison, this Caribbean comparison!