9470: RE: 9458: Re: 9445: RE: 9422: Open Discussion (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: "Walton, Robert" <waltonr@emh1.ftmeade.army.mil>

In Haiti, as everywhere else, there are both the industrious and the
indolent.  However, when a government does not serve the people,  protects
the guilty rather than the innocent and provides benefits only for its
officials and supporters, the people suffer.  My impression is that Aristide
is not evil; he is respected but cannot exercise effective control of "his"
government by replacing those who work for their own interests.  

There was a time when bizango societies worked in concert with the
government to keep order. (*Names varied from region to region but included
Zobop, Bizango, Vlinblindingue, San Poel, Mandingue, &... Macandal...
quasi-political arm of the vodoun society charged above all with the
protection of the community.) *extracted from Davis, Wade. The Serpent and
the Rainbow,NY: Simon & Schuster (1985).  

Hopefully, the US will keep its hands off Haiti's next revolution.

Bob