a643: Aristide's speech: more words, mere words! (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Karioka9@cs.com

The sentiments are nice.  "In a democracy there must be political pluralism,
there must be tolerance."  Don't you wish those words were printed on each
bag of rice of the Tout Pou Nou cooperative?  How else is the president to
teach those sentiments to his followers -- with their zero tolerance for any
opposition?

"Too often in our country, we mix up opponents and enemies. Too often in my
country, we are afraid of our different opinions. The strongest person is not
the person who talks louder. The strongest person is not the person who puts
his or her fingers in his or her ears so he or she does not hear the opinions
of others . . ."   That paragraph actually lacks the cadence or the
redundancy of Mr. Aristide's speeches.  But whoever wrote it deserves an
entry in the nation's great anthology of political bullshit.

So the president is inviting the opposition to parade on
government-controlled national radio and TV on Feb. 7?  As symbolic gestures
go, this is rather feeble.  A more meaningful gesture might be for Mr.
Aristide to retire Ronald Cadavre from active service.  This alone could cut
the crime rate in Cite Soleil by more than half.  Or else the president could
dissolve the croupion Parliament, not so much because the elections were
tainted, but because it is a den of thieves.  (OK, this would also call for
Mr. Aristide to resign, so forget I ever suggested such a thing.)

Lavalas is in what some people call a quagmire.  On the one hand they have to
make nice with the opposition, if they are to get their sticky fingers on the
fabled $500 million of so-called international aid.  But allowing the
opposition to have their say in the running of government is to compromise
the golden goose of corruption.  The way out seemingly is for the Leader to
lull the country (and the Lavalas ostriches abroad) with nice words and nice
sentiments. In that department no one can best the clever Titid.  But nice
words and nice sentiments are all we are likely to see. Too bad, isn't it,
this no longer suffices to deliver the goods.

Daniel Simidor