7454: Re: 7438: Haiti violence spreads to provinces (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Amy Wilentz <amywile@panix.com>

Excuse me if anyone else has already posted this, but it seems so
obvious to me.

What if -- after the election here -- Al Gore, instead of meekly and
properly retiring to teach at Columbia University School of Journalism,
had decided instead that he had legitimately won the election and should
be president and had set himself up as president and established a
"parallel government"???

Then he would have been thrown in jail.

And HE was nearly elected, whereas the "parallel" government in Haiti
boycotted the Haitian elections and has no legitimacy whatsoever. It is
an embarrassment to itself -- the Haitian opposition has chosen a route
that can only make it seem more pathetic and more impotent than it
already seems, and draw attention to its absurdity, and thereby
delegitimize ALL opposition, which is a very bad thing, indeed.
	 It is a sad thing, when in truth so many people in the opposition are
worthy and intelligent, and have the betterment of Haitians' lives in
their hearts. With this parallel routine, they have given the Aristide
government a legitimate reason to excoriate them, although there can be
no justification for the recent violence.

They should abandon their outrageous position, and take up their
rightful and legitimate role as responsible and outspoken members of The
Opposition. Enough of this charade, no?

Amy Wilentz