8881: Knowles on 8868: Haiti: By David Keene (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Phil Knowles <Phildk@prodigy.net>

When Keene said  "To announce one is going to Port-au-Prince is to invite
laughter, scorn or pity"  I had a series of reactions.

(1) Wait, Mr. Keene, I was in Haiti in December, right after the
Presidential election, and no one scorned or pitied me. Does that mean my
friends and family are uninformed, Clinton lackeys, or what?
(2) Say, Keene, have you ever really visited Haiti, ridden on a tap-tap,
touched a stranger's hand, had a Haitian beer with some local folk?  I don't
think so.
(3) You got some of it right. Haiti is poor, and tourism is all but zero.
You got all the rest of it wrong. You displayed arrogance, ignorance, and a
distinct tendency to believe what Jesse Helms says.  You really have to get
with the program, man!
(4) When you said "The opposition and the Haitian population boycotted the
November 26th election. Turnout was less than 3% and most of those who voted
actually worked for the government."  you stepped on pretty thin ice. As I
remember, the debate was whether 90%, 60% or some slightly lower figure,
voted. Why were all those people standing in line, all over the country?
Where did you get your facts?

To the person who submitted this piece of bile:  can you pass my reactions
along to the idio.....to Mr. Keene?  I'd be very grateful.

Phil Knowles