This is the 198th diary since the earthquake in Haiti. The first diary was by Dallasdoc and previous diaries are linked below. This is the Justice, Not Charity! edition of the diary.
"The Haitian people are asking not for charity, but for justice."
The Uses of Haiti last paragraph pg. 307
What, then is to be done? Speaking of events since the 1991 coup, Noam Chomsky has noted that "honest commentary would place all of this in the context of our unwavering opposition to freedom and human rights in Haiti for no less than 200 years." The first order of business, for citizens of the United States, might be a candid and careful assessment of our ruinous policies towards Haiti. Remorse is not a very fashionable sentiment. But for many, old-fashioned penitence might be the first step towards a new solidarity, a pragmatic solidarity that could supplant both our malignant policies of the past and the well -meaning but unfocused charity that does not respond to Haitian aspirations. The Haitian people are asking not for charity, but for justice.
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This is where Paul Farmer's book The Uses of Haiti ends. This is where our new diary begins. Farmer answers our question- what to do first, "The first order of business, for citizens of the United States, might be a candid and careful assessment of our ruinous policies towards Haiti." that is what this diary will attempt to do (mainly through the discussion that takes place in the comments). Many of us are new to learning about Haiti. But we really want to help. This diary is a place to learn about Haiti, about US policy towards Haiti, and to advocate for Haiti.
Be sure not to miss JDH's Summer Reading list.. Please take a couple of minutes to see/complete (takes 5 minutes) today's action alert. Join us for today's news discussion and more.
While I have tried to find more election news, I do not have enough to do a topic for today. Instead, I invite news in the comments. I am going canvassing in a short while, but I will be checking in later this evening, hopefully with more to add.
tout moun se moun —
(every human being is a human being)
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Action Alert:
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Action Alert: Election:
The International Community Should Support Prompt and Fair
Elections in Haiti. Fanmi Lavalas has the support of the largest percentage of the Haitian electorate and
elections that forbid their presence is essentially undemocratic and disenfranchising the choice of the vast
majority of Haitians (h/t ny brit expat). The US and International Community should not fund illegitimate elections.
It is like the Democratic Party being excluded from our upcoming midterm elections.
To stand in solidarity with Haiti at this crucial time, please contact US government officials, your local
senators, and representatives and tell them not to fund illegitimate elections that Lavalas must be allowed to
participate in free, democratic elections. The US should withhold aid for the elections unless the ban is lifted.
The ban on Lavalas in the upcoming elections must be revoked.
White House: 202-456-1111
Email at www.whitehouse.gov
US State Department: 202-647-4000
Congressional switchboard: 202-224-3121
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Additional Action Alerts:
TransAfrica Forum
Stand up and be counted (Partners in Health)
HAITI ACTION COMMITTEE ACTION ALERT
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
Jubilee USA
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Let the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) know how they are doing. but please read this first.
Contact Us
We want to hear from you.
If you have general questions or comments, please email us at: info@cirh.ht
For press inquiries please contact: press@cirh.ht
Phone number: (509) 25 19 31 31
Mantra from Aristide's 1990 campaign:
"Alone we are weak, together we are strong; all together we are Lavalas, the flood [yon se`l nou feb, ansanm nou fo, ansanm nou se Lavalas]."
Aristide Damming The Flood, (pg. xxxiv)
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Sources We Like
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Top Storiy: See comments for Today's News Update:
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TOP STORY:
Red Cross must do more with aid dollars, Haitian-Americans, coalition demand
The Red Cross could not provide a break down in actual money spent in these areas.
"With the $468 million they have collected a lot more should be done," Mr. Jean-
Baptiste said. "We believe the Red Cross needs to be held accountable."
The group is urging the American Red Cross to build durable emergency housing and partner with Haitian-led and Haitian-American grassroots organizations to better address the earthquake victims’ needs. The group also seeks a detailed account of funds raised, allocated and spent on Haiti relief efforts.
Historically, Haitian activists have questioned how much non-government organizations (NGOs), such as the Red Cross, have spent on administrative costs versus actual relief, Mr. Jean-Baptiste said.
Red Cross, he added, is the largest recipient of money from the international community without demand for transparency. They escape scrutiny, he said, while "Haitian leadership has always been seen as corrupt."
Red Cross responds with this infuriating statement:
"The fact that we spent only a third of the money that has been donated is great ... because we are doing it wisely. We are not spending it as fast as we can," Martha Carlos, senior manager of marketing and communication, said.
While Haitians experience this:
Ms. Lauture just returned from her second visit to the country on Aug. 7. Haiti’s needs are great, but shelter is paramount, she said. Camps are jammed with upwards 2,500 people. These tent cities are inadequate for people recovering from traumatic wounds such as amputation. There has been talk of placing families in shipping containers, she added.
Beginning of the End
"The mother came back, got her daughter and checked her daughter and she said, ‘her inside was so’ –she emphasized– ‘opened.’ And then she asked the daughter, ‘what happened to you?’ And the daughter said, ‘while I went to the bathroom there was this man that held me and had sex with me’."
cut
...She is a 10-year-old girl who has been sexually assaulted three times in the camp where she lived with her mother.
Haiti Liberté editorial on political situation, upcoming election
The occupation explains a great deal about the uncertainties that weigh over the future of the country. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake we were accorded humanitarian aid from the International Community that proved to be more of a show than a real financial commitment, especially on the part of the United States, the leading imperialist country. That aid, tied to reconstruction promises, remains desperately unfulfilled. In reality, the promises of humanitarian and financial assistance simply serve to reinforce the military occupation. To illustrate the burdensome nature of this assistance, we need only scrutinize the role of Bill Clinton — linked, incredibly, with his buddy George Bush through the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund (CBHF). The fund was created on President Obama’s advice and we haven’t seen a single dime from it.
Haitian history didn't begin after the earthquake. Kevin Pina/Latin Waves, here.
Konstitisyon se papie, bayonet se fe
(The constitution is paper, bayonets are steel)
"I believe that IJDH, as small as it is, offers something important to Haitians who continue, amazingly, to believe in and struggle for genuine democracy and for human rights that are meant for all humans. To build a justice system that works for the Haitian poor rather than against them will require precisely the sort of pragmatic solidarity embraced by IJDH"
— Paul Farmer, Co-Founder, Partners in Health
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RELIABLE SOURCE ARTICLES:
Any articles that we missed? Please leave comment. Will revise the list soon. Any recommendations?
History
Aristide,
Agriculture,
Immigration,
Trade Policy,
Vulture Capitalism,
(will add more articles).
Video:
Brian Concannon and Paul Farmer Video, Change Haiti Can Believe In: here,
Haiti Dreaming for More Than $3 a day Watch, here: Life and Debt, here:
Edwidge Danticat on US immigration detentions 60 minutes, here: Jeremy Scahill on Democracy Now! responds to Clinton being appointed as UN envoy to Haiti, here: Reuters, here:The Tonton Macoutes (VSN) part 1/2, here.
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AID-CHANGE?
Haitian history didn't begin after the earthquake. Kevin Pina/Latin Waves, here.
IJDH, "We Became Garbage to Them," here.
Haiti Liberté editorial on political situation, upcoming election, here.
Nicole Lee, "Haiti: An Opportunity For A New Model," here.
Mark Schuller, "Falling through the cracks or unstable foundations?" here
IJDH, "Haitians in IDP Camps are living better now than before the earthquake? Are you kidding me?" here
Kim Ives, "Land Ownership at the Crux of Haiti's Stalled Reconstruction," here.
CIRH, Interim Haiti Recovery Commission here, Clinton & Bellerive co-chairs, 26 members 13 foreigners and 13 of Haiti's elite business people. One of which Reginald Boulos was a backer of both coups. Another memberGarry Lissade, the former lawyer for Cedras during the 1993 Governor's Island post-coup negotiations.
Mark Schuller, "Tectonic Shifts? The upcoming donors' conference for Haiti" here,
CounterPunch, "How NGOs are Profiting Off a Grave Situation: Haiti and the Aid Racket" here,
More Articles, here..
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Join us Sunday's for book day : Current book is Damming The Flood: Haiti, Aristide, And The Politics Of Containment, by Peter Hallward: Chapter 6:
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This is our book list so far:
Isabel Allende (h/t Deoliver47): Island Beneath the Sea, here;
Jean-Bertrand Aristide:: In the Parish of the Poor, here; Eyes of the Heart here;
Beverly Bell: Walking on Fire, here;
Edwidge Danticat: Brother, I'm Dying here; The Farming of Bones here; Krik? Krak! here; Breath, Eyes, Memory here;
Paul Farmer: The Uses of Haiti here; Partner To The Poor: A Paul Farmer Reader here; Getting Haiti Right This Time: The U.S. and the Coup here;
Peter Hallward: Damming The Flood here (2010 updated edition will be out soon. You can pre-order it now) here. h/ty NY brit expat published date is 11/30/10);
C.L.R. James: The Black Jacobins here, (h/t Deoliver47);
Erica James: Democratic Insecurities: Violence, Trauma, and Intervention in Haiti,here;
Tracy Kidder: Mountains Beyond Mountains here;
Maurice Lemoine: Bitter Sugar: Slaves Today in the Caribbean [1985] here;
Paule Marshall: The Chosen Place, The Timeless People here;
Randall Robinson, An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, From Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President, here;
Timothy T. Schwartz: Travesty in Haiti here;
Amy Wilentz: The Rainy Season - Haiti after Duvalier here;
IJDH, Summer Reading list: here.
PIH has a new website here; They have a recommended reading list here; a book list, links to websites with action alerts, and articles.
videos:
Aristide and the Endless Revolution here; Life and Debt here; The Agronomist here; Poto Mitan here.
Any suggestions? We are looking for books, articles, websites where we can get accurate information about Haiti. Please share any information.
I found one. The World Traveler - Haiti page.: This website has links to articles about Haiti and it has excerpts from books including The Uses of Haiti and Damming The Flood.
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A note about ratings listed here: We have looked up all of the charities listed here and we've put ratings next to the ones that have actually been rated. It looks like this: (****/A). The number of stars (1-4) indicates the rating from Charity Navigator and is also a clickable link to a detailed review of that particular charity. The letter grade is from AIP and is explained here.
NGOs:
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The Aristide Foundation for Democracy (AFD) was created in 1996 by former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide (the first democratically elected president of Haiti) with a simple principle in mind: "The promise of democracy can only be fulfilled if all sectors of Haitian society are able to actively participate in the democratic life of the nation."
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Haiti Emergency Relief Foundation (HERF):
Haiti’s grassroots movement – including labor unions, women’s groups, educators and human rights activists, support committees for political prisoners, and agricultural cooperatives – are funneling needed aid to those most hit by the earthquake. They are doing what they can – with the most limited of funds – to make a difference. Please take this chance to lend them your support. All donations to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund will be forwarded to our partners on the ground to help them rebuild what has been destroyed.
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Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti:
Mission
We strive to work with the people of Haiti in their non-violent struggle for the consolidation of constitutional democracy, jus tice and human rights, by distributing objective and accurate information on human rights conditions in Haiti, pursuing legal cases, and cooperating with human rights and solidarity groups in Haiti and abroad.
IJDH draws on its founders’ internationally-acclaimed success accompanying Haiti’s poor majority in the fields of law, medicine and social justice activism. We seek the restoration of the rule of law and democracy in the short term, and work for the long-term sustainable change necessary to avert Haiti’s next crisis.
"IJDH is simply the most reliable source for information and analysis on human rights in
Haiti." — Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)
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Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti:
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L'Athletique D'Haiti:
"While many children and parents see the club as a way to make it to the Haitian National team and also as a route ?to college scholarships or professional teams outside of Haiti, there’s more to the program than sports. By encouraging youngsters from wealthier families to compete with those from the slums, Robert Duval is also chipping away at the barriers of long divided Haitian society. And as Duval points out, ‘Some of these kids have a lot of talent, not only for soccer. Maybe it’s school or music or writing poetry. But sports will lift them to the next level of life.’" ?- Finbar O’Reilly, National Post, Canada
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The Lambi Fund (****) is a secular non-profit nonprofit whose mission is "to assist the popular, democratic movement in Haiti. Its goal is to help strengthen civil society as a necessary foundation of democracy and development. The fund channels financial and other resources to community-based organizations that promote the social and economic empowerment of the Haitian people." They support "projects that embrace the following principles: non-violent, non-partisan, community-based, promoting the advancement of women, using education and training for empowerment, and promoting the overall democratic movement."
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Social Networking Efforts:
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New Media Advocacy Project
The New Media Advocacy Project combats poverty and human rights violations by using digital video, Internet social networking, and interactive media to strengthen social justice legal advocacy in courts, legislatures, and communities.
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Past diaries in this series:
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The World Traveler - Haiti page.: This website has links to articles about Haiti and it has excerpts from books including The Uses of Haiti and Damming The Flood.
Be sure to also see diaries by Bev Bell for informed ground-level information on Haiti's needs.
FishOutofWater takes a moment to explore the benefits of Partners in Health's commitment to solar powered health centers.
Meteor Blades points the way to a better and more sustainable future for Haitians in Haiti Could Use a New Deal.
As the MSM (in the United States) turns attention away from Haiti, Deoliver47 reminds us that things are not suddenly all better: Raining Disease and More Deaths.
For some good pre-earthquake background on Haiti, see Daisy Cutter's Book Review: "Damming the Flood" by Peter Hallward, pt 1. This diary was published in July 2008 and presents a history of Haiti up to 1999 using Hallward's book as a reference. Excellent.
ShelterBox:carolina stargazer is still watching the store. The next ShelterBox diary is planned for Tuesday morning, but activity in diary will be monitored until then. Matching funds are available.
Sunday is Haiti diary book day. Here is the Book List
UPCOMING DIARIES
Tuesday:
Thursday: RunawayRose
Sunday: allie123
If you would like to volunteer to contribute a diary to continue this series, please volunteer in the comments below. Norbrook has created a Google documents file with the source code for the first version of the diary with the NGO list. allie123 created a Google doc for the new series Justice, Not Charity. However, because we are cutting back to 2 or 3 diaries a week we will be adding a focus and new information to each diary now.
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The icons and March 13 formatting revision of this diary series are courtesy of the html artist known on Daily Kos as Pluto. The "Help Haiti" image at the top of the diary that has become the "logo" of this series is courtesy of AuntKat. Big thank you to swampus for maintaining the google doc for months.