Representative Maxine Waters wrote a letter to Sec Clinton asking that the US fund fair and inclusive elections in Haiti only!
Given the time limit to getting our representatives to sign on to the letter and the urgency, I decided to re-post with Allie's permission to highlight the call to action by Representative Maxine Waters while providing some information on the state of elections in Haiti.
This diary is a partial re-post of a diary published earlier today by Allie 123: http://www.dailykos.com/...
TOP STORY:
Silent Coup in Haiti, Part II
Brian Concannon: The mainstream American media has a bias towards covering personalities over policies in all elections, including our own. Reporters and editors claim that it’s what Americans like to read. The Wyclef Jean coverage carries that bias to an extreme. It has devoted extensive space to a clearly ineligible candidate with no political experience running with a party that has never won any elected office. At the same time, it ignores the disqualification of the party that has won every free election held in Haiti for 20 years, always by a landslide.
The US equivalent to what’s happening in Haiti would be President Obama forming a new party before our 2012 elections, and announcing that the Democrats and Republicans were disqualified, then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger—who was born in Austria and thus constitutionally barred from the Presidency—announcing his candidacy, then the press foaming at the mouth about how his entry into the race has energized action hero movie fans, while ignoring the disqualification of the parties that win every election.
November Election in Haiti: The Silent Coup: The Silent Coup in Haiti P.1 of 2 9/19/2010 interview conducted by Darren Ell, with Concannon, Ives, and others . It covers the state of the Lavalas movement, the Nov 2010 election and more.
It is a critical time for Haiti. There is an upcoming election November 28, 2010, that will determine how Haiti is rebuilt. It will determine whether there is justice, opportunity and equality in Haiti, or whether the elite and US continue to pillage the country. Unfortunately so far it looks like it will be the latter -- the slogan "build back better" seems to be nothing more than a slogan.
The US sees Aristide and the Lavalas movement as the biggest threat to the interests of the US: A bigger threat than secular Marxist-Leninism and bigger than the labor unions.
A US official spoke for a more general Washington consensus when he said that 'Aristide-slum priest, grass-roots activist, exponent of Liberation Theology-represents everything that the CIA, DOD and FBI think they have been trying to protect this country against for the past 50 years.(Damming The Flood, pg. 37)
The US does not want a fair election because in any democratic election the FL candidate would win easily: As they have in all elections they have participated in. On December 16, 1990, Jean Bertrand Aristide made history by becoming Haiti's first democratically elected president and he did with a bang. He won a whopping 67% of the popular vote in a field of 12 candidates
In the 2000 legislative and local elections FL candidates won 89 of the 115 mayoral positions 72 of 83 seats in the chamber of Deputies and of the 17 senate seats that were up FL won 16. In his second election he won with over 90% of the vote. Fanmi Lavalas will win if they are allowed to compete in any fair and open democratic election. The US and the IC hate FL because they see it as a threat to the social and economic status quo and are willing to do (and indeed have done) whatever it takes to exclude them. The FL's "sin" is that they represent poor people. And, we live in a world where that is not acceptable the ruling class will not stand for it!
"[...]The coup of 2004 did not simply disrupt the Lavalas organization and kill thousands of its supporters. It was also intended to complete a task that began back in 1991: the task of reversing Lavalas' achievements and of inverting their significance. It didn't serve merely to put an end to the "threat of a good example," but also to discredit it beyond repair. Haiti's mobilization had proved that "the poorest people in the hemisphere", Elie goes on, " can know more about democracy than the people who are pretending to be beacons of civilization [...]. For the US, Haiti is an example that must be crushed, that must be made to fail." (P xxxII; quotes from Lavalas activist Patrick Elie)
The US, Haiti's Elite, and International Community (IC) have successfully excluded Fanmi Lavalas (FL) Aristide's Party from every election since they removed Jean-Bertrand Aristide from office in the 2004 coup.
A recent article compared the exclusion of FL to both the Democrats and Republicans being excluded from the upcoming election and allowing only small third Party candidates to participate.
Action Alert: Election:
The International Community Should Support Prompt and Fair Elections.
IJDH has a new action alert. Please call you Rep and sign the petition Stop U.S. Taxpayers’ Good Money From Going to Bad Elections in Haiti!
Elections that forbid the presence and participation of FL are 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.
Take Action
Help Rep. Waters fight for democracy in Haiti by calling TODAY or TOMORROW to urge your Representative to sign the letter to Secretary Clinton. The letter is open for signature this week only, so call Wednesday or Thursday!
To call:
- Dial the Capitol Switch board – 202–224-3121. Ask to be connected with your Representative’s office. (Click here to find your Representative by name or zip-code).
- You will be connected with the receptionist. Ask to speak to the staff person who handles international issues.
- Whether you speak to the staffer in person, or just leave a message on his/her voice mail, here’s what to say:
"My name is _________ and I am a constituent from _(your city)__. I am calling to ask that Representative _________ sign Rep Waters’ letter calling on Secretary Clinton to support only fair elections in Haiti. To sign the letter, contact Kathleen Sengstock in Rep. Waters’ office, at 52201."
- If you are speaking to the staff person be sure to thank them for their time and ask whether they think that the Representative will sign the letter found here.
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Elections
"Our rulers, notes Aristide's prime minister Yvon Neptune, still 'want a democracy without the people,' but rather than simply exclude them from politics today's goal is instead 'to reduce the people to puppets or clowns.'" (Damming The Flood, P XXXIII)
Haiti Liberté editorial on political situation, upcoming election | The International Community Should Pressure the Haitian Government for Prompt and Fair Elections (IJDH) |
The International Republican Institute: Promulgating Democracy of Another Variety | U.S. Gvt. Channels Millions Through National Endowment for Democracy to Fund Anti-Lavalas Groups in Haiti Amy Goodman interview's Anthony Fenton about the US funded National Endowment for Democracy (NED) it was created by Reagan in the 80's ostensibly to promote Democracy. What it does is funnel huge amount of money to anti-Lavalas groups. Most large NGOs have become arms of the CIA. They are easy for the US to control because large NGOs make a living off poverty. |
November Election in Haiti: The Silent Coup: The Silent Coup in Haiti P.1 of 2 9/19/2010 interview conducted by Darren Ell, with Concannon, Ives, and others . It covers the state of the Lavalas movement, the Nov 2010 election and more. -- P.2 | The Untold Story of Aristide's Departure from Haiti, By KEVIN PINA 10/11/04 covers: Aristides second term; the 2000 election which was initially applauded by the IC as Haiti's best election, but was soon delegitimized by the "democratic opposition," the US, and IC. It covers the destabilization program & the coup. |
What’s At Stake in Haiti’s December 3, 2006 Elections: the ASEC System | Haiti: No Leadership — No Elections (U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations) |
Haiti’s elections won’t relieve misery | Unfair and undemocratic |
"Beat the Dog Too Hard" Haiti's Elections, By MARK SCHULLER covers election day and the empty streets and polling places. And he covers clintons devastating neoliberal plan for Haiti. He mentions Charles Baker who is currently running for president. | IJDH-Elections IJDH has the bes election coverage around there are links to new and old articles and there are reports that explain Haiti's election system. They do amazing work. My favorite NGO |
With Date for Elections Set, Next Step is to Ensure Full Participation | Elections Without Voters: Eroding Participation in Haiti |
Elusive Victories in Haiti | Letter to Secretary Clinton Urging "Free, Fair and Inclusive" Elections in Haiti IJDH & other organizations write letter to Clinton re Nov 28, 2010 election. |
Haiti election commission under scrutiny for ties to President René Préval There are rumors that Preval told the CEP panel who to exclude from the 11/28/2010 election. | Selection, or Election? The Monitor Describes the CEP's Troubling Exclusion of Fanmi Lavalas et al explains why the 2010 election as planned is a shame election. It links to some other must read articles. |
List of candidates here.
Additional articleshere.
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