Aristide leaves Haiti

[007]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/02/...volt/index.html

[Indu WangZi]

Was anyone else aware that elections had been suspended a few years back...

Anyone know where Jean-Bertrand went?? I am guessing a French colony of some sort??

The rebels, I hope, are not allowed to assume power...these guys are just as thuggish as Aristide and his cronies...

Amazing how civil Dominican Rep. can be...and how bad off Haiti is..and they share the same island (basically)

[Schwahalala]

Haiti - has some unique history - and some strange problems. It is near and dear to my heart based upon my childhood.

In the second grade in the East St. Louis, Illinois Public School System, I got on the book mobile, a sort of traveling library back in the day that went from school to school. I wanted to check out this book on Touisant L'Overture. The woman who was running the book mobile wouldn't let me because she said I couldn't read a book with so many words in it. I had to open the book and read a page to prove it to her before she let me. Many issues here - she was white and I believed at the time prejudiced. She doubted me and if she doubted me what did she do to other kids?

As I grew older - I have mellowed a little bit about this interaction - I still think she was prejudiced but I also think it was probably unusual for her to come across 2nd graders reading on an 7th grade level (my mom was a teacher).

Anyway - L'Overture defeated Napolean and made Haiti a free state - but was later captured. Haiti has been dominated by dictators for years, many using US dollars to stay in power while committing atrocities. There has been corruption so long it is hard to expect democracy to work so soon. Granted Aristide's positions did nothing to help the situation but the real root causes where A.) the peoples refusal to remove him for the fear of turning to worse and B) A real reality of his removal creating chaos. All of which came true.