It's good to see that Haiti is no longer a problem for the U.S.
It's not like we've tried to straighten that place out before, right?
Yes, I'm being sarcastic. For well over 100 years, America has been trying to do right by that little island. No matter what we do, we seem to make it worse. Despite the best intentions of the Clinton adminstation, the Truman administration, the Roosevelt administration, no matter what we do it just gets worse.
Has there ever been a more fucked-up place on Earth? Even Palestine seems like a cake-walk compared to that little island. Leave them alone and the situation just gets worse. Interfere with them, and the situation just gets worse.
I have an urge at times to ask someone to make me dictator of the place just so I can fix it. And then I realize I'd just be the next "Baby Doc" if that were to happen.
There is absolutely nothing that can be done right in that place. Ignore 'em, leave 'em alone, get involved and active, interfere, impose your will, give them their own will.... it just doesn't matter. Nothing ever gets better.
It's like God's little joke on the Western Hemisphere. No matter what you do, it just gets worse on that accursed island.
I defy anyone to tell me what the right U.S. policy is toward Haiti.
I defy anyone to tell me what the right U.S. policy is toward Haiti.
Nuke it and start over?
Seriously though, sit idly by and watch the island implode? I don't think we will ever do that.
Well, this is one that we can blame on the French. They started that thing badly.
http://www.haiti.org/keydate.htm
as for a proper US policy? who knows. Like Kevin said, it's hard for us to sit idly by when it's someone so close to us geographically.
The funny thing about Haiti is that it is one half of a small island. Where the other half, the DR, is quite different.
I'd far rather live in Haiti than in Commie Castro's Cuba. The sooner that pig-fucker kicks the bucket the better. And I'd be willing to give him a hand.
I'll worry about Haiti when I hear of Voodooist terrorists crashing planes into our skyscrapers to convert us to their religion.
My parish sponsors a church and school in Mirabelais, Haiti. It is unbelievable what they can do with money that, to us, isn't much. They built their own buildings with their own hands. It is heartbreaking to stand by and watch ordinary, hardworking Haitians subjected to this kind of fear and violence. Hopefully, it will just pass over the little people.
Haiti is another wonderful example of why its not a good idea to try to go in and clean up messes the French have left. The other, of course, is Vietnam.
We have to let Haiti sort itself out alas. Meddling, especially from their large neighbor won't be a help in the long run.
Don't forget the Congo... Algeria... other French disasters.
Make English the offical language. Nothing guarantees an imminent collapse of any government faster than having French as the official language.
Actually, if the US colonized Haiti, Haiti would get much better.
The US would get worse though.
Clearly the people are helpless.
My policy? Fuck them. Let's continue to do whatever is in the best interests of our country and our peeople. If it's in our interests to help them again, then so be it.
Even Palestine seems like a cake-walk compared to that little island.
Palestine? Where the hell is that?
Well, you know, all that bad juju.
I wouldn't blame the French. Congo is the Belgians' fault. Ditto Rwanda and Burundi. The French have done all right in Africa. No genocides (worst is CAR under Boukassa) and constant civil wars have been mostly in Portuguese (Angola), English (Sierre Leone, Uganda, Zimbabwe) and independent (Ethiopia, Somalia) areas. The French nations -- Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Niger, Benin, Togo, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville has been fairly quiet by African standards.
Haiti was founded by slaves who engaged, to my knowledge, in the only successful slave revolt in the western hemisphere. It was around 1834. They did OK for a while, but have denuded the forests, destroyed civil society and engage in way too much juju. The country needs an exorcism, the rule of law and some trees.
I second IB Bill's "no-shit assessment": "The country needs an exorcism, the rule of law and some trees." There, in a nutshell, is what Haiti needs to become viable.
Palestine? Where the hell is that?
That was Dean bowing to the pressure of the Leftist PC crowd. The fuckers.
Oh, by the way ... My comment is what being politically consistent looks like. :-)
If nothing we do (including inaction) can make things better, then obviously the "solution" is inaction. It has exactly the same result as action, and costs us a lot less.
This is the only case I can think of that would be a proper test of the UN. Let them try to fix it. If it works then the UN will have one triumph, if not at least it won't be Americans getting killed. Haiti is the UN's last best hope for an accomplishment of any kind.
This topic reminds me of Kim du Toit's Let Africa Sink, for many of the same reasons.