The truth of Haiti-an attempt to stop the madness

As much as I did not want to begin another thread about Haiti, I feel compelled to do so as some of our members seem to be getting sucked into the black hole of ignorance and sometimes, down right stupidity. That being said if the mods feel this would be better as part of an existing thread, that is fine by me, however I posted new because the number of false threads referring to "Haiti's deal with devil" and they had this coming is too many for me to post this on all of them, which is against ats rules (I believe).

Now, let's get down to business.

Haiti, as it is today, is no more than the result of a brutal and ongoing rape of colonial powers, it is just that simple. The following is a very brief synopsis from the www.cia.gov..." target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow">https...://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html

The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements

Here, we see the very basis of the difference between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Haiti was controlled by the French, the Dominican Republic was controlled by the Spanish, therefore there are two very different paths to eventual independence. This is 1804 we are talking about, which country will help slaves with independence? Right, that would none, and no the "devil" didn't "help" either.


The Haitian fight for independence was not an overnight success, it was a 12 year war with the French. After the slaves success the French demanded 150 million francs, in gold.

Here is a fantastic little tidbit brought to you by the times uk

TextFor Haiti, this debt did not signify the beginning of freedom, but the end of hope. Even after it was reduced to 60m francs in the 1830s, it was still far more than the war-ravaged country could afford. Haiti was the only country in which the ex-slaves themselves were expected to pay a foreign government for their liberty. By 1900, it was spending 80% of its national budget on repayments. In order to manage the original reparations, further loans were taken out — mostly from the United States, Germany and France. Instead of developing its potential, this deformed state produced a parade of nefarious leaders, most of whom gave up the insurmountable task of trying to fix the country and looted it instead. In 1947, Haiti finally paid off the original reparations, plus interest. Doing so left it destitute, corrupt, disastrously lacking in investment and politically volatile. Haiti was trapped in a downward spiral, from which it is still impossible to escape. It remains hopelessly in debt to this day.

Did you see that, the Haitians were paying 80% of of their national budget on payments to the French for their supposed freedom, 96 years later. It's really puzzling why they have suffered immense poverty isn't it? So, they took out loans, from other countries, including the French. Isn't that something, so the Haitians "owe" the French money and then the French lend money to the Haitians to pay them back. Huh, sounds familiar to some of the economic games being played today, but I digress. They are at this point, 1900, already stuck in the perpetual cycle of never ending and overwhelming debt, never having the chance to actually be independent. Struggling in this state until today.

Unfortunately, we are not yet finished. No study of the current situation in Haiti is complete without at least the mention of François Duvalier (Poppa Doc himself). He was a "swell guy" whose resume includes: sanctioned rape, torture, and exploitation of money, resources, and the people. It is from his reign where SOME have received their material, he "was rumored" to have a personal army of zombies. Not so much, but he enjoyed the fear it caused in people, because the threat of rape and murder by these guards simply wasn't causing enough fear. Now, the countries of world only cared enough to send him cash, not to actually remove him from power. Hmmm.....Haiti doesn't have oil so it wasn't necessary.

In 1967, American-owned plantations in the Dominican Republic paid Papa Doc directly for rounding up 20,000 Haitians to work on their lands. In 1972, his son and heir, Baby Doc’s minister of the interior, was exposed for literally selling Haitian blood to private American hospitals: $3 a litre, no questions asked. During the Duvaliers’ combined 28 years in power, up to 60,000 Haitians were “disappeared” by the regime. The Duvaliers swindled international creditors and aid agencies for enormous sums. The American government, via various agencies and banks, lent millions to both dictators. Though there was anger in Washington about the Duvaliers and their 80% rate of aid embezzlement, no action was taken to remove them until 1986. The Duvaliers were always happy to sign up to new loans, and to give lucrative contracts to American corporations. Most of the projects went nowhere. Haiti is littered with half-built and abandoned schools, hospitals, bridges and roads. Most of the money lent to the Duvaliers found its way into private bank accounts. When Baby Doc fled, he took millions with him: estimates go as high as $900m. The debts incurred by the Duvaliers make up 45% of Haiti’s total current debt. None of the creditors finds the fact of their complicity a compelling argument for cancellation. Those creditors include the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the IMF and the governments of the US and France. Debt relief is at the discretion of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, run by the World Bank and the IMF. Haiti must meet certain conditions, including poverty reduction and inflation controls, before any debt can be written off. By international standards, the sums are small, but for Haiti they are enormous. The World Bank alone demands an estimated $1.6m a month.

www.timesonline.co.uk...

Finally, I would like to leave you with some facts about Haiti courtesy of www.timesonline.co.uk...

Natural resources: bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower Natural hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts Environment current issues: extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water

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[edit on 16-1-2010 by searching4truth]

[edit on 16-1-2010 by searching4truth]

GDP: $11.38 billion (2007 est.) GDP growth rate: 2% GDP per capita: $1,700 GDP composition by sector: agriculture: 28% industry: 20% services: 52% Inflation rate: 15.7% Labor force: 3.6 million note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 66% industry: 9% services: 25% Unemployment: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs Budget: revenues: $400 million expenditures: $600.8 million

As you can see, Haiti was in crisis long before this earthquake, which has exponentially worsened the situation, however, the culprit is not "the devil" so much as it the outcome of colonization and exploitation, results of a greedy humanity, not a pact with the dark lord.

[edit on 16-1-2010 by searching4truth]

[edit on 16-1-2010 by searching4truth]

Thank you for putting this together.
It's a history lesson I was looking for.

Seems like the plight of Haiti is caused by the past and ongoing greed of other nations, combined with the complicity of the corrupt few.

Gotta keep the natives down you know, if they're sitting on resources we want.

Originally posted by Kailassa
Thank you for putting this together.
It's a history lesson I was looking for.

Seems like the plight of Haiti is caused by the past and ongoing greed of other nations, combined with the complicity of the corrupt few.

Gotta keep the natives down you know, if they're sitting on resources we want.

Oh, you are quite welcome. Although I fear those that could really use the information are not interested in receiving it. Yes, heaven forbid actually letting people get out from under control and attempt to be prosperous.


[edit on 16-1-2010 by searching4truth]

Originally posted by searching4truth

GDP: $11.38 billion (2007 est.) GDP growth rate: 2% GDP per capita: $1,700 GDP composition by sector: agriculture: 28% industry: 20% services: 52% Inflation rate: 15.7% Labor force: 3.6 million note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 66% industry: 9% services: 25% Unemployment: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs Budget: revenues: $400 million expenditures: $600.8 million

As you can see, Haiti was in crisis long before this earthquake, which has exponentially worsened the situation, however, the culprit is not "the devil" so much as it the outcome of colonization and exploitation, results of a greedy humanity, not a pact with the dark lord.

[edit on 16-1-2010 by searching4truth]

[edit on 16-1-2010 by searching4truth]

Correct!!! I'm glad you wrote this, I was beginning to write a thread along these very lines. I must say that if this earthquake was man-made as some threads have posited, then it has definitely backfired. I never would have been aware of this situation and this history if it had not happened - and I'm really pissed about it too. If everyone becomes aware of this horrible, greedy rape maybe something can be done about it. Exposure is what this needs. Perhaps the beginning of a silver lining on the situation. I don't know, but hope so.

Originally posted by Iamonlyhuman


Correct!!! I'm glad you wrote this, I was beginning to write a thread along these very lines. I must say that if this earthquake was man-made as some threads have posited, then it has definitely backfired. I never would have been aware of this situation and this history if it had not happened - and I'm really pissed about it too. If everyone becomes aware of this horrible, greedy rape maybe something can be done about it. Exposure is what this needs. Perhaps the beginning of a silver lining on the situation. I don't know, but hope so.

I'm with you, I have learned even more about the pillage of Haiti because of the earthquake, things I most likely wouldn't have looked into normally. Now, I posted this on another thread but I'll shorten it and place it here as well.

Update: mgfarrelly points out another thing I didn't know—the U.S. Congress is currently considering a bill called The Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation. Part of what this bill would do is help countries like Haiti get their debt canceled, without making that cancellation conditional on things like closing down free schools or raising the cost of fresh water. May be a good time to contact your representatives about about this bi-partisan measure.

crooksandliars.com...

It would be a real blessing for the Haitians to have their debt canceled. Here is a direct link to www.jubileeusa.org...

delete

[edit on 16-1-2010 by searching4truth]

reply to post by searching4truth


Good post, S&F, but do people here really know anything? I see that you and those who have responded do. BUT... history is all a lie, what you have posted is true, Colombus and his men murdered most of the native tribe and stole all their gold for the Crown. The natives he didn't murder he brought back to England and France as slaves.

This is the Rothschilds, Queens and Popes doctrine. To exploit every human being on the planet that is not part of the Elite. Sad but true. How do we stop the insanity, we must get everyone on the same page. YOU CAN tell the government NO. YOU CAN tell the government to keep it's nose out of your business. YOU CAN file the paperwork to reclaim your "strawman" and seize the trust account in your strawman name (UCC-1). This eliminates ALL your debt. We the people DO NOT owe anything to the Rockefellors, Rothschilds nor any government. We have DOMINION, DIVINITY, this is what they do not want you to know. WE the PEOPLE do own all the natural resources on the planet, WE must come together and claim them. Because we don't step forward and claim them, the Elite steal the resources and SELL them back to us at inflated prices. This is the truth, accept it or deny it, you have to know it. Think about it........

reply to post by daddio


Well, I don't know that ALL of history is a lie, although quite a bit of creative liberty has been taken on all sides. One of my B.A. majors was History, and while my emphasis was in Russia and Mid East the one real lesson I learned was to research from both aspects. There are always two sides to a story.

However, the point of this thread (to get back on topic) is that the devil does not have a point of view nor do the people that insist on propagating the rumors and ignorance associated with this country.

great post involving some of haitis history that billions around the world have no clue about

not much i can say on the subject that hasnt been said but hopefully more people will star and flag this as this information is important regarding the events taking place


many of the reasons that haiti is facing such hardship right now due to the earthquake are all things that can be attributed to humans screwing up


if haiti could have had better leadership and if the other "powerhouse" countries wouldnt have taken advantage of them, haiti could be in a much better position to handle the problems from the earthquake


with better leaders and less outside corruption from other countries, many of the buildings that fell, would not have existed in their sub standard conditions


when you know the history of this situation, you quickly learn the earthquake didnt cause all this death and destruction, rather we, as humans have caused all this death and destruction by our greed, corruption, indifference, and neglect


if our world was truly just, the governments and the financial organizations responsible for these situations would pay the penalty for their actions, but that wont happen, instead they will just allow the media to continue exploiting these people and go around on tv kissing babies in order to raise the money needed to fix the problems these large institutions have created

[edit on 16-1-2010 by Dramey]

[edit on 16-1-2010 by Dramey]

Dramey: Right on.

Don't misunderstand, this earthquake would have rocked the best build cities. But the fact that they there was such widespread poverty, poor infrastructure, etc. has made this one of if not the worst humanitarian crisis's. The fact remains they were in this situation due to the historical and ongoing actions of fellow nations.

Sometimes (or most times) what is in the best interests of one nation, is in worst interests of another. It seems Haiti has received the short end of the stick more than their share.

edit: I didn't hit reply to dramey, oops forgive me

[edit on 16-1-2010 by searching4truth]

Nice post, Thanks for putting this together, This will be a victory to some people. I Watched a video from 2005 and the UN and local police was killing kids in the streets and shooting up peaceful protest and now to think these were better times for the Haitians.

reply to post by searching4truth


Spot on, spot on. It was punished for fighting for itself and winning, and still paying monies from 200 years ago is outright wrong. Especially since they didn't get paid for the slavery that was done to them. People wonder well Poppa Doc was black why didn't he stick up for his people? Thats real easy, it's because as with all races there's greed, opportunity, narcissism and whatever bad things that people can do to people. Evil people come in all shapes and sizes and color.

Well isn't this interesting www.thenation.com...

here's a preview

Now, in its attempts to help Haiti, the IMF is pursuing the same kinds of policies that made Haiti a geography of precariousness even before the quake. To great fanfare, the IMF announced a new $100 million loan to Haiti on Thursday. In one crucial way, the loan is a good thing; Haiti is in dire straits and needs a massive cash infusion. But the new loan was made through the IMF's extended credit facility, to which Haiti already has $165 million in debt. Debt relief activists tell me that these loans came with conditions, including raising prices for electricity, refusing pay increases to all public employees except those making minimum wage and keeping inflation low. They say that the new loans would impose these same conditions. In other words, in the face of this latest tragedy, the IMF is still using crisis and debt as leverage to compel neoliberal reforms.

So.....the IMF is simply going to continue making the situation worse and repeat history, again. How charitable of them.

Horrible pictures from a people in real need. Help only appear to reach the rich areas of Haiti...

Video






This is the contributions to Haiti in Millions::

(Sums below is in millions dollar)

1. USA: 100

2. Canada: 53,7

3. Sweden: 18,1

4. Brazil: 15,5

5. UK: 10,2

6. Australia: 9,0

7. Mexico: 8,0

8. Denmark: 7,4

9. China: 5,4

10. Japan: 5,3

11. Taiwan: 5,0

12. Norway: 4,9

13. Spain: 4,3

14. Germany: 3,5

Source: FN:s Ocha


Source

[edit on 18-1-2010 by stargazerman]

reply to post by stargazerman


Every photo I see of the small children stuck there in the midst of all the madness, breaks my heart I want to go and bring them all home with me.

The amount of aid coming in is wonderful that all the aid (250.3 million) from various countries is pouring in. I know that the IMF gave them a 100 million additional loan, I hope that the foreign aid is gifted and not loaned. The previous loan payments is what had burden Haiti's economy and therefore standard of living for so long.

silly posters are back at it, bump in an attempt to share the history.

There is gold in them there hills. Here comes the exploitation and environmental destruction.

www.thestar.com...

"These are the best results I've ever seen," says Laskowski. "I don't think there's a question of whether there's a good deposit here. It's a question of whether we can develop it here in Haiti."

reply to post by ViperFoxBat


Yes, I've seen that. I hope that this tragedy will not serve as another opportunity to further exploit Haiti. I know that I will most likely be disappointed in that hope.

Although, I am curious now. If Haiti has a even a fairly substantial amount of natural gold, why haven't they mined it, refined it, and gotten themselves out of the debt that has kept them down? I know that they don't have much heavy equipment, but neither did the settlers during the gold rush, just need some hand tools.

I got a video here that can add fuel to the fire:

www.brasschecktv.com...

See if this would help....