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19 November 2010 By Stephen
Lendman In early November, thousands of
Haitians rallied for President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide's return and presidential hopeful Jean-Henry
Ceant in the November 28 elections, one rigged by
banning 14 political parties, including Fanmi Lavalas,
by far the most popular. Ceant founded Aimer Haiti (Love
Haiti), "a movement uniting and integrating
human-centered (principles) and committed to the
pursuit of the ideals of unity, solidarity and
fraternity to build a new Haiti on the basis of shared
responsibility, social justice, peace and economic
progress for all." He's also a notaire (notary),
businessman, community leader and philanthropist, the
only candidate most Haitians support, whether or not
he'll deliver on promises if elected. Aristide did,
Preval for a while, then sold out the public that
backed him. Given Washington's iron fist and no
shyness using it, populist governments everywhere are
at risk, especially in deeply impoverished countries
like Haiti. For now, a raging cholera
epidemic takes top concern, officially causing over
1,000 deaths and around 15,000 hospitalizations.
However, these figures way understate the true crisis,
one or more estimates believing the true count is
several-fold. On November 14, Operational
Biosurveillance said it confirmed statistics of up to
400% undercounting. "There is no question of
under-reporting." At one-fourth the true crisis, "we
now have nearly 60k cases shedding pathogen into the
environment. We believe the true statistic to be
closer to more than 100k based on the degree of
under-reporting. It is extremely difficult to estimate
the true scale of this epidemic now. (It's) grossly
uncontrolled, uncontained, (and) has exceeded public
health capacity to investigate and assess every site
reported and every sample received." Disturbingly, the entire country
is affected, including the densely crowded capital,
Port-au-Prince, with up to 1.5 million in makeshift
accommodations on city streets and wherever they found
space, living in the open under dismal sanitation
conditions. On November 14, New York Times
writer Randal Archibold headlined, "Cholera Deaths Up
in Haiti, With Worst to Come," saying: "Several epidemiologists have
said the disease has not peaked and will likely worsen
and" spread, UN health officials "estimating about
270,000 may be sickened in the coming years." The true potential minimally
exceeds a million, eventually causing many thousands
of deaths, preventable because cholera is easily
treated if done properly on time. However, little
Western aid was provided, virtually nothing from
Washington despite over $1.1 billion pledged. Also,
Haiti's medical infrastructure is woefully inadequate,
besides poor sanitation and most Haitians having no
access to clean drinking water. Overall since the January
earthquake, Washington obstructed what little aid
arrived. Then cholera and Hurricane Tomas flooding,
making conditions on the ground worse than ever,
indifferent rich nations doing little to help. Haitians finally reacted, riots
erupting in Cap-Haitien on Haiti's north coast. On
November 16, Al Jazeera headlined, "Haiti cholera
protests turns violent," saying: Clashes with MINUSTAH forces
killed at least two Haitians. "Protesters, who hold
Nepalese UN peacekeepers responsible for the cholera
outbreak (from an identified Asian strain foreign to
Haiti), threw stones and threatened to set fire to a
(Cap Haitien) base," according to Haitian radio and
eyewitness reports. Al Jazeera's Cath Turner said the
situation was "brewing for a while, (evident by) tense
relations" between MINUSTAH and local people. "Back in
August, a 16-year old boy was found dead - he was
hanging from a tree." Haitians believe UN troops
killed him. Its paramilitaries have terrorized Haiti
since arriving in 2004 to support a coup d'etat regime
after US marines kidnapped Aristide in February 2004,
then forcibly flew him to the Central African
Republic. He's now in South Africa in exile, wanting
to return. On orders from Washington, the Preval
government prevents it. In a recent interview he
said: "I love my people and my country,
and I cannot hide it, and because of that love, I am
ready to leave right now. I cannot hide it. What is
preventing me from leaving, as I said earlier, if I
look from South Africa, I don't know." He wants to
return as a private citizen, not a head of state. "In
my view," he said, "they don't want me back because
they still want to occupy Haiti," and freely exploit
its people and resources, of course. Haitians demonstrate often for
his return, his presence alone badly wanted, his
spirit a way to infuse hope for better governance and
conditions, what's so far sorely lacking. The Cap
Haitien protests are unsurprising, among others
expressing outrage for lack of government and UN aid.
For also failing to contain the cholera outbreak. The
more it spreads, the greater the anger. On November 15, Haitian Truth.org
reported that: "Cap Haitian is closed. Schools
closed. People (are) on streets throwing rocks.
MINUSTAH troops (were) disarmed by Haitians. (The)
airport (was) under attack. Preval is
finished....Business is closed. The city is shut down.
(At the airport), attempt(s were made) to burn (a)
terminal underway....Much gunfire (was reported)." Incoming aircraft were diverted.
UN vehicles were being burned. Haitians demanded
removal of UN troops. They fired tear gas at
demonstrators. MINUSTAH's airport headquarters was
burned. People say stop the election. Help children. On November 16, Reuters also
reported clashes in Cap Haitien, a local businessman
saying: "The whole city is blocked, businesses and
schools have closed, cars have been burned. It's chaos
here." Demonstrators set fire to the Pont Neuf police
station. Al Jazeera's Cath Turner said
protests so far are: "just the beginning" of what
Haitians are calling a "very strong civilian uprising
against the UN in Haiti. We have been speaking to our
sources on the ground in Cap Haitien, (and they're
telling) us that people are on megaphones encouraging
people to get out on the street and to continue
telling the United Nations, 'Get out now.' " Turner also said likely protests
will happen across much of northern Haiti. "There's
been suggestions of a coordinated effort to continue
these protests until the UN gets out of the country."
Since arriving in 2004, they've
been hated. They're not peacekeepers. They're
belligerent occupiers, reigning terror on ordinary
Haitians. From Port-au-Prince, independent
journalist Ansel Herz said two Cap Haitien police
stations were on fire. "Protests were (also) reported
in....Hinche and Gonaives...." Scattered outbreaks
have also occurred in other parts of the country,
including in Port-au-Prince near the presidential
palace. Potentially they may break out anywhere, given
the level of frustration and anger over desperate
conditions and inadequate aid, especially by the UN
and rich nations able to provide it. On November 11, Doctors Without
Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) highlighed the
crisis saying "All of the hospitals in Port-au-Prince
are overflowing with patients, and we're seeing seven
times the total amount of cases we had three days
ago." In deeply impoverished Cite Soleil, in northern
Port-au-Prince, the number rose from 30 five days
previously to 216. "People are coming from everywhere
throughout the city, slums and wealthier areas." The soaring need far outstrips
the ability to serve it. In light of a fast-spreading
crisis and inadequate outside aid, expect growing
anger as the death and illness toll mounts. It's
Haiti's latest cross to bear, a country beset by
centuries of oppression, occupation, exploitation,
neglect, deep poverty, and now cholera - an imperial
epidemic likely to claim many thousands of lives,
perhaps willfully targeted for removal, President
Aristide, among others, saying "evidence strongly
suggests" that the Asian cholera strain was imported.
Why not, given America's
longstanding depopulation agenda, a model Henry
Kissinger presented in his 1974 National Security
Study Memorandum 200 (NSSM 200). Shaped by Rockefeller
interests, it was a plan to cull unwanted, unneeded,
"useless eaters" by various means, including coercive
methods, withholding disaster relief, and spreading
deadly diseases that kill. Haiti's now feeling the
sting. Stephen Lendman lives in
Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and
listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished
guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the
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