2/29/04 The Betrayal of Aristide By Mumia Abu-Jamal from death row With the news flash crawling across the Sunday morning screens that the democratically elected president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was leaving the country, and seeking asylum in another then-undisclosed country, came the startling confirmation that the Bush regime couldn't care less about democracy; not in America's so-called 'back yard', nor anywhere else in the world. For days, the Administration has been tossing grenades in the direction of Aristide, blaming him for the economic troubles of the island, while it was the administration itself that cut off IMF loans that deepened the nation's crisis. Even the allegedly centrist Clinton Administration had to be drawn, kicking and screaming, into the struggle to restore the Haitian president, and with the entry of the Bush regime came efforts to push him out. Why did they dislike Aristide? It had nothing to do with human rights abuses, or corruption, as the corporate media has been parrot-like repeating. It's because Aristide's main core group of support came from the desperately poor peasantry, who gave their all in the Lavalas movement that pushed the Duvalier dictatorship into exile. The wealthy bourgeoisie in Haiti never forgave the former priest for sparking the democracy movement, and it is this element that is the main backers of the so-called 'rebels', who are bent on running Aristide out. It is precisely this element that has friends in high places in the U.S. government, and the U.S. intelligence agencies. Why else would Emmanuel Constant, a former honcho of the right- wing FRAPH group, which has terrorized Haitians for years, live in sweet calm and comfort in Brooklyn, despite charges of FRAPH's involvement in torture, beatings, anti-democratic violence, and murders? Bush's so-called 'War on Terrorism' doesn't go there, eh? When the Aristide government repeatedly requested the return and extradition of Constant, they were repeatedly ignored. Why? Is it because they did not want Constant giving testimony about CIA links and support to FRAPH? What we are seeing in Haiti is the reemergence of FRAPH into Haitian life; *this time openly supported by the US!* *Never Again* should we give ear to U.S. claims about supporting democracy -- it is a sham! Just days before this right-wing coup, diplomats assigned to the Organization of American States (OAS) got up, and almost all of the nations represented swore to support the Haitian government-- all except the U.S. Mexico pledged support; El Salvador; and the embattled Republic of Venezuela did as well. But, it was all diplomatic speech; and diplomatic speech, after all is said and done, is just speech. In the end, the resolutions of the OAS, like the resolutions of other agencies, meant nothing. What mattered is that the U.S. opposed him; and the president of Haiti is now in exile. What is almost more disturbing is the U.S. claims to support his removal, "for the good of the Haitian people." For 200 years, the U.S. hasn't given a damn about 'the Haitian people.' When they try to seek asylum on U.S. shores, they are thrown into Krome Detention Center in Miami -- for years! The U.S. has supported every dictator that ever ruled over Haiti, despite a blood-curdling history of crimes and horrific human rights violations. That's because those dictators would freely allow the Haitian people to be further and further exploited. The Haitians will now, if history is any guide, experience a wave of violence, and accordingly, the rate of island refugees will grow, exponentially. What will America then do, 'for the good of the Haitian people?' Turn them back to their tormentors who have now seized power? Aristide predicted this. History will prove his words were right, and that the Bush Regime was once again, wrong.   Copyright 2024 Mumia Abu-Jamal [Mr. Jamal has written widely about war and other issues. His latest work, *Faith of Our Fathers* (Africa World Press, 2024) was named one of "The Most Remarkable Books of 2024" by *Black Issues Book Review* (Nov/Dec '03).] Check out Mumia's NEW book: FAITH OF OUR FATHERS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OF AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN PEOPLE at www.africanworld.com Mumia Abu-Jamal is also the author of three other books: 'Live from Death Row', 'Death Blossoms', and 'All Things Censored'. When a cause comes along and you know in your bones that it is just, yet refuse to defend it--at that moment you begin to die. And I have never seen so many corpses walking around talking about justice." - Mumia Abu-Jamal MUMIA'S COLUMNS NEED TO BE PUBLISHED AS BROADLY AS POSSIBLE TO INSPIRE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT AND HELP CALL ATTENTION TO HIS CASE. The campaign to kill Mumia is in full swing and we need you to **please** contact as many publications and information outlets as you possibly can to run Mumia's commentaries (on-line and **especially off-line**)!! The only requirements are that you run them *unedited*, with every word including copyright information intact, and send a copy of the publication to Mumia and/or ICFFMAJ. THANK YOU!!! Keep updated by reading ACTION ALERTS!! at www.mumia.org, www.onamove.org, and their links. To download Mp3's of Mumia's commentaries visit www.prisonradio.org The Power of Truth is Final -- Free Mumia! PLEASE CONTACT: International Concerned Family & Friends of MAJ P.O. Box 19709 Philadelphia, PA 19143 Phone - 215-476-8812/ Fax - 215-476-6180 E-mail - icffmaj@aol.com AND OFFER YOUR SERVICES! Send our brotha some LOVE and LIGHT at: Mumia Abu-Jamal AM 8335 SCI-Greene 175 Progress Drive Waynesburg, PA 15370 Subscribe: mumiacolumns-subscribe@topica.com Read: http://topica.com/lists/mumiacolumns/read Subscribe ICFFMAJ email updates list by e-mailing icffmaj@aol.com . The Power of Truth is Final -- Free Mumia! Copyright 2024 Mumia Abu-Jamal