Reflections on Oprah, Kim and Rory in Haiti
Sat, Jan 28 2012 01:21
by Paul W. Miller
The conditions in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti should serve as an indictment of the inherent injustice that exists in a world where the haves have money beyond any possible use other than to mark the number of zeros behind their net worth and the have-nots are subject to the dreadful whims of nature because they are forced to live in the unsafe dregs of the material world.
It is ironic that some of the leading icons in the world of haves that should be most looking inward in this structural system that creates winners and losers are the ones newly offering their empathy to the poor, to be pitied children of the have and have not system where the aftermath of the earthquake is only the latest inhumanity served up to them.
So now we have Kim Kardshian, Oprah Winfrey and Rory McElroy tripping over each other to get involved in Haiti to show their humanity and to burnish their images with the backdrop of Haiti’s ongoing suffering. Do they, for a moment, question their access to grotesque wealth by being on TV, on the PGA tour, and for starring in a sex movie leading to fame and fortune for being, well, famous? Do they look inward to ask how it is they can earn millions and billions of dollars for trivial pursuits while people live and die for want of a drink of clean water? I doubt it.
It is an indictment that the world’s greatest super power could not lead the efforts to rescue trapped human beings in the critical days after the earthquake. Medicine, water and rescue efforts could not be delivered, in the year 2010, as needed and many human beings died due to the politics of Haiti’s role in the world.
Haiti lies a scant 681 miles from the southern most state in the continental United States. The country that produced “Shock and Awe” of the weapons variety produced shock and awe of a different sort in Haiti. The shock and awe of a country left to its own resources for the better part of a week to recover from one of the most devastating natural and unnatural disasters of our lifetime. The news announced that teams of 8 – 12 were sent out to rescue victims under the rubble that would claim upwards of 200,000 lives. The indifference needed for the US to not be able to respond is its own “Shock and Awe”.
Where was Oprah when the US sponsored coup of 2004 created the weak infrastructure and poor governance that would be unable to respond to the earthquake? Where was Rory when the US government was undermining the latest election in Haiti? Where was Kim when US sanctions against Haiti killed water projects that would have minimized the impacts of the recent cholera epidemic? And indeed where were we on those grave occasions? We are all complicit in a system that allows centuries of suffering in a country that has contributed greatly to our own well being through the fruits of slavery, land acquisition and its citizens fighting in our wars.
Haiti deserves to have a place of dignity in the world community. Pity from the iconic figureheads of our inhumanity will not provide Haiti with the rights that will create a just world. Why would anyone who has benefited with wealth beyond their wildest imaginations challenge the structural injustice that created Haiti’s conditions? Not helped to create those conditions, created those conditions.
To say that their efforts are well intentioned has no meaning in the bigger picture. That may or may not be true. Until we look inward to the grotesque injustice we live with everyday the conditions in Haiti will serve only the purpose of letting our leading citizens use Haiti to show, that despite their extreme wealth, they aren’t heartless, for God’s sake.
Haiti is an indictment. Not of Haiti’s inability to govern itself, not of Haiti’s God forsaken place in the world, but an indictment of our choices as human beings to let people suffer in inhumane conditions while we feast at the table of excess in our land of indifference to the world’s great suffering. Sean Penn says we need Haiti. After all we have done and continue to do to create the conditions in Haiti, Haiti sure doesn’t need us.
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Congresswoman Waters to Host Briefing on Who Runs Haiti
Tue, Jan 24 2012 12:15
PRESS ADVISORY
January 24, 2012 Contact: Mikael Moore
For Immediate Release Phone: (202) 225-2201
Washington - Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-California), a strong advocate for the Haitian people in the U.S. Congress, will host a briefing tomorrow entitled, "Who Runs Haiti? A Discussion of Governance, Political Power, and Democracy in Haiti, Two Years After the Earthquake." The event will be cosponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-California) and feature several prominent speakers from both Haiti and the United States.
WHO:
* Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Member of Congress
* Thomas C. Adams, Haiti Special Coordinator, U.S. Department of State
* Minister Rene Magloire, Vice-President, Haitian Presidential Commission on Justice Reform, and former Minister of Justice (1995-96, 2006-2008)
* Brian Concannon, Director, Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)
* Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)
* Marguerite Salomon, Haitian grassroots activist and leader of a Haitian women's organization
* Peter Sollis, Senior Advisor in the Haiti Response Group, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
* Michelle Karshan, Founder and Director, Alternative Chance
WHAT: Briefing on "Who Runs Haiti? A Discussion of Governance, Political Power, and Democracy in Haiti, Two Years After the Earthquake."
WHEN: Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
WHERE: 2456 Rayburn Building, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
WHY: Stable, effective and democratic governance is essential for Haiti's recovery and development following the devastating 2010 earthquake. This briefing will examine Haiti's political process, including the roles of the President, the Prime Minister, and members of Parliament; the various political parties in Parliament and who they represent; and the influence of various interest groups and stakeholders, including the wealthy elites, the business sector, and the impoverished majority. Panelists will also discuss proposals for judicial reform, human rights issues, and the opportunities and challenges facing grassroots activists.
To read more about Congresswoman Waters' longtime work on Haiti, click here.<http://waters.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=5163>
Kathleen Sengstock
Senior Legislative Assistant
Rep. Maxine Waters
(202) 225-2201
Visit the Office of Congresswoman Waters Online:
Website<http://waters.house.gov/> | Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/maxinewaters> | YouTube<http://youtube.com/maxinewaters> | Twitter<http://www.twitter.com/maxinewaters>
Senator in Haiti continues to press for investigation
Mon, Jan 23 2012 02:04
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| Haitian Senator Moise Jean-Charles (l) continues to press investigation into Haitian president Michel"Sweet Mickey" Martelly's (r) having provided false information to run for office in the last elections. |
Haiti Information Project (HIP) News Flash: President Michel Martelly's woes concerning allegations of holding a US passport are multiplying in Haiti. If true, he would be indicted by the Haitian Senate for having lied on his candidate forms when registering in the last elections. The irony is that he would be indicted for providing a false declaration to the very same Provisional Election Council (CEP) his government is currently prosecuting for fraud.
The US Embassy has not commented on the authenticity of the US passport presented by Senator Moise Jean-Charles to the Haitian Senate. Jean-Charles and the Senate Investigating Commission will be traveling to Washington to meet with US Senators John Kerry (D) and Richard Luger (R). They are expected to forward an official request to the US Department of State to ascertain the validity of Martelly's alleged US passport. Either way, the controversy does not bode well for the Martelly administration which is already facing growing discontent at home and waning support from the international community.
Sweet Mickey invites Baby Doc to Commemorate Haiti's Earthquake
Sat, Jan 14 2012 10:24
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| President Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly and his wife greet former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at a ceremony to commemorate the earthquake that struck Haiti two years ago. Duvalier is under orders not to leave the capital of Port au Prince before he stands trial for crimes against humanity including political murder and torture. (note: Bill Clinton is in background with jaw agape as Martelly greets Duvalier). |
Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier was the main attraction at the official government ceremony to commemorate the second anniversary of the earthquake of January 12, 2010.
The former dictator and president-for-life attended the ceremony and sat on the same platform as president Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly. During the ceremony he was seated next to former military strongman General Prosper Avril.
Duvalier was also greeted by former U.S. President and current UN Special Envoy William Jefferson Clinton. Most Haitians felt as disconnected from the commemoration as they do from the current government of Martelly. The former musician known as Sweet Mickey was elected president by less than 16% of eligible voters in the final round of controversial elections sponsored by the US government and the "international community."
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| After recovering his composure, Clinton follows his instincts and extends his hand to the former dictator-for-life in a clear gesture of legitimization. |
Masking fear in Haiti
Fri, Dec 30 2011 11:41
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| A photo (left) of Michel Martelly, the former musician aka "Sweet Mickey", circulated over the Internet by Haitians in opposition to his government. The titles reads "Dear Haiti I'm getting ready for you." The photo on the right is a study in contrast as the studious and serious image of Martelly cultivated as president of Haiti. |
Flashpoints on Pacifica Radio presents an end of 2011 analysis of the situation in Haiti with Special Correspondent Kevin Pina, Wadner Pierre and Gina, an anonymous Haitian afraid to give her full name.
PLAY PROGRAM
Screening to Oppose the Return of the Haitian MIlitary
Sun, Nov 13 2011 09:04
Haiti: Harvest of Hope to screen at
School of the Americas Vigil
November 18, 4:30PM
Convention Center, 801 Front Avenue
Columbus, Georgia
Haiti: Harvest of Hope received this review from President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide in 1995, nearly one year after he returned from exile.
20th anniversary radio special observing the brutal 1991 military coup in Haiti
Sat, Oct 1 2011 08:56
Flashpoints on Pacifica Radio takes an in-depth look back to September 30, 1991 when the US-backed Haitian military overthrew Haiti's first democratically elected president in a brutal coup. Special guests Ira Kurzban and Burt Wides join us from Miami and Washington D.C.... but first this update from Port au Prince with independent journalist Ansel Herz.
Mr. Kurzban is former Counsel for the Governments of Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Panama. He is also an adjunct faculty member in Immigration and Nationality Law at the University of Miami School of Law and Nova Southeastern University School of Law and has lectured and published extensively in the field of immigration law, including articles in the Harvard Law Review, San Diego Law Review and other publications. He is the author of Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook, the most widely used one-volume immigration source in the United States.
Burt Wides has worked on national security policy issues for more than four decades, serving as chief counsel to Senator Philip Hart, Senator Edward Kennedy, and Senator Paul Sarbanes; as Special Counsel to President Jimmy Carter; and as senior counsel to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers. Among other responsibilities held during that time, he was chief of investigations for the Church Committee, which set the standard for modern-day oversight of the intelligence community, and then was director of the President's Intelligence Oversight Board. He began his government career by working on strategic weapons planning in the Office of the Secretary of Defense during the Kennedy Administration, and he also has represented a variety of high-profile clients on controversial matters as an attorney in private practice.
PLAY PROGRAM
20th Anniversary of the 1991 coup in Haiti
Wed, Sep 28 2011 10:00
Today is the 20th anniversary of the brutal military coup of 1991 in Haiti. By the time it ended three years later, the Haitian military and the CIA creature known as FRAPH, had slaughtered, tortured, maimed and disappeared more than 5000 people. It is this legacy that must never be forgotten as Martelly, a supporter of the same deadly forces, calls for the re-institution of the military in Haiti.
On this day commemorating the memory of the victims of 1991, we are also reminded of the tremendous loss and sacrifice of the Haitian people following the second coup in 2004. The two years of severe repression between 2004-2006 also took thousands of lives as part of the history of the current UN military occupation, without which, a Duvalierist and military supporter such as Martelly could have never risen to power.
Join us in calling:
Long Live REAL popular democracy in Haiti!!
Long Live resistance to injustice & foreign occupations in Haiti!
Long Live the memory of the martyrs of the 1991 & 2004 coups!!
Long live the spirit of freedom, justice and independence in Haiti!!
On this day commemorating the memory of the victims of 1991, we are also reminded of the tremendous loss and sacrifice of the Haitian people following the second coup in 2004. The two years of severe repression between 2004-2006 also took thousands of lives as part of the history of the current UN military occupation, without which, a Duvalierist and military supporter such as Martelly could have never risen to power.
Join us in calling:
Long Live REAL popular democracy in Haiti!!
Long Live resistance to injustice & foreign occupations in Haiti!
Long Live the memory of the martyrs of the 1991 & 2004 coups!!
Long live the spirit of freedom, justice and independence in Haiti!!
Can the US Dept. of Justice indict Aristide in Haiti for Teleco bribery scandal?
Wed, Jul 20 2011 01:34
 |
| Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti addresses a press conference days before his ouster on February 29, 2004. |
Kevin Pina interviews former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide's attorney, Ira Kurzban, about recent indictments related to Haiti telecommunications bribery case.
From: USDOJ-Office of Public Affairs (SMO) [mailto:USDOJ-Office.of.Public.Affairs@usdoj.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 12:37 PM
To: USDOJ-Office of Public Affairs (SMO)
Subject: FLORIDA TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, TWO EXECUTIVES, AN INTERMEDIARY AND TWO FORMER HAITIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS INDICTED FOR THEIR ALLEGED PARTICIPATION IN FOREIGN BRIBERY SCHEME
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 12:37 PM
To: USDOJ-Office of Public Affairs (SMO)
Subject: FLORIDA TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, TWO EXECUTIVES, AN INTERMEDIARY AND TWO FORMER HAITIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS INDICTED FOR THEIR ALLEGED PARTICIPATION IN FOREIGN BRIBERY SCHEME
______________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CRM
FLORIDA TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, TWO EXECUTIVES, AN INTERMEDIARY AND TWO FORMER HAITIAN
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS INDICTED FOR THEIR ALLEGED PARTICIPATION IN FOREIGN BRIBERY SCHEME
WASHINGTON - Cinergy Telecommunications Inc., Cinergy’s president and director, the president of Florida-based Telecom Consulting Services Corp. and two former Haitian government officials have been charged in a superseding indictment for their alleged roles in a foreign bribery, wire fraud and money laundering scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jose A. Gonzalez of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office.
According to the superseding indictment, the defendants allegedly participated in a scheme to commit foreign bribery and money laundering from December 2001 through January 2006. The indictment alleges that during this time period Cinergy and its related company, Uniplex Telecommunications Inc., allegedly paid more than $1.4 million to shell companies to be used for bribes to foreign officials of the Republic of Haiti’s state-owned national telecommunications company, Telecommunications D’Haiti (Haiti Teleco).
According to court documents, Cinergy and Uniplex executed a series of contracts with Haiti Teleco that allowed the companies’ customers to place telephone calls to Haiti. The bribe payments allegedly were authorized by Washington Vasconez Cruz, the telecommunications companies’ president, and Amadeus Richers, the companies’ director, and were allegedly paid to Haitian government officials at Haiti Teleco, including Patrick Joseph and Jean Rene Duperval. According to the superseding indictment, the purpose of these bribes was to obtain various business advantages from the Haitian officials for Cinergy and Uniplex, including preferred telecommunications rates and credits toward sums owed. To conceal the bribe payments, the defendants allegedly used various shell companies to receive and forward the payments, including J.D. Locator Services, Fourcand Enterprises and Telecom Consulting Services.
The six defendants charged in the superseding indictment are:
· Washington Vasconez Cruz, 63, of Miami, the president of Cinergy and Uniplex, is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to commit wire fraud, six counts of FCPA violations, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 19 counts of money laundering;· Amadeus Richers, 60, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., and Brazil, the then-director of Cinergy and Uniplex, is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and to commit wire fraud, six counts of FCPA violations, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 19 counts of money laundering;
· Cinergy Telecommunications Inc., a privately-held telecommunications company incorporated in Florida, is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and to commit wire fraud, six counts of FCPA violations, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 19 counts of money laundering;
· Patrick Joseph, 49, of Miami and Haiti, a former general director for telecommunications at Haiti Teleco, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering;
· Jean Rene Duperval, 44, of Miramar, Fla., and Haiti, a former director of international relations for telecommunications at Haiti Teleco, is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 19 counts of money laundering; and
· Marguerite Grandison, 42, of Miramar, the former president of Telecom Consulting Services Corp., and Duperval’s sister, is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 19 counts of money laundering.
The superseding indictment also charges Duperval and Grandison with laundering corrupt payments authorized by Joel Esquenazi and Carlos Rodriguez on behalf of another Florida telecommunications company.
Duperval was charged previously in the indictment returned on Dec. 7, 2009, with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 12 counts of money laundering. Grandison was previously charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and to commit wire fraud, seven counts of FCPA violations, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 12 counts of money laundering.
Esquenazi and Rodriguez were charged in the initial December 2009 indictment and are unaffected by the superseding indictment. They are scheduled to stand trial on July 18, 2011.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The conspiracy to commit violations of the FCPA and wire fraud count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the value gained or lost. The FCPA counts each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $100,000 or twice the value gained or lost. The conspiracy to commit money laundering counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction. The money laundering counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction. The superseding indictment also gives notice of criminal forfeiture.
On May 15, 2009, Juan Diaz, the president of J.D. Locator Services, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and money laundering. He admitted to receiving more than $1 million in bribe money from telecommunications companies. On July 30, 2010, he was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
On Feb. 19, 2010, Jean Fourcand, the president and director of Fourcand Enterprises Inc., pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering for receiving and transmitting bribe monies in the scheme. On May 5, 2010, he was sentenced to six months in prison.
On March 12, 2010, Robert Antoine, the former director of international affairs for Haiti Telco, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He admitted to receiving more than $1 million in bribes from Miami-based telecommunications companies. On June 2, 2010, he was sentenced to 48 months in prison.
The government’s investigation is ongoing. The Department of Justice is grateful to the government of Haiti for continuing to provide substantial assistance in gathering evidence during this investigation. In particular, Haiti’s financial intelligence unit, the Unité Centrale de Renseignements Financiers (UCREF), the Bureau des Affaires Financières et Economiques (BAFE), which is a specialized component of the Haitian National Police, and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security provided significant cooperation and coordination in this ongoing investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorneys Nicola J. Mrazek and James M. Koukios of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The Office of International Affairs in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division also provided assistance in this matter. The cases were investigated by the IRS-CI Miami Field Office.
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American Journalist "destabilizing" press in Haiti?
Thu, Jul 14 2011 11:06
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| Kathie Klarreich named by Agence Haitienne de Presse as american journalist using money to "destabilize" the Haitian press |
Haiti/post-séisme: les centaines de milliers de dollars amassés par certaines ONG au nom du renforcement des médias haïtiens servent plutôt à les destabiliser
En Haïti, plus de 18 mois après le séisme dévastateur, on se demande toujours à quand la reconstruction du pays, annoncée à grands renforts de publicité et de promesses, lors des diférentes réunions des bailleurs à New-york, Punta Cana (RD) et ailleurs.
La question se pose aujourd'hui plus que jamais, puisque, malgré les 2 à 3 milliards de dollars dont on dit qu'ils ont été décaissés en faveur de la reconstruction, on n'en voit pourtant jusqu'ici aucune véritable trace, sinon quelques centaines de baraques qui auraient pu être des abris provisoires 1 ou 2 mois après le séisme.
La verité, celle qui crève les yeux aujourd'hui, est que le pays croule et gémit encore sous les déblais. La plupart des rescapés du 12 janvier vivent encore dans des tentes déchirées. Et Port-au-Prince étouffe de la pestilence dégagée par les fatras nauséabonds qui investissent littéralement les quartiers. De plus, un véhicule ne peut rouler 10 mètres sans tomber dans une crevasse ou une tranchée.
Cette situation de promesses non tenues, n'est pas limitée à la seule reconstruction. C'est malheureusement la même réalité dans beaucoup d'autres secteurs: la presse, par exemple.
Savez-vous combien de fois les directeurs de médias ont été invités par de grandes organisations internationales, au lendemain du séisme, avec comme réfrains: il faut renforcer la presse haïtienne, il faut donner des moyens aux médias et de la formation aux journalistes pour les rendre plus performants et mieux à même de se mettre au service de la population, après toutes les épreuves subies pendant le tremblement de terre.
Et lors des différentes rencontres, argent, équipement et formation ont en effet été promis. Mais le temps a passé. Et les faiseurs de promesses se sont rendus compte qu'il y avait là une source de business, un véritable tresor. Et ils ont monté leur propre boutique sur le dos de la presse haïtienne.
Et sur le dos de la presse haïtienne, au nom de son renforcement, ils sont partis mendier des fonds qu'ils ont bien sûr trouvés- mais pour eux seuls- ,griace à la grande sympathie dont Haïti et les Haïtiens étaient l'objet.
Et ...pan! La première grande preuve de ce renforcement, c'est de mettre en place des sructures parallèles d'information, de se payer des salaires faramineux... et de dépouiller les medias particulièrement les radios de leurs meilleurs journalistes et reporters, avec les miettes des centaines de milliers de dollars quémandés, mais qui représentent quand même le double voire le triple de ce qu'ils percevaient.
Les promesses s'envolent en fumée. Et ce sont les ONG de la presse qui s'enrichissent avec l'argent reçu pour les médias qui se retrouvent confrontés à bien plus de difficulté qu'avant, face à ces concurents indécents et malhonnêtes qui tirent leur fortune du séisme, alors que des centains de milliers de gens gens pataugent dans la boue.
Aujourd'hui, c'est une autre ONG qui fait son apparition, décidée plus que jamais à faire, elle aussi, son beurre. Son objectif officiel: fournir une formation à de jeunes haïtiens dans le domaine de l'enquête et de l'investigation.
Objectif on ne peut plus noble, si la première démarche des rsponsables de cette ONG créée par la journaliste américaine Kathie Klarreich n'était de destabiliser les médias en faisant une véritable razzia dans les salles de nouvelles, avec en main un sac de gourdes tirées des centaines de milliers de dollars obtenus, là encore, au nom du renforcement des médias haïtiens.
Comble d'indécence, interdiction formelle est faite aux journalistes recrutés: "pas question de donner une période de préavis aux médias que l'on vous fait quitter. On en a pas le temps"
Malheureusement, cette nouvelle ONG bénéficie de la collaboration d'un petit groupe de directeurs de médias grâcement payés, dans la mise en place de son entreprise malfaisante dont le seul appât est l'argent. (dossier à suivre) .
