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AMERICA OUGHT TO HAVE RESPONSIBLE FOREIGN RELATIONS

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OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

By Jacob François - Jul 31st, 2009 at 1:24 pm EDT

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Mr. Obama, by divine ordination, you were destined to be the President of the United States. At this juncture in international affairs and in this very important position, you have the opportunity to address the ills of your country. Subsequently you can influence the destiny of America from the grip of the economic tsunami created by the socio-economic indiscretions and irrational mismanagement of power by both father and son of the Bush family.

It is precisely as a first agent of this predatory empire that we send you this correspondence. From July 28, 1915 to July 28 2009 marked exactly 94 years since an apocalyptic event occurred in Haiti. Under false pretenses, foreigners have invaded Haiti and carried out a pre-programmed upheaval rippling throughout society there.            To This day, the sacred land of our ancestors still bears the indelible signs of four centuries of wild European colonization. It has been 94 years since the beginning of the United States of America’s onslaught of irreparable harm against our people. This nation has successfully trampled on the sovereignty of Haiti and the sacred rights of its people to self-determination.
        At this sad time, we in the Kolektif Pou Aksyon Defann Anplwaye Viktim (KADAV) have seen fit to send you this vibrant plea for all people who are victims of blatant injustices of all kinds of violence and destructive war.
            We believe that it would be beneficial for both nations to take the time to inquire about the relevance of our demands for social justice, and that restitution and reparation are provided to the Haitian people which suffer irreparable harm at the hand of the strongest empire on earth namely the Unites States of America.
            On May 18, 2009, you made mention of Haiti in a public interview. If you did not know that our ancestors have also actively participated in the Battle of Savannah in 1798, I want to remind you of this matter of fact. Their bloodshed for American freedom still is claiming reciprocity from the most powerful country on earth.              You should be aware of the dire situation in Haiti. The atmosphere is so catastrophic to the point that our compatriots flee in desperation from Haiti. Our citizens continue to attempt to defy the perils of the shark-infested waters to reach the safety of U.S. soil…only to be deported. Why has the issue of granting TPS been delayed for so long? It can be granted in tandem with your efforts as comprehensive immigration reform continues. Why is it that Haitians have to be treated at this point as last class citizens when other countries with far fewer problems than Haiti, have been afforded TPS? President Obama, you know that this is a necessary step. Please put all politics aside and make this humanitarian gesture.
             More than two centuries after the declaration of independence of Haiti, our dignity as a people continues to languish under the soles of powerful nations, smeared with the blood of our people from an ugly occupation. More than 10,000 international gendarmes housed under the banner of MINUSTAH since 2004 insult the sacred land of Dessalines.
            These hired killers by profession are lawless. They are trying to stabilize the masses in this rut of infra-human misery and poverty. They are assured of absolute impunity. These mercenaries are on a daily basis guilty of violence and of demeaning and unspeakable insults to our people.
            They violate our teenagers as they see fit, killing pregnant women, the elderly and infants. They are all under discriminatory assumptions and being called expletives such as, Bandits, Voyous, Rat Pa Kaka or Kokorat. For thousands of our brothers and sisters― peasants who were killed by the marines, we demand justice and reparation.
                 Mr. President, this correspondence is to decry the pain of each of our sisters mercilessly deflowered by the U.S. military during this abhorrent occupation. And it is obvious that we are demanding justice for these 19 years of interminable rape (1915 to 1934). 94 years after the marines pillaged our gold reserves at the Bank of the Republic under the auspice of Citibank, we loudly demand a refund.
It is our hope that as a man who suffered the same treatments that we are decrying at this time, ample attention will be given to our demands. These are fair and noble claims based on facts. Notwithstanding, the Haitian people will continue to demand from the United States Restitution and Compensation for the plundering of its resources for 19 years of occupation (1915-1934).
                Change, yes we can. This was the slogan that you brilliantly used during your campaign for the White House. We yearned for the same change that you call for and valiantly deserve it. Change will remain a dream if the cores of oppressive institutions are not shaken.               These constraints can give you no prerogative to change according to your fantasies of vectors of change, if only a tiny part of a note. Sure, you've promised to change and this profusion gratis ti cheri. So you're in the absolute obligation scrupulously to honor your commitments. For us in Haiti, an old adage states that: “TiPwomès se Gwo dèt” Little promises have a tendency of becoming big debts if not taking care of.
               You have a historic opportunity to change the partitions of abuse, injustice and abuse of blood violence, destructive wars written in the secret books of the establishment. Without losing the exchange in dialectical jargons, we send you our demands in a clear and precise language.
               Mr. President of the United States in the grip of this terrible economic collapse, you have promised change. So, give us so. Since the martyrs and the oppressed people of Haiti have so much need. Long before we express our demands, we give you the firm guarantee that we have enough arguments to support our vibrant plea:

The physical immediate return of President Jean Bertrand Aristide, since a plane from your country kidnapped him. Since being the victim of a coup kidnapping on 29 February 2004, the people never ceased to request his return. Because of his global vision of class struggle and the tools necessary for the emergence of the masses, he must return to accompany the people in their fight for self-determination.
Return of all gold and other resources removed by U.S. marines during the first occupation 1915-1934.
Grant TPS to our people while you are working on comprehensive immigration reforms.
Justice and compensation for thousands of our brothers and Cacos Peasants crapulously killed by the marines.
The immediate and unconditional withdrawal of violators of human rights— Minustha— that benefit from the mask of "stabilizer" for the crimes of rape, murder and countless other unspeakable atrocities.
Withdrawal of Mr. Bill Clinton appointed by Ban Ki Moon from the US, as the new governor of Haiti. Our country has no need of proconsul, but political stability in order to achieve a level of development for the benefit of the weakest population.
Immediate repatriation of NGOs and other organizations destabilizing Haiti. In the balance of the international mafia, they are mainly used to realize the ambitions of great destabilizing powers. These structures benefit from the mafia pandemic of misery they are constantly fed to make enormous profits. As long as they operate on our territory, Haiti will know neither peace nor stability to see sustainable socio-economic progress.
End the economic strangulation of Cuba our brother country that is rotting from a criminal embargo for more than half a century simply for claiming the right to self-determination.
Put an immediate end to the destruction of Iraq and Afghanistan as promised during your campaign. Do not make the same mistakes that Bush was making this so-called fight against "bad" terrorists.
Put on hold the new accredited ambassador to Haiti. Ensure that he is not to use his position to plan the destabilization of the country as did Bourik Chaje in 1991, and James Foley in 2004.

http://fanmilavalasblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/lettre-ouverte-au-president-obama.html

WWW.FANMILAVALAS.NET

For the Committee KADAV:

J. Fatal Piard
Coordinator

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By Jacob François - Apr 24th, 2009 at 6:25 pm EDT

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Popular Initiative calls for removal of Bush appointee in Haiti

by Kevin Pina

HIP - A spokesperson for grassroots organizations aligned with Haiti's Fanmi Lavalas party demanded the Obama administration remove current US Ambassador Janet Sanderson. Reached by telephone in the capital of Port-au-Prince a leader of a group calling itself the Popular Initiative stated, "She is lying about last Sunday's elections by not acknowledging it was our boycott that kept voters away." He continued, "She claims it was because this was not a regular election year and that people may be tired of the political process. The only voter fatigue we have in Haiti is with undemocratic elections. Allow Fanmi Lavalas to participate and we'll show you the voters have a lot of energy and enthusiasm for an authentic democratic process. She is out of touch with reality in Haiti."
Haiti held controversial Senate elections last week that were boycotted by Fanmi Lavalas after all of their candidates were excluded on procedural grounds. Voters mostly stayed at home on election day after Lavalas launched a campaign called Operation Closed Door. The Obama administration is widely seen as having green lighted the contested elections after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Haiti three days prior to the ballot.
The Popular Initiative has also called for a re-evaluation of US policy in Haiti by the Obama administration claiming that its current direction is a holdover from the Bush administration. A second spokesperson in the conference call declared, "It is time for a real change in Haiti and that can only come by breaking with the past which means the policies of the Bush administration. A good place to start is with the removal of Ambassador Sanderson who was put in place by the Bush government."

They also blamed Ambassador Janet Sanderson for pressuring the Preval administration to issue arrest warrants for 42 of the organizers of the election boycott including five hunger strikers who were forced out of the parliament building by police earlier on Monday. "She made remarks on the radio that the organizers should be investigated. Since then several of our people have been forced into hiding including Rene Civil and Nawoon Marcellus. They have invented a new and bizarre charge, obstruction of democracy," concluded the spokesperson.
At a press conference yesterday, the Popular Initiative and other groups aligned with Lavalas announced they would step up the pressure for the return of Jean-Bertrand Aristide from exile in the Republic of South Africa. They declared May and June months of mass mobilization against elections that exclude Lavalas and to fight what they call the "growing misery and poverty as a result of the removal of our democratically elected president on Feb. 29, 2004."

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HPP CALLED FOR THE ANNULMENT OF THE ELECTIONS.

By Jacob François - Apr 22nd, 2009 at 3:15 pm EDT

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A PARTICIPATION RATE LOWER THAN THE 5% FORECASTED BY HAITIAN PRIORITIES PROJECT

(HPP). HPP CALLED FOR THE ANNULMENT OF THE ELECTIONS.

http://www.hpp4haiti.com/english_annulment.htm

HAITIAN PRIORITIES PROJECT (HPP) takes this opportunity to thank all of its partners and contributors who helped achieved a careful and precise pre-election poll conducted in record time. Success was achieved despite the difficulties encountered in Haiti to produce reports in a time-sensitive manner. With the information provided to us by the people and our workers, and their respect for democratic principles in relaying and analyzing the facts as the people reported, our survey is by far the closest to the reality of the so-called elections on 19 April 2009.

To our beloved people, we send our applause and eternal gratitude for having once again demonstrated peace, serenity and political savyness. Your show of ingenuity and resilience against this undemocratic election gave a lesson of democracy to the CEP, the government of Haiti, and the international community. This past week has been a testament to the true will and might of the people. HAITIAN PRIORITIES PROJECT simultaneously deplores the attacks of 19 April 2009 against election workers, politicians and the general public. We condemn acts of violence by militants and soldiers, against the people, trying to force them to vote in elections without complying with democratic norms. We say "shame" to those who have tried by flawed polls to influence the election results on behalf of wealthy patrons who completely ignore the welfare of our nation. Shame also to the security forces national and international operating in the country. These individuals who are supposed to be concerned with the safety of the people of Haiti, and the security of its streets proved unable to, despite the few participants in the streets, in order to protect the population against the violence of the enemies of democracy.
Key points
HPP has completed its analysis of the electoral procedures enacted by the senate on behalf of the Electoral College, and the application of the rules in the partial elections of 19 April 2009. It is necessary to report clear and serious cases of violation against articles 97, 121,125, 166 and 203. Detailed data on these issues were presented to the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) prior to the elections. We have verified these violations as being true and the behavior of CEP regarding these concerns was illegal and unreliable based on the aforementioned articles.

HPP has found evidence of abuse by the electoral commission in favor of LESPWA candidates. Corpuscles belonging to the President of the Republic’s inner circle receivedexcessive and inappropriate support through the use of funds made available
and access to materials belonging to the state. They have exerted violence against elected officials and the public. These abuses have been demonstrated by the Senator of FUSION in the Central Plateau, Ms. Edmonde Bauzile Supplice, who claimed to be the subject of death threats. Heavily armed individuals have closed many polling stations.
Candidates for the Senate in the South East, Yves Dérisier (Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats) and Jean Pierre Joseph (Rassemblement National Progressive Democrats) have been officially withdrawn their candidacy from the race on Saturday 18 April 2009. Their withdrawals have been in protest to the decisions of the Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) that they consider illegal.
The independent candidate Ronald St. Jean announced Thursday his withdrawal from the race because of many loopholes and violations by the establishment and the Electoral College machinery. He denounced the lack of a set of tools which should be the matrix of any serious election such as:

The participation rates are abnormally low across different constituencies eligible
The electoral register should have been available six months before the election, but still is not
The general electoral roll and electoral partial list should be ready for 60 days and 30 days respectively before the election.

These abuses occurred in several regions of the country. Although important in terms of elections and democratic principles, the aggregate number of violations from these irregularities is decisive to the slimmest extent.

Serious irregularities have occurred, and attempts to manipulate voting results are evident. There are major procedural violations. A number of election workers have been involved willingly or forced into acts of fraud. These irregularities also reflect a lack of control over the production of official documents including the accreditation of observers and the documents relating to official travel, which have been used to fraudulently claim the right to vote.

PPH does not in any way prejudge the prerogative given to CEP in making their own decisions, however, the facts at issue, are to submit its analysis in order to inform the public and to provide candidates and political parties an independent and objective   evaluation of the process.

HPP requests that all concerned remain calm and ensure that their apprehension of the elections is based solely on a neutral and rigorous analysis of electoral facts. With a rate of less than 5% of qualified individuals who took part in these elections, the CEP, thePresident and the international community can in no way validate these elections.

Participation rate
Official figures should show a national participation rate of less than 5%, or about 25% to 46% less than the turnout in the elections of 25 June 1995 Page 4. http://www.gao.gov/archive/1996/ns96147.pdf In 2006, the participation rate was 30%, based on statements made by David Wimhurst Spokesperson for the UN mission in Haiti. (see haitiprogres) www.haitiprogres.com/2006/sm060426/eng04-26.html
A participation rate this low simply reflects the wish of the people to stop the government of Préval/Pierre-Louis and the international community from reinstituting exclusion in Haiti. It was a strong and vigorous message and mobilization by the Lavalas Party: "PÒT FEMEN, LARI BLANCH. However, offices or polling centers that display higher participation rates than others in their areas deserve further attention. Moreover, if the results of these offices heavily favor one candidate, this could indicate an attempt to manipulate the result of the elections through ballot stuffing or fraudulent votes made in the absence of witnesses or observers.

HPP lead its election observation in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct adopted by the United Nations in 2005. These principles should have been utilized uniformly to abate and nullify this farce election.

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HAITI: Fanmi Lavalas Banned, Voter Apprehension Widespread

By Jacob François - Apr 17th, 2009 at 5:51 pm EDT

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HAITI: Fanmi Lavalas Banned, Voter Apprehension Widespread
By Jeb Sprague*

NEW YORK, Apr 17 (IPS) - Weekend senatorial elections in Haiti are mired in controversy as Fanmi Lavalas (FL), the political party widely backed by the poor majority, has been disqualified.

As the global financial crisis unfolds, U.N. officials in New York City and Port-au-Prince are struggling to defend a troubled electoral process while gathering donor aid.

Meanwhile, a recent study by the Florida-based advocacy organisation Haiti Priorities Project (HPP) has found widespread popular apprehension and disaffection among Haitians ahead of the upcoming senatorial elections.

During eight days in early April, seventy HPP volunteers, 10 from the United States and 60 from Haiti, dispersed across the country. Their goal was to survey how people viewed the upcoming election.

"Only 5 percent of potential voters nationwide say they are ready to go to the polls in order to elect 12 senators for the upcoming elections on April of this year," said the group in a press release. Many of the respondents had never heard of the candidates fielded in the election.

Jacob François of the HPP explained to IPS, "We organised our census primarily through town hall meetings, where organisers spoke to people in groups and individually. From this we tallied the opinions of what was estimated to be 65,000 people out of a population of 8 million."

In February it was announced that Haiti’s Conseil électoral provisoire (CEP) would not recognise candidates from FL in the upcoming senatorial elections. The reason given was that the candidates - listed in two different slates - did not have the signature of the party’s head, former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was ousted by the George W. Bush administration in 2004.

FL is in a process of reorganisation that even sympathetic observers have termed "disarray." After the initial failure of the two separate FL slates to gain CEP approval, the factions came together agreeing upon a unified slate. The slate was signed by Emmanuel Cantave - keeper of the party's seals - who has approved FL slates for the past 13 years.

Still, the CEP rejected the list. Its stated objection was that the list lacked Aristide’s signature; giving just days notice, it requested a non-fascimilied signature from Aristide, exiled in Pretoria, South Africa.

U.N. officials initially urged the CEP to include all parties.

Praising the efforts of FL to be included within the electoral process, the U.N. representative for a Security Council delegation, Jorge Urbina, stated that they "were glad to hear from (Lavalas) that they are using every legal instrument in their power to reverse this decision."

In a press release, the secretary general of the Organisation of American States, José Miguel Insulza, stated, "I cannot help but express my concern about the possibility that an important group of Haitian citizens might feel that they are not being represented in this process."

By early March, Haitian Judge Jean-Claude Douyon had ruled that the CEP could not disqualify the FL candidates. Concluding that "[t]he political rights of the Lavalas have been violated," he ordered the "reintegration of candidates of that party, if they each individually meet the legal standards."

However, not long after, Judge Douyon was mysteriously removed from his post, and the CEP disregarded his ruling.

In recent weeks, following a visit from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a consensus cemented among government elites to go forward with elections without FL. Criticism of the exclusion ceased.

In late March, U.N. press agencies reported that 100 tonnes of election equipment had arrived in the country, divided into 12,000 voting kits.

CEP and U.N. officials now lay blame at the feet of ousted President Aristide. The U.N.'s Urbina says that FL's exclusion was due to Aristide’s unwillingness to sign.

Some proponents say Aristide, who has been kept from returning to the country, does not wish to give his support to elections under which holdovers from the U.N.-backed dictatorship of 2004-2006 remain and the potential for fraud and vote rigging are high.

Top leaders of his movement have been systematically targeted, in part explaining FL’s internal dissension. The highest former office holder of FL, Yvon Neptune, spent two years in jail, and has a case hanging over his head despite it being ordered dismissed two years ago by a Haitian appeals court, and almost a year since the Inter-American Court of Human Rights told Haiti to halt the case. Another FL leader, Father Gérard Jean-Juste, who spent seven months in jail with untreated cancer, is sick in a hospital in Florida.

At the same time, FL political prisoners, such as Ronald Daulphin, remain in jail after five years without being tried. A justice process for thousands imprisoned and killed under the interim government remains out of sight.

Even so, since Aristide's ouster, a few senators have, without Aristide's endorsement, run in elections claiming to represent FL without any objection made by the CEP. Only in recent months, with violence decreased, has FL come together nationally to participate in elections.

François of the HPP, discussing the U.N. and Haitian government's actions, explains, "They just do not learn. They can’t exclude a major party in Haiti from an election, that's total exclusion. It will undermine the entire process. In addition, the CEP has no business going into the internal affairs of Lavalas."

The tenuous political alliance between Haiti’s President René Préval and FL has collapsed.

Elected in 2006, Préval had the support of the impoverished majority who hoped, through his candidacy, for a return to normality and an end to post-coup repression that left thousands dead.

Once elected, critics say, Préval's administration imposed the priorities of foreign donors and elites. The emphasis today is on garment exportation.

Thousands of Lavalas activists have mobilised against the disqualification, more demonstrations are planned for the weekend.

With the credibility of the upcoming elections badly damaged, foreign donors have attempted to smooth things over with a hastily organised conference pledging aid disbursement.

Speaking to donors and NGOs, whose influence in Haiti is colossal, U.N. Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon explained, "Haiti is at a turning moment...by acting now, we will protect the considerable investment and progress we have made so far."

Meanwhile, grassroots Haitian activists, such as a Ronique, a member of a women’s collective in Cité Soleil, condemn what they claim has been a thwarting of democracy led by Préval, the CEP and the U.N.

"In the matter of elections, basically what you have is a decision to explode Fanmi Lavalas, that is the way we in Haiti see it, that this was a decision by the international community with the complicity of President René Préval to get rid of and exclude Lavalas from the election because everyone knows FL is the majority party in the country," she said in a radio interview.

She added, "People are not enthused, it is a complete silence around this election. You don't see candidates going through the neighbourhoods where the people are suffering. Nobody is interested because they don't see themselves participating in this process."

With sadness in her voice she mentions Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, one of the most internationally recognised FL leaders. He was abducted in late 2007, just after announcing his intention to run in senatorial elections, and remains missing. A leading human rights activist, he worked tirelessly to bring former death squad leaders to justice.

IPS has found that one death squad leader has been living in a luxurious hotel overlooking Port-au-Prince. Louis Jodel Chamblain, a founder of the infamous FRAPH death squad that murdered and raped thousands during the early 1990s, was interviewed by IPS a year ago at the Ibo Lele Hotel. Within earshot, U.N. officials and NGO dignitaries dined and slept.

*Wadner Pierre in Miami contributed to this story.

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Obama's First Foreign Policy Disaster?

By Jacob François - Apr 17th, 2009 at 6:01 am EDT

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Electoral Exclusion in Haiti Obama's First Foreign Policy Disaster? By KEVIN PINA
The Obama administration and the international community have largely remained silent the past two weeks concerning a decision by Haiti's election council to move forward with controversial Senate elections scheduled for April 19. A visit in early March by former president Bill Clinton and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to ‘draw attention to Haiti and promote development,' an international donors conference on Haiti held in Washington D.C. yesterday, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Haiti today, have only temporarily distracted attention away from the controversial election.
The apparent decision to green light the contentious ballot follows a ruling by Haiti's Provisional Election Council or CEP to exclude the Fanmi Lavalas party of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide on procedural grounds. Haitian president Rene Preval met with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Washington on Feb. 5. The election council's decision to disqualify all of the Fanmi Lavalas party's candidates was announced the following day. Major stakeholders in Haiti such as the U.S., Brazil, Canada and France have to worry whether excluding Lavalas from the upcoming ballot will be seen as undemocratic and call into question the validity of the elections.
Lavalas, which means flashflood, is a political party and social movement in Haiti. Its roots begin at the break between the Duvalier appointed hierarchy of the Catholic Church and independent parish communities known as "Ti Legliz" or the Little Church. Lavalas has served as the largest base of Haiti's electorate since it galvanized around Aristide's first successful candidacy for president in 1990. Preval's election victory in 2006, and the success of his Lespwa party, is widely seen as a result of support from the Lavalas electorate.
Factions of the Fanmi Lavalas party originally presented two slates of candidates to the CEP for the upcoming Senate elections scheduled for April 19. After the CEP demanded they present a single slate, the Fanmi Lavalas party's leadership managed to hammer out a compromise list of candidates in time to meet the deadline. The CEP refused to accept their applications on the grounds they did not have Aristide's personal signature from exile in South Africa as the National Representative of the Fanmi Lavalas party. One analyst close to the CEP and who spoke on condition of anonymity commented, "It didn't really matter what Lavalas did. The result was always going to be the same. There was more division within Lavalas and greater procedural irregularities with their candidates in the elections of 2006. The only difference is they needed them to provide legitimacy to those elections. The political infighting only provided the CEP with a convenient excuse to exclude them. They don't feel they need them [Lavalas] to legitimize the April 19 elections. "
Most observers acknowledge that Aristide and the Lavalas movement continue to be a force to reckon with in Haiti. It's said that no other social movement in Haiti, before or since, has shown more resiliency and commitment. They elected Aristide president in Dec. 1990 and the movement was forced to survive three years of brutal military repression after he was ousted in Sept. 1991. Aristide's second ouster in Feb. 2004 was followed by two years of intense repression that included well-documented instances of summary executions by the Haitian police, killing of unarmed demonstrators and the mass imprisonment of Lavalas supporters.
During the last presidential elections of 2006 the Lavalas movement was unable to field its desired candidate, Father Gerard Jean-Juste, who was being held in jail on trumped up charges. Lavalas then threw their weight behind Preval's candidacy as a means to end the severe repression of the U.S.-backed Latortue regime, free political prisoners and return Aristide from exile. When the elections of 2006 were nearly stolen through fraud, it was thousands of Lavalas demonstrators supporting Preval who were responsible for shutting down Haiti's capital for over a week.
As further testimony to the endurance of the Lavalas movement in Haiti, nearly ten thousand supporters took to the streets of the capital to protest on the five-year anniversary of the second coup against Aristide this past Feb. 28. Most protestors called for the Preval government and the United Nations to allow Aristide to return to Haiti while others used it as a platform to condemn the recent decision of the CEP. Chants directly accusing Preval and his government of being behind the CEP's decision to exclude Lavalas from democratic elections were heard in the streets of the capital.
On March 9, former president Bill Clinton and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon arrived in Haiti with several ‘business leaders' and celebrities. Their much touted visit received wide press coverage that distracted attention away from another important event. That same day Haitian judge Jean-Claude Douyon ruled, "The political rights of Lavalas have been violated," and he ordered "the reintegration of candidates of that party, if they each individually meet the legal standards." On April 3, Preval's Minister of Justice Jean-Joseph Exumé fired Douyon accusing him of corruption in a seemingly unrelated case. Douyon has since made it clear in the Haitian press he believes the move is in retaliation for his ruling ordering the CEP to include Lavalas in the upcoming elections. He further claims Exumé threatened him not to take the case and made it clear the Preval government's constitutional interpretation is the judiciary has no jurisdiction to overrule a CEP decision.
This interpretation makes Preval's handpicked election council "the final arbiter" in any dispute related to the electoral process. Ironically, that was the same position taken by the Latortue regime in Feb. 2006 when it tried to use the CEP to stack the deck against Preval. Their decision was final and there was no appeal until burning tires and massive crowds blocked every major intersection of the capital finally forcing them and their patrons in the international community to back down. As the analyst close to the CEP put it, "Anyone who remembers the ‘Belgian Option' knows who was really pulling the strings," referring to the face saving solution where Belgian electoral law was invoked to count thousands of blank ballots. Under Haitian law blank ballots are discarded but in in Belgium they are divided evenly among all the candidates. After thousands of discarded ballots were discovered in public dumping sites throughout the capital, the U.S., France and Canada agreed to use this irregular measure to return a majority of the ballot count to Preval. That unprecedented decision bore no relationship to Haiti's constitution and has called into question the legitimacy of official rulings on electoral law by the CEP ever since.
The Washington-based group the Haiti Priorities Project recently dispatched a team of 70 pollsters throughout Haiti. According to their findings, "Only 5% of potential voters nationwide say they are ready to go to the polls in order to elect 12 senators for the upcoming elections on April of this year." In polling from several areas of Haiti they make it clear that, "The majority who participated in the survey intend to stay home due to the inconsistency exhibited by the administration of President Préval and the international community wanting to practice [electoral] exclusion, a system in which the people have been rejected since the fall of Duvalier 1986." If there polling is correct, the upcoming elections in Haiti may be first real foreign disaster of the Obama administration since it took office.
Kevin Pina is a journalist and film maker who divides his time living in California and Haiti. Pina reported extensively from Haiti for FLASHPOINTS, a radio program heard daily on KPFA, the flagship station of the Pacifica Network. He is also the Founding Editor of the Haiti Information Project (HIP), an alternative news agency operating in Port au Prince, Haiti.

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ONLY 5% OF THE POPULATION IS READY TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS IN HAITI, REVEALS A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE HAITIAN PRIORITIES PROJECT. IF FANMI LAVALAS WAS ADMITTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTIONS ON APRIL 19 2009, THE PARTICIPATION RATE WOULD BE AT 85%

By Jacob François - Apr 16th, 2009 at 10:34 am EDT

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Monday, April 13, 2009
According to a survey conducted by Haitian Priorities Project, 70 members were allocated in ten departments within Haiti monitoring the progress of the electoral contests for April 19 2009. Based on the findings, only 5% of potential voters nationwide say they are ready to go to the polls in order to elect 12 senators for the upcoming elections on April of this year. Two Consecutive lists were presented, one with the allowed names accepted by the Electoral College (CEP), and the other with the names of the candidates admitted by the CEP including those 12 candidates of Fanmi Lavalas. A great percentage of candidates admitted by the CEP, that the population is not familiar with, being aware of their names or presence in the upcoming elections in April. In the Nippes department, the majority who participated in the survey intend to stay home due to the inconsistency exhibited by the administration of President Préval and the international community wanting to practice exclusion, a system in which the people have been rejected since the fall of Duvalier 1986. The word of caution is that there cannot be credible elections with the exclusion of Lavalas. According to the statements received from individuals interviewed, hunger is rampant in the country, especially in Grand Anse, Central, North East, North West, South, West, Artibonite, and the Northwest of Haiti. In the West, no trend was developed on the ground in order to identify who is the likely winner for the April elections. Among 26,000 voters interviewed in the West Department, 95% find these elections were an aberration and a slap in the face of the people who took to the streets in order to elect Rene Preval President. Those voters interviewed did not understand why President Preval would want to have an election which excludes the most popular party in Haiti, Fanmi Lavalas. They reiterate the fact that they cannot endorse these elections if based on exclusions. The right to vote is a sacred issue due to the fact that countless numbers of people risked their lives to ensure that people can elect their own leader.

It is also noteworthy to mention that the people interviewed were able to differentiate between Lavalas and the Hope Party (LESPWA) of President Preval. According to data received, the incumbent Hope Party does not exist as a political party or grouping, but is only a leech living off Lavalas’ legacy at this time. People can tell the difference they said.
In the Grand Anse, frustration is increasing due to poor conditions of the roads; they emphatically stated that these elections are not a priority for them. They therefore promised to block any attempt by the government of President Preval to practice exclusion.
In the South, many have argued their concerns that Preval has promised to initiate an agricultural program in the area during his election campaign, and to this date, nothing has been done to alleviate the suffering of the poor in the area.
They believe the Center department is not given priorities in his governmental policies. The inhabitants of the Center have declared that they will not condone an unfair election; such violation could lead to their own demise. In the North, most people promise to stay at home, and it sound as if despite the large sum of money released for Moises Jean-Charles by Mr. Preval administration that, voters will this time take action so that no one ignore that Fanmi Lavalas is the undeniable force in the political arena in Haiti.

In the north-east and north-west, the candidates are not well known with the exception of Luke Fleurinord of the Party MIRN.

In the south-east, there was a fierce crackdown against the population. Lots of money was also distributed in order to buy the population votes from the incumbent party Lespwa. We at Haitian Priorities Project are currently cataloging incidents and or crimes committed by supporters and members of the party Lespwa in order to insure that these incidents never happen again. The survey was conducted by Haitian Priorities Project (HPP), from April 1 through 8 of this year among a sample of 65,000 people across the country. A margin of error was estimated at +or-3% in the national sample was noted.

www.hpp4haiti.com

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Donate to this project tax deductible

By Jacob François - Nov 11th, 2008 at 6:45 am EST

Also listed in: 10 groups

We are currently mobilizing funds for our projects in Haiti, if you can, please make a donation. If not, forward our request to your lists on our behalf.

Project 2000 International, Inc. has its core service as education. We believe that if people are educated, opportunities will result. We have now began to grow beyond our core service by providing health services, agricultural education, micro-credit and training schools in order to develop a sustainable entrepreneurial revolution in Haiti. Please, help us in securing funding for our programs.

We are a 501c3 organization; your donations are tax deductible

http://www.project2000international.org/eng_agriculture.htm

http://www.project2000international.org/eng_credit.htm

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Congratulations, Please Donate to a Worthy Cause Tax Deductible

By Jacob François - Nov 5th, 2008 at 6:00 pm EST

Also listed in: 9 groups

We are currently mobilizing funds for our projects in Haiti, if you can, please make a donation. If not, forward our request to your lists on our behalf.

We are a 501c3 organization; your donations are tax deductible

http://www.project2000international.org/eng_agriculture.htm

http://www.project2000international.org/eng_credit.htm

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Hacking Democracy, beware, be united

By Jacob François - Nov 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 pm EST

Also listed in: 9 groups

http://www.reopen911.info/video/hacking-democracy.html

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Some of McCain's relatives support Obama

By Jacob François - Oct 19th, 2008 at 8:54 am EDT

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www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=12401

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ANY QUESTION? Eight Years Later... No How, No McCain

By Jacob François - Sep 28th, 2008 at 3:42 pm EDT

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ANY QUESTION? Eight Years Later...

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Hi, I'm John McCain, & I'm voting for Barack Obama

By Jacob François - Sep 23rd, 2008 at 9:59 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/09/06/2008-09-06_hi_im_john_mccain__im_voting_for_barack_.html

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The wife U.S. Republican John McCain callously left behind

By Jacob François - Sep 15th, 2008 at 10:31 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html

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"Bring Back Matthews & Olberman" Sign this Petition

By Jacob François - Sep 8th, 2008 at 10:59 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bringback?e

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If we do not pay attention, John McCain will be the next President of the United States

By Jacob François - Aug 31st, 2008 at 3:26 pm EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Subject: [NCforObama] John McCain will be the next President of the United StatesFrom:Kevin Chandler <dmbfan1999@gmail.com>(Add as Preferred Sender)

Date:Sun, Aug 31, 2008 2:07 pmTo:NC for Obama <NCforObama@groups.barackobama.com>

My fellow Obama/ Biden Supporters,

I purposefully chose an incendiary subject line in order to garner your attention. I do have a lot to say, so stick with me, but it is a matter of utmost importance.

Over the last 72 hours i have spent more than my fair share of time reading blogs and emails and watching the talking the heads and pundits analyze the choice of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate. At first it seemed as if McCain had made a serious blunder and displayed a gross ineptitude for making a sound decision. However, after the dust has settled the real motives behind his choice have come to light. He, just like Bush-Cheney-Rove are making this election about God, guns and fetuses.

The article "Palin electrifies conservative base" by politico.com's Jonathan Martin lays out in no uncertain terms why Palin is now McCain's running mate. We all know that she is pro-drilling, pro-life, pro-creationism and pro-gun. The stance she takes on these issues upsets us a great deal, and we can see how damaging they will be to our country if John McCain is elected President. In spite of that, ladies and gentlemen John McCain will be the next President of the United States and Sarah Palin will be the next Vice-President.

article: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/13016.html

Let me explain. Bush, a complete and utter moron, was elected PUSA, not once, but twice based off of these same tactics. He is a charismatic campaigner, who takes simple easy to understand stances on moral issues. There is no finely nuanced thought process that goes into his decision making process. To him, these moral issues are black and white, right or wrong, us or them.

The vast amount of American voters identified with him, easily understood his position on these issues, were energized and assumed a competitive attitude over whether he should be PUSA (hence, the "us or them"). That is why he has been the PUSA for the last eight years.

Fellow O/B supporters, when we look at Sarah Palin we see an inexperienced politician who has no business being in this national race. We see someone who will be easily manipulated by the neo-cons to further their "war on terror" and funnel billions more tax dollars into the pockets of the military industrial complex and big oil companies.

When right-wing, conservative Evangelicals look at Ms. Palin, they see a gift from God.

Yes, we see through the cheap, transparent, manipulative Rove-esque tactics, and post our rants online as blogs and nytimes.com comments. But this running mate was not chosen for us. It was chosen to solidify the conservative base, who is not reading blogs and sending emails. They are sitting in church and chatting with their fellow church-goer about how McCain has made such a wonderful choice in picking his veep. Not only does she talk the talk about being pro-life, she walks the walk by giving birth to a baby with Down Syndrome. Not only is she a charmer and a looker, but if we vote for her she will be the first woman Vice-President. We can be apart of history.

Therefore, do not read the blogs and internet postings and think it is a good gauge of the national consciousness on this choice. The people whom this was aimed at and are rejoicing over this pick are NOT online blogging and emailing.

So, in the end it comes down to what do we as Obama/ Biden supporters do to take this country in a new and better direction.

Well, we can sit and bang out email after email about how Palin wants to shoot wolves from helicopters. We can blog about how she is in favor of teaching the creation story along side the theory of evolution in our public schools. We can even try to start rumors about how her four month old baby might not even be hers, but is actually her seventeen year old daughter's.

Obama/ Biden supporters you are wasting your time! Not only are you "preaching to the choir" (sorry, i could not think of another metaphor), but your message is not being read by the other side. Besides even if they did read it, they would look you in the face and say, "Well, God put us in charge of the animals, and their numbers need to be thinned out for the new oil pipeline going through Alaska. And why not teach creationism in schools, both sides need to be represented. And abortion is murder."

Therefore, we need to mobilize and TAKE ACTION like never before. Here is a list of things we can do in order to help elect Barack Obama.

1. Donate money. Remember, Obama is not taking public financing so we are responsible for fueling his campaign with the resources he needs to take our message into those battleground states.

2. Phonebanking. During the primaries i did some phonebanking and i cannot express to you how rewarding of an experience this is. At first it seems daunting, but in the end chatting with potential voters about our message of hope, peace and change is very gratifying.

3. Canvassing. Going door to door to chat with potential voters and show your enthusiasm for the Obama/ Biden ticket is satisfying, and also demonstrates that this is a national movement, not empty rhetoric.

4. Write letters to local newspapers. Not the .com newspaper, but the ones that used to be (maybe still do) sitting at your front door in the morning. This is the medium through which social conservatives receive their news and information. Do NOT express outrage, but our message of hope, peace and change.

5. Stay away from moral issues. When discussing Obama/ Biden, stay away from these moral issues and focus on how McCain does not get it. That he is out of touch. That he has been wrong time and time again. That Obama/ Biden get it. Have excellent judgement and intellect and can lead this country in a new and better direction.

6. Ignore Palin. The best thing we can do is to ignore her. The only reason she was brought on to the ticket was to energize the conservative base. Those individuals vote with their gut, (with emotion) over moral issues. There is no amount of convincing we can do in order to change their minds on these issues. If we are lucky, the harsh continuous light of the national media on Ms. Palin will cause a gaffe or misstep on her part.

My Fellow Obama/ Biden supporters i implore you, do not underestimate these social conservatives. Rove has said before, that he wanted to (and has for the last eight years) establish a permanent Republican majority. This is how he has done it. Ladies and gentlemen, they will succeed again. If you do not believe me, go back and analyze the results of the last two general elections. More women than men vote.

That is unless, we get out from in front of our laptops (only after donating $5 to the campaign) and get our message of hope, peace and change out to the American people.

I encourage replies (and forwarding of this email), to my comments above, but also include action items, and ideas on what we can DO to elect Barack Obama as President and Joe Biden as Vice-President of the United States of America.

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No, Senator McCain, I Am Not An Idiot

By Jacob François - Aug 29th, 2008 at 3:26 pm EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/8/29/1228/07027

No, Senator McCain, I Am Not An Idiot

by Angry Mouse, Fri Aug 29, 2008 at 12:02:08 PM EST

You think I'm stupid.

You think I'm going to fall for it.

You think that because I loved Hillary Clinton, gave money to Hillary Clinton, stood in the freezing rain for two hours to see her speak, put a sticker on my car, wore my pin around town, and supported Hillary Clinton to the very end, that I will vote for you.

You think I will forget every single one of my personal and political values just because there's a vagina on your pro-war, anti-woman, anti-science ticket.

You, Senator McCain, are wrong.

I'd love to see a woman in the White House. I would have loved to see a woman on Obama's ticket.

But not this woman.

Not a woman who thinks decisions about my body should be made by hateful old men in Washington.

Not a woman who thinks science is a myth.

Not a woman who thinks the Republican party has anything to offer besides more war, higher taxes, oil dependency, and hate.

I am not falling for it, Senator McCain.

Because what you do not understand is that my support for Hillary was not about anatomy. It was about values. Hillary Clinton articulated and represented my dreams.

You do not. Not even with a vagina on your pathetic ticket.

This changes nothing.

No way. No how. No McCain.

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Haiti not getting the help it needs

By Jacob François - Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:14 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

We believe that USAID has repeatedly launched itself into propaganda to collect more of the American taxpayers' money on behalf of Haiti — and yet has nothing to show for what has been allocated on behalf of Haiti to USAID.

On many occasions, USAID has organized these types of meetings with no concrete objectives and follow-up. We have discussed with members of Congress the possibility of establishing an independent civilian auditing body to verify the claims of USAID. To date, no system is in place to supervise their work.

The Haitian Priorities Project recently submitted an agriculture project for funding to the World Bank. Our proposal was developed to assist with the food production and pricing crisis in Haiti. Our proposal was rejected despite Haiti's population protest over the food crisis. This situation has become so critical that it led to the firing of numerous officials due to their failure to foresee this situation and to subsequently lessen the impact on Haitian citizens.

USAID is only pretending to help. Administrators continue to dismiss funding requests as "too expensive" or "unnecessary." HPP is not unrealistic in its requests and evaluations. At the very least, it urges the World Bank and USAID to conduct a comprehensive assessment of feasibility based upon the proposal submitted by grass roots organizations within the communities targeted and vital action areas outlined.

We believe at this juncture that USAID needs to literally clean up its act. Its reputation among the majority of the Haitian population is quite negative. To illustrate the point, the USAID office is on a boulevard in Haiti where there is significant trash. USAID is housed in one of the largest buildings in the country and yet does nothing to mitigate the trash situation in its own neighborhood. When Haitian citizens walk past this poorly maintained facade, they take this as a message that USAID doesn't care.

This is where the USAID can spend the money earmarked by the American taxpayers for Haiti:

An electrical plant capable of producing 1,500 megawatts of electricity around the clock;

At least 1 million telephone lines;

Fiber optic lines, i.e. Internet, broadband and DSL;

At least 10,000 miles of sewer lines, 400 miles of interceptors and 40,000 miles of paved roads.

Once the money earmarked for Haiti is spent on the needed projects, Haiti will once again be capable of taking care of its citizens.

Jacob François is co-founder of the Haitian Priorities Project.www.hpp4haiti.com

www.project2000international.org

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-haiti28forumpnaug28,0,6324037.story

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L’« Obamania » gagne l’Europe

By Jacob François - Jul 24th, 2008 at 4:14 pm EDT

Also listed in: Haitian Students for Obama | Haitian-Americans For Obama | HAITIANS_4OBAMA

WI NOU KAPAB!

http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/103/article_68983.asp

ECOUTER EN DIRECT http://www.project2000international.org/fr_accueil.htm

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Stop FOX's Smears Against Obama Sign the petition

By Jacob François - Jul 2nd, 2008 at 10:08 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Subject: See this? FOX smears Obama

Hi,
FOX's smears against Obama are out of control--have you heard about them? I just signed a petition telling FOX that their use of racism and prejudice is not okay. Would be great if you signed too.
First, a paid FOX commentator accidentally confused "Obama" with "Osama" and then joked on the air about killing Obama. Next, a FOX anchor said a playful fist pound by Barack and Michelle Obama could be a "terrorist fist jab." (Seriously!) And then, FOX called Michelle Obama "Obama's baby mama"--slang used to describe the unmarried mother of a man's child.
Nearly 100,000 folks have signed a petition that will be delivered to FOX. Can you sign too? The more names, the bigger the impact. Here's the link.
http://pol.moveon.org/stopthesmears/?r_by=-8227227-28svssx&rc=paste

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Phone Banking

By Jacob François - Jun 28th, 2008 at 9:19 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Hello Everyone!!!

Searcy, Denny, Scarola, Barnhart, and Shipley, has generously donated their office space to do 'phone banking' out of during the evening hours and Saturdays.

Please scroll down and review the schedule.

If you can make it at any of these times, please contact Dexter 'Obama' at: dalvinullith@gmail.com or, 786.314.8941.

Looking forward to your ENTHUSIASTIC participation!!!!

PEACE!

Maria
Jacob

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