FLASHPOINTS!
Thursday,
February 12, 2004 
Listen
D'load 
Today on
Flashpoints: Is the US actively participating in the
destabilization of the duly-elected
government of Haiti, which could
lead to a bloodbath? And Distorted Morality, a brand new AK
Press DVD featuring Noam Chomsky on the endless US war on
Terror
00:55 The Truth About Haiti: Congresswoman Maxine Waters,
interviewed
live on the phone by Dennis, describes what she saw on her second 2004
trip
to Haiti, from which she returned on Tuesday.
"It
is my belief that
Andre Apaid [opposition leader
of the US-funded Group of 184] is
attempting to instigate a bloodbath in Haiti and then blame the
[Aristide] Government for the resulting disaster in the belief that the
United States will aid the so-called protesters." - Congresswoman
Waters
The AP and most US
media have ignored Aristide's press conferences where he pleads with
opposition leaders to end the violence and start negotiations
(agreeable to all but Apaid), and instead accuse Aristide of human
rights violations and corruption, which the Congresswoman call
"absolutely a lie!" In fact
when pressed for details the critics are
unable to support the accusations.
The media distortions
are believed to be part of a US-sponsored program of destabilization
aimed at Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba. Congresswoman Waters said
"...I'm charging my own Government with undermining President
Aristide
in the same way they undermined Chavez in Venezuela, and the same way
they are undermining Castro in Cuba. I believe that this gang
that is in the White House have decided that they want to get rid of
all
these leaders in this hemisphere who do not do their [the
Administration's] bidding..."
We must all urge
our leaders to support the democratically-elected Haiti government,
call for an end to the violence, and demand that Andre Arpaid stop
disruption and begin to resolve the situation. Dennis also speaks with
Flashpoints Special Correspondent Kevin
Pina, and international human
rights lawyer Brian Concannon
with the Bureau des Avocats
Internationaux in
Port Au Prince. Many believe the motives of the opposition have grown
from Aristide's demobilization of the Haitian army, long the
tool of repression employed by the Haitian elite and whose former
officers remain the backbone of the opposition parties. More background
at HaitiAction.net or the Council
on Hemispheric Affairs, and more of Congresswoman Waters' remarks, or
recent history in this 1999 report from thirdworldtraveler.org
34:50
Distorted Morality: A lecture segment from the DVD. Noam Chomsky, scholar, founder of the modern science
of
linguistics, philosopher, political and social analyst, author, and
media critic, is shown in two fascinating, post 9/11 lectures, in which
he presents the idea that the idea of a war on terror is a logical
impossibility. The first lecture was given at Harvard University JFK
School of Government. The second was held at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, where Chomsky has been a professor for over forty years.
Distorted Morality is a crucial document for anyone struggling
for a
stronger grasp of the post 9/11 world.