[lbo-talk] Jesse Lemisch "George Clooney's Haiti and Beyond"

Joanna 123hop at comcast.net
Sat Jan 23 20:27:08 PST 2010


Joanne L. writes

"A different manifestation of this kind of thing appears in the portrayal of Haitians as constituting an unruly mob amidst "anarchy" and "chaos." This has been reflected in a shameful US policy of giving preference to the military over relief (food and medicine) on the assumption that the military is needed to keep order."

I don't think the military are there to keep the Haitians from being an unruly mob. I think they are there to keep them from being a ruly mob. ...To keep them from organizing themselves and proving to themselves and to others that they don't need soldiers or a comprador govt to survive and prevail. The soldiers are there to make sure that Haiti gets rebuilt as a garment sweatshop....or whatever the ruling elites think Haiti needs to be. The soldiers might be there because it's hailing distance from Cuba.

There is an avalanche of money and resources pouring into Haiti; the soldiers are there to make sure it does not go to the wrong people and that it is not used to build a new and different Haiti.

Joanna



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