Twitter This Commentary In The News: One year ago today a million plus people were gathered to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama... Today, it looks like a wake as the Democrat's 60 vote majority goes down the drain with the election of a Republican senator in Massachusetts If you think it's going to be easy to get out of Iraq with an 'American Democracy' in-place you might note the Iraqi government just banned 500 Sunnis (the American fostered group 'Sons of Iraq') from the government and absorption into the Iraqi military. The inquiry on how British got involved in Iraq enters it's second week with the possibility of testimony by 'George Bush's Poodle' Tony Blair. Let's talk Japanese Carp, an invasive species of fish, which are on the verge of invading the Great Lakes... so Michigan sued to have the navigation channel locks locked down, and the Supreme court along with the EPA rules on behalf of Illinois demand that the channels be kept open. Another earthquake on Haiti, a 6.0 across the mountains from Port au Prince. Speaking of Haiti: Yesterday Da Buffalo asked the question:

The anti-terrorism operation, according to William Arkin of the Post, is stationed at Homestead AFB, current center of US "relief" operations for Haiti.

Working for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), SOD-G is moving to an airbase in Homestead, Fla., where it will take up contingency counter-terrorism planning responsibilities for the region, seeking to characterize how al Qaeda and other terrorists might exploit drug trafficking routes and patterns or other gaps in American defense to infiltrate into the United States.

So how long could it be until the US finds "al Qaeda on Haiti"?

Someone has an answer:

"...they ‘found’ those links quite a while ago - the occupation forces (Haiti’s current occupation started on 29 February 2004) was accusing Lavalas (Aristide’s party) of beheading members of the Haitian National Police, and doing so in an alliance with Haiti’s tiny (3000) Arab minority. Of course, it has generally been the HNP that has done assassinations, e.g. Abdias Jean, (with MINUSTAH - after MINUSTAH assassinated Dred Wilme in Cite Soleil (early 07/lat 06, if memory serves), kidnappings there went up according to the economist, although they don’t tie the matter to the murder, even though MINUSTAH had been accusing Dred Wilme of being behind the kidnappings), and Lavalas has accused them of beheadings. One UN representative repeated the charges against Lavalas, but neither he nor the HNP can supply the names of anyone beheaded by Lavalas. Again, have a look at Kill the Bandits and “Haiti, The Untold Story” by Kevin Pina.

A trailer for that movie is below the fold, in the "Notes:" Haiti is a nation under economic and military siege that has changed dramatically for the worse under MINUSTAH and US OCCUPATION When Jean-Bertrand Aristide came into power in a democratic election in 1991, the scene at his inauguration on February 7 went like this...

It began with a mass at the Cathedral. The first reading was from Isaiah [61: 1-4] The Sovereign Lord has filled me with his Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me To bring good news to the poor, To heal the broken-hearted, To announce release to captives And freedom to those in prison. He has sent me to proclaim That the time has come When the Lord will save his people And defeat their enemies. He has sent me to comfort all who mourn, To give to those who mourn in Zion Joy and gladness instead of grief, A song of praise instead of sorrow. They will be like trees That the Lord himself has planted. They will all do what is right, And God will be praised for what he has done. They will rebuild cities that have long been in ruins. The final event of the festivities involved sharing the table with the poor. Aristide’s first breakfast in the palace was not for visiting dignitaries, nor was it for the members of the local Lion’s Clubs: instead, he served breakfast to hundreds of street kids and homeless poor. “Do you feel at home?” asked Aristide, addressing himself to the large crowd. “Is the National Palace your home?” “Today, I’m here to say to you that you are human beings just as important as anyone else. Rich and poor, we’re all people, and we must love one another. If there’s enough for the rich, then there must be enough for the poor, too. If the National Palace was formerly for the rich, today it’s for the poor.”

President Aristide wants to return from exile now, with the country that he governed until his literal kidnapping by the US in distress... and the US is not allowing it, as if the US should have any say in the matter whatsoever. Haiti is INDEED an occupied country, and it's rankling other nations and first responders involved in the earthquake relief efforts. Trinidad's press (a neighbor of Haiti) notes the US takeover of Haiti:

CARICOM BLOCKED...as US takes control of airport THE CARIBBEAN Community's emergency aid mission to Haiti, comprising Heads of Government and leading technical officials, failed to secure permission Friday to land at that devastated country's airport, now under the control of the United States. Consequently, the Caricom 'assessment mission', that was to determine priority humanitarian needs resulting from the mind-boggling earthquake disaster of Haiti last Tuesday, had to travel back from Jamaica to their respective home destinations. On Friday afternoon the US State Department confirmed signing two 'Memoranda of Understanding' with the Government of Haiti that made 'official that the United State is in charge of all inbound and outbound flights and aid off-loading...' [In Full]

Meanwhile: A Cruise ship (Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines) docks at private beach in Haiti for barbeque and water sports

The Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ ship ‘Independence of the Seas’ went ahead with its scheduled stop at a fenced-in private Haitian beach surrounded by armed guards, leaving its passengers to “cut loose” on the beach, just a few kilometers from one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the region’s history. The ship’s owners justified it as a humanitarian call, because the ship also delivered 40 palettes of relief supplies while its passengers frolicked on zip-lines and ate barbeque within the 12-foot-high fence’s perimeter: The Florida cruise company leases a picturesque wooded peninsula and its five pristine beaches from the government for passengers to “cut loose” with watersports, barbecues, and shopping for trinkets at a craft market before returning on board before dusk. Safety is guaranteed by armed guards at the gate. The decision to go ahead with the visit has divided passengers. The ships carry some food aid, and the cruise line has pledged to donate all proceeds from the visit to help stricken Haitians. But many passengers will stay aboard when they dock; one said he was “sickened”.

“I just can’t see myself sunning on the beach, playing in the water, eating a barbecue, and enjoying a cocktail while [in Port-au-Prince] there are tens of thousands of dead people being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water,”

one passenger wrote on the Cruise Critic internet forum. [In Full, with pictures]

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Creative Commons Copyright Courtesy of Cabale News Service, KPIG Radio, and KVMR Radio. Listen to KPIG, Listen to KVMR Recorded & transcribed by The Buffalo Amongst Wolves @ Razed By Wolves In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, the news clippings and images used in this posting are made available without profit for research and educational purposes.

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