Lopsided Journalism Served to a Short-Term-Memory-Deficient Public

Try as I might, I cannot avoid news coverage of the rising opposition to Haiti's democratically-elected leader, Jean Bertrand Aristide. Each time a talking head opens their mouth, out comes inaccuracy after misleading statement after unsubstantiated claim.

When referring to the May 2000 election in Haiti, they call it controversial while, through omission, denying the controversial 2000 presidential election in the U.S. Describing the bicentennial celebration of Haiti's independence from .:foreign colonizers:., the wire services and mainstream media .:under-reported:. the number of celebrants. The press reports the opposition has declared the environment too insecure to allow elections to take place —security was nebulously mandated by the .:OAS resolution 822:. They do not report that Aristide has .:agreed:. to every reform possible to erase the real and perceived flaws of the elections of May 2000.

When Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier was forced out of power in 1986 a U.S. military aircraft flew him to France. That is a sure sign of who was supporting his rule. Who is supporting the opposition to Jean Bertrand? It is common knowledge that fat cat Haitians of the lighter caste are behind the insurrection on the island, but they are not alone. To find the deep-pocketed puppeteers, all one has to do is follow the money!

Some may be inclined to question the importance of Haiti's problems, considering the tumult we are currently experiencing in our own country. It is important because our government is, again, trying to affect regime change in another country, and creating conditions that are harmful to the masses of people there. It isn't enough that the next U.S. presidential election change the letter behind the president's name from "R" to "D", we must insist on real change in America and its dealings with other countries.