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The America Empire ousted Aristide

American marines helicoptered into the Haitian capital, forced him to sign a resignation and then kidnapped him, his wife, his brother and two personal guards and flew them to the Central Republic in Africa. Just as in Iraq, Bush has issued a tissue of lies, claiming that Aristide resigned voluntarily and they were only rescuing him. Meanwhile Aristide at the time of this writing is being held in communicado by American and French soldiers in the Central Republic, a former French colony and a US lackey. Some rescue!

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who lied about Iraq, denied the kidnapping. But listen to the conversation made by Amy Goodman on the program "Haiti in Crisis" on Democracy Now originally broadcasted on WPFW radio but now on the web at http://www.democracynow.org/static/haiti.shtml.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister and all the others in contact with Aristide that fateful day of the coup corroborate the words of Jamaica’s Prime Minister PJ Patterson.

Mr. Patterson was adamant that the Haitian President had indicated no plans to flee his homeland prior to his departure in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

"We were in direct communication with President Aristide on Saturday afternoon and nothing that he said to us then would that he said to us then would have led us to believe that his resignation was imminent," Mr. Patterson told journalists during yesterday's post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

UN and Kofi Annan failed Haiti
Despite an eloquent request by Jamaica’s Foreign Minister, KD Knight on behalf of CARICOM for a UN peacekeeping force to prevent the violent overthrow of Haiti, the UN Security Council voted unanimously against it. Secretary General Kofi Annan was strangely quiet and exerted no discernable influence to prevent the catastrophe. He failed the people of Iraq from preventing the American invasion and destruction of that small country. He failed the people Ruwuanda from the massacre of millions.

Sure, if he opposes the US, he will lose his job. Standing for something is more important than keeping his job. Mary Robinson of Ireland stood for principle as head of the UN Human Rights Commission. She did not let the risk of losing her job prevent her from criticizing the US violation of the Geneva conventions and the other inhuman conditions prisoners were kept at Guantanmo Bay. So she lost her job, but she stood for something. We know Annan has very limited powers but he has not used any. For god’s sake Kofi, go out with some glory instead of leaving behind some wishy-washy but very pretty speeches.

Hot Calaloo’s Predictions

Disturbing Formula to overthrow popular leaders
The very Saturday hours before the US overthrow of the democratically elected President of Aristide, I viewed one of the most remarkable movies I have ever seen. It was a documentary, but had me on the edge of my seat for every minute better than any thriller. It was made by the BBC whose film crew happened to be there during the attempted overthrow of elected president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. The comparison with the overthrow of Aristide is chilling. Obviously this is a new formula to overthrow popular leaders who champion the cause of the poor. The movie is "The Revolution Will Not be Televised". Rent the video, whatever, but you must see that fantastic film!

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Voting Bush out – the only hope for the world

We American voters have a big responsibility. The only immediate hope for the world from this American domination is voting Bush out in the November presidential elections. But the last time he lost the vote and still became president. Nevertheless for King George II, to paraphrase Shakespeare, "The vote’s the thing, wherein we’ll catch the conscience of the king".

Vote

So you came to me
"Get out and vote"
You said
You interrupted me
With your persistency
"Why should I bother"
What difference will it make"
Instead
I had leaves to rake
Money to make
My job to go to
Already late
No time, no time to waste
No time to vote
"Why bother"
But you said to me
Because
you live in a democracy
and this right
did not come easy
Martin Luther King,
Stokely Carmichael,
and many others
just like you and me
faced fire hoses
so that you could vote
faced snarling dogs
so that you could vote
Goodman, Schwerner and Cheney,
Not the Dick
In Mississippi
Klansmen took their lives
So you could vote
Three little girls
Yes firebombed
In that Alabama church
So that you could vote
Medgar, yes
Medgar Evers died
So that you could vote

And so I voted
And I was glad
I voted
I voted
But now they tell me
My vote
Did not count
Was not counted
And that big fat slob
That big fat drug addicted slob
Rushes to insult me
On the radio
Nationally
Paid twenty four million dollars
To insult me
To insult other victims like me
To deride my heroes
Stole my precious vote
Then insult me
And praise the other
Insulters of me
And praise the benficiary
Of my stolen vote

By Michael Phillips

Al Sharpton, Republican undercover agent

Once again the Republicans are trying to get George Bush elected by disenfranchising black voters. But, this time by deception, with their undercover agent Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton.

Thanks to the Village Voice newspaper, (see http://www.villagevoice.com/print/issues/0405/barrett.php) this treachery has been exposed. In their Feb 5 2004 article "Sleeping with the GOP", reporters Adam Hutton and Christine Lagario have documented convincing evidence that Democratic candidate the Reverend Al Sharpton is bought and paid for by right wing Republicans. This conspiracy is led by Roger Stone, the longtime Republican dirty-tricks operative who led the mob that shut down the Miami-Dade County recount. (Read the article for yourself.)

I think this article, subsequent interviews and reflections from this perspective, leaves little doubt that Sharpton is indeed a Republican mole. Recently, I caught the tail-end of an interview with Sharpton and black conservative Armstrong Williams and it was so obvious that Sharpton is a hoax, spewing his attack on "white liberal Democrats".

He has experience undercover, having served as an undercover agent for the FBI before. Such deception by Sharpton is a betrayal of black people and a callous manipulation of all voters by Republicans. Sharpton delivered black votes to Republicans in the mayoral race in New York. Obviously now he was going for bigger stakes, delivering black and white votes for George Bush. It was a clever plot too. Sharpton would both solidify the anti-black white vote for Republicans and depress the black vote for the Democratic candidate.

I myself as a black person am angry and outraged by this Republican treachery. The American voters had better lookout as I am sure more deception lies ahead. It is also very strange that the main media has not carried this bombshell. Obviously, they do not want to blow Sharpton’s cover.

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‘Shiprider’ is back

Jamaica has agreed to update the controversial ‘shiprider’ agreement with the US. The original was signed in 1997. The Shiprider Agreement enables US and Jamaican law enforcement teams to work together in Jamaica's territorial waters to beat drug traffickers' attempts to move cocaine from South America to the United States through Jamaica and its waters. The agreement also allows them to co-operate in shipboarding, shipriding, and overflight. The protocol allows US Coast Guard law enforcement detachments operating from certain foreign government ships to board suspected ships in Jamaican waters. This provision will allow the teams from the two countries to be even more effective in fighting narcotics traffickers sending drugs through the region.

The protocol will also speed up the provision of technical assistance including drug detection technology between the two countries; puts a framework in place for the exercise of jurisdiction in each nation's contiguous zone and ensures greater protection for civil aircraft, including an agreement that neither the U.S. nor Jamaica will use force against civil aircraft in flight.

Editor’s Comment: Respect for Jamaica’s sovereignty does not seem to be an issue this time. This is not surprising as I am sure under the present international climate, whatever the US wants, the US gets or else… Unfortunately once again there seems to be no joint CARICOM position on this issue.

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Spanish Town recovers slowly from gang warfare

One week after Spanish Town, the former capital of Jamaica, had become a deserted battleground for rival gangs, the city is slowly coming back to life. Vendors were out in force and pedestrians, including school children, were back on the streets. The police have set up temporary station in a tent near the Spanish Town bus stop. Some police station it is. The police must endure some unbearable working conditions there. The tent leaks whenever it rains and there are no sanitary facilities. Female officers make the 15-minute trek to the Spanish Town police station to respond to calls of nature, while the men use the rest rooms of nearby business places. But they have to keep an eye out.

The police officers must fight swirling dust storms which invade the flimsy tent. They must contend with the stench of a nearby mound of garbage.

The police presence makes a big difference but fear and apprehension still hangs over the scene. The police are welcome now, but how soon will there be new protests against the police?

Unfortunately the killing spree continues as within a couple weeks six people were killed in one day in Kingston and Spanish town. These shootings have increased the number of persons killed violently in Jamaica since January to more than 140, or approximately three persons per day.

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Imports flood Jamaica

The Jamaica Manufacturers Association has expressed alarm at the large quantity of goods flooding Jamaica. They charge many are shoddy and substandard and blamed the Jamaica Bureau of Standards for allowing them in. Of course the Jamaican products cannot compete in price with these cheap imports and are taking a beating and their survival is in question. The Bureau of Standards, while agreeing that it was not vigilant enough in its approach to ensuring proper standards, said global treaties such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), make it difficult to prevent or curtail the heavy inflow of goods coming into Jamaica.

Worse is yet to come when the FTAA really goes into effect!

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US bans Guyanese minister’s visit

It seems accusations and suspicion are enough to ban a Guyanese cabinet minister of Government. Both the US and Canada revoked the travel visa of Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj because he is suspected of organizing a death squad responsible for the killings of more than 40 suspected criminals last year. Gajraj has been accused by rights organizations and opposition parties of heading an extra-judicial hit squad that targeted convicts and suspected criminals. Gajraj, whose ministry oversees the police force, has denied the charges.

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Aids cure in Dominica?

A local herbalist in Dominica, Mr. Peter Azille has announced that he has successfully put together a potion made from herbs found in the forests of Dominica that effectively stops the spread of Aids. He reported success on patients and has received attention from Africa and the World Health Organisation. Dominica is reported to be recruiting a large number of participants to conduct a scientific study.

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Beef shortage in Jamaica

Once again the private sector in Jamaica cannot fill the bill. Because of the mad cow scare in the US, Jamaica like many other countries banned US beef. Unfotunately, the local industry was totally inadequate to supply the needs. They could neither supply the quantity or the special cuts like tenderloin, striploin and other fancy cuts especially for the tourist industry. This created a beef shortage crisis even with imports from Australia, New Zeland and Panama.

Cattle farmers blamed years of struggling to compete with imports for undermining the industry and depleting their stock. Dwindling breeding stock and outdated slaughter facilities were also blamed. So many farmers had simply gone out of business.

The government was forced to grant a three-month waiver on the freight charges of beef air freighted into the island, in light of the chronic shortage of prime beef cuts facing the tourist industry. Bringing beef into the island by sea attracts 86 per cent duty on the cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value of the shipment. However, by air, the importer pays freight charges of US$4 on each pound of beef, in addition to 86 per cent duty on the CIF. With the three-month reprieve, the US$4 per pound freight charge is to be thrown out the window.

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T&T , Bajan fishing conflict continues

Two Barbadian fishing vessels were recently intercepted and detained by the T&T Coast Guard off Tobago. Each boat had a quantity of fish on board. The captains were charged and remanded in custody, and are due to appear before a Scarborough magistrate. There is currently a fishing dispute between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, which Prime Minister Patrick Manning has described as "contentious".

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Property Rights Bill upgrades women

After four years since introduction, the Property (Rights of Spouses) Bill, providing new rules for the division of property between separating spouses, was finally passed in the Jamaica House of Representatives. Women and human rights groups have hailed the passage. The law will give equal shares to spouses involved in a failed marriage or common-law relationship. Female MPs and others gave a standing ovation when the House of Representatives passed the bill.

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Carib bananas again assured of trade preferences in the EU

Leaders of Caribbean banana producing countries have been reassured by European Commissioners that trade preferences will be kept intact despite the expansion of the European Union in May. That and the pace at which aid is being dispersed, are key points which a trio of regional Prime Ministers discussed with E U Commissioners in Brussels recently.

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