U.S. Begins Transfer of a Shaky Haiti to U.N. Hands

[seemslikeadream]

By TIM WEINER

Published: June 2, 2004


ORT-AU-PRINCE, June 1 - United States commanders began turning over this anarchic, flood-ravaged, starving nation 500 miles from Florida to a handful of United Nations troops on Tuesday.

The 3,600-member American-led military force brought a measure of stability to Haiti after the first Marines landed Feb. 29, the day President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced from power under rebel attack and American pressure.



Despite its best efforts during the past three months, it leaves behind a mess. The United Nations mission is to help make Haiti a functioning democracy capable of holding national elections sometime next year. That task may take longer than the mission's six-month mandate.

The rebels first rose up against President Aristide in February, and they still hold much of the countryside. Since their rebellion began, Haiti has been hit by disasters both natural and man-made.

more
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/02/international/americas/02hait.html?ex=1086753600&en=7dcdfd7ff2138bfa&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE


WHILE I SIT HERE TRYING TO THINK OF THINGS TO SAY



SOMEONE LIES BLEEDING IN A FIELD SOMEWHERE



SO IT WOULD SEEM WE'VE STILL GOT A LONG LONG WAY TO GO



I'VE SEEN ALL I WANNA SEE TODAY



WHILE I SIT HERE TRYING TO MOVE YOU ANYWAY I CAN



SOMEONE'S SON LIES DEAD IN A GUTTER SOMEWHERE



AND IT WOULD SEEM THAT WE'VE GOT A LONG LONG WAY TO GO



BUT I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE



SWITCH IT OFF IT WILL GO AWAY



TURN IT OFF IF YOU WANT TO



SWITCH IT OFF OR LOOK AWAY



WHILE I SIT AND WE TALK AND TALK AND WE TALK SOME MORE



SOMEONE'S LOVED ONE'S HEART STOPS BEATING IN A STREET SOMEWHERE



SO IT WOULD SEEM WE'VE STILL GOT A LONG LONG WAY TO GO, I KNOW



I'VE HEARD ALL I WANNA HEAR TODAY



TURN IT OFF IF YOU WANT TO (TURN IT OFF IF YOU WANT TO)



SWITCH IT OFF IT WILL GO AWAY (SWITCH IT OFF IT WILL GO AWAY)



TURN IT OFF IF YOU WANT TO (TURN IT OFF IF YOU WANT TO)



SWITCH IT OFF OR LOOK AWAY (SWITCH IT OFF OR LOOK AWAY)



SWITCH IT OFF



SWITCH IT OFF



SWITCH IT OFF



SWITCH IT OFF



SWITCH IT OFF



TURN IT OFF



thanks phil collins for the words
my heart to the people of Haiti

[seemslikeadream]

1. Caribean Floods Leave Thousands of Children Homeless

01 Jun 2004 19:43:00 GMT

Dana Freeman Griffin


Save the Children - USA
Website: http://www.savethechildren.org
CONTACT: Mike Kiernan Save the Children 202-261-4686 [e-mail]

Westport, CT (June 1, 2004) - Following one of the worst floods to hit Haiti and the Dominican Republic in years, Save the Children is moving quickly to support relief efforts in remote towns along the border of the two countries where mudslides last week leveled villages, claimed the lives of up to 2,000 people and left thousands more children and their families homeless.

Save the Children emergency relief specialist Tammie Willcuts this weekend joined several other relief workers in a ten-hour trip to flood-ravaged areas on the Haiti side of the border to help identify villages that so far have not received any assistance. Because access to the devastated area is severely limited, Willcuts had to travel by motor vehicle, then several hours by boat and finally on foot up a mountain to reach the small rural town of Cibao, which she said was severely impacted by the floods.

"We found that surviving children and their families in the village had not received any assistance, and their needs are great," said Willcuts, who added that private relief groups have identified at least nine villages like Cibao that still require aid. "Schools have been destroyed, crops flattened, and you can see corpses in the water," she said.

Save the Children plans to work with other relief groups to gain access to remote villages and help meet the needs of thousands of flood victims. Among a variety of relief efforts, Save the Children is assembling kits to meet the basic needs of infants and children. The kits will include clothing, mosquito nets, soap and wash cloths, among other basic necessities

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/108611920126.htm