Gov. Bush unveils new Haiti panel (?)

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Tue, Jun. 29, 2004




REBUILDING HAITI


Gov. Bush unveils new Haiti panel

By JACQUELINE CHARLES

[e-mail]


Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- a target of criticism during his reelection campaign for not doing enough to help Haitian migrants -- spent Monday morning brainstorming with Haitian-American leaders about rebuilding their homeland.

The meeting follows the Republican governor's surprise visit earlier this month to the troubled Caribbean nation at the invitation of interim Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.

It also comes in a presidential election year when the GOP, working aggressively to reelect the governor's brother, President George W. Bush, is heavily courting Haitian-American voters in a state where every vote counts.

''This is not about politics,'' Bush said in a brief interview after his meeting at the University of Miami, where he announced the formation of a new Haitian commission. ``This is about making a difference in a country that is our neighbor.''
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/9034894.htm
(Free registration required)

[atreides1]

1. Questions

1. If they are Haitian-Americans, doesn't that mean that they are
already in their homeland?

2. Since when does the governor of a state conduct foreign policy?


3. And do Haitian-Americans have a short memory span? I believe that
the people of Haiti were warned not to try to enter the US, after
their government fell.

[struggle4progress]

2. I wonder if Haitian-Americans remember this:

Haiti: U.S. Return of Asylum Seekers Is Illegal

The U.S. government’s return of hundreds of fleeing Haitians to the capital Port-au-Prince violates their right not to be sent back to a place where their lives or freedom are endangered, Human Rights Watch said today.

The U.S. Coast Guard already has repatriated at least 867 Haitians, according to news reports. International law prohibits sending fleeing Haitians back to Haiti in the current conditions of instability, which persist despite the arrival of U.S. Marines as part of a planned Multinational Interim Force.

On Friday and Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard dropped off the asylum seekers at the Haitian capital’s main port, where violence and widespread looting were taking place. Journalists on the scene described how those returned had to make their way through a hostile crowd of pro-government supporters.
<snip>
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/03/01/haiti7772.htm

[MaineDem]

3. Kick

"Not political"? Oh come on, Jeb. Everything your family does is political.

[Kahuna]

4. Haitian Americans are very smart. They know that it was THEIR votes..

that were not counted in 2000. They will not be fooled.