Congressional Black Caucus's Ties to Aristide Questioned

CNS ^ | 3/4/04

[areafiftyone]

(CNSNews.com) - A conservative black pastor says the White House and the State Department should investigate the Congressional Black Caucus's relationship with exiled Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

What do Congressional Black Caucus members have to gain by keeping Aristide in power? asked the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson. Do CBC members, their family, or friends have business interests in Haiti, he wondered.

"These questions must be answered. We need to get to the truth about what has been going on," said Peterson, who heads a group called Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny. (Peterson, who supports various conservative causes, is out with a new book called SCAM: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America.)

Peterson said he finds it "disturbing" that the Congressional Black Caucus is backing "a corrupt and brutal man like Aristide."

For example, he notes, the CBC is demanding that the Bush administration offer proof that Aristide was not forced out of office or kidnapped by U.S. forces -- a claim the White House has called "absurd."

According to Peterson, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has called the assistant secretary of state a "Haiti hater." "She also said she trusted Aristide more than she trusted her own government," Peterson said.

He said Rep. Major Owens (D-N.Y.) characterized Aristide's ouster as 'a terrorist takeover,' while Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) complained last week that the Bush administration had a "bunch of white men" running its Haiti policy.

Peterson noted that over the past decade, the U.S. has sent nearly $1 billion in aid to Haiti, which remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. About 65 percent of Haitians cannot read, Peterson said. And Aristide made voodoo an officially recognized religion.

"So why are black lawmakers and Jesse Jackson up in arms over the removal of this dictator?" he asked.

In a press release dated March 3, Rep. Maxine Waters complained that the Bush administration pressured Aristide to leave after doing nothing to support his government.

"Why would we not commit U.S. forces to stabilize the democratically elected government of Haiti when we had no reluctance to commit those same forces once president Aristide was removed?" she asked.

Waters accused Roger Noriega, the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, of pursing a policy of undermining President Aristide's government for many years.

"I am especially concerned by the possibility that the U.S. government may have armed and trained the former military officers and death squad leaders who carried out last Sunday's coup," Waters said.

"I demand that this administration explain how they allowed a democratically-elected government to be overthrown by a group of heavily-armed thugs," she concluded.

[MJY1288]

Time to check into who gave money to their campaigns

[lilylangtree]

Aristide is another petty tyrant that somehow got elected but the Haitians don't want him. While he was in power like Ferdinand Marcos, araRATfink, Mugabe etal, he shifted all the aid money the country received to offshore bank accounts leaving the country, like 95% of the continent Africa, poor and destitute with hungry citizens. That's why people like Jesse "Shakedown" Jackson and the Black Caucus want this little creep in the US--to shake some money out of the twerp for their personal use. Fly Aristide to 40,000 feet, shove him out the plane without a parachute. Problem solved!

[truthingod]

I find the use of racist words used by the CBC offensive.
They wish not to be identified by the color of their skin when it suits their need, but then use racist words against those whom they disagree. It is deplorable and a double standard. Those in elected positions should live in accordance with a higher standard as an example to peace.

[Rdev]

I seem to remember that Clinton appointed Maxine Waters' husband as ambassador to Haiti. That would have set up a close relationship. I also seem to remember there were some talk about the fact he didn't move to Haiti to perform the job.

[truthingod]

I tell you, we are in a civil war in this country! There has been a line drawn, not about geography. This line is about ideas and power. Those who support abortion, weak government, gay marriage, immoral tv opportunities, more taxes, etc---the democrats in short---are causing a huge problem. They wish only to serve themselves-not the country or the world.

[zarf]

Follow the money.

[mabelkitty]

Hmmmm. Explains why Aristide had Maxine's home telephone number, doesn't it.

Let's investigate those wire transfers to her election campaign, shall we?

[shamusotoole]

The simple answer is that they are all Comrades. Aristide is a Communist. The Congressional Black Caucus contains only followers of the W.E.B. Dubois/ Marcus Garvey tradition. Nothing to see here, but Communists! Move on!

[chachacha]

So what's changed. They're Democrats, self claimed minority, wanna be slaves, they hate America. They support all minority crime no matter who or what. They hate all minorities who make it to the top IN A CONSERVATIVE LIFE STYLE,they hate white police and prefer they all be a minority. Every minority in America is a legal citizen and they feel more should left in. They think the war on terror is wrong. They hate profiling although it makes sence in all races. Only minorities are in jail and there are all innocent of any crime. They support abortions, reperations, failing public schools, lowering college entry standards, in fact the prefer to lower all and only minority test standards, they support discimination against every one except them, they support every corrupt leader in the world both abroad and here at home.

DID I MISS ANY I'M SURE I DID.

[Rdev]

I want to make a correction! I did some checking and
Maxine Waters' husband's Ambassadorship was to the Bahamas!

[Condor51]

Well said and --- TRUE!!

Buy all the ammo you can NOW. Skip Burger King (or your favorite fast food joint) for a week and get a couple hundred rounds instead.

And if you don't own a weapon, get one ASAP! Your life will depend on it.

[TC Rider]

This topic came up during the Clinton Haiti adventure.

Same answer, "Follow the money".

My recollection was that a bunch of money (aid, etc) was put in escrow while Aristede was in 'exile' here in the early '90s. At that time, he had access to some small part of it. And used paid lobbyist to spread it around to the CBC.

It appears that once the CBC is bought, they stay bought.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Well...the only time Jessie Jackson (Father of the Year in Chicago) comes sniffing around is when there's a lot of money on the table.