Congressional Black Caucus's Ties to Aristide Questioned

CNSNews.com ^ | March 4, 2004 | Susan Jones

[BigSkyFreeper]

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.

[mewzilla]

The CBC's got some 'splainin' to do...

[rbmillerjr]

I'v wondered the same thing myself.

There fever pitch loyalty has made me wonder.

[dasboot]

My first thought was that JBA could really embarrass the BCC, and that they would have preferred he be necklaced into silence, or maintained by force, lest he be a major PITA. Glad someone's asking the question. I want to know.

[anniegetyourgun]

If only....

[Blue Screen of Death]

Some discussion of this here...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1090785/posts

[cripplecreek]

Black caucus ties to a lot of the worlds dictators should be examined. Guys like Mugabe, Taylor, and Aristide have gotten a lot of breaks and money with the help of caucus members.

[BigSkyFreeper]

What do Congressional Black Caucus members have to gain by keeping Aristide in power?

This is a question both Rev. Petersen and I want to know the answer to. I hope someone, even the Rev. Petersen himself, gets to the bottom of this.

[cwb]

""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."

Yeah...and I'm sure that between the late start Bush got as President, followed by the Chinese "spy plane" crisis, the 9/11 attack, the war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Charles Taylor in Liberia...not to mention North Korea, Iran, Lybia, etc...the evil Bush Cabal had plenty of time on their hands to stage a Coup de tat in little ol' Haiti. For a guy who's described as an incompetent dunce, Bush sure had everyone fooled.

[Libloather]

Caucus's.

Two C's, U's, and S's. There's some sort of Trivial Pursuit question in there somewhere.

Didn't Sharpton solve anything during his recent visit to Aristide's Haiti?

[Paulus Invictus]

When we sent troops into Afganistan and Iraq to help "stabilize" the countries, the Black Caucus members were uniformly enraged. When do we know how to placate these strange people? Given the zillions that Aristide stole, how much of that might have found willing receptors of Aristide donations among our own Congresscritters? Sorry, it's a question begging an answer...(never to come, alas).

[Liz]

"I'll show dat suckah Clintun who de first Black president be."

[Libloather]

With hair like that, wouldn't you be a bit peeved?

[Unicorn]

BTTT

[Liz]

Heheh....helmet hair.

[Howlin]

I caught some of this hearing on CSPAN the other night; I only saw the second part, where the "experts" on Haiti (read flaming liberal America haters) "testified."

It was something to see.

Maxine Waters actually used the word "booze-swah-zee" when trying to say 'bourgeoisie.'

It was very entertaining to watch them literally spit out distain for everybody in the world except Aristide.

[kcvl]

bttt

[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.

[oldironsides]

Maxine's hubby was a Clinton appointee in the Bahama's. This could be a very interesting research project. She snuggles up to Castro as so many BC members do. I hope someone kicks the crust off this patch of dog doo.

[Howlin]

That's a nice visual.......LOL.