Posted on 01/14/2010 4:45:31 PM PST by bruinbirdman
For 200 years the Caribbean nation has suffered from natural disasters and violent rulers
By any standards, Haiti represents a very great concentration of misery and dashed hopes. In January 1804 a key date in the history of a bedevilled country the African slaves overthrew their French masters and declared the worlds first black republic. Haiti became an emblem of slaverys longed-for abolition. And the slave leader, Toussaint LOuverture, was hailed by William Wordsworth, among other Romantics, as a morning star of the Americas.
Since independence, however, emperors, kings and presidents-for-life have misruled the Caribbean nation through violence and theft of public funds. The constitution is made of paper, they say, but the bayonet is made of steel.
In January 2004, I returned to Haiti for the first time in 13 years. Preparations were under way for the independence bicentenary, but no one felt much like celebrating. The capital, Port-au-Prince, looked even more dilapidated and the streets round Toussaint LOuverture airport appeared to have degenerated into a slum.
Familiar smells of drainage and burning rubbish hit me as I made my way to the Hotel Oloffson, a gingerbread mansion disguised as the Hotel Trianon in Graham Greenes novel The Comedians. Laughably, a room had been named after me as the author of a book on Haiti, but I was unable to stay in it as the ceiling had warped dangerously.
By some fluke, the Hotel Oloffson survived Tuesdays earthquake, but the National Palace nearby collapsed. A more graphic image of municipal chaos would be hard to imagine: the heart of Haitis national and civic life has been reduced to rubble.
Now more than ever, the motto of the Haitian republic, LUnion Fait la Force (Strength Through Union) seems a grim joke. For two centuries since
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
"My palace collapsed. ... I can't live in the palace!
Haiti President Rene Preval, January 14th, 2010
Haiti was a craphole before we got there, and it became a craphole again after we left. And yet they still find ways to blame America for it.
***Even communism or fascism would be an improvement.***
It was pointed out in an article about thirty five years or so ago that Haiti is such a basket case even the commies would not touch it.
Anyone remember that under the Clinton administration, in order for Clinton to get American black political support for his assault rifle ban he had to promise $$$ to Haiti.
Very interesting article. Thanks for posting.
LMAO
Wouldn't be the first time.
"My palace was just obliterated by the rebel army's cannons - round up and execute all my political enemies!" - Haiti President Vilbrun Sam, July 27, 1915
"My palace just blew up with me and all my troops inside! Maybe storing gunpowder in the basement wasn't such a good idea after all." - Haiti President Cincinnatus Leconte, August 8, 1912
"My palace just got burned to the ground by the mob, and now they're gonna execute me on the front lawn!" - Haiti President Sylvain Salnave, January 15, 1870
Are we going to give them all credit cards and send them to Texas?
Hey Texas... are you ready for this??
Good article.
Gadzooks... by morning the place will be up to the rafters in zombies.
(sorry. couldn’t resist.)
Robertson believes in a literal devil, which, unfortunately, most people do not. Voodoo is an abomination to God and the people who practice it are involved in a great sin. Serving the devil, in the guise of a twisted Catholicism is asking for trouble.
“Gadzooks... by morning the place will be up to the rafters in zombies”
I bet you are not the only one thinking that...hehe
Someone please enlighten me, why isn’t the Dominican Republic as bad as Haiti? They are on the same island.
Well said Sue.
Gerat question to ask, it gets right to the ehart of the Issue. I believe that the Dominican Republic is largely Catholic and therefore somewhat if not mostly Christian. There is some occult influence there, but haiti is mostly Occultic or Santanna in religion.
Any nation where God is honored will be honored and protected by God. Where God is rejected, God has NO obligation to protect that nation or it’s peoples.
God would have spared Sodom and Gommorah if there weer ten righteous people there. If there were enough righteous Godly people in Haiti, He would have protected and spared it as well.
It is amazing that even the British press would recognize the Satanic natuer of Haiti when Britian as a nation is only about 1% Christian.
I have an evangelist friend who was born and raised in Britian and who is very well known world wide. He for a time ran a church here in Orlando before returning to Britian.
He shared with the church just how back sliden Britian is in it’s relationship with God.
I’ve recently received a few emails from my friend and he said that he will soon be returning here to plant another church. He stated that he is actively looking for a new venue to house the church.
The DomRep was a Spanish colony, for better or worse, on a similar cultural track as Cuba or Puerto Rico.
Haiti was born of a slave rebellion in 1804, almost all of the whites were killed or driven off. Then they were set adrift in history for the 19th century, at least until after our civil war, as a bad example to our own slaves.
What emerged was a “tradition” (sic) of strongmen who do nothing but loot what they can for themselves, for as long as possible.
There is more, voodoo etc, but that’s a start.
Haiti used to have food, corn used to be grown in large quantity there. The Dominican Republic has food. Weird how the two parts of Hispaniola have decidedly different societies. The Dominican Republic also has a booming tourist industry.
Same Island different results. Maybe they should dump their dictators, thugs and criminals because I think that might be their real problem.
Haiti used to be a big producer of corn, rice and other crops.
Just joking, a spin on Judeo - Christian
Voo-deo Christian
At the end of the day, they rely on voo-doo not Christianity.
If Africa they have merged a lot of things and frequently you see Islam married to their voodoo.... their juju. The witch doctor is politically tied to their eman.
Thats why they couple the slaughtering of sheep for sacrifice and subsequent bar be que.
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