Editor’s note: DP Dot Com’s resident rude gyal goes in on the politiricks of poverty and privilege.
I’m telling you now, don’t even fucking read this drop if you aren’t prepared to get angry. Do you know what the fuck is going on in Haiti? People are starving and dying and rioting in the streets over the rising costs of food, meanwhile back at the motherfucking ranch, President Bush was parading the Pope around as if all is well in the world of Hail Mary’s and evangelistic molestations instead of doing something concrete about it. So now I guess its all good for Catholics to starve to death as long as no one diddles around with their genitals?
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The poorest country on our side of the world and for quite some time, this was largely due to government corruption and an unstable economy, it wasn’t until a deal in 1986, that Haiti became the United States’ bottom bitch. After former dictator Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier raided the treasury, Haiti received a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This is basically a pool of rich ass heads of countries that have the dough to lend cash to other countries, opening a door for micromanagement and unrealistic views of democracy.
I don’t have to tell you that the United States is one of the richest countries in the world, making it easy to understand the strong influence in the IMF. The loan to Haiti was heavy, and I’m not just talking about the $24.6 million price tag. See, prior to this deal, there were strong protections to ensure Haiti’s place in a competitive agricultural market, making it difficult for other countries, specifically the US to sell its merchandise in Haiti. As a part of the deal, Haiti agreed to relax the tariff laws, making the market prime “real estate” if you will.
The President of the World Bank (right, you know his ass isn’t starving) cites the following reasons for the 141 percent increase in food costs.
This whole thing reads like a drug deal gone bad. Sure, Haiti has always been fucked up, bruised up, knifed up, and prone to a good Coup on any given day but the United States started this whole thing. By perpetuating the “rice war” it caused the country to compete with itself, meanwhile the imported “Miami rice” was monopolizing the whole market through larger quantities, poorer quality and cheaper prices. Subsidized rice importers are making upwards of $700 million a year on the strength of Haitian imports alone. This means the rice dealers are selling us their shit, and selling it to the Haitians too all the while jacking up the prices. We’re way too concerned with gas prices to pay attention to what’s on the other side of that welfare size bag of Uncle Bens though.
This annoys the shit out of me. They will have us believe that even though there are a bunch of starving motherfuckers in this world, Haitian farmers, can’t produce sales. The truth is that the Haitians were hoodwinked and didn’t even realize it. By relaxing the tariff laws, Haiti swam right down into the belly of the beast. Why isn’t the US importing Haitian rice to deal equal? Oh, see, there are specific laws that prohibit the sale and distribution of rice not processed, bagged and shipped in the US. Surprised? Read the NAFTA Clauses.
People can’t eat. They are burning tires in the streets in demonstrations of the burning pain of “Clorox,” the name Haitians have likened to the stinging feeling of emptiness and despair in their stomachs. Food. Who was it that said the United States is the only place where people hunt on a full stomach? This country is fucked up and if you didn’t know it before now, there isn’t a thing I can do to help you. Sure, some countries have done what they can but before you start with that ‘benefit of the doubt’ bullshit, the $200 million in UN aid Bush pledged, aside from not going to the most affected areas, all of the food and supplies purchased with that money is siphoned through US products, merchants and distributers, making it only about half that amount to be divided through the hunger drenched countries.
When do we get mad? We stood by and watched Kenya burn, all the while a shady deal was being brokered behind closed doors. We forgave President Clinton for ignoring Darfur. We watched our brothers and sisters, our people drown when the levees broke and the White House gloated over a “heck of a job.” We saw our grandmothers stand in line, their eyes shining with pride at completing the oldest form of citizenship, only to have their vote stripped away by the dickless sons of bitches who are supposed to represent our interests. We cheered on the Jena 6 and then forgot those motherfuckers when they couldn’t even wear a damn suit to the BET Awards.
I don’t know the solution, but I’m sure that eating less and driving less has something to do with it.
I stay woke. Believe that.
Word to Samuel Dalembert.
Damn. Word to Sammy Dalembert indeed!
Thanks for posting the article! I send bread regularly to Haiti, but it is never enough. There’s also reports of people eating mud cakes which is basically pastry made with mud amongst some other ingredients. Some of the natural disasters in recent years hasn’t helped the country at all.
Don’t expect the United States or France to lift a finger. Both countries are complicit in the destabilization of Haiti. With the exception of the Clinton administration, from Reagan on towards G.W. Bush the U.S. policy has been openly hostile Haiti, and more recently Venezuela.
Fortunately there are some prominent people in American media that help get the word out like Wyclef and Danny Glover. Question: Will Haiti ever become as popular or “in” as Darfur? I hope so.
been telling ya’ll….america ain’t no melting pot..it’s a big cauldron of poo!
Haiti, although one of the poorest countries, used to have some of the richest lands this side of Africa, until we (AMERIKKKA) started to promote and sanction the those so called coupes…out front we kept up that front that we concerned while in the back room we were sending them guns, gunpowder and tobacco. None if the shit they needed.
and if think this shit wont happen here, just wait it out and see after NAFTA gets underway….BTW last night I caught District B13 on Cable, A wall around a city? Yeah that shits about to happen here too..congestion pricing anyone?
Vee : I don’t think it will ever happen until the slaughters begin again. I grew up in South Florida and Haitians were always farther back in the line of immigrants behind Cubans, Dominicans and whomever else. Because they are so poor and so “hopeless” it’s actually worse that they’re close as it’s easy to ignore. There isn’t a Haitian satellite tv station that we’re all getting on the dial (don’t give me that Tele-Kreyol stuff) and their infrastructure is so poor, the best news is still word of mouth.
Why would our government, the French government or anyone else want to help what is one of worst relics of slavery? I know, right now, that our country is near its worst, but we’ve still got plenty enough to help people that would kill for such a problem.
When looking for impoverished locations to film a music video for Damien Marley’s “One Loaf of Bread” they Haiti (in black and white) and the color footage was shot in South Africa.
Hopefully they gave out loaves of bread on the set locations.
thanks for the info.wow !!!!!!!