US Channels Millions Through NED to Fund Anti-Lavalas Groups in Haiti

[rman]

U.S. Gvt. Channels Millions Through National Endowment for Democracy to Fund Anti-Lavalas Groups in Haiti
Democracy Now
Monday, January 23rd, 2006
www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/23/1441204

Nearly two years after the overthrow of President Jean Bertrand Aristide, Haiti will be holding national elections next month. Former President Rene Preval, a Aristide ally, is leading in the polls. Meanwhile, a judge has dropped the most serious charges against jailed priest Gerard Jean Juste. Jean Juste was imprisoned in July over the murder of journalist Jacques Roche - killed while Jean Juste was in Miami. After Jean Juste's arrest, Haitian officials prevented Lavalas - the political movement aligned with Aristide - from registering him as their presidential candidate, on the grounds he was imprisoned. Although he has been cleared in Roche's murder, authorities say Jean Juste will remain in prison over weapons charges. Amnesty International calls him a prisoner of conscience. Calls for his release have intensified with the recent announcement he's been diagnosed with leukemia.

Meanwhile, violence continues to affect Haiti's poorest areas. Last week, two Jordanian troops with the UN mission were killed in a gun-battle in the poor neighborhood of Cite Soleil. Local residents later reported UN troops had shot at a hospital in the area. UN troops have stepped up armed raids on Cite Soleil amid pressure from business leaders and foreign officials.

<snip>

The NED operates with an annual budget of $80 million dollars from U.S. Congress and the State Department. In Venezuela, it's given money to several political opponents of President Hugo Chavez. With elections underway in Haiti, it's reportedly doing the same to groups linked to the country's tiny elite and former military.

Last week Democracy Now! interviewed Anthony Fenton about NED's activities in Haiti and across the Caribbean and Latin America. Fenton is an independent journalist and co-author of the book "Canada in Haiti: Waging War On The Poor Majority." He has interviewed several top governmental and non-governmental officials dealing with Haiti as well as leading members of Haiti's business community. Last month, he helped expose an NED-funded journalist who was filing stories for the Associated Press from Haiti. The Associated Press subsequently terminated its relationship with the journalist.

<more>

[Tom Joad]

1. This story, like Haiti in general, has been off the radar of the MSM

and except a handful of Dems, it really is not part of their agenda either. Except perhaps to support Bush's policy. I mean the US kidnapped the President of Haiti, for god's sake!

Now, for a few of the people who run the orwellian named National Endowment for Democracy, that funds terror activities in Haiti and Venezuela:


The Honorable Evan Bayh,
United States Senate

General Wesley K. Clark,
Wesley K. Clark & Associates

The Honorable William H. Frist
United States Senate

The Honorable Richard A. Gephardt

Mr. Michael Novak,

See the whole freakin' list of scumbags right here:
http://www.ned.org/about/who.html

[High Plains]

2. Not democracy at work, but empire at work.

[wakeme2008]

3. General Wesley K. Clark...

I have a problem with why he is working with theses ppl .:grr:

[rman]

4. Me to

I was doing some 'research' on Clark, having heard a few positive things about him. But the deeper i dig the uglier it gets.

[jonnyblitz]

8. speaking of that...i am reading an excellent book on the SOA

"School of the America's', which General Clark also endorses. oh yeah, apologists will tell you the school has changed, the only thing that has changed is the name of the school and a whitewashing PR campaign has been put in place after some DEMS in Congress tried to shut the place down. It is all explained in the book and also on the FAQ of "the school of the america's "watch website. http://www.soaw.org/new/index.php

the book i am almost finished reading is "The School of the America's, MIlitary Training and Political Violence in the Americas" by Leslie Gill. I highly recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0822333929/qid=1138052108/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-7317459-4928923?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

[Tom Joad]

5. Wesley ain't the only one. The afl-cio is really involved in this

group as well.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/26/1419259

Thank the gods for amy goodman & co.!

[redqueen]

6. Good God

So *that's* why those groups left the AFL-CIO.

*sigh*

[Tom Rinaldo]

7. Tell it to your favorite Liberal Congressperson, or Boxer or Feingold

Chances are they all were in Congress in October of 2003. Hold them accountable also if you feel strongly about this.

"Identical Senate and House resolutions (S. Con Res 66; H. Con Res 274) commending the National Endowment for Democracy “for its major contributions to the strengthening of democracy around the world on the occasion of the 20th anniversary” of its establishment, and endeavoring “to continue to support vital work” were passed in October, 2003. The Senate resolution was passed by unanimous voice vote; the House resolution sailed through on a roll call vote of 391-1. Both resolutions had strong, bipartisan co-sponsorship"
http://www.ned.org/about/nedhistory.html

This is a far more complex story than it is being presented as. A Democratic Congress established NED, and Clark I believe was a Clinton appointee. Gephardt and Holbrooke are also on the Board as are some other liberals. And programs like these in Africa also get funded:

Mutawinat Benevolent Company
$35,000
To raise public awareness about women(s legal rights with a program including workshops on labor issues and land tenure laws; a training course for its network of paralegal volunteers on reporting, monitoring and documenting violence against women; and institutional support for its four local offices. Mutawinat will also provide a book on the condition of women in Sudan’s prisons; a quarterly newsletter in English and Arabic; posters and pamphlets on women’s rights and legal aid; and a full-page advertisement in a daily newspaper twice a month on women’s rights issues.

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
$100,000
To assist a select group of Sudanese women’s organizations in developing their role in the ongoing peace process and the post-conflict implementation phase of the peace plan. The secondary aim of this six-month project is to promote communication between northern and southern civil society organizations.

Southern Women Group for Peace
$27,000*
To establish a women’s peace center, which will conduct research and documentation on gender and governance and explore issues of justice, equity, and conflict resolution in other countries. The organization will continue its justice and peace lobbying campaigns, which target political leaders, community groups, and the grassroots and international communities. It will also hold a series of training workshops on human rights, conflict resolution, and peace lobbying.

They also supported Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung Sun Suu Kyi's party in Burma.

It's a mixed bag.