Feb 10, 2010
Proud
Haiti has been reduced to a de facto "protectorate" of the United
States -- a grotesque form of non-sovereignty in which the subjugated
nation is "protected" by its worst enemy. Namibia under white-ruled
South African administration comes to mind, although in Haiti's case
the United Nations does not even pretend to be on the side of the
oppressed, acting instead as agent and enforcer for the superpower.
As
Haiti writhes under the agony of hundreds of thousands dead, Bill
Clinton picks through the bones in search of prime tourist spots and
mango plantation sites. America's most successful snake oil salesman is
pleased to do the Haitian people's thinking, planning and dreaming for
them -- and quite willing to speak for the afflicted country, as well.
"This is an opportunity to reimagine the future for the Haitian people,
to build what they want to become, not rebuild what they used to be,''
Clinton told the global oligarchs at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In
one sweeping sentence, Clinton claimed a kind of sovereignty over the
Haitian people's very imaginations, assigning himself the right to
filter what was good or bad about Haiti's past, and what is permissible
in the future. Haitians are no longer allowed to possess their own
dreams and remembrances, which have apparently been placed in United
Nations trusteeship, under control of UN special envoy to Haiti, Bill
Clinton.
As
one of the world's most shameless personalities, the former president
is eminently qualified to represent both the UN and the U.S. armed
missions in Haiti. The 9,000 troops and police of the UN Stabilization
Force in Haiti (MINUSTAH) have for years waged war on the seaside
shanty neighborhood of Cite Soleil, a political stronghold of exiled
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Before the February, 2004,
U.S.-backed coup, Cite Soleil was home to at least 300,000 desperately
poor but politically organized people. Relentless MINUSTAH raids have
drastically shrunk the slum's population. By 2006, only 30 percent of residents still remained in some sections of Cite Soleil, according to human rights workers.
Since
the earthquake, MINUSTAH and the U.S. expeditionary force have
conspired to starve out what's left of Cite Soleil. Three weeks after
the catastrophe, the United Nations World Food Program described Cite
Soleil as "no-go, for security reasons."
Have
the people of Cite Soleil been condemned to death and dispersal because
of their pro-Aristide politics -- a trait they shared with at least 60
percent of the population the last time a count was permitted -- or are
they doomed by their choice seaside location? Either reason will do, or
both. Haiti's poor are condemned in advance, for existing where
inconvenient.
The
Haitian peasantry, which not so long ago kept the country
self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs, became inconvenient after
Washington forced Haiti to accept U.S. government-subsidized rice.
Port-au-Prince, a town of about a quarter million in 1960, swelled to
at least 2.5 million
as small rice farmers were forced off the land and into the
shanty-opolis, where they built what they could with the resources at
hand. U.S.-imposed "structural adjustment" made Port-au-Prince a
high-density death trap.
Somehow,
this U.S.-mandated migration -- which also contributed to the exodus
abroad of many hundreds of thousands -- is now numbered among the many
"failures" of the Haitian people. They must now move again, to places
outside Port-au-Prince where they can "reimagine the future," in Bill
Clinton's words. But whatever the Haitians might imagine, the United
States is determined to deny them the right to pursue those dreams.
Americans hector Haitians to summon the will to rebuild, but strangle
Haitian civil society by effectively outlawing the nation's most
popular political party, Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas. Self-determination
is among those things Haitians must not be permitted to rebuild or
reclaim.
The
Americans seem to prefer that Haitians have no government, at all, even
one as compliant as that of President Rene Preval, who collaborated in
banning Fanmi Lavalas from taking part in elections. Only one cent of
every dollar in U.S. "relief" money goes to or through the Haitian
government, which is thus reduced to a crippled and largely irrelevant
spectator. The Americans will at some point "reimagine" precisely how
the Haitian "protectorate" will be managed in these extraordinary times.
The
Haitian people "need democracy and self determination," said a
statement by the U.S.-based Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice,
Peace and Reparations, "not more military interventions by the U.S.,
which has sent more than 10,000 troops to subdue our people." On
February 20, the Black is Back Coalition will hold a National March and Rally to Defend Haiti, in Miami, Florida. "Our people in Haiti must have reparations, not self serving charity from France and the U.S."
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Glen Ford
Glen Ford (1949-2021) was the co-Founder and Executive Editor of the Black Agenda Report. He was a socialist, a Vietnam War-era military veteran and a member of the Black Panther Party. He served in the news media over many years in his professional life. He was the Capitol Hill, State Department and White House correspondent for the Mutual Black Network, an American radio network. He co-launched, produced, and hosted the first nationally syndicated Black news interview program on commercial television, America's Black Forum, in 1977.
Proud
Haiti has been reduced to a de facto "protectorate" of the United
States -- a grotesque form of non-sovereignty in which the subjugated
nation is "protected" by its worst enemy. Namibia under white-ruled
South African administration comes to mind, although in Haiti's case
the United Nations does not even pretend to be on the side of the
oppressed, acting instead as agent and enforcer for the superpower.
As
Haiti writhes under the agony of hundreds of thousands dead, Bill
Clinton picks through the bones in search of prime tourist spots and
mango plantation sites. America's most successful snake oil salesman is
pleased to do the Haitian people's thinking, planning and dreaming for
them -- and quite willing to speak for the afflicted country, as well.
"This is an opportunity to reimagine the future for the Haitian people,
to build what they want to become, not rebuild what they used to be,''
Clinton told the global oligarchs at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In
one sweeping sentence, Clinton claimed a kind of sovereignty over the
Haitian people's very imaginations, assigning himself the right to
filter what was good or bad about Haiti's past, and what is permissible
in the future. Haitians are no longer allowed to possess their own
dreams and remembrances, which have apparently been placed in United
Nations trusteeship, under control of UN special envoy to Haiti, Bill
Clinton.
As
one of the world's most shameless personalities, the former president
is eminently qualified to represent both the UN and the U.S. armed
missions in Haiti. The 9,000 troops and police of the UN Stabilization
Force in Haiti (MINUSTAH) have for years waged war on the seaside
shanty neighborhood of Cite Soleil, a political stronghold of exiled
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Before the February, 2004,
U.S.-backed coup, Cite Soleil was home to at least 300,000 desperately
poor but politically organized people. Relentless MINUSTAH raids have
drastically shrunk the slum's population. By 2006, only 30 percent of residents still remained in some sections of Cite Soleil, according to human rights workers.
Since
the earthquake, MINUSTAH and the U.S. expeditionary force have
conspired to starve out what's left of Cite Soleil. Three weeks after
the catastrophe, the United Nations World Food Program described Cite
Soleil as "no-go, for security reasons."
Have
the people of Cite Soleil been condemned to death and dispersal because
of their pro-Aristide politics -- a trait they shared with at least 60
percent of the population the last time a count was permitted -- or are
they doomed by their choice seaside location? Either reason will do, or
both. Haiti's poor are condemned in advance, for existing where
inconvenient.
The
Haitian peasantry, which not so long ago kept the country
self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs, became inconvenient after
Washington forced Haiti to accept U.S. government-subsidized rice.
Port-au-Prince, a town of about a quarter million in 1960, swelled to
at least 2.5 million
as small rice farmers were forced off the land and into the
shanty-opolis, where they built what they could with the resources at
hand. U.S.-imposed "structural adjustment" made Port-au-Prince a
high-density death trap.
Somehow,
this U.S.-mandated migration -- which also contributed to the exodus
abroad of many hundreds of thousands -- is now numbered among the many
"failures" of the Haitian people. They must now move again, to places
outside Port-au-Prince where they can "reimagine the future," in Bill
Clinton's words. But whatever the Haitians might imagine, the United
States is determined to deny them the right to pursue those dreams.
Americans hector Haitians to summon the will to rebuild, but strangle
Haitian civil society by effectively outlawing the nation's most
popular political party, Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas. Self-determination
is among those things Haitians must not be permitted to rebuild or
reclaim.
The
Americans seem to prefer that Haitians have no government, at all, even
one as compliant as that of President Rene Preval, who collaborated in
banning Fanmi Lavalas from taking part in elections. Only one cent of
every dollar in U.S. "relief" money goes to or through the Haitian
government, which is thus reduced to a crippled and largely irrelevant
spectator. The Americans will at some point "reimagine" precisely how
the Haitian "protectorate" will be managed in these extraordinary times.
The
Haitian people "need democracy and self determination," said a
statement by the U.S.-based Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice,
Peace and Reparations, "not more military interventions by the U.S.,
which has sent more than 10,000 troops to subdue our people." On
February 20, the Black is Back Coalition will hold a National March and Rally to Defend Haiti, in Miami, Florida. "Our people in Haiti must have reparations, not self serving charity from France and the U.S."
Glen Ford
Glen Ford (1949-2021) was the co-Founder and Executive Editor of the Black Agenda Report. He was a socialist, a Vietnam War-era military veteran and a member of the Black Panther Party. He served in the news media over many years in his professional life. He was the Capitol Hill, State Department and White House correspondent for the Mutual Black Network, an American radio network. He co-launched, produced, and hosted the first nationally syndicated Black news interview program on commercial television, America's Black Forum, in 1977.
Proud
Haiti has been reduced to a de facto "protectorate" of the United
States -- a grotesque form of non-sovereignty in which the subjugated
nation is "protected" by its worst enemy. Namibia under white-ruled
South African administration comes to mind, although in Haiti's case
the United Nations does not even pretend to be on the side of the
oppressed, acting instead as agent and enforcer for the superpower.
As
Haiti writhes under the agony of hundreds of thousands dead, Bill
Clinton picks through the bones in search of prime tourist spots and
mango plantation sites. America's most successful snake oil salesman is
pleased to do the Haitian people's thinking, planning and dreaming for
them -- and quite willing to speak for the afflicted country, as well.
"This is an opportunity to reimagine the future for the Haitian people,
to build what they want to become, not rebuild what they used to be,''
Clinton told the global oligarchs at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In
one sweeping sentence, Clinton claimed a kind of sovereignty over the
Haitian people's very imaginations, assigning himself the right to
filter what was good or bad about Haiti's past, and what is permissible
in the future. Haitians are no longer allowed to possess their own
dreams and remembrances, which have apparently been placed in United
Nations trusteeship, under control of UN special envoy to Haiti, Bill
Clinton.
As
one of the world's most shameless personalities, the former president
is eminently qualified to represent both the UN and the U.S. armed
missions in Haiti. The 9,000 troops and police of the UN Stabilization
Force in Haiti (MINUSTAH) have for years waged war on the seaside
shanty neighborhood of Cite Soleil, a political stronghold of exiled
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Before the February, 2004,
U.S.-backed coup, Cite Soleil was home to at least 300,000 desperately
poor but politically organized people. Relentless MINUSTAH raids have
drastically shrunk the slum's population. By 2006, only 30 percent of residents still remained in some sections of Cite Soleil, according to human rights workers.
Since
the earthquake, MINUSTAH and the U.S. expeditionary force have
conspired to starve out what's left of Cite Soleil. Three weeks after
the catastrophe, the United Nations World Food Program described Cite
Soleil as "no-go, for security reasons."
Have
the people of Cite Soleil been condemned to death and dispersal because
of their pro-Aristide politics -- a trait they shared with at least 60
percent of the population the last time a count was permitted -- or are
they doomed by their choice seaside location? Either reason will do, or
both. Haiti's poor are condemned in advance, for existing where
inconvenient.
The
Haitian peasantry, which not so long ago kept the country
self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs, became inconvenient after
Washington forced Haiti to accept U.S. government-subsidized rice.
Port-au-Prince, a town of about a quarter million in 1960, swelled to
at least 2.5 million
as small rice farmers were forced off the land and into the
shanty-opolis, where they built what they could with the resources at
hand. U.S.-imposed "structural adjustment" made Port-au-Prince a
high-density death trap.
Somehow,
this U.S.-mandated migration -- which also contributed to the exodus
abroad of many hundreds of thousands -- is now numbered among the many
"failures" of the Haitian people. They must now move again, to places
outside Port-au-Prince where they can "reimagine the future," in Bill
Clinton's words. But whatever the Haitians might imagine, the United
States is determined to deny them the right to pursue those dreams.
Americans hector Haitians to summon the will to rebuild, but strangle
Haitian civil society by effectively outlawing the nation's most
popular political party, Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas. Self-determination
is among those things Haitians must not be permitted to rebuild or
reclaim.
The
Americans seem to prefer that Haitians have no government, at all, even
one as compliant as that of President Rene Preval, who collaborated in
banning Fanmi Lavalas from taking part in elections. Only one cent of
every dollar in U.S. "relief" money goes to or through the Haitian
government, which is thus reduced to a crippled and largely irrelevant
spectator. The Americans will at some point "reimagine" precisely how
the Haitian "protectorate" will be managed in these extraordinary times.
The
Haitian people "need democracy and self determination," said a
statement by the U.S.-based Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice,
Peace and Reparations, "not more military interventions by the U.S.,
which has sent more than 10,000 troops to subdue our people." On
February 20, the Black is Back Coalition will hold a National March and Rally to Defend Haiti, in Miami, Florida. "Our people in Haiti must have reparations, not self serving charity from France and the U.S."
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LATEST NEWS
Americans Take to the Streets for 1,000+ 'Workers Over Billionaires' Labor Day Rallies
"Workers are fighting for a society where public schools take precedence over private profits, healthcare is prioritized over hedge funds, and affordable housing is valued more than homelessness," said May Day Strong.
Sep 01, 2025
This is a developing story... Please check back for possible updates.
Americans turned out across the United States on Monday for more than 1,000 demonstrations against President Donald Trump and other oligarchs "to reclaim worker power against billionaires who hoard unprecedented wealth and power."
The "Workers Over Billionaires" protests, led by the May Day Strong Coalition, which is made up of dozens of organizations including the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, National Union of Healthcare Workers, and advocacy groups like Americans for Tax Fairness, Indivisible, Our Revolution, and Public Citizen.
Demonstrations took place or are set to happen in big cities, small towns, and communities in between all across the nation. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spoke at a rally in Concord, New Hampshire, where he vowed that "together, we will create an economy and government that work for all, not just the 1%."
May Day Strong said Monday's mobilizations aim "to build collective action against billionaires taking over the US government."
"Building upon momentum from May Day, Good Trouble Lives On, No Kings, and key impromptu actions in the streets and the workplace, Workers Over Billionaires will reach communities nationwide, tapping rural and city workers to stop the billionaire agenda that continues to burden everyone," the coalition said. "As the federal government continues to enable the ultrarich, working people are stepping onto pavement to stop their greed and protect their families."
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Trump Admin Circulating Plan to Transform Depopulated Gaza Into High-Tech Cash Cow
Under the proposal, the US would take control after "voluntary" relocation of Palestinians from the strip, where proposed projects include an Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone and Gaza Trump Riviera & Islands.
Sep 01, 2025
The White House is "circulating" a plan to transform a substantially depopulated Gaza into US President Donald Trump's vision of a high-tech "Riviera of the Middle East" brimming with private investment and replete with artificial intelligence-powered "smart cities."
That's according a 38-page prospectus for a proposed Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration, and Transformation (GREAT) Trust obtained by The Washington Post and published in a report on Sunday. Parts of the proposal were previously reported by the Financial Times.
"Gaza can transform into a Mediterranean hub for manufacturing, trade, data, and tourism, benefiting from its strategic location, access to markets... resources, and a young workforce all supported by Israeli tech and [Gulf Cooperation Council] investments," the prospectus states.
However, to journalist Hala Jaber, the plan amounts to "genocide packaged as real estate."
Here comes the Gaza Network State.A plan to turn Gaza into a privately-developed “gleaming tourism resort and high-tech manufacturing and technology hub” with “AI-powered smart cities” and “Trump Riviera” resortgift link:wapo.st/4g2eATo
[image or embed]
— Gil Durán (@gilduran.com) August 31, 2025 at 10:18 AM
The GREAT Trust was drafted by some of the same Israelis behind the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), whose aid distribution points in Gaza have been the sites of deliberate massacres and other incidents in which thousands of aid-seeking Palestinians have been killed or wounded.
According to the Post, financial modeling for the GREAT Trust proposal "was done by a team working at the time for the Boston Consulting Group"—which played a key role in creating GHF. BCG told the Post that the firm did not approve work on the trust plan, and that two senior partners who led the financial modeling were subsequently terminated.
The GREAT Trust envisions "a US-led multirlateral custodianship" lasting a decade or longer and leading to "a reformed Palestinian self-governance after Gaza is "demilitarized and de-radicalized."
Josh Paul—a former US State Department official who resigned in October 2023 over the Biden administration's decision to sell more arms to Israel as it waged a war on Gaza increasingly viewed by experts as genocidal—told Democracy Now! last week that Trump's plan for Gaza is "essentially a new form of colonialism, a transition from Israeli colonialism to corporate" colonialism.
The GREAT Trust contains two proposals for Gaza's more than 2 million Palestinians. Under one plan, approximately 75% of Gaza's population would remain in the strip during its transformation. The second proposal involves up to 500,000 Gazans relocating to third countries, 75% of them permanently.
The prospectus does not say how many Palestinians would leave Gaza under the relocation option. Those who choose to permanently relocate to other unspecified countries would each receive $5,000 plus four years of subsidized rent and subsidized food for a year.
The GREAT Trust allocates $6 billion for temporary housing for Palestinians who remain in Gaza and $5 billion for those who relocate.
The proposal projects huge profits for investors—nearly four times the return on investment and annual revenue of $4.5 billion within a decade. The project would be a boon for companies ranging from builders including Saudi bin Laden Group, infrastructure specialists like IKEA, the mercenary firm Academi (formerly Blackwater), US military contractor CACI—which last year was found liable for torturing Iraqis at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison—electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, tech firms such as Amazon, and hoteliers Mandarin Oriental and IHG Hotels and Resorts.
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In addition to "massive" financial gains for private US investors, the GREAT Trust lists strategic benefits for the United States that would enable it to "strengthen" its "hold in the east Mediterranean and secure US industry access to $1.3 trillion of rare-earth minerals from the Gulf."
Earlier this year, Trump said the US would "take over" Gaza, American real estate developers would "level it out" and build the "Riviera of the Middle East" atop its ruins after Palestinians—"all of them"—leave Palestine's coastal exclave. The president called for the "voluntary" transfer of Gazans to Egypt and Jordan, both of whose leaders vehemently rejected the plan.
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According to a May survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, nearly half of Gazans expressed a willingness to apply for Israeli assistance to relocate to other countries. However, many Gazans say they would never leave the strip, where most inhabitants are descendants of survivors of the Nakba, the ethnic cleansing of more than 750,000 Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948. Some are actual Nakba survivors.
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'Endangering Every American's Health': 9 Former CDC Chiefs Sound Alarm on RFK Jr.
Their "astonishing, powerful op-ed," said one professor, "drives home what we are losing and what's already been lost."
Sep 01, 2025
Nearly every living former director or acting director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from the past half-century took to the pages of The New York Times on Monday to jointly argue that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "is endangering every American's health."
"Collectively, we spent more than 100 years working at the CDC, the world's preeminent public health agency. We served under multiple Republican and Democratic administrations," Drs. William Foege, William Roper, David Satcher, Jeffrey Koplan, Richard Besser, Tom Frieden, Anne Schuchat, Rochelle Walensky, and Mandy Cohen highlighted.
What RFK Jr. "has done to the CDC and to our nation's public health system over the past several months—culminating in his decision to fire Dr. Susan Monarez as CDC director days ago—is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced," the nine former agency leaders wrote.
Known for spreading misinformation about vaccines and a series of scandals, Kennedy was a controversial figure long before President Donald Trump chose him to lead HHS—a decision that Senate Republicans affirmed in February. However, in the wake of Monarez's ouster, fresh calls for him to resign or be fired have mounted.
This is powerful. Nine former CDC leaders just came together to defend SCIENCE.Maybe it’s time we LISTEN TO THEM—not the loud voices spreading MISINFORMATION.Science saves lives. Lies cost themwww.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
[image or embed]
— Krutika Kuppalli, MD FIDSA (@krutikakuppalli.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 10:35 AM
As the ex-directors detailed:
Secretary Kennedy has fired thousands of federal health workers and severely weakened programs designed to protect Americans from cancer, heart attacks, strokes, lead poisoning, injury, violence, and more. Amid the largest measles outbreak in the United States in a generation, he's focused on unproven "treatments" while downplaying vaccines. He canceled investments in promising medical research that will leave us ill-prepared for future health emergencies. He replaced experts on federal health advisory committees with unqualified individuals who share his dangerous and unscientific views. He announced the end of US support for global vaccination programs that protect millions of children and keep Americans safe, citing flawed research and making inaccurate statements. And he championed federal legislation that will cause millions of people with health insurance through Medicaid to lose their coverage. Firing Dr. Monarez—which led to the resignations of top CDC officials—adds considerable fuel to this raging fire.
Monarez was nominated by Trump, and was confirmed by Senate Republicans in late July. As the op-ed authors noted, she was forced out by RFK Jr. just weeks later, after she reportedly refused "to rubber-stamp his dangerous and unfounded vaccine recommendations or heed his demand to fire senior CDC staff members."
"These are not typical requests from a health secretary to a CDC director," they wrote. "Not even close. None of us would have agreed to the secretary's demands, and we applaud Dr. Monarez for standing up for the agency and the health of our communities."
After Monarez's exit, Trump tapped Jim O'Neill, an RFK Jr. aide and biotech investor, as the CDC's interim director. Critics including Robert Steinbrook, director of Public Citizen's health research group, warn that "unlike Susan Monarez, O'Neill is likely to rubber-stamp dangerous vaccine recommendations from HHS Secretary Kennedy's handpicked appointees to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and obey orders to fire CDC public health experts with scientific integrity."
The agency's former directors didn't address O'Neill, but they wrote: "To those on the CDC staff who continue to perform their jobs heroically in the face of the excruciating circumstances, we offer our sincere thanks and appreciation. Their ongoing dedication is a model for all of us. But it's clear that the agency is hurting badly."
"We have a message for the rest of the nation as well: This is a time to rally to protect the health of every American," they continued. The experts called on Congress to "exercise its oversight authority over HHS," and state and local governments to "fill funding gaps where they can." They also urged philanthropy, the private sector, medical groups, and physicians to boost investments, "continue to stand up for science and truth," and support patients "with sound guidance and empathy."
Doctors, researchers, journalists, and others called their "must-read" piece "extraordinary" and "important."
"Just an astonishing, powerful op-ed that drives home what we are losing and what's already been lost," said University of Michigan Law School professor Leah Litman. "We are so incredibly fortunate to live with the advances [of] modern medicine and health science. Destroying and stymying it is just unforgivable."
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