He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.
-THOMAS PAINE, “Dissertation on First Principles of Government,†The Writings of Thomas Paine, ed. Moncure D. Conway, vol. 3, p. 277 (1895). Originally published in 1795.
Iraqi Constitution
At the risk of sounding anti-government, and conspiratorial, I think that this event, as well as the Iraqi disarming at the hands of US soldiers both set very, very bad precedents. I prefer that all people should be allowed to go armed, if this is not the will of our government, then I would prefer to see those people disarmed by other than American soldiers, lest they become accustomed to this act, and consider it routine. History tells us (repeatedly) that those who voluntarily give up their arms get what they deserve.
-Morgan
****************************
U.S. Marines to Start Helping
Haitian Police Disarm Rebels
Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Loyalists demanding the return of exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide set up flaming barricades and stoned cars Tuesday, and the U.S. Marines said they will begin helping Haitian police disarm rebel groups.
Meanwhile, Haiti's U.S.-backed advisory council, the seven-member "Council of Sages," picked a former U.N. official and international business consultant as the new prime minister Tuesday, two leading opposition politicians said.
The appointment of Gerard Latortue, also reported by Haitian radio stations, was a step toward forming a transitional government and eventually organizing elections in this troubled nation. Mr. Latortue was foreign minister in 1988 to former President Leslie Manigat, who was toppled in one of the 32 coups fomented by Haiti's army.
Haiti's Supreme Court chief justice, Boniface Alexandre, was officially installed Monday as interim president. He made a plea for calm.
The Marines along with the French Legionnaires form the vanguard of a United Nations peacekeeping mission. Efforts to bring calm to this troubled Caribbean nation followed a bloody insurgency that ousted Mr. Aristide on Feb. 29, putting rebels in control of half the country and sparking a frenzy of looting and violence. At least 130 people were killed in the rebellion; reprisal killings since Mr. Aristide's ouster have left at least 300 dead.
The announcement Tuesday that the Marines will begin to help disarm rebel groups is a tall order amid threats from all sides to resume the rebellion. Marine Col. Charles Gurganus called on Haitians to tell peacekeepers who has weapons and to turn in arms. "The disarmament will be both active and reactive, but I'm not going to say any more about that," he said, giving few details.
Col. Gurganus said Haitian police will lead disarmament efforts, but starting Wednesday, peacekeepers will assist in getting "the weapons off the street."
U.S. Marines started arriving Feb. 29, the day Mr. Aristide went into exile. There are also 800 French Legionnaires and police, 130 Chilean troops and 70 Canadians as of Tuesday.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday he hopes the international community will have the patience and stamina necessary to commit to Haiti for the long haul. "It's going to take time, it's going to take lots of hard work," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "And we should not expect to do a Band-Aid job for two years or so, and then turn around and leave, only to have to return."
The U.N. resident representative in Haiti, Adama Guindo, said Tuesday he was working with the U.S. Marines to devise a disarmament plan.
In the worst violence since Mr. Aristide's departure, gunmen opened fire on anti-Aristide protesters Sunday, killing six and wounding more than 30. The Marines said they killed one gunman in that incident.
Late Monday, Marines shot and killed the driver of a car speeding toward a checkpoint. A passenger was wounded. Hijackings and robberies have been common at roadblocks since Haiti's uprising began. Motorists -- including journalists -- often speed through checkpoints to avoid attacks by pro-Aristide militants and rebels.
In Washington, the Pentagon said Marines in both incidents were acting within the scope of their orders. "An individual Marine ... has an absolute right to defend himself and those around him," said Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
U.S. forces in Haiti, about 1,600 strong, have limits on their powers: They can't stop looting, even of American companies, nor can they use force to halt Haitian-on-Haitian violence. Their mission is to protect key sites, such as government buildings and the airport, and to pave the way for the U.N. force.
Also Tuesday, a Caribbean foreign minister voiced persistent regional suspicion about the circumstances of Mr. Aristide's departure. Now in exile in the Central African Republic, Mr. Aristide insists he is still Haiti's president and that he was abducted and forced to leave by the U.S. "We hold the United States responsible for the removal of the Haitian president," said Louis Straker, foreign minister for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a member of the 15-nation Caribbean Community that last week called for an international investigation into Mr. Aristide's departure.
In an interview Monday with National Public Radio, Secretary of State Colin Powell again denied that Washington forced out Mr. Aristide, saying U.S. troops saved his life. Mr. Aristide "contacted our ambassador," Mr. Powell said, "and our ambassador made appropriate arrangements so that he could leave safely, which many people said we should make sure would happen -- that nothing would happen to him. And he left of his own free will."
Mr. Aristide was a wildly popular slum priest elected in 1990 on promises he would champion the poor who make up the vast majority of Haiti's eight million people. But he has lost support, with Haitians saying that he failed to improve their lives and condoned corruption and used police and armed supporters to attack political opponents, particularly during the 2000 presidential election, which he also won.
Copyright © 2004 The Associated Press
Updated March 9, 2004 5:51 p.m.
-THOMAS PAINE, “Dissertation on First Principles of Government,†The Writings of Thomas Paine, ed. Moncure D. Conway, vol. 3, p. 277 (1895). Originally published in 1795.
Iraqi Constitution
At the risk of sounding anti-government, and conspiratorial, I think that this event, as well as the Iraqi disarming at the hands of US soldiers both set very, very bad precedents. I prefer that all people should be allowed to go armed, if this is not the will of our government, then I would prefer to see those people disarmed by other than American soldiers, lest they become accustomed to this act, and consider it routine. History tells us (repeatedly) that those who voluntarily give up their arms get what they deserve.
-Morgan
****************************
U.S. Marines to Start Helping
Haitian Police Disarm Rebels
Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Loyalists demanding the return of exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide set up flaming barricades and stoned cars Tuesday, and the U.S. Marines said they will begin helping Haitian police disarm rebel groups.
Meanwhile, Haiti's U.S.-backed advisory council, the seven-member "Council of Sages," picked a former U.N. official and international business consultant as the new prime minister Tuesday, two leading opposition politicians said.
The appointment of Gerard Latortue, also reported by Haitian radio stations, was a step toward forming a transitional government and eventually organizing elections in this troubled nation. Mr. Latortue was foreign minister in 1988 to former President Leslie Manigat, who was toppled in one of the 32 coups fomented by Haiti's army.
Haiti's Supreme Court chief justice, Boniface Alexandre, was officially installed Monday as interim president. He made a plea for calm.
The Marines along with the French Legionnaires form the vanguard of a United Nations peacekeeping mission. Efforts to bring calm to this troubled Caribbean nation followed a bloody insurgency that ousted Mr. Aristide on Feb. 29, putting rebels in control of half the country and sparking a frenzy of looting and violence. At least 130 people were killed in the rebellion; reprisal killings since Mr. Aristide's ouster have left at least 300 dead.
The announcement Tuesday that the Marines will begin to help disarm rebel groups is a tall order amid threats from all sides to resume the rebellion. Marine Col. Charles Gurganus called on Haitians to tell peacekeepers who has weapons and to turn in arms. "The disarmament will be both active and reactive, but I'm not going to say any more about that," he said, giving few details.
Col. Gurganus said Haitian police will lead disarmament efforts, but starting Wednesday, peacekeepers will assist in getting "the weapons off the street."
U.S. Marines started arriving Feb. 29, the day Mr. Aristide went into exile. There are also 800 French Legionnaires and police, 130 Chilean troops and 70 Canadians as of Tuesday.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday he hopes the international community will have the patience and stamina necessary to commit to Haiti for the long haul. "It's going to take time, it's going to take lots of hard work," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "And we should not expect to do a Band-Aid job for two years or so, and then turn around and leave, only to have to return."
The U.N. resident representative in Haiti, Adama Guindo, said Tuesday he was working with the U.S. Marines to devise a disarmament plan.
In the worst violence since Mr. Aristide's departure, gunmen opened fire on anti-Aristide protesters Sunday, killing six and wounding more than 30. The Marines said they killed one gunman in that incident.
Late Monday, Marines shot and killed the driver of a car speeding toward a checkpoint. A passenger was wounded. Hijackings and robberies have been common at roadblocks since Haiti's uprising began. Motorists -- including journalists -- often speed through checkpoints to avoid attacks by pro-Aristide militants and rebels.
In Washington, the Pentagon said Marines in both incidents were acting within the scope of their orders. "An individual Marine ... has an absolute right to defend himself and those around him," said Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
U.S. forces in Haiti, about 1,600 strong, have limits on their powers: They can't stop looting, even of American companies, nor can they use force to halt Haitian-on-Haitian violence. Their mission is to protect key sites, such as government buildings and the airport, and to pave the way for the U.N. force.
Also Tuesday, a Caribbean foreign minister voiced persistent regional suspicion about the circumstances of Mr. Aristide's departure. Now in exile in the Central African Republic, Mr. Aristide insists he is still Haiti's president and that he was abducted and forced to leave by the U.S. "We hold the United States responsible for the removal of the Haitian president," said Louis Straker, foreign minister for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a member of the 15-nation Caribbean Community that last week called for an international investigation into Mr. Aristide's departure.
In an interview Monday with National Public Radio, Secretary of State Colin Powell again denied that Washington forced out Mr. Aristide, saying U.S. troops saved his life. Mr. Aristide "contacted our ambassador," Mr. Powell said, "and our ambassador made appropriate arrangements so that he could leave safely, which many people said we should make sure would happen -- that nothing would happen to him. And he left of his own free will."
Mr. Aristide was a wildly popular slum priest elected in 1990 on promises he would champion the poor who make up the vast majority of Haiti's eight million people. But he has lost support, with Haitians saying that he failed to improve their lives and condoned corruption and used police and armed supporters to attack political opponents, particularly during the 2000 presidential election, which he also won.
Copyright © 2004 The Associated Press
Updated March 9, 2004 5:51 p.m.
