Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Why not do it honestly?
Chris Mathews made the point that Haiti is effectively a sort of US protectorate; we've taken on the absurd, pointless and unrewarded task of helping its people through repeated disasters without ever fixing their government that leaves them hopelessly vulnerable to all those disasters.
The only time we intervened recently was to insure the "election" of Aristide, who (as a Haitian commentator stated candidly this morning) was a worse ruler than Papa Doc.
Why don't we make it an honest colony? Take it over officially, send competent people to build a real government, and get something in return. Mine its resources, build sugar cane plantations, drill in Haiti's offshore oil territory, get our cheap labor in Haiti instead of China. Do the full nine yards of old-fashioned British colonial rule. Both sides would benefit greatly. (I'll bet General Goddamn Honoré could do for Haiti what General MacArthur did for Japan.)
And if any other country complains about the arrangement, send a hundred megatons of thermonuclear discipline down their fucking Commie throat. ¶ 2:23 PM
The only time we intervened recently was to insure the "election" of Aristide, who (as a Haitian commentator stated candidly this morning) was a worse ruler than Papa Doc.
Why don't we make it an honest colony? Take it over officially, send competent people to build a real government, and get something in return. Mine its resources, build sugar cane plantations, drill in Haiti's offshore oil territory, get our cheap labor in Haiti instead of China. Do the full nine yards of old-fashioned British colonial rule. Both sides would benefit greatly. (I'll bet General Goddamn Honoré could do for Haiti what General MacArthur did for Japan.)
And if any other country complains about the arrangement, send a hundred megatons of thermonuclear discipline down their fucking Commie throat. ¶ 2:23 PM
