Got feedback on the new design? We're Listening! Send us Feedback

Food Riots Grip Haiti »

Posted by: Neophile 5 months ago

8.5

Scale of 1 to 10

Read: 33

Propped: 89

Comments: 49

Click Prop It to Raise Score

Prop it

United Nations peacekeepers fired rubber bullets and used tear gas to control mobs rioting over rising food prices in Haiti yesterday.

Read Full Story at guardian.co.uk

Join the Discussion

+ Add Comment

Comments So Far: 49

0%
walden35 months ago

Another success story of United States foreign policy.
Reply
30 Replies
- 0%
  DropkickaLib5 months ago
  
  Another failure on the part of a perpetually corrupt and ineffective government. Haiti has been a cesspool of ignorance, poverty and political instability since they threw out Napoleon's troops. Don't pin this one on the U.S.
  Reply
  11 Replies
  - 0%
    walden35 months ago
    
    Read a little history of United States involvement in Haiti. Look at the number of times we invaded, altered the outcome of election, supported militias and death squads. Did you know blind, chest-thumping patriotism is a disease?
    This is just one pretty well researched footnoted source. Do you own research.
    http://www.peacenowar.net/Americas/News/Haiti.htm
    and one more
    http://www.netti.fi/~makako/mind/haiti1.htm
    Reply
    10 Replies
    - 0%
      DropkickaLib5 months ago
      
      Haiti has never gotten its act together politically or economically when left to its own devices. The U.S. occupied it in 1915 in response to political chaos and growing German influence. The U.S. administration actually was responsible for building roads and bringing economic development. Before you blame the U.S. for the Duvaliers, Papa Doc was actually democratically elected, then formed a dicatorship. Basically, whenever the U.S. hasn't intervened in Haiti, it has suffered from successions of dictatorships as well as overall political and economic chaos. The economic development that has occurred was largely the result of U.S. assistance. The U.S., if anything, has been the only stabilizing force in Haitian politics. The biggest complaint that can be made against the U.S. is that it didn't succeed in saving Haiti from itself. Try referring to a non-political site for historical context. Wiki will do.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Haiti
      Reply
      7 Replies
      - 0%
        Codi69345 months ago
        
        I will have to agree with warden3 a little. You can't help people that are not willing to help themselves.(Haitians)
        But when we offered help, we left before we finished the job.(U.S) I was there in 94-95 when Clinton had his big invasion or else plan.
        Reply
        3 Replies
        
        0%
        DropkickaLib5 months ago
        
        You can't finish the job in Haiti. How many different times have we spent years, decades actually early in the 20th Century, trying to stabilize a country that doesn't make progress on its own?
        Reply
        2 Replies
        
        0%
        crespi4 months, 4 weeks ago
        
        Like Iraq?
        Reply
        1 Reply
        
        0%
        DropkickaLib4 months, 3 weeks ago
        
        Iraq is a paradise compared to Haiti.
        Reply
      - 0%
        DropkickaLib5 months ago
        
        Why the neg, neo? Did I say something inaccurate or is this the usual, knee-jerk neg I get from so many?
        Reply
        2 Replies
        
        0%
        dissent4 months, 4 weeks ago
        
        the knee-jerk's connected to the... drop-kick. heh
        Reply
        1 Reply
        
        0%
        DropkickaLib4 months, 3 weeks ago
        
        Not really, duhscent. Thanks for the lack of input related to the topic.
        Reply
    - 0%
      nostalgia5 months ago
      
      You might want to look at more current information - since the UN troops have been in Haiti
      Have you been following what has been going on??
      2005: Haiti's UN Occupation Forces Carry Out Massacre of Poor in Port-au-Prince OR Eyewitnesses Describe Massacre by UN Troops in Haitian Slum
      2005: UN troops in Haiti aid repression, critics charge
      2007: U.N. Troops Fight Haiti Gangs One Street at a Time OR UN troops storm Haiti slum
      January 21, 2008: UN Troops Accused of Human Rights Violations in Haiti
      If the UN troops are there, why isn't the UN providing food relief to the people??
      Reply
      1 Reply
      - 0%
        DropkickaLib5 months ago
        
        An argument to stay out of Haiti...this time. The place never changes.
        Reply
- 0%
  BB645 months ago
  
  Not exactly. It is the fault of some of our American policies, that of the environmental movement. By insisting on the use of ethanol, they've caused food costs to sky rocket. You cannot produce fuel from your food supplies without causing costs to rise.
  Reply
  16 Replies
  - 0%
    Dionys5 months ago
    
    "that of the environmental movement."
    Yes. It has absolutely nothing to do with an addiction to oil perpetrated and perpetuated by big Oil companies which own BushCo and in the grand scheme of things pay them a much bigger salary than the American Public. It's all the environmentalists fault for trying to find ways to ween us from dependency. Oh wait. Didn't BushCo embrace ethanol in a big way as a possible alternative?
    Reply
    12 Replies
    - 0%
      BB645 months ago
      
      You guys crack me up. We're addicted to big oil.... Tell you what since you don't like America or our oil, I'll pay for a ticket anywhere you want to go as you never come back and give up your citizenship. Oil and coal built this country. Energy is needed but you jokers won't let us drill or mine our own so we end up spending billions more on foreign oil. Then you morons came up with the ethanol "solution". Problem is it doesn't burn cleaner, it's more expensive to produce and ship it's not better for the environment and worst of all for every gallon of ethanol produced it takes 5 gallons of gasoline. Bushco didn't create this little nightmare, knee jerk reactions from the environmental lobby did. Problem is, now that it's being used we're learning how bad it really is. Cheap grain is a thing of the past. No over surpluses means higher food prices and less for the poorer countries.
      The new motto of the left, "Save the planet, starve the third world!"
      Reply
      9 Replies
      - 0%
        saintetienne5 months ago
        
        Excellent points as usual, BB.
        And there won't be any comments from the loony Lib brigade because... well, because there's no discussion. You've stated the truth so eloquently, even the nutcases on propeller can't find anything to dispute.
        Reply
      - 0%
        Dionys5 months ago
        
        "Tell you what since you don't like America or our oil, I'll pay for a ticket anywhere you want to go as you never come back and give up your citizenship."
        The true patriot is someone who can recognize there's something wrong, admit to it and work towards the greater good. For a RepugnantCon you sure spout suggestions that sound a lot like cowardice.
        Reply
        6 Replies
        
        0%
        DropkickaLib5 months ago
        
        A true patriot is someone you wouldn't recognize if you bumped into them in line at the Social Services Office, which you won't because they are Republicans with jobs. For a DenOrat, well...you sound just like the goosestepping Libbot I would expect.
        Reply
        3 Replies
        
        0%
        Dionys5 months ago
        
        "A true patriot is someone you wouldn't recognize if you bumped into them in line at the Social Services Office, which you won't because they are Republicans with jobs."
        Blah blah blah. I served my country in the military. Did you? No. You're just an armchair warrior. As for who makes up the workers in the Social Services offices, if you had any touch with reality you'd know they were not only mostly employed democrats, but fairly left-leaning democrats.
        Reply
        2 Replies
        
        0%
        DropkickaLib4 months, 3 weeks ago
        
        Actually, I am a career government employee...still serving. I actually, know much more about government employees than you ever will.
        Reply
        
        0%
        DropkickaLib4 months, 3 weeks ago
        
        Lee Harvey Oswald, Timothy McVey, the Walker family spies...What did they have in common? They were all veterans...and traitors. You're in good company.
        Reply
        
        0%
        BB645 months ago
        
        Dion,
        Greater good? Cowardice? First off coward? I simply pointed out that if the cheese eating surrender monkeys don't like it here, I'm willing to help them leave. If all they can to is sit around complaining about problems without helping, we don't need them.
        As to what I said, only a moron can't comprehend using corn and other grains for fuel is a bad idea. But the environmental groups claim we can't drill in Alaska and we shouldn't build refineries and the like. That only weakens my country. You want real help, I need 4 things. 1, let me build four new refineries. 2, let's start drilling. 3 let me build a few new nuke plants. We've build over a dozen plants in France without a problem. And finally, let me build several plants that permit coal to be converted into a slurry and processed like crude oil and make gasoline. In the end, this will have to be done.
        Reply
        1 Reply
        
        0%
        Dionys5 months ago
        
        "As to what I said, only a moron can't comprehend using
        corn and other grains for fuel is a bad idea. "
        Well you can add Bush to the moron list as he pushed those uses. But then that's no surprise to most people.
        All your solutions, except nuclear, are slavery to oil dependency. I'm of the opinion that nuclear's a great option in light of the impact of the other technologies you mentioned. Unless you're going to require actual standards for coal burning.
        How about you address the real problem along with the current needs problem. Short-sightedness has always been an issue with RepugnantCons, I know, but I'm sure you can overcome it as you claim to not be a moron.
        Reply
      - HanymanComment removed: User banned.
    - 0%
      slate5 months ago
      
      Big Oil Alert! Big Oil Alert!
      Reply
      1 Reply
      - 0%
        crespi4 months, 4 weeks ago
        
        Why do you support people like Exxon who ADMITTED to paying crackpot "scientists" TO LIE about the existence of global temperature change that now threatens us all?
        None of the 81% of us normal folks can figure out why you support lying, manipulating, elite corporate takeover of our economy.
        Why do you think malfeasant multi-nationals are not going to screw YOU when the time comes?
        Do you work for them?
        Do you think they will LET YOU IN when the food riots happen here?
        Why the fearful cover ups in the overwhelming face of truth?
        
        Reply
  - 0%
    Wolfie20075 months ago
    
    This is to remind you to say a prayer for the starving children in Haiti and the rest of the world every time you start your hybrid.
    Reply
    2 Replies
    - 0%
      BB645 months ago
      
      If you don't mind while you're praying in your non-American car or watching your WalMart made in China TV, I'm doing something. I've already made a contribution to Unicef:
      http://www.unicefusa.org/
      https://secure2.convio.net/unicef/site/Donation...
      Then again, according to reports you lefties are really good at spending other people's money when it comes to taxes but never your own. Prove me wrong and make a contribution, it is for the children.
      Reply
    - 0%
      Dionys5 months ago
      
      "This is to remind you to say a prayer for the starving children in Haiti and the rest of the world every time you start your hybrid."
      This is to remind you that hybrids run off gasoline and not ethanol, moron.
      Reply
- 0%
  libsRfunny5 months ago
  
  "Another success story of United States foreign policy."
  You mean, Carter and Clinton and the U.N. couldn't get it straight? Has the UN ever solved anything?
  This is one you can't hang on Bush's door.
  Reply
0%
unome25 months ago

Thank-you Walden3.
Reply
0%
joeblowe5 months ago

Food prices (as well as all other prices) seem to be rising worldwide - except where government controlled or subsidized. Why? That's easy: 1. Skyrocketing cost of fuel. The current FUEL SURCHARGE at U.S. trucking companies ranges up to 40% of the normal rate - sometimes a bit higher. 2. Yes, using feedstocks to create ethanol is ALSO bumping prices.
One more horrible example of unintended consequences.
Reply
1 Reply
- 0%
  BB645 months ago
  
  That's not all. Look at how many things have corn in them. Okay, corn syrup. Your mention of meat is also correct. Corn is a huge part of the North American diet. When you take more than half of our production and convert it to ethanol, you're going to drive up costs.
  Reply
0%
panzerv5 months ago

I wonder how long it will be before we start having food riots in this country.
Reply
4 Replies
- 0%
  Dionys5 months ago
  
  Beef is heavily subsidized, so most consumers won't see a huge impact, and few people in this country seem to eat whole grains, especially corn. I think I'd worry more about Mexico's riots pouring over the borders into the US.
  Reply
  3 Replies
  - 0%
    DropkickaLib5 months ago
    
    How would we notice the difference?
    Reply
    2 Replies
    - 0%
      Dionys5 months ago
      
      They'd be angry, hungry and likely to riot instead of working for Bush's best friends roofing houses and doing the jobs Americans are too lazy to do.
      Reply
      1 Reply
      - 0%
        saintetienne5 months ago
        
        Again, how would we notice the difference?
        Reply
0%
Wolfie20075 months ago

saintetienne
What a fabulous rant and so on the mark, good one.
Reply
0%
BoxMonkey5 months ago

I guess that killed my Santo Dominican vacation .
Reply
2 Replies
- 0%
  DropkickaLib5 months ago
  
  Bring your own food...and a Special Forces team.
  Reply
- 0%
  BB645 months ago
  
  Actually no you won't have to. The Dominican Republic was the non-French side so it's rather prosperous. When all kinds of hell was breaking out in Haiti I was on a business trip, never heard or saw anything.
  Reply
0%
Howtogo5 months ago

Haiti is a great example of political correctness run amuck. The island could survive on the tourist industry alone, and its people would be much better served. When the free lunch stopped, and the need for an African government to take over, only Africans were accepted as leaders. It's not to say there are not great African leaders available, but those types were eliminated as being "too white" so to speak. To look at an example of what happens when political correctness over rides the best interest of the people just look at Compton, Ca. A once vibrant city in the 1950's to a land of gangs, crime, government corruption and race baiting hate.
Reply
0%
jmopinion5 months ago

Typical African country.
Reply
0%
crespi4 months, 4 weeks ago

I like this Neocon self back-patting party.
It reminds me of Rachel Carson describing carp sucking the slime off each other.
You are all a credit to your race!
Reply
0%
kimkompark4 months, 4 weeks ago

thank you for share.
Reply
0%
DropkickaLib5 months ago

The nature of French colonialism was considerably different that that of the British, for example. The French clearly failed to create the kind of physical, economic, and governmental infrastructure in its colonies that the British did in places like India.
Reply