Krikorian: Problem with Haiti- slavery ended too soon

by: Duke Reed

Fri Jan 22, 2010 at 14:14:58 PM EST

Of course coupled with these lessons in colonial, and post-colonial geo-political history have been the expected wingnut assertions like those of Pat Robinson about Haiti's "pack with the devil"

But now, thanks to Mark Krikorian, of the Center for Immigration Studies, a far-right "think tank" opposed to immigration, we get this little tidbit of neo-colonial/white-man's burden analysis of why Haiti remains the poorest nation in the hemisphere:

From NRO:

Why isn't Haiti like Jamaica or Barbados? Those places certainly have their problems, but they're not dystopian like Haiti.....

My guess is that Haiti's so screwed up because it wasn't colonized long enough. The ancestors of today's Haitians, like elsewhere in the Caribbean, experienced the dislocation of de-tribalization, which disrupted the natural ties of family and clan and ethnicity. They also suffered the brutality of sugar-plantation slavery, which was so deadly that the majority of slaves at the time of independence were African-born, because their predecessors hadn't lived long enough to reproduce.

But, unlike Jamaicans and Bajans and Guadeloupeans, et al., after experiencing the worst of tropical colonial slavery, the Haitians didn't stick around long enough to benefit from it. (Haiti became independent in 1804.). And by benefit I mean develop a local culture significantly shaped by the more-advanced civilization of the colonizers.

According to Krikorian, if only the pesky Haitians had abandoned their fight for freedom (as the only successful slave revolt and revolution in history) and remained under the whip for another 40 years like their counterparts in other former slave colonies, they would have had time to absorb the greater wisdom and culture of their oppressors, and their nation wouldn't be the basket case of the western hemisphere it is today.

No mention made of the harsh reparations the ex-slaves were forced to pay their former masters (equal to $21 billion in today's dollars) that took from 1825 to 1947 pay and crippled Haiti's economy for more than a century. No acknowledgement that a successful slave revolt and revolution of colonial peoples of color in the late eighteenth-early nineteenth century was more frightening to the ruling powers of the time than any Taliban or Al Qaeda could ever be today, and all efforts were made to isolate the tiny nation in order prevent the spread of revolt and revolution to the rest of the occupied world. No insight into the years of foreign interference, domination, and manipulation of the Haitian political system by European and US government and corporate interests.

Nope... The Hatians, like their black brothers and sisters in certain areas of deep dark Africa, just never managed to absorb the wisdom and knowledge of their white colonial benefactors according to Krikorian.

But, thankfully,  Mr. Krikorian offers up a solution to this lack of proper schooling of the poor, ignorant Haitian  people  in the white mans ways.... return them back to paternalistic colonial control until such time as they can make it on their own.

So what can we do about it? As much as we'd like to go back to ignoring the place, we can't, if for no other reason than a continually dysfunctional Haiti means boat people in Miami.....

But if Haiti's problem is a stunted, dysfunctional culture caused by an interrupted process of colonial development, then it follows that a solution would be to resume colonialism...

...but, as we've found in Iraq, Americans just don't do colonies very well. In fact, the time of conventional colonization is past - it's not just that the Haitians value their independence, nominal though it might be; it's that there's no developed nation who'd want to bother.

Instead, Haiti needs to become a like U.N. Trust Territory, essentially putting it into receivership. Unlike past examples, Haiti wouldn't be administered by a single nation but rather collectively, perhaps by the OAS, since the U.N. is almost as feckless as Haiti itself. This is the de facto situation now, with the complete absence of national government, but by formalizing it, the needed "intrusive paternalism" might be more likely.

As ridiculous as Krikorian's assertions are, his mere spouting off of this kind of archaic, white-mans-burden drivel, raises one very serious question:

Why is this nut, and the organization he runs, still viewed as in any way credible on any issue.  

Why is he called before Congress to testify as an expert witness on anything. Why are his groups "studies" and  statements taken at all seriously by anyone in both the media or government.  

How much longer will it be, and how many times must we listen to his lies, racism, and distortions before he and the rest of the puppets in the Tanton network of anti-immigration front groups are finally discredited and relegated to the dustbin of history, just like his paternalistic, colonial view of the world.

You can't have it both ways, CNN

by: Duke Reed

Tue Oct 13, 2009 at 11:02:48 AM EST

To let CNN know they can no longer hypocritically distance themselves from Dobbs' anti-Latino and anti-immigrant hatred with appeals to Latino viewers, join the BastaDobbs campaign today and let your voice join the  50,000 others, who've in the last four weeks, told CNN "Enough!!!"  

Groups To Finally Take On Dobbs

by: Duke Reed

Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 15:48:02 PM EST

Dobbs' long history of fueling anti-immigrant and anti-Latino sentiments and using his daily news and talk-radio programs as a platform to spew hate and misinformation is well documented. From discredited claims about increased leprosy levels attributed to immigrants, to his recent embrace of the fringe "birther" movement, "Mr. Idependent," as Dobbs likes to refer to himself, has continually embraced the most preposterous claims of the some of the most extreme elements of the far right.

In response, a coalition of leading civil-rights and human-rights organizations has launched a campaign targeting Dobbs' sponsors to let them know that their companies or products are tainted by their association with his brand of racially tinged hate and fearmongering and requests that they stop enabling Dobbs' continued hate speech by withdrawing their support.

You can add your voice, and let Dobbs' sponsors know that you'll no longer tolerate his blatant racism and fearmongering by signing the petition requesting them to end their support of Dobbs.  

Lou Dobbs' Latest: Kudos to Beck for saying Obama "has a deep-seated hatred for white people"

by: AmericasVoice

Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 12:05:27 PM EST

As Media Matters notes, Lou Dobbs took the opportunity last night to pat Glenn Beck on the back for his extreme comments on air that Obama is a "racist" with a "deep-seated hatred for white people--" comments which caused dozens of advertisers to ditch their ads on Beck's program in August. (Check out Color of Change's ongoing campaign to hold Beck accountable for these statements.)

Even "progressives" don't get it

by: richmx2

Thu May 21, 2009 at 22:39:35 PM EST

J.D. Lown isn't the first guy to fall in love with a Mexican, nor the first to decide to be with the one you love, not love the one you (could be) with.  Nor, is it all that unusual that this is a same sex relationship.  But, having been only  recently re-elected mayor of San Angelo Texas (pop: about 90,000) with a whopping 89 percent of the vote, his "defection" has been noteworthy.

I've written on the travails of cross-border romances before, though my May 2007 piece, "Amercian Exiles"  was about the relatively less complicated issue of a married (as in legal in all 50 states type marriage) couple, and a woman engaged to a Mexican man.  Glenn Greenwald, the respected Salon columnist and civil rights attorney, has written eloquently and passionately about the specific problem faced by same-sex couples when it comes to immigration.

Nearly all reports on Lown's decision have been supportive (even - extremely suprisingly - from far right-wing sources like "Free Republic, though Freepers think  gay guy's leaving the U.S.... or at any rate, not bringing in Mexicans, is what's positive about this) BUT...

... when even a gay, progressive writer,  Pam Spaulding, headlines her post "TX: mayor resigns because of relationship with man here in the country illegally" there's a problem.  A big problem.

I can see - from the Matt Phinney's article in the San Angelo Times-Record - how she got the impression that the unnamed Mexican partner is an "illegal" :

   Lown said in a telephone call late Wednesday afternoon from Mexico that he has started a relationship with someone who does not have legal status in the United States.

   Lown said he did not want to take the oath of office knowing he was "aiding and assisting" someone who was not a citizen.

   "I made the final decision when I knew it was the right decision to make for me and my partner and our future - and for the community," he said.

But nothing in Phinney's article says the partner was "illegal"... only that he isn't a United States citizen. Since Lown met his partner when the partner was a student at San Angelo State University, one presumes the Mexican was on a student visa*... and could have been in the United States on either a temporary visitor's permit, or was facing the end of his student visa ... or it crossed Lown's mind to do something illegal, like convince his partner to stay without residency papers.

Ms. Spaulding is a writer I respect - she is an important voice in the blogsphere, not the gay blogosphere, nor the progressive blogosphere, but the whole kit n' caboodle. What she says matters. And what's disappointing is that even U.S. "progressives" have not been willing to look at immigration issues in general, and fall into the easy trap of confusing "Mexican" with "illegal" with no understanding of the difficulties and whimsical nature of the immigration process.  That "progressive" writers feel comfortable using a term like "illegal" is bothersome enough.  That they either don't know - or don't care - to study immigration issues is a huge disappointment, and doesn't bode well for reform of what's a massively complicated, ineffective government policy.

* Which appears to be the case, according to ggw59" who commented on Pam's post and seems to know the (former?) mayor.  

Fever Swamps Infect National Discourse

by: yave begnet

Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 22:30:02 PM EST

One problem with these theories (and some of them are nuttier even than I would have thought): most undocumented migrants are trapped in the U.S. and have been for some time.  They know they can leave, but if they do, most won't be able to come back.  So they stay put.  Fewer people are coming to the U.S. now because there are fewer jobs available in this recession.

The people Beck, Dobbs, and Savage need to take a closer look at are students on Spring Break, the frequent-flying business crowd, or vacationing pensioners.  These are the people crossing the border now, when swine flu is being spread.  Or these pundits could support immigration reform that would enable the government to better keep track of the migrants already here and those entering in the future.  They could encourage President Obama to work closely with the government of Mexico to contain the spread of the flu and protect the citizens of both countries. They could acknowledge the reliance of the global economy on the movement of goods, ideas, and people.

But conspiracy theories make for better ratings in crazybaseland than clear-headed policy, and undocumented migrants are easier targets than jet-setting business travelers or college students.

Also.

Cross posted at change.org.

How are anti-immigration experts created by big media?

by: liza

Thu Jul 17, 2008 at 10:59:32 AM EST

The New York Times uses an Associate Press article titled, Federal immigration failures fuel state action.

Mark Krikorian is the expert quoted. He is from the "Pat Buchanan" school of mainstreamed white supremacist political lobbying. His employer, the "Center For Immigration Studies", is an alleged think tank that used to be the research arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

Even though it has been spun-off and allegedly separated from the more radical FAIR, the Southern Poverty Law Center still considers the Center For Immigration Studies part of the list of anti-immigrant hate groups created by John Tanton.

The need for including pro- and con- voices on the immigration debatedoesn't bother me. What really irritates me is the Associated Press' insistence on legitimizing an organization that has at its core blocking people of color from entering and settling in the United States.

Am including here the video from "We Can Stop The Hate" that was posted earlier on the blog. You'll get the whole history of CIS by way of FAIR and why they're considered hate (and white supremacist) groups.  

NPR Duped by FAIR Again

by: ragemail

Sun Jul 06, 2008 at 13:59:39 PM EST

FAIR Ad Targets Left in Nation Magazine

by: ragemail

Sat Jul 05, 2008 at 20:44:10 PM EST

A Tale of Two Borders

by: Duke Reed

Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 23:23:26 PM EST

We've heard that statement in various forms a millions times, repeated ad infinitum by various politicians and talking heads since Frank Luntz first advised anti-immigrant Republicans to stress that ""A country that can't control its own borders can't control its own destiny" to sell an anti-immigrant agenda to the American public.

But it has always gone without saying that the border that needed to be controlled has been the one to the south.  Rarely, if ever, has the northern border been mentioned in most border security screeds.

Congress has appropriated funds for vast amounts of added security on the southern border, and walls are being constructed as we speak to further limit access across the 1900 mile stretch.

Of course the need to stem the flow of "illegal immigration" is always given as the chief cause for such expenditures. But additionally, the need for general "border security" is often cited.

Anti-immigrant politicians and talking heads are always quick to conflate the flow of economic refugees with the flow of drugs and the threat of international terrorism to pepper their anti-immigrant rants with even higher levels of fear and trepidation.

Trancredo famously brought up the specter of terrorists crossing the southern border in this ad:

And the boyz at Fox Noise have turned up the fear meter on more than one occasion:

But a new report from the General Accounting Office sheds new light on exactly where the nation's greatest border security threats exist ....and they aren't along the much patrolled southern border...but our remote and unmonitored northern one.  

The Lies, Distortions and Fabrications of F.A.I.R.

by: ragemail

Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 10:14:04 AM EST

New York Times, immigration crackdown

by: MaryRW

Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 14:27:15 PM EST

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06...

States Take New Tack on Illegal Immigration

MILTON, Fla. - Three months after the local police inspected more than a dozen businesses searching for illegal immigrants using stolen Social Security numbers, this community in the Florida Panhandle has become more law-abiding, emptier and whiter.

Many of the Hispanic immigrants who came in 2004 to help rebuild after Hurricane Ivan have either fled or gone into hiding. Churches with services in Spanish are half-empty. Businesses are struggling to find workers. And for Hispanic citizens with roots here - the foremen and entrepreneurs who received visits from the police - the losses are especially profound.

"More law-abiding"? That's highly questionable, not to mention inflammatory language. There are plenty such instances in the article.

Apparently this is the first of a series, entitled "Getting Tough," about efforts to compel unauthorized residents (my language, theirs is "illegal immigrants") to leave the U.S.

Dobbs Responds to Media Matters (Video)

by: Marisa McNee

Wed May 21, 2008 at 22:13:46 PM EST

"Fear & Loathing in Prime Time" -- Immigration myths advanced by Dobbs, O'Reilly, and Beck

by: Paul Waldman

Wed May 21, 2008 at 16:45:36 PM EST

If your only source of news is cable during prime time, you might be among those who believe that the U.S. government and American society are groaning under the weight of undocumented immigrants. You might believe that there is a terrifying crime wave attributable to illegal immigration. You might believe that undocumented immigrants feast on a cornucopia of social services, while avoiding paying taxes. You might also believe that they are voting illegally in large numbers, and that they bring with them all sorts of diseases. You might also believe that there are secret plans afoot to give away American sovereignty, as the United States joins with Canada and Mexico in a North American Union similar to the European Union. You might even believe that there is an enormous "NAFTA Superhighway," running all the way from Mexico City to Toronto, in the works as we speak.

When the Extreme becomes Mainstream

by: Duke Reed

Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 23:51:04 PM EST

There are probably no two people in the media who are more associated with the immigration issue than CNN's Lou Dobbs and NBC's Pat Buchanan. Both have revitalized their careers by becoming self-proclaimed experts, and have probably logged more media face-time discussing the issue than any two people in American.  Recently, they met on Dobbs' show to discuss their common concerns:

Yet if one were to compare some of the rhetoric used in the segment:

Lou Dobbs full of horse poop

by: Duke Reed

Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 23:00:00 PM EST

Keith O exposes yet another example of Lou's colossal hypocrisy

Of course some in the blogosphere have known this for quite some time...go check em out and show a little comment love for once again doing the work the MSM (except Keith) refuse to do.

Bustard Blog

Capalearno

"Illegal" Is Never a Noun

by: Duke Reed

Sun Jan 20, 2008 at 00:00:00 AM EST

On the issue of immigration, politicians and much of the mainstream media are playing with our minds. By repeating the phrase "illegal immigrants," they're creating a misleading stereotype. It's inaccurate. And, it's distracting us from the real issue -- economic exploitation of all low-wage workers in the United States.

The Republicans did it in their YouTube debate on CNN. In the first 30 minutes, the Republicans repeatedly used the term "illegal immigrant" and spent the time sparring over which of them could treat them more harshly. Were the painters who worked on Romney's house and the low-wage workers in Giuliani's New York City really such a grave threat to America

CNN's John King used the term, too. And so did CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Campbell Brown in the most recent Democratic debate in Las Vegas. And, some of the Democratic candidates also used it, though Kucinich specifically refused ("There are no illegal human beings"). But he's in the minority. The term is everywhere in the press. You can find it in the Washington Post and in the New York Times, as well as the doubly derogatory term "illegal alien" in the Washington Times. They've all got "illegal" on the brain.

Branding people with the Scarlet "I" creates a fearful stigma. The vast majority of immigrants, whatever their legal status, are law-abiding members of society. Yet, the "illegal" description is so pervasive that it has us thinking about punishment and revenge, instead of solutions to the real problem -- the economic exploitation of people, both immigrant and native-born.

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The focus of this week's Republican debate on immigration makes one thing clear: We have entered the age of selective humanity. In other words, some humans are more human than others. Nowhere in the debate talk of "illegal aliens" and "sanctuary mansions" or who or what is "American" was there any notion that the undocumented were humans.

As a result, much of the "debate" around immigration has been and continues to be defined by the rage of the anti-immigrant right, a right that champions and humanizes those that shoot and jail migrants instead of focusing on the migrants themselves - who are stripped of anything beyond the parasitic, criminal image that makes for "fiery" television head-butting. Such a climate does not look at the violence and abuse suffered by migrants. It does not ascribe humanity to them.

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