Wikileaks Reveals that Obama Administration Pressured Haiti Not to Raise Minimum Wage

What can you buy for 61 cents? In the case of the Obama Administration, that was simply too much for the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Wikileaks cables expose that the Obama Administration put pressure on the disaster-stricken country, Haiti, to not raise its hourly minimum wage to 61 cents an hour, or $5 a day.

Perplexing being that everything in Haiti has skyrocketed since the January 2009 earthquake. A large can of peaches is reported to be roughly $40 American dollars by Haitian activist Mawiyah Duperval of Haitian American Ministries and Ujaama International based in Haiti.

According to the report by the Columbia Journalism Review, American corporations who hire Haiti's 25,000 garment workers, like Hanes and Levi Strauss, were pissed off because that meant they had to pay their workers an increase. So let's put this together, a pair of Hanes' underwear costs more than a worker making about 200 of them in a day.

Since the earthquake there has been much criticism of the lack of aid that actually went directly to the Haitian government, less than 7 cents, the question remains "Where is the money?" According to a Huffington Post article back in 2010, here was the breakdown.

Each American dollar roughly breaks down like this: 42 cents for disaster assistance, 33 cents for U.S. military aid, nine cents for food, nine cents to transport the food, five cents for paying Haitian survivors for recovery efforts, just less than one cent to the Haitian government, and about half a cent to the Dominican Republic.

According to the Huffington Post, it was the culture of corruption in Haiti that had "donors" and other governments worried that the money would not go to the right people.

"There's a perception of corruption, but I would like to tell the Haitian people that the Haitian government has not seen one penny of all the money that has been raised – millions are being made on the right, millions on the left, it's all going to the NGOs (nongovernmental organizations)" Preval said, speaking in Creole at a news conference.

Relief experts say it would be a mistake to send too much direct cash to the Haitian government, which was already unstable before the quake and routinely included on lists of the world's most corrupt countries.

"I really believe Americans are the most generous people who ever lived, but they want accountability," said Timothy R. Knight, a former US AID assistant director who spent 25 years distributing disaster aid. "In this situation they're being very deliberate not to just throw money at the situation but to analyze based on a clear assessment and make sure that money goes to the best place possible."

What this basically means is that, though billions of dollars were pumped into Haitian relief aid, and the relief aid efforts for Haiti changed the way in which people give through technology, the people in the country are not equipped for its proper development.

As well, it maintains the gross inequitable trade agreements that developing countries have with other countries who are struggling.

9 News Bites in the Ass

1. Obama serves some righteous whoop-ass, but with a disturbing twist. Obama gives a State of the Union address that won in the "Balls of Steel" category. He called out, in his ever so charismatic way, the hypocrisies of the Republicans while laying out a plan to finally deal with the economic woes. Then the two days later, he shuts down the rhetoric, serving, immature and ruthless Republicans LIVE, in a face off, while the cowardice FOX news stopped coverage only to bitch and moan later that evening.

It was almost believable. BUT YOU, Bami, you said you will freeze federal spending in 2011 WITH the exception of military and the federal reserves. Uh oh, I smell a rat in a banker's suit and I smell more war. What will happen to those who still will not have a job by then? Oh, that is right, you said it will be better by 2011. Hmpf. I'm not holding my breath on that one.

Bami, I gotta give it to you on that speech. You kind of got with that Republican ass. NOW if your spine can parallel your balls and you move forward on key things and progressive issues, maybe just listen to the people, just maybe I will say something decent.

Also, I think Bami, you learned a good lesson, give them what they want before you give them what they need. If he would've laid out a better plan to get jobs, healthcare would've been an easier road to travel. We all learn Bami, this is your first year in White-now-Black House.

2. Christian kindness or Haitian booty? American "missionaries" were stopped at the Haitian-Dominican border for abducting 33 Haitian children they claimed they were transporting to the other side of the island to set up an orphanage. They lied and said that they got the okay from Haitian officials who reported their claims were false. Another news tidbit reported that Haitian families were giving their orphaned relatives to people they thought could provide a better home.

Okay, where do I start with this one. The reports of child-sex trafficking in Haiti are similar to the ones that began to surface after the Indonesian Tsumani in 2004. The trafficking and selling of Haitian orphans as sex toys and for their body parts has BEEN going on long before the quake. And it has been mostly in the name of Jesus. I was not shocked when that report came in.

Also, the DR is known for treating orphaned Haitian children like slaves. I hope they caught the real deal because with that one "arrest" there have already been thousands of children who have been "adopted". On the other hand, I am saddened and quite sickened by the idea of people giving away their family to strangers because they are white and think that they are the cousins of Jesus who will purify the children. That says a lot about Christianity in Haiti. Hell, if you still got that white Jesus hanging in your church, I think you need to stick to Voodoo. At the very least, your Gods are black.

Oh yeah, and I see that Angelina and Madonna made quite a trend with white folk adopting black children in developing countries. However, I found out one of the reasons why adopting internationally is better for the adopting parents, it would be hard for the biological parents or relatives to find the adopted child.

3. Patronizing America does it again. Haitians are still too corrupt and stupid to handle their money. So we will give them military as aid. The US government reported that less than 1 cent of every dollar donated to the Haitian fund established by the government will go to Haiti. Most of it will be in military aid and helping Haitians build as infrastructure with various US programs and personel because according to the US spokesperson, the level of corruption in Haiti is so bad, that giving cash to Haitian officials will not guarantee needed rebuilding efforts.

Ahh, classic case of white man destroys a country, only to tell the country what is good for them in rebuilding it.

4. Who Dat? Who Dere? Who Gives a Damn? NOLA. The NFL put the smack down on a local tee-shirt vendor who used "Who Dat" to sell Superbowl shirts in honor of the New Orleans Saints. The NFL claims they have the rights to the phrase "Who Dat" and anyone using it without their permission is in clear violation.

WTF, since when did a corporation take a local phrase? Oh, I forgot that's not new. If corporations have the rights to own DNA and seeds, the cultural phrase of "Who Dat" is small beans.

5. Joseph Kennedy says "Oops, maybe I should've ran for my uncle's seat." The nephew of the late Ted Kennedy told a reporter in Boston that he "regretted" not running for his deceased uncle's seat. The seat is now occupied by Republican Scott Brown who plans to change the Democratic sway in Congress.

Not shit Joseph it was a bad decision. But isn't there like a gazillion Kennedys in Massachusetts. The onus is not just on you, people get amnesia really quick. Ask Martha Coakly. They forget that they have to run a campaign and not assume things are handed to them.

6. Chavez says, Kiss my Latino ass, I'm coming to the party. The Dominican Republic will host a summit on how to rebuild Haiti in April. And the long-time critic of American policies, Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez is invited. The summit will be very interesting considering that Chavez has been very vocal about the cause of the quake, America! Chavez pointed out that science now has the capacity to create natural disasters such as quakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis (which they do), and this one was used by America to finally get access to the oil that Haiti has off its shores.

I love it. Dammit, I wish I could be there and see the exchange on that day. And Chavez, and make sure you bring a gas mask and holy water so if you smell sulphur or see the devil you can admonish it back to hell.

7. Black buying power up, black power down. In November 2009, the Selig Center at the University of Georgia estimated that black buying power would be about $1.1 trillion by 2014, with current spending power for blacks at about $910 billion. This shows an increase of consumerism by blacks who are also increasing in population due to the steady birth rate (though infant mortality is still atrocious in poor and urban communities) and black immigration numbers that are climbing.

Ironically, we have a black president who is in office while blacks hold the highest percentages of unemployment during this recession. And have been the first ones fired.

8. America Robbed in Broad Daylight and Getting off Scott-Free. If you missed the Congressional testimonies from various bankers during the coverage of the Haitian earthquake, it was really and dog-and-pony show that still excused inexcusable theivery of billions of dollars.

9. Free Land in Africa for Haitians and Black Americans. You've probably already heard that Senegal extended its hand and is allowing Haitians to relocate back to Africa for a new life. There has been another movement that has been going on in Ghana that many do not talk about. Not only can Africans in the Americas (that is South, Central and North) get dual citizenship in Ghana, but they can own land. There is movement called Fihankra International. It started in the mid 90s and is still offering land to folk who can build a house in 3 years there. I did a story on them in the late 90s and thought nothing of it until the other day I ran across their website.

I'm counting my pennies. If WEB DuBois thought Ghana was good enough for his bones to rest, dammit, maybe I need to rethink this American shit. Ho hum.

Blog on, Eco Soul

Haiti is a Modern-Day Chicken Pox on a Blanket: We Want Your Gold and Oil in Exchange for Old Biscuits

And so de furs' worl' peepul saz to de despurut haitians, "Oh you poor and broken people. We cry for your suffering. We shed tears as you bury your families. WE SINCERELY WANT TO HELP. We will give you old medicines and old biscuits in exchange for the untapped gold and oil reserves that were never fully developed."

For the last week I have marvelled at the outpouring to Haiti. I know that there are people who genuinely participated from their hearts; but it is unfortunate that with those who gave love in the form of prayers, monies, or donations, there were slimey sons-of-a-bitches who were taken photo op shots like hoodrats posing for buttshots in the back of a Cadillac.

That is one end of the spectrum. Unfortunately, as wonderful people who admire begged us to text a number to give to every "aid" organization under the Haitian sun, most of it will not go to those who need it.

It is my humble projection that the first world governments will actually take a huge portion of the monies and use it to establish bases to set up mineral and petroleum mines or extraction plants.

You see the other side of an "underdeveloped" country is the natural resources that are untapped as well. HAITI HAS MASSIVE GOLD AND OIL UNDERNEATH THEIR GROUNDS.

In fact, after Aristide's ousting, Canada, France, and the US began mining gold in Haiti. Now how in the hell does the fourth poorest country in the world still be poor?

As the Clooneys of the world plead with good intentions, the Bushes of the universe are smirking in the background and holding his blackberry to speed dial the investors of he and his daddy's gold mining company that already killed thousands in Southern African for natural minerals.

Ahh, I smell the set up, a modern day virus-infected blanket.

My Haitian people remember the saying of the Africans, "They had the bible and we had the land. Now we got the bible and they have the land."

Don't go for the banana in the tail-pipe.

Under the Layers of Rubble in Haiti

This above photo is actually part of a Voodoo ceremony in Haiti. I was just tired of seeing the disparaging photos. I am having Hurricane Katrina flashbacks.

Where do I start with Haiti? Similar with the question of people who are attempting to help, we are also asking, “Where do we start,” with this forgotten and politically scourged country.

The layers of rubble of which many are buried is an excellent analogy to Haiti and its complicated and disturbing history on the island, and with the rest of the world.

For many years, Haiti's declaration as an all-black island that accepted any black of the world to become a Haitian citizen, there have been embargoes against it from every slave holding country.

But that is just one of the many layers that is Haiti; however, I must stress, the rubble does not represent chaos or rubbish, but the complexities that still are untwined.

Though there is much sorrow, this is an excellent time for us to put pressure on the United States to change the immigration laws for Haitians.

Also, this is an opportunity for us to regain a semblance of our humanity by helping others in our time of need.

Additionally, we need to be conscious about ensuring that this tragedy wakes us up that we are all connected. The misery in Haiti is our misery.

As well, I must say, no country has backbone like Haiti. Literally from shambles, ingenuity, and unmatchable will this country that has been shunned by so many still exists.

The last thing I must say is “Shame on America” and “Shame on black people in the Western Hemisphere,” that have turned their backs on a country that single-handedly played a part in emancipation of African slaves.

If we would have been more invested in re-developing a country that gave so much for freedom, Haiti would not be in this situation.

Shame on the Dominican Republic who fucks Haiti regularly and acts like they are not cousins (and are actually white or whiter or more Latin) on an islant that they share with Haiti.

Shame on Jamaica who shunned Haitian refugees and Haiti when it’s former Prime Minister hosted ousted Haitian president, Jean Bertrand Aristide after the coup.

Shame on the West Indies who pillories Haiti.

Shame on African-Americans who absolutely have no clue about Haiti and are still attaching Haitians to AIDS.

I say this because five years ago I was a part of a relief aid to Haiti that deflated like a woman’s breasts. After a whole bunch of political crap between African-Americans who were trying to get their name in lights for this effort, the Haitian representative struggled to get the supplies out of Haitian customs because local authorities wanted huge payoffs for the containers that were shipped.

And so we dismissed the situation, including myself.

Haiti once again became this ugly dot in our minds that was best left alone.

We stopped demanding that more development go into Haiti.

We did not pay attention to the protests from Haitians who complained that UN military from Brazil and Pakistan were raping women and girls.

We did not continue to put more pressure on demanding that Christian missionaries stop using Haitian orphans, especially boys in the sex tourism trade and for their organs to be sold in a black market for body parts in first world countries.

And here we are watching in horrific silence making small donations to God knows where and shaking our heads.Get up and do something dammit.

Oh yeah, by the way, fuck you Pat Robertson you racist devil worshipper.

And one more thing, do not forget the bankers testifying on Capitol Hill today. Interesting how an incident can divert the other.

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