Thom Hartmann: Bill Fletcher is on the line. He runs a website called BlackCommentator.com, he’s known as the black commentator. Bill welcome to the program.
Bill Fletcher: I’m really glad to be on the program, thanks.
Thom Hartmann: Thank you. And you’re also the former president of the Trans Africa Forum, now Haiti is not part of Africa, it’s part of the western hemisphere, but there are, there has been a certain racial politicization of this entire process led by Rush Limbaugh yesterday claiming that the reason why apparently George W Bush took almost a week to do anything and let 1800 people die in New Orleans, but Barack Obama is jumping on this right away in Haiti is because it will help his image with black people. I’m curious your thoughts on A—Haiti, the history of Haiti, how we got here. And B—your take on Limbaugh’s comments.
Bill Fletcher: Well I mean first, just as background, Trans Africa Forum actually did work around Haiti and my predecessor as President, Amanda Robinson, was very involved in opposition to the military coup that overthrew President Aristide back in the early ‘90s.
Thom Hartmann: Oh that’s great ‘cause we were just talking about that in the last segment. Please give us all the information you have on that if you’d like.
Bill Fletcher: So, but let’s just go back to this thing with Limbaugh and I also think Pat Robertson’s comments also should be addressed.
Thom Hartmann: Oh, yeah.
Bill Fletcher: I think that what Limbaugh is doing is stooping to the deepest level of cynicism that one can imagine. George Bush, as you said, ignored the plight in New Orleans and in the Gulf Coast and paid a price for it. I’m sure that that was a factor that contributed to the Republican losses in 2006 and subsequently. President Obama is doing what needs to be done. The United States has an obligation to Haiti. The United States, as you probably know, after Haiti became independent, the slave owners, who had been dominant force in US politics for so many years were so frightened by this black uprising in Haiti that they helped to blockade Haiti and…
Thom Hartmann: Yeah, they helped the French in doing that.
Bill Fletcher: That’s right and the French in the 1820s…
Thom Hartmann: And the French demanded reparations.
Bill Fletcher: They did which is something that is absolutely astounding and Haiti was paying reparations to France from the 1820s until 1947, right. So you’re talking about this incredible drain of resources, the United States did not recognize Haiti until 1862 during our Civil War. The United States has been regularly involved in interfering in the internal affairs of Haiti including a military occupation from 1915 until 1934 and then supporting repeated tyrants, the most notorious of them being Papa Doc Duvalier.
Thom Hartmann: Yeah. So, we’re talking with Bill Fletcher, BlackCommentator.com is his website. Bill, you said you wanted to address the comments of Misters Limbaugh and Robertson.
Bill Fletcher: Robertson. I, when I heard Pat Robertson’s comments this morning to the effect that the people of Haiti were cursed because of a pact with the devil, allegedly…
Thom Hartmann: To throw the French out, yeah.
Bill Fletcher: That’s right, to throw the French out. I was driving my car and I think I nearly ran into something. I was just beside myself. And he said it, just listen to his words, he said it as if he was absolutely certain.
Thom Hartmann: Oh in fact he even parenthetically said, ‘this is a fact.’
Bill Fletcher: That’s right, exactly. I mean what’s amazing is that the Haitians who received no external, no significant external support did in fact defeat the strongest army at that time in history. No European force in 1803 had been able to defeat Napoleon’s army. The Haitians did. And that is in some ways the crime that the Haitians have been paying for ever since. The fact that they humiliated the French. What Robertson is doing is a further demonization of the people of Haiti and it’s a way of downplaying the historical role that the United States has had in keeping Haiti poor and underdeveloped.
Thom Hartmann: Yeah, and not just the United States by the way. You know, as you point out, reparations to France for the loss of the slaves, for the loss of the plantations that the slaves were working? I mean come on. This is, that’s like Mexico saying to the United States, hey, how about paying us back for New Mexico and Arizona and southern California, you know, or on and on it goes. It’s just, it’s anyway.
Bill Fletcher: It’s amazing. And the French actually threatened to attack Haiti if they didn’t pay those reparations. So I mean, that was actually what happened.
Thom Hartmann: Right. And they were supported by the international community on that.
Bill Fletcher: That’s exactly right.
Thom Hartmann: The trans-European international community anyway.
Bill Fletcher: Precisely. So we have people like Rush Limbaugh or Pat Robertson spouting this nonsense. What it does is it clouds the issue. But obviously it makes them look ridiculous unless you don’t understand any of the history here and that’s the problem. We in the United States are very ignorant of history. So many people have no sense as to even where Haiti is.
Thom Hartmann: Yeah, you’re absolutely right. Bill Fletcher, BlackCommentator.com, you can read all about it. Bill, thanks so much for such a tight cogent analysis and summary of what’s going on. I appreciate your being on the program.
Bill Fletcher: Anytime. Thank you very much.
Thom Hartmann: Good talking with ya.
Transcribed by Suzanne Roberts, Portland Psychology Clinic.
