Gross Errors - Possible Fraud - In Haiti Vote, Preval Says

Mr. Préval is stacking. The votes haven't been counted and he's saying that IF he isn't elected it will be due to fraud.

boflaade,<br />
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I believe there was fraud regarding Haiti:<a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/16/america/haiti.php">http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/16/america/haiti.php</a><br />
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And I don't know the term stacking, what does that mean with regards to this?<p>---<br>"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche<br />

So now he's elected by majority (51% after blank ballots are discounted). What conspiracy do we have in store now? <br />
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<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/02/16/haiti-preval060216.html">http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/02/16/haiti-preval060216.html</a><br />
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If he had been denied majority, there would have been a runoff election in March between the top contenders to acheive a clear majority. He probably would have one that hands down, so this would have only been delaying the inevitable. <br />
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You are right that there are some disturbing facts about this election. <br />
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The most disturbing is that they found bags of ballots in a dump after the international observers made the claim that they had not seen any evidence of fraud. Making that claim in Hati raises my suspicions to begin with. Every side that has a stake in that election is corrupt, so not finding any evidence of fraud is a sign of someone turning a blind eye, engaging in the fraud themselves or absolute incompetence. I hope they examine those bags of ballots carefully and it comes out how they came to arrive in the dump. <br />
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Also disturbing is that this was a "negotiated" majority. Brazil had to find a way to allow Preval to win to stop rioting. While I totally support protests for every reason under the sun, I find it troubling that violence was used to force an early end to the established process (though it can be effectively argued that the result would have been the same, only delayed and after probably loss of life). While I support the spirit of the protests and that of the Brazilian solution, the impetus and threats of violence provides a flawed base from which to start. <br />
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Once again I will state my belief that this is one of the two nations (Afghanistan being the other) we should be engaged with in a massive way to provide security, education and basic infrastruture to establish an ordered society so that we won't be there until long after our grandchildren have kids and the citizens of this destitute nation can stand on their own, proud and strong.

Question: How did Cuba clean up a corrupt society and provide
education and basic infrastructure DESPITE the U.S.? Surely
Cuba is a model for letting people get on with their own lives, free
of foreign nations making the off-shore decision to be engaged 'in
a massive way' to impose those things.

You can (and I'm sure you will) argue that Cuba and Fidel Castro
are not perfect. But if we're being fair, we must factor in the
blockbuster punishments administered by the U.S. against this
small country ... then you have to shake your head with
amazement that Cuba even survived.

To be fair, we also have to ask ourselves why the wealthiest,
richest, most powerful blah blah blah ... would inflict such
punishment upon another country. Why?

Cuba is "cleaned up" because the corruption is the government more so than organized crime (although there is a rather large drug infrastructure in Cuba as well). Dissent is stifled and the country is run with an iron fist. I will agree that the Cuban model allows for better education and medical treatment than many other Central American countries. But I would dispute that they are able to let people "get on with their own lives". The Cuban model has its merits... freedom not being one of them. It is far easier to run a dictatorship than a democracy. It is even easier to get things done for the people (if the leader is semi-compassionate regarding his/her own people). However, this is an autocracy in the worst possible way... you are not actually advocating this kind of government are you? Would you want to live in this regime? This site certainly couldn't exist. We would never have the opportunity to debate since we would both be subversives (from opposite ends of the spectrum) and would probably be in prison. Or is Cuba your rallying cry since it is anti-American?

What does this have to do with Hati, BTW? Preval is no Castro. Even Aristide was no Castro. Aristide fled after riots and insurrection (and accused the US of kidnapping... yada, yada). A puppet regime of the US was not established in Hati. So I fail to see the punishment of which you speak (unless you being specific to Cuba, in which case, you have a point).

""And I don't know the term stacking, what does that mean with regards to this?""

Prepairing excuses. Setting up excuses in avance. Granted! the burnt ballots would give provocation to retaliate, but not to retaliate prior to when the results were known. The balancing act to come up with the final results, should also be considered "stacking". In any case, all is happy and that is what counts.

Michael Scott: no need for you to tax yourself with the job of
guessing what I do or do not think. I am quite able to say what I
think.

And what I said was that Cuba offers an example of people being
able to get on with life, despite enormous obstacles imposed by
the U.S.A. ... compared to the tragic state of Iraq, where the US has
tried to bomb the nation into "democracy."

Am I advocating this regime? No. Did I say that? No, I didn't.

Would I want to live there? I've never wanted to live in any other
country but Canada. Did I say that I did? No.

What does the comparison have to do with "Hati ?" See
above. Haiti was invaded by the U.S.A., Cuba mercifully wasn't.
However poor and troubled Cuba may be, it's nothing compared to
the situation which has befallen a conquered Haiti or Iraq.

Oh, and I love this: "...is Cuba your rallying cry since it is anti-
American?" Hahahahahahaaaa, oh mop my eyes. Cuba is anti-
American? Oh, please, hahahahahahahaaaa!!

Indeed, why (you may well ask) aren't Cubans more grateful for the
U.S. embargo, the sanctions, the punishments for any U.S.
corporation trying to do business there, and the CIA's efforts to kill
their president ... oh, bad, bad Cuba!! Sheesh.

Have you been to Cuba, Michael? Everyone I know, who has
visited there, speaks well of it.

Everyone speaks well of the all inclusive drink bars sure... but obviously you haven't seen the Cuban slums. Next time we should go together (yep, been there). Puts US slums to shame. There is a reason they call them shanty towns. And they are huge.