Walden Cabin: Observations typed on an old Underwood

A Canadian Casualty of US Aggression

Alice felt safe in her house. Port-au-Prince was descending into chaos around her. Drug gangs and warlords had taken over her neighbourhood, pushing the wealthy elite higher and higher into the mountains. Yet despite appeals from relatives and friends around the world, Alice refused to move. Two weeks ago, thieves broke in. I've thought a lot about what her first thought must have been when she realized the locks and bars had let her down. There must have been a flash of "oh, shit," or something like that, followed by terror. We'll never know. Alice was strangled to death in her bedroom. She was 69.

Alice Durand was a Canadian of Haitian descent, a nurse, a sweet lady with a generous spirit and a sharp mind. She was a very dear friend of my wife's family. In death, Alice is also casualty of US foreign policy.

This week, US President George Bush justified an illegal attack on Iraq with a promise. He said the US would help to rebuild Iraqi society, to liberate the Iraqi people, and to ensure that "freedom and prosperity prevail."

The US promised the same thing to Haiti in 1994. They invaded, propped up a weak president, and then left. And because they have consistently undermined the ability of the UN to fulfil its mandate, US self-interest and aggression rarely lead to freedom or prosperity. As in Haiti, a US "liberation" is more often followed by violence and poverty. It's happening now in Afghanistan. Billions of dollars were promised in 2001 to rebuild Afghan society after the Taliban were removed from power. The money has yet to materialize, and fundamentalist warlords once again control most of the country.

Is Iraq next? Alice's death was horrible and senseless, but it reminds us to be vigilant. One Canadian's quiet passing illustrates a frightening pattern that should be resisted as the Bush crusade rides into Baghdad.

>> Stuart@accolade.ca



	A Canadian Casualty of US Aggression Alice felt safe in her house. Port-au-Prince was descending into chaos around her. Drug gangs and warlords had taken over her neighbourhood, pushing the wealthy elite higher and higher into the mountains. Yet despite appeals from relatives and friends around the world, Alice refused to move. Two weeks ago, thieves broke in. I've thought a lot about what her first thought must have been when she realized the locks and bars had let her down. There must have been a flash of "oh, shit," or something like that, followed by terror. We'll never know. Alice was strangled to death in her bedroom. She was 69. Alice Durand was a Canadian of Haitian descent, a nurse, a sweet lady with a generous spirit and a sharp mind. She was a very dear friend of my wife's family. In death, Alice is also casualty of US foreign policy. This week, US President George Bush justified an illegal attack on Iraq with a promise. He said the US would help to rebuild Iraqi society, to liberate the Iraqi people, and to ensure that "freedom and prosperity prevail." The US promised the same thing to Haiti in 1994. They invaded, propped up a weak president, and then left. And because they have consistently undermined the ability of the UN to fulfil its mandate, US self-interest and aggression rarely lead to freedom or prosperity. As in Haiti, a US "liberation" is more often followed by violence and poverty. It's happening now in Afghanistan. Billions of dollars were promised in 2001 to rebuild Afghan society after the Taliban were removed from power. The money has yet to materialize, and fundamentalist warlords once again control most of the country. Is Iraq next? Alice's death was horrible and senseless, but it reminds us to be vigilant. One Canadian's quiet passing illustrates a frightening pattern that should be resisted as the Bush crusade rides into Baghdad. >> Stuart@accolade.ca				Head for the Hills of Prince Edward Island Walden Cabin >> "I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to front the essential facts of life and to see if I could learn what they had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Walden; Or Life in the Woods (08.21) Walden Cabin is a publishing creation of Accolade Intermedia, an Ottawa-based communications company that specializes in content-rich Web products. www.accolade.ca >>
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