Half-Hour for Haiti: Vote to Make America Safe for Democracy in Haiti

October 31, 2006

Half-Hour for Haiti: Vote to Make America Safe for Democracy in Haiti

Update: Last week's mobilization for political prisoners was an
organizational success, although it has not yet sprung any political
prisoners. In addition to the Open Letter to the
Minister of Justice
and our letters, the Haitian groups organized demonstrations at the Ministry
of Justice, the Prime Ministers office and the St. Marc courthouse (see

mobilization photos).



Announcing the new Haiti JusticeBlog: IJDH has
launched a blog designed to generate discussion about justice in Haiti, and
especially what people outside the country can do to help. It is also a way
of getting breaking news and action alerts out faster. Please visit the blog
by clicking here or going to http://blog.ijdh.org/. Add a comment to let us
know what you think, or how we can improve the site. Even better, subscribe
to blog updates (simply type in your email address in the box at the bottom
of the right column), and place a link to the Haiti
JusticeBlog from your website or blog.



Coming Attractions: There are many good events coming up: November 8 in
Albany, New York: Haiti
After Mountains
Beyond Mountains/Aristide and the Endless Revolution (film and discussion);
Jubilee USA's Drop the Debt, Invest in people! speaking tour: Indianapolis

and Fort Wayne:,November 3-7, Chicago

: November 8-11; the School of the Americas Watch
Journey for Justice Caravan:
California-Arizona-Texas- Louisiana -Georgia, November 3-17.



This Week's Alert: Half-Hour for Haiti members not registered to vote in the
U.S. have the week off (to spend more time on the Haiti Justiceblog). For
the rest of us: every time I speak about Haiti in the U.S., someone asks
"why does the U.S. pick on Haiti?" There are many good ways to answer the
question, none completely satisfactory. But the best answer from now through
November 7 is "because people of good faith in the U.S. allow their
government to conduct a foreign policy that violates fundamental American
notions of fairness and justice."



Help make the U.S. safe for democracy in the world by voting in next
Tuesday's elections, and making international justice one of the most
important criteria for determining who will represent you in Congress. Your
vote can make a difference for the billions of people worldwide affected by
U.S. foreign policy. Consider whether your Representative is a Cosponsor
of HR 888, the
Haiti Debt Relief Act, or stood
up to
demand freedom for political prisoner Fr. Gerard Jean-Juste. Visit the
PeaceMajority.org Congressional
ratings page that grades legislators based on key votes regarding war and
peace. Talk about the candidates' stands on international justice issues
with members of your solidarity, peace or church group. Make sure everyone
in your network who cares about justice votes.
____________________________________________________________________
For more information about the Half-Hour For Haiti Program, the Institute
for Justice & Democracy in Haiti or human rights in Haiti, see
wwwHaitiJustice.org . To sign up for the weekly
Action Alert, send an email to HalfHour4Haiti@ijdh.org.Your financial
support is needed for IJDH to continue its work. Contributions may be made
online on our website, or mailed to IJDH, PO Box 745, Joseph, OR 97846.