Feb 23 - Portland, Oregon - The social and political roots of the Haiti earthquake tragedy

The catastrophe that is engulfing the people of Haiti is more than a natural disaster; it is an international and historic crime. The party chiefly responsible for the death and suffering in Haiti is the United States.

The pervasive poverty, the lack of infrastructure, the corrupt, impotent, and anti-democratic political system—all of which have immensely compounded the devastation wrought by the earthquake—are all the products of more than a century of US imperialist domination of the island nation.

The Obama administration is continuing and compounding these crimes by cynically exploiting the disaster to carry out the military occupation of Haiti. Thousands of Haitians are needlessly dying because the US military, which has taken control of the airport, is diverting desperately-needed food and other supplies in order to make way for its army transports. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard and Navy have surrounded the island in order to prevent victims from seeking refuge in the United States.

The media is doing its best to cover up the crimes of the United States in Haiti, past and present. What are the real roots of the social catastrophe in Haiti? Who is responsible? What lessons must be drawn from this tragedy for working people and youth around the world? These are the issues that will be discussed at our series of meetings.

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