The constitution of Haiti is working

Russia has retaliated against Qatar for arresting its hitmen by arresting 2 members of a Qatari judo team. Can’t make this shit up.

Bush: “The constitution of Haiti is working. There is an interim president, as per the constitution, in place.” Well, maybe the Haitian constitution does actually establish a process involving death squads, coups and US Marines in order to select a new president, something like the electoral college. I mean have you ever read the Haitian constitution? It’s amazing how the US found troops to send into Haiti now, when there were none available last week to support the elected president. Even if you don’t credit the stories that Aristide was forced onto a helicopter at gunpoint by US forces (Later: including from Aristide himself), the whole thing does rather smell.

Even if he had to flee, Aristide should not have resigned. (Later: ah, it was a US condition for getting him safely out of the country. That much is admitted by Powell and McClellan. Let me repeat: the US told him to resign, or die. Aristide also says they threatened to remove his security. And is claiming that he didn’t actually resign. The US says he signed a letter of resignation: so let’s see it.). Bush says “This is the beginning of a new chapter,” using a metaphor derived from these things he’s heard of called books.

The US is talking about setting up a “council of elders” in Haiti. Normally I’d be using the word “puppet” right about now, and feeling a little silly about it, like I’m channeling a Maoist from 1969. For Haiti, I get to use the word zombie. Council of zombies. Granted their counsel might be restricted to “Braaaaains. Must eat braaaaaaaaains,” but it’ll still be better than the United States Senate.

Helpful fact: you kill zombies by filling their mouth with salt and sewing it closed. Saw it on an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

I asked, about the 5-second delay at the Oscars, whether they were trying to prevent another Janet Jackson or another Michael Moore. Answer: the latter under the pretense of the former. ABC threatened actors with being cut off if they said anything about Bush or the war.

From the Indy: “The Israeli fashion house Comme-il-faut plans to shoot its summer catalogue at Israel's West Bank security barrier this week, the company said yesterday, less than a week after troops shot dead two Palestinians protesting against the network of walls, wire and ditches.”