My friend Regine, who works with me on our non-profit to give voice to voiceless Haitian people, is about to head off to Batey 8, which is in Barahona, Dominican Republic. I will ask her a few questions before she heads off.

Richard: Hi Regine. Have you been to the...

I've changed since Haiti's Earthquake...

About a month ago I went to a farming community, met with about 130 Haitian farmers and asked them what they needed. Not one of them said seeds. So, why does Monsanto feel they have to dump their seeds into the Haitian market?

I met Ben Stiller before the quake. There was a "pre-meeting" where I believe I was being assessed. I like Ben Stiller from the movies but you never know what's going to happen when you actually meet someone.

It was a RAM Thursday at the Hotel Oloffson in Port...

1) CENSORSHIP
I'm not a "writer". I'm not a "journalist". I'm not a "researcher". I'm a guy in a band living in Haiti. That's right, I have a band. If you want to hear my opinion, then take it the way it is. I sent a piece to HuffingtonPost...

March 31, 2010

Dear Valerie,

It's been a while. I haven't seen you since since June 1974 in front of Hibbard Hall. Z. Chin, T. Cook, you and I were saying goodbye. I saw you in a recent alumni magazine and thought, I know that woman..

I'm living...

Have you ever been to an outdoor Haitian market place in Port au Prince? Have you ever walked through the masses of humanity huddled on top of each other selling their wares; selling their spices, or their oranges, vegetables or meats? Have you ever smelled the air or the dank...

I don't mean to dwell on certain issues but until there's some solid change in Haiti, things are going to remain: Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere. I was reading this Reuters article and if i didn't know better, I would think that Haiti was so incapable of...

Bonjour-
I first heard the term RED ZONE in reference to the WAR in IRAQ. The term seemed to imply that if you entered the RED ZONE of Iraq and you were an American or if you could be mistaken for an American, then you would either be killed...

I don't know who was responsible for EarthQuake relief in Haiti but I do know where the relief came from: USA.
I like to complain about US foreign policy just as much as the next guy but, here's one case where the Red, White and Blue...

I read that Haitian President Rene Preval was heading to Washington to meet with President Barack Obama, "hat in hand."
The Miami Herald says that Preval is complaining that though millions of dollars have already been pledged to Haiti, little is going to the Haitian government. He goes...

26 January 2010

Beginning at 6:52 A.M.:

Good Morning! RED ZONE/GREEN ZONE still seems to be an issue when getting aid to different neighborhoods.

All Haitians are EQUAL. Some Haitians are more EQUAL than others.

I'm hearing rumors that Carrefour Feuille is not receiving the international attention warranted by...

Several days before the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, I received a visit from a man who told me that if I stopped blogging for six months then perhaps my hotel would be removed from the "Red Zone." The man was in charge of security for another man, who has at...

1) Cuban American politicians sending police cars, with their sirens on, into black neighborhoods in Florida, to intimidate voters on election day, doesn't surprise me.

2) Politicians setting off pipe bombs or grenades that kill members of their following in order to make it look like opposition attacks, isn't a...

When someone from the government comes to speak to me, its usually for one of two reasons;

1) They want to know whats going on now, or

2) They want to know whats going to happen soon.

Rarely am I asked, "what happened last year?" or for...

I hate to say it, but I grew up in the '60's: Civil Rights, the Women's movement, the Anti-war movement, Martin Luther King, the Kennedys, Earth Day, Peace, Love...

I was young, I thought it was all for real. It was all I knew. It...

If you're in the "Town Hall" business, you better know what your constituency wants and you better know how to get it to them. It takes planning and strategy. Whats the big deal? Its not a game show where the participants are getting the questions in advance. Its a political...

It's amazing how a debate that no one saw can have such an impact on regional and national polls. Perhaps this is what they mean when they say that the Obama Camp and the Edwards Camp are going to get aggressive. Debates that every one watches in which one candidate...

I've been to the Pentagon three times. I have a Pentagon coffee cup and a Pentagon raincoat that I bought at the Pentagon gift shop and I still have the badge I was given while I was escorted through the building. I'm guessing musicians don't often get invited to the...

I finally arrived in Korea for the Haiti/Nigeria 17 and under World Cup Soccer match. At first, American Airlines wouldn't send extra planes to Haiti after Hurricane Dean came through. They were telling Sunday's passengers that they wouldn't be able to leave for ten days. I'm surprised there wasn't a...