Reply #27: Correct, bemildred.

[Octafish]

Before getting into politics, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was shot in the head and lost an eye -- while saying Mass. His sin was preaching "Liberation Theology," which is simply applying the New Testament teachings to political life.

About 13 years ago, I met Aristide. The first democratically elected leader of Haiti in 75 years had just been removed from power by a military junta. He explained to the people gathered for the Cranbrook Peace Foundation dinner that the military -- thugs working for the one-percent of wealthy landowners -- wanted to control the drug trade and all that loot.

Things didn't have to be that way. Aristide indicated that the generals would have put down their arms and returned him to power with "one phone call from President Bush." The phone call never came. Gee. I found it odd at the time that the supposedly anti-drug Poppy Bush would actually back these crooked generals. Today, it's no surprise.