Haiti Gunmen Open Fire on Crowd; 5 Dead

[Lori Price CLG]

Haiti Gunmen Open Fire on Crowd; 5 Dead

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Gunmen fired Sunday on thousands of protesters demanding the prosecution of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, drawing return fire from U.S. Marines and leaving five people dead in the worst attack since the Haitian president's ouster.

Demonstrators scattered as shots crackled across the vast Champs de Mars plaza in front of the presidential National Palace. Police ducked into doorways. One fired off a string of shots from a submachine gun; another threw a wounded colleague over his shoulders and hauled him to safety, still pointing his pistol down the street.

[renegade000]

1. ah, well at least we didn't kill the protesters

an earlier article had the language such that it made it seem that when we returned fire, we killed the protesters instead of the gunmen...

[DenverDem]

2. Of course we wouldn't kill the "protestors"

they are "protesting" for the rebels (the CIA's guys) against Aristide. Hard to say who the "gunmen" were and who organized the "protestors".

[renegade000]

4. yeah...it's really all obfuscated

[burrowowl]

3. Well

the people firing on the people demanding the prosecution of Aristide are probably the poor. We now know where the U$ stands. Those demanding prosecution of Aristide are most probably those who own most of the wealth in Haiti ....

[Lori Price CLG]

5. I'm thinking, it's a CIA lie. People are protesting the US-based coup...

Any shootings are likely by the US interlopers and terrorists.
-Lori

[burrowowl]

6. The CIA!

oh my god, I'm shocked!
You mean the handtool of the U$ Empire!?

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. You can easily pick out the richer protesters

They all had the same preprinted protest signs.

[Judi Lynn]

7. This sounds about right, doesn't it?

I think this man sees the situation very clearly:

"The Americans are only here to protect those who helped oust Aristide," said Ednar Ducoste, 23, an Aristide supporter. "If we had guns, we would be fighting against them right now."

We've surely read where those opposition people got their arms: there's no mystery. What a shame.

[underpants]

9. Rioting over gay marriages?

ON The Today Show this morning their first "news update" had the temporary anchor leading off with the news of the pro-Aristide riots in Haiti but the graphic that was over her shoulder was about gay marriages (US flag with the symbols for the opposite sexes superimposed on it). I turned to my wife and said,"They are rioting over gay marriages in Haiti? I had no idea it was that huge overseas"

We both had a laugh.

[Robb]

10. This is absurd!

Why would anyone be protesting "demanding the prosecution of Aristide" in HAITI? He's not even in the country!

So we're supposed to believe the gunmen were "pro-Aristide"?

This is not even a well-crafted lie.