even
told former Duvalierists that they would be made welcome if they returned,
though he passed a law forbidding any Tonton Macoute from holding political
office. Many took up the invitation and on their return helped to form FRAPH.
Covertly funded by the CIA and headed by Emmauel Constant, they are ostensibly
the respectable face of the right wing and the military. In reality it was
payback time. A second wave of refugees was forced to flee for their lives,
only this time it was the poor and the uneducated, so naturally the US closed
the door in their faces. A sizeable number still manage to make it each year,
with FRAPH death-squads close on their heels. To answer your questions, yes,
FRAPH is extremely active and is importing terror onto US soil.”
“An
ex-policeman was killed yesterday. He was working for me.”
Nolan nodded.
“I heard about it. His spinal cord was severed between the base of the skull
and the first vertebrae. I can show you press cuttings of five identical
killings — a method much favored by the Tonton Macoute. They also go big on
rape, torture and kidnapping.”
“The murdered man was trying to trace the whereabouts
of another ex-policeman. Why would that cause FRAPH a problem?”
“Who can say? They have their fingers in a great
number of pies. Did the murdered manhave
any family?”
“No. He never married.”
“Good. The Tonton Macoute likes to spread fear by
targeting the family of anyone who opposes them and they won’t hesitate to kill
women and children just for the fun of it. Watch your back it you’re planning
to go up against them.”
“That’s the second time I’ve been told that.”
“It’s sound advice.”
“Ever heard of a Haitian businessman called Jean
Moncoeur?’
“Sure. He’s a very wealthy man. He owns a large chunk
of lakefront real estate here in New Orleans. He’s a leech and a scumbag. It’s
my ambition to live long enough to dance on his grave.”
“Has he any connection with FRAPH?”
“Politically speaking, no, though he almost certainly
helps fund them. The Mulatto oligarchy has no great love for the Duvalierists,
who want to maintain the purity of the black race. But there is an uneasy
alliance between the two — when it suits them.”
Val pointed towards the poster that had caught his
attention.
“You instigated a campaign last year calling for a
boycott of Arena Victory’s products. What was that about?”
Nolan screwed his face up in disgust. “Fat lot of good
it did. The majority of American teenagers are too pampered to give a damn that
the consumer goods they crave are manufactured under sweatshop conditions.
Arena Victory pays the workers in its Port-au-Prince plant on average, eighteen
cents an hour. Less than two dollars for a ten-hour shift.”
“Slavery for the twenty-first century.”
“No, you’re missing the point. What AV is doing to
these people is way worse than slavery. At least slaves were fed, given a roof
over their heads, medical attention — however basic — when they required it.
The Haitians working for Arena Victory have to pay for all that out of their
eighteen cents an hour. Haiti was the setting for the world’s only successful
slave revolt. And what has it benefited them?”
“Could Arena Victory have engineered the collapse of
the hog livestock program to guarantee a surfeit of workers for their new
plant?”
Nolan’s eyes hooded over. “You’re very well informed.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“I’m positive they did. By the time Arena Victory was
ready to startproduction, fifty other
American corporations had already set up on the island, greatly reducing the
available labor pool. Did you know that most at the baseballs sold inthis country are manufactured in
Haiti?”
“I didn’t.”
“The biggest overhead in footwear manufacture islabor. Even with today’s technology,
it’s still a labor-intensive industry. That’s why a kid’s shoe can cost close
to
told former Duvalierists that they would be made welcome if they returned,
though he passed a law forbidding any Tonton Macoute from holding political
office. Many took up the invitation and on their return helped to form FRAPH.
Covertly funded by the CIA and headed by Emmauel Constant, they are ostensibly
the respectable face of the right wing and the military. In reality it was
payback time. A second wave of refugees was forced to flee for their lives,
only this time it was the poor and the uneducated, so naturally the US closed
the door in their faces. A sizeable number still manage to make it each year,
with FRAPH death-squads close on their heels. To answer your questions, yes,
FRAPH is extremely active and is importing terror onto US soil.”
“An
ex-policeman was killed yesterday. He was working for me.”
Nolan nodded.
“I heard about it. His spinal cord was severed between the base of the skull
and the first vertebrae. I can show you press cuttings of five identical
killings — a method much favored by the Tonton Macoute. They also go big on
rape, torture and kidnapping.”
“The murdered man was trying to trace the whereabouts
of another ex-policeman. Why would that cause FRAPH a problem?”
“Who can say? They have their fingers in a great
number of pies. Did the murdered manhave
any family?”
“No. He never married.”
“Good. The Tonton Macoute likes to spread fear by
targeting the family of anyone who opposes them and they won’t hesitate to kill
women and children just for the fun of it. Watch your back it you’re planning
to go up against them.”
“That’s the second time I’ve been told that.”
“It’s sound advice.”
“Ever heard of a Haitian businessman called Jean
Moncoeur?’
“Sure. He’s a very wealthy man. He owns a large chunk
of lakefront real estate here in New Orleans. He’s a leech and a scumbag. It’s
my ambition to live long enough to dance on his grave.”
“Has he any connection with FRAPH?”
“Politically speaking, no, though he almost certainly
helps fund them. The Mulatto oligarchy has no great love for the Duvalierists,
who want to maintain the purity of the black race. But there is an uneasy
alliance between the two — when it suits them.”
Val pointed towards the poster that had caught his
attention.
“You instigated a campaign last year calling for a
boycott of Arena Victory’s products. What was that about?”
Nolan screwed his face up in disgust. “Fat lot of good
it did. The majority of American teenagers are too pampered to give a damn that
the consumer goods they crave are manufactured under sweatshop conditions.
Arena Victory pays the workers in its Port-au-Prince plant on average, eighteen
cents an hour. Less than two dollars for a ten-hour shift.”
“Slavery for the twenty-first century.”
“No, you’re missing the point. What AV is doing to
these people is way worse than slavery. At least slaves were fed, given a roof
over their heads, medical attention — however basic — when they required it.
The Haitians working for Arena Victory have to pay for all that out of their
eighteen cents an hour. Haiti was the setting for the world’s only successful
slave revolt. And what has it benefited them?”
“Could Arena Victory have engineered the collapse of
the hog livestock program to guarantee a surfeit of workers for their new
plant?”
Nolan’s eyes hooded over. “You’re very well informed.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“I’m positive they did. By the time Arena Victory was
ready to startproduction, fifty other
American corporations had already set up on the island, greatly reducing the
available labor pool. Did you know that most at the baseballs sold inthis country are manufactured in
Haiti?”
“I didn’t.”
“The biggest overhead in footwear manufacture islabor. Even with today’s technology,
it’s still a labor-intensive industry. That’s why a kid’s shoe can cost close
to
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