I've been listening to KPFA.org which has been providing live news broadcasts from Port-au-prince all day via democracy now! and flashpoints. According to reporter Kevin Peña, (although Dennis Bernstein pronounces it "Pena") Venezuela has offered, under the Rio treaty of the OAS, to send troops to Haiti to protect the Aristide presidency. Apparently, under the Rio treaty, one country can ask another country to unilaterally provide troops if a country's stability is threatened. Ramsey Clark suggested that Venezuela coming to support Haiti would be a reciprocal action since Haiti supported Bolivar in his movement to overthrow Spanish colonial rule. The reports on Pacifica and KPFA today have painted a picture of Lavalas and Aristide as a true populist movement. I wanted to say that, given my shamefully limited knowledge of Haiti until this week, that this is a major success for independent media that people could get such good information in such a short period of time about the US's latest narcocoup. This is pretty fascinating stuff, I think it would be a major feat if Venezuela was not only able to defeat a US-sponsored coup on its own soil, but to puch back the coup plotters in Haiti as well. (Now I hear that Al is on KPFA as well)

http://www.kpfa.org