POSITIVE QUOTE OF THE DAY -----------------------------
The first virtue of all really great men is that they are sincere and they eradicate hypocrisy from their hearts. -- Anatole France
Who was Paul Corvington ?
By Carl Fombrun
Paul Corvington passed on a couple of days before Memorial Day on May 24, 2001. He was 86 years old. He died in the Washington area after a long illness having to do with alzheimer. Who was Paul Corvington ? This brings us back to the 1950s during the Magloire administration when Haiti still had an Army with some structure and discipline, not withstanding the politics of those days.
Paul Corvington was over 6 feet 2, handsome, disciplined, principled member of the Haitian Army of those days. Respected by all those who knew him. A role model. A man much admired for his sterling character, devoted to duty, country, honor. Committed to the law, an officer and a gentleman.
In any of the world's forums Paul Corvington would have been a proud representative of what a military man aspires to be...... And how sorely a man of his caliber is needed in present Haiti............To quote the Military Academy Yearbook of 1954, "Le Flambeau" : " Major Paul Corvington, our Director, a handsome man without ostentation, breathing strength, respect, dignity, presents himself with all the qualities that sculpt an Haitian officer."
As a diplomatic Attache, at a very young age at the Embassy of Haiti in Panama, I had the privilege of receiving Major Paul Corvington accompanied by Captain Marcel Colon and Lieutenant Franck Bayard in 1954. The purpose of their visit was to promote the Military Academy of Haiti in soccer exchanges and cultural activities with Panama. It was a pride for the Embassy and myself to have Major Paul Corvington representing Haiti with his dignified manner and knowlege of cultural relations. Calm and always cordial with everyone.
In those days Haiti had a small Air Force and one of its own DC-3 arrived at Tocumen airport, Panama City, to fly the Panamanian national soccer team as guests for a soccer tournament in Port-au-Prince. I was chosen to accompany them. At our arrival in Haiti, we were received by the popular Por-au-Prince Mayor Marc Nahoum and a procession of the latest Ford cars, courtesy of the Luciani/Behrmann agency, guided by its salesman my brother Alix Fombrun, where we were driven to City Hall to be welcomed officially.
The Haitian national team lost to Panama in three hotly contested games in Port-au-Prince. The Panamanian team was graciously brought back to Panama by the Haitian Air Force with yours truly included. Haiti had lost a soccer tournament on its own soil, but this week in 1954, its national grace and prestige were at an all time high in the world,
Paul Corvington was one of the favorite Army officers of Charles Fombrun, President of the Senate and a power broker, who could have pushed for Corvington’s eventual nomination as Chief of Staff of the Haitian Army. However, as the shrewd politician that Fombrun was, he realized that this was a losing proposition with the determined and jealous grip that President-General Magloire had on power.
It must be said though that President Paul E.Magloire and his predecessor President Dumarsais Estime, who gave Haiti its first World's Fair in 1949, were moderate and benevolent politicians compared to what would follow, precipitating Haiti to the brink of disaster. What happened next with "Papa Doc" Duvalier turned the country into its present debacle.
MIAMI HAITIAN-AMERICAN POLITICS
Memory lane of the past decade
By Carl Fombrun
Joe Celestin became the Republican Mayor of the city of North Miami not only because he was qualified but also because he was a Haitian American.
Jacques Despinosse became the Democrat Councilman of the city of North Miami not only because he was qualified but also because he was a Haitian-American.
To come back to Joe Celestin as for his qualifications and his party affiliation as a Republican. Joe Celestin is highly qualified as Mayor, in every way. However, he was elected primarily because he was a Haitian-American. As for Joe Celestins's Republicaness, the vast majority of Haitians in North Miami are Democrats. This may explain why Joe Celestin could not avoid a runoff against a former City Council member an African-American, and a Democrat, by the name of Duke Sorey. However, Haitians being in the majority Joe Celestin won.
Democrat Jacques Despinosse has been known for more than a decade in Miami as a militant Democrat, and founder of the Haitian-American Democratic Club in Florida. He has also been quite active in helping Haitian immigrants with their documentations and in becoming United-States citizens.
Despinosse also had to go for a runoff against African-American, Tyrone Hill. Despinosse's district being overwhelmingly Democrat and Haitian, one will ask how come? Well, Haitians were and are still divided as to party identity in the United States. They are mainly divided because of the residues of Haitian politics back home, and some have a tendency to apply the same politics which brought Haiti to its knees actually. Despinosse has proven that he is eminently qualified as Councilman for District 3 in the city of North Miami.
These were the first signals of Haitian-American power in Miami-Dade. It followed with the election of Democrat Phillip Brutus as Florida's first Haitian-American legislator. The village of El Portal elected a Haitian council majority in 1999 and had a Haitian-American mayor in 2000."
I am a registered Independent voter in this country for more than 30 years. My political philosophy identifies often with Democrats like FDR, JFK, LBJ, and yes, William Jefferson Clinton. However, when it comes to cast a vote for a candidate this is a serious and personal matter in my book. In the presidential election of 2000 I voted for Al Gore as my president. In 2004 I voted for John Kerry for president. It was a question of choice. The last time that I voted Republican was for Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller as New York state governor in the 1970s. I sincerely hope that in the future there is an acceptable Republican candidate that I could vote for, like perhaps a John McCain.
Minorities, in particular, can not afford to be locked in a one party system regardless of personal feelings and past wrongs. Let's remember that famous American saying: " Politics make strange bedfellows."
The immense power of Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans, Polish-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Cuban-Americans, and many others in their respective districts, is mainly due to group unity. The latest example, the Cubans in Miami-Dade. They are overwhelmingly Republicans, but voted 8 years ago for the Democrat Alex Penelas, of Cuban origin, as Mayor of Miami-Dade, running against Republican Art Teele, an African-American, a registered Republican, federal appointee of former president Ronald Reagan, who today is being indicted for wrong doing.
In other races in many parts of Dade only Hispanics are running against each other, qualified or not, but they are the majority in the neighborhoods where they live, and they will prevail.
Those reflexions come back to me today Saturday 29 January 2005, after last night’s mass protest by Haitians in Miami, against the U.S. Immigration’s policy of deporting them back home indiscriminately. What they are asking for is TPS=Temporary Proctective Statute for Haitian refugees without documentations. The Bush administration has accorded this statute to other Hispanic groups like those from the country of El Salvador in Central America.
The irony of it all, while this was going on yesterday, 31 Cuban refugees arrived in a small island off Key Largo, Florida and will be immediately given permanent residence in the United States. The dry foot, wet foot policy applies only to them.
ONE OF CARL'S PEARLS OF WISDOM
ESPECIALLY FOR SENIORS
(By Dick Randall, condensed by Carl)
After spending more than 70 years on Earth, I've decided what I want to do with the rest of my life. Perhaps I should more correctly say, "I've found what I DON'T want to be when I finally grow up."
For example, I finally realize that I don't want to be poor and will do what I can to prevent it.
I have concluded that I don't want to live in New York anymore. I don't miss all the gray days, the cold winds, nor shoveling snow from November to April.
As I age, I don't want to dress "old". My everyday wardrobe includes shorts, polo shirt, baseball cap, ankle-high white socks and sneakers. Even though my hair is thinning and wrinkles creep across my face, I don't want to appear as if I really am old, or to look as if I stepped out of a 1940’s movie.
Another thing I don't want to be an incessant talker, always chattering about events that happened 10 or 20 or 30 years ago. Please, Lord, give me the wisdom to keep quiet if I don't have something interesting to say that others want to hear.
I hope I'll know the difference between offering helpful suggestions when requested and giving unasked for and unwanted advice.
I also don't want to become a driver who goes 30 miles an hour while everyone else is at the legal 55.
As an author, I don't want to become an opinionated writer. I hope that as I grow up I will recognize that my vocation as a writer is simply to inform and entertain.
Finally, I hope that I don't become a complainer rather than a solver. I've always felt that one good character trait I learned was not to complain if I didn't have a workable solution to offer.
