[Marxism] Conditional Constitutionality in the Service States

[Chris Brady <cdbrady@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I remember the rationalizations given and the pretense of Constitutional
fidelity concerning Jean-Bertand Aristide's first return to Haiti.  His
term may have been cut short by a military coup and dictatorship, but a
term is a term so no extensions were allowed.  After that conservative
victory, conservative critics in the United States cried out against any
change in the Haitian Constitution--a document of negligible
significance before Aristide rose to power--that might allow him a
second consecutive term.  Aristide acquiesced.

For some reason, the United States was not quite so concerned about
Constitutional strictures when Hugo Chavez was kidnapped.  Now another
instance of "conditional Constitutionality" arises, this time for a
President the United States finds accommodating.  Here is an excerpt
from a recent article by Conn Hallinan:

"? William Wood, U.S. Ambassador to Colombia ? endorsed efforts by the
present government of President Alvaro Uribe to overturn that country's
constitution to permit himself a second term. "The U.S. Constitution
permits presidential re-elections," Wood argued, "that's why we don't
see this proposal as anti-democratic.""*

The actions of the United States show that its pious approach to
law-and-order, with the strict reading of legalities, is situational.
It applied to Arisitide, a leftist the US didn't like, but not to Uribe,
a right-winger.  In other words, the United States' historical appeals
to constitutionality are a record of fundamental contradiction, and are
therefore duplicitous, deceitful, and dishonest.  Seen from a
perspective of political practicality, however, such treachery does not
contradict American policy that consistently and faithfully serves the
bourgeoisie.


* "Old Domino's New Clothes in Colombia" by Conn Hallinan.
Submitted to Portside, Thursday, March 04, 2004.
May be read on Z-Net as of Friday, March 05, 2004:
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=9&ItemID=5089

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