THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 17, 1994 TAG: 9409170296
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Infoline Poll
LENGTH: Long : 122 lines
I think the United States should invade Haiti to keep the Haitians in Haiti and to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States. . . . We've got to stop illegal immigration someplace. Haiti is a good place to start. - David Claflin, 48, civilian defense contractor, Norfolk.
I see no national interest or threat to national security from the Haitians. . . . It is not our business, and we don't need to spill American blood for their problems. If they want to arm the Haitians already over here and send them back to do their own revolution, that's the way it should be done - not with Americans. . . . I also just wondered, what's his real reason? Who lit the fire underneath Clinton for this? It sounds too political. - Michael Kinney, 53, of Virginia Beach, a police officer, Vietnam veteran and father of a soldier heading for Haiti.
I do not believe the public turned around on President Clinton's speech. I just don't believe they want to send boys into Haiti. I don't see where we have any reason to be there. I have two children, two grandchildren, and my son-in-law is in the Navy. I cannot see it. - Ann Gilbert, 57, of Virginia Beach.
I was very much impressed by the president's talk on Haiti. I firmly believe that he's on the right track. I'd like to see him do whatever's necessary. I would rather, though, that they capitulate and let democracy rule. . . . We've pussyfooted around enough, given them every opportunity to do what is right. All they do is murder people and create a disaster-type regime. It's about time we protect our interests which are so close to our shores. - Ray Pawl, Chesapeake.
I don't think the U.S. should invade Haiti. I think that it should leave Haiti's internal problems to the Haitians. - Anne Wrenn of Virginia Beach, whose youngest son is getting out of the Army soon.
We have no interest in Haiti except to get Americans killed. Please stay out of Haiti; we have plenty to do here in the United States. . . . I feel for the people in Haiti. We have interest in human rights. But we can't go everywhere in the world where there are human-rights violations and invade. Talking about the refugees coming to the U.S., we have a far worse problem with Cuba than we have with Haiti. We haven't said `Fidel Castro, we're going to invade you.' . . . We're not exactly threatening him are we? - Annette Hunt, of Chesapeake.
In 99 percent of all world catastrophes, this country has always been among the top five to participate. I see no reason or rhyme why we should be any different in the matter concerning the problems in Haiti - the people there are humans, they come to this country, they contribute to its democracy, they join its armed forces and they give their lives for the cause of freedom, and I think that's enough. - Lee Hammonds, 57, of Chesapeake.
It sounds like it's going to cost more to keep Haitians in camps in Florida and other states in the gulf than to invade, so let's invade, spare these people in the gulf states some expense. - Michael Whitehead, 35, of Virginia Beach, who works for a polling firm.
I think it's ignorant that we invade Haiti. I see no valid reason for us to go. We have absolutely no interest in there. There's no reason for us to be there. - Mike Torchia, 48, of Virginia Beach, a computer systems analyst.
I do not think that it is in our best interest or any interest at all for us to invade Haiti under any circumstances. We cannot force democracy on anyone. Some countries are not mentally able to have the same type of freedom we have. They don't understand it; they abuse it, and there is no need of us trying to force freedom on people who won't institute it themselves. Even if other people throw them out, then that's their own internal problem. - E.A. Albrecht, 66, of Portsmouth.
I feel we should back the president. After all, he did not cause all this. This is inherited from the past administration. I think people have the tendency to forget that. - Barbara Barton, 58, of Virginia Beach.
I do not like Mr. Clinton, wouldn't vote for him for anything, but I do believe we should invade Haiti. I believe that between the Cubans and the Haitians, we've got to do something. We've got too many boat people, too many Haitians and have nowhere to put them. It's costing us a fortune to feed them and take care of them. We have to settle something to put those people back in their homelands and take care of our own country. We have homeless and underfed in America. - Donna Lou Brown, 63, of Chesapeake.
I think we need help in the U.S. We need schools, prisons, raises for law enforcement officers, education and food here, not in Haiti. I was always taught that charity begins at home. They want to take away our health care, widows' pension, Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare and give it to another country. What country ever gave to us? - Anna F. Cobb, 47, of Norfolk.
I don't understand why we're putting a man in power who doesn't believe in democracy. The guy's a socialist, a communist and we have no interest to gain for putting him back in power. And why don't they turn the Haitians away from our shores? I don't think we have to rescue them, they should rescue themselves. - Linda Farnum, 34, of Portsmouth.
I think what President Clinton did is a very stupid thing. I think we have no business being in Haiti, any more than Haiti would have coming here and telling us how to run our business. I'm a disabled American veteran. I had five brothers in the service. I tell you, I absolutely would not go in down there. I would refuse to go in. I have children. . . . I have grandchildren. I certainly wouldn't want them going in there getting killed over anything like that. I'm as patriotic as anybody. I would not want, in any stretch of imagination, my family to go down there. I supported Vietnam. I thought we had a legitimate right to be there as opposed to what we do now. I knew lots and lots of people who went there and didn't come back. I wasn't against Desert Storm. I think we had a legitimate reason for going in there. But something like this, no way, nope. - Bobby Baldwin, 63, of Chesapeake, a retired training instructor for the Army.
I have a question for the president. Mr. President, would you be willing to lay your life down for a little impoverished nation like Haiti? - Cliff Ruck, Chesapeake.
Our interest in Haiti is not worth one American life. I've been down there several times since the '40s. The same thing that was happening then is happening now. So what we do in Haiti is not going to make a difference, and if Clinton had military service he would know that. I joined the Navy in 1940, and before the war, we used to go down (to Haiti) for gunnery exercises. That was one of our liberty ports. I've actually seen it where they had to have police patrols off Port-au-Prince to pull the dead bodies out so it wouldn't contaminate the harbor. So what is happening down there is nothing new, it's the same old story. - Thomas J. Kilmurray, 74, of Virginia Beach.
I'm against us going to Haiti. With enough men killed in Vietnam for nothing, I don't think we should have more men killed for nothing again.
I belong to Holy Trinity Church in Ocean View. So many are in need of food and starving, and we help them. I think this money should be used in America here. We will be wasting our money, and all this blood is going to be shed. You know what, I bet you, if he was going to go he wouldn't go. - Maria Columbia, 53, of Norfolk.
KEYWORDS: HAITI INFOLINE POLL by CNB