Voices

Here is a sample of comments from across the spectrum on the Haiti crisis:

“We say no to vengeance. We say no to retaliation. . . . Members of the military, we will create jobs for you. You will not be isolated. You are the sons of the land, the nation’s citizens. Stop the violence. Do not be afraid.’

--Jean-Bertrand Aristide, deposed Haitian president

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“They want him (Aristide) to return on the pretense he was freely elected. Yes, he was. So was Adolf Hitler.’

--Bernard Sansaricq, Haitian senator

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“We will not permit them to demonstrate that bullets have more authority than ballots.’

--Warren Christopher, secretary of state

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“The military aspect of this would be over in a matter of hours, at most a day or two.’

--Christopher

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“We are going to continue to resist with the means we have at hand.’

--Brig. Gen. Philippe Biamby, Haitian army chief of staff

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“The only thing we are willing to discuss with (Lt.) Gen. (Raoul) Cedras are the terms of his departure.’

--Stanley Shrager, U.S. Embassy spokesman in Port-au-Prince

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“Why does the Clinton Administration consider it so vital and so important to make such a momentous decision just weeks before the November elections?’

--James A. Baker III, former secretary of state

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“We must stop the killing, the rape, and the torture of men, women and children whose only crime is to love liberty and to want the restoration of their democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Can we stand by and do nothing? No, we can’t.’

--Rep. Maxine Waters, (D-Los Angeles)

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“If those atrocities were going on, we definitely need to do something about it since it’s in our hemisphere. I’m just not convinced that they’ve thought this out fully.’

--Michael Cambiano, firefighter in Kansas City, Mo., after watching Clinton’s speech

Thursday night

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“Haiti is one of the least significant pieces of real estate on the face of the Earth. . . . Haiti has always been a mess. To improve the standard of living for the Haitian people, you are going to be there for a long time.’

--Dick Cheney, former defense secretary, at Thursday news conference

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“We want it to happen and be over with. If you’re dead, you’re dead. If you’re alive, you can pick up the pieces and get on with your life.’

--Hostess in a Port-au-Prince restaurant