Dear USA Today editor,

Re: "Haitians pack polls for presidential election; Voters calm despite long lines, confusion," February 8th, 2006

In her article, Danna Harman quoted a government source without identifying him as such.

Harman quoted John Merrill as "a U.S. election observer with the Haiti Democracy Project," which she described as "an independent research group based in Washington that promotes a stable government in Haiti. " The only context that Harman provided on Merrill was that "Merrill has monitored six previous Haitian elections." According to the website of the Haiti Democracy Project, Merrill is "chief of Western Hemisphere programs for the Defense Department," and, in addition to being a Haiti Democracy Project observer, was "observing also for the U.S. government." (see: http://haitipolicy.org/content/3459.htm). Furthermore, the Haiti Democracy Project itself has links to the U.S. government that warrant mention. The current interim ambassador to Haiti, Timothy Carney, only resigned as a Haiti Democracy Project Board Member in order to assume this diplomatic post.
Another former Haiti Democracy Project board member, Ira Lowenthal, has been in Haiti since 2004, working for USAID and UNOPS, an obscure UN agency that has been helping the IRI, NED, and others, to meddle in Haiti's political affairs. Part of the $3 million grant that UNOPS manages for USAID involves bolstering the campaign of the political party that yet another former Haiti Democracy Project board member, Rudolph Boulos, is running for Senate for, FUSION.

Anthony Fenton
Vancouver, B.C.