To the Point

US Policy and the Growing Crisis in Haiti

Political chaos and bloody violence are once again the rule in the Western Hemisphere-s most impoverished country. Armed gangs are battling for and against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, with no easy prospects for establishing order. The US occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934, and sent 20,000 troops there as recently as 1994, but American forces are currently stretched thin, from Afghanistan to Iraq to other places around the world. Fifty American Marines have been sent to Haiti, but the Pentagon insists that it has no plans to send a large US force. We learn how America has contributed to the crisis and what it can do now from journalists, a sociologist who specializes in the Caribbean development, a former US envoy to Haiti, and California Congressman Christopher Cox. Making News: President Bush Endorses Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage President Bush today called for a Constitutional ban against same-sex marriage, saying that "decisive and democratic action is needed because attempts to redefine marriage in a single state or city could have serious consequences throughout the country." Dana Milbank, who covers the White House for the Washington Post, says the President's handling of the announcement says a great deal about the divisiveness of the issue. Reporter-s Notebook: Constitutional Amendments Acknowledging the gravity of his proposal, President Bush today officially called for a constitutional amendment to limit marriage to a one man and one woman. Since the Bill of Rights, the Constitution-s been changed only 17 times. Historian David Kyvig, author of Unintended Consequences of Constitutional Amendment, discusses the process, history and consequences of several Constitutional amendments.