Haiti Earthquake

[exsquid]

Someone once said, "Dominicans come to the US so they can work, Haitians come to the US so they don't have to." Every French speaking country I have been to, sucked.

x/S

[Fiercely Loyal]

Deleted

[TOMAHAWK9521]

Originally Posted by armymom1228

There was a scenario where a guy in a van came up to the airport a few hours after the quake with sub sandwiches and water. At first the women and children were allowed to get food, then the stronger males pushed them out of the way and when the food was gone, it turned to mild chaos. This was just a few hours after the quake.
AM

15 years ago those same adult males were probably the children we had given food to outside our compound, who were themselves rolled by the adult males of that time, who in turn got to repeatedly inspect our butt stocks, and jungle boot treads.

I apologize if I offend anyone but this island nation is the hemorrhoid of the western hemisphere. As many others here have said, these people/this country, in general, has been afforded every opportunity to succeed but chose to sh*t the bed because that didn't require any extra effort. If anything is to be accomplished there, one must first establish and enforce security with an iron fist to crush any belligerence/belligerents. However, I'm sure the administration's ROE will steer as far as possible from that.

[99meters]

Originally Posted by exsquid

Someone once said, "Dominicans come to the US so they can work, Haitians come to the US so they don't have to." Every French speaking country I have been to, sucked.

x/S

As a High school kid in New York my first job was that of a stock boy for a Radio Shack. The manager who hired me was a Haitian.
.... Someone also said that the Jamaicans take all the jobs and the Puerto Ricans steal all the cars.

[abc_123]

So, the administration has pledged $100M in aid just to get started...

Given that we are bearing the lions share of the fight against the Islamic assholes, are still recovering from our own hurricane, still paying for our aid to the big tsunami, other earthquake aid around the world (even to countries that hate us, like Iran), etc. etc. ...and given Haiti's demonstrated inability to make any forward progress with all the aid that has been given it to this point... my idea woudl be for the Administration to give that $100 million back to TAXPAYERS and then ask for donations.

If the government has $100M to put into a bottomless pit then I think it needs to go back to the American Taxpayer.

my $0.02.

[Sigaba]

Originally Posted by abc_123

[M]y idea would be for the Administration to give that $100 million back to TAXPAYERS and then ask for donations.

If the government has $100M to put into a bottomless pit then I think it needs to go back to the American Taxpayer.

Agreed.

At the very least, given the state of the American economy and unhappy history of Haiti, the president could make the pledge conditional upon the fulfillment of clear cut bench marks or insist that it be used in fulfillment of an objective that can be achieved. (Such as grants helping Haitians to develop and to enforce safe building codes.)

[Dozer523]

Originally Posted by exsquid

Someone once said, "Dominicans come to the US so they can work, Haitians come to the US so they don't have to." Every French speaking country I have been to, sucked. x/S

Is professional Baseball REALLY "work"?

[Marina]

Jeez, I can't believe we would consider adopting another basket case. Hopefully, US forces will stay on the ships and the smart people in uniform will stand back long enough for the UN to step up - no matter how feeble the international community and the blue hats may be.

But I am getting a bad feeling. I recognize USG desire not to put a military face on humanitarian excusions, but really. Enough "coordinating" and "assessing." Time for ACTION to avert more disaster broadcast live 24/7 on cable news.

Note to SecState: Haitians are asking for Marines, not the State Department.

. . . The administration has faced criticism from the retired U.S. general who led the Katrina response that it was overthinking post-quake Haiti aid distribution, when it should have just pushed it out as faster at risk of it being disorganized.

"The next morning after the earthquake, I assumed there would be airplanes delivering aid," retired Lt. General Russel Honore was cited this week. "What we saw instead was discussion about, 'Well we've got to send an assessment team in to see what the needs are.' And anytime I hear that, my head turns red."

Honore also said he thought the U.S. military and not USAID should have been put in charge of the aid effort, because of its superior logistical and lift resources . . .

. . . Indeed, all over Port-au-Prince, signs begging for help from the Marines have been sprouting. In front of one crushed office building, a typical sign read: "Welcome the U.S. Marine. We need some help. Dead bodies inside." Another read: "U.S. Marines SOS. We need help."

At this point, though, it's unlikely that there will be a large U.S. military presence in Port-au-Prince. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said this weekend that there will be up to 10,000 U.S. forces in Haiti and off its coast by Monday, but only a fraction of them will be on the ground.

"The bulk of them will be on ships," he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...703389_pf.html

http://pundita.blogspot.com/2010/01/...tians-are.html

[Sigaba]

Originally Posted by Marina

Entire post.

Do you really feel that humanitarian aid today is a continuation of the paternalistic sensibilities of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century imperialism?

[Marina]

Not emergency humanitarian assistance. But Haiti could become a foreign aid baby if we let it.

For the immediate circumstance, I say let the military do what needs to be done - no more than 30-60 days in country - then get out and send the bill to the UN.

[Sigaba]

Watching the CBS news division's reports from Haiti. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but the asshatery of broadcast journalists is infuriating.

They are second guessing everyone's conduct but their own. They are interjecting themselves into the stories rather than reporting them. And the journalists' undertones of paternalism are simply noisome.

Originally Posted by Sigaba

Watching the CBS news division's reports from Haiti. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but the asshatery of broadcast journalists is infuriating.

They are second guessing everyone's conduct but their own. They are interjecting themselves into the stories rather than reporting them. And the journalists' undertones of paternalism are simply noisome.

You have not lived until you sit and listen to Al Sharpton bitch, moan and whine about the situation down there.

[Richard]

And so it goes...

Richard's $.02

[Counsel]

Originally Posted by 99meters

.... Someone also said that the Jamaicans take all the jobs and the Puerto Ricans steal all the cars.

And of course, that generalization is wrong.

Magnitude 6.1 - HAITI REGION - 2010 January 20 11:03:44 UTC