THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI

[AQUAMAN]

ON JANUARY 12TH, THE ISLE OF HAITI WAS HIT WITH A 7.0 SCALE EARTHQUAKE. PREDICTIONS ARE LOSS OF LIVES OF ABOUT 150,000 PEOPLE. THE US HAS ALREADY PLEDGED $100 MILLION IN AID AND PEACEKEEPING INTERACTIONS. THAT NUMBER COULD DOUBLE OR TRIPLE IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. THE COUNTRY IS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN UNSTABLE IN GOVERNMENT. OF THE APPROXIMATELY 10 MILLION POPULATION, ONLY 30% REACH THE 6TH GRADE. 90% OF THE PEOPLE LIVE IN POVERTY. INFRASTRUCTURE IS ARCHAIC AT BEST. 50% OF THE PEOPLE PRACTICE VODOU RELIGION. RICE AND BEANS IS THE MAIN DIET. FRENCH CREOLE IS THE NATIVE LANGUAGE. AND THE COUNTRY IS RANKED 149TH IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE OUT OF 155 AS POOREST. QUESTION: WE HAVE MADE OUR US COMMITMENT OF AID THAT IS COMMENDABLE AND NECESSARY AT THIS TIME. WILL WE KNOW WHEN TO LEAVE AFTER SOME RESTORATIONS ARE MADE? OR WILL THE US BE FORCED OUT AGAIN, AS WE HAVE SO MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, AS THESE PEOPLE DESPISE THE USA AND WESTERN CAPITALISM AS A WHOLE. MANY ATTEMPTS TO STABILIZE AND HELP THIS NATION IN THE PAST HAVE ALL GONE BADLY. POST YOUR FEELINGS AND PROPOSITIONS FOR OUR INVOLVEMENT NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.

[XLFD]

We definitely should help, but we definitely should have oversight and accountability for every public cent that's put into helping. The American people are generous to a fault, and conscientious private and corporate help and volunteer efforts will help pull Haiti out of this mess, more than any money paid to their government from ours.

[Mary A.]

I just made a substantial donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. I have everything I need to sustain me, but these people have nothing. I don't think the citizens of Haiti despise the U.S., and I certainly cannot look at the news without making a personal commitment to share what I have with them.

I did remark to a friend the other day that I wish there were some end in sight to people in third world countries having children that they cannot support. Curbing population would certainly help in these countries, but even providing birth control education becomes entangled in politics.

[AQUAMAN]

Here's one example of what the rest of the world is doing. China has pledged to donated $4Mil. compared to our $100Mil. to start. That was after state dept pressure from what I understand.

[Dave]

One thing that needs to be done at some point in countries like Haiti and elsewhere is that they need to have governments that are not so corrupt. Of course the hard part is getting rid of the corruption. Haiti has received millions of dollars over many many years yet a vast majority of that money never reached the common folk. This happens in many many other places. What if that money had gone to the people and they were able to have a respectable infrastructure? Would their been so many dead or injured people? Hard to say... i'd like to think that it would of at least made some kind of difference. In the meantime, I do think we have to help Haiti... it would be inhuman to not do so. That said, we have so many people here in the states that never get the kind of help that we tend to send to other countries.

[AQUAMAN]

Your last sentence there rings true to home Dave. I'm not saying don't give help, I say make it supplies, blankets, medicine, building materials, etc. that are tangible, not more $$$$ for the corrupt leaders to syphon off. It was reported that upwards of 25% or more of the people live on the side of a hill or mt. with a lean-to piece of plywood or blanket for cover. Now that's bad. But, having said that, I do believe the population has strong drug addiction problems, and that decay of mind, leads to total decay. And the gov't. authorities pretty much look the other way, cause they really don't have enuf jails, cops, nor care anymore. Dog eat dog at it's finest.

[XLFD]

Yet how do you get rid of the corruption if it has become institutionalized by the government? If our government continues growing in power as the people's rights continue to dwindle, we will find ourselves in the same boat. This earthquake may be an opportunity for the people of Haiti to find their own George Washingtons and Thomas Jeffersons to start their Republic back up on the right track.

[AQUAMAN]

Well, that's exactly what I've been eluding to X, this country has tried, since chasing the French out for the last 200 years, to be independent. It just has not worked. They also deforested the entire country for lumber, without any basic plan for replanting. Now they find the tropical rains washing away all their topsoil, possibly, creating a shift of the earths shallow platelets below, causing, or accelerating this entire scenario to begin with. Btw, Columbus discovered this Isle in 1492 to begin with, left about 35 peeps there to investigate, and came back a year or two later, and found them missing. They are an isle of peeps unto themselves, lost in time, lost in history, and not going to ever change. My heart goes out to this country, but, until time shows major changes in the mindset, my money stays here at home for now. Hard luv is what needs doing after the cleanup is finished. JMO

[AQUAMAN]

Well, one year later, and over $3-1/2 Billion later after the world gave to Haiti for support, relief, change, help, care, love, and saving lost souls, NOTHING HAS CHANGED! There are still over 1 Million people living on dirt and in tents, without ANY support or HELP from the Government. If this is money WELL SPENT, i.e., money to SAVE the LOST SOULS and helpless that were hurt, how come nothing changed??? I'll tell you why! Because the Government Authorities TOOK and STOLE that MONEY for THEMSELVES! Just as I warned and predicted they would. Now, even with $500K in American Red Cross supplies still sitting at the Port of Prince airport, how come that can't even be distributed to the masses? Like I said, this country, it's people and government, are lost in time and bad faiths. Totally corrupt, and never to change their ways, irregardless of outside help. Shameful.

[Guidothesemipsuedocaptitalistpig]

I don't know whether any of you remember back when the crisis was first unfolding the Hatian government was not letting our rescue teams and actual physical support like food stuffs and building materials land on the Haitian soil without being ( checked) by Hatian government troops... Very similar situation to what happened in the pacific earthquake and tsunami region.

People talked bad about Reagan calling his top down approach trickle down economics like it was a bad thing. Yet many of the same people are okay with giving a very corrupt and ineffective Haitian government millions to steal. It really is sad but are we doing any good in light of this?

Below is kind of a chronological breakdown of the slow motion genocide taking place in Hatii

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8460771.stm

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8460771.stm

[AQUAMAN]

Thanks, Guido. Remember when Baby Bush and Clinton made an adv. together asking for help too. The result was $53Million in funds being raised, and that money too, has never seen the light of day for true help. There are also quite a few Hummer type vehicles and supplies still sitting at the capitol's airport that are just sitting and never been used. It's no wonder this country can't get ahead at all.

[XLFD]

I noticed Guido's links pretty much chronicled the events of a year ago.  Aquaman, do you have a recent update to show for your claims.  I trust you, but is there a good link to tell us the disposition of funds since then. 

It just goes to show you that giving more money to any corrupted government is worse than a waste of money, it often strengthens the problem. 

[Guidothesemipsuedocaptitalistpig]

I guess my argument against just pouring money into a country like Haiti is this. If we continuously dump money into a corrupt dictatorship because "after all some of the money goes to help one or two innocents" is allowing the pain to continue for longer than just stepping back and letting the people of the sovereign country say " enough is enough" and let them over throw the power that should not be and form a government based on the people, not one based on the thieves.

Egypt is now in the growing pains of changing the same type of rule. The danger lies in an outside force directing.. either overtly or covertly, the results, as we have seen over and over again in history. For example, if France would have had its way, we all would still be a French Colony and be going through the same process of a corrupt system running out of capital even faster than our left leaning government is trying to do such now.