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Haiti Earthquake

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Guardian Angel
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« Reply #15 on: January 22, 2010, 09:16:25 pm »

An `obscene' view of Haiti tragedy

As babies were being pulled, crushed and broken, from the rubble.
As people lay writhing on cardboard mats, gashed and moaning under the sun.
As families placed their loved ones out at the curb for pick-up, like garbage.

As Haiti reeled and staggered and the rest of the world rushed to the aid of a humble, beleaguered people, two icons of American conservatism reared up last week and offered analyses of the earthquake that has devastated the impoverished island nation.

The Rev. Pat Robertson opined on his program, The 700 Club, that Haiti's woes stem from the fact that it made a deal with the devil two centuries ago and now is ``cursed.'' Rush Limbaugh suggested the relief effort would ``play right into'' President Obama's hands, allowing him to appear ``humanitarian, compassionate'' and thus, ``burnish'' his standing within the African-American community.

It left me wondering, just for the briefest of seconds, whether conservatism has a conscience, whether conservatism has a soul.

Yes, you're right. It is a fundamentally unfair question, if only because conservatives such as columnist Kathleen Parker and TV personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck of The View promptly took the men to task.

And yet, by the same token: This is hardly the first time this has happened. To the contrary, it has become routine that after disasters both natural and human, icons of conservatism spout hateful, hurtful, cynical words, words that belittle the victims and trivialize the suffering.

As in Neal Boortz blaming the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina on the ``worthless parasites'' who lived in New Orleans.

As in Michael Savage reportedly saying the United States should not send ``one nickel'' of aid to South Asia when a tsunami killed 226,000 people because it is ``a hotbed of radical Islam.''

As in Jerry Falwell blaming the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that took 3,000 lives on gays, feminism, abortion and the ACLU.

And if it is unfair to question conservatism's possession of conscience and soul, perhaps one can be forgiven for simply wondering what is this weird reflex, this bizarre tic, that seems to repeatedly compel its most high-profile adherents to victimize victims. Social conservatives -- we know this, because they tell us repeatedly -- are righteous people, people gifted with a higher morality than the ordinary run of human beings.

But one sees little of that great-heartedness in the aftermath of tragedy. Great-heartedness, after all, would include compassion for people suffering and bereft -- and preclude ad hominem assaults on the vulnerable and helpless.

Apparently, some of us are so estranged from their very humanity, so besotted with their own righteousness, so deeply, damnably smug, self-centered, small and mean, that there is nothing -- not the wail of orphan children, not the stink of rotting flesh, not death tolls that stagger imagining -- they will not reduce to cheap morality plays to further their cultural and political agendas. Tens of thousands of people are dead in the poorest place in the Western Hemisphere and the preacher asks: How can that be used to buttress my vision of a vengeful, angry God? Relief is being rushed to the island as fast as humanly possible and the bloviator wonders: How can that be used to belittle Barack Obama?

Apparently, there's never a time out, never a pause button, never a moment when they remember to simply behave like human beings. A human being, faced with calamity on this scale, says, Oh, my God. A human being says, Those poor people. A human being says, What can I do to help?

But the Limbaughs and Robertsons of the world say some variation of, God hates you. Or, You had it coming. They call that conservative.

I call it obscene.

Leonard Pitts Jr.


http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/1434653.html
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« Reply #16 on: January 22, 2010, 10:00:23 pm »

I certainly hope nobody thinks I don't give a damn about those people in Haiti. I just happen to be more concerned with domestic issues. Not taking away from the devastation that changed their lives, I'm just more concerned about death and starvation right here in our own Country.
A death is a death. Whether the cause is an earth quake or an automobile accident. One precious life is just as important whether they are from America or Tim Buc Too...
My point is we are always there to lend a helping hand when a nation is in trouble. Over all the number of years we have been helping, how many have returned the favor? You would think they would be our ally in war. Instead of all our Countrymen coming home in body bags, how many are willing to lay down their lives for this cause?
I'm sorry and this may not be the right thread to make such a comment but that's how I feel.
Other Country's have better health care than what we do and this is the place people come to when they want a better life? Children's teeth are rotting because their parents either lost their jobs or lost their benefits. This is America I am talking about. The elderly has to make a decision which medicine to buy this month because their co pay is too high or their utility bill is too high.
This is America I'm talking about. Record unemployment, long food lines and homeless shelters full to the max.
I say God Help Haiti, but God Bless America.
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« Reply #17 on: February 19, 2010, 07:38:47 pm »

History of Haiti




In the 1700’s what is now Haiti was called the “Jewel of the Caribbean,” and supplied

about 40% of the world’s sugar.
 

In 1791 the government of France passed legislation to phase out slavery in its Caribbean
colonies and grant the former Negro slaves citizenship. Rather than becoming
citizens, Haiti’s Negro population mass murdered all whites and Mulattoes who
could not flee the Island in time. In 1804 only full blooded Negroes remained
and Haiti became the first Negro ruled nation. The Haitian revolution dominated America’s

debate over slavery. While both the north and the south agreed that slavery should

be ended, southerners and a large percentage of northerners universally opposed having

a large population of freed slaves living in their midst. The Haitian “Revolution” was fresh in

every one’s mind.




Flash forward to 1915.
The “Jewel of the Caribbean” is now a desolate cesspool, that is exporting almost

no sugar. The United States decides to “take up the white man’s burden” and send the

US Marine Corps to rebuild Haiti’s infrastructure and feed it’s starving population.   

The United States gave huge amounts of money to Haiti and over-saw the building of

1,000 miles of road, telephone lines, modernized its port, and helped Haiti to start

exporting sugar once again. The US also put an end to the thousands of bandits

along Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic. The US left in 1934 at the request

of the then stabilized and very ungrateful Haitian government.

Haiti immediately sank straight back into total desolation & strife. In 1973 the United

State once again began playing a huge role in Haiti, giving the Island huge sums of money
in handouts each year.
 

In 1994 the Clinton administration once again sent the US military to Haiti to rebuild the
Island’s infrastructure.


In 1995 the Peace Corps went to Haiti in  large numbers to train the Haitians in job skills.

The US government spent almost one Billion dollars providing food and job training to the
Haitians between 95 and 99.


So when Obama says that Haiti has our “full, unwavering, support,” they have already had
our full support since 1915.  What good has it done?
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