71 I Haiti it When the Rains Come

At the risk of alienating many of you, I am going to talk a little this morning about our "relief effort" that is going on a little to the south. First, let me say that I understand when a disaster happens, the people that usually suffer the most are the weak, the hurt or sick, the young and the old, the people that generally are just trying to live their lives.

When something bad happens, those with the means, i.e.: no major injuries, guns, knives, machetes, clubs and the ability to pick up something to smash someone or something, usually turn rather quickly to a pack mentality. Not the wolf-pack mentality mind you, more like a pack of wild dogs falling on anything that crosses their path, devouring it and moving on to consume the next thing they find, unmindful of anyone or anything else. You may have seen the news footage of the airdrops. People (young, healthy-looking males) running out to rifle through the crates and bags that were dropped. How much of that food and supplies do you suppose they shared with those that really needed it? Those people running out to get the drops were probably able to get by for a while without the stuff. Do you suppose they went to the old folks home that was a mile from the airport to help the people there that havent eaten since the quake? Did they go to the orphanage to help the babies that are lying on the back of a truck and have been for almost a week? With no formula, no water, no diapers? I think not. I'm sure there are already folks hoarding the supplies and selling them for whatever they can.

We saw something similar and just as convoluted, just as despicable during Katrina. Lack of aid, lack of co-ordination, lack of man-power in time. Thousands have died, possibly numbering in the hundreds of thousands and only now is our government really making a concerted effort to even think about bringing some co-ordination to the relief. Regardless of our current financial situation, we should be bringing our full weight to bear in the rescue, relief and recovery in Haiti. Our might as a world-leading nation carries a responsibility. It is a responsibility that was not met during Katrina and it is being wasted and half-assed now.

I have beat this dead horse before: the majority of government and the majority of sheeple handed our former "leader" a blank check when the country draped itself in a flag, stood on a righteous, high-horse and swore to the world that a couple thousand dead would be avenged and terror would be warred upon. Along came Katrina and our 2-front military was nowhere to be seen, until many were dead or violated by human jackals. Vermin always emerge during disaster and crisis and prey on the weak. We should not see near as much of it in our country as some third-world country, but it was bad here: remember the nursing home staff that left its charges to die? Remember the bodies floating in the streets while vultures looted stores and homes?

Trust me, it's going on in Haiti right now. They just dont have as much to steal, compared to us. Our useless wars have drained resources for 8 years. If you want to fight terror, fight for the rights of those that are being terrorized now. People in the middle east have been killing each other for thousands of years. They will continue to do so even after the collapse of society. They dont know any other way. Their governments are inept at best, and corrupted. If it wasnt the taliban killing and stealing from their own people it would be and probably is, the government. Iraq is no better. We do have a certain responsibility to protect the weak in those places, but when our country needs its resources(cash) and people such as the victims in Haiti need us, we are forced to watch as relief is late coming and half-assed when it does.

I know some of you dont see any difference between the oppressed in middle-eastern countries and victims of a natural disaster, but I think there is a marked difference. The populace of those repressed and oppressed places could rise up and help themselves, much as we did a couple hundred years ago when a greedy government oppressed us too much and stole from us too long. The victims of this earthquake have no means to help themselves. Greed and hatred, lawlessness and evil have long gripped Haiti. It will be worse now.

We have seen selfless doctors trying to save lives and volunteers trying to find the hurt and dying. A full-scale military relief effort, put into place a day or two after the quake could have saved many lives already. Nope. We sit on our laurels, throw some boxes out the back of a plane and watch civilian help trickle in and put out their most valiant effort at aid in a chaotic situation. I was aggravated at first about people asking for donations for them, basing this on my frustration of the travesty of Katrina, but now-I think the National Guard and Reserves should have already been sent in. Search and rescue teams(military) should have been out and rendering aid and stations should have been set up to document the victims and distribute aid accordingly.

I would ask you to help as you can, but most of America is reeling from economic woes. We have already spent money our grandchildren wont even be able to pay back and sending money to a place most of us have never been seems akin to wadding up your next paycheck and throwing it in the nearest ditch. Our government has the resources, just not the leadership and decision-making ability. I think we're lucky they tie their shoes and zip their flies in the morning. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.