Haiti Devestated

[SeaCat]

As many of you may have noticed Haiti was hit with a massive Earth Quake. Rescue and Aid efforts are under way and ramping up. Flights are leaving South Florida Airports on a near hourly basis with food, medicine and rescue teams. President Obama has pledged massive amounts of Aid and the military is already sending troops. (I'm waiting for a call from the hospital as I'm on the Emergency Response Team much to my Supervisors disgust.)

Having seen the pictures of the devestation I can't imagine what it is like over there. I also can't imagine what the fallout of this is going to be but I can guess.

I can only hope they somehow manage to clean up their government while they clean up the damage.

Cat

 

[3113]

The latest news:

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Dazed survivors wandered past dead bodies in rubble-strewn streets Wednesday, crying for loved ones, and rescuers searched collapsed buildings as officials feared the death toll from Haiti's devastating earthquake could reach into the tens of thousands.

Terrible devastation! That was a 7.0 quake (assessment so far). Very bad news even if buildings are up to code and prepared for it, which, it seems, none were.

I can only hope they somehow manage to clean up their government while they clean up the damage.

Alas, no one's been able to manage to do that yet.

Edited to add: Just read that they're estimating up to 100,000 dead and counting!

 

[fifty5]

... I'm waiting for a call from the hospital as I'm on the Emergency Response Team much to my Supervisors disgust...

I hope, for the sake of those over there, that they do call you up.

Posts here are evidence that in that case, they'll acquire a resource well worth having.

It couldn't be an enjoyable trip, but i hope you'll find some personal satisfaction.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Does anyone give a shit? I think not.

Haiti is the sewer outlet pipe for planet Earth....that is, Usual Suspect Paradise.

Help? Those people will eat the aide workers who come.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Does anyone give a shit? I think not.

Haiti is the sewer outlet pipe for planet Earth....that is, Usual Suspect Paradise.

Help? Those people will eat the aide workers who come.

I was brought to foolishly believe that you help your neighbor then, in turn, he helps you. But you always help yourself first. Our tax dollars began pouring into Haiti this morning, two days after the quake.

Tell that to the unemployed, who's benefits are taxed to pay for this and have been waiting more than a year.

Thanks, Obama.

 

[DeeZire]

I was brought to foolishly believe that you help your neighbor then, in turn, he helps you. But you always help yourself first....

I was brought up to foolishly believe that you help your neighbor. Period. I was never told there would be a quid pro quo arrangement. I was also brought up to believe that when people are in a life or death situation, it is incumbent upon us as human beings to help them.

 

[3113]

Our tax dollars began pouring into Haiti this morning, two days after the quake.

Yeah. A whole 100 million. That's...wow. That's 1/4 the budget for Avatar!

 

[oggbashan]

The UK government has sent ten million dollars as a first step, and our disaster emergency teams who are permanently on standby for disasters around the world.

Several of our local charity shops and all our local bank branches are accepting donations for Haiti.

Og

 

[OzoneRed]

I was brought up to foolishly believe that you help your neighbor. Period. I was never told there would be a quid pro quo arrangement. I was also brought up to believe that when people are in a life or death situation, it is incumbent upon us as human beings to help them.

I gotta agree with this. For all the people contributing to relief funds, or going to Haiti to help out, I say, good for you.

I was brought to foolishly believe that you help your neighbor then, in turn, he helps you. But you always help yourself first. Our tax dollars began pouring into Haiti this morning, two days after the quake.

Tell that to the unemployed, who's benefits are taxed to pay for this and have been waiting more than a year.

Thanks, Obama.

I agree with Jenny, too. Helping out is one thing. Helping out with other peoples' money is something else. I never did like Robin Hood.

 

[Huckleman2000]

I was brought up to foolishly believe that you help your neighbor. Period. I was never told there would be a quid pro quo arrangement. I was also brought up to believe that when people are in a life or death situation, it is incumbent upon us as human beings to help them.

Yes.
This seems to be a really odd circumstance to bring up gripes about taxation and foreign aid to predominately Black nations.

It makes me think that people like Rush Limbaugh, Pat Robertson, and others have to go through some pretty serious mental gymnastics to rationalize their racist attitudes. They have to somehow convince themselves that the victims of this tragedy deserved their fate.

 

[AngeloMichael]

I donated $25 to the Red Cross international disaster relief today. My budget is strained as it is so that's all I could afford but hopefully it will do some good.

 

[Huckleman2000]

Yeah. A whole 100 million. That's...wow. That's 1/4 the budget for Avatar!

Or, about 30 cents/US citizen. Some people's consciences are bought cheaply.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I was brought to foolishly believe that you help your neighbor then, in turn, he helps you. But you always help yourself first. Our tax dollars began pouring into Haiti this morning, two days after the quake.

Tell that to the unemployed, who's benefits are taxed to pay for this and have been waiting more than a year.

Thanks, Obama.

I'm all for helping the Haitians, but in the past most of the donations are stuffed inside Elizabeth Dole's bra or Poppy Bush's pockets.

I say buy the goddamned sewer, put the thugs on the next train out of Dodge, tear the place down, and start anew. And dont let anyone named Bush or Clinton near Haiti for 10 years. Let the Marines police it, let the Corps of Engineers build it. Shoot any do-gooder, uplifting, world-saver who arrives at the airport. This especially means Bono!

 

[Huckleman2000]

Of course, banks are profiting from this.

As a massive human tragedy unfolds in Haiti, relief organizations are soliciting credit-card donations through their hotlines and websites. About 97 percent of these donations will actually make it to the designated organizations -- but the other 3 percent will be skimmed off by banks and credit card companies to cover their "transaction costs."

Thanks to this hidden fee, American banks and credit card companies are making huge profits -- somewhere in the neighborhood of $250 million a year -- off of people's charitable donations, according to a Huffington Post analysis.

Those profits rise sharply after major disasters, when humanitarian relief organizations such as Oxfam and Operation USA take in more than 85 percent of their donations via credit card -- and the credit card providers, with only a few exceptions, refuse to waive their fees.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Every scoundrel, thief, actor, preacher, and politician will get in on the scam. And the Haitians will get what they always get, nuthin.

 

[CharleyH]

As many of you may have noticed Haiti was hit with a massive Earth Quake. Rescue and Aid efforts are under way and ramping up. Flights are leaving South Florida Airports on a near hourly basis with food, medicine and rescue teams. President Obama has pledged massive amounts of Aid and the military is already sending troops. (I'm waiting for a call from the hospital as I'm on the Emergency Response Team much to my Supervisors disgust.)

Having seen the pictures of the devestation I can't imagine what it is like over there. I also can't imagine what the fallout of this is going to be but I can guess.

I can only hope they somehow manage to clean up their government while they clean up the damage.

Cat

Obviously the devastation is awful. What do you intend to do about it?

 

[trysail]

Or, about 30 cents/US citizen. Some people's consciences are bought cheaply.

Because somebody has been spending your money for you, every U.S. citizen already owes $39,920.

If you're a taxpayer, you owe $112,859.


U.S. Debt Clock:
http://www.usdebtclock.org/

 

[Huckleman2000]

Because somebody has been spending your money for you, every U.S. citizen already owes $39,920.

If you're a taxpayer, you owe $112,859.

U.S. Debt Clock:
http://www.usdebtclock.org/

I'll complain about the 30 cents for Haiti after you and your buddies repay the trillion$ spent on Iraq and financial industry bailouts.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

HUCK

The only prayer these poor people have is mine! Send me a Money Order or Cashiers Check for $19.95 and I'll personally send my THE ONLY PRAYER YOU HAVE PRAYER to the Almighty hisself. And I guarantee results.


Send money orders to Rev. Jimmy Bob Johnson, St. Pia Zadora Living Bible Cathedral, P.O.Box 666, Okeephucendokee, FL 34666

Add $9.95 to your order for S/H and I'll also send you an autographed picture of me & God.

 

[SeaCat]

Well the political games have started here in Southern Florida.

The local Diocese has declared that it is planning on transporting the Orphans to a couple of places here in Florida where they can be raised as American Citizens.

Several local groups are again petitioning the government to change the status of the illegals, (some 30,000 at last estimate.) They want them to make it so the illegals can't be deported back to Haiti.

I am one of those people who has a bad feeling about dumping large amounts of money into Haiti. Not because the people there don't need the help but because they won't be receiving it.

Cat

 

[DeeZire]

An interesting aspect of the Haiti disaster is the lack of regulations or standards for residential and business construction. While this lack of regulations would seem to be a conservative's dream, the death toll due to a lack of building regulations would seem to counter the "sanctity of human life" mantra the Cons are so fond of. It kind of makes you wonder about their ideology, especially in light of people like Rush L complaining about sending humanitarian aid to Haiti. Does the "sanctity of human life" only apply to fetuses?

 

[SeaCat]

Obviously the devastation is awful. What do you intend to do about it?

Well I don't know Charley.

As of noon today my hospital along with a couple of others had sent out a 30 person medical unit. AT noon today I received a warning order to keep my bag packed. (I went through it last night to make sure everything was ready.)

If I get sent out it will be for an undetermined amount of time. What I would be doing is anyones guess at this point. Because of my training I could be doing anything from Search and Rescue/Recovery to Patient Care Tech. in a field hospital to who knows what.

Gear to be brought along consists of two sets of clothing including boots and heavy gloves. Respirator. Two days worth of food. Canteens. Water Filters and Water Purification Tabs. Mess Kit.

We shall see what happens.

Cat

 

[3113]

would seem to counter the "sanctity of human life" mantra the Cons are so fond of. It kind of makes you wonder about their ideology, especially in light of people like Rush L complaining about sending humanitarian aid to Haiti. Does the "sanctity of human life" only apply to fetuses?

It's not hypocritical because, according to Pat Robertson, the Haitians made a deal with the devil in order to break with France back in the 19th century. Which is why this Earthquake happened; they're getting what they deserve. Oh, and Rush says they were linked to communists and that's why we shouldn't give them any aid.

So, see, it's perfectly okay to let them die and even hope that they die. There's no sanctity in the life of devil worshiping commies or their fetuses.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

I'm all for helping the Haitians, but in the past most of the donations are stuffed inside Elizabeth Dole's bra or Poppy Bush's pockets.

I say buy the goddamned sewer, put the thugs on the next train out of Dodge, tear the place down, and start anew.!

We should have done that when they threw Papa Doc the hell out,

 

[trysail]

Because somebody has been spending your money for you, every U.S. citizen already owes $39,920.

If you're a taxpayer, you owe $112,859.


U.S. Debt Clock:
http://www.usdebtclock.org/

I'll complain about the 30 cents for Haiti after you and your buddies repay the trillion$ spent on Iraq and financial industry bailouts.

You can rationalize and rationalize and attack the messenger but it doesn't make a hill of beans worth of difference.

There will be a reckoning someday and you better pray you're dead when that day arrives.


"An immoderate compassion is like a taste for whiskey."

U.S. Debt Clock:
http://www.usdebtclock.org/