Haiti - lots of foreign guns, not much aid

[Sassy]

Could this really be true???   

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/793.html

[glenn kangiser]

Evidence indicates an ulterior motive as the Haitians believe, an occupation.  Not aid.

[firefox]

Usualy in these situations, the aid is handed out to the representatives of the country,
who turn around and sell the stuff to the populace at whatever the market will bear.
Maybe for once we are taking precautions to see that this doesn't happen.
It could be either way, or just disorganization. We probably wont
know the truth for a long while.
In the mean time someone will figure out a way to take advantage
of the situation regardless of the original intent of our government.

Meanwhile I notice all these private outfits asking for aid to Haiti.
So are these outfits going to figure out a way to get the aid to the
populace? I don't think so, but what do I now?
Bruce

[MountainDon]

When it comes to choosing an organization to funnel your own private dollars to help I am of the opinion that the red Cross is the way to go unless you have researched or know the other organization well.

And I agree that in many cases the local corrupt officials line their own pockets at the expense of the ordinary joe. That's how Haiti got to be as poor as it was in the first place.

I would like to hear the critics offer a better, more workable solution to the problems that are being experienced.

[Sassy]

I have a nurse friend who has gone to several of the disaster relief stations - 1st one, southern California at Northridge & the next in Florida - he said both were very disorganized - they sat around doing nothing - a bunch of docs, nurse practitioners & RN's besides the myriad support people & bosses.

He went to New Orleans for the Katrina disaster & was put to work in the ER on 12hr nights 2 weeks straight so definitely worked hard there.

He has signed up to go to Haiti - has his passport ready, physical done & vaccinations...  doesn't know what he'll run into there.

BTW, he's 64 y/o...

[glenn kangiser]

Keep in mind that even the Red Cross has been in some major corruption scandals -

Who can you trust to get your money safely to where you want it to go? .... Bill Clinton or GWB

The Catholic Priest in Mexico is or was ripping off the donations to the indigenous Indians there - Creel, Chihuahua state I think..  I researched it myself for the Mexican steel company I was working with.  Approximately 2% was stated to get to the Indians but they did not even know where that went.  I spoke to chiefs, shop owners and others.  They said they hadn't seen any of it.  It is hard to see to it that your donations go to the intended recipients.

[Sassy]

Did anyone read the article in Slate awhile back?  http://www.slate.com/id/2242078?obref=obinsite

Why Did We Focus on Securing Haiti Rather Than Helping Haitians?

Here are two possibilities, neither of them flattering.

By Ben EhrenreichPosted Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010, at 1:39 PM ET

Read Slate's complete coverage of the deadly Haiti earthquake. See a Magnum Photos gallery on Haiti as it was.

US. Troops in Haiti. Click image to expand.U.S. troops in HaitiBy the weekend, it was clear that something perverse was going on in Haiti, something savage and bestial in its lack of concern for human life. I'm not talking about the earthquake, and certainly not about the so-called "looting," which I prefer to think of as the autonomously organized distribution of unjustly hoarded goods. I'm talking about the U.S. relief effort.

[glenn kangiser]

Update on what we are doing in Haiti.

Clinton in charge of billions of dollars in aid?  He is so helpful, eh?


http://www.paltelegraph.com/latest/5742-preparing-haiti-for-exploitation-and-plunder