Word has just come through here about the latest disaster the people of Haiti have to endure.
So far the reports I have seen say that "thousands must have died in the earthquake" We can only hope that this is typical sensationalist media exaggeration and that the Haitians who will endure, as they always do, have not been subjected to as large a horror as that early statement implies.
Oblamblam has made a typically specious and empty sounding press release on the earthquake.
The awfulness of the Haitian earthquake should be turned into a means of finding some relief for Haitians at the same time as forcing Oblam and his imperialist mates to refocus amerikan resources onto humanitarian issues closer to home.

sadly I fear the fate of the Haitians will continue to be ever more miserable. the best Obama could do was to put out a tip jar on the whitehouse.gov website.

listening to limbaugh on the radio while driving home from work I hear the rightwing talking points which pretty much boil down to the Haitians deserve nothing because they elected a communist as their president after having a series of dictators.

those poor buggers have little going for them, dark complected, speak some weird kind of french, and have no oil or other stuff worth stealing under them. Europe does seem to want to help if this article from the wall street journal is to be believed.

mrs. real made a trip to the store this afternoon and when she came out there was a car blocking the drive right in front of the building. inside it there was a lady, so she walked up and asked what the matter was. the lady explained that her car had died out on the main road and someone had pushed it this far for her but then had to leave to catch their bus. she was now going to be late for work and didn't know what to do. 'did you call anyone for help?', mrs. real asked. only her husband, the lady replied, but he couldn't do anything because he was ill. mrs. real helped her push the car into a parking spot and then gave her a ride to her workplace. on the way, the lady explained that her husband wasn't able to help her out because he had been in an accident at the factory where he worked -- something to do with spilling the materials he worked with -- and had suffered third and fourth degree burns over the majority of his body. this was not very long ago and he is currently undergoing skin grafts, real painful stuff, obviously. the lady then informs mrs. real they're both from haiti. haiti? oh my. are your family and friends back there okay after the earthquake? no idea. haven't been unable to get through to anyone. well let's hope for the best. yes, let's. they had arrived at the lady's workplace, only a little late.

the coverage is of course grotesque; nbc even sent out their post-fat black weatherman, al, to give prognosis of what the sky should bring the haitians who weren't lucky enough to die.

then there's rush and pat who sneer and grunt their venomous responses to the blandishments of the prez. no surprise there.

obviously someone from wall street payed off the military to turn their HAARP dial to fuckshitup to distract us from the most colossal heist in history (i'm only half kidding)

and now it seems a tech war is breaking out between china and google, and the state department wants answers.

2010. yeah.

If there really is a God, then the maxim has never been truer that "He works in strange ways".

100,000 dead wouldn't surprise me, judging by the videos on Al Jazeera. In Iran (Bam) over half the 43,000 population dies as a result of a 30-second earhtquake which was only 6.5 Richter. The Haiti earthquake was even shallower (10 km, by some accounts), = even more devastating.

I don't believe the figures are indicative of sensationalist media reporting by any means. Time, unfortunately, will tell.

One can only feel sorry for Haiti and its people. The number of reported deaths is rising by the hour, now there is talk of up to 100’000 killed. May they rest in peace. The country they left behind is a basket case. 500 years of colonialism, the near extinction of its indigenous people, enslaved by first the Spanish, then the French who bled the country dry, the US invasion and occupation early last century, the inevitable dictatorships that followed, Haiti has been on its knees ever since Hispaniola was discovered by the European greed heads.

But no, what am I saying, Haiti’s dreadful situation got nothing to with centuries of slavery and being consecutively fucked over by rich western countries, but because they worship the devil. Lucky Pat Robertson knows his shit.

Of all the places in the world that could use a good earthshaking, Haiti has to be at the bottom of the list.

If this is the sort of thing pat robbingeveryoneson's god does, then he worships an evil god indeed.

Heartless fools. Rush Limidiot had some choice grade A crap to spew too. Let's hope the universe has a sense of humor... maybe rush wouldn't like to try slammin' a little of the big "H" – if he liked Oxycotin, he'll love the real shit, and that would solve one of the more annoying sounds coming from the war drum.

As for earthquakes... Haiti is just the start of the shakin' I've been expecting over on this side of the world; the earthquake map has been looking weird for about six months, and I'd say we're overdue for a little shake and quake up here in the states. If god was really looking to make a statement, he'd have taken-out d.c.

Lizard, if you're not wearing a tinfoil hat, you better make one. Publicly writing about HAARP requires the poster to wear the proper attire. It's for your own safety, otherwise THEY can hear you thinking... Seriously, Haiti's quake is just a little to convenient for the assholes trying to mess everything up. Somebody must be answering their prayers.

DaveS

no, that's not the word for it. contaminate would be more appropriate.

i hope HAARP doesn't have the capacity some have speculated it does, and this sort of speculation in a thread about a natural disaster that has killed probably tens of thousands of people is, i admit, in poor taste on my part.

the sad fact, though, is this: if a piece of technology can be used as a weapon, it will be. before the earthquake in china there were aurora borealis-type lights seen in the sky an hour before the quake hit. this supposes a level of military aggression that is virtually god-like, and to employ it against the poorest country in the hemisphere as a distraction is a pretty ridiculous, paranoid thought.

unfortunately the extent of my cynicism sometimes contaminates my perceptions about what's happening in the world. i see bill clinton gearing up his foundation for the relief effort in haiti and wonder...why does he even bother pretending like he gives a shit? then i wonder what sort of strings the relief aid will come with.

really a comment like mine is no better than pat robertson's. he blames the innocent victims and credit's his god's wrath for the destruction. i replace god with science and blame an evil contingent of our elites.

The truth is often stranger than fiction...

will be interesting to watch/measure/compare the responses of cuba vs the u.s.

This report regarding the Dutch Antilles is quietly ominous.
At least Bonaire seems not to be slated for "use in the anti-drug"
effort.

So the O-bomber has promoted GW Bush to coordinate relief efforts in Haiti.

I guess experience in killing and holding back aid, etc. is a great calling card, a big plus on a CV (Katrina.)

Monstrous.

If one did not know there had been a quake, you’d think the US had invaded:

> took command of airspace

> signed agreements with what is left of Haiti Gvmt. to have a free hand, basically not need Haitian permission for whatever actions

> sent in 10 000 (?) troops and X contractors and X humanitarians

> turned away aid

and the list could go on...

A sort of Katrina but to the Nth degree as the sufferers are not only black but far away and non-US citizens.

What shocked me to the core is that Gates has forbidden air drops. (Because they might cause riots! .. Food, water, tents, medical kits, well the Haitians will have to go without...)

After a quick look at google (basically only mainstream anglo news as I tried to point out) and some blogs, the same arguments used in Katrina, the same stereotypes, the same excuses - too complicated, no access, population very violent, criminal, no proper structure on the ground, police ineffective, roads blocked, etc. etc.

This is a giant, leaping step forward in ‘humanitarian war’. The gloss this time is humanitarian, as installing democracy in Afgh., Iraq was perceived by many as mendacious or at least as pragmatically inoperable. Doing what one can, in the face of phantom insurmountable obstacles, for victims of a natural disaster, is not questioned or challenged, except by a fringe.

Soldiers in Iraq handed out food, water, and candy, for the cameras. They supposedly helped ‘rebuilding‘ - what they themselves, if not personally, had destroyed.

Some internet writers and bloggers warned Americans that the US’ shock and awe abroad would come home, and Katrina presented plenty of proof of that. Did anybody pay attention? No... I’ll have to try and think that out.

What the future ‘Gvmt’ of Haiti will be is anyone’s guess. Puppet Gov. for sure. Dan, do't know enough about the forces in play re. Aristide...

Last Friday or was it Thursday/ It matters not unless you're stuck under a concrete slab hoping to get rescued, the Guardian posted a great article , a sort of definitive history of Haiti. Those who wish to read it in full will find it right here.
Titled Haiti: a long descent to hell the guardian which is rather pro tony bliar's new labour rarely does the exposes of colonialism it used to do, particularly not negative assessments of amerikan imperialism, but since in this instance the other blackguard imperialist is france, I suppose for the guardian's editors the old angle francophobia trumped the new angle amerikaphilia.

Dangerous stuff they loosed a confirmed anti-imperialist onto the case whose examination of Haiti's treatment is bound to stir up issues about the similarity of Haiti's demise and englander PM brown's treatment of Iceland. Although he doesn't move out of the unwhitefella point of view terribly much preferring parallels with Somalia.

It could just as easily be New Zealand. The chief reason NZ had to privatise it's national assets and sell them to foreign corporations in the 1980's was that NZ was being held accountable for loans from english banks made during WW1 and WW2 when the brits borrowed money from themselves in our name to finance NZ's involvement in european wars. Crazy isn't it? even the NZ's at the time thought that was taking the spirit of dedication to what they used to call 'the mother country' a little too far.
Helen Clark's tedious rule was just that tedious but she did manage to ensure that NZers didn't owe anyone a brass razoo. Less than 12 months of the tory mob in power and our national debt acquired by slashing taxes for the rich, has already reached over $2000 US per capita.
With debt comes a loss of independence, of course. So now kiwis are gonna play war games with the septic tanks once again. See this puff piece from our local fishwrap written before Haiti's disaster stopped the Clinton meet and greet.

But NZ's problems are not the issue here. I'll just give readers a taste of the guardian article so they can see for themselves how Haiti became Haiti:

Very interesting post Debs,

Most of the herd in these parts feel really bad or figure it's "wrath of god" bullshit. Funny polarity can be found around here, I'm continually surprise to find dreadlocked gun nuts and ranchers that are peaceniks.

Go figure.

Personally I feel the colonial powers only 'allowed' Haiti to be 'independent' to use as a bad example. All those old european whites were scared of a successful black nation, and did everything they could to keep one from being created, from the debt mentioned to the rape of the natural resources to the point where rainy seasons are deadly and destructive due to mudslides.

DaveS

it must be strange for lots of folks to see obama allow the US part of the haitian relief effort to be (ab)used as an opportunity to rehabilitate GWB's image. what uncomfortable contortions of thought are required to continue believing this (s)elected person isn't just obediently taking orders from his handlers.

i mean jeezus--not only will obama refuse to hold anyone accountable for the last 8 years of gloves off totalitarian aggression and civil contempt, but he appears more than willing to allow a horrific disaster to facilitate the re-entry of a--let's be clear, mother fucking war criminal--into a quasi-public space to help "oversee" in a similar capacity his administration failed spectacularly at. WTF?

the metaphor i used to update my fb status (i regularly impose my own gratuitous pontifications on all those people i didn't know in high school that are now part of that weird social stew fb enables) is putting pedophiles in charge of daycare. after all, that is what he is doing, is it not?

i imagine it would be difficult to understand for anyone clinging to the shredded remnants of their bumpersticker proclamations of a year ago why obama has been so very accommodating, but with the recent "revelations" that bush called clinton more than a few times while in office, well, anyone who believes there is any fundamental difference between parties is a sucker.

so money will flow into haiti, and royal caribbean will have their 50 million dollar dock and flocks of gawking tourists, and those who survived will keep going, even when the lens of attention grows bored of their misery and finds some other situation it can help exploit for corporate profit.

Here is what David Brooks has to say about Haiti:

"Haiti, like most of the world’s poorest nations, suffers from a complex web of progress-resistant cultural influences. There is the influence of the voodoo religion, which spreads the message that life is capricious and planning futile. There are high levels of social mistrust. Responsibility is often not internalized. Child-rearing practices often involve neglect in the early years and harsh retribution when kids hit 9 or 10."

I suppose one could use the same sort of twisted logic to argue that if an earthquake were to strike the Hamptons, killing scores of banksters in their tracks, we could blame this on voodoo economics. David Brooks is so full of it with his blame-the-victim nonsense that anyone with a pulse shouldn't give him the time of day!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/opinion/15brooks.html?em#

sitting here listening to talking heads I am struck by the comment that the earthquake in Haiti is similar to the US's Sept 11th. Of course we never look at it like that but in reality the disaster in Haiti is much worse both in numbers of human lives lost as well as material damage to buildings. With a population of around 9 million the estimated death toll of 200,000 makes the less than 3,000 out of 300 million seem minuscule. the loss of two very tall office buildings compared to just about every building in Port au Prince also seems insignificant.

yet the loss in the US of those two buildings justified war on two countries initially and all Muslims eventually with all US citizens looking for blood from those responsible. the horrid to non existent infrastructure in Haiti which led to the collapse of most buildings in the capital (because of shoddy construction and non existing anti seismic building codes) was also caused by someone. they were not bearded men hiding in caves but fat white men sitting in offices of government or banks.

they of course remain blameless. same as it ever was.

Are you suggesting those building are anti seismic?

Won't this make israel happy to see them gone?

sorry, bad joke that maybe only I find funny.

What I don't find funny is how close to a katrina response this has turned into. Empire will use this as an excuse to "fix" Haiti, and the first thing they're doing is making sure as many people as possible will perish from lack of food, water and medical care.

NPR was reporting how hard the marines were finding ground travel because of how damaged roads and infrastructure were. So they were going to be dropping supplies by air. goody.

Like DUH! Dudes it was an earthquake, and americans know how damaging earthquakes are to roads, look at the loma preita quake or the northridge quake in california. Both tore the hell out of the roads. This strikes me as planned disaster genocide... let god take the blame for all the deaths, sort of like what happened after Katrina.

Everyday the world slips into very dark days, very dark days indeed.

DaveS

then maybe the people coordinating the relief effort should realize an important step in getting supplies to those who need them is letting the fucking plane carrying the supplies to land at the goddamn airport.

http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/home-mainmenu-289/6087-doctors-without-borders-plane-not-allowed-to-land-in-haiti