Topic: Haiti Earthquake

[Bob Wessner]

This devastating event leaves many in need. I'm sure folks have made donations, but those who haven't might consider doing so.. just a thought. There are any number of organizations worthy of donations;

Doctors Without Borders
International Red Cross
Partners In Health
UNICEF

to name a few, or just Google the event.

[seaweb11]

Stupid Canadian Government won't let the "disaster response team" from Vancouver even go

What a great opportunity for 30 trained disaster response professionals to assist the people in need and also to give the team some true world experience.
up to 50,000 feared dead, and they sit and wait......
This is by no means the 1st time it has happened. In fact in all the years they have trained, Canada has called them up............................0 times

God help us if this is how other Countries come to our aid in a time of need.

SHAME ON CANADA!!!!

[bwaller]

All the news in this side of the country is that there is lots of help arrived and more on the way from Canada. The Quebec government in conjunction is supplying all kinds of help, even Montreal city police & fire rescue folks.

There is a huge need for donations, as Bob stated make sure to choose a legit organization. One thing that apparantly happened right away were bogus phone calls looking for cash donations.......damn leaches.

[Duke McDukiedook]

Blame Canada!

[mrblasty]

It's a very sad thing indeed.

[azuredesign]

One other possible place for hospital bound donations aside from Paul Farmer's Partners in Health is the Hopital Albert Schweitzer, about 40 miles from Port au Prince:
http://www.hashaiti.org/

[Gaucho]

I was in Haiti for work back in 2008 right before they got hit by three consecutive major hurricanes. It was the closest I've ever come to witness hell on earth. I don't even want to imagine how things are right now.
Nobody deserves what this poor people are going thru.
Prayers are good for the ones that are gone but for the survivors only immediate help will do.
If you can donate to the red cross or any other official entity (even in small amounts) please do it.
Gaucho

[Duke McDukiedook]

Yeah, my mom did some work down there in the 80's, she said it was pretty much hell, no trees- they are so poor they stripped all the trees on the island for fuel.

So I guess hell can become more of a hell after a quake?

[Raul CB750K1]

Weren't "quail" in Port au Prince doing humanitarian work a couple of years ago?

[demon78]

Those poor dammed people.
Bill the demon.

[elquenada]

i spent some time in nicaragua last year which is the supposedly the 2nd poorest nation in the region.  the amount of poverty was staggering. so i can only imagine what it is like in Haiti right now and my heart goes out to them.  at the school where i work we all made a nice donation to help out and i hope it will do some goo.  the people in this world need to rethink their priorities. noone should have to live like that.

[Terry in Australia]

Weren't "quail" in Port au Prince doing humanitarian work a couple of years ago?

You're right Raul, Terry Quail (a member here) was working in a christian mission in Haiti and selling CB750 parts to fund his work there. I hope he's OK, he's a top bloke!

[johnny_from_bel]

Stupid Canadian Government won't let the "disaster response team" from Vancouver even go

I can not understand this. Belgium's B-FAST team was there in 24 hours.
Small countries like mine can perhaps respond fast but can only do so much.
The big punch needs to come from bigger nations.

[BobbyR]

The problem with getting mass amounts of aid is the single runway airport. There are C130s waiting 30 miles from here, they have supplies loaded but no place to land or park for unloading. The Port was trashed in the Quake so that has to be sorted before the larger ships can tie up. The best wishes and efforts of the Nations surrounding Haiti cannot make up for a lack of infrastructure.

[dhodges]

How can a country with a defecit like ours and not enough money to give our old foks on Social Secury a cost of living raise for two years in a row justify sending $100 million in aid?

[BeSeeingYou]

How can a country with a defecit like ours and not enough money to give our old foks on Social Secury a cost of living raise for two years in a row justify sending $100 million in aid?

Maybe they could skim it off the 2.5 billion that goes to Israel? Or how about the 2 billion that goes to Egypt.  A bit could come off the 1/2 billion that goes to each Columbia, Jordan, or Pakistan.

Haiti is a country least able to deal with a disaster of this magnitude.  What are you suggesting, that we just turn our backs and ignore it?

[dhodges]

Nope just wondering when the American Taxpayer is going to get enough of these elected officials giving our money out like it is theirs. Be it to Egypt, Israel or whoever. We simply cant afford it

[medic09]

Maybe they could skim it off the 2.5 billion that goes to Israel?
[/quote]

Here's an example of what the Israeli military does with that money, several times a year around the globe when and where needed:  http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2010/01/18/dnt.cohen.haiti.patients.dying.cnn

[BeSeeingYou]

Nope just wondering when the American Taxpayer is going to get enough of these elected officials giving our money out like it is theirs. Be it to Egypt, Israel or whoever. We simply cant afford it

I get your point but I have no problem with aid going to places where it is really needed especially in case of a huge natural disaster like in Haiti.  Far to much of it is squandered in countries where it is used to buy the suspected loyalty of corrupt politicians so we can have basing rights for military adventures or just plain bribery for other reasons.  In Egypt it props up a corrupt dictatorship.  In Israel you have a wealthy "first world" country that should be able to afford to pay their own way.  All they have to do is raise their own tax rates to pay for it, or borrow it from the Chinese like us instead of having their hand in my wallet.  Like I said I don't have any problem with aid to desperate third world countries but these two among a few others don't fit that bill and should be cut off and then there would be plenty of money for the places where it is truly needed.

[BobbyR]

I suspect that we get our best intelligence in the Middle East via Israel. I suspect we may be getting what we pay for. As far as Haiti is concerned, helping is what the US has traditionally stood for. Considering our current escapades, I think we need to get back to our core beliefs. Sitting back in the face of such suffering so close to home is unacceptable.

[74cb750]

I  give to Food for the Poor,
as they are already there and have the people in place,
and their 'usage?' is 97 percent.

Just heard on CNN that Israel is the ONLY
country with a functioning field hospital up and running in Haiti.
They even have portable x-ray machines etc etc.

hope things get better there soon.
peace,
michel

[Duke McDukiedook]

Alright guys, enough of the bickering about the US Zionist policies concerning Israel- apparently Satan wrote Ol' Pat a letter, and it is pretty good.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/01/the_devil_writes_pat_robertson.html

[bucky katt]

with all those poor people have gone through, are going through, and will go through, Pat Robertson is a reprehensible slug for saying what he did. as they used to say "he needs to be horse whipped" if i could afford to help others i would indeed do something.