This is Blog #418 for me. I don't usually editorialize as that is not the purpose (which is to be amusing, entertaining and sometimes educational.) But...
I am outraged that the United States has gone tearing off to "help tragic Haiti."
Haitians hate us! For years, the US State Department and the British equivalent have had in place a travel warning that states "Do not go to Haiti unless it is absolutely necessary."
The so-called Republic of Haiti has a population of 9.7 million souls, 80% of whom live in porverty. Average annual income is $400. If the Haitian leadership had any bit of smarts, it could have set up able-bodied Haitians to learn search and rescue; how to shore up their tumble-down shacks; minimal first aid .. in short, how to be of use to their very own country, how to improve the quality of life there -- and their paychecks. Clearly that didn't happen.
These are some of the countries that stepped up to the plate -- Brazil, Cuba, Germany, France (to my surprise,) Canada, Britain and, locally, the 72-member L.A. crack Search and Rescue Team. Did management forget Southern California is particularly prone to earthquakes and The Big One is going to happen any minute! (said breathlessly.)
We are not and have not been welcome in Haiti for a long time. I believe we should have just shrugged, said "Tough -- deal with it." There are more than enough countries out there that think of us as the "United Suckers of America." We just don't know it because we speak only English.
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