This is a cross posts from my diary on Firedoglake. I add it as my two cents worth regarding Haiti.
I still can think of little other than the plight of the Haitian people; even discovering some of the old drive-in the wish I could be there doctoring. But I have just about stopped having the t.v. on because of my frustration with an obviously stalled mission.
It seems to now be beyond the hysterical media calling for virtually non-existent violence. A paralyzed military sits off-shore and at the airport surrounded by thousands of tons of desperately needed water and food; waiting for "security."
As far as I can tell, most of the aid that is reaching the victims is coming from the decimated U.N. and by road over the mountains from Santa Domingo, accompanied by the First Lady of the D. R. She doesn't seem to fear the machetes, nor do the hard hats pulling victims out nor, with one noted exception, the medical teams. Even Secretary of State Clinton is on the ground in Port au Prince this afternoon.
If our cowering military delays much longer to begin major distribution of food and water the chance of violence fulfilling their prophecies will develop. I suppose when the primary goal is to train the men to kill it is not considered a good idea to teach them much about human nature. If they had begun even a trickle of supplies as soon as they had one of those monstrous vehicles; to deliver them the people would have been reassured that more would soon be coming and more likely to be patient. Withholding goods sitting on the ground it until a division of Marines arrives just incites anger. The longer it goes on the less trust and the more grasping and hoarding there will be.
I am struck with the image, really a meme, the white man's fear of oppressed and suffering black people. No pacts with the devil. It was our white ancestors who through enabling slavery so long have endowed us with paranoia and terror. Can one imagine a similar reaction to the devastation of a city such as Denver? I don't think so.
Yes. It lingers yet. There was more than a taint of it in the response to Katrina. This is blatant.
Then there is the politics of 2010. Another possible source of the slowdown, I fear has, so far been little noted by the media and mentioned with sullenness indirectly by some of the organizations involved in the aid mission. That is just days ago President Obama turned the leadership of international aid missions back to the State Department's USAID. After the earthquake he specifically named them to head the US mission to Haiti.
Now we all know the military and Cheney's friends are not that fond of President Obama. And they think their warriors know all about how to run countries, better than any civilian. One can only hope they are not playing passive aggressive to USAID with the lives of these wonderful people of Haiti.
If you have any communication with the rescue efforts please see "Cries for Help" I posted on my blog the other day. Here.
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