[velichay]

Hundreds of thousands of people may have died in Haiti's earthquake, the prime minister told CNN Wednesday. Haitian authorities said the powerful quake destroyed most of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
Hundreds of thousands may have died in Haiti quake, PM says - CNN.com

How you can help
Nations, aid groups scramble to provide Haiti earthquake relief - CNN.com

Please see links to Make a donation

[AliceFromHouston]

Immediate aid is badly needed but the catastrophe will continue wreaking havoc on Haiti, just a couple hours off our coast, long after the rubble has been cleared.

Even before the quake, Port au Prince residents, most living on under $2/day, could spend hours walking just to get potable water. What bare-bones infrastructure there was has been completely destroyed. The dangers of water-borne death and disease alone are enormous.

[flnastyax]

You can see pictures of the damage here: Earthquake in Haiti - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Such a terrible thing to happen to those folks.

[soprofaxel]

A haitian coworker lost both his paternal and maternal grandmother in the disaster along with other extended family. It really is a tragedy given the country is so poor to begin with...

[M_Marked]

the government should have to dissolve itself in exchange for aid, not a cent should go to the government either, only direct aid. incompetent crooks. ..there's a reason it's the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.

[Ndptbudd]

So how do you rebuild a country like Haiti? The houses are made of tin and cast off wood.
Get some nails and bang the tin and scrap wood back together. They do this over and over in hurricane season.

[majestictwelve]

the government should have to dissolve itself in exchange for aid, not a cent should go to the government either, only direct aid. incompetent crooks. ..there's a reason it's the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.

Agreed, and spit out children like it's their job.

[Ndptbudd]

"The World Bank promised $100 million in emergency funding for recovery and reconstruction, subject to approval by the World Bank's board of directors."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americ...nse/index.html

For $100 million you could buy the whole country. And still have change left over. There are less than 10 million Haitians.

[babopeddy]

the government should have to dissolve itself in exchange for aid, not a cent should go to the government either, only direct aid. incompetent crooks. ..there's a reason it's the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.

I totally agree.

I wonder how much the Dominican Republic next door will help out?

I don't mind the US helping out to a degree, as long as none of those Haitians comes here. And since the country is so desperately poor, maybe some birth control services can be shipped along with food.

However, the US dug Haiti out of a collapse in 1914, and look where they are today.

Funny...Obama could only find 50K for Italy when they had a massive earthquake. For some reason, he is able to find much more for Haiti....

[M_Marked]

I totally agree.

I wonder how much the Dominican Republic next door will help out?

I don't mind the US helping out to a degree, as long as none of those Haitians comes here. And since the country is so desperately poor, maybe some birth control services can be shipped along with food.

However, the US dug Haiti out of a collapse in 1914, and look where they are today.

Funny...Obama could only find 50K for Italy when they had a massive earthquake. For some reason, he is able to find much more for Haiti....

I didn't say Haitians were bad people and if I were a Haitian I'd be on the first boat to America. not sure about contraception, it's pretty common for poor, uneducated nations to have high birth rates. I just said I don't want aid being filtered through the haitian government. the country is a lesson in how difficult it can be to establish a country and get over past greivanes. Interestingly, many whites fled haiti during the slave rebellion for puerto rico which has been a safe haven for lots of people from spaniards fleeing south america to cubans fleeing castro as well as haitians and dominicans. as noted here, the dominicans are historically anti-hatian and seem to view haitian migration as a bad thing. of course, when we were in Puerto rico, they viewed illegal dominicans as a threat.
I wouldn't wish this type of disaster on anyone and the people can't expect help from their own government, OTOH, what's the point of setting up something that's unsustainable? I suppose I can donate to the red cross.
Dessalines was proclaimed Emperor for life by his troops.[17] He exiled or killed the remaining whites and ruled as a despot.[18] He was assassinated on 17 October 1806. The country was divided then between a kingdom in the north directed by Henri Christophe, and a republic in the south directed by a gens de couleur Alexandre Pétion. Henri Christophe is best known for constructing the Citadelle Laferriere, the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere, to defend the island against the French. President Jean Pierre Boyer, also a gens de couleur, managed to reunify the two halves and extend control again over the western part of the island.[19] Dominican historians have portrayed the period of the Haitian occupation (1822–42) as cruel and barbarous, but Boyer also freed the slaves.[20]

In July 1825, the king of France Charles X sent a fleet of fourteen vessels and troops to reconquer the island. To maintain independence, President Boyer agreed to a treaty by which France recognized the independence of the country in exchange for a payment of 150 million francs (the sum was reduced in 1838 to 90 million francs) - an indemnity for profits lost from the slave trade. The French abolitionist Victor Schoelcher wrote "Imposing an indemnity on the victorious slaves was equivalent to making them pay with money that which they had already paid with their blood."

A long succession of coups followed the departure of Jean-Pierre Boyer. In its 200-year history, Haiti has seen 32 coups.[21] National authority was disputed by factions of the army, the elite class and the growing commercial class, now made up of numerous immigrants: Germans, Americans, French and English.

On more than one occasion US, French, German and British forces claimed large sums of money from the vaults of the National Bank of Haiti.[22]

Expatriates bankrolled and armed opposing groups. In 1888 US Marines supported a military revolt against the government. In 1892 the German government supported suppression of the movement of Anténor Firmin. In 1912 Syrians residing in Haiti participated in a plot in which the presidential palace was destroyed. In January 1914, British, German and United States forces entered Haiti ostensibly to protect their citizens.[22]
[edit] Since 1915

The United States occupied the island from 1915 to 1934. The Haitian administration dismantled the constitutional system, built roads, and established the National Guards that ran the country after the Marines left.

In 1937 Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo,[23] in an event known as the Parsley Massacre, ordered the Army to kill Haitians living on the Dominican side of the border.[24] He developed a uniquely Dominican policy of racial discrimination, Antihaitianismo ("anti-Haitianism"), targeting the mostly-black inhabitants of his neighboring country.
Within the country, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier used both political murder and expulsion to suppress his opponents; estimates of those killed are as high as 30,000.[25]

From 1957 to 1986, the Duvalier family reigned as dictators, turning the country into a hermit kingdom with a personality cult and excessive corruption. They created the private army and terrorist death squads known as Tonton Macoutes. Many Haitians fled to exile in the United States and Canada, especially French-speaking Quebec. In the 1970s the United States funded major efforts to establish assembly plants for U.S. manufacturers. In the mid 1980s the US continued military and economic aid to the regime.[26]

In 1986 protests against "Baby Doc" led the U.S. to arrange for Duvalier and his family to be exiled to France. Army leader General Henri Namphy headed a new National Governing Council.[26]

In March 1987 a new Constitution was overwhelmingly approved by the population. General elections in November were aborted hours after dozens were shot by soldiers and the Tonton Macoute in the capital and scores more around the country.

In December 1990, the former priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide won the election by more than two thirds of the vote. His mandate began on 7 February 1991. In August 1991, Jean-Bertrand Aristide's government faced a non-confidence vote within the Haitian Chamber of Deputies and Senate. Eighty three voted against him, while only 11 members voted in support of Aristide's government. Following a coup d'etat in September 1991, President Aristide was flown into exile. In accordance with Article 149 of Haiti's Constitution of 1987, Supreme Court Justice Joseph Nerette was named Provisional President and elections were called for December 1991. These were blocked by the international community and the resulting chaos extended into 1994.

In 1994, Haitian General Raoul Cédras asked former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to help avoid a U.S. military invasion of Haiti.[27] President Carter relayed this information to President Clinton, who asked Carter, in his role as founder of The Carter Center, to undertake a mission to Haiti with Senator Sam Nunn, D-GA, and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Colin Powell.[27] The team successfully negotiated the departure of Haiti's military leaders and the peaceful entry of U.S. forces under Operation Uphold Democracy, paving the way for the restoration of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as president.[27]

Aristide left the presidency in 1995. He was re-elected in 2000. His second term was marked by accusations of corruption. In 2004 a paramilitary coup ousted Aristide a second time. (See 2004 Haitian rebellion) Aristide was removed by U.S. Marines from his home in what he described as a "kidnapping", and briefly held by the government of the Central African Republic to which the U.S. had decided to fly him. Aristide obtained his release and returned to the hemisphere shortly afterwards, although he has not returned to Haiti.

Boniface Alexandre assumed interim authority. In February 2006, following elections marked by uncertainties and popular demonstrations, René Préval (close to the still-popular Aristide and former president of the Republic of Haiti between 1995 and 2000) was elected. Haiti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[mv37afnr]

I totally agree.

I wonder how much the Dominican Republic next door will help out?

I don't mind the US helping out to a degree, as long as none of those Haitians comes here. And since the country is so desperately poor, maybe some birth control services can be shipped along with food.

However, the US dug Haiti out of a collapse in 1914, and look where they are today.

Funny...Obama could only find 50K for Italy when they had a massive earthquake. For some reason, he is able to find much more for Haiti....

Let me just take a moment to remind everyone that USENAME1613 thinks that the Haitians were far better off under the French and deserved what happened to them yesterday because they slaughtered white people and are in league with the devil. Take his opinions for what they are worth.

[poekfpojoibien]

I don't think Haitian children affected by the quake are in anyway responsible for the actions of their government or history that goes back as many has 8 to 24 generations ago.

That's like saying if Philadelphia were half-way destroyed by a flood, nobody from the South should feel obligated to do anything to help us because of what Yankees did to their ancestors they only have a tin-type photograph of, during the Civil War.



Politics should not get in the way of helping the most destitute over something like this, even if they do choose to elect a-ssholes to govern themselves.

[UnmariKam]

Good Christ, tragedy strikes and douchebag trolls find time to post here about it.

[betraaaus]

Yeah, if this was Cuba, I doubt this would even be an discussion.

[M_Marked]

Politics should not get in the way of helping the most destitute over something like this, even if they do choose to elect a-ssholes to govern themselves.

there have been 32 coups in 200 years, don't know that you can claim the government represents the people or are freely elected by them. when the school collapsed a couple years ago, there was nary a response. the government doesn't care about the people which is why I wouldn't want any of my money going to them. only direct aid. and to be honest, the aid I'd want is a ticket out of the hellhole to a foreign hospital and a new life. I read just last fall that people were eating dirt because things had gotten so bad there, I can't imagine what it'd be like now.

[babopeddy]

Let me just take a moment to remind everyone that USENAME1613 thinks that the Haitians were far better off under the French and deserved what happened to them yesterday because they slaughtered white people and are in league with the devil. Take his opinions for what they are worth.

I didn't say the Haitians were better off under the French...but that is a reasonable assumption anyone could make if they took a good look at Haitian conditions before 1804, and Haitians conditions ever since.

Even the Africans in Zimbabwe are asking whites to return to help them run the country. Ditto for Desmond Tutu in South Africa.

People can make their own determinations based on that.

[majestictwelve]

Good Christ, tragedy strikes and douchebag trolls find time to post here about it.

Just as you found time to do the same

[Haibundadam]

I read just last fall that people were eating dirt because things had gotten so bad there, I can't imagine what it'd be like now.

Edible clay. I've had it. Not so great.

[HugoSimon]

I don't think Haitian children affected by the quake are in anyway responsible for the actions of their government or history that goes back as many has 8 to 24 generations ago.

That's like saying if Philadelphia were half-way destroyed by a flood, nobody from the South should feel obligated to do anything to help us because of what Yankees did to their ancestors they only have a tin-type photograph of, during the Civil War.



Politics should not get in the way of helping the most destitute over something like this, even if they do choose to elect a-ssholes to govern themselves.

Excellent post.

[HugoSimon]

FYI:

Red Cross donations: text to 90999 the word HAITI, which will donate $10.
Wyclef's fund: text to 501501 the word YELE, which donates $5.

Both charges go automatically on your cell phone bill.