Getting Aid to Haiti

Ok so I just read an article about this. It says people are starting to get angry that aid is not arriving fast enough, it even has some aid workers saying they are getting a little scared to be on the ground. I understand people are hungry and thirsty, but does it really help matters to get angry at the people who are doing thier best to help you? What if aid continues to be slow for another couple days and these people down there start rioting or coming after aid workers? I mean do they really think it’s going to get better if all the aid simply left and left them to deal with this on thier own? What do you all think? If they start rioting do you pull back? do you put them down with military force? How do you handle a situation where the people you are trying to help start attacking you because you aren’t helping them enough?

kthxbye

V

This is what happens when you have corrupt governments running a group of citizens that are dependent on the Government. They believe it’s their right to receive help and aid in all forms.

The same happened in New Orleans. Were there any other countries rushing to our aid like this? Nope. Yet again, we are going to spend spend spend to rebuild a failed country.

I’m all for helping with food and medical supplies, but beyond that, we are wasting taxpayer dollars once again.

Sadly we work through it and try to stay positive. Is it the right way? I don’t know that anybody can say. But having lived in a third world country as a Peace Corps volunteer and I happened to be there when a tsunami hit I experienced what you’re talking about first hand. Not only during the tsunami but just day to day affairs the entire time I was there as well. It sucks when you’re trying to help and they continue to shit on you. Its why countries like Samoa where I was had one of the highest termination rates, even worse than much of Africa. At the end of the day you can work with the poor and hungry but you can’t work with the corrupt and abusive.

You certainly don’t put them down with military force though.

[quote]Rockscar wrote:
The same happened in New Orleans. Were there any other countries rushing to our aid like this? Nope. Yet again, we are going to spend spend spend to rebuild a failed country.[/quote]

Yes, curse those third world countries for not helping you poor Americans in your time of need.

And damn those other “well off” countries for assuming America was competent at relief work within their own country.

Fucking cunts.

[quote]Makavali wrote:

[quote]Rockscar wrote:
The same happened in New Orleans. Were there any other countries rushing to our aid like this? Nope. Yet again, we are going to spend spend spend to rebuild a failed country.[/quote]

Yes, curse those third world countries for not helping you poor Americans in your time of need.

And damn those other “well off” countries for assuming America was competent at relief work within their own country.

Fucking cunts.[/quote]

Now you are reaching. Lose the hard on dude.

This is common in any type of disaster (or emergency). When you are the one waiting for aid there isn’t enough and it can’t get there fast enough.

[quote]Vegita wrote:
Ok so I just read an article about this. It says people are starting to get angry that aid is not arriving fast enough, it even has some aid workers saying they are getting a little scared to be on the ground. I understand people are hungry and thirsty, but does it really help matters to get angry at the people who are doing thier best to help you? What if aid continues to be slow for another couple days and these people down there start rioting or coming after aid workers? I mean do they really think it’s going to get better if all the aid simply left and left them to deal with this on thier own? What do you all think? If they start rioting do you pull back? do you put them down with military force? How do you handle a situation where the people you are trying to help start attacking you because you aren’t helping them enough?

kthxbye

V[/quote]

Lets get something out of the way first - Human beings are irrational thinkers by nature. Also, once basic needs or needs that we are used to having all the time, like electricity, dissapear - this will create fear which will lead to irrational violence. Couple that with the intense stress that these people are experiencing and it must be a pretty violent place right now.

I don’t know much about politics, but if Haiti served more national interests I’m sure help wouldve come much quicker… bottom line, if it doesnt help further American ends or help the American people I very much doubt our leaders will have the incentive to help.

That being said, our perogative is to the defense of Americans first, Haitians second - so sending a regiment of “peacekeepers” with those that want to help is warranted.

[quote]spyoptic wrote:

[quote]Vegita wrote:
Ok so I just read an article about this. It says people are starting to get angry that aid is not arriving fast enough, it even has some aid workers saying they are getting a little scared to be on the ground. I understand people are hungry and thirsty, but does it really help matters to get angry at the people who are doing thier best to help you? What if aid continues to be slow for another couple days and these people down there start rioting or coming after aid workers? I mean do they really think it’s going to get better if all the aid simply left and left them to deal with this on thier own? What do you all think? If they start rioting do you pull back? do you put them down with military force? How do you handle a situation where the people you are trying to help start attacking you because you aren’t helping them enough?

kthxbye

V[/quote]

Lets get something out of the way first - Human beings are irrational thinkers by nature. Also, once basic needs or needs that we are used to having all the time, like electricity, dissapear - this will create fear which will lead to irrational violence. Couple that with the intense stress that these people are experiencing and it must be a pretty violent place right now.

I don’t know much about politics, but if Haiti served more national interests I’m sure help wouldve come much quicker… bottom line, if it doesnt help further American ends or help the American people I very much doubt our leaders will have the incentive to help.

That being said, our perogative is to the defense of Americans first, Haitians second - so sending a regiment of “peacekeepers” with those that want to help is warranted.[/quote]

…apparently that also means flying american nationals out of Haiti first, and preventing other foreign nationals to leave the country: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5guma2WKnHthswP2UVPiCIuLm_ocQ

[quote]Vegita wrote:
Ok so I just read an article about this. It says people are starting to get angry that aid is not arriving fast enough, it even has some aid workers saying they are getting a little scared to be on the ground. I understand people are hungry and thirsty, but does it really help matters to get angry at the people who are doing thier best to help you? What if aid continues to be slow for another couple days and these people down there start rioting or coming after aid workers? I mean do they really think it’s going to get better if all the aid simply left and left them to deal with this on thier own? What do you all think? If they start rioting do you pull back? do you put them down with military force? How do you handle a situation where the people you are trying to help start attacking you because you aren’t helping them enough?

kthxbye

V[/quote]

Where’s China? They gave $1 million, and they have TRILLIONS of our dollars? We gave 100 million, which we are borrowing from…guess who?

Why isn’t Obama hectoring the Chi-Comms to shake loose with some of their cash?

George Bush doesn’t care about Haitians.

[quote]spyoptic wrote:

[quote]Vegita wrote:

I don’t know much about politics, but if Haiti served more national interests I’m sure help wouldve come much quicker… bottom line, if it doesnt help further American ends or help the American people I very much doubt our leaders will have the incentive to help.

[/quote]

You don’t know much about logistics either.

I’m not trying to dick on you, but how fast do you think supplies and equipment of such a wide variety can be located, transported to a staging area, organized and loaded on to cargo plains and taken to another country?

That shit doesn’t just magically appear at an airport ready to ship, then appear there ready to be used and distributed at the snap of a finger.

[quote]skaz05 wrote:
George Bush doesn’t care about Haitians.[/quote]

I dont blame him.

These people should riot against their shitty government or their bosses, who got the cash.
But I guess red-cross agents make for better victims.

Poor Bastards, but I still see more sense in giving the poor who live next door and fixing problems here instead overseas.
Sorry guys.

[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
These people should riot against their shitty government or their bosses, who got the cash.
But I guess red-cross agents make for better victims.

Poor Bastards, but I still see more sense in giving the poor who live next door and fixing problems here instead overseas.
Sorry guys.[/quote]

This unfortunately is the correct course of action. Until we(and this goes for every country on earth) get our own house in order we should be staying out of foreign affairs.

[quote]Rockscar wrote:

The same happened in New Orleans. Were there any other countries rushing to our aid like this? Nope. Yet again, we are going to spend spend spend to rebuild a failed country.
[/quote]

Actually, there was quite a number of countries that offered aid of one form or another.

Rockscar is just parroting Faux and their “opinion pieces”.

The US is our closest friend in America and in general outside Europe.
If you’re in the shit we come without asking questions, just as you’d do.

[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
These people should riot against their shitty government or their bosses, who got the cash.
But I guess red-cross agents make for better victims.

Poor Bastards, but I still see more sense in giving the poor who live next door and fixing problems here instead overseas.
Sorry guys.[/quote]

I’m basically going to have to agree with this. After much thought about the whole ‘why pass a dollar over a hundred of your neighbors heads for the benefit of some bum in a far off country?’ I figure its easier to see your dollar going to work when you toss it into a crowd of injured starving crisis victims. Rather than the alternative of giving it to someone down the street who has only marginally less than you.

Some times I think it would be beneficial to kill off the bottom 10% of the caste. Yeah! cruel and asshole eh? But in Canada at least we have food banks open year round, welfare for the poor, free programs to get your high school diploma and then once you have that there are hundreds of bursaries and scholarships or even programs like OSAP student loans to get your college/Uni education. So the people in our own back yards…the poverty in the streets are just not seeking the better life that is there for the taking.

[quote]andrew_live wrote:

[quote]Schwarzfahrer wrote:
These people should riot against their shitty government or their bosses, who got the cash.
But I guess red-cross agents make for better victims.

Poor Bastards, but I still see more sense in giving the poor who live next door and fixing problems here instead overseas.
Sorry guys.[/quote]

I’m basically going to have to agree with this. After much thought about the whole ‘why pass a dollar over a hundred of your neighbors heads for the benefit of some bum in a far off country?’ I figure its easier to see your dollar going to work when you toss it into a crowd of injured starving crisis victims. Rather than the alternative of giving it to someone down the street who has only marginally less than you.

Some times I think it would be beneficial to kill off the bottom 10% of the caste. Yeah! cruel and asshole eh? But in Canada at least we have food banks open year round, welfare for the poor, free programs to get your high school diploma and then once you have that there are hundreds of bursaries and scholarships or even programs like OSAP student loans to get your college/Uni education. So the people in our own back yards…the poverty in the streets are just not seeking the better life that is there for the taking.

[/quote]

Wow, look at all the free stuff Canada has and no one has to pay for it, it’s all supplied by the government.

COOL.

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:

[quote]spyoptic wrote:

[quote]Vegita wrote:

I don’t know much about politics, but if Haiti served more national interests I’m sure help wouldve come much quicker… bottom line, if it doesnt help further American ends or help the American people I very much doubt our leaders will have the incentive to help.

[/quote]

You don’t know much about logistics either.

I’m not trying to dick on you, but how fast do you think supplies and equipment of such a wide variety can be located, transported to a staging area, organized and loaded on to cargo plains and taken to another country?

That shit doesn’t just magically appear at an airport ready to ship, then appear there ready to be used and distributed at the snap of a finger.
[/quote]

Thats what I’m saying, America won’t help unless it furthers its own ends… and I’d think they’d use boats and not planes to go to Haiti since it’s so close to Florida… who’s the Logistics master now Skyz!!!

[quote]spyoptic wrote:

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:

[quote]spyoptic wrote:

[quote]Vegita wrote:

I don’t know much about politics, but if Haiti served more national interests I’m sure help wouldve come much quicker… bottom line, if it doesnt help further American ends or help the American people I very much doubt our leaders will have the incentive to help.

[/quote]

You don’t know much about logistics either.

I’m not trying to dick on you, but how fast do you think supplies and equipment of such a wide variety can be located, transported to a staging area, organized and loaded on to cargo plains and taken to another country?

That shit doesn’t just magically appear at an airport ready to ship, then appear there ready to be used and distributed at the snap of a finger.
[/quote]

Thats what I’m saying, America won’t help unless it furthers its own ends… and I’d think they’d use boats and not planes to go to Haiti since it’s so close to Florida… who’s the Logistics master now Skyz!!![/quote]

Soooo…
Then the supplies can be tied up at port instead of tied up on a tarmac? The problem is not in getting the supplies to the island. The problem is one of distribution once they are there. Infrastructure is destroyed. Roads, bridges and highways smashed.
Masses of people in pain and fear. Chaotic mobs. A hungry man has a hard time standing patiently in line. These are some of the problems.