[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

“Hard to tell looking straight down from satellite imagery. Some of those large buildings with intact roofs are probably flattened but you can’t see it without some slant view.”

The problem is, Haiti has always been, is, and always will be in such god-awful shambles. Earthquake or no, there is no telling the difference whether that photo is past or present...(certainly an exageration on my part I admit).

Before I am accused of being insensitive (not by you), Haitians have always lived in the Stone Age and will continue to do so. They have no concept of a “better world.” They do not know any difference.

It’s like taking an animal out of the wild and trying to introduce it into a different (better) environment. It doesn’t work because the animal does not have a point of reference for comparison.

Okay. It is flack time on me.

[al_c]

C’mon, people. It’s obviously a post-quake photo. Look at the palace. And there’s more ... I definitely see a building on it’s side in this photo.

[TADSLOS]

Agreed. I think most Americans tend to project their own image of normalcy into a scene, then contrast it to the effects on the ground. In other words, we see ourselves in this situation and the ugliness of the environment is amplified. I doubt too many people existing in certain areas of Detroit or New Orleans would be as shocked to the scenery there because they live in similar conditions.

That doesn't take away from the enormity of human suffering in Haiti right now, but Haiti has been a hellhole long before this latest earthquake hit and I suspect it will stay one long after the last recovery aid worker leaves the scene.

In the meantime, all we can do is hope, pray and assist Haitians to the extent that we can.