Is it because Haitians are more likely to have suffered hardship? (I mean, not like being buried under tons of rubble, but still).
I amazed at the resolve and dignity of the Haitian people....that being said, I am not totally surprised.
One thing I have found from traveling in 3rd world countries is that the people who are the poorest have a better outlook on life than most of the people I know here. They also have stonger families IMO and more faith than people here.
This is my opinion and many here will disagree and even level the voodoo charge agaisnt the Haitians, which is absurd. People should not even think of criticizing these people until they have walked a mile through the rublle in their shoes (which they probably do not have).
I think their resiliancy comes from the fact that they have been living in squalor in Haiti for decades. For many of these people conditions now are not a lot different from what they were before the quake.
I heard a news report this week that the US troops on the scene are in a real quandry, because there is so much to be done, and important, formal decisions that need to be made, but there is simply not enough left of what little Government there was to make any decisions or direct the rescue efforts in any way. Our troops are very cognizant of the fact that they could get sucked in to being a defacto “Occupation Force” simply because there is nobody else to do any of the things that must be done.
There is no building code of any kind in Haiti, so there is no direction about how or where to safely build anything. Who is going to establish a building code to work from?? How do US Forces implement a legal document like a building code without appearing to be running the Country??
The logistical problems are overwhelming. How do you clean up the mess with only a few trucks and little fuel on the island? Virtually everything that is needed for reconstruction of any kind will have to be imported from off the Island, but until the Haitian cargo handling facilities can be rebuilt from scratch, you have no way to get a cargo vessel to a pier much less unload containers from ships.
I doubt that Haiti even has a working concrete plant now, so somebody is going to have to bring one of those in, along with new concrete trucks to haul the mix. And the first thing the trucks would have to do is pour new roads so they can drive the trucks to where they are needed.
Such a mess! The media is trying to compare the disaster in Haiti to the Indonesian tsunami and the rebuilding that has taken place there. The biggest difference between the two, is that the Indonesian Government was not destroyed in the tsunami, and was able to direct and aid in the relief efforts. That is not the case in Haiti and it is an enormous obstacle to any recovery.
They have nothing now. Of course, they had nothing before.
It’s like growing up decades ago without air conditioning. You didn’t know what you were missing.
Teachers from Haiti could teach the people in Detroit how to totally ruin a working society.. and cannibalize anything that Does WORK..
The Haitians didn’t have electricity & running water before the earthquake.
As I’ve posted before, Haiti was hell-on-earth prior to this disaster.
We have supported a missionary in Haiti for many years his e-mails aren't so glowing about conditions there as the media points out. From his reports there is a lot of lawlessness going on right now and much suffering. Where he is no aid has reached his village. He has had armed guards before and now really needs them. I am sure the Obama Mania Media are wanting to paint a picture that everything is just great. Well maybe it is great from their hotel room windows.
Growing up in Miami, I have met and worked with many Hatians over the years. They are a very kind people, Catholics, and family oriented. The first Hatian I ever met was a janitor and he spoke English, Creole, French, and Latin. He would give me lessons in Latin while working. He also told me that the children over there learned most of these languages in school. Although they are poor, they lived very rich lives.
Yes, there have been reports of some violence, looting, and the rest. But I confess, ten days plus after the fact, I find their behavior simply remarkable. I've been through a measly week long power outage and you would have thought it was the end of the world, judging by the masses. We all saw what went on with Katrina, within 48-72 hours.Well said, Daisyjane69!