Major Earthquake in Haiti (7.0)

[that dude]

its a dick measuring contest for obuma

[SAMBUSA]

its a dick measuring contest for obuma

He wins, he's black

[MidgetTodd]

Look at the news the aid isnt even getting to the people that really need it everything is getting mobbed and stolen before it even gets into the city. Gotta send in the miltary to protect peanut butter and water, come on

[Gump]

sad

[dmagicglock]

well their GDP is only 6.95 billion... so if we give them $400 million its like bam here's 5% of your GDP but we really need to step it up and just add haiti to our "universal healthcare" bill and then it really would be "Universal" and since that bill is already over a trillion bones... we could just earmark 6.95 billion to the haitians in that bill, and tell them to take the year off and rebuild!

[MidgetTodd]

Pretty solid logic right there. Probally already been proposed that way in congress too, and thats sad.

[InyaAzz]

Look at the news the aid isnt even getting to the people that really need it everything is getting mobbed and stolen before it even gets into the city. Gotta send in the miltary to protect peanut butter and water, come on

Probably because people haven't had anything to eat or drink in a week. if I had a family, hell, if even if it was just me, I'd be looting and stealing food too.

The instinct for human survival is a very powerful motivator. I am making an assumption, but the majority of people on this forum (and our country for that matter) have never been put in that kind of situation. Actually, considering how long it's been since people have even had clean water, it could be much worse. Bottom line, anyone delivering aid needs to have their own security if the military is not providing it.

People aren't going to stand patiently in line with thousands of other people when they and their families are starved. Not starved as in, shit I haven't eaten all day, let me smash on this double cheeseburger real quick. Starved as in atrophy, dehydration and failing organs.

I'm not a fan of continued aid with no end in site....I would much rather see aid where people are able to meet their immediate needs, and the rest going towards helping them (not just Haitians..anyone) sustain themselves...through infrastructure, agriculture, trade, whatever. The whole give a man a fish/teach a man to fish thing.

[Disclaimer]

I really dont have a problem with our gov't helping them but where does it stop? $100 mil will end up being more like 400mil.

When does it stop? This War on Terror costs around $360M PER DIEM.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33110.pdf

As of July 2009, DOD’s average monthly obligations for contracts and pay were about $10.9

billion, including $7.3 billion for Iraq, and $3.6 billion for Afghanistan.

Everything is relative.

[Disclaimer]

..

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As of this writing the bidding is up to $520.00.

[InyaAzz]

Ha!!!!

[Cheech]

I'm not a fan of continued aid with no end in site....I would much rather see aid where people are able to meet their immediate needs, and the rest going towards helping them (not just Haitians..anyone) sustain themselves...through infrastructure, agriculture, trade, whatever. The whole give a man a fish/teach a man to fish thing.

I agree with everything up to this point, and only within the microcosm of Haiti. The problem with Haiti is not only it's completely corrupt government, who has no problem siphoning off aid that was already flowing into the region, but the fact that you can't teach the Haitians how to sustain themselves by growing their own food because they've deforested the land so much that they've completely destroyed most of the topsoil. Every reforestation project has failed since people rely on wood and charcoal for heat. They will put up one tree, and 7 will fall down somewhere else.

I think what we're going to see here is an example of too much, too soon. These people are getting absolutely inundated with money and foreigners that someone is going to cash in. Once all the fervor dies down, it's going to be business as usual. Corrupt government, deforested land, population either unable or unwilling to change and adapt, and now an active fault to deal with.

[InyaAzz]

I agree with everything up to this point, and only within the microcosm of Haiti. The problem with Haiti is not only it's completely corrupt government, who has no problem siphoning off aid that was already flowing into the region, but the fact that you can't teach the Haitians how to sustain themselves by growing their own food because they've deforested the land so much that they've completely destroyed most of the topsoil. Every reforestation project has failed since people rely on wood and charcoal for heat. They will put up one tree, and 7 will fall down somewhere else.

I think what we're going to see here is an example of too much, too soon. These people are getting absolutely inundated with money and foreigners that someone is going to cash in. Once all the fervor dies down, it's going to be business as usual. Corrupt government, deforested land, population either unable or unwilling to change and adapt, and now an active fault to deal with.

I guess you missed the point where I didn't specifically say JUST agriculture. I'm full aware that they can't grow food...they were too busy trying to make charcoal or whatever. That doesn't mean they can't find other ways to survive. Labor/Services...some other good they can export..I don't know. The fact is, they are going to have challenges with feeding themselves, so they will have to get creative to solve them. Just throwing in the towel and saying it can't be done isn't a solution.

[Cheech]

I guess you missed the point where I didn't specifically say JUST agriculture. I'm full aware that they can't grow food...they were too busy trying to make charcoal or whatever. That doesn't mean they can't find other ways to survive. Labor/Services...some other good they can export..I don't know. The fact is, they are going to have challenges with feeding themselves, so they will have to get creative to solve them. Just throwing in the towel and saying it can't be done isn't a solution.

You have a point, I didn't cover labor/services/exportation. I didn't do this because you have to have a steady, sustainable method for feeding your own population before any of these other things can happen. Otherwise, your only export will be your own people.

Call me a cynical bastard, but there's no fault in saying this is an unwinnable situation. The world is going to do what it always does, for the first few weeks it will be a dick-measuring contest to see who can commit the most funds and aid (then barely deliver if at all, see the Indonesian Tsunami), then people will lose interest, a small group of people fleece the donated funds (see the Wyclef Jean foundation, happening a little earlier than normal) the population gets what's left and a little extra help for reconstruction, then everything goes back to normal.

Haiti will still be a third-world nation, it's government still be corrupt albeit richer, it won't follow up on any reforestation or environmental programs started by the aid and donations, as a result it's people will go back to being starving, another hurricane will roll along like it does every couple of years, and things will go right back to the way they were.

I hate to be so pessimistic, but I also have a few decades of history to back me up.

[InyaAzz]

You have a point, I didn't cover labor/services/exportation. I didn't do this because you have to have a steady, sustainable method for feeding your own population before any of these other things can happen. Otherwise, your only export will be your own people.

Call me a cynical bastard, but there's no fault in saying this is an unwinnable situation. The world is going to do what it always does, for the first few weeks it will be a dick-measuring contest to see who can commit the most funds and aid (then barely deliver if at all, see the Indonesian Tsunami), then people will lose interest, a small group of people fleece the donated funds (see the Wyclef Jean foundation, happening a little earlier than normal) the population gets what's left and a little extra help for reconstruction, then everything goes back to normal.

Haiti will still be a third-world nation, it's government still be corrupt albeit richer, it won't follow up on any reforestation or environmental programs started by the aid and donations, as a result it's people will go back to being starving, another hurricane will roll along like it does every couple of years, and things will go right back to the way they were.

I hate to be so pessimistic, but I also have a few decades of history to back me up.

I don't doubt anything you've typed. History IS the best teacher.

[Aerik]

I don't doubt anything you've typed. History IS the best teacher.

True, and situations like this bring out opportunists like the ice cream truck brings out fat kids.

[Cheech]

True, and situations like this bring out opportunists like the ice cream truck brings out fat kids.

I'm sorry, did someone mention they had Klondike bars?

[Das Borgen]

Pure Win ^^^^^

I haven t logged in some time but honestly I myself do not find it funny at all' date=' especially when PortauPrince is where I grew up.

I was fortunate enough to suffer no family casualties but I honestly find it disgusting and vile that anybody can make light of something of this magnitude.. I still lost many friends and many parents of close friends. hell, my ex girlfriend who completely shut me out of her life 6 months ago even called me crying to see how I was doing

Now, I don't know if I'm the only Haitian on these boards but please have some modicum of respect for my compatriots and stop this.... it makes me sick

look at this album and see if you're still laughing after this

[url']http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=136933&id=506879725&ref=nf

/rant

[Blitzburgh]

i'm still laughing.. But i did just get done watching the movie Friday...

I think the late n great Sammy said it best...

I'm like anyone else on this planet -- I'm very moved by world hunger. I see the same commercials, with those little kids, starving, and very depressed. I watch those kids and I go, 'Fuck, I know the FILM crew could give this kid a sandwich!' There's a director five feet away going, 'DON'T FEED HIM YET! GET THAT SANDWICH OUTTA HERE! IT DOESN'T WORK UNLESS HE LOOKS HUNGRY!!!' But I'm not trying to make fun of world hunger. Matter of fact, I think I have the answer. You want to stop world hunger? Stop sending these people food. Don't send these people another bite, folks. You want to send them something, you want to help? Send them U-Hauls. Send them U-Hauls, some luggage, send them a guy out there who says, 'Hey, we been driving out here every day with your food, for, like, the last thirty or forty years, and we were driving out here today across the desert, and it occurred to us that there wouldn't BE world hunger, if you people would LIVE WHERE THE FOOD IS! YOU LIVE IN A DESERT! YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT! NOTHING GROWS OUT HERE! NOTHING'S GONNA GROW OUT HERE! YOU SEE THIS? HUH? THIS IS SAND. KNOW WHAT IT'S GONNA BE A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW? IT'S GONNA BE SAND! YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT! GET YOUR STUFF, GET YOUR SHIT, WE'LL MAKE ONE TRIP, WE'LL TAKE YOU TO WHERE THE FOOD IS! WE HAVE DESERTS IN AMERICA -- WE JUST DON'T LIVE IN THEM, ASSHOLES!

[Cheech]

...

Edited January 19, 2010 by Cheech

[fusion]

[InyaAzz]

Is there a 'brown paper bag over head' smiley?

[Disclaimer]

Why so serious?

[InyaAzz]

I've run out of things to pretend to be working on at work.

[Das Borgen]

seriously guys. this is my country you're poking fun at. I'm gonna sound like I got sand in my vagina but out of respect for it, please stop poking at the unfortunate peopl struck by the quake.

I have no problem blasting the politicians and their corruption because in all fairness, it is true. I cannot deny that. I have witnessed it all first hand from the coup d'etat in 1991 to the happenings before, during and after the American embargo and occupation in the mid-90s.

I can assure you, nobody here would love to be the victim of a quake and have people make fun of you because of your past and misfortunes

[InyaAzz]

Das..there are people here that actually give a shit (I would be included in that category)...and there are people here who could give less then a damn. You've already seen that first hand. Just commenting on the whole voodoo doll post..Cheech wasn't digging on Haiti..it was a dig on Pat R., resident fuck doll. As far as trying to get folks to not make jokes..I'm gonna tell you right now..not gonna happen. Believe me... I would like nothing more than to say everyone here would take this situation seriously..but they won't. For two reasons. One, it doesn't affect them personally. Two, this is OR.net. We fuck sheep. There's really nothing else to say.

FYI...I for one, am glad your family is safe. There are a LOT of folks on here who feel the same. Trust me. They really do give a fuck...at least while they're looking at their 69" LCD monitors and stroking their iPhones.

There's a third category I forget to mention. Those that truly don't give a fuck. And it's their right not to.