I’m no fan of looting, but if our gov’t was as MIA as the Haitian gov’t is, and my kids were starving, I’D LOOT TOO.
This might be the most shameful display of gov’t incompetence I’ve ever seen. Not a police officer to be seen .... anywhere. No EMS, no fire department...nothing. Not even a token appearance of first responders. Unreal.
Think about it: these people have been traumatized, seeing loved ones crushed to death. They are engaging in search and rescue themselves, as civilians, backbreaking work. Now add to this: no clean water, no food, no shelter, no medical care, no communications, and NO HELP FROM GOV’T on any level. And this has been going on in 90 degree heat and humidity for three days!
How useless is the Haitian gov’t? They have basically turned over all gov’t functions to the U.S. Military, including control of the airport.
Good grief...what a mess. No wonder the people are frustrated.
Welcome to Haiti where the only police are enforcement thugs of the rulers, there is no EMS at all, the fire department is something most Haitians have never even heard of and the idea of "first responders" is so foreign that only medical workers who have lived in the U.S. would even have a concept to work with.
There is no governmental services. The only people with a uniform are there to beat you and take your things.
This is the harsh reality for most of the world, and Haiti (before the earthquake) lives in the darkest, dankest pit of that reality.
On one hand I’m glad we’re sending in troops, but w/out a Haitian police presence (which evidently there isn’t) and w/out the UN peacekeepers (which are largely unaccounted for and/or unorganized at this point)...that means the US soldiers may become the policemen. And I’d hate to be the one standing between a man whose children are starving and food that is being “stored.” It will probably get very ugly before the crisis is past.
I’m in Florida, and after a hurricane people can get really agressive, and they’re usually just waiting for ice. The Haitians are going on day 3 w/out food or decent water, plus there are bodies decomposing all around them (the stench has to be awful.) Desperate times lead to desperate measures, I’m not really sure who’s in charge but something needs to happen soon.
The amazing thing is that we have libs, Obamabots, and Foggy Bottom State Department volk laying on as if we needed proper process diplomatic channel full permission to get in their and help.
When blood is in the streets you don’t wait for ‘diplomats”, ever. There was once a great leader in Medieval Spain, probably even a diplomatic type, when his city was hit by a massive earthquake, he said “Get to work now! Feed the hungry, bury the dead!” and immediately rolled up his sleeves and joined the effort.