What to say about Haiti?

I just saw a report a few minutes ago from CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta in Haiti that doctors where he is located are being told to leave the area due to the threat of riots and gunfire. This was about 8:20 p.m. est.  There is, unfortunately, no lack of patients in desperate need of care.

Human history shows that a people will turn violent if driven by exhaustion, hunger, and thirst.  Combine these conditions with Haiti’s incredible poverty and volatile past and violence is to be expected. 

This does not excuse the perpetrators.  But it also should not preclude those that wish to help from helping; there are still children and other innocents along with aid workers.

While I pray there are no injuries related to this unrest, the security forces that are in the area need to protect the lives of the aid workers and the innocent without concern that the world will judge them poorly if their actions cause deaths among rioters.  In other words, I hope those committing violence are stopped; peacefully if possible, but stopped.  Enough innocent life has been lost.

Pray and give.

As an additional note; I have heard numerous reports in these last two days of supplies at the airport that can not be moved out to the people because roads are blocked and damaged.  Apparently there is a need for a lot of earth moving equipment.  Note that U.S. urban areas are subject to similar problems in the event of an earthquake or large explosion.  I hope FEMA is learning from what is happening now in Haiti and planning for a similar need here.

Finally, I was glad to that the Cato Institute support both the Constitutionality of U.S. aid to Haiti and the Obama administration motives. 

“Christopher A. Preble, Cato director of foreign policy studies, says the use of taxpayer funds and the mobilization of the American military are an appropriate use of public resources in the face of the tragedy:”

Tagged as: earthquake, haitan, haiti