US Criticized for Relief Effort in Haiti

[helicopper 1,050]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583829,00.html

Italy's Disaster Chief Blasts 'Pathetic' U.S. Aid Work in Haiti

Italy's top disaster official blasted the U.S.-led relief effort in Haiti as a "pathetic" failure that is turning a national tragedy into a "vanity show for the television cameras." Guido Bertolaso, the head of Italy's Civil Protection Agency, told Italian television on Sunday that the U.S. military "tends to confuse military intervention with emergency intervention," and that despite the presence of 13,000 U.S. troops there, "no one is giving orders."

He said there is a danger that aid will be lost by the "inefficient" operation.

Bertolaso threw darts at targets ranging from former President Bill Clinton to the United Nations, which he faulted for throwing aid packages at the island and hoping for the best. "They thought they could bring something to eat and drink and the problem would be resolved," he told a television interviewer. Bertolaso called for the appointment of a civilian international humanitarian coordinator.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini quickly distanced the government in Rome from Bertolaso's comments and said the Cabinet-level official was not speaking in an official capacity when he lit into the U.S.

But Bertolaso also struck out at aid groups sending millions in relief and hundreds of volunteers to help the struggling island. He said the forces helping Haiti were often more focused on public relations than providing assistance. "Once they've arrived on the scene of a disaster, organizations too often think about putting up a big poster with their symbol on it, to look good in front of cameras, rather than getting to work to bring aid to those who need it," he said. Bertolaso accused those aid groups of "putting on a vanity show for the television cameras instead of rolling up their sleeves," singling out Bill Clinton, the U.S. Special envoy to Haiti, for a special thrashing.

Many corollaries to domestic operations can be drawn from these statements too.

[EMSer 15]

it isn't a false statement, there is enough food and water at the Haitian airports to save and prolong life, but there isn't enough people to distribute it. there is not order. (These aren't my words, a friend of mine works at the American Red Cross and is disgusted that American people and donated millions of their hard earned money to Haiti, yet most of the money paid for food, water and clothing that hasn't reached the people)

the Haitian government assembled, yet they don't know what they're doing, and the countries that sent troops are not ordering, they're just there...some still looking for people buried, but the saved aren't getting lifesaving attention

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Wait, all the sudden its the US' job to run the world? This from the Euro-countries that blast us for acting as the "world's police" every time we take charge of a situation? Pick one, either we're in charge or we're not. Why hasn't Italy stepped up to run the show? Or the UN? Or China?

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Oh I'm sorry did yet another wanna be world superpower say something?

Give me a break...doesn't anyone honestly have any idea logistically what is encountered here?

Or which one is it...we're occupying Haiti...or we're not doing enough.

No no..I figured it out...for the next disaster in the world...we as a country will sit back and see what the other world "powers" do. Damned if you do..damned if you don't and one word to the wise as I quickly learned...the U.S. military is not a police force...doing humanitarian work believe it or not can be both stressful and confusing. Yet again damned if you do..damned if you don't. Provoke something and you have to use deadly force and forget it..we'd be the butchers of the world.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

Maybe let the Chinese do it? (Don't think they're quite ready yet. And I wish I hadn't included their photo in an earlier post!)

Haiti: Chinese USAR teams appear ill equipped for task at hand:

Amazing how ill prepared the Chinese USAR teams appear to be.

Kite string holding goggles on, no web gear, no headlamps, etc.

What else does this photo show?

I did see another photo showing Chinese teams loading large Chinese flags aboard aircraft for mission to Haiti, They should be used as tarps!

They have 747 taking up space at Port-au-

Prince airport too!

http://calfire.blogspot.com/2010/01/haiti-chinese-usar-teams-appear-ill.html

[ex-commish 490]

Weren't we the first ones there? Did not we send thousands of troops? Rescuers? Money? When Italy can match what we did there and what we do all over the world than maybe this "disaster official " can say something. ALS is right...next time we should sit back and watch but we won't.

[ny10570 745]

We weren't the first, but we certainly sent the most resources. One guy with some brass on his collar ranting is just that, some guy. He's essentially bitching that the US didn't take control and run the show. As for who's first, it was the Chinese. They staged a photo op so they could claim they were first. As per a guy on the ground, the chinese rolled up with hand tools and jumpsuits. They're slightly more capable than the locals with less language skills. Go China!

[PEMO3 523]

While I am all for helping out other nations in a crisis, and we should, hundreds of millions have been spent, concerts have been held, charities have been created, corporations have donated tens of millions of dollars and goods, the networks and various television shows have just about created 24/7 coverage and yet we have a national crisis occurring under our noses that is all but being ignored. Families are becoming just as homeless here in the US as homes are foreclosed and jobs are lost by the hundreds daily. Children are going to bed at night hungry and grown men are seeing a jump from a bridge as the only solution to their problems. Maybe we do not have people trapped under bricks and concrete but they are trapped under mountains of debt and hopelessness. When I was growing up there was a saying that charity begins at home. Lets face is every time the US steps up to the plate and take resources that could best be used for its own population it is always ridiculed for its actions. Maybe it is time that priorities were reassessed.

[EMT74 4]

While I am all for helping out other nations in a crisis, and we should, hundreds of millions have been spent, concerts have been held, charities have been created, corporations have donated tens of millions of dollars and goods, the networks and various television shows have just about created 24/7 coverage and yet we have a national crisis occurring under our noses that is all but being ignored. Families are becoming just as homeless here in the US as homes are foreclosed and jobs are lost by the hundreds daily. Children are going to bed at night hungry and grown men are seeing a jump from a bridge as the only solution to their problems. Maybe we do not have people trapped under bricks and concrete but they are trapped under mountains of debt and hopelessness. When I was growing up there was a saying that charity begins at home. Lets face is every time the US steps up to the plate and take resources that could best be used for its own population it is always ridiculed for its actions. Maybe it is time that priorities were reassessed.

Right on Joe!!!! I couldn't have said it better myself.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

In my opinion, we have a moral obligation to the developing world to support them in their time of need. I was in the Dominican Republic for the earthquake and felt it quite violently where I was. There were real concerns about the safety of the building we were staying in even that far from the earthquake epicenter. Even though we in the US have our own domestic problems, we have safety nets, fall back systems, safe guards and other mechanisms in place to prevent our quality of life from being totally eroded from under our feet. It is a fact that Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, it is also a fact that they have none of the safe guards listed above. They were already dirt poor when this happened, now that their entire government, country, way of life and surroundings have been completely destroyed. The country is in shambles. Part of the problem is the fact that the government has been severely weakened by outside influences. The sugar industry and the commodity trade wreaked financial misery on the country for the better part of 250 years. Military intervention was been called for on the Island of Hispaniola many times. We can actually blame much of the failed government in Haiti on the intervention of foreign governments like the French, Spanish and the United States. The United States occupied Haiti for 20 years from 1914 to 1934, during this time we took apart much of the government. Since we left Haiti has had little ability to reorganize and has been stripped of its natural resources, when the United States left Haiti in 1934 and again in 2004, we weakened the state and allowed the opportunity for conditions that lead up the horrific loss of life in Port-au-Prince to occur. It can be said, and has been said, by many people well more educated and informed on this topic that while the United States can not be blamed for the earthquake, we can be blamed for the failure of their government, lack of economy and the conditions that allowed for such a huge amount of loss of life to occur.

If you don't believe me read "Why the Cocks Fight" by Michelle Wucker or research Dominican-Haitian-International relations on the internet.

For the record, I believe that the US should have an instrumental roll in the rescue, recovery, rebuilding of Haiti well into my lifetime.

[27east 19]

This is nice.

What other country can help the way we can?

If we don't go in there, no one else can/will.

Mabye the thing to do next time is just watch and see what other country runs there with the resources we can send.

[Goose 188]

In my opinion, we have a moral obligation to the developing world to support them in their time of need. I was in the Dominican Republic for the earthquake and felt it quite violently where I was. There were real concerns about the safety of the building we were staying in even that far from the earthquake epicenter. Even though we in the US have our own domestic problems, we have safety nets, fall back systems, safe guards and other mechanisms in place to prevent our quality of life from being totally eroded from under our feet. It is a fact that Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, it is also a fact that they have none of the safe guards listed above. They were already dirt poor when this happened, now that their entire government, country, way of life and surroundings have been completely destroyed. The country is in shambles. Part of the problem is the fact that the government has been severely weakened by outside influences. The sugar industry and the commodity trade wreaked financial misery on the country for the better part of 250 years. Military intervention was been called for on the Island of Hispaniola many times. We can actually blame much of the failed government in Haiti on the intervention of foreign governments like the French, Spanish and the United States. The United States occupied Haiti for 20 years from 1914 to 1934, during this time we took apart much of the government. Since we left Haiti has had little ability to reorganize and has been stripped of its natural resources, when the United States left Haiti in 1934 and again in 2004, we weakened the state and allowed the opportunity for conditions that lead up the horrific loss of life in Port-au-Prince to occur. It can be said, and has been said, by many people well more educated and informed on this topic that while the United States can not be blamed for the earthquake, we can be blamed for the failure of their government, lack of economy and the conditions that allowed for such a huge amount of loss of life to occur.

If you don't believe me read "Why the Cocks Fight" by Michelle Wucker or research Dominican-Haitian-International relations on the internet.

For the record, I believe that the US should have an instrumental roll in the rescue, recovery, rebuilding of Haiti well into my lifetime.

Typical liberal response. I'm a bit surprised that you didn't include the fact that it was Bush's fault.

Edited January 27, 2010 by Goose

[helicopper 1,050]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100127/ap_on_bi_ge/lt_haiti_us_aid

AP article about US aid $$$.