• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Earthquake hits Haiti

William Parcher said:
Dead right now, or will be dead?
Click to expand...

"Might be dead." Interpret that as you will. I hope it is just an estimate how many might die because something might be done to stop it as opposed to already being dead.
 
Scott Haley said:
I want to donate money to help the Hatians. Is the Red Cross the group to give it to? I remember the scandal when donations to help 9/11 victims weren't all used for that.
Click to expand...

The Red Cross is almost certainly a good place to steer donations. They will be doing huge amounts of disaster relief work, as will Doctors Without Borders, CARE, and Oxfam, any of which is probably a good place to send money.

IIRC, the Red Cross "scandal" was that they raised money around 9/11 implying that it would be used solely for that, but leaving wiggle room in the fine print. When people found out they were not using all the associated funds for 9/11 relief, there was a backlash. I suspect they've learned their lesson on that front by now. In any case, it is unlikely that you'd find an organization that big that has absolutely no problems in its past and is run perfectly. The Red Cross and others I mentioned are all pretty well-run groups that do a lot of good work.

One of the things that has most impressed me about any organization's fundraising ever was when Doctors Without Borders stopped accepting contributions earmarked for tsunami relief when they got to the point that they couldn't effectively deploy any more funds.

That said, I'd like to add a plea here. It is tempting to give money earmarked for relief in Haiti, because the devastation is so appalling and it makes us feel good to think we're doing something to help by designating a contribution for that purpose. But this is not the most effective way of giving. Please try to make unrestricted gifts to any charity you choose to support. They will be spending huge amounts of resources on relief to Haiti, and any additional funds that come in the door increase what they have available to spend on that. But they are also responding to other needs and other crises, both today and in the unforeseen future. When donations are restricted, the charity cannot use them to support work elsewhere, even if the need is greater. If you trust the organization enough to give them your money, trust them to use good judgment in spending it.
 
Skeptic said:
To be fair, people who thank God for their survival might be illogical, but on a totally different moral level than those who justify God for sending the disaster in the first place.
Click to expand...

Yes. I just meant that in situations like this, we always hear these types of stories, with the addition of the "miracle" one.
 
MaGZ said:
The only reason CNN is covering this story as a serious news is because the country and our president is Black.
Click to expand...
No.

The news coverage is due to the natural disaster and the immense body count (estimated) from a 7.0 earthquake. A 7.0 Richter earthquake anywhere in the world tends to get a lot of coverage, due to the media's "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality.

Not even a nice try, MaGZ.

Also, you might be interested to note that Haiti was the second nation in the Western Hemisphere, after the US, to throw off the Imperial European Yoke. They tossed the French out in 1804. I would think that your anti-imperial sensibilities would allow you some empathy for the people of Haiti, and their history.

DR
 
Last edited:
Kind of an odd lede to this story about some college students in Haiti:

It was perhaps the best email Joan Prudhomme has ever gotten: "Julie Prudhomme wishes to tell you that I'm ok and will contact you later."
Click to expand...

"Perhaps"? I'd suspect "easily" or "surely" or "by a unimaginable margin" would be closer to the truth.
 
The US is sending up to 3,500 soldiers and 2,200 marines to Haiti to help rescue efforts in the wake of the devastating earthquake.

President Barack Obama pledged one of the biggest relief efforts in recent US history and said Haiti would "not be forgotten" in its hour of need.
Click to expand...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8459444.stm

America rocks!


How many troops were sent after the Tsunami btw? (ETA: Just found out. About 15,000)
 
Last edited:
commandlinegamer said:
Politics can wait; starving people can't.
Click to expand...

Of course,but it may be important to educate people about the history in order to build the political will to put resources into the relief effort. Especially when you've already got people like Rush Limbaugh trying to turn it into a political issue.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom