As the vultures circle the dead and dying, they might as well be carrion in the wilderness with no chance of remembrance among the living. As news headlines fill the mind with visions of hell... 150,000 lay dead.
The city of Port au Prince might as well be half a universe away. The country of Haiti lies ravaged by a new culprit, a 7.0 earthquake. What crime could these people have committed to exact a toll so heavy that nature should be judge, jury and executioner? Is it not enough that the people of Haiti continuously suffered years of bone-jarring poverty in conjunction with a corrupt government that governed for over 30 plus oppressive years?
I do believe that congratulations are in order, because any species that carries its progeny into the future might be awed at the power of life and its natural ability of renewal. But not today, not now. Katrina has birthed a daughter, and I am enveloped in a strange sense of déjà vu. How many remember the devastation of Katrina, raise your hand… anyone? How many remember the lack of empathy for the dead and dying? “How long must we wait?” The cries echoed from rooftops. How is it that we can transport tanks and earth moving equipment that weigh tons, half way around the world on a moment’s notice, but cannot get life saving supplies to a country right off the coast of Florida?
The first countries to offer aid were Venezuela and Columbia, as well as Spain, Great Britain, Brazil, St. Kitts and Nevis to name just a few. The earthquake pierced the calm of this poverty-stricken country on January 12, 2010. Our preoccupation with matters of race, ethnicity and culture, pale in comparison to these moments in history when Mother Nature strikes each of us equally.
Secretary Clinton arrives to assess the damage to the region on January 16, and almost simultaneously naval ships deploy. Then we, the U.S., arrive on January 18, and the stench of death is so overpowering that one cannot help but be sickened by the sight of so many bodies strewn about in the streets like lifeless refuse begging for the dignity of human compassion. A city, struggling to be admitted to the table of the counted, now merely wishes to survive. We pay billions and billions of dollars to fund two wars that are a “necessity,” but we cannot get relief efforts to coalesce in a timely fashion. Shame on the U.S.! If such a disaster should befall our country, what countries would step up to help us?
The stories of families leaving their dead for fear of dying in the same manner in the once vibrant homes they lived in. There are many more stories of the dead being robbed of their personal effects so that the living can survive. The chaos is so great that the dead have no one to claim them because no one knows who the dead belong to for a proper burial. They cannot even afford a single moment’s pause to grieve.
What is the value of human life?
How can we boil this down to dollars and sense?
The international community showed up almost immediately following the aftermath of this tragedy, and they came equipped with supplies ready to distribute. Meanwhile, the United States is putting together the teams that will go to Haiti because the relief effort strategy takes time, but Haiti does not have time. While countries across the world show up on Haiti’s front door with relief in hand, we are but a stone’s throw away. Where is the Calvary now, Mr. Cheney?
The media’s coverage of this tragedy is appalling. We vicariously watch as these human beings die through the lens of a fishbowl. How depraved can we as a society be? Soon there will be a cavalcade of celebrities wanting to be seen in commercials showing their support for Haiti. Or, trying to figure out how they can be on the next telethon operating the phones. Who will be the next celebrity to adopt a Haitian child in competition with Madonna or Angelina Jolie in the numbers race for exotic children? The list is endless.
I wonder how George W. Bush will advise the current President on the success of Katrina, what he did and how that might translate into what needs to be done in the aftermath of this earthquake. We just cannot afford to ignore the successes that Katrina bore out in terms of the crack preparedness of FEMA and other emergency agencies. This is the time George… speak up.