The recent earthquake in Haiti which devastated the capital Port-au-Prince has sent shockwaves across the globe. In an era of instant communication, the horrific pictures of the carnage afflicted on Haiti has been emotional for many who have witnessed it. Some say hundreds of people are dead or injured, others say hundreds of thousands. Only time will tell the extent of the injuries and damage to humans and property. The devastation has been enough to force many to ask, why Haiti. This is a country which has had to endure perennial suffering whether manmade or acts of God.
BU is heartened by the global response to the cry for help by Haiti. In the past similar humanitarian relief efforts have been hampered by corruption in the distribution efforts of aid. We hope that those responsible in administering the relief efforts in Haiti will do what is right.
Now is an opportunity for the Caricom region to respond as a region to what is required to effectively help Haiti. It is good we have a few regional Prime Ministers flying into Haiti to see and hear for themselves what is required to support the humanitarian effort. Is this a PR exercise done to satisfy our obligations to a regional member? Time will tell!
Already the catastrophe in Haiti has revealed how religion can expose the ignorance of some people. It has been reported that Pat Robertson who is an American Christian televangelist has blamed Haiti’s pact with Satan as the cause for its suffering. We are flabbergasted that a man of such influence and suggested intellect would be driven to spout such bovine excrement.
On behalf of the BU household we hope and pray that those behind the relief effort will be able to mobilize quickly and to do what is required to relieve the suffering to those who are alive and to bring dignity to those who have died so tragically.
Haiti I am Sorry – David Rudder
618 responses to “Haiti We Are Sorry”
Did Pat really surprise you David?!?…Seriously!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/13/pat-robertson-haiti-curse_n_422099.html
@Techie
Actually he has surprised us. Even if he believes that folly there is time and place to consider.
David
I hope that when you write such an article you will slant it in such a way as to expose Vic Fernandes grandiose scheme of exploiting international tragedies to get mileage for the organisations that he is involved in (whether Rotary or in this case OCM).
Now tell me, how in God’s name can raising Barbados money through this “radiothon” that they are advertising, do anything for anyone except develop in peoples mind a specific image of the company that is organisation it?
Ca dear, if people have something to give, there is the Red Cross, Salvation Army, PEP, Church groups and so on that are already mobilised and have done the tasteful thing in advertising their presence as a news item..! The hon. Council for Haiti has already said that money from Barbados is meaningless w.r.t the size of the Haitian population, and that what was needed was personnel (for instance from the defence force).
Now if Virgin does rotate flights into Haiti ongoing, for free, then sending tents, blankets food and water would then be the only viable option… If OCM was genuinely interested in helping, they would raise their own money and send it…!
Please DO NOT FORGET that these people sent home a large segment of their staff on the slightest hint of there being a economic down turn and bought some pretty expensive cars for their executives…! It would be appropriate to have a radiothon to raise money for those people instead, at least they would be able to spend the currency that was raised…!
BAFBFP
I must agree with you on the issue of stinking Vic Fernandes & OCM organising a “Radiothon”.to help Haiti.
BAFBFP You are so right on the point of Vic Fernandes & its sister company sending home many of its employees in the most abrupt & disgusting manner possible.Employees in the Sports Department at VOB after an outside event were unceremoniously fired when they returned to the station and were given security escorts off the premises.Yes that oversize,stinking Guyanese with his semi-retarded son Vic Fernandes treated Black Barbadian employees with utter contempt and now this is the same stinking Vic Fernandes putting on a “Radiothon to assist Black Haitians.The hypocrisy & deceit of those bastards.
I would not support the OCM “Radiothon” for the simple reason that big guts stinking,half caste criminal in Vic Fernandes & OCM are responsible for that “Radiothon”I doubt the sincerity of the effort and it is only a public relations gimmick by musty Vic Fernandes to improve the damage image of VOB,Nation Newspaper & OCM.
My contribution to the effort of assisting Haiti will done through the International Red Cross or even through David Comissiong because I know David Comisssiong efforts in these type of ventures are genuine.
I second and third EVERYTHING that that was said! I am giving my contribution to a Church!
Pat is not too far off from the Mormons beliefs that we as blacks are a ‘cursed race”
2 Nephi 5 verses 21-23
And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea ,even a sore cursing,because of their iniquity .For behold ,they had hardened their hearts against him,that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore as they were WHITE and exceedingly FAIR, and DELIGHTSOME ,that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause skin of BLACKNESS to come upon them.
And thus saith the Lord God ;I will cause that they shall be LOATHSOME unto my people ,save they shall repent of their iniquities
And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed ; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing .And the Lord spake it,and it was done.
Please read the book entitled “The Black Jacobins” written by the legendary C.L.R. JAMES.
If you want to know about black revolution and true emancipation – read this book.
Haiti, for me, will always represent what could be, if we as a black race unite and remove from our midst those who conspire to do us harm.
Are Bajans aware of the historial significance of this country.?
Viva Hiati!
@JC…..I hope you never go back into that store for a sip of water to wet your thirsty palate!
@Hants…….What did Haiti do for Mother nature to punish her? Haiti committed one GREAT CRIME and that was to kick the white man’s ass.
Why isn’t Washington, Buckingham Palace and the Vatican being punished?
Makes me wonder whether or not that was truly Mother Nature or a manmade earthquake i.e. HAARP!
@Negroman……..Don’t give your contribution to the Red Cross. If you truly know Commisong’s actions to be genuine give it to him.
The Haitians need more help than any Guyanese!
At a time of great bereavement, when a nation mourns and its children’s tears fall on an earth that has been shaken to its foundations. Let us think of them and reason not on the why, but how we can be of help to our brothers and sisters.
Let us “leave” the narrow focus of those who seek to justify “their own” prophesy for their benefit…in the anguish of others.
Let us not become entangled in that morass but seek to dwell on a higher plain.
You expect a lot from him, from his previous mouthings, nothing surprises me about that man. Funny that no one has a problem with the money paid by Haiti to the Europeans.
On the topic though, where is the Haitian Army and the Government Ministers etc?
I am yet to see any Official Government Agencies take a stand amid the chaos, what is going on?
The rise and fall of the mulatto community during this revolutionary period; makes for very interesting reading.
The outcome for the ruling caucasian class was unprecedented.
The underdogs (the slaves) became the top dogs. All is explained in the book. Give it a read.
Hopi don’t worry I aint gine!!!!
To continue from where you have left off!
Why when the great US of A had their recent catastrophe there were not being punished?
Why when there was the tsunami the Asians were not being punished!
What shite is this that I am hearing!
When persons are being raped and mutilated in Africa such as Dafur they deserve this? STUPSE STUPSE!
YOU PEOPLE ARE TRULY BRAINWASHED!
Wow…
Haiti is being punished alright…….punished by having to pay the Europeans compensation for their own (Haitians) freedom for so long.
Technician. Hiati has no arm forces. The arm forces were disbanded by Aristide due to its penchant for coup detat and was replaced by a national police force.Remember the international peace keeping force in Hiati is the only security detail in the country.
Caricom sending and advance party to Haiti looks so damned stupid…! Egotism is the curse of academics…! If there is money in the kitty let it be used for a real agenda and do away with this PR nonsense…! Who will accommodate them while they are there..?
@ David
Why not teleport some of the comments from the town hall meeting thread over to this one so that we could continue with the Vic Fernandes bashing…!
So zion1971
Please tell me where the weapons came from that armed the people who apparently ousted Aristide eight years ago..? The same Fernandes in his Market Vendor costume was first on the radio laughing at Aristide saying that “If he didn’t leave de Haitians would ah kill he..!”
Wanna got tah rememba that it was not only de French that L’ouverture beat up on, he lick a good few Spaniards and Englishmen too. In fact he had to come down hard on Mulatoes like Golding and Thompy too so yah nevah know when de backlash gun cease…!
Trinidad din waste nah time, 1 Mil US up front.. nah overseas first class travel, come on, everybody knows that Jamaica ain’ got nah US… and Barbados only got a little bit lef’ back…
every time i hear a white man make such negative comments about about my black skin it causes such pain to my whole self i wonder why we continue to give links to these comments it is as though this sore will never heal over until i am dead and right now our prime minister with regard to the green paper seams to be opening the flood gates to other races to enter Barbados bringing their hatred with them does he not under stand how black people are looked upon i know some may say look at what other good white people are doing but you know it will take these type efforts another 400 years to remove the stigma that has been put on me because of slavery,right now my hart burden down for the people in Haiti and there is no black nation that can come to their rescue caricom has no ships no planes heavy lifting equipment we are still depending on the people that hate us when will we be shown respect
yes blacks are a cursed race: cursed by whites;mocked by whites;scorned by whites
sad very sad !
I do not even know why you all are giving Pat Robertson’s comments the time of day.
He is a rightwing nutjob, nothing more nor less.
Back to the issue.
Well said Yardbroom.
It is heartening to see the international community racing to aid.
BAF notes that he would refuse aid from certain people in times of need, I cannot see that viewpoint and must believe that BAFBFP is really underestimating just how bad the situation is.
I would agree that rather than go themselves, the Ministers should be sending representatives from our emergency services or BDF or Police to work with the ground people there and assess how we can help.
This situation shows just how bad things can be.
Think however, that this could just as easily be Barbados, New York or wherever.
Nature can be unforgiving.
@Yardbroom
I say”amen”
@BabBFP
I give you my heart.
ac;
Your heart is always welcome, but I still workin’ on a lil’ some’m some’m…! Ah boy you ain’ suppose to know..!
Hatians Crushed, the nation had this as a headline for one of their stories today. Insensitive in the circumstances?
Crusoe
Within context, if I am convinced that you are the main source of my misery, and then in time of my greatest need you offer to help and do so to gain as much mileage as you possibly can, yes sir I would rather starve..!
It takes a person of strong conviction and will to do that!!
Easy to say. But I suspect you are not appreciating just how bad this thing is.
No techie;
It should just take someone who is the great great great great grandson of someone who was considered chattel…!
To Ten 4:
You should have continued into verse 24: “and because of their cursing which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischeif and subtleety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey”. And there are black adherents of this garbage.
@David
Do you see something sinister about that headlined.”Crushed Haitians”?
I think Pat Robertson headlined was”Crused Haitians?
@David
By the way i hate your picture or logo or whatever symbol you are using.Why are you not using a real photo of yourself?
Thanks to Barbados Underground for posting something about Haiti.
As for the so-called “Barbados Free Press”….. Not a single word on that blog about the earthquake in Haiti.
Of course, the so-called “Barbados Free Press” has never been interested in BLACK Barbadians, or BLACK Caribbean people, or BLACK people or BLACK anything.
On the other hand, the so-called “Barbados Free Press” is always ready to promote anything done by white foreigners in Bim.
@Krisp
If you have a problem with the other blog take that fight to them.Right now the plight of the Haitan people are of more concern.
Now you can Take your message to BFP and tell them ac sent you there
On a slightly different note, I heard some engineer, I think it is Phillips, on radio today while I was at a business place. He was saying the same think I was saying for a while, the building standards in Barbados has fallen and if we are hit by a strong hurricane or earthquake many building in Barbados will fall. The apt that fell into the cave and the house in St George that a large portion broke off with that little tremor don’t seem to have had reinforced steel in the structure. There is a building code in Barbados but it is not enforced.
Why are PMs going into Haiti.. for assessment? Assessment of what?..You mean they jipsy?, Like when you have an accident, and every body stop to look. The country is crying out for medical help and expertise, and they gone to look. Poor Jamaica sending in a medical team. Even poor Guyana sending money. Why not send medical time this time, and the usual light & power team later
@David……….I’m glad you posted David Rudder’s Haiti…what a beautiful and soul searching piece, esp for us Black people of the C’bean.
Pat Robertson ain’t no damn rightwing nutjob. Robertson is in the majority. Ask most christians or whitey for that matter how they really feel about Haiti and they would probably agree with Robertson.
What religious filth like Pat Robertson will never tell you is how Haiti got to be in the destitute condition that she’s in right now. Its because of the sweat, blood, and tears of Haitians and other ignorant Blacks that he can sit on a television today and verbalise diarhea.
@BAFBFP……I wid you. I’d be very wary of Greeks Bearing Gifts. What a curse the Black race is blessed with…in that we are always willing to FORGIVE and TRUST our enemy. That has always been our downfall!
Right now one of the major burdens that Haiti is carrying is that Catholic religion. She needs to rid herself of that monkey and return to mental science that she inherited from her foreparents…the science that allowed her to kick the enemies arse in the first place.
Right now everyone will rush in, because its good publicity, but where will they be 6 mths / 1 yr from now when she really needs a shoulder to lean on?
Instead of letting in the Guyanese, why now temporarily bring in some Haitians and truly help them out?
Browngal,Barbados has always operated in this fashion.Whenever it is likely that either a team from the Defence Force and or The Light & Power has to go in to offer assistance after a disaster,an advance party is sent in to assess the situation. Give the PM some credit.
Haiti we mourn for your perished, we mourn for your living, and we mourn for your future. Yet, today, we celebrate your past. You showed as Africans that we could defy the odds and cast asunder those shackles that kept as oppressed under the yolk of slavery.
When the French peasants stormed the Bastille and overthrew their tyrannical monarchy, you produced a regional hero, sorry an international hero who destroyed consecutively the European powers of the day. We thank you for having delivered to us Toussaint L’Overture. How your beloved island has suffered for your temerity, having stood up to your “superiors”.
Those foreign boats that blockaded your island, once your country gained its independence prevented your island from developing. We all know how the story played out. Your country’s decline has been long and sad. This Tuesday we saw its consequences. The collapsing buildings that claimed the lives of thousands can be traced right back to slavery. I’m truly saddened by your country’s plight.
Your revolutionary leader – Toussaint the great, would also be dismayed that within this region called the Caribbean, that some 250 years later, the production line of black leaders would wither on the vine. Dessalines, who succeeded Toussaint would be amazed, if he was still alive. He would be surprised that Caribbean leaders seem unable to detach themselves from their old colonial masters.
Toussaint, Dessalines lacked your sophistication and diplomacy; however he recognised those groups who represented a danger to Haiti’s new found independence and wasted no time in resolving this problem.
Toussaint, it would appear that in Barbados, revolutionary thoughts; and the memories of slavery days have long since evaporated. We would urge you Toussaint not to chastise the incumbent leader of Barbados and his party cohorts. It is difficult to break that slave/master relationship. Barbados is “developing” fast and will happily accept monies from any source provided it moves “forward”. Barbados has sacrificed the soul and spirit of its ancestors; and has opened its doors to re-colonisation.
Haiti, we mourn for you. Through your adversity, the Caribbean may, hopefully, refocus its priorities. Our days of slavery must be revisited, in order for us, as a people to move forward. Once again Haiti, we thank you for showing us the way 250 years ago. Nobody can take that accolade away from your country.
@Scout .It is common to see when the foundation phase of many a home is completed , a flat, table top expanse of concrete.Sandwich between the top layer of this concrete and the masonry beneath is a plastic sheet which virtually separate the two,then we start building on the top portion with a few rebars stuck into it. The foundation part of the house is just a platform that the rest of the house is resting on.
@X-MAN…Tres Poignant!
@ Ten 4.
You clearly don’t get it, What credit !!!!!
People are dying, children, adults screaming under concrete with their life ebbing away, what kind of advance party does one need?. Did Iceland & other countries send an advance team, or they just gathered up their stuff and went?
If I knew that Thompson was taking water/ food supples etc or even his buddy who was not selected but still got the job, that would be better. At least he could tend the injured.
@ Ten4
I think that is called a floating flat foundation. In hurricanes, the house will sit flat or the entire structure move on the earth, creating less damage. I dont know the physics behind it, but engineers have been recommending this practice in Barbados for years. The plastic is to retard moisture from seeping up through the foundation which will leech the salts from the concrete and aid in its deterioration.
That is how our houses are built, but with 4 feet below the frost line to retard heaving and cracks during freezing and thawing.
Being the father of a small daughter myself, I can imagine the pain this man feels. I am not ashamed to say tears came to my eyes.
If the Haitians are being punished, can the Christians tell me what did this child do to deserve such punishment.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/01/14/gal_quake_32.jpg
Crusoe wrote “I do not even know why you all are giving Pat Robertson’s comments the time of day…He is a rightwing nutjob, nothing more nor less.”
I agree with Crusoe
Ten 4
What experience/qualification does Thompson have of dissaster assesment?
H’mm:
A few thoughts on Haiti — and the rest of us.
First, our sister Caribbean Haiti has had a very bad time of it as a nation, especially in recent years.
So, it is time that we her fellow Caribbeans respond to the people and nation of Haiti in a sustained positive way.
For Montserrat, it was good to have a radio telethon [raised EC$ 50,000 or so by the time I fell asleep] with a longtime haitian resident and small business entrepreneur sitting on the panel. Someone calculated that that is about EC$ 10/resident. Scaling up to the World at large that would be like US$ 20 – 30 Bn, which would go a long way to helping solve Haiti’s long term problems. But there is an if: if the problem of abuse and corruption on the part of official and unofficial power brokers in Haiti can be resolved.
(NB: Most of the bad things that happen to nations are all too predictable but stubbornly ignored consequences of our folly, mis-education [I know I have harped on this one before . . . ], greed and power-broker- and/or opinion-leader- driven stubbornness in the face of counsel on what is right, wise and sound. [Cf. my discussion on 3 levels of God’s judgement of the nations here.] One of those bad or foolish things is ignoring sound building codes or simply wise building praxis, and building buildings that cannot take impact, shear or tension loads, so cannot stand earthquakes and hurricanes etc. A modest house or shop that will be still there after the shock or the storm is better than one that looks better and may be bigger for now but has no strength in it to stand the test of the storms and shocks of life. Here in our region, we need to take a serious and open-minded look at foamed concrete as a novel building approach, and at the Moladi plastic mould cast foam concrete and Hebel-type autoclaved aerated concrete modular construction systems. [I am trying to get Montserrat to do just that . . . as we have a lot of evacuees to deal with, and right now some more potential evacuees.])
In short, Haiti — like Guyana and Jamaica (and in fact a far longer list of our region’s nations that are just one credible event away from horrible disaster . . . just ask the people of Montserrat about their world before July 18, 1995 – June 25, 1997) — needs reformation and transformation, not just donations. But, right now, we need to join in the disaster response. And telethons and bank accounts for donation are a big help.
(NB: Unless there is a proper processing arrangement for such [and proper logistics — check out container shipping costs and times across our region!], clothing, food and medicines are not so good as donations.)
But, while I am at it, I think we need to do some rethinking of our attitudes all around, especially to the Guyanese here in the EC.
Okay, I trust this helps.
Next, on the “curse” of Haiti.
D
Now, too . . .
I know it is very convenient to those who were bested in several recent threads to try to pounce on Mr Robertson’s recent misinformed comment to bash away at Bible believing Christians . . . as the above already shows.
So, let us set some record straight on a common misunderstanding on Haiti’s history.
First, an informed excerpt by Gelin on the Boukman [a J’can, BTW as I recall] pact:
In short, there is much more to the Haiti independence story than meets the uninstructed eye. (And, I would modify Gelin by underscoring that Animists generally acknowledge the High God, viewing a world of lesser spirits as being more directly the challenge they face. In that context, the Gospel can often be heard as the liberating opportunity for reconciliation with the Most high God, who defeats the demons by the power of the cross. But, even when care is taken, there will be an inevitable spectrum of varied views, which syncretise the gospel and the overly high view and fear of the spirits that Animists often have. So, we must reckon with the degree of clarity that many of the leaders and people involved in the Haitian revolution, or the J’can Baptist war, or the revival movements stemming from the 1859 awakening, or the various folk movements that in effect view Catholicism and its saints through Animist spectacles, etc etc. But, even so, God is gracious and reaches out to his children even in the midst of our misunderstanding. [recall, the link on Rom 2:5 – 9 that I have so often now given, here. Remember, the promise and warning in vv. 6 – 7: Rom 2:6 He14 [God] will reward15 each one according to his works:16 2:7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works [which implies penitence when we stumble, then getting up and pressing on in he upward way . . . ] seek glory and honor and immortality, 2:8 but17 wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition18 and do not obey the truth [i.e. are we in rebellion against the truth we know or should know?] but follow19 unrighteousness.)
I trust this helps balance our thinking.
G’day
D
PS: To answer to a lot of questions, cf this Hebel AAC modular construction brochure. (Think of an artificial coral limestone ashlar [which you can, e.g. saw with a handsaw or power saw . . . ], but with possibilities for internal reinforcing as needed, so we can do floor panels and wall panels and even rafters etc. Final building wall etc strength is hurricane and tsunami resistant etc. Reinforced concrete is of course one of the best ‘quake resistant systems we have.)
@Dictionary
Why don’t you email your last comment to Robertson? In other words there is good science to explain what happened in Haiti recently.
@Dictionary
Et tu Brute?
PPS: Hebel technical manual. And, Moladi examples.
David:
I will communicate with Robertson later on; did so with my own region’s people first!
Much more important, frankly, is getting us to move out of the sort of construction systems that got us into trouble in Haiti and in Grenada when we had a hurricane.
With stick-built homes and commercial buildings the temptation to skimp is very evident and apparently commonplace — I hope that in Ja there is not a wide-scale skimping on the very strong code (steel in EVERY block) that was put in place after the disastrous 1907 quake.
For, quakes don’t kill people, collapsing buildings do.
Instead, if we use the sort of systems I have been talking about and linking on just now, we save labour, we save time, we have solider houses and buildings and we have a more affordable approach.
Time to move beyond the 1950’s with building technology, folks!
So, even as we reach out to help our sister Caribbean nation, let us also reform our own approaches, starting with building systems.
D
PS: ROK, still slandering away I see. The padlocked mind — and you have stated that you did that to your mind 30 years ago — is not well suited to understand even obvious and plain facts in front of it. Please, unlock your mind and seriously read, think and listen again, before it does a lot of damage to you, to the BANGO that you lead, to regional NGO etc movements, and others in the region at large. Isn’t “stakeholder participation” supposed to be grounded in true consultation and respect, ROK?