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”
Thank you Dictionary for the detailed explanation of the history of haiti. You have answered many questions I had. I do not find it concidental that haiti always suffers from tragedies upon tragedies since it inception, while the its neighbor the Dominican Republic which shares the same mass has not. In contrast the Dominican Republic has great infrastructure, stable government, tourism, etc… Now is the time for haiti to start afresh.
@ROK
Unfortunately, the media decides what’s news-worthy and not the public. Pat’s comments have made and are still making rounds in the media. Rihanna coming out of Cheffette in a bathing suit was not news-worthy but made the Nation’s front page, and hence, the lips of the whole island. I restate, a journalist’s job is to present to the public what is in the media domain, regardless of his/her views on it. If we follow your logic, a DLP supporter who happens to be a journalist could argue that anything the Opposition says in not news-worthy, simply because they don’t agree with it.
@ROK
“Then you end it by saying, “Perhaps it will cause the people of Haiti to re-evaluate their lives.” By doing that you giving it credence in your books and stating it as a fact.”
As stated above, the article presents two views that are in the media. The first is that though bad, the Haiti earthquake isn’t the worst. The second (and minor view only even referred to at the end) is Pat’s view that their religious beliefs are to blame. The premise of the article is “trying to find the bright side in any disaster”. The article therefore has to end by presenting a “bright side” for both of the views referenced. The bright side for the “comparision” view is that their was no tsunami and the magnitude could have been far worst. The bright side for Pat’s voodoo view is obviously that the people can now reflect. Whatever view has been expressed, the article seeks to find a “bright side”.
What I don’t understand is how minor part of the articles (a few lines at the end) which reference Pat’s view has been taken as the premise of the entire article.
The Haitian situation is being described by the BBC as worse than the Asian tsunami crisis in 2004. The Haitian government has been destroyed, the logistics of transportation, one airport which can only handle a small number of planes, 90 UN staff suspected dead and it goes on.
Security seems to be a big concern at the moment.
Has the Caricom Secretariat issued an official response yet?
US 10,000 troops is suppose to be on the ground by Monday. No security means aid distribution will be compromised.
The United Nations is saying it is the worst crisis in terms of logistics they have had to respond.
Haiti has had to sign over control of the only airport to the US. One of thought France would have felt obligated to lead on the aid effort.
@ David
http://www.boncherry.com/blog/2010/01/14/list-of-worlds-worst-earthquake-updated-with-haiti-earthquake-2010/
We always call things the worst in the moment they occur but I’ve been seeing facts in the media (like the link above) which cite things like magnitude, death tolls and the number of countries affected.
I guess by the time they get a concrete casualty count, we may be able to re-evaluate, but for now, I’m not convinced it’s the worst.
@GoWEB
The label of worst is based on logistics i.e.being able to respond.
@GoWeb
“If we follow your logic, a DLP supporter who happens to be a journalist could argue that anything the Opposition says in not news-worthy, simply because they don’t agree with it.”
That is not following logic, that is simply ridiculous. To insinuate that the Haitians will take this as some lesson is a conviction and not based on any facts. So how does that compare with an Opposition statement that you agree or disagree with?
The fourth estate is truly sadly lacking. You perpetrate these baises under the guise of journalism. The fact that the rest of the world is ignorant of the facts and have their own agenda does not excuse you. So if you get some lashes from those who know better, that for you. Take them like a man or stop printing such biases to perpetrate on black people.
Remember that nearly the whole world, except a few misguided religionist know that Robertson spoke folly. So what it is that you repeating and condoning too?
I still agree with “ac”. The only thing I would spank her for is not befitting you with the best possible description. Who you working for?
The truth is that if Haiti was the best model of a Caribbean State, the earthquake would still have happened. It happened. How is that something to agree or disagree with? You disagree with opinion not facts.
Another angle that has been making rounds in the news is that according to the USA, the destruction in Haiti is to be blamed on the poor construction of the buildings. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the link to it when I wrote my piece, but can somebody tell me how the construction technique is capable of preventing damage, when the very thing on which the building is constructed is unstable? It doesn’t matter how “Strong” you build something, if the earth under it opens, it’s coming down.
@ROK
Just let me clear this up. Are you upset about the inclusion of Pat’s view in the article, or about my attempt to find a “bright side.” Pat’s comments are posted on YouTube by more than one member, and of all the comments, people that don’t agree with PAt have been lambasting Pat, not the posters of the videos. I guess the people on Youtube must be different.
@GoWEB
“What I don’t understand is how minor part of the articles (a few lines at the end) which reference Pat’s view has been taken as the premise of the entire article.”
Come on man! Is this an argument of convenience? You ever hear that it is the small things that matter? That is how you sum up the entire article. You put it there and we were taught that the sum up is as important as the story. You interjected your opinion, which supported Robertson.
That was a great piece of politics but BU family sharp, you see. You will never be able to get away with something like that. Stay objective as a journalist and stop interjecting your petty, biased commentary.
GoWeb,
If you read above, I commented on this. I am not an engineer, but have read up a bit on this in the past.
It can be done to an extent, but is expensive and involves using unique foundation methods, if you want details read up on Japanese construction methods, foundations etc.
The really large commercial buildings in Japan have specialist foundations, as Japan suffers constantly from strongish quakes.
Nevertheless, you are right. Suggesting that more detailed construction per se would have eliminated this disaster is folly.
A mag 7 just ten miles away, 6 miles down, will destroy most things.
We can all talk and talk, but the reality is that the power of this thing was incredible and anything over a 7 will destroy most things.
Really think that NY would withstand a 7, IF one occurred at the 125th Street fault line?
Maybe unlikely, but possible.
But, what do you think the reality would be?
@GoWEB
“…people that don’t agree with PAt have been lambasting Pat, not the posters of the videos. I guess the people on Youtube must be different…”
Ever consider that you are the difference? You interjected your support; even if unwittingly. As a journalist, you cannot be excused for that. So the difference here is the poster, you who make it seem that Pat Robertson was right.
Therefore both you and Pat Robertson will get lambaste.
David,
While I would think that the ‘lead’ on this is irrelevant, as long as what needs to be done is done, it is interesting that the European country leading their charge is Spain, I really did not know that Spain had such impressive resources.
That said, I am surprised on the kerfuffle over the airport status.
Surely there are transport helicopters well capable of doing the necessary supply and troop transport?
Alternately, fly supplies into DR and road transport to Haiti, across the border.
Little bit surprising.
It would appear that the road etc damage has made logistics very difficult, but bear in mind that military expeditions have to encounter more ‘dangerous’ situations per se and still get the job done.
Albeit, urgent timing makes this one difficult.
@ROK
Okay, you have convinced yourself that my “finding a bright side to Pat Robertson’s statement” is an indication of my personal belief.
You of all people should know how wrong and hurtful it is to assume and publish someone’ s “belief”. Isn’t it you who had to complain to WordPress to have a Barbados Free Press article taken down? If I’m not mistaken, BFP were reporting what your “beliefs” were based on things you had said or done, which was wrong, wasn’t it?
@Crusoe
The role of France is important given its historical role. The future of France and Haiti is intertwined and the sooner France accepts its role in unravelling the the knotted events which have occurred over hundreds of years, history will just repeat itself. The Americans seem to be stepping up to the plate. Spain would have an interest given its historical role as well on the island. The problems of Haiti are deep rooted, we have to give aid as a first response BUT the support which Haiti needs going forward must come from France.
What intrigues me greatly is the people who have put forward aid. Guyana has pledged 1 million US dollars to Haiti. This came as a shock to most because Guyana is known for poverty. It didn’t shock me as much because having gone to Guyana I’ve experienced first hand that Guyanese are very generous people who would give out of their lack.
What was shocking is the response from LIME. Digicel pledged 5 million to haiti and they are still sending in a team of technicians to assist with the communications network. On top of this, Digicel is running a texting campaign where users can donate money to Haiti by texting at a cost of $1 per text. On the flip side, LIME has pledged no money (the last I heard) but is running a texting campaign where user can text to donate at a cost of $5 per text! LIMEwill then give Haiti a donation from the accumilation of the $5’s paid by the users. So the users are providing their donation as well as LIME’s. LIME is therefore spending no money out of their pockets, and it is my personal belief that LIME can afford it.
@GoWEB
It is good to have these telecommunications giants in the region playing a part in the relief effort. Here we have two companies which are hugely successful, importantly Haiti represents a huge market for the the telecommunications companies i.e.Haiti is an undeveloped market.
This is the communication that I just recieved from Bim that has been relayed by the Secretariat of the Evangelical Churches.
Good afternoon all.
Here is something to consider: what is the status of the Dominican Republic.
Click on this link to see what I mean.
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/ht.htm
Aren’t these two countries touching each other? Coincidence?
That’s It?
A Field Hospital!
So Thompson and other CARICOM Heads had to go to Haiti in order to determine that a “Field Hospital,” or that an emergency mass casualty response was necessary?
It is why the United States send a floating hospital!!!
All this does is highlight the folly of the DLP and the same Thompson – firing Dr. Brian Charles – Barbados Mass Casualty specialist from the QEH.
A Field Hospital was set up for World Cup and is set-up any time crowds assemble and the possibility of a mass casualty scenario is perceived: Crop Over, Arch Cot, St. Joseph and so on.
So the PM had a tour and his big idea is what is usually the first response in such cases – a field hospital because it would be impossible to build a hoispital in 24 hours.
Alex
I am not a friend of Dr. Brian Charles , nor is he a favorite of mine. However, I agree that to fire a man trained and committed as this man was to QEH Emergency Room was definitely stupid!
And I also agree with you, it was not necessary for the PM to leave his home, far less Bim to be able to conclude that some temporary medical facility would be needed to facilitate the needs of the suffering Haitians.
What makes this evem more ludicrous is the fact that it is know that the folk in Bim know how to, and have set up such a facility for the 2007 World Cup.
Since the DLP has come to power, despite workable ideas that have been submitted, the DLP is lost in the darkness of dealing with a suitable program to meet the medical needs of our populace. How can they then seek to deal with medical issues abroad?
If they can not and do not love thier brothers whom they can see, how can they logically (or logistically) love their brethren whom they can not see?
The DLP’s approach to health care approaches reminds me of the gospel hymn that begins……..”The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin, the light of the world is Jesus.”
However, that being said, please kindly note that BLP Government ministers also fired another doctor who having been educated at the people’s expense, sought not to get rich in a private practice, but to be content with whatever the GOB paid him to serve the people of Barbados in any place of service where an opportunity was given him.
Just as Charles served the Defence Force and at the Prison before being discarded, so too did this doctor similarly serve inter alia.
Note that there are not many who wish to serve at either the Defence Force and at the Prison because the compensation is meagre and these jobs are very demanding. Charles should have been applauded for doing these jobs rather than being harrased as a “moonlighter” by a big mouh buffoon who has made much less contribution to healt care that Charles has/had done.
There are jobs in the public sector that this doctor could not get and did not get under the BLP regime that were given to FOREIGNERS who were not educated by the public purse. Furthermore the FOREIGNERS who are the incumbents DID NOT DO THE WORK AND THIS WAS WELL KNOWN TO THE BLP ADMINISTRATION AT THE TIME! BUT THEY DID NOTHING ABOUT IT!
So my dear Alex six is indeed half dozen! Ah lie?
How very easy things appears to be when we are sitting in our 1/2 -1 million dollars homes on the hillside viewing our 40 inch HDV television,sipping brandy and whisky.
@ Georgie Porgie,
The BLP is not perfect and sometimes it might get it wrong. But based on its new philosophy – when a mistake is identified, the party will face it and fix it. That is the Labour Party way, its legacy.
I imagine that under new energise leadership – whatever wrongs were done, they will be righted.
There is hope – fear not my friend. The wrongs will be righted
Exactly why did our WAIT-AND-SEE Prime Minister decide to TRAVEL-To-SEE, when he could have seen on CNN and BBC World like the rest of us who may even care more?
What an unjustified wastage in the face of a disaster when the funds wasted could have been donated in food, water and medical supplies.
Thompson and other CARICOM Heads went to Jamaica where they met with PM Golding and discussed and initiated the Caribbean response to the crisis in Haiti .
The immediate problems in Haiti require equipment and personnel that the USA and Canada are sending in a rapid response to save lives.
There are hundreds of people who need life saving surgery within the next 24 to 72 hours.
It appears to me that the world including the Caribbean countries are making every effort to help Haiti.
Canada is has also changed immigration regulations to fast track family unification applications from Hatians and Air Canada took supplies and personnel to Haiti and will bring back a plane load of people.
@Alex Fergusson
You need to relax. Haiti is part of Caricom, the other side to the argument is a high level Caricom team entering Haiti at this early stage sends a strong message to the world.
Relax man!
@ Hants
Yes!
But not why Thompson went to jamaica, why he wnet to Haiti?
All you have said merely exposes Thompson’s inhumane, hard-line, iron-fist domestic immigration policy, and his lack of preparation to deal with major mass casualty.
He is the PM with lead responsibility for the CSME and would have known about Haiti without having to go there.
Do you honestly believe that PM Thompson needed to have gone to Haiti in order to know that a Field Hospital was needed.
If so, then there is absolutely no hope as regards the fiscal crisis he has created in Barbados.
A Field Hospital is the first response in mass casualty situations. It is Mass Casualty Response 101.
@Hants
Recent news confirm that the global response to this crisis has been amazing.
US$560m needed for relief efforts in Haiti
Alicia Llanos
Published: 16 Jan 2010
“The United Nations is appealing for US$560 million to help victims of the catastrophic earthquake that ravished Haiti earlier this week.
The UN launched a global appeal yesterday for the relief efforts in Haiti.
The UN had immediately after the disaster released US$10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to kick-start relief efforts.
The 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday had affected one-third of the nation’s population, left 300,000 homeless and claimed about 50,000 lives, including top UN official in Haiti, Hédi Annabi.
http://guardian.co.tt/news/general/2010/01/16/us560m-needed-relief-efforts-haiti
@PGO WEB
I did not hurl any insults at you . however
ifr the shoe fits you wear it. I baised my
opinion on your commentary when you
in a cunning way you tried to connect the problem of voodoo and the Haitians as a reason for the earthquake.Also you inference that by saying “Perhaps it may cause the Haitians people to change their lives.
Since my interpretation of what you said
was wrong .I give you this opportunityto
correct me.Go ahead.I’ll be surprised if you do so.
@ Alex Fergusson
The PM has informed me that he is going to make you Ambassador To Barbados.
@BAFBFP
Play a Teddy pendergrass love song for both of us.
Hants wrote:
“It appears to me that the world including the Caribbean countries are making every effort to help Haiti.”
Help Haiti how?
Click on this link to see what I mean.
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/ht.htm
Look at the map!! How come Haiti is flat and not the Dominican Republic?
So is it help of Relief you mean?
I meant:
So is it help “OR” Relief you mean
In his book, “The Kingdom Of This World”, (1949) Alejo Carpentier has a chapter titled “The Solemn Pact”.
Carpentier was born in 1904 and his work is fictional and is told from a slave’s perspective.
I have not read the Black Jacobins written by CLR James but I can say that Carpentier chilled my blood.
It was recommended to me when I was trying to get a handle on a timeline of events in the Caribbean during the two wars occasioned by the French revolution.
Perhaps it is from this chapter that Pat Robertson derives his reference to a pact.
However, the simple fact remains that in 1791, even in Barbados, most slaves in the Caribbean had not been exposed to the Gospel and could not have been Christian.
I would need to listen carefully to the whole of what Pat Robertson actually said before coming to any conclusion but don’t really feel inclined to try to analyse it.
Haitians just need our help and prayers right now.
Haiti did have earthquakes before this one.
The last big one was in 1842 which destroyed Cap Hatien, and laid low the the palace “Sans Souci” built by Henri Christophe.
The earthquake and the hardships that followed appeared to have created unrest which made the third leader of Haiti, Jean Pierre Boyer leave the country first for Jamaica and ultimately for France where he died.
Boyer succeeded Christophe who committed suicide and Christoph succeeded Dessalines, who was assasinated.
It was also J.P. Boyer who agreed the indemnity with France in 1825 to which some bloggers refer.
He appears to have done it because he feared France and paid for France’s recognition of Haiti as a country.
Here is a wikipedia link on Boyer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Pierre_Boyer
Previous disasters in Haiti affected other countries as well, … including the USA.
Admittedly none was this severe.
So, I would have difficulty saying that God is singling out Haiti.
What I would say is that man (kind) needs to take note that he is kind of puny where nature is concerned.
Maybe this might be the message to go home with!!
Here is a link to some previous disasters that affected Haiti.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/haiti/story/1423468.html
@ Alex Fergusson
To those who took the Caricom PM’s to task for going to Haiti,” not possessing any special skills in emergency management ” should also be as equally critical of Hilary Clinton who is now in Haiti. Or is this a horse of a different colour,…… one with a mighty green back.
@John
Why don”t you be honest and say that you have no intentions of criticising Pat
Robertson.
I find it disturbing that you would even make a comment backhandely to say the least that God would single out any country for such destruction .Have you
taken note of all the innocent children and babies who were killed. Now go on and defend that politcal opportunist Pat
Robertson.
fret not thyself ; better days are coming for haiti even though the situation is…
sad very sad
@ac
I am not an cannot connect the voodoo with the earthquake in this article. To do so, I would have to find a way to explain what happened to Grenada a few years ago since they are considered a fairly “upright” nation in the religious sense.
I did say that perhaps it will cause Haitians to reflect and I maintain that this is a positive statement. I didn’t give a desired outcome of that reflection but I believe that it is natural behaviour. We in Barbados frequently say that God is a Bajan, which, like it or not, is a religious statement. If we were to be battered like Haiti I’m sure it would cause Bajans from all walks of life to reflect. When we had the arch-cot cave-in, the earthquake and the east coast road crash in close succession there was a lot of re-evaluation going on. There was even a multi-faith service held if I’m not mistaken. Disasters cause people to reflect, especially if there were religious statements made prior or subsequent to the disaster. If I had said “perhaps it will make them turn to God” I could understand your rage, but reflection is a normal human response in the circumstance and can have many outcomes. And just to restate, I’m not casting anything as fact, just saying that despite any negative spoken, the bright side is that people will reflect, despite the devastation, the bright side is that the region may just finally unite. etc. etc. That’s ALL.
@ac
Your comments toward John are out of order. You can’t derive John’s intentions or accuse him of backhandedness from his statement. I read the statement and I saw a very interesting attempt to explain the basis of Pat Robertson’s claims. If you want to know someone’s view ask them.
But I see an even greater problem here. You have a pre-disposition to persecute anyone whom you believe holds a view similar to Pat’s. This is against the law and against the spirit of tolerance of BU and has to be spoken about.
Just for a moment, let’s forget about Pat and Haiti. Outside of the fact that you can’t broadcast someone’s intentions or motivations without THEM first doing so, even if they did specify thathtey disagreed with your view, you can’t persecute them for it. Whatever the topic. I’m against homosexuality but I can’t lambaste someone for believing it’s right, and I certainly can’t lambaste someone for THINKING they believe it’s right.
@John
Why don”t you be honest and say that you have no intentions of criticising Pat
Robertson.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have never listened to Pat Robertson before or read what he has had to say on Haiti …. or any other topic.
I have no basis on which to criticise him, …. or praise him up.
I just don’t believe that the “pact with the devil” originates with him.
…. and, wherever it does originate it sure can’t explain why San Francisco had an earthquake of far greater intensity in 1906,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_San_Francisco_earthquake
…. or why Katrina did what it did in New Orleans.
… or why the Tsunami at Bandeh Aceh choose the day after Christmas in 2004, ….
…. and why so many died in the earthquake in China recently.
I am 53 years old and have never in my lifetime seen or heard of natural disasters on this scale and frequency!!!
John
• I am 53 years old and have never in my lifetime seen or heard of natural disasters on this scale and frequency!!!
**************************************
Natural disasters have always been part of man’s existence on Earth. The only ones that mankind can predict with any kind of accuracy are Hurricanes and even that doesn’t prevent loss of life. We pay a lot of attention to events that happen in our hemisphere (as is natural) but the loss of life in Katrina which you mentioned was miniscule when compared to Cyclone Nargis in which over 100,000 people died in Burma.
So whether you call deity, God, Yahweh, Allah or Buddha, when a natural disaster occurs you don’t think he is heaping retribution on you…. Unless you lived in the Middle Ages
Following up:
It seems some above — in haste to criticise and dismiss — are failing to even read the directly linked and cited comments by directly knowledgeable experts familiar with construction issues and resulting contribution to quake damage in Haiti.
That, sadly, says a lot.
It is plainly true that nothing is invulnerable to a 7 or so [i.e. we talk about reducing damage here . . . e.g. Mr Osborne’s multi-storey building with the X-cracks (as one very familiar case) was repaired and is still standing though now submerged in part under ash and in a zone abandoned in a context where the local elites did not properly heed warnings on volcanic hazard dating to the 1930’s Royal Geological Society report as well as simply heeding the 2 pp exec summ of the 1987 or so technical Wadge-Isaacs study. . . ], but construction methods plainly make a difference; which is the context of my 1974 EC quake comparison. As to NYC, it was not built with quakes seriously in mind. (Contrast SF and LA ’06 and’89, and ’94. Haiti last week is more like SF ’06 or Kingston ’07.)
The Japanese [etc] innovations mostly relate to more or less high rise buildings, a la Mexico City’84 or ’85. And in light of Tokyo ’23.
As to Moladi, failing to read before critiquing seems to be at work again: the point is that you put up the in-wall infrastructure inclusive of reinforcement, before casting in the foamed concrete to form an integral unit — as common sense reading would immediately show. And once the system is set up right, you are getting a house per mould per day. (Cf the SA ratings and award to the developers of the system. note too how the system is spreading across the 2/3 world, and where.)
As to Haiti, I note that my first encounter with the 1791 pact with the Devil idea was back in the ’80’s when friends at uni visited and talked with Haitian Christians. In short, as the excerpt I gave above responds to, it was and is a common belief, compounded by the known dual focus of Animism: a distant High God and all too nearby lesser spirits with whom one has to deal on a day to day basis — the scheme behind Vodun. Christianity’s answer is that the High God is a lot closer than one thinks, and in Christ he overcomes the demons for us. I suspect that there is a tension in the situation c. 1791 – 1804 that is a part of the back-story on the remarks above, as even Gelin hints at. but, he is plainly right that there was no well-documented pact with the devil at the foundation of the Haitian revolution.
However, a contrast with Jamaica’s history is instructive. From the 1780’s on, J’cas slave and free black population were moving towards the baptist churches founded by black Americans Liele et al. this created leadership and built community level governance capacity. When J’ca had its explosion in 1831, it started as a sit down strike for pay leading up to anuprising for liberty inthe face of harsh repression. the Dissenter Misisonaries were targetted and the chapels were burned. Slave testimony saved Burchell, Knibb and ilk fromt he rope, and Knibb went to tyhe UK as the voice of “the Christian bretheren” in Jamaica. His testimony and the facts about repression and burning of churches in part sponsored by British dissenters [who had increasing numbers and parliamentary representation coming out of the evangelical Awakenings] raised the spectre of the reformation era struggles in Britain, and the elites there saw they had to toss the WI Interest overboard. Dissenter churches sponsored free villages as covenanrt community settlements on former encombered estates and if I recall, purchased crown lands too. Education, church, community and land were all integrated on a local basis – and on the night of legal abolition, the whole island in effect went to church to celebrate with God. Dissenters sued in Chancery Court and the Mico trust funds were used to found Mico teacher’s college in J’ca. The Assembly of course was resentful and oppressive, and with the foolish Eyre [of Ireland infamy] triggered riots in Mo bay in the 1860’s, leading to the end of its march of folly. J’ca thus had a stabler foundation for building a reasonable society, despite its many troubles. However,t eh post urbanisation and emigration situation triggered the rise of an urban street culture, and a revival that started in Roswell and targeted the street classes — led by a man who had originally intended to join J’ca’s first gunman Rygin — did not garner enough institutional support to spread islandwide. (Revival leading to reformation has a long history of positive social transformation in our civilisation, regardless of what the various skeptics may want to think.) The ideologues, opportunists and druggies rode on the backs of the restless urban masses, and the rest is Jamaica’s sad current situation. but by no means as sad as Haiti’s.
There. BTW, is a definite “pact with the devils” associated with Haiti and with its current problems: Duvalierism, which used Vodun beliefs to set up a police state with the Tonton Macoutes as “zombies” controlled by Papa Doc. Net loot of Haiti as at 1986 [including scooping up apparently up to 80% of aid funds on many projects), up to US$ 900 mn. And, when they left into exile in the Riviera, Haiti was in shambles without a sound basis for a solid government, leading to the even more intense instabilities over the past 25 years.
Connexion to the quake and damage: breakdown of gov’t, loss of proper regulatory capacity over construction, poor construction methods and materials (and you can use steel badly too . . . ), loss of capacity to mitigate risks, or adapt to hazards, and to respond. Thence, chaos on a quake event [including massive loss of the gov’t’s infrastructure up to and including it seems the Presidential palace — C19 style from what I remember from my looking at it as a day tripper 40 y ago] only relieved by external help.
As previously noted: ‘quakes don’t kill people, falling buildings do.
And, when the power and influence elites in a community — not the masses (esp. at first)! — turn away from conscience guided intelligence, and walk in their own ways as led by greed, lusts and arrogance [especially arrogance driven by poor worldviews choice], a community is headed for the march of folly that sets it up for disaster. As Romans 1 talks about, and as Plato talks about in The Laws Bk X as well as his Parable of the Cave, and as has so often been the tragic case in history.
As to Grenada, perhaps the younger generation has not studied its relatively recent history: Obeah-inspired Gairyism (a junior version of Duvalierism) and the ideological revolution it triggered, then the chaos that followed as the leaders had a falling out in ’83. The shoddy construction revealed by Ivan in ’04 again indicts people with enough money to be putting up the structures without due diligence on required strength to meet credible hazards — Janet hit Grenada (as well as of course Barbados) within living memory, after all.
So, the impact of want of godly wisdom and integrity on the part of leadership or wealthy or otherwise influential elites in a community is a serious matter that we all need to attend to. And one that we should all be taught about in schools in not only RE or Scripture classes or Civics but critical thinking studies too.
For, God governs humanity under Moral principles, which are in the end largely self-enforcing.
Actions have consequences, some of which may be unanticipated but are predictable if one uses sound moral principles to think about what happens if patterns of thought and behaviour spread like an epidemic across the elites and the masses in a society. Foolishly dismissing and rejecting or resenting and resisting prophetic correction then sets nations up for self-induced destruction through the ever popular march of folly.
We have been warned, ever so many times.
G’day
D
PS: I suggest we need to look at the possibilities surrounding a serious Caricom initiative to be a part of rebuilding what is our single largest member state on population. An emphasis on real partnership with the international community on capacity building and the use of modern technologies in not only construction but education and broader capacity building would go a long way towards making that difference. One of our key areas of expertise is our successful adaptation of the UK’s parliamentary government system to local conditions in our region, for all the problems we have had.
David, my overnight remarks are in mod pile, sorry.
PS: John. In the Catholic islands (Spanish and French) there had been significant exposure to Roman Catholic Christianity for slaves, and before them the Amerindians.
@GoWEB
@Dictionary
@John
Haiti’s Ambassador to the US, Raymond Joseph, Responds to Pat Robertson’s Racist Comment
Instead of ignoring Pat Robertson’s racist and senile rants, the big and small white dominated corporate media promote it. This time, we are fortunate for a principled TV news media host- Rachel Maddow -to allow Haiti’s ambassador to the US to respond and set the historical context for which we are witnessing the devastating horrors unfolding in beloved Haiti. The sad thing is that most folks in the US- of any race or nationality had no clue of the intimate historical connections between Haiti and US expansionism and Haiti and the spread of South American anticolonial/independence movement.
http://blackeducator.blogspot.com/
Watch that video at the link above.
@Dictionary
“In the Catholic islands (Spanish and French) there had been significant exposure to Roman Catholic Christianity for slaves, and before them the Amerindians.”
You guys still spreading this racists propaganda?
PPS: Physics today has more on the quake and a bit on the 1946 quake of Mag 8.1 that his in DR.
Onlookers:
ROK — sadly, but by now not surprisingly — is going beyond the bounds of civility again.
I have reported a simple historical fact on a difference between the Spanish and French islands and the British-dominated ones , which he has taken as an occasion to further spread a long since corrected but neither apologised for nor amended slander against the Christian Faith: racism.
And, BTW, here is the Apostle Paul, in Ahtens, c. 50 AD, in Acts 17 (which immediately shows the inherent error — and in some cases outright heresy — of anyone who has ever advocated racism under false colours of Christian faith):
Just thought you would like to know that, for next time ROK comes to either comment here or advocate in the name of civil society.
ROK:
Please wake up, and make amends, before you do irreparable damage to yourself and the civil society organisations you advocate for.
G’day.
D