Ordinary Americans are already responding with their characteristic generosity to the earthquake in Haiti. Aside from reliable relief agencies like the American Red Cross and UNICEF, one of my favorites is Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders, whose work I have admired around the world.
In the end, though, much of the help will come from the 1.5 to 2 million Haitians themselves who live outside their country. Even in normal times, the Haitian diaspora sends home an astonishing amount of money — $1.83 billion in 2007 alone. The amount has dipped slightly since then, but it still works out to very roughly $1000 per person a year — even more if you consider that many of the 2 million overseas Haitians are children.
In other words, those hard-working hospital workers in Miami and Boston and taxi drivers in New York City and Montreal already send a considerable portion of their modest earnings to their relatives at home. I know they are already asking for extra shifts so they can help even more.
Israel already sent 220 aid personnel. Many others have risen to the challenge.
Arab states?
They desparately need help. Anything you can do to help is appreciated.
Because it isn’t as if the United States has a history of shooting down Middle Eastern civilian aircraft, huh.
How many Israelis pitched in with the earthquake in Pakistan? Never mind the natural disasters — how about the conditions under which Gazans suffer every day, thanks to those self-same Israelis?
Witty trying to score a few morality points comes across as contrived and somewhat trite.
The Israeli government always sends a dozen or two “rescuers” to disaster areas outside the Middle East. It’s great PR. Always remember, it’s not important WHAT you do, but what people THINK you do. That’s why many workers often “look busy” when the boss comes around.
Meanwhile, a rescue K9′s twin is unleashed to attack elderly Palestinian women and their children.
I hope you won’t force me to stoop to your level again, Witty. It makes me feel icky. Alas the point had to be made.
Oh and by the way, if you’re looking for some redeeming characteristic in Israel or Israelis, then look to the very Israeli people who are fighting for universal justice in Israel and Palestine, instead of acting as an Israeli government spokesperson.
How do you know what the “Arab States” gave or not gave? Are they required to inform you? Their religion requires tithing, and also requires keeping your fucking mouth shut about your largesse so as not to embarrass the recipient. Anyone who has had anything to do with Arab culture will tell you about their legendary generosity.
Did you ever ever hear a peep about Arab help with that horrific pt. 8 or 8.9 earthquake in Iran when 60,000 died? Nary a word, until word of Arab help came out years later.
The Israeli rescue and medical teams were already in the neighborhood. They were in Mexico searching for survivors of a private plane crash.
Richard,
What a wealth of meaning in three lines:
Israel rocks.
Arab States suck.
link to jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com
Coated in humanitarian concern like a newborn in a pink blanket.
Israel could a lot more for its PR image if it simply stopped the siege of Gaza–it coild even move toward peace with the Pals, but a couple of well-publicized tiny aid packages to Haiti is its way to …
Israel could a lot more for its PR image if it simply stopped the siege of Gaza–it coild even move toward peace with the Pals, but a couple of well-publicized tiny aid packages to Haiti is its way to …
That’s Zionist humanism for you. There’s no tragedy that can’t be made into an anti-Arab epithet. “Oh my God, an earthquake in Haiti? Look at how callous those Arabs are.”
Of course there’s the PR aspect, but these people want the experience of working under real conditions and saving people, that’s the best practice there is, so there is intrinsic value to helping and part of that is learning how to save people.
Oh yea, that’s right WJ. They want experience in saving people!
Hey guys, I have some slaves in my backyard, but I think I’ll go liberate the ones across the pond first.
Eva,
You can run every comment as spin if you like. It distinguishes you then as uniquely cynical and distrusting.
Nearly every post here has been about something political, and literally none to express concern or actual help.
I personally have close friends that spend a good deal of time in Haiti, have adopted Haitian children, have organized Haitian schools. Its real.
Its not more real than Palestinians needing help. It is more real than cynicism or opportunism.
You have ‘friends’ (plural) who have adopted Haitian children? ‘Organized’ Haitian schools? Do tell.
And you don’t give a shit about those people, you are using this tragedy (like the Zionists always do w/ tragedies) to gain political capital – albeit you are so very petty, it’s to essentially one-up the Palestinian camp on a blog!
I mean who does that? This is about the Haitians, Dick. Not about you and your ideology.
The Arab States are supposed to mean WHAT exactly? Do the people in the Arab States receive ‘aide’ from their own government? Who do the ‘Arab States’ represent?
Oh and these Arab States are supported by Israel and the US.
This is all assuming the ‘Arab States’ don’t consider Dick Witty’s challenge to send aide.
How about this, you can win the aide-to-Haiti-rhetorical-point-scoring-game so long as you get the hell out of the OT, accept the right-of-return of refugees whose land your ideology stole and when you accept full-compliance on Israel’s behalf with a war crimes tribunal concerning Cast lead.
Then, feel free to endlessly pat yourself on the back about some shade-of-brown person whose humanity you’ve hijacked to frame your ideology as a moral force (pathetically, in comparison to REGIMES – not States – that are supported by your ideology).
Richard, that’s all fine, but you’re the one who politicized this, contrasting Israel with Arab states, so don’t try and pretend otherwise. Anyway, Israel’s record in Africa and Latin America has not been that of a benefactor, not considering who they’ve helped arm and train. That’s not relevant to this thread either–it’s supposed to be about Haiti.
I’d suggest people give to an organization like Partners in Health or the Haitian Emergency Relief Fund.
I think his post is illustrative of the very behavior criticized by Mr. Ratner in his article about his visit to Yad Vashem and Israel’s cynical use of a tragedy to advance its own political agenda.
Witty, doesn’t seem to care about anything Jewish, about Jews or Semites or Israelis. He cares and subscribes to an ideology that puts everyone who opposes it on a collision course with him. Reality and morality be damned. Much in the same way a fanatic would view any given religious dogma. Perhaps Witty ought to get in touch with a radical rabbi in Yeme…errr I mean Kiryat Arba’ who’ll teach him a bastardized version of “Judaism” masquerading as some noble ideology.
Who knows, Witty. Perhaps you’re right. For all we know, Israel sent those …how many were they, three, four? … “rescuers” as a way of making up for its discrimination and racism against the Ethiopians in Israel. I mean “they all look the same, they’re all black”, right?
Yes, now that I verbalized it, I think it’s true. Israel sent them to Haiti as a way of asking for forgiveness from “them black folk”, the Ethiopians. Yup.