Haiti (a state of multi-dimensional nightmares)

THE CENTURION CHRONICLE
Special Issue – Jan 2010

HAITI (a state of multi-dimensional nightmares)

Haiti has to be one of the unluckiest places in the Western Hemisphere, rivaling such other sinkholes of human misery and poverty as Bangladesh, in far-off Asia.

Clobbered on an almost annual basis by either natural or man-made disasters, Haiti seems to exist in a perpetual state of multi-dimensional nightmares. This latest blow could be the death of it as a viable nation altogether, leaving it prostrate, only surviving with some semblance of national existence by long-term dependency on the humanitarian goodwill of its neighbors, and others, from around the world.

Not since the early and heady days of Toussaint l’Ouverture’s regime, has it had any kind of governing leadership worthy of the name. One way or the other, most which since succeeded him, have kept its people uneducated and impoverished, continuously in thrall to one kind of thug regime or another. Which is sadly ironic since Haiti does have a number of natural and mineral resources with which it could maintain itself in a modestly prosperous and stable manner. Yet, even after having rid itself of the likes of Papa and Baby Doc Duvalier (of Ton-Ton Macoute and burning-tire necklaces ill-fame), and other kleptocrats, like those of Cerdan et Cie, and the priestly ineptitudes of the Aristidites, Haiti, has never found a way to get a government that works for its people, rather itself. The state of its infrastructures and services over the past ten years before this earthquake event, are ample evidence of that.

But even with a flood of aid pouring in from all over the world, that still doesn’t do much for it. Despite a swarm of well-meaning humanitarian ants stampeding to its aid, the survivors of that earthquake still find themselves without real help. Instead, there’s only chaos, confusion, and jurisdictional arguments about who, or what, should be in charge of all these “humanitarian” efforts. Meanwhile, more survivors….keep on dying.

The reality is that much of its dysfunctional government apparatus was decapitated by the physical collapse of its buildings. So were the UN agencies there, as well as our USAID, and many of the NGO elements and other organizations that had been toiling away there for the past ten years or more. Thus, whatever infrastructures of authority that might have existed are temporarily….gone….and the reality is that right at this critical moment there is a temporary vacuum of authority there to take charge, and no one seems focused on what to do about that. Meanwhile, the Haitian people….struggle to survive.

Once again, as we have done so many times in the past century, only the United States and its military have the means, the equipment, the skill-sets, and the organization, to step in and take charge, focusing on doing what needs doing, while concerns for the “niceties” of protocol, are being sorted out. The priority of the moment, the mission of our military presence there should simply be to take charge, rescue and stabilize the population as best it can, with all the means at its disposal, until all the other concerns are sorted out.

Unfortunately, our military are not being turned loose to do that. Instead they are being dribbled in, incrementally here and there, which does nothing to accomplish such a mission. Meanwhile, more Haitians keep on dying. This is not only ridiculous situation, it’s an international disgrace.

More could be accomplished, and more quickly, if our military were broadly deployed in multiple sizeable detachments to each and every neighborhood or district, equipped, and provided with the means to set up in their assigned areas urgent services for medical treatment, water, food, sanitation, and shelter needed to rescue and stabilize the populations there.

Where possible, such detachments could simultaneously recruit, engage, and assist local people to begin organizing themselves to take care of themselves, providing them with whatever means are necessary to do so, such as “hiring” able-bodied locals to begin clearing rubble, collecting debris, and otherwise working to prepare their respective areas for later major reconstruction efforts. All of these efforts organized, directed, and aimed at rescuing and stabilizing these people as much as possible. Where roadways are not passable, choppers should be used to shuttle supplies and people wherever needed, as needed. Where only emergency medical services are possible, major cases should be transported to offshore vessels, as temporary “hospital” level of treatment, etc.

Later, as various governmental and international agencies and NGO organizations became reconstituted to an operational condition, these military units could then be progressively withdrawn, and quietly returned home. In the process, our military forces from the Army, the Marines, the Navy, and the Air Force, would have demonstrated to the Haitian people that America is, indeed, a “good neighbor”, and to the rest of the world, that those who rail against us, those who would attack us, are the real evil in this world….not us.

Perhaps, but, we should never forget that those who do good for others are rarely, if ever, appreciated. No matter, that’s the American way. C’est la vie.

CENTURION