What Will We Do with Haitian Refugees?

[Junkdrawer]

In the coming weeks and months, this will be a HUGE issue.

There are 30,000 refugees currently in the US that were about to be deported back to Haiti. That's been halted temporarily, but the refugees are now in legal limbo. See: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/haiti/?r=5173&id=7343-2392191-R3rA1ix

Fox News is reporting that Gitmo is being considered for a temporary site for medical refugees. See: http://rawstory.com/2010/01/fox-news-send-haitian-refugees-gitmo/

And you KNOW there will be lots and lots of new boat people. Will the Navy force them back?

[malaise]

1. Many are on the DR border as I type

seeking medical attention or a simple cell phone call.

Others will head to Jamaica, USA, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands. That's the way it is.

[Junkdrawer]

3. It's a first foretaste of the coming climate refugees....

I predict that generosity will quickly be overshadowed by resentment and then violence.

[malaise]

6. I expect soldiers on the DR border to

open fire between now and Saturday.

[daa]

2. Who is we?

What was done in Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, China, New Orleans?

[Junkdrawer]

5. Aside from New Orleans, the US wasn't reachable from the other places...

you listed by the refugees themselves.

And if you remember, Texas took in some of the New Orleans refugees.

[anonymous171]

4. Accept all of them. America is at fault for their poverty and therefore is morally obligated to help

[Junkdrawer]

7. I remember that US churches once had "Adopt a Refugee" programs....

Wonder if that will return? :shrug:

[Igel]

8. Please.

They were fairly impoverished before we first got seriously involved, and they became more impoverished after we became less seriously involved. Before Baby Doc there were other dictators that we didn't much support but which were no better.

Some things aren't our fault. And some things, even if we contributed, still aren't entirely or even mostly our fault.

Some on the right say we're responsible for every good thing in the world and not responsible for any bad thing in the world.

Some on the left say we're responsible for every bad thing in the world and not responsible for any good thing in the world.

Truth is, some things we do right, some we do wrong. Some things we do right we do with a bad goal in mind; some things we do wrong we do with a good goal in mind. Mostly, we're just not so important that we have any sound reason to think ourselves so exceptional as to deny, on principle, other people the human dignity of being capable of doing things right or wrong. More importantly, if we deny the full set of causes for a problem we can't ever come up with efficient, practical, efficacious solution for those times when we try to do something right for a good reason.

[daa]

9. 65% of cocaine comes to the US from Haiti nt

[HipChick]

10. Link? or Source? It doesn't come from there...Haiti is just a drug route for Colombia-based groups

[arcadian]

11. Well, if it's coming through there, it's coming from there.

[Junkdrawer]

12. Kick

:kick:

[tekisui]

13. Welcome our neighbors with open arms.

They are in need. It can be temporary or permanent, but we should open the country to them.

[Mimosa]

14. Where will the JOBS needed come from?

The USA mainland has well over 10% unemployment.