US troops land at Haiti presidential palace - ap

[demoleft]

"PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Scores of U.S. troops landed on the lawn of Haiti's shattered presidential palace Tuesday to the cheers of quake victims and the U.N. said it would add 3,500 police and soldiers to the sluggish global effort to aid the devastated country.

The U.N. forces are aimed at helping control the outbursts of looting and violence that have slowed distribution of supplies. The Security Council approved adding 2,000 troops to the 7,000 military peacekeepers already in the country as well as 1,500 more police to the 2,100-strong international force.

...

"We are happy that they are coming, because we have so many problems," said Fede Felissaint, a hairdresser.

Given the circumstances, he did not even mind the troops taking up positions at the presidential palace. "If they want, they can stay longer than in 1915," he said, a reference to the start of a 19-year U.S. military presence in Haiti — something U.S. officials have repeatedly insisted they have no intention of repeating."

ap, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100119/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_haiti_earthquake

[thunder rising]

1. I guess we need to protect our installed President first.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. I guess you do not get this that this is a command post

and that we are working WITH THE HOST government.

[Hannah Bell]

11. who we installed. that's a clue for you.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. Actually he is not there...other reports had him operating elsewhere. The palace is in shambles

It does have nice flat areas to use as an landing zone and its not at the airport. Somehow I think that matters more than the symbolism attached to a shattered building.

[tabatha]

4. I guess the Haitains cheering the troops is just a smoke-screen.

[malaise]

12. Many Haitians were not cheering

Some were vocally opposed to the presence of US troops at this location.

[DevonRex]

5. With folks like you, the US is damned if it tries to help and damned if it doesn't.

I'm beginning to understand why the pukes claim liberals hate America. There are a very vocal few here who hate EVERYTHING the US does.

[thunder rising]

6. It's simply bad form to establish command at the palace .. just like Iraq. Pick someplace else.

[eqfan592]

9. It's unlikely there IS someplace else to pick.

open, flat land where you can set up a command post and actually have the ability to land helicopters is hard to come by when the entire city ISN'T in shambles.

Seems like a very pragmatic choice.

[Ghost Dog]

8. Well, one has to admire all the logistics,

you know, seizing the opportunity, and only in one week to organise

the talking points, and to get the right MSM people and all their equipment in place, and

to as far as possible marginalise and/or get rid of all those French and Spanish and other other-language-speaking people who are/were doing such useful human/humane work since day one (and before) with no need for other than, you know, normal levels of security (like, just talking to people face-to-face and being able to look them in the eye), and

make sure the cameras and the talking heads got priority to get there with all their equipment and vital supplies ready to report on (and explain the necessity of)

US Marines Landing! :puke:

Reminds me a little of Clinton's Somalia Beach Head, man.

Anything, of course, to avoid Anarchy (aka self-sufficient self-organizing mutual aid, the usual small minority of (economically-challenged) 'bad guys' notwithstanding).

And anyway, sure, anyone left alive in the bowels of those supermarkets (and/or even at street level in downtown P o' P) have obviously been LOOTING to stay alive, so there's no excuse, is there?

Clear the area.















Look to your own souls, Trolls.

(No criticism implied as regards pure technicians, the likes of you, Nadin).

[Ghost Dog]

10. Ok, correction, according to my local newspaper this morning

(with front page photo), paratroopers.

We still think the same.

(edit: I have no, almost never watch TV).

[Ghost Dog]

7. ... And topple statue of, uh, Toussaint Louverture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toussaint_L%27ouverture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox3LfbAUhPY

[Leopolds Ghost]

13. Are there any people trapped alive there? Will they open gates & use it as a distro?

Any bodies that need rescuing?

Or is this about turning the symbol of Haitian sovereignty into a US command post?

6 search teams, 30 Haitians saved from the rubble as of this weekend.

3,000 American citizens rescued and evacd.

27 international search teams, many more Haitians saved from rubble.

Search and rescue period is OVER --

before US MIL allows additional search and med teams to land.

Shades of Katrina.

No priority given first responders. "Security is first priority" says Clinton and Gates.

Security and logistics flights (US MIL and State Dept) prioritized.

The doctors are the only people doing their jobs properly there.