Ok one of the Major gripes is that the US is evacuating people

[nadinbrzezinski]

like it's citizens.

First off, I am glad... that the US took out, so far, 5000 mouths I don't have to feed, and Mexico 50 and Canada I think so far 1000 and so forth.

But here is the question? WHY did the US have such a footprint? This takes us back to why is Haiti one of the poorest countries on Earth and the poorest in the Americas... this goes back to the policies that have made this the case.

See many of those thousands were members of well intentioned missions... and by definition NGOs. When you hear that they had the largest presence of NGOs in the world, yes that's correct. See Sister Martha orphanage in a dark street, run out of a home, IS an NGO... just as the Red Cross... just different scales. The difference is that Sister Martha does not have the logistics or way to stay there... and the same goes for Father Joe, running the school out of his home and of course bible studies and religious studies. He IS also an NGO...

Now Haiti is a basket case because they have no tax base... no, the rich do NOT pay much in the form of taxes... oh the horror, and there is no money for government services. So what you have on the ground in Haiti IS truly faith based in action. For an idea, far more poetic if you want, read Dickens... because Haiti is truly a Dickensian society, where the rich get richer and the poor, when they get help, do so from well meaning... in this case, fath based NGO's.

This is the RESULT of things like the Thousands Points of Light of George Bush fame... by the way. I at times wonder if the top of the GOP realizes this? I am sure the base does not. So yes, each one of those thousands of NGOs is a point of light... instead of organized, government response.

[Warpy]

1. There was actually a fair sized expat community there

because it was beautiful country that provided cheap labor and a high standard of living for retirees. Lots of people visited it on cruises and decided to live there. Those are most of the people being evacuated and that's a good thing.

Foreign aid workers who were already there are likely staying. It's only the expats who are going home.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. The expats no doubt, but also a lot of the very small NGOs

read the one to two person shows.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Kick

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

4. Why not take them back in the emply planes that held

the relief supplies on the way down there ? It would be silly to fly back empty, no ?

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. That's how they have been evacuated

precisely. Every nation that had nationals, brought planes filled to rafters, and took their nationals in the same planes. But some folks round these parts have been screaming even about that.

[tabatha]

6. That is how they got the orphans out ...

a returning, empty C17