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Haiti’s tragedy: A crime of US imperialism
By Bill Van Auken
January 21, 2010 – wsws.org
The immense death and suffering inflicted upon the people of Haiti by the January 12 earthquake has laid bare a massive international crime by US imperialism, which prepared this catastrophe with a century of oppression and is now attempting to exploit the disaster for its own ends.
The estimated 200,000 who have died, the quarter million or more injured and the three million whose homes have been destroyed are victims not merely of a natural catastrophe. The lack of infrastructure, the poor quality of construction in Port-au-Prince and the impotence of the Haitian government to organize any response are determining factors in this tragedy.
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When Are Haitians Looters and When Are They Just Hungry?
By: Natalie Hopkinson
January 17, 2010 – theroot.com
“Nearly five years ago, when you could see photo captions of white Hurricane Katrina survivors side-by-side with black survivors, the racial double standard in the news media covering a catastrophic tragedy were obvious. Hungry, desperate white survivors were “finding food” while hungry, desperate black survivors were “looting” for food.”
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Misinformation and Racism Hamper Recovery Effort in Haiti
Doctor: Misinformation and Racism Have Frozen Recovery Effort at General Hospital in Port-au-Prince
By Democracy Now!
January 19, 2010
“There are no security issues,” says Dr. Evan Lyon of Partners in Health, reporting from the General Hospital in Port-Au-Prince in Haiti, where 1,000 people are in need of operations. Lyon said the reports of violence in the city have been overblown by the media and have affected the delivery of aid and medical services.
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New 6.1-quake hits Haiti, people flee into streets
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Wednesday morning, shaking buildings and sending screaming people running into the streets only eight days after the country’s capital was devastated by an apocalyptic quake.
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Haiti: Guns or food?
Presence of US troops provides both hope of relief, and fear of continuing legacy of US domination
By Real News
January 18, 2010 – therealnews.com
As aid starts to trickle in, and the extent of the horror becomes known, decisions are already being made that will affect the Haiti that emerges from this. Ansel Herz reports live from Port-Au-Prince on the role that the deployed US troops are playing, while author Peter Hallward weighs in on the role that the US has played in Haiti’s recent history and shares his concerns that post-earthquake Haiti will further cement the domination of the Haitian people by foreigners.
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U.S. troops in Haiti to prevent Aristide’s return
by Wayne Madsen
January 19, 2010 – onlinejournal.com
President Obama, in keeping with his CIA lineage, has permitted the Pentagon under Robert Gates to take charge of the humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti.
As Cuban and Venezuelan field hospitals were already rendering first aid and trauma care to Haitians injured in the mega-quake, Obama was gathered at a White House photo op with Vice President Joe Biden and other Cabinet officers to state that U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft would fly over Haiti to assess the situation from the air. A U.S. P-3 Orion spy plane from Comalapa air base in El Salvador was dispatched to conduct the surveillance operation, an act that was already being accomplished by earth satellites, the images of which were available on Google Maps.
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Haiti slum district hit hard
Please Don’t Superdome Haiti by Michelle Chen
For those who know how race and media intersect in times of crisis, the earthquake in Haiti has probably sent a bump through your pop-cultural seismograph. Now it’s becoming a flashpoint.
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Disaster Capitalism Headed to Haiti
By Stephen Lendman
January 18, 2010
In her book, “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism,” Naomi Klein explores the myth of free market democracy, explaining how neoliberalism dominates the world with America its main exponent exploiting security threats, terror attacks, economic meltdowns, competing ideologies, tectonic political or economic shifts, and natural disasters to impose its will everywhere.
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The Rescue Operation’s Priorities in Haiti
Class and Race Fear
By Nelson P. Valdés
January 18, 2010 – counterpunch.org
“The contempt we have been taught to entertain for blacks, make us fear many things that are founded neither in reason nor experience.”
– Alexander Hamilton in letter to John Hay, 1799.“Only those who hate the black population, see hatred in blacks”
– José Martí, Montecristi Manifesto, 1895
The recent earthquakes that have demolished the city of Port au Prince and its surroundings has left Haiti stateless, ever poorer, desperate and in need of long term global assistance. A world-wide rescue operation has been initiated. But, it is questionable to what extent the best interests of the people of Haiti have been and will be considered, in the long run.
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