1 Madame Cleo should have seen this one coming.

2 God help them.

3 I merely continue my pogrom against people who refuse to install indoor plumbing.

4 That place is cursed.

5  This is awful.

6 Frankly, after they refused assistance from that Clinton fella I'm of no mind to help them at all. Let the Chinese have this one.

7 My wife's aunt and uncle were supposed to land ~40 minutes before the quake hit to do missionary work. We have not heard anything from them yet. I pray that an international security issue held up the plane.

8 I inherited this earthquake from the Bush Administration.

9 I blame climate change

10
Meanwhile, an unidentified mystery object is poised to whizz by the Earth tomorrow morning at 7:46 a.m. est at 88,000 miles.

Unclefacts ? Kratos ?

11 This still gotta be Bush's fault right boss?

12 The poor people on that island have suffered horribly their whole history, and now this. God help them; I hope Obama sends the navy to provide whatever help we can.

13 And Drudge's main headline is space junk nobody cares about wizzing by us. Nice.

14 I never understood how a country with so much beauty and natural recources could suffer such poverty. Then came dear leader and now I know.

15 Meanwhile, an unidentified mystery object is poised to whizz by the Earth tomorrow morning at 7:46 a.m. est at 88,000 miles.

Some say 2010 AL30 might be a piece of man-made debris, others think it's a small asteroid roughly 36 feet in diameter.

Not big enough to make a major impact if it did hit Earth, but it'd suck if you were directly underneath it.

16 Fritz Longchamp?? Either someone's having some fun with us, or that's the coolest name ever. May have to change my nickname...

17 What is the psychology that leads one/us to mention Haiti, but not the Dominican Republic?  Same island!

18

It's unfortunate.  I just hope this doesn't mean we'll be bringing more Haitians here on some kind of "compassionate" grounds.  The government looks for every excuse to allow foreigners with no skills and an incompatible culture  to come here and start collecting welfare.

It's also sobering - I would like to expatriate to the DR one day (hopefully sooner than later) and did not realize that earthquakes were something to be concerned about. 

19
It's a shallow event,  there will be aftershocks for months. Transform fault (strike-slip mechanism) so no tsunami to speak of. This area has very complicated tectonics and although seismically  pretty low, an event like this was not unexpected at some point. I hope the locals won't be too freaked out by the aftershocks, and will understand the risk. Many buildings that don't fall during a main shock can be brought down by subsequent, smaller shocks. Likely there will be problems with landslides as well, a quick assessment of these hazards ought to be made and disseminated.

20

Just saw somewhere that it's now 7.3.

 

 

21 I hear the jews got out of Haiti just hours before the earthquake hit

22 Every once in awhile we should get down and kiss the ground we were blessed to be born upon.

23 That country has really gone downhill since Papa Doc left.

24

I never understood how a country with so much beauty and natural recources could suffer such poverty.

Been to California lately?

25 Every once in awhile we should get down and kiss the ground we were blessed to be born upon. Posted by: 48%er at January 12, 2010 07:39 PM (QOE7k) That doesn't really impress me ya know.

26 I hear the jews got out of Haiti just hours before the earthquake hit

Posted by: Ben at January 12, 2010 07:38 PM (bftbi)

It's all about who ya know.

27
I never understood how a country with so much beauty and natural recources could suffer such poverty. Then came dear leader and now I know.

Posted by: dananjcon at January 12, 2010 07:36 PM (NiEVf)

Corruption and control maintained by a long line of thugs and criminal gangs. In other words, Somalia in the Western Hemisphere. These folks continue to suffer because they allow themselves to.

However an earthquake is certainly a calamity that is beyond anyone's control and my heart goes out to them.

28

Been to California lately?

Posted by: Cicero at January 12, 2010 07:41 PM (QKKT0)

No.

29 I doubt they will get to much of a tsunami.  The USGS didn't mention a slide of any sort and it seems too be very shallow.  If anything the after shocks will be far worse then a tsunami.

30 #24 The place needs a non-corrupt military regime to govern for, like 30 years.  As absurd as that sounds, got any better ideas?

31

32

It's clear that if there is a god, he truly hates Haiti. I mean the Dominican Republic shares the Island and things are pretty good for them. I guess it is the difference between being colonized by the French versus the British.

 

No doubt Wyclef Jean will be on TV non stop for a few days. I think he is Haitian as he is always doing charity work for Haiti.

33 #13 It is Nomad

34 "I had a friend who did some missionary type work with kids in Haiti."

Me... too.  Weird.

35

Well, it appears that Dominicans and God have something in common, they both hate Haiti. What else can He send them to make their life miserable?

Oh yes, I went there. I have a bad case of compassion fatigue for people and places that never seem to improve no matter what others do to help (even if, in this case, it's not their fault).

Also:

". . . the Caribbean nation will be seeking U.S. assistance"

You know, back during the Grant administration and later during the Wilson administration, the US could have bought the entire island, Haiti and DR. Both times it was offered for annexation by the governments there. In view of the present massive migrations, and total and absolute economic dependence of those two countries to the US, I think that things would have gone better had we taken the deal back then.

Hawaii is doing much better than Puerto Rico and Haiti and DR are independent in name only. Nationalistic pride for litttle countries is a bitch.

36 damn.

37 It's clear that if there is a god, he truly hates Haiti.

It's the Santeria.  Not cool.

38

17 What is the psychology that leads one/us to mention Haiti, but not the Dominican Republic?

The buildings in the Dom Rep probably didn't "crumble to dust" with an earthquake.

Haiti is sadly one of the worst backwaters in the world, on par with Bangladesh, but with more corruption and sex tourists.

39 Ground that's all you're getting. I've seen what people do to you.

40
It's crazy there.  People wailing and crying. A lot of big buildings have fallen. A  mountain has split. Pray for them!

41 This area has very complicated tectonics and although seismically  pretty low, an event like this was not unexpected at some point.

Hmm.  That sounds like what they'll say after a big New Madrid shaker has all us St. Louisians picking up bricks.

42

I think before aide workers go in to help the surivors that they should take into serious consideration this could be some sort of grand Zombie trap.Lord knows that Zombies are from Haiti and this is a prime recruiting opportunity.

43

Posted by: jmchez at January 12, 2010 07:43 PM (W0h4C)

Personally I'm glad we didn't annex the island.  First, we avoided the legacy costs that Haiti was bound to carry.  Second, the DR is a pretty respectable escape destination for Americans - even those with only moderate means.  Those of us on the Right will likely need one all too soon.  Anyway, I don't see what gain we're getting from Puerto Rico - we should probably cut them loose, too.

44 The best thing that could have ever happened to that island would have been the US annexing it when we had the chance.  Cuba to a lesser extent as well.

45 In all seriousness, i hope as many people as possible survive, but i have my doubts. I can't imagine the construction down their is above shack level quality. At least they are close enough to America that we will be able to get supplies and medical aid down there very quickly.

46 Once again the US will lead the rescue and relief operations while the UN holds a meeting criticizing our efforts

47 A  mountain has split.

Yeah.  Well.  I wasn't kidding.  It was written down for a reason.

48 Seriously, look at the Haiti/DR border on satellite.  Trees are predominantly absent from one side.  Guess which.

49 A story I heard back when Papa Doc ran the country.

At most of the major city intersections three of the four corner buildings were occupied by the regular police, the army and the secret police (tonton macou).  You could drop a $10US bill in the middle of teh intersection in the morning, take a tour of the city and come back before sunset and pick that $0 back up.

Not that the citizens would leave it alone.  The three agencies would touch it in fear that it was a set-up by one of them.

Papa's normal solution to a local problem was to go into the area and throw $$ around to make everyone happy.  Baby Doc's problem was that he married into a family that was more corrupt than his own.  The money stayed in his wife's hands; think of Imelda Marcos of the Caribbean.

50 wouldn't touch the money.

Damn proofreading.

51 When obama is done the ex pat movement may be big enough to turn the tide in some of these places. I've mentioned this before but Costa Rica is thriving from the retired and ex pats.

52 very sad news

53 I am reminded of P.J O'Rourke's essay on Haiti in "Holidays in Hell"

54 i've never been to the island. Is there some massive fence that keeps the Haitians on one side?

55 Caribbean earthquakes aren't unheard of.

56 48 Seriously, look at the Haiti/DR border on satellite.  Trees are predominantly absent from one side.  Guess which.

Posted by: s'moron at January 12, 2010 07:50 PM (p1s9n)

Indeed - and the Dominicans are intent on keeping it that way.  You can't cut down a tree without special permission.  Lets hope that they never fall prey to Leftist politicians.

57 Are they light or dark skinned Negroes?

58 I never understood how a country with so much beauty and natural recources could suffer such poverty. Then came dear leader and now I know.

Posted by: dananjcon at January 12, 2010 07:36 PM (NiEVf)

This joke is told in Brazil and Chile about Argentina but can be used about Russia and, soon, the USA.

God finished making the earth and was proud of his achievement when an angel came by and said.  "Lord, you are being unfair.  You have distributed riches and natural resources inequitably.  That large chunk of land at the edge of that continent has too many resources and riches."  God said, "You are right I'll make it even.  I'll populate it with Argentinians."

At the beginning of the 20th century Argentina was more developed and richer than Canada and Australia.  Socialist governments based on workers' envy of the rich drove the economy down the toilet.  Castro did it to Cuba (used to be the richest country in the Caribbean), Chavez is doing it to Venezuela and the Dems here are leading us in that direction.

59

What is the psychology that leads one/us to mention Haiti, but not the Dominican Republic?  Same island!

Posted by: ParisParamus at January 12, 2010 07:37 PM (NPtVh)

One half is windward (dry) while the other half is leeward (moist). One half is deforested while the other half posses a lush forest. One side has forever been ruled by corruption, the other half not so much. One half has no infrastructure, the other half has one. One half has an earthquake measured at a magnitude of 7+ centered within 10 miles of its capital, the other one doesn't. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are like night and day. The story of how two halves of the same island evolved so differently is an interesting one, but since I haven't read about it for about 20 years I've forgotten most details. Plus, I'm dog-assed tired and sore as hell. It's a good piece of history to read up on, though.

60 Does anyone have anything good to say about any past or current governments of Haiti. Is this is what we will become 25 years from now?

61 Damn.  A co-worker's son just returned from the DR.

62 saw a news report they said a lot of government buildings were totally destroyed. 

63 very sad

64 Does anyone have anything good to say about any past or current governments of Haiti. Is this is what we will become 25 years from now?

Y'all have 18 months at best.  Don't worry.  Be happy.

65 Meh, what was a hell hole just became a bit more disagreeable to live in.
Personally I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

66 saw a news report they said a lot of government buildings were totally destroyed. 

Posted by: curious at January 12, 2010 07:59 PM (p302b)

That was the "mercy" part.

67 60 Does anyone have anything good to say about any past or current governments of Haiti. Is this is what we will become 25 years from now?

Posted by: Haiti th ehell hole of the America's at January 12, 2010 07:58 PM (kmgIE)

The core of American culture is still largely Anglo-Saxon (for clarity - this bears no resemblance to modern England).  We still have a little bit of hope. 

68 Y'all have 18 months at best. Don't worry. Be happy. Posted by: God at January 12, 2010 07:59 PM (lN56Y) Hey, we ain't falling for that again. We are not all like JOB ya know.

69
42..Posted by: Absolutely going to hell

That made me lol. God forgive me.

70

61 Damn.  A co-worker's son just returned from the DR.

What?  You hate the kid or something?

I went to Haiti once.  I usually wear a condom, but then I said to myself, "When am I ever coming back to Haiti again?"

71

A not so funny thing -- Bill Clinton did a lot for to Haiti.

Supposedly, he fixed it.

72  I thought Teh Won would put a stop to natural disasters?

73

This dog would have came in handy...

74 international abuse because the US sends a naval task force in 3.....2.....1.....

75 Earthquake? I think that's best left to the cables.

76

So, will it be the Liberal Wet Dream, Cuba, which will send its "Navy", Coast Guard, and billions in aid in less than 24 hours to Haiti, or will it be the evil US?

All partisanship aside, I hope Obumble does the right thing and rushes everything and everyone we can to help.  It's the Christian thing to do, after all.  Oh, wait . . .

77

42..Posted by: Absolutely going to hell

Neighbor!

78 Posted by: God at January 12, 2010 07:59 PM (lN56Y)

God's on a roll...

79 "I guess it is the difference between being colonized by the French versus the British."
Posted by: Ben at January 12, 2010 07:42 PM (bftbi)

Ben, Ill forgive your mistake.  The entire Island was colonized by the Spanish before the French came by and took the western 1/3rd.  Ever since, Dominicans have called the french takeover of the eastern end of the island, a curse.

The difference mainly is that on the eastern end, the type of farming the Spanish colonists and creoles did was mainly for real food, including cattle.  That is not conducive to be done by slaves but peasants can prosper on small farms.  On the eastern end, the French farmed along the lines of huge coffee and sugar plantations with all the labor being done by imported African slaves.

The Haitian slaves eventually kicked out the French and took over the Island before being pushed back by Dominican patriots.  Ever since then the Haitians have tried to take over the island again by immigrating.  They have deforested their land and constantly seek jobs on the DR side.  The US may be big enough to accomodate huge amounts of immigrants but to ask a small country like the DR to allow all Haitians to come in on a "humanitarian basis" would amount to national societal suicide.   

80 Pretty stock comments from palin on oreilly

81 God's on a roll...

Posted by: SDH at January 12, 2010 08:09 PM (tqjsp)

You should see me when I'm drinking.  Harry Reid, for example.

82 OT:  On a brighter note, how come none of you morons told me that actor James Franco is a conservative?  I have to rent Freaks and Geeks again.

83 For the record, I'm not really God; He only comments at Instapundit.

84 google Cité Soleil. humans were not meant to live like this.

85 Franco a conservative? Explains why he's doin a sitcom now.

86

I guess it is the difference between being colonized by the French versus the British."
Posted by: Ben at January 12, 2010 07:42 PM (bftbi)

Ben, Ill forgive your mistake.  The entire Island was colonized by the Spanish before the French came by and took the western 1/3rd.  Ever since, Dominicans have called the french takeover of the eastern end of the island, a curse.

The difference mainly is that on the eastern end, the type of farming the Spanish colonists and creoles did was mainly for real food, including cattle.  That is not conducive to be done by slaves but peasants can prosper on small farms.  On the eastern end, the French farmed along the lines of huge coffee and sugar plantations with all the labor being done by imported African slaves.

The Haitian slaves eventually kicked out the French and took over the Island before being pushed back by Dominican patriots.  Ever since then the Haitians have tried to take over the island again by immigrating.  They have deforested their land and constantly seek jobs on the DR side.  The US may be big enough to accomodate huge amounts of immigrants but to ask a small country like the DR to allow all Haitians to come in on a "humanitarian basis" would amount to national societal suicide.   

 

Most everything was done by the spanish first in that area. I was refereing more to the "Code Noir" which was an "final solution" type of slavery. In most slave states, you wanted to keep the slaves alive as they were commodities, instead in Haiti they had an astronomical death rate.

87

Minka Kelly is pretty cute.  And I like brunettes.  But, Jeter, you could probably do better, unless you're gay, a total asshole or have a one-inch erection.

So which is it?

88 @86

It's hard to imagine how stupid the French had to be to treat the majority of the population on their colony so badly that anything was better than waiting to die while at the same time having giving all the male adults in that population machetes, which can human torsos just as well as sugar cane.

It explains why Haiti was second to the US in becoming independent but after that didn't know what to do with that liberty.  It's the difference between a revolution led by highly educated land owners and lawyers, and one led by illiterate slaves whose sole mode of interaction with the rules of government was based on violence.  Once again, it's the fault of the French.

89 Maybe recovery will play out just like the Boxing Day tsunami, where the US Navy responded quickly and saved hundreds of lives while the UN sucked their thumbs for weeks. If that happens, Obama will get glowing, gooey credit for it, while it apparently happened without any input from George Bush in 2005.

90 Don't worry, cap'n wonderful will send them some DVDs.


You can eat DVDs, right?

91

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity!

What, did something happen somewhere?

92 Haiti ROCKS!!111!

93

@85  - Not quite. I think it has more to do with the fact he is currently living in NYC obtaining his MFA.  And he's doing a soap - not a sitcom. He also has a number of movies in post production.

94

If you haven't read it yet, Tracy Kidder's book Mountains Beyond Mountains, details the work of Dr. Paul Farmer and the healthcare challenges in Haiti, Peru and Russia.  It's a great, inspiring read, one of the best books I've read in the last few years.  I picked it up because I remembered how much I enjoyed Kidder's Soul Of The New Machine, which featured one of the companies I worked for.

 

Mountains Beyond Mountains details Farmer's astonishing accomplishments, starting with his graduating near the top of his class from Harvard Medical School after having barely attended classes because he was already spending most of his time in Haiti trying to bring health care to the poorest of the poor. With a career that begins like that, the reader wonders what will become of him, and as the answers unfold they evoke incredulity, excitement, and often a resounding "Bravo!"

What made you want to devote a book to Dr. Paul Farmer and his organization, Partners In Health?

Tracy Kidder: I had met him in 1994 and found him intriguing, but I think the decisive moment was when I saw his health center in Haiti for the first time in 2000.You travel from the airport along this horrible road where you mostly notice the absence of things: Electricity, arable land, even trees. And after three hours of witnessing unremitting misery all around you --people without food, without shoes-- you come to this verdant citadel that provides high-quality medical services to everyone for miles around, regardless of their ability to pay. I remember feeling that if it was possible for this to be here, then anything was possible.

MK: I thought some of the things he says in the book are hilarious -- like the acronyms he's constantly coming up with, such as TBMIs, "transnational bureaucrats managing inequality" to identify the stodgy people who control international health. And then referring to their clever arguments about why things have to stay the same as "well formed stool."

TK: Yes, he can be very funny, and he's always at his funniest when he's talking about really serious things.

Interview continues at HuffPo: http://tinyurl.com/37mfvy

 

 

95

22 Every once in awhile we should get down and kiss the ground we were blessed to be born upon. - 48%er

Brother, every time I read about earthquakes, I bless the Canadian Shield which my city squats on!

THE most solid & stable chunk of land on the planet!!

96 53 I am reminded of P.J O'Rourke's essay on Haiti in "Holidays in Hell"

Posted by: Techie at January 12, 2010 07:53 PM (zbH+i)

It was actually in the book "All the Trouble in the World", but yeah, PJ's  recounting of Haitian history is both hilarious and horrible.  He uses the phrase, "The exiled leader then sailed for Jamaica" about 20 times. 

97

@90, UGAdawg: What the Americans and Aussies did, to initial criticism, was build field hospitals and shelters. This proved to be greatly beneficial when all the victims started coming in who needed surgical treatment and it began raining all the time.  The UN, was still looking for adequate 5 star hotels for it's staff weeks later.

98

The place needs a non-corrupt military regime to govern for, like 30 years. 

They had that. United States Marine Corps, 1915-1934. The phones worked.

Woodrow Wilson made William Jennings Bryan his Secretary of State. At a cabinet meeting, a detailed report on Haiti was delivered. Bryan's only comment was, "Imagine that: n**gers speaking French."  

99

God be with those poor, poor people.

100

Haiti is a beautiful, terrible, complicated place.  I have been there 4 times in the last 2.5 years; the poverty is crushing but is also a place where the human spirit struggles to prevail and it' amazing. The only true way of knowing Haiti is to experience it, and then you just find out there is so much you don't know.

 Two of my children are adopted from Haiti.  I have one more coming, he is the biological brother of my daughters.  Tonight he is there in an orphanage and I am beside myself with worry. 

This earthquake is beyond catastrophic.  And the thugs are out in full force.  And the UN is pretty much fucking useless down there.

 

101 Thinking positive thoughts for your little boy, SmallTownGirl.

102 My buddy's daughter just finished med school and has been volunteering in Haiti for the last two years.  After residency, she vows to make it her life's work.
She loves the people there.  Pay special heed to how these doc's international want to receive support.  If you listen to FOX interviews, they are very diplomatic, but you must send money to NGO's affiliated w/ America.  IT CANNOT FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE GOVERNMENT.   A very corrupt country w/ a very corrupt history. 

Look up the Duvalier family.  It hasn't improved.

103 yeah this is ... this is ghastly, those people have nothing and there's no infrastructure, no emergency services, the homes are made like trash, there's no food set aside, Haiti is hell on earth. Pray for the Haitians, because it wouldn't surprise me if half the population dies.

There are no words to describe how awful this is going to be for the Hatian people. God be with them.

104

Frankly, with the powers in charge in Haiti, you and I know most of the aid will go to them, and the people will get the crumbs.  Air drop weapons AND food.

Let the enslaved class have a whack at the so called "government" of that wretched island.   Where are a few million STENs when you need them?

On the other hand, you and I know that massive killing , rape and plunder is going on now, why make it worse?  If we send aid, we also need to restore order, rebuild the infrastructure, and insure honest elections....oh, wait...we did that in Iraq, and got a kick in the teeth for it from the rest of the world...Fuck 'em....let Cuba, China and that fat fuck Chavez fix this one...I'm going to the range....

105 Joe and Mika are reporting that the earthquake was devastating.  They are talking about people they work with who have family down there.  One guy and his sibs were on the phone with his mom who was cooking dinner and the line went dead and they are very worried.

106 Mika and joe are saying that "Americares" is a wonderful organization and that you should send your donations to them.  Anyone know anything about them?

107

#107, the Sten is an endangered beast unless someone finds a cache of a couple thousand in Europe. Really the only existing platform you can get in sufficient quantity and issue to untrained peasantry is the Kalashnikov.

And to be honest, I need a freighter, 25,000 AKs, a couple thousand RPGs, 200,000 AK magazines, 600,000 rounds of 7.62x39mm, 10,000 RPG reloads, and ninety day's worth of MREs for those 25K troops for another small job I'm on call for.

I'm sure there are a couple thousand unwanted M16A1s in Anniston Army Depot in Alabama should the current political leadership of the US magically grow a set of balls and some morals.

108 Talking to some guy name "Christoph border" who is spearheading the Americares response.

109 888 407 4747

Number for Americans trying to get information about relatives in Haiti, per CNN

110 Obama response time: 18 hours

111

Massive earthquake hits Haiti causing $10 billion in improvements.  News at 10.

112 No update from SmallTownGirl . I hope she let's us know what is happening.

113 PDF to TIFF Converter will provide you with free trial and considerable guidance. At the same, you can also learn about more key features about Free PDF to TIFF Converter. you may also interested in HTC Video Converter.

114 laptop batteries laptop batteries

115 cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys cheap nba jerseys