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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Ortega warns of US deployment in Haiti |
| 2010-01-18 |
| Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega says that the United States has taken advantage of the massive quake in Haiti and deployed troops in the country. "What is happening in Haiti seriously concerns me as US troops have already taken control of the airport," Ortega said on Saturday. The Pentagon says it has deployed more than 10,000 soldiers in Haiti to help victims of Tuesday's earthquake. This is while US paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division took control of the main airport in the capital Port-au-Prince on Friday three days after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake brought death and misery to the impoverished nation. The leftist Nicaraguan president denounced Washington's move in deploying military forces in Haiti, saying "It seems that the bases (on Latin America) are not sufficient." "There is no logic that US troops landed in Haiti. Haiti seeks humanitarian aid, not troops. It would be madness we all began to send troops to Haiti," said Ortega. "I hope they will withdraw troops occupying Haiti." Earlier on Thursday, Nicaragua sent 31 military doctors of the Humanitarian Rescue Unit (URH) and humanitarian aid for the victims of the calamity. The latest death toll from the Haitian government is at least 50,000 people dead and 1.5 million homeless. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #17 Well I for one welcome our new djinn overlords. |
| Posted by: Phil 2010-01-18 17:45 |
| #16 Crosspatch, what do you have against the Dominican Republic? Methinks he has it confused with Nicaragua. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-01-18 17:01 |
| #15 No problemo Danny Boy. Next time Americans can stay home and watch it on TV. |
| Posted by: ed 2010-01-18 16:43 |
| #14 Crosspatch, what do you have against the Dominican Republic? They're a liberal democratic republic these days, and almost first-world in comparison with their Hobbsian neighbors to the west. They don't even speak the same language. The DR was the Carribean's great Eighties success story. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2010-01-18 16:40 |
| #13 Eric, very nice, so true. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2010-01-18 13:14 |
| #12 Glenmore: done! |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-01-18 12:44 |
| #11 New Orleans could but won't because of who's in charge. In 1994 President Clinton intervened in Haiti as a wave of illegals were overrunning Florida [and the mid-term elections were near at hand]. We went in, removed the dictator and government that was dumping their population to avoid reform and revolution [pay attention Mexico] and then papered it all over by turning it over to the UN to 'fix-up'. That was 16 years ago. Eight years ago we intervened in another country to remove a dictator and his cronies who were a threat to their neighbors and had been for a while. In those eight years, not only were the thugs removed, an insurgency defeated by the regime hold outs and Al Qaeda, but the country was rebuild from the shambles of mismanagement and the war. One hell of a comparison of results. That recovery wasn't run by the Ivy Leagues, the Berkelites, the State Department or the UN. It was run by people that wore uniforms and understood what service not personal opportunity meant. That's why the governing class wants to bury the story. They can't deliver. However, someone else without all the connections and fancy paper could. It's an anathema to body politic to turn it over to them in order to do it right. Its an anathema to them because they don't really want the power. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-01-18 12:38 |
| #10 He Doc, can you get them to take over New Orleans so we can have proper sewage, schools, jobs etc. and can just complain about our 401(k)'s? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-01-18 12:12 |
| #9 We'll keep play4keeps around for most of the day so that newbies understand what a really schtupid troll looks like. As to 'owning' Haiti, 90% of the Haitians would be better off if we did take the place over. Within a generation everyone there would have running water, proper sewage, electricity, primary schools, and jobs; the people then would spend their days complaining about global warming, inflation and their 401Ks. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-01-18 11:06 |
| #8 play4keeps isn't even an interesting troll. Hit the "ignore" button |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-01-18 08:40 |
| #7 Play4keep ignores that America is constantly asked if not demanded to surrender it sovereignty as it is right now not to obstruct illegal immigration that has and is occurring from Haiti. That's what amnesty is all about, the surrender of American national sovereignty. It about time to push back in the other direction. If we're going to be continuously stuck with those of the lowest rungs of society, then maybe we are also going to exert some control over the problem and do the job of fixing it that so many others have failed to do [other than cheap criticism that we fail to attain perfection]. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-01-18 08:19 |
| #6 It was my understanding that what was left of the pathetic Haitian government was based at the airport, 'coordinating' relief efforts (which means trying to find and rescue their family and friends first.) And of course they were at the airport because it is the safest place and the closest point to food access. This is the result of years of studying the UN way. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-01-18 08:02 |
| #5 I understand the source but his s**t really twists my knickers. I want a president that will stand up and tell scum like Ortega to go pound sand. For any Haitian that says similar tell them fine, all our military will leave as soon as one of their prefered occupiers shows up with the kind of help ONLY the US military can provide. If the Haitian gov't says similar, pull all our troops and aid out asap and let them starve. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2010-01-18 07:53 |
| #4 If we are going to blow all this cash on rescuing Haitians from themselves every 10 years or so, we ought to simply own the place. Posted by crosspatch 2010-01-18 04:41|| 2010-01-18 04:41| YOU SIR ARE PURE SCUM |
| Posted by: Play4Keeps 2010-01-18 05:31 |
| #3 We should simply declare Haiti as a US territory and warn the Dominican Republic that if they don't straighten up, the same result awaits them. If we are going to blow all this cash on rescuing Haitians from themselves every 10 years or so, we ought to simply own the place. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2010-01-18 04:41 |
| #2 "I hope they will withdraw troops occupying Haiti." Hah! Not until we steal all their oil |
| Posted by: Kelly 2010-01-18 00:44 |
| #1 This blog post on the 2005 tsunami applies. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2010-01-18 00:17 |