Then Let Them Starve
‘Somebody please tell me why Haiti even has border guards?
Mostly because they are- like Haitian government organizations in general- a vestige from when the Haitian government actually served as something more than the top prize for whoever the strongest and most successful thug was and/or whatever populist demagogue managed to persuade the people that THIS time things will improve FOR REAL! Which- if I am generous- was back in 1920 when the USMC occupation to prevent our dear friends the Germans from moving in in WWI was scaling down (or- if I am not generous- back when it was called “French Tortuga"). That, and it allows you a valid excuse for people to carry guns and extract “fees” for passage.
Honestly, there is absolutely only one way to deal with this lot short of shooting and/or imprisoning every single last one of them, as I have stated to my charity group multiple times: NO Concessions WHATSOEVER. PERIOD.
You must understand how these mooks work: one charity org gets to the Haitian frontier and is caught up in legal red tape and so they eventually give up and pay a bribe of say… $5 in order to go on their way and do the work that needs to be done. Now, I’ve taken a lot of flack, typically from the bleeding hearts (and I don’t mean that as too much an insult: these people usually are naive as all hell and are often Leftwing but they generally are reasonable and they above all mean and intend well and generally can work quite hard), that this is a small price to pay in order to help the genuinely unfortunate inland. The PROBLEM with this is that that logic only works if you are A. On a mission of the highest strategic importance- ie 007 or cloak and dagger issues- or B. You believe we are the only charity org in the world trying to get into Haiti. The former is not so no matter how desperate the plight of the innocent may be, and the latter is outright false.
To explain, after we pay our bribe of $5, sooner or later somebody ELSE shows up at the exact place we passed. And the mooks go out and go through the usual song and dance that is the Red Tape Theater until eventually the second group gets the idea that they need to fork over cash. However, the mooks do something that is uncharacteristically intelligent for lower life forms: they don’t TELL the second group the “minimum accepted bribe"- which is usually $5 or higher. If the second group pays under the MAB, the mooks will refuse to let them pass and usually specify how much more to give. However, if they go OVER, the mooks naturally feel no obligation to tell them so and wave them through. However, when the THIRD group arrives, the mooks charge the third with either the previous MAB or the bribe paid by the previous group, whichever is higher. If the latter, than the higher price becomes- in effect- the MAB. And you can imagine how this goes on and on and on.
In effect, by whetting the appetite of these thugs, we are only harming future relief efforts down the line and indeed ourselves as well, because once you start paying you never can really stop.
So I have long made very clear that we will choose the higher, more difficult route. “Millions for miscellaneous changes and the like, but not one cent, peso, or Zimbabwean dollar for tribute.” In effect, we will painstakingly keep records of Haitian standards and our reception there, if they point out something wrong- rightfully or wrongfully- with our paperwork, we will go back and ALTER it- if at all possible back in the US or somewhere other than Haiti-. And we will do this again and again and again and again and again and again. And if we believe we are have false charges being tacked on or inflated costs, we WILL raise a stink with whatever administration they have. And if THAT fails, we go even higher up. And if all else fails, we leave Haiti and go to the displacement camps on the Dominican side of the border and give the goods THERE with the same rigorous standards. And if THAT fails we try and deposit them at the nearest Western aid station. And if THAT fails, we destroy what isn’t suitable to be brought home and we bring home what is.
As I tell the group time and time again, the Earthquake isn’t responsible for the catastrophe we see in Haiti. It was what just unmasked what had been there the whole time. And by paying these swine, we are only furthering the problem.
Posted by Turtler
04/02/2010 at 11:44 PM
But just think of all the wonderful “feelings” all those lib like folks who ran like the wind there are having.We cant deny them the “RIGHT” to have the rightious humanity of their actions suppressed by not giving aid and comfort to worthless fucking people who have 2 hundred years of taking shit from anyone strong enough to slap them a few times.
BTW Drew, I officially claim the right to be a careless,cras,asshole who does not care about certain groups of humanity who cant or wont take a stand to be worthy of self rule.
Oh, and thanks for the history lesson Turtler, always helpful.back in 1920 when the USMC occupation to prevent our dear friends the Germans from moving in WWI was scaling down
T. I’m a bit confused on the dates. The Germans and Haiti? By 1920 the war had been over for two years and the German economy at the time could never have allowed an occupation of that place. I wasn’t even aware they had any interest although I’ll defer to you on that.
Forgot, Rich has it right on the feelings thing. I’m certain there are many well meaning ppl who want to help whoever and wherever they can. But I see most of them as self serving, self important folks who join causes (usually left) so they can feel really good about themselves. They are also generally self important and delusional and btw ..
at least up to last week, there were still collections here and of course the obligatory “Walk for Haitian Relief” --- “Run for Haiti” --- “Bike for Haiti” --- fund raisers.
The damn fools haven’t a clue but all will feel very warm and fuzzy about themselves after the walks and runs and bike rides with accompanying sore behinds and feet. Silly People.OFF TOPIC: Winchester 50 degrees? Don’t think so unless warmer in town then out here.
Global warming and change: A couple days ago we had temps colder then Moscow.Thanks for the link/info. I hadn’t realized Germans involved there but did know about our occupation. Interesting. Another interesting thing was the idea that the Germans integrated as well as they did, which copies what they did when they came to America.
No other racial group was so quick to integrate, drop German sounding names and take names easier for the locals to pronounce, as were the Germans. They were also the least sentimental of all immigrants about their home country.Thanks for the link OCM ... but damn, that is one majorly biased Wiki entry.
Pieper:
While OCM’s link covers most of the story neatly enough (thanks OCM) and the extra data isn’t terribly relevant to the issue being discussed, here’s the date issue summed up:
We went in in 1916 when the war was still in full swing and Berlin was still a VERY large player in Latin American politics (usually by having their agents give out money and weaponry to any two bit thugs who claimed they were anti-American while also going around asking if a anybody wanted to attack the US outright) in order to not only get it so that the Haitians could finally pay back their debt but also to prevent a Pro-German Coup in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We stayed there for four years.
We stayed in 1917 because the war was reaching a climax and as such Berlin had given orders out to its henchmen to step up their attacks on US interests in order to prevent the US military from entering the fray in mainland Europe, 1918 because the war was at a climax and we didn’t exactly have anything else to spare from Europe, and 1919 to keep peace during Versailles and disarm the final few bands of roving thugs hired by the last few diehard Germans. In 1920 the threat of a return to war with Germany dropped off the map with the German Civil War in full swing, Haiti was largely pacified, and the troops there were needed either for Demobing or for our interventions in Russia, so they finally left. Hence why a force sent to prevent the projection of German power in WWI was still around in 1920: because they were folding up with their mission complete and would leave within the year.
Sorry for the rant.
Posted by Turtler
04/03/2010 at 01:14 PM
Peiper:
They were also the least sentimental of all immigrants about their home country.
That was in large part because- for a large portion of them anyway- their home country wanted to either string them up or shoot them. The vast majority of the Germans who emigrated abroad ever came shortly after 1848, which was when Bismarck led a reactionary alliance of the military, several local kings, and (of course) the aristocrats to stomp flat the attempted experiment in German Republican government, the Frankfurt Parliament. Soon afterwards, what I can only describe as a mini reign of terror occurred more or less throughout Germany, where pretty much anybody who had anything to do with the Frankfurt Parliament or had anything to do with anybody who had anything to do with it was hunted down. At first, the most common places to flee were into Western Europe, but when the Austrians got involved in catching them and sending them back in the Balkans and Italy and Bismarck’s nascent secret police/intelligence got involved in catching expats in nations bordering the German states, they more or less chose to flee as far away from the old country as they possibly could, hence how they turned up in places like the US, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and India. At which time they had fairly little to be sentimental about regarding the old country.
Posted by Turtler
04/03/2010 at 01:46 PM
Turtler, Have you read the Black Tom story? I’m certain you did. If memory serves, it was located in NJ. (?) Yeah, I think it was. That was an education for me when I found the book some years ago. I think I still have it but alas, it’s stored away in Calif. with so much else. Just couldn’t ship every book we had over here. All sorts of info we never learned in schools or else maybe the subject matter was thought to be only a side issue. Whatever the reason, I learned more in the libraries then I did in classes. Ah but ... then the problem became memory. Not very good most of the time. Which is one reason for hanging on to books.
04/03/2010 at 05:22 AM
