Prayers for Haiti, Comments on Dunderheads

The devastation in Haiti is beyond belief. It seems a cruel fate that such a disaster should befall the poorest country in our hemisphere. And it is no accident or fault of theirs that they are so poor. Few commentators have made clear the historical causes of Haiti's dire poverty. Just as the Kerner Commission report in 1968 boldly declared, in the wake of urban riots, that "we [the white community in power] created the ghettos," so it is true that "we [the white-dominated nations of our hemisphere, led by the U.S.] created the impoverished state of Haiti." Haiti's slaves overthrew their cruel masters in a rebellion/revolution from 1791-1803; the white-controlled slave empires of the hemisphere, in order to make a cautionary tale out of such obstinate slaves, did all they could to totally isolate this rebel country politically, economically, etc. With no immigration or travel in or out, no trade, no investment, no cooperation of any kind for over 100 years, it is not surprising that Haiti, a small island country thousands of miles from the homeland of blacks, was unable to progress economically and develop sustainable industry and farming. To now blame them, as if lazy or irresponsible or unintelligent, for their plight, is ridiculous.

Which brings us to a couple of dunderheads named Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson. First Rev. Robertson, that epitome of Christ's compassion for the poor and outcast. I would almost say that he deserves kudos for knowing the history of Haiti as the first country in this hemisphere where slaves were freed, and where blacks gained political power. Yet the inevitable conclusion he draws from these events is that the only way blacks could possibly defeat whites is by selling their souls to the devil.

As for Limbaugh, his knee jerk reaction is to cynically see Obama's response as an opportunistic attempt to "look presidential" while expressing racial solidarity and thereby gain points with the Congressional Black Caucus. Gee, with so much to gain (and at a cost of only a few hundred thousand casualties), Limbaugh might even believe that Obama somehow caused the earth to tremble so violently in order to serve his purposes. Now THAT would be a powerful black man to make every white racist tremble in fear.

Again, prayers for those in need of water, food, medical attention, shelter, and loving compassion. Our hearts go out to yo as we can only imagine the extreme difficulties you face. May you heal in every way, completely and as quickly as humanly possible.