How many countries will have to suffer natural disasters before the world realizes that it needs a permanent corps of relief doctors, workers, and equipment?
The scramble to appear ready and willing is unseemly. rescue operations cannot wait for governments to make phone calls, decide who will do what, fuel up planes, detour ships, all the while putting our messages of pain and support.
Just today, a member of the American negotiating team at the December Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen stated that it was the fault of the ALBA nations of Latin America, citing Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador and Bolivia, the four left most nations of the alliance) if the negotia-tions had failed. He said they weren’t interested in saving the planet, but only in “equalizing wealth around the world”, or words to that effect.
Coming amidst the cries of the Haitian victims, that vitu-perative declaration was particularly cynical. The alternative news sites gave full play to U.S. involvement in Haiti’s disastrous 20th century history, which continues to this day, and has prevented the island nation from acquiring an infrastructure that serves the people rather than the multi-national corporations. Shantytowns built on deforested hillsides were wiped out while concrete bypasses suitable for the vehicles of the elite could be seen still standing on the newsreels.
Nature and morality agree on the need to share the wealth and spare the planet. The rulers think they can get by with piecemeal measures that illustrate Al Qaeda’s rants.