There is an article in the NYTimes today that tells of the 'cruelty of desperation.' Some elderly have survived the quake and its aftermath, but, are succumbing to starvation and possibly thirst.
As soon as people see USA Marines looking like The Terminator they will fall into line. The USA has done everything the right way. I sort of think of this as 'Phase Two.'
People are receiving supplies and staying alive. That is a huge accomplishment when one considers we are seven days out from the quake and most of those alive today wouldn't be without the help they have been receiving.
The medical attention and evacuation of those that needed advanced medical care has been incredible and the bravery of all involved in aiding the people of Haiti is astounding. But, there will come a time when hording is a way of life and that can't be tolerated in anyway if it is going to cost those that survived their lives.
The criminals are out and about and the USA military can easily set up policing forces, encampments and prison facilities. I don't believe people have to be rounded up in an effort to find criminals that have escaped the Haiti prison, but, they can be arrested for new crimes against humanity. There is absolutely no reason for hording supplies. There is plenty of them and they are continuous. It is a matter of organizing distribution and helping people re-establish productive lives. Caring for each other, the sick, the young without families and the elderly is a very good start. That won't necessarily occur without a 'Police Action.'
The Marines can look for volunteers among the people as well that might have police experience and are willing and able to put on a uniform and bring supplies to people. It would be a good start back to infrastructure that works for the people. Fighting corruption among re-established police forces will be a high priority. Corruption could lead to militias and more instability. It is a process, but, it sounds like it can't wait if we are going to keep people alive.
...For Richard Domand, (click title to entry - thank you) a homeless man in his 70s who was partially paralyzed by typhoid, it was too much.
He arrived in the morning but made it only halfway up the hill, where into the late afternoon he was lying on the ground next to his cane. A woman had given him one of the two bottles of water she had gotten from the Americans, but he said he had gotten no food.
“I cannot make it up,” he says.
Even as more aid flows into Haiti nearly a week after a devastating earthquake, the challenges faced by the 82nd Airborne in handing out food and water here illustrate the hurdles in distributing it across the city. Roads are clogged with traffic and rubble. Confusion is rampant. Everywhere, people ask, “Where do I go?”...
