Conservatives speak out on Haiti
There is no denying the tragedy in Haiti. The numbers are still coming in, but there is no good news in terms of death and devastation. This is certainly one of the great disasters in modern times.
On one hand, it’s wonderful and encouraging to see so many Americans come together in an international response. Across this country, millions of dollars have been raised to assist the people of Haiti. We’ve been featuring daily updates from the Red Cross daily on our show.
But then there’s Rush Limbaugh, Pat Robertson, and Chuck Devore. They sort of make you scratch your head and say “huh?”
Rush accuses Obama of trying to politicize the relief effort —he’s using this to remake his image.e can’t wait to get out there,” argued Rush about President Obama. Even George W. Bush has stepped forward to defend Obama. After all, whar would Tush have the President do? If he does nothing, or takes his time, Rush criticizes him. If he’s quick to respond, Rush accuses him of grandstanding. Not fair.
Pat Robertson is barely worth discussing, insisting that the earthquake can be explained because Haiti “made a deal with the Devil” to get out from under French rule. Please.
Then there’s our own Chuck Devore, conservative, running in the Republican primary to challenge Boxer. He has a key staff adviser who apparently supports the relief effort, but then wants the U.S. to run away.
Hmmmm. So explain something to me, folks. When an earthquake like this strikes, what exactly is our obligation? I’m curious.
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The Dave Congalton Show 
Haiti is hell. It is beyond saving. Now the prisoners have escaped and are running terror in the streets. That will never end.Send Obama over there…he'll fix it and he can then rule as a dictator.Every dollar sent to Haiti is wasted! As is the time.
There is no greater thing a person can do than to bring comfort to the suffering.Situations like the one in Haiti are tests of our humanity. Some pass, some fail. Compassion is never wasted.Those who would add insult to injury in a situation like this are less than human.
Why does the US owe Haiti Billions? Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, stated his foreign policy view as the “Pottery Barn rule.” That is – “if you break it, you own it.”The US has worked to break Haiti for over 200 years. We owe Haiti. Not charity. We owe Haiti as a matter of justice. Reparations. And not the $100 million promised by President Obama either – that is Powerball money. The US owes Haiti Billions – with a big B.Full article here:http://www.counterpunch.com/quigley01182010.htmlThe Haiti of today is a direct result of the U.S. operating it as a defacto colony ever since our invasion and occupation of that country in 1915. U.S. market fundamentalism ideology carried to its extreme.Same thing we did to Cuba prior to Castro. U.S. intervention rights were written into the old Cuban Constitution. All of our reactions in Haiti are knee jerk reactions to the possibility of a duplication of Cuba….in Haiti,Those such as Aristide, with "leftist" conocerns over the well-being of the people are perceived as dangerous to U.S. interests in Haiti. The preferred choice was, and is, to support one right wing dictator after another…as long as they adhered to U.S. ideology and "business first" roles.Haiti vying with Chad for the title "Most Impoverished Nation In the World" is a direct result of that. Haiti wasn't always a bankrupt slum. It could go back to exporting sugar and add tropical fruits and coffee to that…earning income to buy what it can't produce for itself with its limited natural resources. It would need foreign assistance to do that….and a stronger central government to impliment it over the objections of Haitian elites. Government that governs least is the best… for them. Where have I heard that one before? U.S. agricultural dumping should be stopped and Haitians encouraged to return to farming that could again be profitable without it. U.S. Big Ag, of course, would object.The hundreds of millions given annually to prop up the dictatorship of Egypt (and others) with weapons could be put to better use. The armaments industry would object.
Rush limbaugh has repeatedly and consistently told people to donate, but he did think that it was a new low for self promotion for users to go through the whitehouse.gov website in order to donate. Sure, that would be fine IF that is all that it was, but unfortunately they intend to collect that information to use for future political purposes. Rush Limbaugh as well as the Clinton's visit the islands other half, the Dominican Republic. I know that both feel for the inhabitance of this poor island that has struggles for many generations. (un)wise guy, I do not appreciate your personal attacks on me about the comments that came from the mouths of some of the leading democrats in this country. What people say does matter, and we should not just sweep it under the rug if they have a (D) after their name.Also, (un)wise guy I especially do not appreciate the insinuation that I do not have friends of different backgrounds! I have lived in other cities besides this rich white area of California sir. I have made friends with many different people without respect for their skin color, sex, religion, or background. And, yes several of my coworkers that I keep in touch with in facebook from back east are about as dark as anyone I have ever seen before. They are just as smart and articulate as any light skinned person I have ever met because the color of their skin makes no difference at all. Does not have anything to do with their integrity. Does not change their attitudes. I find it very sad that Senator Reid finds it more appealing that a light skinned man may do better in elections that a dark skinned man. That is what he is saying. I guess he feels that the "negro dialect" is inferior to the sophisticated government speak that he is apparently skilled at barfing to us every day he rushes to the cameras. Reid is a sick man, and I think Obama accepted his apparent remorse too quickly!Even Bob from SLO wrote back on April 25, 2007 on this blog:"As for the "mainstream media" inventing the macca thing with George Allen; did you mean to imply the "liberal media"? The thing is, the "media" did not make George Allen call the young man with dark skin a slur word that Senator Allen was brought up with, that was his own doing. What the media did do is to pick up on the incident and, like the media will do, they played it over and over. Once people understood what it was that the Senator had done, then they decided who to vote for and Jim Webb was elected in George Allen's spot."Hmmm, seems that George Allen was very remorseful immediately after he was confronted with this apparent (who has heard of macca anyways….not exactly the n word is it?) racial slur, but the media didn't allow it to drop. Many on the right threw him under the bus too. Now with Harry Reid and Clinton what have they done? Gone. Oh Senators always say that about Jr. Senators. Reid is not racist, oh no! Lets go on and forget it. What a difference a D can make.By the way I encourage you all to see if you can donate something to a legitimate charity like Red Cross to help those in need in Haiti. I know times may be tough for many here, but compared to those in Haiti I think we can all find something to share.
Wise guy, I salute you. No more need be said.
Winston: I wonder how many people know the story of Haiti like the article you linked to? Haiti had to pay reparations to France for the slaves that were freed? 70 million francs more than the entire Louisiana Purchase? How many people know that Aristides was removed from office not once, but twice, both times by a United States president with the first name George and the last name of Bush? Of course, most conservatives would not give such a thought a moment to consider, but, it would sure follow the notion of the US supporting right wing dictators and pushing for a "Libertarian Paradise", of no government regulation (actually, no government, period) that has allowed many US based businesses to flood the Haitian markets with produce items so cheap that the farmers cannot make a living, forcing many to move to the cities that cannot support such a large number, resulting in the slums that have been so devastated by the earthquake. Yes, we owe Haiti, a lot.
Republicans lack compassion unless it involves lining their own pockets, plain and simple. President Obama spent today reminding the nation of the legacy of Martin Luther King.Let's be honest here — do you think McCain, or Romney, or Palin did ANYTHING today to honor Dr. King?Thought so.
Obama, conservatives give more to charity than liberals…..by far. With that being said, let's not make this trageday a political football. My prayers go out to the Haitian people.
On Thursday, as the world anguished over the devastation in Haiti, the communications director for U.S. Senate candidate Chuck DeVore, Josh Treviño, posted this on Twitter: "Haiti: the best thing the int'l community can do is tend the wounded, bury the dead, and then LEAVE. That includes all UN and charity."Not exactly an instance of compassionate conservatism.IA asked Treviño what in the world he was thinking. Two responses: Though he often uses his Twitter account to weigh in on campaign matters, in this case Treviño said he was speaking for himself and not DeVore, a conservative state assemblyman from Irvine who's seeking Barbara Boxer's seat.And while his tweet could have been worded more artfully, Treviño said, he stood by the sentiment."Multiple authorities have talked about the corrupting effect of aid," he said, noting that he does not come at the issue blindly, having spent time abroad on relief-related work as a former Health and Human Services Department aide in the Bush administration.But starting a debate about the merits of international aid while Haitians are trapped in rubble and counting the dead probably wasn't the best timing.And DeVore, while saying that Treviño has a point intellectually, was not pleased."I chewed him out," DeVore told IA. "It was very foolish to make that argument after a devastating earthquake that's killed tens of thousands of people.
Satan's Letter to Pat RobertsonDear Patty boy,I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action.But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished.Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth — glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven't you seen "Crossroads”, or "Damn Yankees"? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox, people obsessed with narcissistic endeavours like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace– that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it — I'm just saying: Not how I roll.You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings – just remember that I don’t like to look bad; and not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.“Warm” regards,Satan
It took the Heritage Foundation 13 days before listing their (12 Ways To Profit From Katrina).It took them less than 24 hours to do much the same for Haiti. Shock Doctrine 101.In reality there is but little difference between Democratic and Republican politicians. They both exist to serve the one corporate party.On the other hand there are many differences between the base of each party, and these differences are put to good use by the one corporate party to divide and conquer us all.
Right on, Winston. New poll shows Dems 30%, Repubs, 25%, Independents 40%.How about a "common sense" party?
Three Conservatives doesn't "Conservatives speak out on Haiti" make. So, is that all the "conservatives" you got speaking out on haiti?For me, as a Conservative, I know that the American people will continue to give from the heart… as we did with the Aceh Tsunami, katrina relief, 9/11 victims relief and a whole host of donations that the American peopel give regardless of the economy. Rush Limbaugh was partially taken out of context (he never said don't give to charities, just not to the whitehouse.gov website), but even still, for him to go right to the political angle before expressing the sorrow we all feel for the loss of human lives in haiti is in very poor taste. Moreover, Haiti is the poorest of the poor of nations on the earth. They, the haitians created mush of these conditions through their unfettered governmental corruption that squandered the nearly $300 million US taxdollars we have sent them every year since 1994. That was what Rush was getting at in his poorly delivered way. But it is not limited to Conservatives using Haiti for kooky purposes. Danny Glover says that the earth took its vengence on haiti because the rich nations didn't come together in Copenhagen to address global warming (coldest winter in 60 years by the way). That is lunacy to think that a) the earth is 'aware' of human activities, and b) capable of controlling the movement of tectonic plates in the Carribean Sea. Furthermore, if the earth is alive and thinking as Glover suggests and is capable of self-control such that it is able to lash out a the haitians that have little if anythign to do with global warming, then why doesn't his earth just lower the temperature, or at least the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere? It can't because the earth is just a big ball of mud and water floating in space like the rest of the crap in our solar system. It is insanity to believe otherwise.So lets be a little more 'fair and balanced' on this subject, okay?
The Haitian people have truly shown what community spirit is in spite of past natural and man-made tragedies. The way the Haitians have conducted themselves in the absence of much needed help is a testament to their true spirit which can never be erased no matter how many devils Pat Robertson and his groupies may try to hide behind.History has shown that poor people will and can take of themselves and that scares the religious, political, and military establishments to death. Without fear, those three do not exist.God help the Haitians now that our military is there. Most people still do not have help because aid shipments are turned away by the American military. People are dying because of lack of medical care that is available but that cannot reach them. Amputations and broken bones are being treated without pain medication. Many of the Haitian doctors and nurses are dead. The whole second year nursing class died under the rubble.Yes, Pat Robertson can go fly a kite with the devil he believes in.
"They, the haitians created mush of these conditions through their unfettered governmental corruption that squandered the nearly $300 million US taxdollars we have sent them every year since 1994: BTRI see that this site and the nation continues to be in more dire need of an intelligent and honest conservative POV than at any time in our history.U.S. policy has destroyed Haitian agriculture. They use minimal foreign reserves to import U.S. food….at a high cost to Haitians.It has among the lowest tax rates in the world….for those at the top. Government services including education, water supply, roads, etc. are nearly non-existent. It's National Park, containing a few remnants of forest, is a joke. Government doesn't even maintain ranger patrols in it….the remaining trees are being chopped down for charcoal. Streams/rivers go from flooding to being dry. Year-round stream flows have ceased. Haiti's elite continue to do well.Pres. Aristide was overthrown when he dared to propose raising the Haitian min. wage…25 an hour. Not even enough to buy enough food to survive after the U.S. collapse of Haitian agriculture. U.S. transnationals objected…the U.S. intervened, and forcibly removed Aristide from power and shipped him to the Central African Republic.Maybe we should keep going the Haitian route and continue deforesting the U.S. Blow up some more mountain tops. It is, after all, the most profitable way to mine coal. Use the fill to plug up another 1,000 miles of streams.If people want to see where neoliberal economic/social policy leads, Haiti is a prime example. Chile was another. Living standards plunged so rapidly after complete implementation, , it took a dictatorship to maintain order. When he (Pinochet) was overthrown, he was ultimately tried for crimes against humanity and the "disappearance" of Chilean citizens.Neoliberalism is being imposed on the U.S. in stages. If done overnight, people would recognize the beast for what it is (outsourcing is one component of it). It remains the crux of U.S. foreign policy…enforced by the gun or threats of it from our 700+ military garrisons around the world.The U.S. has imposed disaster on Haiti for decades …the earthquake is the crowning blow. It's weak, broke Central Government (a libertarian ideal) is incapable of addressing anything. It's propped up by foreign troops.
The Earth is NOT, as one less-than-perceptive-person has written here, just a "big ball of mud and water." In actuality Earth is an incredibly complex living system, alive in every sense of the word. Human activity of all kinds has an effect on Earth, just as fleas do on a dog's back. Rivers are like arteries, circulating material and keeping the Earth body cool. Water is as vital to the health of the Earth as blood is to the health of a human. The problem is too many people are so insensitive, so out-of-touch with nature, they do not understand the magnificence and aliveness of the Earth and thus are callous and abusive to it, like ravenous fleas. Spend a couple weeks with a backpack wandering deep into the Sierras and then try to tell me Earth is nothing more than "mud and water." Earth is more alive and complex and sensitive than you or I. Human activity does set up vibrations that affect the well-being of Earth, no doubt about it. But unlike fleas and ticks, if we suck the life from Earth to the point it is corpse-like, we cannot simply jump onto a new, more healthy dog.
Common sense tells you not to give charitable contributions to the White House. Statistics show that 72% of welfare money from taxes goes to administration costs. 28% to recipients (1999 stat, could not find anything later). Common sense tells you that giving directly to, say Red Cross, will give you more bang for the buck. So, common sense tells you Rush is correct (and taken out of context and flat out lied about in the MSM). So, back to Dave's question, what is our obligation. None. What should our moral response be? Contribute to those in need. And try to contribute to where it will do the most good. Not the White House.Winston, what does the Heritage Foundation have to do with this thread? Following is there response to the Earthquake.http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed011410a.cfm
The link to the White house led to a link to the Red Cross. Disingenuous on your part or just dishonest?Try the Heritage site, prior to them changing it.Heritage Foundation Covers Up Its Opportunistic Hopes in HaitiYesterday we all heard how Rush Limbaugh said that Obama was being opportunistic with Haiti relief, that the Obama administration will "use this to burnish their, shall we say, credibility with the black community, in the … the both light-skinned and dark-skinned black community in this country. It's made to order for them." Opportunism, says Limbaugh.But it's Rush's own party that's looking for opportunities in Haiti.Within hours of posting a controversial post about what the U.S. should do in Haiti on its website yesterday, the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation, sprung into action to remove its most egregious parts, change its title, its url and do its best to remove any evidence from Google. The post, written by one of its fellows, Jim Roberts, showed one of the more calloused reactions from within the Beltway. Here was the original introduction which has since been removed:In addition to providing immediate humanitarian assistance, the U.S. response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti earthquake offers opportunities to re-shape Haiti’s long-dysfunctional government and economy as well as to improve the public image of the United States in the region.Forget relief. Opportunities are to be had, according to Roberts. Roberts, who was in the State Department for 25 years, including time in Haiti, knows better than most the kind of condition Haiti was in before the earthquake and what it must be like after. According to the post, it was originally published yesterday at 3:32 pm and updated (read: edited) at 5:08 pm.This is the original url, which also bears the post's original title:blog.heritage.org/2010/01/13/amidst-the-suffering-crisis-in-haiti-offers-opportunities-to-the-u-s/ That's right. The title use to be: "Amidst the Suffering, Crisis in Haiti Offers Opportunities to the U.S."The above url has now been re-directed to a different url:http://blog.heritage.org/2010/01/13/things-to-remember-while-helping-haiti/The title has since been changed to a friendlier, kind advice type of title: "Things to Remember While Helping Haiti." Click either url now and you wind up in the same place: "Things to Remember While Helping Haiti."Except we now know that the Heritage Foundation has no interest in helping Haiti–only opportunity.The Heritage Foundation along with many such conservative groups never misses an opportunity to prpfit from misery and have always been at the forefront of such immoral behavior.This is why this site is so frustrating, some of the posters here stifle intelligent conversation.
Rush can say anything he wants. His show and he supports contributing to the disaster. Bottom line. More of your dollars go to relief through direct contributions to the organization. Pretty much ends discussion of Dave's original topic.
" Pretty much ends discussion of Dave's original topic." Um, that would be NO; sure, it is Rush's show, and he can donate any amount he wants, but that does not excuse him of accusing President Obama of politicizing the relief response in Haiti, nor does it excuse people like Hugh Hewitt accusing the President of invading Haiti. Conservatives, as usual, are wrong about what our President is actually accomplishing in Haiti, as opposed to say what President Bush didn't accomplish in the Gulf Coast after Katrina; and that is the real rub to conservatives, that President Obama is better at something important than President Bush was.
Any guesses as to how many Haitians died because of LImbaugh discouraging people from donating through the government link? Giving people any excuse NOT to donate was a selfish act of despicable proportions during a time-sensitive and critical situation like this.Parse his words any way you like, but the fact is that Limbaugh's comments harmed the relief effort and created more suffering, not less, which is pretty typical of Limbaugh's contribution to society..
Wise Guy, where have you been. Rush has not discouraged people from donating. So, your answer is zero. Bob, nowhere do you see me criticizing President Obama's activities involving Haiti. You need to quit generalizing. I think he is doing fine.
Hoosier: I did not say that you were disparaging President Obama's response to Haiti; you said that the gist of this thread that Dave started was moot because of what is being done by the US in Haiti, and that ignores the subject of this thread, which is the response by conservative commentators to what our President is doing. Has Rush taken back any of his comments about President Obama's response to Haiti? If not, then the subject of this thread is still relevant, with your view not being the subject of this thread. Did you hear or read the comments of Hugh Hewitt regarding his assertion that President Obama is invading Haiti? Do you agree with that statement? If so, why, and if not, do you think that Mr. Hewitt went too far?
What is irrelevant, according to you libs, is Rush Limbaugh.Why do you all continue to fixate and obsess over ONE guy?Whether or not he took back what he said is irrelevant. Even if he did (and he never has), you know it would not be a sincere apology. So let it go. This thread is irrelevant because mroe aid, more concern and more money has been donated to the Haitian earthquake victims than to our fellow Americans during Hurricane Katrina.That is a fact.If Limbaugh's words were relevant, then donations would be LESS than Katrina… and they're not.Finally, Limbaugh still is one private citizen free to say what he wants on the subject when he wants. Deal with it.
Talking about Rush Limbaugh is not "to fixate and obsess over ONE guy." It addresses thousands of individuals who imitate him and regurgitate his words and attitudes with such absolute slavish mindlessness that they themselves cheerfully refer to themselves as "dittoheads." To talk about Rush Limbaugh is to discuss a widespread disease that infects the United States. to address Rush LImbaugh is to address the corruption of the public airwaves and the pollution of a medium that has the capacity to heal and sooth rather than attack and inflame. To talk about Rush Limbaugh is to talk about a virulent infection that eats away at the core morality and goodwill of a nation. Limbaugh is free to speak his mind, but that doesn't mean that he deserves to have continual use of the airwaves when there are so many other voices being denied access, voices that have so much greater value to our nation's soul, voices that come from diverse backgrounds and forward thinking minds, voices that inspire good, voices that inspire peace and love among men; voices that are beholden to no orthodoxy, no incorporated church or business, voices that educate rather than indoctrinate. Rush Limbaugh turn at the public microphone should be over; he's done this thing, he's had his chance, he's had his say. He should quit hogging the PUBLIC airwaves. Money should not determine who gets to drink from the public well or who gets to piss in it. Limbaugh has had his turn. Surely the public airwaves can be put to better use. Give Limbaugh a website and be done with him and free up the airwaves. P.S. personally I think it is wonderful that the U.S. has given more money to Haiti for relief than to relief for Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina pales in comparison to the devastation in Haiti. Haiti is in greater need of relief, so it as as it should be that the U.S. continues to be so generous. Haitians are people too; they are our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. There is no worthy reason to provide them with any less compassion or help simply because they are beyond our border. We are all citizens of the world and this world gets smaller everyday.Haitians are our neighbors in every sense of the word. Neighbors helping neighbors is a wonderful thing. Neighbors sacrificing for neighbors is a sacred act.
Well of course Hewitt was being an obtuse over reactionary in making his absurd statement, but there is an element of truth in it nonetheless.The militarization of Haiti will just make it easier to control once all is said and done. Not that there is much left of Haiti that we haven't already extracted from that poor nation and left in shambles.It will provide a foot hold for corporate profiteering ala Katrina though.Ironic that the miserable way Bush handled the Katrina disaster is troubling that area still. That is unless you lived in one of the "better" neighborhoods.Haiti deserves are billions, not our millions.
When did you liberal wing nuts and your Democrat Party stop championing the First Amendment right of Free Speech?When did you liberal wingnuts stop being for the right of someone to speak their mind?When did you liberals stop caring for the "little guy" in favor of Big Government?I see liberal responses on this blog and it makes me wonder what happened to the Democratic party started by Thomas Jefferson (my favorite president). I know it started back in 1845 when Democrats supported the Missouri Compromise that made sure that black men and women stayed slaves. the Democrats were the ones that championed "state's rights" as a vehicle for holding one human in bondage to another. It was the Democrats that enacted the Jim Crow laws of segregation. It was Democrats that turned the fire hoses on civil rights protestors and it was a democrat that stood at the doors of the elementary schools in Little Rock and Montgomery trying to keep their schools segregated. It was democrats that created the welfare state that destryed the black family with dependency on the State instead of charities and family. It was Democrats that built the slums of the 1960's. It was Democrats that started the Vietnam War and it was Democcrats that cut off funding to ensure we lost it. It was Democrats that lost China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Venezuela to Communist oppression. It was democrats that gave away the Panama Canal. It is Dmeocrats that favor allowing dictators to remain in power so long as they are "contained" within their own borders to murder and rape their own people. It is the Democrat that says, "To hell with those people. they should overthrow their own dictator if they want to be free" forgetting that the US needed outside help from France and Spain to become free. It is Democrats that have tried over and over again with "healthcare reform" only to screw it up, leave people uncared for yet dependant on the State with a bankrupt system. It happened with the VA hospital, medicare, Medicaid, SChip, and now ObamaCare. they fail over and over again and yet they only propose more of the same. Sure there have been bright spots. Truman desegregated the military and kennedy proposed putting a man on the moon by the end of the 1960's, and Clinton ended welfare as he knew it. But the record for Democrats is mostly a barren wasteland of debt, depression, dependancy, all built on the false promises of good intentions.Why the American people continue to buy the Dmeocrat Bill of goods over and over again is a mystery. The Democrat Party is either an utter failure populated by bigots and idiots, or they are achieving everything they want because they are really tyrants in waiting. Neither are good alternatives.
But back on topic, guess who is getting ready to be a judge the at 2010 Miss America Pagent? That's right… Rush Limbaugh.