Yes, I would want my child home, you are right. But if my child could sit at the embassy as the students who did and were safe, so that life saving surgery could take place, I would want that seat to go to the child needing medical attention to live, a few more days wasn't going to put them in jeopardy.
There seems to be an appearance that it is hard to get out of there. Well it just seems like it takes awhile but Canadians and Americans are coming home. And Haitans are dying every minute.
I am not saying leave our people there, I am saying step it up and bring these injured people to help. Bring some more planes in, why are some people more important than others?
The little tiny country of the Dominican Republic is doing more surgery than the US, why is that, they are 2 hours away in Miami? Send these so called unsafe UN doctors to Miami and bring the patients there then.
If West Jet or Air Canada can get a plane down there to pick up our kids (which they did) why can't we take the child with half her face missing and needing surgery immediately with us?
Why can't we take the poor boy who is going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life, that is if he makes it thru the night?
Why can't we save any of these people but we find ways to save our own?
That goes for the US too.
Our group of students arrived on a relief mission, the earthquake happened 45minutes after they arrived. They were taken to the Canadian embassy. These students had food, they had water, they had a roof over their heads and they had someone planning their return. Where are the people planning the medical attention these people need now? Something is wrong with this picture.
Logical, I have been following your story and it is one of hope for me. I understand that their situation was different at the hotel and very traumatic.
If Lynn U can find the students and profs that would be a miracle and they may also save some Haitans. I applaud their effort as well and will be praying the missing are found.
What about the people who have been found and are sitting there dying of broken bones and sepsis. I just want to see some immediacy put on surgeries and life saving procedures and every day it gets a little less hopeful.
Hi...have you been to these islands?? NO one goes to Haiti (except for RCI's private beach day on some of their west carrib cruises)....the airports in the "better off" islands are rinky dink...ie, St Martin, St Thomas..and those are the good islands
I maintain that the best thing to do was to get the Americans out of there asap....for one thing, Haiti had no real sewage/water treatment to start with...it is such a dangerous country that those who venture there go with with a "guide" ...to translate and PROTECT
The "embassy" was in ruins....and vulnerable to a mob angry at USA...
the airport was little and rinky dink to start with...and is in a shambles..
I saw where you said..."get a phone and water" at the airport and let injured Haitians on the plane...well there are no working phones in Haiti right now....there would not necessarily be water at the airport..
and frankly the Americans there could be in grave danger
These are college kids, retired people doing good deeds like Rich...missonary workers...they are not able to fight off a mob...not to mention that cholera, disentary, etc are on the way with the amount of dead, decomposition, contaminated water
It might "feel good" to say "let them on first"...but that could be a disaster
I am all for helping Haiti....I am participating in a fundraiser, and have donated....I also know Haitians here and I see their frustration and their efforts to help their poor homeland
but it does NOT help Haiti to have US Citizens die needlessly there...our obligation is to get them out of there
otherwise NO one will ever go back there to work, volunteer, and no one will or should go on any of these missions
remember....there was NO "tourism" trade in Haiti..any one there was there on business, mostly misson/volunteer business
I hate to argue but I find that this is a place where people can confuse "feelings" with "facts"....ie, the idea that Haiti somehow "mismanaged" it's "tourist trade" ....
there was NO tourist trade (other than that one private beach)...NO one went there for "pleasure"....
As for the idea that Haitians who somehow are here legally could have brought over their relatives....our immigration policy has been against them (hence their anger at the Cubans)
anyone who lives down here has seen countless sad stories of Haitians trying to get here...on rafts, rowboats...dying in the attempt...washed up on beaches only to be shipped back (no "dry land" policy for them like we have for Cubans)...or being cut off by coast guard and shipped back to Haiti
Dom Republic is doing more surgery cause they have better roads...if they can get them out of Haiti and over there they can get to a hospital that are full to the brim it seems..
the problem is that the airport was small and not great to start with, it has damage...there are not many traffic controllers (? lost in the quake?)....it is a logistical nightmare
and yes...I am glad the students were taken to the Canadian embassy and given food and water...they were there to help the Haitians and should be out of there first IMHO
I have been to islands where they have armed guards keeping the tourists safe on the all inclusives (Jamaica) or at the ports (Belize etc)...and those are "tourist" spots....
Haiti was NOT a tourist spot (and I am still waiting for anyone to back up the idea that it was)
Can you imagine if americans who "gave up their seat" are in the shattered airport when /if an angry crowd decides to go there to look for food?? Scary
the US needs armed troops, search and rescue people (guarded by armed troops) and tons of medical people (guarded by armed troops)
Hopefully they will be able to get more people to the hospital ship we sent..that will be a big help I hope
raying: Dr Rich Bruno...Come home safely.
that is the way I too have known it to be in Haiti. 
it is not about correcting me it is about a bone they have to pick with me, and don't I know it LOL
