Regarding Haiti: An Open Letter to You

Dear whosoever reads this,
It’s been one week now, and still there’s a growling in the dirt. A wailing in the air. We all know it.

Haiti is screaming. Her air is fetid with the stench of the dead. The news reports are all of how the Haitian people “live in insufficient housing,” which caused so much destruction. The scream we ignored is louder than ever now.

This mess is deplorable. But the West feels no guilt, only sympathy and pity.

Since it became it’s own country and rejecting French control, Haiti has been less than stable. It’s like this in parts all over the world. “There are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth” as the old adage goes. One side fight to maintain power, one side fights to be fed and the truth is nobody is sure what’s going to happen. THEN CAME THE WEST AGAIN. The International Bank gave the government a huge loan, and then bled the country dry. No remorse. Business is business.

In all fairness the media have reported so extensively on this, it’s hard for governments not to act. But aid is still at a trickle, so I wish to beg you follow me in this. Last Friday I put the whole mess out of the mind for the weekend. And on one level that’s reasonable, I had a trip to go on. But as soon as I got home I felt crippling guilt. The 200, 000 reported dead are being buried, one-and-a-half million are confirmed homeless, and yet more are trapped.

Donate what you can. Pray if you choose to. But for all that is sacred, do something. This is two-thousand-and-fucking-ten. The days of ignoring the countries that scream out for help (be honest, we do) are over. Time’s a-ticking and Earth will have to introduce itself to all other intelligent life. How well you think it will reflect if we leave our equals to die?

We aren’t to blame personally for this. But I’ll be damned if I allow this to be treated like a toddler who tripped and grazed their knee. In the Port-au-Prince General Hospital, the country’s largest by far, the bodies are stacked FOUR HIGH BY THE AUTOPSY DOOR. Find a charity. Just pick one. And throw a bit of money at them. If we start with this, we’ll be doing well, and the healing can begin.

Thnks,

Simon