What was Going on in Haiti Prior to the Earthquake?

Between 45,000-50,000 may have died in the impoverished country of Haiti according to the American Red Cross as a result of the earthquake that shook Port-Au-Prince and surrounding areas on January 12, 2010. A hospital collapses, the President's palace is left in ruins, and many homes in shambles. Haitians bloodied from the devastation have walked away with tears in their eyes while others lay on the ground struggling to live or dead. This is what we see on the surface, but what is really going on behind the scenes of this catastrophe? What events were ongoing in Haiti prior to the earthquake?

Rumors of Manmade Earthquakes and Depopulation

We question why would Haiti suffer? What is the lesson to be learned in all this sorrow? Biblical scholars talk of Matthew 24 in the New International Version(NIV) Bible where Jesus says, "There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all the nations because of me." Prophecies were made on websites like YouTube prior to this major earthquake reminding people of Matthew 24. Yet, was this in fact a natural earthquake created by a Supreme Being or a disaster intelligently designed by man?

Conspiracy theorists have argued that an elite group called the Illuminati has something to do with creating earthquakes. For years, theorists and ex-illuminati members have used YouTube videos, blogs, forums, and websites to inform the public about plans for depopulation using disease and man-made created disasters all around the world. In the past we have seen evidence of this from man-made created cancers and diseases to storms. Theorists say the elitists are attempting to carry out their final plans of creating a one world government.

This idea of a man-made earthquake isn't far-fetched since we already knew of a recent earthquake that occurred in China last year called the Sichuan Earthquake. Media reports questioned whether that was man-made back then. "Several scientists in China and the U.S. claimed that the Sichuan Earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.9 and killed at least 70,000 people, could have been caused by a 511ft-high dam just 550 yards from the fault line. The Zipingpu dam, which is located about three miles from the epicenter of the quake, holds 315 million tons of water," according to a posting made by Elaine Chow on the Shanghaiist.com. "Some geologists believed that the weight of the water, and its ability to penetrate rock, could have changed the pressure on the fault line."

New Construction

Since media reports like CNN, Washington Post and others, reported that Haiti was rebuilding itself after past tropical storms, could the construction work that was being done around the land disrupt the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone? As of this writing, no one has answered yes or no to this question since it is far too early to tell. The only thing we do know is that "scientists have warned for years that the island of Hispaniola, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, was at risk for a major earthquake," according to CNN.com.

"Five scientists presented a paper during the 18th Caribbean Geological Conference in March 2008 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, stating that a fault zone on the south side of the island posed "a major seismic hazard." Paul Mann, a senior research scientist at the University of Texas' Institute for Geophysics said, "We were concerned about it." He added, "...strikes like these can remain quiescent -- dormant -- for hundreds of years. So it's hard to predict when they'll occur."

Back in 1988, the Haitians were protesting a planned dam project that would flood their homes in the Artibonite River Valley - an area known as Haiti's breadbasket, according to Patricia Adams, the author of In the Name of Progress: The Underside of Foreign Aid (Doubleday Canada/Energy Probe, 1985) and Executive Director of Probe International. "Backed by foreign aid agencies the dams would destroy almost ten thousand acres of prime agricultural land, a scarce commodity in food-short Haiti. As a result the project sparked a widely-based 'alliance of resistance'. Groups opposed so the project included local farmers, church activists and rural development workers, as well as human rights organizations and environmentalists outside Haiti."

If there was a dam being built near or along the fault line, would it have caused an earthquake, uproar from local Haitians and pressure from scientists, government officials and others to stop work in the area?

The state department issued a warning to travelers back in July 2009, stating the following, "Most transport infrastructure damaged by the 2008 storms has been repaired, although in many cases repairs are temporary pending the construction of more permanent structures. Haiti has few secondary roads that are in good condition. Drivers traveling on Haiti's roads must be aware that there will be frequent deviations, stoppages and obstructions due to ongoing road construction and repairs."

Various websites such as Bahama Journal reported of local contractors working on the buildings. In the Bahama Journal back in 2007, Business People Invested in Haiti, by Macushla N. Pender, Principal of Top Builders International, Odley Aretis, said "This has been a real life-changing experience for me....When I saw what was happening in the construction industry in Haiti, it was really appalling. To the local contractors, we can really take advantage of the construction opportunities in Haiti," Aretis said. "Why do I say that? Port-au-Prince was designed for 150,000 people but there are presently over three million people living there. There is a building code that is never used. We can take advantage of this and show them how to build properly and make (a lot) of money."

In an article Chartered Surveyors assist Haiti Construction Industry posted on July 26, 2009 on the Caymen News website, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), (an independent group which regulates property professionals and surveyors in the United Kingdom and other sovereign nations, Wikipedia) with assistance from Plan International, had organized a mission to Haiti from July 21-24 to improve the country's building standards and create building codes for the construction industry. The article doesn't mention Haiti asking the American government to help in ensuring that Haiti's buildings were up to par. Sanjay Amin, a Director for Caribbean property and development company, BCQS International and Fellow of the RICS, was requested by the RICS Major Disaster Management Commission to provide voluntary assistance to the project. Notice the company was asked to do a service without payment.

Construction Jobs

These days America is not hiding the fact that many citizens are losing their jobs. In a recent article written by Justin Lahart, provided by the Wall Street Journal on the Yahoo Finance site, entitled, "Even in a Recovery Some Jobs Won't Return," Lahart says, "With 1.6 million jobs lost over the last two years, (here in America) the construction sector has accounted for more than a fifth of the jobs lost since the recession began." How many jobs do you think will be gained around the world since this recent Haiti disaster?

A commenter on Twitter, who calls herself Hope3217, wrote less than 24 hours after the Haiti earthquake, "The way I see it, some Engineering and construction jobs will open up in Haiti very soon... got a passport? Let's gooooooo!!!!!"

If this earthquake was in fact a man-made occurrence then someone already thought of jobs and most likely a list of American construction companies have already been selected to join forces with Haitian local businesses to repair the country. President Barack Obama during his campaign spoke often about job creation and at times mentioned various construction projects that were needed. Most Americans assumed the jobs he spoke about would be on American soil.

Unfortunately, no matter how devastating a tragedy there will always be those who will say, "What's in it for me?" America and its European friends is no exception. There is no precious gold, or diamonds in Haiti, like other countries that attract foreigners from all over the world; rather the country's resources come from agriculture and farming such as: Coffee, Sugar Cane, Cacao, Tobacco, sisal, rice, corn, sorghum, cassava, vegetables, tropical and sub-tropical fruits, orange-peel and bitter oranges, mangos, cattle, pork , and essential oils.

Latin Alliances

So what can a country that is often described as being "the poorest in the Western Hemisphere" do for any group or individual? Well neighboring Latin countries saw Haiti's glass half full. When Haiti's President René Garcia Preval took office back in 2008 (due to a democratic election orchestrated by none other than the United States,) he met with neighboring Latin countries. Wikipedia reports, the former Prime Minister had a friendship with "Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez which resulted in various economic agreements that included 4 power plants (a 40 megawatt, a 30 megawatt, and two 15 megawatts). An oil refinery was also scheduled to be installed in the country, with a production capacity of 10,000 barrels of oil per day." Why the allegiance to Haiti from Venezuela? Because Haiti has a history of helping a former South American political leader, Simón Bolívar, hundreds of years ago. During his reign back in July 24, 1783 - December 17, 1830, Haiti provided military power to aid Bolivar's cause in liberating much of South America.

Since being in office, Preval had also met with many Latin American leaders such as Fidel Castro, Evo Morales of Bolivia (with an economic situation similar to Haiti's), Martín Torrijos of Panama, and Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic. Preval was also consistently voting in the United Nations General Assemblyagainst the United States for the embargo of Cuba, according to Wikipedia. Could the United States government been displeased with Preval voting against them?

Travel Warnings

Prior to the earthquake news, back in July 2009, the State Department warned U.S. citizens to exercise a high degree of caution when traveling to Haiti. Political tensions remained at the time and the potential for politically-motivated violence was on-going especially kidnapping. Although kidnapping in Haiti had declined at the time (60 Americans had been kidnapped in 2006.) In 2008, 27 Americans were reported kidnapped. In July 2009, one American had been reported kidnapped. Most of the Americans were abducted in Haiti's two largest cities, Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitian. The state department reported that some kidnap victims had been killed, shot, sexually assaulted, or physically abused. The presence of UN stabilization force (MINUSTAH) peacekeeping troops and UN-formed police were ongoing throughout the country prior to the earthquake.

Cost of Food

According to Haiti media reports, on April 12, 2008 the Haiti Prime Minister, Jacques Edouard Alexis, received a vote of no confidence from Parliament and resigned. The resignation was due to public discontent over the government's economic policy, riots and the rising price of food commodities.

Racism

So why hasn't more countries in past years gave more to Haiti? To answer this question, one must go back to Haitian history.

According to EveryCulture.com, "(Haitian) Residents attach tremendous importance to the expulsion of the French in 1804, (Haiti's weapon of choice voodo against white men with guns) an event that made Haiti the first independently black-ruled nation in the world, and only the second country in the Western Hemisphere to achieve independence from imperial Europe." Could Haitians have been fearful of outsiders coming in their country and taking over especially those of white skin? If so, that would explain why some Haitians would rather build their own country back up again even if they have limited resources.

Some critics may differ with this view and say that it's the other way around and that other countries fear Haiti especially America. But why since America has been known to be a God-fearing nation founded on Christian principles? According to an article titled, Dealing Misery and Death from the Back of the Tiger that appeared on the Axis of Logic site back in October 2005 and written by Les Blough, "The only conceivable "strategic interest" the U.S. government could possibly have in Haiti lies in the fear of the captor. The Haitian Revolution was the first and only time that an enslaved people rose up, broke their chains, and established a new state." Blough writes, "Haiti inspired enslaved African Americans in the United States and continues to be perceived as a threat to those who have institutionalized racism in the U.S. Haiti represents the power of people to bring down unjust economies and racist governments...the white establishment may have glossed over their racism with slick news media and Hollywood movies, but the fear and hatred for African Americans remain among the power elite in the U.S. just as they are exhibited today in Haiti."

Some would disagree with the points raised and say outdated history, superstition, religion, and racism have nothing to do with the lack of help given to Haiti, which brings us back to the question, if racism has nothing to do with the little help Haiti has received from prosperous countries then how would a poor country benefit America if they were to help rebuild it?

Deportation

Apparently Haiti wouldn't benefit America based on events that happened in 2008 and 2009, the American government attempted to deport over 30,000 Haitians back to their ravaged homeland after four tropical storms. However, the deportation was protested by Haitian Americans and many others from around the world including the NAACP.

Currently in the United States government sits Haitian-American Patrick Gaspard. He was appointed by President Obama as the White House Director of the Office of Political Affairs. Also, the Head of State in Canada is a Haiti native and former refugee, Michaelle Jean.

Racial Prejudice Accusations

Now what if history does prove that America has acted prejudice in the past toward Haiti? YouTuber Sundiatasoulbefree, a young man with an opinion about Haiti's travesty shares some interesting insight about America's inaction over the years. He believes prior to the earthquake America didn't care about Haiti until the camera was turned on the poor country, now they care, he says.

"The United States only cares about themselves." He said, "If you really care about someone like you say you do you would take preemptive action extend your hand to them before major catastrophes happen. The United States has a long legacy of doing something after the fact. We act like we care when there is worldwide media coverage on some place. How long has Haiti been impoverished? How long have they had facilities that were substandard to them (not fit) for human beings to be living in them? If we would have extended our hand to them a long time ago they wouldn't be in this mess. If we can build their hospital back up then how come we can't give them money to better facilitate themselves...? We always come up with money when there is a Tsunami some place, but why don't we care when there just living their life normally - when they are living their life substandard. We don't care. We are so reactionary. It just lowers all my expectations of human decency. Helping out Haiti doesn't help us...That's not the human thing to do that's not the human mindset..."

Debt Relief

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) website, an international organization that oversees the global financial system, "Haiti was granted US $1.2 billion of debt relief by reaching the completion point under the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative approved by the Boards of the International Development Association (IDA) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)."

According to Wikipedia, "At the 2009 G-20 London summit, it was decided that the (IMF) would require additional financial resources to meet prospective needs of its member countries during the ongoing global financial crisis. As part of that decision, the G-20 leaders pledged to increase the IMF's supplemental cash tenfold to $500 billion, and to allocate to member countries another $250 billion via Special Drawing Rights." Haiti is on the list.

The Latin countries have been assisting Haiti for some time now; however one country isn't putting up with undocumented people staying in their country. Back in March 2009, the Dominican Republic reported there were as many as one million people of Haitian ancestry, who despite being born there were "functionally stateless," meaning they weren't registered anywhere, according to the U.S. State Department 2008 Report on Human Rights. The report also cited the use of force by Dominican authorities against the undocumented people.

The Haitian Ambassador to the United States Raymond Joseph spoke with reporters on January 13, 2010 requesting the country receive the following: hospital ships (similar to those that came during the last disaster,) relief workers, dogs to assist with finding the bodies that lie under the crumbling buildings, water, and food.
According to the Associated Press, President Obama, promised an all-out rescue and humanitarian effort including the military and civilian emergency teams from across the U.S.

by Nicholl McGuire
http://associatedcontent.com/nichollmcguire

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Resources:

Bahama Journal http://www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=14349

Yahoo Finance http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/108558/even-in-a-recovery-some-jobs-wont-return

United States Department of State http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_917.html

Wikipedia (Renee Garcia Preval, Jacques Edouard Alexis, Patrick Gaspard, International Monetary Fund) http://www.wikipedia.com

You Tube (Sundiatasoulbefree)

Cnn.com http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/01/12/caribbean.earthquakes/index.html

Sichuan Earthquake
http://shanghaiist.com/2008/05/12/earthquake-hits-wenchuan-sichuan.php

Chartered surveyors assist Haiti construction industry
http://www.caymannetnews.com/business.php?news_id=17156&start=0&category_id=5

Patricia Adams, In the Name of Progress: The Underside of Foreign Aid (Doubleday Canada/Energy Probe, 1985)

Les Blough, http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_19753.shtml

http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2010/1/13/34465/Dominican-President-urges-international-community-to-help

Deportation http://ww4report.com/node/6903

U.S. threatens to deport thousands of Haitians http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_5932.shtml

Everyculture.com http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Haiti.html#ixzz0cTNEdn26