When it comes to rebuilding a nation, rebuilding Haiti, there is no room for naivete.
Last year, after an earthquake destroyed what remained of Haiti’s infrastructure, and sent the country past the brink, rock nyc was the only music blog (we are aware of) that loudly and constantly warned the charity relief was being done wrong. The money would never get to the people who needed it.
Fatheads like Bono, Jay-Z, George Clooney, Radiohead, many others, raised millions and millions from gullible good hearted people like you and now, just as we warned you, none of it got there. You gave $50M to make corrupt Haitian politicians rich.
Congratulations.
At the time, we pointed to Israel as the country who got it right. think small. Think local. Tiny boats filled with doctors and supplies, that could bypass the government, and rebuild from the ground up. First save and feed.
For decades I worked with Christian Children’s Fund: they rebuilt a village and not a country. Clean water, irrigation, school houses, farm your own food.
Really, if rock nyc knew what would happen how did Bono not know. If Bush Dubya apologized, why did he not be more careful. This wasn’t a photo op for egotistical entertainers and politicians. Thowing money at an impoverished country never stood a chance. The States has spent billions in the country over the past 20 years and not budged the needle. How could they not have known what would happen?
meanwhile, good hearted Americans were snookered by bleeding hearted, lazy people who should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. The repulsive TV charity show had these entertainers reading off cue cards about things they didn’t know or understand: Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, Cameron Diaz, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Robert Pattinson, Halle Berry, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Tim Robbins, Ben Stiller, Michael Keaton, Tom Hanks and Michael Keaton.
The mind boggles at this level of hubris.
And meanwhile in Haiti? 17% if the population have nowhere to live.
I am not crowing for the sake of crowing, nobody gives a shit what rock nyc thinks, I am pointing out that if we knew, they should have.
Somebody somewhere should go to jail.
Incidentally, cheers to Sean Penn, who puts his feet where his mouth is in the best sense of the word. On the ground.
As for the usual suspect: if Bono is the world, I abdicate.