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Do you think the U.S. military (or government rescue organizations) have an obligation to attempt to rescue Americans over Haitians/others?
There was a guy on CNN yesterday and his daughter and several other American students were in a hotel that had collapsed. The gentleman was begging the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti to direct U.S. troops to that particular site to rescue "our daughters". I inferred from his statements that he felt that U.S. rescuers should make finding American survivors a priority.
Thoughts?
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(01-19-2010, 02:07 PM)username Wrote: I inferred from his statements that he felt that U.S. rescuers should make finding American survivors a priority.
Thoughts?
I don't see what would be so wrong about that. I would expect, for example, "French rescuers" to go rescue trapped French people first. Just like I would expect you to go rescue your friends first, etc.
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I don't necessarily see anything wrong with it either and I'm sure I'd do the same thing if one of my kids were there.
But from a practical standpoint (and a humanistic one), would I really want (or expect) U.S. forces to bypass a building with 20 people inside that might be rescued and instead focus on a building where 3 Americans might or might not be alive?
I think there are so many factors that play in to where rescue efforts are focused (likelihood of survivors, number of people likely trapped in the building, equipment required to extract survivors etc.) I'm not sure nationality can or should be at the top of the list.
On the flip side, I mentioned it to my husband and his response was "fuck yeah, our tax dollars are paying". 
It's becoming moot at this point.
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a sworn first responder ideally should not pick and choose who to rescue. you take the victims as they come and triage who has the best chance of survival. 'ideally' being the operative word...there is nothing ideal or normal about the Haitian human catastrophe. but if you're on the ground to save lives, that is your mission.
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Wow. They just found a woman alive and they think there are 2 more people in the same building where she was--also alive.
What pisses me off is I gather many rescuers are being told to move to recovery instead of rescue--and yet they're still finding people alive! Assholes. If they go two full days without finding someone alive, then I could see moving to recovery mode but not fucking yet.
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I'm aware of the efforts being made there & the absolutely devasting nature of what's going on but, I've watched very little coverage of it & read even less...I was riveted to the television when Katrina was going on & I think I cried everyday for a week...I would see those poor, unforunate souls and think how awful it was for them but, when I saw the animals I would cry like a baby...I can't bear to see animals dead or in distress, it breaks my heart...Society made me this way, I think more of the animals than I do most people.
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(01-19-2010, 04:53 PM)jackboots Wrote: a sworn first responder ideally should not pick and choose who to rescue. you take the victims as they come and triage who has the best chance of survival. 'ideally' being the operative word...there is nothing ideal or normal about the Haitian human catastrophe. but if you're on the ground to save lives, that is your mission.
I would bypass everyone and rescue you immediately, regardless. Plus any Italian-Americans I can find along the way ...
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(01-19-2010, 05:47 PM)Middle Finger Wrote: I would bypass everyone and rescue you immediately, regardless. Plus any Italian-Americans I can find along the way ...
::lol:: i would know from the overwheming scent of garlic that i was saved! ::bow::
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I would just be yet another plus to eating, owning, using, and smelling like garlic. Just sayin ...
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(01-19-2010, 05:35 PM)Duchess Wrote:
...Society made me this way, I think more of the animals than I do most people.
Hold it right there. Don't blame me for making you twisted.
::lol::
(01-19-2010, 02:07 PM)username Wrote: Do you think the U.S. military (or government rescue organizations) have an obligation to attempt to rescue Americans over Haitians/others?
It's a hard question. I mean, yes... I do think that, all things being equal, they should try to rescue Americans first with American resources. I don't think it's ok to like.. walk over someone who is hurt though, just because they are not American.
I know one thing for certain. If MY kid were trapped in a collapsed building, I wouldn't be standing around asking people to go rescue him. Nothing short of hell would keep me from being in that rubble trying to rescue him myself.
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BREAKING NEWS — A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Wednesday morning, shaking buildings and sending screaming people running into the streets only eight days after the country's capital was devastated by an apocalyptic quake.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the new quake hit at 6:03 a.m. about 35 miles northwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince. It struck at a depth of 13.7 miles but was too far inland to generate any tidal waves in the Caribbean.
Wails of terror rose Wednesday as frightened survivors of last week's quake poured out of unstable buildings. It was not immediately possible to ascertain what additional damage the new quake may have caused.
Last week's magnitude-7 quake killed an estimated 200,000 people in Haiti, left 250,000 injured and made 1.5 million homeless. A massive international aid effort has been launched, but it is struggling with logistical problems, and many Haitians are still desperate for food and water.
I read that this morning... it's like the end of the world for those poor people.
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That's what happens when you make a pact with the devil. You might get two or more quakes. Even those who were visiting or moved there and didn't make or know about this pact got maimed and killed ... along with small animals ... and rightly so. God has spoken ... like a drunken sailor, but he spoke.
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It's God's duty to also punish all the people from around the world who have gone to Haiti to help the victims.
God works in mysterious and retarded ways.
We need to punish the French, ignore the Germans and forgive the Russians - Condoleezza Rice.
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Shit! I've had the news on all morning and all they're talking about is the fucking rain--didn't know about the quake this morning.
Haiti is getting swallowed up and we're on "stormwatch" FFS.
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