Comments on: Major earthquake devastates Haiti, the Americas’ poorest nation http://www.hhropenforum.org/2010/01/earthquake-devastates-haiti/ a blog by the Health and Human Rights community Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:40:41 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 hourly 1 By: michael crawley http://www.hhropenforum.org/2010/01/earthquake-devastates-haiti/comment-page-1/#comment-2175 michael crawley Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:32:58 +0000 http://www.hhropenforum.org/?p=1756#comment-2175 NOW the wealthy nations want to help Haiti. If those of us in affluent countries had been more thoughtful and compassionate over the last two decades perhaps the death toll would be far less. If we had made the commitment to help Haiti on a consistent basis maybe their housing would be safer. Possibly their infrastructure would be more secure. Hopefully their ability to respond to such horrific tragedies would be better organized......But we did not help them. We turned away and focused on ourselves. Now they pay a heavy price for our neglect. Will we learn from our mistake? Will we realize that we have a moral responsibility to help those desperately in need on a daily basis and not just when a newsworthy event strikes? When the dust settles over Port Au Prince and the news organizations leave will we forget about Haiti again? NOW the wealthy nations want to help Haiti. If those of us in affluent countries had been more thoughtful and compassionate over the last two decades perhaps the death toll would be far less. If we had made the commitment to help Haiti on a consistent basis maybe their housing would be safer. Possibly their infrastructure would be more secure. Hopefully their ability to respond to such horrific tragedies would be better organized……But we did not help them. We turned away and focused on ourselves. Now they pay a heavy price for our neglect. Will we learn from our mistake? Will we realize that we have a moral responsibility to help those desperately in need on a daily basis and not just when a newsworthy event strikes? When the dust settles over Port Au Prince and the news organizations leave will we forget about Haiti again?

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