Bill Clinton lobbies for earthquake aid to Haiti

[cory777]

Source: Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Former President Bill Clinton said desperately needed U.S. aid is coming to Haiti despite delays after listening on Wednesday to refugees in a sprawling homeless camp complain of a lack of food, jobs and housing nine months after a devastating earthquake.


Clinton, the co-chair of the commission overseeing Haiti's reconstruction, expressed frustration with the slow delivery of promised funds by donors who have delivered about $732 million of a promised $5.3 billion in funds for 2010-11, along with debt relief. Most notably absent is the United States, which has yet to deliver any of its promised $1.15 billion.


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Camp residents, some up to their ankles in mud, hooted and cheered as the former president walked deeper into the camp, exclaiming, "We are hungry!" and "We can't take this anymore!" Some called for the ouster of President Rene Preval and the return of exiled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

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"When the leaders tell the Haitian people I will do something for you, after that they do nothing," he said.

Read more: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/101007/world/cb_haiti_earthquake

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News that Matters! http://activistnews.blogspot.com/

[pampango]

1. Haiti camps mired in 'growing squalor and violence'

Source: BBC

Haitians are enduring increasingly squalid and violent conditions in the tent cities that sprang up after January's quake, a rights group says.

Refugees International says gangs are running many camps, with women being forced to exchange sex for food.

The former US president (Clinton) spoke of his frustration about the slow arrival of promised funding. The US, which pledged $1.15bn at a donors' conference in March out of a total of $5.3bn, has yet to deliver any of its promised funding. "In the next day or so, it will become obvious that the United States is making a huge down payment on that," Mr Clinton said, without elaborating.

The former president said that under a "rather bizarre system of rules in the United States Senate", the money was being held up. "Since I believe that we are still essentially a sane as well as a humane country, I believe the money will be released, and when that happens that will also give a lot of others donors encouragement to raise their money," he said.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11491537

[TreasonousBastard]

2. I was listening to this on BBC radio-- amazingly, there has been no regular...

food delivery since APRIL.

It is horrific down there.

[RandomThoughts]

3. Thank you Bill Clinton for helping them.

Who is trying to hold up the aid and why.

[pampango]

4. Another article (AP) indicates it is Tom Colburn (R-OK).

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5idZiVQhHcyG1gpBjzXaAmmk4_OtAD9IMLL0G0?docId=D9IMLL0G0

"Clinton singled out, without naming, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn for holding up an authorization bill that could have eased the flow of money. Coburn's secret hold on the bill — used because he objected to a $5 million provision to create the office of a senior Haiti coordinator of U.S. policy — was revealed by an Associated Press investigation last week."

Clinton: "I'm not too concerned — although I'm frustrated — because the Congress have approved the money that the Secretary of State and the White House asked for."

I don't know how a senator can hold up funds that have already been approved by congress.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Bad Republican racist heart. Standard for these monsters.

Why were any of them ever born? They cause so much suffering in the world. What kind of doctor could this clown have ever been before he went into politics? He doesn't seem to have any respect for people, for human life.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com.nyud.net:8090/2039/2458758035_c19d88bfa1.jpg

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. How does this guy live with himself?

[saigon68]

7. He sleeps on a Heated Waterbed (Soundly)

He feels he is special because he works hard.

[karynnj]

9. Coburn, though I heard one RW radio person railling against Obama, HRC, and the SFRC

- quoting that article - and saying ONE Senator was holding it up - without naming him. (Incidentally, Coburn is not on the SFRC - where there are enough obstructionist Republicans as it is - with DeMint and Infofe.)

[Bragi]

8. Too bad his co-chair is a loathed war criminal

I wonder if Bill's decision to co-chair this group with his war-criminal PR client George W Bush might have persuaded some people not to donate?

<http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Bush+Clinton+talk+Afghanistan/1644777/story.html>

[saigon68]

10. War Criminal indeed