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Obama isn't doing enough: The US is not acting fast enough in Haiti.

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BeFree Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:33 PM
Original message
Obama isn't doing enough: The US is not acting fast enough in Haiti.
There is a certain congruence there, eh?

Obama, say some, is not acting fast enough to save the world, he's got the wrong people and nothing he does is good enough.

The US government, some say, was acting as fast as it could in Haiti and if you don't think so you are an idiot.

Congruency or real diversity? I dunno. Got me stumped.
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spanone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:34 PM
Response to Original message
1. 'he could cure world hunger and they would accuse him of promoting obesity'
eugene robinson
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cherokeeprogressive Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:35 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. If he walked on water, they'd say he couldn't swim...
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MadMaddie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:35 PM
Response to Original message
2. It's hatred and wanting everything he touches to fail.
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timeforpeace Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:36 PM
Response to Original message
4. This is what happens when one human being gets blamed for the actions of the entire US government in
Edited on Mon Jan-18-10 10:38 PM by timeforpeace
this kind of situation.
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NYC_SKP Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:36 PM
Response to Original message
5. When I read these things, I read them through the filters of reason and truth....
...and emotion, and self-interest.

The MSM reports, for example, are often unreasonable, truthless, and all about self-interest.

The reality is sometimes not there at all.
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Spider Jerusalem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:46 PM
Response to Original message
6. Because very clearly Obama is an absolute monarch and the US is omnipotent, didn't you know?
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sandnsea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:47 PM
Response to Original message
7. I've got so much info on what we're doing
I'd have to write a magazine article to cover it all...

The relief effort at the Haiti Airport is in full swing, with over 600 takeoffs and landings since Wednesday evening when US forces from Florida first landed. The loading equipment was damaged meaning cargo was mostly unloaded by hand in the beginning. There was no electricity and no communication when forces landed. Colonel Elton said that within 28 minutes, they had controlled the airspace and were "sequencing in the arriving aircraft that night". On Thursday, a response group from the Air Force brought in construction material and handling equipment.

"It gets better every day," said Colonel Elton, "Initially we went from an airfield that had no control or prioritization and it was everyone -- everyone was filing their flight plans and arriving unannounced, and we didn’t know that they were there until they were approximately 20 miles from the field."

"The overwhelming international support to bring humanitarian assistance and disaster relief into this airfield exceeded the capacity of us to get them in and out... The first couple days it was all very important cargo and it was a challenge to turn away any aircraft for an open parking slot.  But when we had all of the parking spots occupied, more important cargo would show up.  And if they didn’t have enough holding fuel to be able to orbit and wait to come in, they would have to fuel-divert."

One solution to avoid the fuel-diverts was to provide additional military aircraft with air refueling tanker support so that they could come and orbit over the field. When there was in available spot without an inbound civilian humanitarian relief flight on the way, they would bring them in and quickly offload and get them out. 
According to Elton, though, the number of diverts have been minimal and are decreasing, there were on two diverts on Sunday. On Saturday, Elton said, "out of 67 civilian flights that we had to plan to come here, we had only had three diverts". 
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PacerLJ35 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:51 PM
Response to Reply #7
10. "we only had three diverts"
Probably the Doctors Without Borders flights...
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sandnsea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 11:01 PM
Response to Reply #10
11. They landed yesterday at 3 pm
There was only 1 of those. I can't believe the media is making an issue about a couple of flights a day being diverted.
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PacerLJ35 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 11:10 PM
Response to Reply #11
13. I can believe it...
How else do you think they could increase viewership (or readership) without inventing a crisis? Hell, you should see this gem of a media spot...

Keep in mind it's by al Jazeera:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F5TwEK24sA&feature=channel

Note: The "correspondent" in the video states the US is turning away non-US air traffic, supposedly since we've "invaded"...yet in the background you can see a Qatar C-17 (1:53, in the left side of the screen), a British HS.125 taxiing (1:19), and a Chilean 757, a civilian aircraft on the runway, and an unidentifiable Russian-made TU-154 (the US doesn't operate any) in frame 2:48.

It then states that US soldiers are guarding the airport, while showing non-US soldiers in UN uniforms. I bet this kind of anti-US propaganda is inflaming lots of people in the Arab world as we speak...
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nadinbrzezinski Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 11:13 PM
Response to Reply #13
14. Not to mention people here
There are days I wonder if I live in a different world... just sent a long Email to CNN regarding this.. "coverage."
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HeresyLives Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:49 PM
Response to Original message
8. It's not Obama's country, and it's not his job!
I don't understand why he's getting blamed for it.

The US is pitching in with an international relief effort. And it's purely voluntary.

It's humanitarian and all, and a nice thing to do, but not a requirement of the job.

Give Obama a break.
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Skittles Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 10:51 PM
Response to Original message
9. I think Obama is doing the best job he can with Haiti
with both deeds and words - very impressive
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The Wielding Truth Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-18-10 11:02 PM
Response to Original message
12. The USA is doing an heroic job in a disastrous situation!
I am proud of our efforts and national generosity. The millions of people destitute and suffering who need our immediate help are being embraced by the world and we are leading again. Barack has kept us informed and brought us together. Without the Fox network his actions would be near perfection.
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demosincebirth Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-19-10 12:34 AM
Response to Original message
15. Some would complain, even, if they had their balls in a vise.
:sarcasm:
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