Sister Sage's Musings

Posts Tagged ‘Haiti’

The Grope and Fail certainly didn’t waste any time taking a pic of Stevie and Haitian President Rene Preval, wearing matching blue shirts. All together now: YUCK! Iggy, here’s a hint: the next time you want to do campaign ads; no more blue shirts!

Stevie’s big announcement was a 12 000 000$ pledge to build a new temporary (not even permanent) headquarters for Haiti’s government. Wouldn’t that 12 000 000$ be better served, say, I don’ t know….a much needed hospital with staff and equipment to help many of the victims of the quake? How’s a bout schools and orphanage?

No, Stevie felt a new government headquarters is the priority of the day. Presently, they are housed at the police station: no wonder Prime minister Jean-Max Bellerive wants out of there. The last place a (probable) corrupt government would want to be is with the more than likely corrupt police force. Never mind that there are demonstrators outside that police station demanding to see President Preval.

Over and over they shout: “We have no water, we have no food and nowhere to stay.”

But, no St-Stevie to the rescue figures they need to move away from the demonstrators away from the police station rather than  actually helping those people the demonstrators are protesting.

Why should supporting a  potentially corrupt government be a surprise? Our tax dollars have been keeping the Corrupt Karzai regime in Afghanistan, after all.

Stevie rushing for an impromptu trip to Haiti to no doubt beat French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the punch. Sarkozy has been planning to go visit Haiti this Wednesday.

Fortunately, most see through St-Stevie’s act. Sure we have been the second largest contributor  to Haiti, but if those contributions are not getting to the people themselves: hospitals, orphanages, housing, schools, food, water, etc., then what’s the use of bragging about being the second largest contributor and the first leader of a major benefactor going to Haiti?Actually, a benefactor should help because it’s the right thing to do; not for bragging rights or photo ops.

Even a Haitian co-worker laughs everytime he hears about St-Stevie.  He still has family there. They are ok, but he also gets the real stories of what’s happening in Haiti.  I don’t ask, but I would bet that those anecdotes are far different than what corporate media is trying to paint.

Let’s also remember, he does owe that G.G. a huge favor.

Yes, Stevie has decided out of the blue it would seem, to go off to Haiti to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground and discuss the process of reconstruction with Haiti’s President René Préval and its Prime Minister, Jean-Max Bellerive.’. I wonder what brought that on? After all, wasn’t one of his excuses for proroguing parliament was to watch the Olympics? Perhaps he underestimated the protests happening in and around Vancouver? Or he’s under even more pressure to unprorogue parliament these days.  I’m thinking it’s probably a combination of both and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out later our St-Stevie had yet another demon to run away from.

Stevie announced he wanted to cancel two weeks in the spring to make up for lost time during proroguation;  such a change that would demand a unanimous vote from all the parties. It isn’t looking that way thus far. It seems that the Bloc Quebecois will go along. The N.D.P. is demanding parliament be reopen ASAP if  falling behind on work was an issue and rightfully so. Iggy has said the Liberals will go along (well, no kidding: since they did go back to work last January 25, they would look pretty foolish to vote against this calendar change) with some conditions attached. Conditions like reconvening the committees to resume the  investigation into the Afghan Detainee issue among other things.  Not sure Stevie will go for it. Either way it doesn’t look like cancelling the two weeks is going to work in Stevie’s favor. I think most Canadians saw that ploy for what it was: Stevie trying to redeem himself. Didn’t work, as the N.D.P. have it right: if there is too much work waiting; perhaps parliament should reconvene immediately. So what’s plan B? Run away, as St-Stevie that is what Stevie seems to do best? Just a theory.

There is one other reason I can think of for his interest and diligence on Haiti.  Where is Michaelle Jean originally from? Doesn’t St-Stevie owe her a big favor for granting him a 2nd prorogation in 13 months; the second time, over the phone?

Oh, I bet I know, because he will be the first leader of one of the major countries sending aid to Haiti: yes, he must get there before somebody else from somewhere else gets this idea. He’ll go for a few photo ops of him handing a food box to some poor Haitian or playing Uncle Steve at some orphanage in Port-au-Prince. Unfortunately, there are those who love all things shiny and will fall for it.

Maybe he’s just given up on the idea of Canada winning a gold medal. Oh, incidentally, I have been noticing some neo-con trolls suggesting the left would blame Stevie if Canada doesn’t win a single gold medal.  I don’t think so, but I do strongly believe that if Canada did win a gold medal, St-Stevie would jump up and down and go ga ga giddy for the cameras taking credit for that athlete or team’s win, but I digress…

Yes, we’re supposed to help Haiti, like any other poor country, especially one where disaster hits. It is the job of the prime minister to respond as quickly as possible to these calls. However, it is not necessarily his job to actually fly off to Haiti.  This is something that could well  have been delegated.

To many, this impromptu trip will be applauded. To those of us who think outside the box know better. If it was just to go meet with the Haitian leaders and assess damage, St-Stevie had ample time before to do this. Why cut out now of all times, during the long awaited event that would spruce up his life most?

I know, I will probably have that old critique that I don’t support Haiti for having published this article.  A lot of issues in Canada today seem to be taking on that Georgie feel of ‘you’re either with us or against us..’ as Pale from ACR wrote about yesterday. Let me be clear I have donated to various reputable charities for Haiti. I just hate seeing it taking on the role of St-Stevie’s savior.

How many will be fighting to get that seat on the plane back to their cushy offices and the comforts of home?

Remember a previous post I wrote about these orthopedic surgeons who volunteered to Go to Haiti demanding their full salary from the Quebec Government?

Well, the Montreal Gazette just came out with this update: Quebec’s Health Minister, Yves Bolduc will not succumb to the demands of full payment to these surgeons who volunteered.

Yes, Police and firefighters are getting paid, but they were actually sent by the government.

Here’s what Louis Bellemare, president of the Association d’orthopédie du Québec had to say:

surgeons were working 20-hour days in Haiti, while their offices in Quebec remained open, and expenses piled up.

Well, as mentioned, no one told them to go there. They chose to go. After reading about their demands for payment, I’m sure they actually went to Haiti so they can have bragging rights. No sympathy here.

The sad part is now that they have their answer. How fast will they take the next plane back to Montreal or wherever?

Now there’s a frightening concept. In the U.S., this would apparently hold true, given their opposition to health care reform in the  U.S. for the most part. Perhaps, not so much in many European countries where they’re paid considerably less than their Canadian counterparts; all European nations seem to pay their doctors less than Americans.

If one dared to read his miserable blog or equally dismal columns in the National Posties, we would certainly believe that of the rancid Dr Roy Eappen.

It is definitely evident with the last presidents (including the current one, Dr. Anne Doig) of the Canadian Medical Association, given their pro-American health care system in Canada (they can say they travelled to Europe and look into other health care systems: don’t be fooled, it is the American health care system they want, as it is the only one Canada could ever have should St-Stevie gain his totalitarian regime precious majority).

I was hoping, however, that they would be of a minority. After all, I would rather be cared for by a Doctor who genuinely wants to use his gift to help others; to heal them; not for the zeros at the end of their bottom lines.

I heard a frightening story on CJAD today. It seems that Quebec orthopedic surgeons, who earn an average of 4000$ / wk. Those who are ‘volunteering’   in Haiti helping the earthquake victims, are expecting the Quebec Government to continue paying their full 4000$ /wk. Haitians, who had been living in the 7th circle of hell with practically nothing to begin with before the earthquake, have lost everything, but these doctors who are supposed to use their gift to help others are insisting on their usual weekly pay checque.  The nerve of them.

Accoring to Yves Bolduc, Quebec’s health minister, these doctors went on their own volition, as did many others.  He says that he is looking into the orthopedic surgeon’s requests, but is concerned that if he grants their request of their usual 800$/day salaries, the other doctors of different specialties (there are general surgeons and anesthesiologists ‘volunteering’  in Haiti) as well as other people of different professions would also all demand full payment.

According to Gregory Vandendaelen from Doctors without Borders,  his organization’s doctors only get a stipend of 1500$/month:

“It’s of course, as you can imagine, way less what a doctor can earn here in Canada.”

While any volunteer abroad would be provided housing, food and perhaps a monthly stipend, in order to sustain life for themselves, they’re certainly not doing it for the money, or even recognition. They’re doing it because they truly want to help those less fortunate than others. They want to use whatever talents they may have to make a difference. That is how volunteer service should be.

What if the Quebec Government caved in and paid these doctors their full salary? That means they’re not really volunteering. They’re only doing it to say, “hey, I was there. And I saw this, that  and the other thing.”   All about bragging rights to a captive audience who love shiny things. They have that in common with St-Stevie.  How scary! Well, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised; after all,  they weren’t in Haiti (most of them anyway) before the earthquake,  they are not known to go to other poverty stricken countries neither.

Certainly, Quebec doctors in Haiti can’t be unique in demanding full salary from their government. Surely, their counterparts from other provinces and the U.S. must be demanding the same of their governments. Oops! Forgot, American Doctors probably needed permission and promise of payment from the insurance companies and HMOs they work for or they wouldn’t have gone.

What does the so-called volunteer doctors in Haiti demanding their full salaries have to do with pushing for private for profit here in Canada?   It is about that growing culture of arrogance, greed and self-entitlement.  One has to wonder why talented med students want to be doctors: do they genuinely get into it to heal the sick? Or is it just for the money? If the latter, I would say they’re in the wrong profession; they should become investment bankers instead.

I know I would never want to be treated by the likes of Dr Roy, who seems to spend more time whining about how we should have private for profit health care in Canada and less time actually providing a full service to his patients. Nor would I want to be treated by Dr Jacques Chaoulli, himself, who snowed the Supreme Court of Canada when he won his right to back out of the medicare system.  When he  did set up his private clinic in St-Leonard, a district on the north-east part of  Montreal, he obviously proved his own less than altruistic motives, when allowing a man to die in his waiting room and making no attempt to revive him (Here is the coroner’s press release: sorry, only available in French).

When doctors start worrying more about their pay cheques and prestige that goes along with having M.D. appended to their name and less about caring for their patients, do we really want them treating us as opposed to doctors who may not earn as much but genuinely care about their patients?

That would indeed be the Harpercon Media machine’s tactics.  Many die-hard Stevie supporters have swallowed the kool-aid since the earthquake in Haiti.

The corporate media machine is feverishly making sure that we see Stevie the philanthropist rather than Stevie the dictator. They couldn’t have asked for a better time for any crisis to come up.

It is undoubtedly working for some.  That Facebook group , Canadians against Prorogation had a few trolls coming to post on the wall: things like we should be ashamed of ourselves for still caring about prorogation while thousands upon thousands die  in the devastation in Haiti.  I’m sure the Stevie clan and disciples are thinking the same thing. One problem with this though? We’re supposed to forget about our democratic rights as well as the demons Stevie chooses to run away from?

9/11 was the ideal crisis for Georgie’s presidential career; it’s what boosted his approval rating & kept him in office a second term. In fact, there is much speculation that Georgie had opportunities to catch BinLaden & his merry band of bushwhacking thugs during his first term, but never ceased that opportunity as it would have surely costed him a second term in office.

Stevie’s numbers have taken a nose dive since prorogation and his right arm, the corporate  right-winged media, try as they might; failed miserably at spinning Stevie in a positive light and spoonfeeding to Canadians how they should feel and what should be important. Like 9/11 for Georgie,  this is growing to be  the ideal crisis for Stevie and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Here is an article over at the Grope & Fail describing a matured PM and how he is now looking like a statesman instead of the ogre who shut down parliament simply because he wants to hide and not play nicely with others. Stevie and Corporate Right slanted media are all probably breathing a collective sigh of relief.

My question is: will it work? Will the coverage and potential overkill  coverage of Haiti not only have Canadians forget Stevie’s prorogation and transgressions that led to this prorogation, but actually bring his numbers back up to majority territory?

Campbell Clark at the Grope & Fail seems to hold very high hopes:

A week ago Mr. Harper was under attack for shutting Parliament until March, was perceived as hyper-partisan and was losing his edge in the polls. A successful response to the disaster in Haiti would counter all that.

“It backs him away from the mean-spirited, petty image that some would paint him with,” Mr. Lyle said. “It makes him a statesman, instead of a partisan politician. And that’s of great benefit to him.”

I also noticed that CJAD isn’t talking at all about prorogation anymore. Brian Lilley is no longer bringing it up in his newscasts. It is all about Haiti thus far.

Yes, CJAD talks show hosts, like Tommy Schnurmacher no longer have any pundits or politicians to entertain these days and thus, not a whole hell of a lot to talk about now can devote their entire shows to this crisis.  But, he is a talk show host and is paid to be opinionated.

Brian Lilley is not. He is supposed to be a newscaster and thus, report the news without prejudice; not pick & choose what to cover and not to cover. What ever happened to the days newscasters & reporters reported the news fairly without prejudice? Since when do newscasters & reporters set up camp at sites like the Examiner & Homeless Cons? But, I digress.

What happened in this already downtrodden country is tragic. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.   It’s great that Canada (not Harpercons or Liberals in particular) is coming through to help them.

It should be incumbent upon our leaders to help out a country in distress–without first going through the whole ‘ Oh my and what shall we wear?’ Or which is my best side? They should not be waiting around to pose for the cameras.  If Stevie were serious, go to Haiti right away. Don’t stop for photo ops: just go!

Mia Rabson from the Winnipeg Free Press   not only lists the shameless photo ops they take basically tells him just that: Enough Photo Ops & Just Help these  poor people:

Late last night we got a photo from the prime minister’s office of Stephen Harper on the telephone, presumably with UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, discussing the situation in Haiti.

Today Defence Minister Peter Mackay is posing in Halifax as the HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Halifax leave for Haiti.

At about the same time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen, were staging a photo op making a donation to the Canadian Red Cross.

Enough already. Stop posing for photo ops and just get on with the business of helping Haiti.

After all, how much did he really care about this downtrodden country and its’ misfortunes before the earthquake? How much did most of us, for that matter, care?

Would this earthquake in Haiti get this much air time had parliament been not prorogued? How about during the Olympic Games?

I certainly don’t remember the floods from Tropical Storm Ketsana in the  Philippines, another poor country and Tsunami in American Samoa in September 2009 getting this much coverage in the Corporate media, nor do I remember  seeing or hearing about so many photo ops for Saint-Stevie.

I hear a telethon is being organized to help out; a great idea. There is at least, a more altruistic goal with that than what talk radio or the likes of the Grope & Fail have to offer.

Do give to a charity looking after Haiti, but please, do be careful and do careful research before donating; not only due to scammers who will, no doubt, crawl out of the wood work, but also make sure the charity you choose to give to can be trusted to make sure the aid actually gets to the people instead of some corrupt government hands or some black hole known as bureaucratic red tape.

Again, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones. I hope everyone is found & accounted for soon.

However, that is not to say that I am to be impressed with Saint-Stevie; he is to do what every statesman should do during a crisis in the world and it shoudn’t require a photo op.

Sorry, Campbell, photo ops of a well-timed crisis won’t and  should never outweigh the fact that Stevie is a dictator, coward who can’t play well with others and that he has taken away our democracy.  Just because you like shiny things doesn’t mean you should force that onto your readers.

I hope that the anti-prorogation rallies will still have great turn-outs.