On the Disaster in Haiti, and the Coverage

The footage from Haiti is absolutely heartbreaking.

If you've got a loved one in Haiti, my thoughts are with you. I can only imagine the anguish you must feel today.

Every person there is precious. Every injured person and every
fatality represents a disaster for a family. I can only hope that
rescuers arrive swiftly to save all those who can be saved, and that
relief arrives promptly with food, clean water, and hospital supplies.

I'm donating, as I'm hoping you'll do, too. Every little bit helps.

And I don't want to fixate on the casualty figures, as Wolf Blitzer
is doing. He acts like he'll be sorely disappointed if it doesn't
exceed 100,000. He's turning himself into a pornographer of disaster, a
carnival barker of death.

And I don't want to hear, as I did on the Weather Channel, of all
places, about how pathetic Haiti is, and always was. Nor do any of us
need to hear the rantings of Pat Robertson blaming yet another calamity
on the victims.

I had to turn to BET to hear some welcome insight about how Haiti
has a rich history of fighting for freedom and how its art, music,
religious practices, and literature add tremendously to the world's
cultural stockpile.

What I want to hear, now, is how the people in Haiti themselves are fighting heroically to save lives.

And I want to know, now, is that our government is doing all it can in this regard, too.

We are not Americans. They are not Haitians. We are all human beings.