Alice, it's for you. Wonderland's calling.

Reading the morning newspaper or listening to the news in the evening, I sometimes think I've fallen down the rabbit hole and joined Alice in Wonderland. Here are just a few examples of some of the strangeness I've culled from news reports...

UN brings cholera to Haiti. There's something about internationalist bureaucrats that causes them to leave chaos in their wake. In this instance, although they are purportedly in Haiti to help, it seems the United Nations peacekeepers either from Bangladesh or Nepal are apparently responsible for introducing the cholera epidemic that has left over 1,000 Haitians dead. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, genetic analysis of the strain of cholera currently causing so many deaths in Haiti indicates it originated in South Asia. (You can read the results of the study here: Origins of Haitian Cholera.) Don't get me wrong. I'm not against providing aid to people suffering from devastating natural disasters. Far form it. I simply think we shouldn't send incompetent and corrupt organizations like the United Nations to do the job.

Planned Parenthood "Christmas" Card. This primary provider of abortions has sent out a "Christmas" card that calls for "Choice on Earth" and wishes recipients a "happy and healthy holiday season." It makes one wonder how healthy it will be for the thousands of unborn human beings Planned Parenthood will murder over the next few weeks.

Junk Science and Moon Goddesses. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was recently held in Cancun, Mexico. Attended by a large number of surprisingly apathetic delegates from 192 countries, the convention yielded the usual crazy predictions that the world is doomed and universal destruction is right around the corner unless we revert to stone-age technology and return to the caves our ancient ancestors deserted.

The tenor of the convention was set right from the beginning when the Convention's Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres, kicked off the proceedings by praying to the Mayan goddess Ixchel (depicted at left) whom she described as "the goddess of reason, creativity and weaving." In her prayer to Ixchel, Figueres said, "May she inspire you -- because today, you are gathered in Cancun to weave together the elements of a solid response to climate change, using both reason and creativity as your tools...Excellencies, the goddess Ixchel would probably tell you that a tapestry is the result of the skilful [sic] interlacing of many threads.  I am convinced that twenty years from now, we will admire the policy tapestry that you have woven together and think back fondly to Cancun and the inspiration of Ixchel."

Makes you just want to run away from home and join the Mayan priesthood, doesn't it? Of course, the Mayans and the Aztecs weren't particularly "green" in their day, but could more properly be labeled "red" since their one area of expertise was human sacrifice. The Aztecs, for example, sacrificed upwards of 80,000 people in one four-day period. They remind me a bit of one of my environmentalist friends who once told me over a third glass of wine, "What the world needs is a major war or a devastating plague, so we can get rid of most of the people. We're the ones who are killing the earth." He would have fit right in with the Ixchel worshipers.

I suspect that Figueres' prayer, along with the Climate-gate fiasco, just might cause some people to question whether real "science" is behind the claims of human-caused global warming.

Experts Surprised by Higher Unemployment Figures. Speaking of experts, a few weeks ago when the latest figures on unemployment were released, we were told the unemployment rate had increased from 9.6% to 9.8%. We were also informed that this took the experts completely by surprise. The experts, we are told, were expecting a decrease rather than an increase in the rate. It seems to me that the designated experts are being taken by surprise more and more frequently these days, and not just on unemployment rates, but on a whole range of political, economic and social issues. My question is, why do we keep calling them "experts" when they obviously don't have a clue?

It calls to mind William F. Buckley's famous comment: "I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University."

Department of Defense Fastest Computer: PlayStation. If you are concerned about the size of the federal budget and the growing deficit, here's one to make you weep.The Air Force has constructed the Defense Department's fastest supercomputer by linking together 1,760 PlayStation 3 gaming systems. It's capable of performing 500 trillion (that's 500,000,000,000,000) floating point mathematical operations per second. For those of you who are technically challenged, that's a very fast computer. The Air Force, of course, couldn't call their system "PlayStation Group" and so they named it "Condor Cluster." The total cost was $2 million, a pretty reasonable cost for something so capable and certainly far less than it would have cost had the Air Force used their usual procurement process. Makes you wonder what else the government could buy off the shelf at BestBuy.

Ah, well, enough of these secular musings...

Pray that God's will be done in our world.

More from Haiti

After writing my previous post in which I provided information on Free the Kids, I took a longer look at Father Marc's blog and what I read only confirmed a long-held belief regarding charitable organizations: the larger the organization, the less effectively and efficiently it helps those who rely on its services.

Just read below what Father Marc wrote this past Friday (February 19) about the large charities operating in Haiti -- in this instance he used UNICEF as an example -- and keep in mind how long it's been since the catastrophic earthquake struck that impoverished nation.

A friend of Peter's sent him the link to an article in TIME Magazine entitled 

UNICEF seeks to keep kids out of Haiti orphanages

The journalists who penned this article did a poor job of doing research.  Maybe they had a deadline to meet?  They generalized from stories of some orphanages to make it sound like anyone who desires to help the children is a borderline child trafficker.  I am aware of many shelters for children who do fantastic work with very little means.  We do everything in our power to care for children and to give them a safe and loving home.  Yes, there are places that are nothing more than businesses for the owner or worse. But to lump us all together?

The writers were unfair to parents who are so desperately poor that they will consider giving up their child so that s/he can eat, maybe go to school, have a chance at a better life.  These people are not callous nor are they loveless.  They are POOR.  What a disservice to the people of Haiti!

The director of UNICEF Haiti is quoted as saying "No to the orphanages in Haiti!".  Wow, what a sound bite.  Remember the post I wrote a couple of days ago when I was ranting about the fancy offices, the cold air-conditioning, the shiny cars of the big NGOs and their strategy to "make systemic change" rather than waste their time actually helping children by feeding them, clothing them, providing medical care...?  Well, the one big NGO that had converted an old mansion into a gleaming office space with beautiful furniture and striking art work, that had lots of very busy people working on their computers, that had security guards protecting them from the riff-raff, that had paved over a large courtyard so that they could park their new SUVs...was UNICEF Haiti.  They made a conscious choice not to practice direct intervention to assist a child.  They have not helped any orphanage that I'm aware of in providing the basics like food, clothing, medicine, education.  How very noble to stand there now and say "No to the Haitian orphanages!".  I was told "No" years ago by them and have cringed every time I see the slick fundraising UNICEF puts out every holiday season.

Phew,  thanks for listening.  I feel better now.

And just a few days before, on February 16, Father Marc posted the following:

Unlike all the previous Mardi Gras celebrations I've seen (mostly heard), today was subdued. Understandable considering the great loss felt by everyone. Except for us grass-root small non-profits, there's been no international relief here. How much longer will we be ignored? Tensions are high in the city as people are hungry and have no means to purchase food. Families are hurting under the strain of hosting those from Port au Prince. Heard that a small vessel came to port this afternoon and that there was a riot as people fought to get food. No police or UN military for security. No real plan other than give out food and blankets. Not good.

We spent the day keeping the kids busy and happy, updating our archives with the new children's info, trying to reply to emails when HughesNet won't cooperate, making sure we are covering all our bases for the arrival of the SeaHunter to avoid another riot...

Funny thing, no children's rights people came today. Must have been a sanctioned day off (a mental health day?) or they read my earlier post. Looks like I struck a nerve as I've never had that many comments on a post before.

There's a new glitch with regards the M/V SeaHunter that could be the end this mercy mission so please say a prayer that it gets to set sail tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday so we will be celebrating Mass, one of the favorites of the year as all the children get to come forward and have us dirty their foreheads. We wish you a thoughtful and rejuvenating Lent.

After reading these and other posts by Father Marc, I am particularly pleased that the women of our parish decided to support Father Marc in his ministry. Pray for him as he does God's work


Blessings...

God's Work in Haiti

This morning Diane asked me to draft a letter to an organization called Free the Kids. Last week our parish's Council of Catholic Women affiliate conducted a bake sale in support of Haitian relief and Diane, the affiliate's treasurer, wanted to send this organization a check for $371. Obediently, I wrote the letter and gave it to dear Diane, who then sent it off along with the check.

Always curious, however, I went online to check out Free the Kids. It is another name for the organization, Theo's Work, Inc., founded by Father Marc Boisvert, a former U.S. Navy chaplain now completely involved in ministering to and saving the lives of the children of Haiti. Father Marc learned about the plight of the Haitian people when he was assigned to the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. At that time the base was the processing facility for the Haitian refugees who were fleeing the island nation by the thousands. Because he spoke fluent French and could apparently handle Creole well enough, Father Marc was assigned to the base to help care for these desperate refugees. This was how he learned about Haiti and the sufferings of its people.

While on leave from his subsequent duty with the Marines in California, Father Marc visited Haiti to see first-hand the conditions he had heard about from the refugees. He was appalled. When he returned to the U.S., he started Theo's Work, Inc., a non-profit organization to help the poor of Haiti. He then resigned from the Navy, sold his belongings, and on January 1, 1998 arrived in Port-au-Prince. He's been there ever since.

In his words (from his blog Pwoje Espwa), this is what Theo's Work has accomplished:

Theo is a pen name for Father Marc Boisvert, the founder and director of Pwoje Espwa in southern Haiti. In 1998 we rented a small house and filled it with street boys. Now we have over 600 children living on a huge property outside the city of Les Cayes. There are six schools, a carpenters' workshop, an agricultural center, a small medical facility, an all-purpose space for chapel services, theater productions... In twelve years a miracle has been taking place in southern Haiti and you have helped make it happen! Spread the word so we can continue to save children's lives.

 Some of the beautiful children of Pwoje Espwa

This is a remarkable ministry, founded by a remarkable man. It is well worth our support.


God's peace...

Pray for the People of Haiti

The earthquake in Haiti just might turn out to be the most disastrous event in the Americas in recent memory. As of today, nobody knows how many people have perished or the full extent of the damage. The latest estimate I've heard is perhaps 200,000 deaths, an estimate that could well be on the low side. The almost unbelievable devastation, and the simple fact that Haiti's infrastructure was remarkably primitive to begin with, will make any effort to rescue survivors that much more difficult. Although aid is beginning to pour into the country, it still took valuable time to get the airport up and running 7x24. Thanks to the US Air Force for its quick response in setting up an air traffic control system, no simple task. The real problem, though, will be getting the aid to those who need it. Lacking drinkable water, a large number of survivors could literally die of thirst or disease before essential water and food can be distributed.

Apparently there were upwards of 45,000 Americans in Haiti at the time of the quake and only a small percentage have been located or contacted. I suspect it could be weeks before all are accounted for. In the aftermath, of course, the number of Americans on the ground will increase dramatically. I heard today that the the 82nd Airborne is arriving not only to assist in the distribution of emergency aid, but also to provide some semblance of security. It seem the Haitian police and other emergency services are virtually non-existent.

Archbishop Joseph Miot, the archbishop of Port-au-Prince, was killed in the quake, falling from a balcony of his destroyed residence. The archbishop was apparently a well-loved shepherd, a humble man who was close to the poor among his people. According to the Apostolic Nuncio, not only the cathedral, but all of the major churches and seminaries in Port-au-Prince were completely destroyed. Here's a link to a story via Catholic News Service: Haitian Archbishop Killed in Quake. The above photo shows the archbishop celebrating Mass with teachers and schoolchildren.

I saw that TV evangelist Pat Robertson made a rather unusual comment regarding the disaster in Haiti: "They were under the heel of the French ... and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you'll get us free from the French'." Robertson continued: "True story. And so the devil said, 'OK, it's a deal.' They kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got themselves free. Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other."

I won't spend much time on what Robertson had to say (click here to view the video of his comments), but probably the best commentary on the subject is that by Father Dwight Longenecker on his blog, Standing On My Head.

And then there were the even more bizarre comments by actor Danny Glover, who seems to believe the earthquake in Haiti was the result of global warming and climate change: “When we see what we did at the climate summit in Copenhagen, this is the response, this is what happens, you know what I’m sayin’?” Should you feel the need, you can hear his complete comments here: Danny Glover and Haiti. I don't think anything else need be said. (The above photo show Mr. Glover with his friend, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.)

This sort of strangeness aside, the Haitian people are in dire straits. They need our help and I would suggest sending your financial contribution directly to Catholic Relief Services, one of the key agencies already on site in Haiti. Click here to donate. And, most importantly, the people of Haiti need our prayers. They have suffered so much, and not just from natural disasters, but also from a series of corrupt and oppressive governments. Ask God to give them the strength to withstand this calamity and to bring good from this evil.

God's peace...