Helping Haiti.

While watching the news tonight, there was an interview of a Haitian born man trapped in the Dominican Republic. He remained calm throughout most of the interview, even while talking about the fact that he isn't sure where his family is. The interviewee finally provoked some emotion into the man when he told him that the death toll is reaching new highs every hour. The man became speechless. I have been so numb recently, so the fact that I was brought to tears by this man's interview means something.
The 7.O earthquake has done some SERIOUS damage.The death toll in Haiti remains to be unknown, but is thought to be hundreds of thousands. Medical efforts are hindered due to infrastructure damage, Doctors without Borders says that almost every medical center they've seen is not functioning.
Telecommunications in Haiti has almost collapsed and are severely limited. Other sources of communication which were already limited like the internet are completely gone now. Power failure has been noticed through out the region. Haiti is now literally cut off from the rest of the world.
Before the earthquake, Haiti was, and still is, an incredibly impoverished place, due to the International Community's role and the role of their past rulers. For example:
The international community's role.
1. French colonial contribution.
2. The international boycott of the new nation of 1804.
3. The French debt of 1838.
4. The United States Occupation, 1915-1934.
5. Post World War II United States domination.

The role of Haiti's rulers.
1. Slave-like labor systems in the early republic.
2. The elite's protection of its wealth.
3. Haitian corruption.
4. Human rights violations as a tool of oppression.

So now I ask myself, if there IS a God, why the fuck did this have to happen to these people? To a population already struggling to live the way you and I take for granted. And while this is happening, we continue to update our facebook statuses to things like "fuck bitches, get money".
I cannot sit back and watch the terrors going on over there. It feels like a crime. My friend Adrianna and I are planning on doing something, rather than just talking about how awful it is. We are going to start small, and hopefully turn it into something great. I would like to go there when I can in a community service effort. Let's all use our privilege and attempt to make differences while we still can.