Obama's Weekly Address: Recovering and Rebuilding After the Storm

In this week’s address, President Obama thanks the brave first responders and National Guardsmen for their tireless work following one of the worst storms in our nation’s history, and reassures the millions of Americans affected by Hurricane Sandy that their country will be there for them during the long road to recovery.



Our blog joins in the prayers for those families impacted by Sandy.

Obama's Weekly Address: An All-Hands-On-Deck Approach to Fighting the Colorado Wildfires

President Obama speaks to the American people from Colorado, where he toured areas impacted by the devastating Waldo Canyon fire and met with first responders as well as families affected by the fires. The President thanks the brave firefighters and countless volunteers who are providing food, water, and shelter to those in need, and makes clear that his administration will continue to bring all resources available to assist efforts to combat the fires.





The prayers of our 'village' are with the people of Colorado.

Haiti Earthquake: Will America Care Next Week?

Haiti has been struggling for hundreds of years to overcome colonial domination, dictatorial leadership, poverty and the impact of hunger.

Things just got worse this week with the massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake. The lack of infrastructure, disaster preparedness and acute poverty makes a bad situation even worse. Homes, schools, churches have been destroyed. Villagers all over America wait, pray and hope for the safety of the people of Haiti. That nation's long struggle against poverty is now exacerbated, its needs now magnified, and the vulnerability of the Haitian people more greatly exposed.

Haiti is the poorest, least developed country in the Western Hemisphere, and the majority of Haitians live in poverty. The sheer scale of poverty in the country means that the government has limited capacity to meet even the simplest needs of its people, let alone address a disaster of this magnitude. In addition to creating a very real and immediate humanitarian tragedy, this earthquake and the struggle to navigate its aftermath will be an enormous setback to the hard-won gains that Haiti has achieved in recent years in securing a more stable environment and fighting poverty.

I suspect that America and the other nations of the world will respond well in the coming days and weeks. It is relatively simple to send in bottled water and to rush to find people ... living and dead ... in the tumbled buildings.

I don't have personal contact with many people of Haitian descent in person or otherwise. However, Haitian history tells us the Haitian people are resilient and determined to better their lives. I am confident that with the help of strong partners around the world, Haiti will rise from its rubble and Haitians will live their motto: L’union fait la force (Unity is strength).




I wonder if the collective goodwill on a national and international basis continues after the initial compassion being displayed right now?

Consider this an open thread about the earthquake in Haiti. Please share your prayers, thoughts or observations.

Republican Wingnut Pat Robertson Claims that 'Haiti is Cursed' (video)

Soulclap to Media Matters for pointing us to this story. Republican wingnut Pat Robertson's unique brand of race-baiting flared up again today.

PAT ROBERTSON: And, you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, "We will serve you if you will get us free from the French." True story. And so, the devil said, "OK, it's a deal."

And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other. Desperately poor. That island of Hispaniola is one island. It's cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti; on the other side is the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, et cetera. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy, I'm optimistic something good may come. But right now, we're helping the suffering people, and the suffering is unimaginable.

KRISTI WATTS (co-host): Absolutely, Pat.

Where does the Republican Party find these fools?

In the meantime, I encourage all villagers to provide your prayers and other tangible ways to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Wordless Wednesday: Station Fire (Los Angeles CA)

Katrina and Black Bloggers

The African American Political Pundit called out the Electronic Village and other Black bloggers as it relates to the Katrina tragedy. The pundit wrote,

"There are things that are going on in America that are an Assault on Black Sanity. Black bloggers need to stop Acting White regarding New Orleans. We need our AfroSpear Think Tank to address Katrina and make it part of our Black Agenda. The brothers and sisters of New Orleans need and deserve Black bloggers unfied help. Yes it's going to take the Field Negro, Jack and Jill Politics, The Free Slave, people from The Electronic Village, BygBaby, brothers and sisters from Cananda, Bronze Trinity, and so many other Black bloggers from around the AfroSphere to bring more attention to the plight of our people, who have been displaced, dislocated and disoriented by a system of local, state and federal governments who seem not to care."

There are a number of aspects of the Katrina tragedy worthy of discussion. For example, have you thought about the unique stories on the pioneering individuals and families who have chosen to exercise their self-granted "right to return" to their devastated homes and rebuild their lives following Hurricanes Katrina. Tavis Smiley went to New Orleans recently to visit with some of these courageous people who are central to the culture of the Big Easy. Tavis regularly has conversations about Hurricane Katrina on his show.

Another recent development in the story is the rising death rate. Hurricane Katrina's tragic aftermath lingered for at least a year after the storm abated, boosting New Orleans' death rate last year by 47% compared with two years before the levees broke.

Doctors say the dramatic surge in deaths comes as no surprise in a city of 250,000 mostly poor and middle-class people who lost seven of 22 hospitals and half of the city's hospital beds. More than 4,486 doctors were displaced from three New Orleans parishes, creating a shortage that still hampers many hospitals. The indigent suffered the brunt of the health toll from the 2005 storm. The Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, two hospitals that made up the city's safety net for the uninsured, were severely damaged. Charity Hospital, oldest and best known of the two, remains closed.

"We can get hung up on the numbers, but the bottom line is that people are dying at a faster rate here post-Katrina," says Jullette Saussy, director of New Orleans EMS.

"The lack of primary care, of mental health care and of long waits in emergency rooms all have (worsened) people's normally controllable chronic diseases," she says. "Diabetes, respiratory disease and hypertension all are killers, especially when they're not dealt with."

From January to June 2006, they found on average 1,317 death notices a month, for a mortality rate of about 91 per 100,000 people. In 2002 and 2004, the average was 924 notices a month, for a death rate of 62 per 100,000, 47% fewer than after the storm.

I encourage villagers to share their thoughts on the Katrina tragedy. What do you see going on to re-open New Orleans? The recovery is slow and many New Orleans people and places have yet to come back after Katrina. What aspects of the recovery would you like to see discussed here under our baobob tree?