Haiti medevac flights were suspended because of Super Bowl preparations

Do you really think it’s reasonable to expect local disaster preparedness to be put completely on hold to deal with a single external event? That’s just not the way things like this should work. As trivial as a football game may be, there are still millions of residents in Florida who expect to have access to emergency medical services and to have their local disaster response resources available to them if needed. Suggesting that Florida should be embarrassed for resisting the urge to completely fill available capacity w/o holding some in reserve for a local emergency is laughable.

Broadly speaking, I am perplexed at the continued tone of hostility running through coverage of the international response, specifically the efforts of the United States, to this disaster. Is it really reasonable to expect that there would instantly be a detailed plan and immediately available response for this exact situation? Basic infrastructure has been destroyed. The seaport, airport, roads, communications, etc. have all been severely damaged and the local government is no longer functioning in an orderly fashion. It frustrates me that there isn’t more leeway given to responding to an extraordinary situation in extremely harsh conditions. It’s a tragedy no doubt but don’t blame the helper for the devastation of random events.

I don't see what is so embarrassing about it. Is Florida supposed to stop planning for it's own disasters? The Haiti earthquake was unexpected and threw a wrench in their plans and they needed a few days to adjust. Ideally, they wouldn't have had to stop the flights because other states would pick up the slack, but that's another problem. I doubt you'd be so contemptuous if they were worried about a disaster at the Olympics.

Unfortunate as this is, the game was affecting aid to haiti because they were preparing for an incident at the games, not because they were flying in players or something silly like that. If the Haitians had been better prepared for an earthquake, there'd be less death and misery. So I don't think its necessarily a bad idea to tone down relief efforts if they might interfere with dealing with a /possible/ incident at the game. In fact, I think that the other reasons they were suspending the flights were worse.

If Americans were endangered at the Super Bowl because their emergency service personnel were abroad, it would completely destroy domestic support for any kind of foreign aid in the future. This fact may be embarrassing to the authors, but no government on Earth prioritizes the lives of foreigners over the lives of citizens and such a position is not politically viable.

I am a Floridian and I am by no means embarrassed, please consider how embarrassed you would be if your local hospitals were so oversaturated that there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about the quality and availability of care for an ill family member. Not to mention that Florida is already in a budget crisis due to our state constitution mandating that we are not allowed to run an a deficit but not knowing who will pay for this care.

The modus operandi for the soft left is America should feel bad that we don't feel worse. Americans should come first. We are the world's FIRST RESPONDERS. If America cut off foreign aid, demanded the U.N. pay us back for Billions and probably Trillions we spend on every pet social engineering program they throw out, and stopped RESPONDING to foreign disasters including rescuing citizens from despotic governments, the whole planet would be worse off. The citizens of these countries have had plenty of time to make something of their nations, like the citizens of United States of America have. Are we supposed to feel sorry for the LOSERS who blame everything on the WINNERS because they are jealous of our success? They should thank their lucky stars we are the most free, and most generous and helpful country on the planet when we come to help! Remember, it was the USA and it's farmers that helped the prisoner citizens of the muderous USSR from starving to death before the regime self destructed! Oh, and You're very welcome 3rd World! Happy to help!

I find this story to be slightly embarrassing, for you, the author. I created an account so that I could comment; something I rarely do, but attitude/slant on this story incenses me.

Your expectations of Florida (currently in a budget crisis) are totally unfair. The Pro-bowl and Super Bowl were planned far in advance and the Earthquake in Haiti is a horrible disaster, but at some point, someone has to put a foot down and make sure that the city of Miami is prepared for the most widely-publicized, most popular game in THE UNIVERSE.

We cannot help other people efficiently if we do not take care of ourselves. I have donated a considerable amount of my own money to Haiti. I get it. I am planning on going there myself in a few months. Were these Haitians diverted elsewhere? Are you sure they were just treated in Port-au-prince on-site?

This article does not dig deep, it's opinionated, and frankly, you look like an irresponsible journalist who did not do enough due diligence before publishing this bullshit story. Shame on you.

The insensitivity of Americans can sometimes be astounding.

Complaining about Haiti relief efforts because Florida is in a "budget-crisis" is so absurd as to be nearly unbelievable that people can actually think that way.

I assure you the people of Haiti would rather have a "budget crisis" right now.

>>>This fact may be embarrassing to the authors, but no government on Earth prioritizes the lives of foreigners over the lives of citizens and such a position is not politically viable.

The US does. That's why we have so many illegal aliens and are about to give them amnesty and reward them for breaking our laws in the first place.

>>Complaining about Haiti relief efforts because Florida is in a "budget-crisis" is so absurd as to be nearly unbelievable that people can actually think that way.

So what are you suggesting? That the Super Bowl be cancelled so that there will be no chance of a problem that will need push Haitians out of American hospital beds? Beds that they are not paying for, doctors services that they are not paying for? Bills that the Haitian government will *not* repay.

The US is in Haiti rebuilding that country. (Along with other countries, of course) And yet you dare call us "insensitive.?"

This has perhaps escaped your notice, but the US is bankrupt. *Bankrupt.* We are living on money borrowed from the Chinese. (They buy our debt, therefore that's who we're borrowing money from). Yet if we don't spend billions of dollars helping the Haitains, we will be called the scum of the earth. Yet even when we are spending billions of dollars helping them, we're still called scum.

As for me, until the Haitians release those 10 church workers who were more naive than scheming, they don't get another red cent from me.

>>The rest of your writing is just crazed nonsense blaming people born into poverty for not being born to the right parents.

One can't blame people for being born poor, anymore than people can blame them for being born illigitimate.

The people who should be blamed, and held accountable, are those who can't afford to have children and have them anyway, making them a burden on society. The poor are always with us because they keep breeding.

It's not necesasarily t heir fault, of course. The Catholics refuse to allow their people to use birth control, not caring a whit that the resultant children are born into grinding poverty. Fundamentalist Christians also don't want to give money to family planning programs in poor nations, thus again keeping them poor. There are few things Obama is doing well, but making sure abortion is available to any woman who wants one is on the good side of the ledger.

I find it appalling that thunderchild could turn this whole discussion into some means of justifying the murder of children. Killing children has never been nor never will be a responsible method of reaching financial solvency. Then you chalk killing children up as Obama's major achievment as president of our nation. Wow what is this world coming too?