thoughts on haiti

Since the earthquake in Haiti there has been much published about looting and the possibility for societal breakdown.  Lots of hand ringing concerning how damaging it is etc..   Lots of written words and TV shows saying loads of alarming things about allowing looting to happen. 

During a conversation the other night i stated that i could understand why a person would loot after a catastrophe.  Having been in a major one myself i understood why people, seeing buildings totally destroyed, think if i don't scavenge the stuff some one else will.  i stated that it was no different from financiers knowingly swindling investors.

i was immediately slapped down, saying you couldn't compare the two.  One could result in the break down of society, the other was different.  We changed the conversation but i wanted to delve deeper into the intricacies of theft and what makes one so different, acceptable, or not acceptable than the other.

After Hurricane Hugo was finished tearing St. Croix apart, business's that hadn't survived the onslaught, were open to the elements.  Roofs had been torn off, walls had collapsed, rain had poured down on the goods and everything was exposed.  It didn't take long before people all over the island started scavenging.

Refrigerators, TV's, and washing machines, along with food and water rolled down streets that had no electricity and wouldn't see any for months to come.  They scavenged everything, even things they would never be able to use, but they did it.  They did it because they were scared and they did it because they were trying to provide for their families.  They did it because they could.

Rumor had it at the time that owners of these gaping businesses had said in some circumstances to go ahead and take it, the insurance company would cover the loss.   They certainly couldn't resell damaged goods so many said have at it.  i suppose somewhere, months down the line, after the island had been cleaned up, the owners may have been able to sell some as damaged goods, but by that time things were more normal and people wanted new items. Not filthy dirty hurricane left overs.

Anyone who participated in the scavenging after the hurricane was labeled a "looter" or a "thief." 

Today, people in Haiti are labeled "looters" for scavenging food, medicine, clothing etc. from crushed buildings.  They are being shot and killed for "petty theft" while others are successfully getting away with the goods.

So what exactly is the difference between looting and swindling or fraud?

All involve stealing something that doesn't belong to you for personal gain.  For some the gain is strictly  survival for others its a chance to obtain something always dreamed of.  This gain may or may not swell the coffers of others besides themselves, but the looter or swindler is the primary criminal.

All of them do it because they can.

I'll start with my financial comparison.  Some may rationalize a swindle or a Ponzi or some other type of monetary theft as different from looting because not just one person gains, and some have consented.  Those getting involved in the fraud initially may actually come out ahead before it collapses or is found out. 

Well the looter that gets there first, who scavenges successfully also helps his family and friends.  He brings home the goods and distributes them just like the heads of the financial firms.

The head of a financial institution who knowingly bets against himself and makes millions or billions while others lose is a thief who should do time or be killed just like the looter.  He is no different from a looter and in many cases is much worse than a looter.  He hasn't taken advantage of a natural catastrophe, he has created one and yet is viewed as somehow above a common looter.

The newspapers and television say looting is different because it can cause chaos and a break down of society. 

Well haven't we seen today how the bundling of worthless financial instruments and trading them on international security markets causes chaos and a break down of the world economy which affects societies everywhere.

The difference between the two is not minimal for the break down in both cases should be contained when law enforcement steps in.  Problem is, the economic breakdown world wide caused by financial manipulation is much more devastating to higher numbers of people and in fact hasn't stopped, than what looting can cause. 

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians remain in desperate need of food, medicine, water and shelter so scavenging destroyed buildings is utilizing their survival skills and who are we to say that they wouldn't later come back and repay what they took.

Some will say, well consent has been given in the case of investments in Ponzi schemes or other types of manipulation, well maybe consent was given to scavenge in the buildings too.  If the consent in either case was given under deceptive circumstances then it cancels the consent.  Rumor may have been the spark that started the looting but it will end when the goods are all distributed.  It can only happen as long as there is a supply of commodities.

The swindle ends when the money dries up, only those who have stolen are still regarded as pillars of society, not criminals and not subject to annihilation by a police force wielding guns.

What is wrong with this picture?  Why is looting by desperate people looked upon as so much worse than swindling by white collar criminals? 

And so, i view the looting going on in Haiti as much less damaging over the long term than the looting that went on in our monetary markets over the past few years.  Its time we put things in perspective and stop condemning people who are trying to survive.  This is not a cut and dried issue.  Any one of us who found ourselves with nothing during a natural disaster could quite easily turn into a "looter."

creative maladjustment

 Have you ever heard of the "The International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment"?

No?

Well, there is no such thing...but there should be.


 A non-violent rebel who broke the law fighting for justice and human rights wanted to create the above department.

He claimed that human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.

Martin Luther King believed there were certain things in this world that it was not appropriate to be adjusted to; things like bigotry, discrimination and segregation.

"This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists. Our planet teeters on the brink of atomic annihilation; dangerous passions of pride, hatred and selfishness are enthroned in our lives; and men do reverence before false gods of nationalism and materialism. The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority." MLK

Monday Juan Cole wrote about new areas where we non-conformists are maladjusted.

"We are told by the Republican minority that is holding the country hostage in the Senate that we are maladjusted if we object to 37 million Americans not being covered by health care. We are maladjusted if we want to see banks regulated. We are maladjusted if we want a change in  income tax so that the richest, with their billions in bonuses, pay more for government social services from which they and their corporations benefit. We are maladjusted if we object to escalating the war in Afghanistan or to covert drone assassinations in Pakistan or to starting a whole new war in Yemen. We are maladjusted if we object to racially profiling Arabs and Arab-Americans. We are maladjusted if we object to mountain top removal coal mining, or, indeed, if we object to destroying the world with the burning of coal in general. We are maladjusted if we won't disfigure our shorelines with oil rigs. We are maladjusted if we support choice for women or marriage for gays."

i didn't think Juan had enough down so as another non-conformist i'd like to add a few more:

There are those out there who think we are maladjusted if we believe man may be impacting his environment adversely and we should do something about it.  We are maladjusted if we support minimum wage. We are maladjusted if we want to even the playing field just a tad through public education.  We are maladjusted if we want to end corporate welfare.  We are maladjusted if we want to decriminalize marijuana use.  We are maladjusted if we want to end our dependence upon fossil fuels.  We are maladjusted if we want to reauthorize assault weapon bans.  And finally but certainly not the end of areas where we are so very maladjusted because we want accountability for pre-emptive invasions, torture, wiretapping, rendition, and a host of other things that aren't coming to mind just now.

King called for an end to militarism and far-flung imperial wars. He rightly claimed that war was the enemy of the poor.

"The fact that our militarism has only grown significantly in the intervening decades makes it more comfortable to sweep these aspects of King's message under the national rug. With Obama mobilizing more soldiers and military contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan than Bush did, authorizing more drone attacks that have killed more innocent civilians than Bush did, expanding military bases in South America, and requesting and receiving the largest military budget ever in the history of not only this nation, but any nation in history, it is easier to simply close our collective lips about this King." Ryan Van Lenning

This week we have all been affected by the devastation in Haiti. We have stepped up by focusing on those in need, we contribute what we can, volunteer where we can and wish we could do more to help those devastated by mother nature.

Perhaps this year as we witness ever more defense spending and military engagements and the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and even the middle class drops out, we will listen a little more closely to this giant of a man who still has much to teach us: "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."

Finally, "I say to you, my friends, as I move to my conclusion, there are certain things in our nation and in the world which I am proud to be maladjusted and which I hope all men of good-will will be maladjusted." MLK

flamingo tongue snail

Open the door to a dark house and what do you do first? 

Flip on the "light." 

Why?

Because we need to "see".

The use of illuminating light started when pre-historic man discovered how to create fire at will.  Up until that point lighting up anything was solely a function of nature.  Lightning lit up the night skies, lightning bugs flittered amongst the trees leaving the glow of light behind and fires started by lightning lit up vast areas. The only problem with fire was, man couldn't control it, but he sure wanted to for fire could be very destructive.

As man learned the intricacies of cooking and lighting his caves with fire he put more thought to lighting up his residence during the night.  Torches were created from bundles of sticks.  Torches could be placed anywhere  and could easily be transported but still posed a danger when they burned down to the end.  Myths were created around the use of fire and Gods took shape to explain the questions. 

Eventually, the use of fire created a desire to control the darkness more consistently.  Fire had a tendency to burn itself out, so man started experimenting with burning things other than wood.  Animal grease was a natural progression.  Soon stones, shells and horns were filled with grease and a wick and caught on fire.  Archaeologists discovered these pre-historic oil lamps dating back as far as 15,000 years so we know darkness had been conquered long ago.

As man progressed to a more agrarian society light took on more and more meaning.  Artificial light, possessed by the wealthy in the form of fats and oils, would ordinarily be consumed by the poor, but revered none the less.

Some cultures worshiped the sun, understanding that light was necessary for things to grow.  The Egyptian sun god Ra created the first divine couple, Shu and Tefnut, who are the parents of the earth and sky.  Man was born from the tears of Ra, created from his flesh and in his image,
while the earth was created to provide care and support for mankind.  Hmmmm... sounds familiar?

Light is composed of waves and particles but there is actually no way to simultaneously find both the position and path of the particle.  Light surrounds us and nurtures everything we need to grow, so it stands to reason that it would be revered.  We are part of the light. We need it for life.

This morning, while swimming, the sun was refracting through the water.  In the Caribbean it is a beautiful sight.  One that imprisons you in light beams that undulate, tremble and palpitate upon your very core.  If you take a moment to relish the experience the light leads you to explore the entire underwater world.  All sizes of fish, turtles and mammals, flash and flick their bodies...coral, sea fans, sand, everything moving and immobile is pinpointed in the beams as you move through the water.  You are focused on the all and the connection through the light.  It is truly a spiritual experience.

Flamingo tongue on a purple sea fan from Arcadin Islands, Haiti.

Philosophers, scientists, shamans, rabbis, imans, preachers and probably every human being alive has at some point considered "light" and its effect on us.  Sunsets, sunrises, rainbows, light reflections in ponds or any body of water are immortalized in poems, literature and religious texts.  People who have had near death experiences tell us they have seen the light and come back to talk about it.

"Curiously enough, the message from all of those who have encountered the light and returned is the same. All of the beings of light are in firm agreement, and they tell the dying: Stay on Earth and resist the transcendental temptation; focus on life not death; use your human powers of love and compassion in work to make this material world-the world of the here and now and the world we all inhabit-a better world, the best world it can possibly be. This is the one thing on which all of us-the believer and the skeptic-can unanimously agree. This is the true light we all should see."
Robert Baker

St. Croix, VI Three Kings Day Parade 2010

This flower is so beautiful I had to post it for everyone to enjoy.  It should have been in the parade!

I started taking pictures where the groups were lining up.  Much easier to get closeups when the crowd is thin!

Everyone parades...mama's, kids, dads and even grandparents. Check out the 4  grannies below strut their stuff!  The music is loud and the crowd dances along, it starts late, goes slow, slow, slow and doesn't end till after dark.  It is the slowest parade ever.  Some parade goers lack patience and walk the route passing the masqueraders as they wait their turn to perform in front of the grandstand.  It is an all day affair but worth it in so many ways.  If you have never been it is time to come to the islands and experience a Cruzian Christmas the best in the world.  And that's just my opinion.