Comments on: Rue Frontenac and donation priorities

By: Shawn

Shawn — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:11:00 +0000

Which does open up the question: are there no prominent Haitian journalists at La Presse? I must confess, I can't think of one. Given the massive size of the community in Montreal, that's inexcusable, if so.

By: Fagstein

Fagstein — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:42:49 +0000

How is that relevant?

La Presse's newsroom isn't exactly all that diverse. In cases like this, I'd rather they send their best journalists than their token dark person.

By: wkh

wkh — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:45:03 +0000

did you notice that LaPresse sent EIGHT freaking journalists and EVERY single one of them is...

white?

Seriously?

They couldn't find even one person of colour in what is Montreal's largest newsroom representing francophonie across North America technically? Not ONE?

Sheesh.

By: wkh

wkh — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:32:32 +0000

Here's one, of many, sources that say essentially the same thing.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2429519/posts

"First, the government of Haiti must choose distribution points, the World Food program then works up a distribution plan and then U.N. forces in Haiti provide security with the help of the U.S. military to get the food out. The bottom line: it's not going to happen until tomorrow."

By: Shawn

Shawn — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:45:51 +0000

That's true: people only people who have been reduced to abject poverty through donating all that they own have a right to question the self-righteous saints at rue Frontenac. Thank you for clarifying that, Jean-François.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:29:36 +0000

BTW, just read about this guy in the NY Times blog:
http://twitter.com/pierrecote
Identified as "Canadian video blogger Pierre Côté."

By: Jean-François Codère

Jean-François Codère — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:34:43 +0000

Like you said, donations aren't a zero-sum game. If, really, the choice is between giving your dollars to Haïti or to Rue Frontenac, then it's not even a question. But it's not.

I will GLADLY hear arguments about this funding campaign by people who gave away ALL of their money to Haiti and who, as such, will eat Ramen noodles with their lights turned off until the situations settles over there.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:57:09 +0000

I don't know if relief supplies are stuck at the airport for lack of a distribution "plan." Rather, it would seem to be structural issues, such as impassable roads, but I could be wrong...

By: wkh

wkh — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 03:18:07 +0000

There's something so rubbernecky about this that just sits ...wrongly with me. I mean I don't object to people going there and showing what's going on, especially when they pull an awesome hero stunt like CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, but at some point viewing this from every angle is kind of perverse. I really wish there were more concrete direct relief efforts going on. Shit sitting on a tarmac because a "distribution plan" needs to be drawn up is assbackwards. So is the fact there are already adopted children who were simply waiting for visas (wtf does a dependent minor child of US or Canadian parents need a freaking visa for?!) sitting there in red tape bullshit waiting to come to their parents, who again, ALREADY adopted them.