Child rescue bid raises tough questions in Haiti

I do not want to sound too strict, but this country was a mess way before the earthquake and it will be a mess for a long, long time after this natural disaster. What can the Haitians themselves do to dig themselves out of the horrible mess they have? Before sending off hundreds of thousands of poor Haitian kids to be put into orphan centers etc...they should start to get mass doses of the PILL. How can such poor people keep on bringing more mouths to feed into this world?? China has a 1 child policy and Haiti should have a 0 child policy for at least 10 years if they every truly want to ever get anywhere as a country. This may sound very harsh, but they have no control now over their population and they may have a once in a life time chance to turn the country around.

It's difficult to counsel patience when people are injured and hungry but that has to be the course of action. This group and all other aid groups have to be scrupulous about following the law. If they don't they will only add to the chaos.

As far as foreign policy I think some of the blame has to lie with the residents. The UN has been trying to help Haiti for the better part of 20 years now, to seemingly no effect. You can't keep blaming the French or the USA. People have to be responsible for their own actions.

While I get what you are saying elbudamexicano, the point here is not about how many children people are or aren't having. The point is about the colossal screw-up this group unwittingly committed. As well-meaning as they may have been in their hearts, were really daft on how they carried things out. You don't just fly into a foreign country, put a bunch of local kids in a van then try and take them away to another foreign country without finding out first if you have that kind of authority. Sure the Dominican gave the ok...but what about the children's home country? What about the children's surviving relatives? Can you imagine something like that happening in the U.S.? The British come over as angels of goodwill somewhere like New Orleans after Katrina, pick up a bunch of American kids and transport them to Spain, to be adopted by nice Spanish families, no questions asked, no one informed that it was going to happen or where these kids are about to disappear to. Sounds ridiculous and far-fetched, doesn't it? That is just what these people did. I know they meant well, but they really did not know what the heck they were doing.

The christians go on and on about the barbaric muslims who steal christians in various parts of the world, but now we see that good dopey folks from Idaho who believe god is on their side really do kidnap children for god.

Regardless of quality of like issues, kidnapping of anyone is illegal. Stealing them during a natural disaster is all the more despicable. Parents of the missing kids are going to assume they are buried somewhere.

A Washington Post reporter in Haiti had this fascinating exchange with some of the locals:

“I want the Americans to take over the country. The Haitian government can’t do anything for us,” said Jean-Louis Geffrard, a laborer who lives under a tarp in the crowded square. “When we tell the government we’re hungry, the government says, ‘We’re hungry, too.’ “

Added Canga Matthieu, a medical student whose school was destroyed: “The American government should take care of us.”

“They’re well organized. The United States is the richest country in the world, and they can help.”

"God wanted us to come here to help children, we are convinced of that." LAURA SILSBY, one of 10 Americans who are in a Haitian jail, accused of trafficking children.

That says it all, does it not. God gives these idiots the right to kidnap kids in their warped minds.