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Cruise ships under fire for stopping in Haiti

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The benefits of travel cruise ships stopping is greater than if they didn't. < :-)

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"Should vacationers relax and have fun with so much suffering elsewhere"

You would think not, but then there's this -

"James Charitable, 20, stood near the pier with a sign offering tours. "Without this," he said, motioning toward the boat, "We don't eat." He said he makes $15 every time a ship comes in."

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What a photo opportunity? I can just imagine a couple of first-world retirees taking photos of the locals.

Old Woman: "Neville, take my photo dear and make sure you get the bloated corpses in the background."

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Just put a rep or two from a number of the agencies on board so they can collect donations. On the beach even. At the bar or cocktail lounge. I'm sure the passengers would feel obliged to make a donation. I would imagine a lot of the passengers don't feel comfortable about stopping there. I'm not being sarcastic by they way.

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I cant believe people would be biggotted enough to say the Haitians havent the right to work. Gosh there is often someone just around the corner suffering from any point in the world.

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masterkun05, that is a very good idea!

If it were me on a cruise I might consider going to do some volunteer work, at least in the first couple days. It seems the situation has turned to riots recently though, and I would not be bothered unless there were something I could do near the ship where its safe.

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If the cruise ships don´t go in order to avoid bad PR, the local economy loses income, which makes the situation even worse.

To the contrary, if more ships went there, and organized donations from the ships passengers, that could help a lot.

Another typical example where warm-and-fuzzy feel-god thinking achieves the opposite of what it wants.

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Feed the people first, by way of work! The people of Haiti are proud and amazing that they'll work to support their own. That means they'd rather work than be eating handouts!

There are too many countries already getting handouts that don't appreciate where it's coming from, let alone care about how much people have to sacrifice to feed the needy of their own communities as well as poorer nations.

Haiti already is the poorest nation in the west, with little tourism (unlike their neighbour, Dominican Rep.). A strong tourist industry will save them. Imagine New York or Toronto having tourism cut off when there is a disaster and people are fearful of going.

Now, who are these insensitive people trying to keep Haitians from making an honest buck?!!

We can support Haiti in many, many ways! Donations are one... tourism is another.

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“I do think morally it is wrong to go (to Labadee), where less than 60 miles away people are suffering,” Bacchus said in an interview. “And because we have the resources, we have the wealth, we can frolic using the beauty of their island?”

The frolicking happens everywhere by those who have the wealth. Morals could be an issue in some cases, but not here. This country now more than anything needs money and stopping the flow by making misguided claims something is morally wrong (perhaps with Bacchus there is) is not very helpful.

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Which brings us to another point: what Haiti needs most after the emeregency has changed from agony to a dull thudding pain is most "favored nation status" or its equivalent, i.e., duty free import priveleges. There's nothing like work to pick up peoples spirits and make a country strong and healthy. But we will see what happens once the special interest groups put in their two cents. By the way the real "Bacchus" is the Roman god of alchoholic beverages, dedicated to eliminiating stress and living carefree. I think the real Bachuss would say "what, me worry?", enjoy the holiday, and leave a large tip.

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the Haitian government welcomed the ship

This is the most important phrase of the article.

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This must be the first time there is a agreement on an issue among JT readers

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