American Exceptionalism Not Welcome at ABC

The unimaginable devastation that rocked the island nation of Haiti last week has seemingly brought out both the best and worst of humanity, not just in America, but around the world. While American missionaries, teachers, doctors and social workers have been aiding the people of Haiti for years and others have now mobilized to rescue and assist anyone and everyone they can, others seem intent on turning the disaster into a freakish sideshow or using it as a forum to score domestic or international political points.

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The Chinese were first to arrive on Haitian soil, but they turned a supposed relief mission into a Communist Party photo-op, wearing matching red suits and carrying the Chinese flag, as if preparing to conquer. The Communist country of over one billion people initially offered a paltry half-million dollars in disaster aid, which was upped to a million after the US pledged 200 times that amount. The very moment, that news of the disaster hit the airwaves, the loons began coming out of the woodwork: The increasingly erratic Pat Robertson opined that the Haitian earthquake was the result of a 17th century pact between the Haitian people and the Devil in order to escape French colonial rule. When relaying the tale on television, Robertson lectured: "True story", as if he was there when the Devil inked the alleged deal. Radical leftist actor and loony bin escapee Danny Glover believes that the earthquake was somehow tied to the failure of the international community (led by the US, of course) to strike a comprehensive global warming treaty at the 2009 Copenhagen Summit. The media's coverage of this tragedy has been pitiful, particularly ABC News and Diane Sawyer. When news of the quake hit, Sawyer hurriedly left an assignment in Afghanistan and spent the next three days in Haiti using American forces as a backdrop to castigate the US, focusing on whether Americans came to Haiti to aid Americans, ignoring everybody else and beating to death the question "Why?" "Why is it taking Americans so long to mobilize?" "Why are there no relief supplies flowing?"

ABC chose to stoke up anger among Haitians towards relief teams who were doing their level best to render help

Her ABC counterpart Dan Harris was even worse, walking around devastated areas and asking stunned, bloodied and injured Haitians ridiculous questions like: "What happened to you?" or "If help doesn't come, will there be violence?" Rather than using their presence to aid, reassure and comfort Haitians that help is coming, ABC chose to stoke up anger among Haitians towards relief teams who were doing their level best to render help. In contrast to the above incidents, which all occurred in front of the cameras, behind the scenes, American and international efforts have been brilliant. Within a day and a half, the Air Force had set up Command and Control at the Port au Prince airport, The Navy and Marines were on the way with security, a hospital ship and relief supplies and Virginia-based search and rescue teams with sniffer dogs were on the ground working. Despite the US recession, Americans, along with others around the world have given freely, raising millions of dollars. US corporate sponsors are donating even more money. This was a devastating event to the people of Haiti. It will take them years to recover. Besides burying thousands under the rubble, the earthquake destroyed hospitals, the Presidential Palace and the UN headquarters and it incapacitated the Haitian government. In addition to killing and displacing thousands of Haitians, it killed politicians, government officials, UN aid workers, foreign teachers, missionaries and volunteers. In contrast to those in the media and elsewhere who chose to focus only on what the United States seemed to be doing wrong while aiding the people of Haiti, unparalleled American exceptionalism was again on display. Without American muscle, equipment and experience behind them in their hour of need, the people of Haiti and of the rest of the world would be far worse off. Although our military is engaging and killing our enemies around the globe at this very moment, there isn't a force on this Earth than can bring to bear the amount of medical attention, logistics, airlift capabilities, food, shelter and security that the United States has in the past week. This disaster transcended racial, social and political lines. And, for just a moment, all Americans put aside their differences and spontaneously came together with people from many other nations when someone else really needed help. That cannot be scripted, orchestrated, nor legislated by any one political party, politician or person. It is uniquely American. No wonder Diane Sawyer is so ticked off.