Imperialism, Racism, and Haiti

by Trish Kahle

When Haiti was rocked by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck just outside Port-au-Prince, it shed light on the devastatingly poor nation--the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Obama said that the United States would most certainly help Haiti in its hour of need. Well, Mr. President, I hate to break it to you, but it's been Haiti's hour of need for a while. You can point to the UN Peacekeeping mission of 9,000. You can point to the abysmally small aid packages already sent.

But not too long ago, Obama sent a $663.8 billion dollar defense budget to Congress for approval. Of course it will be approved. No one seems to mind killing people, directly or indirectly, however much it costs. And spending that same money to care for those people would of course never pass Congress. After all, there's little profit for companies like DynCorp, Halliburton, or Blackwater in that. Who do you think gives more money to Congressional campaigns--the disenfranchised, homeless woman or Blackwater?

It's frankly embarrassing to live in a country that will spend over $663.8 billion on what essentially boils down to murder. Imagine if that money had been spent building schools, bridges, levees, and other structures able to withstand natural disasters--not just in Haiti but in countries all over the world, including the United States.

The imperial message of the US is very, very clear. Don't conform to our policies? We'll attack. You're not white? We'll make bombs before we house you adequately. It's no coincidence that the people who live in the poorest areas on Earth are Black, Beige, and Brown. It's racism. Racism enforced by the American DoD. These people suffer every day, not just when natural disaster strikes, because the US government and other governments of the developing world would rather spend $52 billion on fighter jets that can't be flown in the rain than aid them.

This "natural" disaster, and others like them, are the indirect result of American imperialism and defense spending. Axe the military budget, and maybe we could kill two birds with one stone.