I have to wonder -- why does fate seem to choose those who are already struggling to suffer through new disasters? I take Haiti as a case in point. It was already the poorest nation in the Americas. The UN calculates that 75 per cent of the people live on less than $2 a day. In 2004, tropical storm Jeanne caused 3,000 deaths in the northern part of the country. The 2010 earthquake left 300,000 dead, with another 1.5 million people internally displaced. International aid sent to help the country rebuild had its own setbacks -- a cholera epidemic unofficially traced to a camp for peacekeepers from Nepal has since killed 9,000 more Haitians. And two weeks ago, Hurricane Matthew scored a direct hit on the western peninsula. With at least another 1000 deaths. And an estimated 20,000 homes destroyed. If it were me, I'd be tempted to wave my fist at the heavens and scream, "Enough, already!" It's been over 30 years since I was last in Haiti. But I don’t expect much has changed. Even then, the country was in crisis. The few paved roads went back to the U.S. army’s occupation of the country, 1914-1934. Sewer and water services, if they existed at all, were limited to wealthy enclaves like Petionville on the hills above the capital city of Port au Prince.

Tragic history Papa Doc Duvalier had died shortly before my first visit to Haiti. Although he brought a semblance of stability to the country, his Tontons Macoutes -- paramilitary thugs answerable only to Papa Doc himself -- murdered an estimated 60,000 Haitians to maintain their version of law and order. His son and successor, Jean Claude Duvalier, was driven into exile by a popular uprising. The series of coups and semi-democratic elections left the struggling nation spiraling downward. Meanwhile, the population doubled. What had been five million people -- in a space half the size of Nova Scotia -- soared past10 million. Forests had been cut for firewood and charcoal; less than 1 per cent of the land remains wooded. Erosion chipped away at the nation’s arable land. Jérémie, way out on the western peninsula, was far enough from Port au Prince that it was spared the worst of Duvalier's excesses. It still had some forests. (The vegetation included some kind of spiky plant that stabbed my shin as I took pictures, and left my leg numb for several hours.)

 Another setback In recent years, things started looking up. Jérémie got limited cellphone service. And a highway to the capital. Business was booming. Then the eye of Hurricane Matthew passed right over Jérémie. Rains ripped out the highway. Winds toppled the cellphone tower. Fields washed away into the sea.

The New York Times got a reporter team into Jérémie a week after. The hurricane, their headline grandly declared, had ruined “a City’s Race into the 21st Century”. (I suspect that most victims would consider themselves fortunate to get into the 20th century.) I remember getting up early one morning to watch people streaming to the local market. An irresistible tide of buyers and sellers surged up the main road between the old colonial buildings -- pillars, archways, balconies. The vendors carried cloth, seeds, vegetables, goats, chickens, carvings, furniture; on their backs, on their heads, in their arms; in improvised carts, wheelbarrows, or piled high on bicycles. A photo accompanying the Times story showed the same street, which I remembered as thronged with people, almost empty. A couple of motorcycles squelched through the mud. A dozen people stood aimlessly, staring at the damage.

 Starting over, again But the people were used to making a fresh start. The article’s author, Azam Ahmed, wrote, “Vendors squeezed between the wreckage on the roadsides, selling bread patties and overpriced spring onions magically procured from somewhere. A few businesses were operating, mostly out of necessity, to begin earning back what was lost.” A woman had opened a small bakery, selling comparettes, a local sweet bread, to those who could pay. “I lost my home, but I have to keep going, because it’s my livelihood,” she told Ahmed, swatting at bees whose hive had been crushed during the storm. ‘There will be fewer people to buy these now, but there is nothing to be done about it.’” Azam concluded, “As so often in the past, whenever Haiti tries to pick itself up, something always seems to knock it back down.” One man looked at the wreckage of his home. “And now this,” he said sadly, shaking his head. “It’s the way it is.” My heart aches for them. ********************************************************
Copyright © 2016 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups encouraged; links from other blogs welcomed; all other rights reserved. To send comments, to subscribe, or to unsubscribe, write jimt@quixotic.ca
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YOUR TURN
Most of the letters about last week’s column, on the sexism now being revealed in the U.S. election process, supported my analysis. Jim Henderschedt, for instance, wrote, “You really nailed this one. You are right on target.” but not everyone felt the same way I’ve included reference to two negative letters at the end of this section.
From Tom Watson: “Can you even imagine if Hillary Clinton said some of the things that The Donald has said, how low her support would plummet? And yet, the more lewd Trump gets, the more his core supporters stick to him. The ‘old boys’ club’ is alive and well.”

Ginny Adams wrote, “Jim, perfect timing for this writing the day after Trump's misogyny came screaming to the front. This wasn't a surprise to most women, but now the ‘guys’ are upset. Thank God that Trump is being revealed for who/what he is. During the first debate I felt the need for 2 things -- a bottle of the good stuff and a shower.”

 Robert Caughell suggested, “I guess the US has a massive inferiority complex when it comes to having female leaders. Other countries have/have had female Presidents/Prime Ministers. What is the US afraid of? That women leaders may/would/can do a better job than a man?”

Charles Hill called my argument, “A bit of overkill! First, if Jesus had arrived as a female, no one would have ever listened to her or followed her. The same with the Hebrew god. Most, not all, of history has been male dominated. There were, of course, Egyptian and Greek goddesses. Where are they now?”

 Laurna Tallman writes long letters. I wish I could include more of them. In this one, Laurna noted some strong similarities between her own life experience and Hillary Clinton’s. Then she offered some thoughts about the U.S. constitution that seems to get brandished by opposing sides as a kind of unimpeachable Holy Grail: “The US Constitution was fashioned by imperfect people; it is not a perfectly moral guide for human behavior. In many ways, it is a reflection of the  times in which it was written and has not proven sufficiently flexible. The Constitution is not a religion, although it has moral meaning. In a murky world, it has offered an alternative to the other imperfect systems of government. A Christian cannot agree to work with that -- or with any -- system of government without being forced to compromise his or her religious ideals in some sense. “The notion of separation of church and state removes the potential for certain kinds of good along with the potential for certain kinds of evil from the human beings who enter the political fray. “Nevertheless, politicians bring their religious beliefs to bear on their decision-making… The public brings a variety of religious views to bear on their politicians, too, expecting them to be all things to all people instead of being simply who they are. One weird way of satisfying the public lust is to have no religious principles… Such people are politically naive as well - and as dangerous as the man they would make President.”

D. Martin saw my column as support for  Hillary Clinton, and then prefaced his rebuttals with his own disclaimer: “First and foremost, this is in no way an endorsement of Trump. I still can't believe that he actually got the nod to run for President of the United States….However, when you do some research and reading about Hillary by those closest to her, her true character becomes evident. And it isn't pretty at all.  It is hard to understand how in a country of over 300 million people, those two are all they can come up with.” The rest of the letter was an attack  on Clinton, personally, and then as a symbol of a general sexism against males in American society.

 Steve Roney objected to almost everything in the column. He took it apart line by line, but didn’t distinguish between sarcasm and commentary.

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TECHNICAL STUFF
This column comes to you using the electronic facilities of Woodlakebooks.com.    If you want to comment on something, write me at jimt@quixotic.ca. Or just hit the “Reply” button.    To subscribe or unsubscribe, send me an e-mail message at the address above. Or subscribe electronically by sending a blank email (no message) to sharpedges-subscribe@lists.quixotic.ca. Similarly, you can un-subscribe at sharpedgesunsubscribe@lists.quixotic.ca.    Unfortunately, the archived columns at http://edges.Canadahomepage.net have disappeared. The site was hijacked, and I haven’t been able to get it back I’m hoping to have a new website up fairly soon.    I write a second column each Wednesday, called Soft Edges, which deals somewhat more gently with issues of life and faith. To sign up for Soft Edges, write to me directly, at the address above, or send a blank e-mail to softedges-subscribe@lists.quixotic.ca

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