Huffington Post On Haiti

Many of you have asked about what my feelings are in regard to Haiti and I wanted to put an excerpt of my blog post titled, "The Tremor Felt Round The World" from the Huffington Post and encourage you to read the full post at HP. I look forward to your thoughts and comments."The terrible suffering in Haiti moves us deeply. We want to know what we can do to help.Many of us are donating money for the immediate relief efforts. Supplies of potable water, food, shelter, and medicines can save thousands of lives -- and at the same time send a message of compassion and support.But the bigger question revolves around long-term aid.We are encouraged to believe that USAID, the World Bank, and other institutions are truly philanthropic, there to serve the best interests of the people and the country. However, the reality is that, in previous cases -- such as the Asian tsunami -- much of this aid is employed to help huge multinational companies gain a strangle-hold on resources (including cheap labor) and markets. Instead of helping local fisherman, farmers, restaurant, and bed and breakfast owners rebuild their devastated businesses, the money is invested in projects that benefit the Krafts, Chiquitas, Monsantos, Marriotts, and big box restaurant chains of the world."I'm heading back from Costa Rica tomorrow and next week I will be in Florida. I know each day brings all of us more inspiration to build a sustainable and just world.