Open Thread: Help Haiti

A injured child receives medical treatment after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince January 13, 2010. The 7.0 magnitude quake rocked Haiti, killing possibly thousands of people as it toppled the presidential palace and hillside shanties alike and leaving the poor Caribbean nation appealing for international help. (From DayLife)If you haven't heard a major earthquake hit the island nation of Haiti in the Caribbean today. Thousands are believed to be dead. There's even talk of having refugees be housed in Guantanamo Bay. (That wouldn't be the first time. Here's to hope it won't be a repeat of Camp Bulkeley at Gitmo where they held HIV infected Haitians in squalor.) There is talk they would be housed at Camp Justice where members of the press often stay.

I don't know enough about the disaster yet or the relief efforts, but I know a lot of my readers do, so I wanted to open up the blog for folks to leave comments about news out of Haiti and about ways people can help. (And you can also vent if you'd like or talk about Haiti if you have family or loved ones who live there.) The United States has had an uneven to horrid policy regarding the country (see anything involving Haiti, crooked dictators and the crooked dictators our country happily propped up). And Haiti remains heavily impoverished despite such a proud history. It's home to the one and only successful slave revolt in the history of the world ... and they've been pretty much punished since forever for demanding that freedom.

So share those stories, links and advice people. I want (and a lot of others want) to know how we can help.