S. Florida members of Congress: mediocre politicians; terrible human beings
Al’s Loupe
S. Florida members of Congress: mediocre politicians; terrible human beings
By Alvaro F. Fernandez
alfernandez@the-beach.net
Last week Progreso Weekly columnist Max Castro called Joe Lieberman the worst member of the U.S. Congress. Maybe. But I would dare put up the members of our South Florida contingency in the mix. Forget the past, I won’t judge them on that. I am referring to the now. What has transpired in South Florida over the last week.
Since the earthquake in Haiti, U.S. Representatives Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Kendrick Meek and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz have shown they care more for their political careers than their constituency. Sure they talk a good game. And they pose for the cameras beautifully. But when the pedal hits the metal, they are nowhere to be found. This is a glaring opportunity where they could have taken the high road and shined. Instead, they chose the heartless rout: Emit promises, take pictures for the newspapers and TV, and behind the scenes, assure that things don’t get done — at least in the most efficient way possible in order to serve important members of their South Florida districts.
South Florida is home to the largest population of Haitians in the United States. There are many here suffering, wondering if family members are alive or dead because of the ravages caused by last week’s earthquake in Port au Prince. They dread the fact that their loved ones are suffering for lack of — everything. The more we read, the more we see and hear, the more we realize that there is a logjam getting supplies, doctors, water and everything that’s needed to save hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings who can only be blamed for one thing: living in the wrong place at the wrong time.
First on the ground
Minutes after the quake, amongst the first persons on the ground in Haiti helping the wounded were the Haitians themselves, of course, but with the help of Cuban doctors already stationed there. Soon after, members of Cuba’s Henry Reeve Brigade, named after an American doctor who fought in Cuba’s war of independence, were flown in. This group has great experience in disaster relief. To this day they have continued to work night and day, 24-hours a day, and seven days a week, setting up portable hospitals where they perform dozens of surgeries daily.
These doctors lack supplies. That’s where the U.S. can come in and help. And that’s where our South Florida members of Congress should have jumped in and called for the U.S. to put aside the politics of the moment for humanitarian reasons. What a beautiful and life-saving gesture to provide the Cuban doctors, alongside Haitian doctors (many trained in Cuba), with whatever they might need to continue providing their much needed service.
I guess I’m a dreamer, because in that group of five, this act of compassion does not appear to be possible. And to think that at least two of them — Meek and Wasserman-Schultz — are democrats who could have pleaded with the president to open up his heart for a group of people who over time have received little of what that word means or stands for.
Here in Miami, as is well know, anything to do with Cuba or the Cuban government is taboo — especially for politicians. But if there was ever a moment to put aside differences, this was it. But as usual, we blew it… Oh what courage our local members of Congress have demonstrated!
Haitians be dammed, they seem to have said. Instead they’ve demonstrated that they are not only mediocre politicians, at best, but they are horrible human beings. They could have helped to save lives. Instead, they opted for the easy way out.
Click on the CNN video to see a description of the work being done by Cuban doctors in Haiti:
