Left I on the News

Both Huffington Post and FOX News are promoting the absurd claim that Glover says the earthquake in Haiti was caused by climate change, based on this quote:

"What happened in Haiti could happen to anywhere in the Caribbean because all these island nations are in peril because of global warming. When we see what we did at the climate summit in Copenhagen, this is the response, this is what happens, you know what I'm sayin'?"

Of course this interpretation is nonsense. Glover's point is quite clearly that massive disasters such as the one currently affecting Haiti may be visited on all island nations in the future as a result of climate change (due to rising sea levels and possibly also to increased frequency and severity of hurricanes).

This isn't the only media distortion on events in Haiti, of course. I've been watching a lot of coverage on various networks, as I'm sure many of you have. Not once have I heard a mention of the Cuban doctors working in Haiti, which I just learned today (via Fidel) have actually been joined by 400 Haitians who were being trained as doctors in Cuba and who were sufficiently advanced in their training to be of use. I did hear on CNN about an Israeli medical contingent due to arrive tomorrow. Just four days after the Cubans have already been on the ground working. I'm happy the Israelis are sending doctors, but the fact that their arrival is being touted on network TV while the Cuban presence isn't even mentioned is no accident.