U.S. INTERVENTIONISM: 132 Years of Coups & Government Interference

U.S. soldiers: war in Iraq 

The United States has a long history of interfering with foreign governments, attempting (and executing) coups since 1893. It’s often driven by economic interests, anti-communism during the Cold War, or strategic geopolitical goals. Sometimes the rationales are indefensible, and frequently our activities are so clandestine we never even hear about them till years later, if ever.

Below is a list of notable instances where the U.S. is known to have interfered, either directly or indirectly, in coups or government changes, based on historical records and declassified documents. This list focuses on successful regime changes, attempted coups, and significant interventions, but it is not exhaustive due to the covert nature of many operations and ongoing debates about U.S. involvement.

U.S. Interventions in Coups and Governments Since 1898

1890s

•            Hawaii (1893): The U.S. supported a coup led by American plantation owners and businessmen, including Sanford Dole, to overthrow Queen Liliʻuokalani. U.S. Minister John L. Stevens called in Marines to "protect American interests," effectively aiding the coup. The Hawaiian Kingdom was replaced by the Republic of Hawaii, which was annexed by the U.S. in 1898. 

1900s

•            Philippines (1899–1902): After the Spanish-American War, the U.S. annexed the Philippines, leading to the Philippine-American War. The U.S. suppressed the First Philippine Republic under Emilio Aguinaldo, effectively overthrowing the nascent government to establish colonial rule 

•            Panama (1903): The U.S. supported Panama’s secession from Colombia to secure rights to build the Panama Canal. U.S. naval forces prevented Colombian troops from intervening, ensuring the success of the rebellion and the installation of a pro-U.S. government under Philippe Bunau-Varilla.  

•            Honduras (1903, 1907, 1911, 1912, 1919, 1924, 1925): During the Banana Wars, the U.S. intervened multiple times to protect American business interests, particularly those of the United Fruit Company. Notable actions include supporting Manuel Bonilla’s coup in 1903 and defending his regime against a Nicaraguan-backed coup in 1907.  

•            Nicaragua (1909–1912): The U.S. supported a rebellion against President José Santos Zelaya, who opposed American interests. U.S. Marines intervened, leading to Zelaya’s resignation, and the U.S. installed Adolfo Díaz as president, maintaining control through occupation until 1933.  

•            Cuba (1906–1909): Following the Spanish-American War, the U.S. occupied Cuba after President Tomás Estrada Palma’s government collapsed amid a rebellion. The U.S. established a provisional government, effectively controlling the island until 1909 

1910s

•            Dominican Republic (1914, 1916–1924): The U.S. intervened militarily to stabilize the country amid political unrest, occupying it from 1916 to 1924. U.S. forces installed a military government, controlling key institutions and suppressing opposition.  

•            Haiti (1915–1934): The U.S. occupied Haiti after the assassination of President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam, driven by concerns over German influence and debt repayment to American banks. The U.S. installed a pro-American government, dissolved the Haitian legislature, and maintained control for nearly two decades.  
•            Mexico (1913): U.S. Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson supported the Ten Tragic Days coup, which overthrew President Francisco I. Madero. Wilson’s actions, including encouraging General Victoriano Huerta’s rebellion, led to Madero’s assassination and Huerta’s rise to power. 

1940s

•            Panama (1941): The U.S. supported the coup that ousted President Arnulfo Arias, who was seen as pro-Axis during World War II. The U.S. backed Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia, ensuring a pro-Allied government.  

•            Syria (1949): The CIA facilitated a coup against President Shukri al-Quwatli, who opposed the Trans-Arabian Pipeline. Colonel Husni al-Za’im, with CIA support, overthrew the government, aligning Syria with U.S. interests. 

 

1950s

•            Iran (1953): The CIA, in collaboration with British intelligence (Operation Ajax), orchestrated the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh after he nationalized Iran’s oil industry. The coup reinstated Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, securing Western oil interests.

•            Guatemala (1954): The CIA’s Operation PBSuccess overthrew President Jacobo Árbenz, whose land reforms threatened the United Fruit Company’s interests. Carlos Castillo Armas was installed as a military dictator, leading to decades of repression.  

•            Egypt (1952): The U.S. had extensive contact with the Free Officers Movement after their coup against King Farouk I. While direct involvement is debated, the CIA supported the new regime under Gamal Abdel Nasser to counter Soviet influence.  

•            Indonesia (1959): The CIA supported an attempted coup against President Sukarno, providing arms and funding to rebel groups. The attempt failed, and it strained U.S.-Indonesian relations.  

•            Lebanon (1958): The U.S. intervened militarily to support President Camille Chamoun’s government against internal unrest, deploying troops to prevent a potential coup and stabilize the pro-Western regime.  

•            Iraq (1959): The CIA attempted to overthrow the government of Abd al-Karim Qasim after his neutral stance in the Cold War. The coup failed, but Qasim was later overthrown in 1963 with U.S. support (see below.)

•            Cuba (1952–1958): The U.S. backed Fulgencio Batista’s regime, providing military and economic support against revolutionary forces. After Fidel Castro’s 1959 victory, the U.S. attempted to overthrow him in the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, which failed. Over a period of several years schemes were devised to assassinate Castro.

1960s

•            Democratic Republic of Congo (1960): The CIA supported the overthrow and assassination of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, fearing his pro-Soviet leanings. Joseph Mobutu, with CIA backing, neutralized Lumumba, leading to Mobutu’s eventual rise to power.

•            Laos (1960, 1961): The CIA backed coups and counter-coups to install anti-communist governments, supporting General Phoumi Nosavan against neutralist and communist forces. The U.S. also organized Hmong forces to fight the Pathet Lao.  

•            Dominican Republic (1961, 1963): The CIA supplied weapons for the assassination of dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1961. After Juan Bosch’s election in 1962, the U.S. supported a 1963 coup against him and intervened in the 1965 civil war to prevent the democratically elected Bosch’s return.  

•            South Vietnam (1963): The U.S. supported a coup against President Ngo Dinh Diem, orchestrated by ARVN generals. The CIA provided funding and assurances of non-interference, leading to Diem’s overthrow and assassination.

•            Iraq (1963): The CIA supported the Ba’ath Party’s coup against Abd al-Karim Qasim, providing intelligence and support. The coup succeeded, and Qasim was executed, though the Ba’athists were later purged . 

•            Brazil (1964): The U.S. backed a military coup against President João Goulart, fearing his leftist policies. The CIA provided support, including fuel and arms, to Humberto Castello Branco’s forces, leading to Goulart’s ouster

•            Dominican Republic (1965): The U.S. intervened militarily during the Dominican Civil War to prevent supporters of deposed President Juan Bosch from regaining power, ensuring a pro-U.S. government.  
•            Indonesia (1965): The U.S. supported a military coup against the Sukarno government, providing lists of communists to the Indonesian army. The coup led to the massacre of up to 1 million people and the rise of Suharto’s regime. 

1970s

•            Chile (1973): The CIA, under President Nixon’s orders, destabilized President Salvador Allende’s government through economic warfare and propaganda. The U.S. supported General Augusto Pinochet’s coup, which overthrew the democratically elected Allende and established a brutal dictatorship. 

•            Argentina (1976): The U.S. supported the military coup against President Isabel Perón, with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger endorsing the junta. The regime committed widespread human rights abuses, including the deaths of up to 30,000 people.  

•            Bolivia (1971): The U.S. supported General Hugo Banzer’s coup against President Juan José Torres, who was seen as too left-leaning. Banzer’s regime repressed opposition and aligned with U.S. interests.

•            Nicaragua (1979–1980s): After the Sandinista revolution overthrew the U.S.-backed Somoza dictatorship, the U.S. funded and trained the Contra rebels to destabilize the Sandinista government, leading to a decade-long conflict.

•            El Salvador (1979–1980s): The U.S. supported a military junta that overthrew the reformist government in 1979, backing the regime against leftist rebels. The U.S. also intervened to prevent right-wing coups, fearing instability. 

 

1980s

•            Grenada (1983): The U.S. invaded Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury) after a military coup deposed Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. The invasion ousted the new regime, installed a pro-U.S. government, and held elections.

•            Panama (1989): The U.S. invaded Panama (Operation Just Cause) to depose Manuel Noriega, who had been a U.S. ally but became a liability due to drug trafficking. Guillermo Endara, a U.S.-backed leader, was installed as president. 

1990s

•            Haiti (1991): The CIA is alleged to have supported the coup against the democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, with coup leaders Raoul Cédras and Michel François having received U.S. military training. The U.S. later reinstated Aristide in 1994 via Operation Uphold Democracy.  

 

2000s

•            Venezuela (2002): The U.S. supported a failed coup against President Hugo Chávez, providing funding and encouragement to opposition groups. The coup briefly ousted Chávez, but he was reinstated after mass protests.

•            Honduras (2009): The U.S. tacitly supported the coup against President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted by the military after aligning with leftist leaders like Chávez. The U.S. recognized the new government despite international condemnation. 

•            Iraq (2003): The U.S.-led invasion overthrew Saddam Hussein’s government, replacing it with a U.S.-backed interim government. The operation aimed to establish a democratic regime but led to prolonged instability. 

•            Libya (2011): The U.S., with NATO, supported a military intervention that led to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. The operation began as a humanitarian mission but resulted in Gaddafi’s death and a power vacuum.  

 

2010s

•            Paraguay (2012): The U.S. is alleged to have supported the impeachment of President Fernando Lugo, seen as a rapid coup by his allies. The U.S. quickly recognized the new government under Federico Franco.  

•            Ukraine (2014): The U.S. is alleged to have played a central role in the overthrow .

•            Brazil (2016): The U.S. is accused of supporting the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, viewed by some as a “soft coup.” Declassified documents show U.S. interest in her removal due to her leftist policies.  

•            Venezuela (2018–2019): The U.S. backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó’s attempt to oust President Nicolás Maduro, recognizing Guaidó as interim president and imposing sanctions to destabilize Maduro’s regime. The effort has not succeeded.  
•            Bolivia (2019): The U.S. supported the ouster of President Evo Morales after disputed elections, backing Jeanine Áñez’s interim government. Critics argue the U.S. encouraged the military’s role in forcing Morales to resign. 

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I shared this list with a friend who replied, "The list might include the Clinton/NATO bombing of Bosnia.... Also, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen.... Not sure what your requirements are lol... Where haven't we intervened might be a better list."

* * *

From 1898 to 1994 alone, the U.S. intervened in Latin America at least 41 times, averaging once every 28 months, often citing security or economic interests like those of the United Fruit Company. Many interventions, especially during the Cold War, aimed to counter perceived communist threats, though these claims were often exaggerated to justify action. 

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Related Link
Orwell Castigates Wells, Defends Patriotism

* * *

Note how many of today's contemporary trouble spots have dark roots deep in the past.  Note also that America's bad behavior abroad is not isolated to the bad behavior of a single ruling party.  And note how many times our interventions were aimed a overthrowing a democratically elected leader. So much for our belief in Democracy with a capital D. 

As Dylan has written:

Democracy don’t rule the world

You’d better get that in your head

This world is ruled by violence

But I guess that’s better left unsaid

--Union Sundown, Infidels 1983

Photo credit: Encyclopædia Britannica

Worthy Causes: Meeting Needs in Uganda and Haiti

The Unisphere. My friend's father was a welder on this icon of the Fair.

It was a privilege to visit the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair more than a dozen times during its two year interlude in the Big Apple. Every nation, state and corporation put their best face forward in their various ways, striving to make a memorable impression, teach us something about themselves and ourselves while providing visions of a hopeful tomorrow.

The theme inside the Disney Pavilion was reinforced in the song "It's a Small World After All" reinforced in the memorable refrain, "It's a small, small, small, small world."

Over the course of my lifetime it's become apparent how very small this third rock from the sun,  Spaceship Earth, really is. One of my co-workers has travelled abroad at least 40 times during her lifetime. I myself have lived a year each in two countries outside the U.S. and my daughter has been to Europe three or four times, has lived in China 18 months and travelled in Southeast Asia.

With the advent of the Internet in the 90s, three of my short stories were translated into other languages, and through social media the degree of cross-cultural relationship building has become remarkable.

One result of all these communications advances is an increased awareness of the challenges our fellow brothers and sisters abroad have been struggling with. The "news" is no longer mediated by ABC, CBS and NBC. We have direct access to people whose homes are burning in Australia and whose parents have perished from AIDS.

This blog post is about a pair of needs, one in Uganda and one in Haiti.

PEACE*LOVE*HAITI Spring 2020

A barrio in Haiti

Two weeks ago Gaelynn Lea sent me a note about an upcoming fundraiser concert for a Goodwill mission to Haiti. It was my intent to post something about the February 29 concert featuring
The Murder of Crows (NPR Music's 2016 Tiny Desk Contest Winnner Gaelynn Lea & Alan Sparhawk of Low), Katy Vernon, Kyle Ollah, Jerree Small & Four Mile Portage. The concert at Duluth Cider included a silent auction.

Peace*Love*Haiti is a small but mighty group of Duluthians who go to Haiti and provide free/ultra low-cost medical care at least twice a year. Their next trip has been planned for April, and the money raised at this fundraiser will be used for purchasing medications, renting a truck to take them to the rural areas they serve, and hiring an interpreter to assist with communication. This volunteer medical relief team was formed by nurses Tricia Mattson and Julie Zimmerman when they embarked on their first trip to Haiti in 2010 to help after the earthquake. They have been back over 20 times since, providing crisis relief for cholera and after hurricanes, and providing general medical care for people who rarely have seen a doctor in their entire lives.

When I lived in Minneapolis 35 years ago I knew a doctor who was part of a group who went for one month a year to serve needs there. It's actually quite remarkable how many professionals do this kind of work abroad without fanfare.

The concert is now past but you can still contribute here on their Go Fund Me page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/lacoma-spring-2020-let039s-go


Letter from Uganda

I became aware of Samaritan's Way through a young artist from Uganda who had himself grown up in an orphanage, Steveboyyi Songman. Steve had a way with children and in Uganda frequently helped out at this orphanage. Having worked at an orphanage for a year in Mexico, I understood the challenges and the rewards of this kind of work.

Idah Mehangye did not set out to start a home for orphans, but when her sister and brother-in-law died from AIDS Idah and her husband Henry agreed to take in the two orphaned children. As others learned of their benevolence, more children were brought to be cared for. Today they have more than 40 children to house, feed and nurture.

I sent a small stipend recently and received this kind letter from Idah.

Dear Ed

We would like to thank you for your love and prayers. We truly know that you never forget about us. May God bless you abundantly.

The repairs and refurbishment of our premises are close to the finish. But we are still working in a very clumsy environment.

1. The building is roofed and finished but not yet painted.

2. There are not yet any drawings on the walls, which would be good for the kids while making the place look cool and bright.

3. Some of the swings and playing equipment have not yet been installed again. They are still lying on the ground. They are still waiting for the place to be firm enough in order to have them fixed.

4. The grass has not yet been replanted. The compound is still dirty and dangerous for the kids.

But in all this we are very thankful to God for His Grace and favor. At least we have a roof over their heads. We are very thankful to you for often putting food on their plates. We pray that very soon by and by all things will be in place. We give all the Glory to God.

Once again thank you very much and God bless you.

Hon. Idah

Some of the children at Samaritan's Way in Uganda.

Related Links
Orphanage In Uganda Celebrates Christmas with Our Help
Would You Like to Help Paint an Orphanage? Help Feed Children In Uganda?
A Baby Ripped His Heart Out (A Haiti story)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE 

Send me an email: ennyman3@gmail.com

I will put you in touch with Idah. 

100% of what you send will go to Uganda

for the orphanage and children.

You can even contribute via PayPal.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP IN SOME OTHER WAYS

besides sending money... Maybe you have ideas

or skills that would help bring awareness, solve a problem.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/attachments/summaries/UG-summary.pdf

The Haiti Crisis

The tragedy and trauma that is going on in Haiti right now is on a scale few of us in our comfortable homes can imagine. David Brooks, in an excellent NY Times editorial Friday, points out that the enormity of the devastation reveals much about the developed world's ineffective efforts to meet the real needs of impoverished peoples around the globe during the past century.
Brooks' essay, The Underlying Tragedy, begins by comparing and contrasting the results of this earthquake to the 7.0 shaker that struck San Francisco during the 1989 World Series. Less than 100 were killed there and in this one they estimate fifty thousand, and counting. The difference in outcomes between these near identical quakes reveals some difficult truths about the disparity between various parts of the world.

"The first of those truths is that we don’t know how to use aid to reduce poverty. Over the past few decades, the world has spent trillions of dollars to generate growth in the developing world. The countries that have not received much aid, like China, have seen tremendous growth and tremendous poverty reductions. The countries that have received aid, like Haiti, have not.

In the recent anthology “What Works in Development?,” a group of economists try to sort out what we’ve learned. The picture is grim. There are no policy levers that consistently correlate to increased growth. There is nearly zero correlation between how a developing economy does one decade and how it does the next. There is no consistently proven way to reduce corruption. Even improving governing institutions doesn’t seem to produce the expected results."

Here's a second hard truth, according to Brooks... "micro-aid is vital but insufficient. Given the failures of macrodevelopment, aid organizations often focus on microprojects. More than 10,000 organizations perform missions of this sort in Haiti. By some estimates, Haiti has more non-governmental organizations per capita than any other place on earth. They are doing the Lord’s work, especially these days, but even a blizzard of these efforts does not seem to add up to comprehensive change."

American doctors, mission organizations and food organizations have been sending help to Haiti for decades. In my Wednesday commentary, I cited a young Iraqi war veteran who devoted some time at a Catholic mission there. Brooks, however, raises a good point. The compassionate sacrifices of ten thousand organizations has not changed Haiti's future from hopeless to hopeful. Why is this?

His third hard truth brings additional light. "As Lawrence E. Harrison explained in his book 'The Central Liberal Truth,' Haiti, like most of the world’s poorest nations, suffers from a complex web of progress-resistant cultural influences. There is the influence of the voodoo religion, which spreads the message that life is capricious and planning futile. There are high levels of social mistrust. Responsibility is often not internalized. Child-rearing practices often involve neglect in the early years and harsh retribution when kids hit 9 or 10.

"We’re all supposed to politely respect each other’s cultures. But some cultures are more progress-resistant than others, and a horrible tragedy was just exacerbated by one of them."

Much more can be said on this point alone, but I'll save that for another space in time. You can read the rest of Brooks' commentary here.

Our Hearts Must Go Out To Haiti

While checking in on Twitter to see what the response to Haiti was, I did not see Haiti listed at that moment. American Idol was there. No surprise. I think American Idol would be a top trending topic even if World War III were unfolding and missiles falling. What surprised me was to see Pat Robertson as a top topic. This was strange, until I saw what the buzz, or rather outrage, was about. It’s too bad he didn’t just cite, “The rain falls on the just and the unjust” and ask for help for these anguished peoples. Rather, he said in effect, they had it coming.

The wonderful service of Christians to the hurting and needy is well documented throughout history, from the Franciscans to the Underground Railroad to the Red Cross and the countless efforts of unheralded local churches. Sadly, history has records of other less noble responses to need. The Irish Potato Famine, but one example, resulted in the death of millions because Christian leaders in the British Parliament argued that the famine was an act of God and that it would go against God’s will for Britain to extend mercy by providing food to the starving. These are, sadly, historical facts and indeed damage the reputation of the church.

With embarrassment and pain I recall to mind how when the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed in 2001, more than one Christian rejoiced because it was a sign of the end times. I share this with a heavy heart because it is in such contrast to a central feature of Jesus' ministry, whose compassion for those who were suffering caused Him great anguish.

When Jesus saw suffering, He had compassion. Matthew 9:35,36; Matthew 14:13,14, 34-36.

In late 2007 I wrote about a young Iraqi War vet who, after returning from service, went into one of the very neediest ghettos of Port-Au-Prince to help a Catholic outreach there. To get a handle on how needy this nation was even before this week's quake, you may wish to read my blog entries titled A Baby Ripped His Heart Out and A Trip to the Morgue.

Let's be sober minded today and remember those who have been less fortunate than ourselves.

A Trip to the Morgue

This is a follow up to yesterday's blog entry regarding Jon Lacore's short term medical mission to Haiti's impoverished Cite Soleil.

Jon's most memorable moment in Haiti was far from his most enjoyable. On Thursday he and Chris, a volunteer from Vermont, joined Father Rick on his weekly trip to the morgue. “I’d seen dead bodies in Iraq,” said Lacore, “and you learn to distance yourself emotionally.” But the morgue in Cite Soleil was so inhumane that he and Chris were stunned. The bodies were just thrown into piles in a semi-refrigerated room. More stunning still was the selfless service of Father Rick and his staff.

“Every week the nun and priest that we worked with go to the morgue to collect the bodies of babies and adults that have been found on the side of the streets. They bring paper mache coffins to bury them in. They fill these coffins with about 10-15 babies in each one. When there are no more babies they put adults in the remaining coffins. We filled 20 coffins,” he said. “About half were babies, and half were adults.”

Jon shared that he and Chris talked rather casually while driving to the morgue, but after seeing the piles of bodies and carrying them to the coffins, returning to the orphanage was another story. They were silent and reflective afterwards. Jon is still processing what he experienced, as am I though I was not even there.

“We took the coffins out to a designated area where some men went ahead of us to dig graves," he said. "We buried these coffins while Father Rick performed a Catholic burial ceremony. It was the most disturbing moment and yet I was very glad that I did it because it opened my eyes to the unbelievable selfless service of the parish we worked with. They wanted to give a human touch to the poor and destitute who die in the streets of Port Au Prince without families to care for them, or anyone for that matter.” For two decades or more Father Rick has faithfully returned to the morgue each Thursday to show respect for and dignify the deaths of these unknown and unnamed Haitians.

There may be as many as one billion people living in abject poverty in this world. May those who are devoted to the task of alleviating a measure of this suffering be encouraged and blessed.

A Baby Ripped Out His Heart

"When we took off from Port Au Prince we had been deeply immersed in the Haitian culture and the appalling poverty, crying, starving orphans, and near complete hopelessness. The day before leaving to come back to the States I spent a portion of the day at Mother Theresa's Orphanage with Beth and Chris just holding babies, changing diapers and playing with the toddlers. One baby ripped my heart out and kept a piece for herself. A piece I was glad to leave behind. She was maybe 1 year old and so frail and so beautiful with one small earring in her left ear.
Jon Lacore
http://www.jdlacore.net/

On Thanksgiving my blog entry here dealt with how we take so much for granted as Americans. It is almost impossible to convey this in just a few words. Images and stories and, best yet, a period of time spent in the presence of Third World poverty will all conspire to break your heart if you allow it.

We have all had glimpses of it. We all know there is need out there, that there are people hurting in ways we can't even fathom. But because we do not know how to react to it we tend to shut it out.

What prompted my Thanksgiving day entry was seeing a presentation of images from Haiti's Cite Soleil, an impoverished section of Haiti on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Jon Lacore, the son of some friends of ours, had just returned from a nine day trip to The Haiti Orphan’s Project and shared some of what he had seen and experienced there. (http://www.haitiorphansproject.org/)

Thursday of this week I followed up by having lunch with Jon who said, "After seeing Haiti I have decided to focus much more of my attention on that country due to it’s extreme poverty unlike anything I have seen before."

The twenty-five year old has seen a lot in his short life. At thirteen he was involved in a summer mission trip to Pakistan, followed by shorter but similar trips to Nicaragua and Trinidad. As a medic in the U.S. armed forces he spent nine months in Bosnia, and most recently 16 months in Iraq where, among other things, he served as a medic responsible for providing emergency medical treatment for the base, clinical duties for the soldiers and civilians on base, and aid at the trauma center for mass casualty incidents.

Even with this background, nothing had quite prepared him for what he experienced in Haiti.

Much To Be Grateful For

We take so much for granted. Hence there is value each year on Thanksgiving day to reflect on how much we have to be thankful for. Friends, family, loved ones, a home, a job. It is a good tradition to make a list, to write it down. Writing forces you to clarify even further, and this process makes you even more appreciative.

But if you are an American, when you have finished your list you will have still not recorded some things that are so basic, so part of our lives, yet we take them for granted. One way to deepen your appreciation for how good you have it is to visit an impoverished Third World nation.

We did not do such a thing this week, but we did go there in pictures when the son of a friend of ours shared photos from his recent nine day trip to a slum called Cite Soleil outside Port au Prince. Having lived in Puerto Rico and Mexico, I have seen slums. But I'd not seen anything that closely compared to this (except perhaps some very poor sections of Mexico City.)

The shanty towns stretched far as your eye could see. No yards, no electricity, no running water, disease infested stenchwater and muck all through the streets, makeshift homes of corrugated steel and miscellaneous scrap materials, and death. One in four children never see their fifth birthday. Reality is grim, and hope is difficult to imagine.

Haiti is the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere. For a bed, many people sleep on cardboard. AIDS is rampant. Food is lacking. And for most, even if you want to work there are no jobs. What is there to look forward to?

Without electricity, if you had as cell phone, there would be no way to re-charge the battery. No microwave ovens. No way to read this blog post because you would not have internet access, or a computer. Was that a mosquito bite or a malaria infection you just received?

The mission of The Haiti Orphans Project is to improve the lives of orphaned children in Haiti by providing medical care, access to education and equal access to basic services. If you wish to do more than "give thanks" you can visit their website and see what a few handfuls of good people are doing out on the front lines where poverty reigns.

http://www.haitiorphansproject.org/haiti/english/home88.html