Haitian House Of Horrors

Some societies are just too far gone to be saved.

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The Republic of Haiti is currently in a state of what can only be described as an apocalypse. The Caribbean country was already embroiled in a brutal civil war; now it appears that not only has the s**t really hit the fan (SHTF), Haiti is now without rule of law (WROL).

Here’s a summation of the situation from The New York Times:

Haiti, a Caribbean nation with a long history of upheaval, is enduring one of its worst periods of chaos.

Gangs have shut down the airport; looted seaports, public buildings and shops; and attacked nearly a dozen police stations. Roads are blocked, cutting off the food supply, and 4,600 inmates were freed after prisons were attacked.

The prime minister, Ariel Henry, is stranded in Puerto Rico while gang members wreak havoc, demand his resignation and hold up dozens of trucks filled with World Food Program food shipments.

A state of emergency around Port-au-Prince, the capital, was extended another month.

With the government on the verge of collapse, the United States and Caribbean nations are working to come up with a resolution — including a plan for a transitional government — that would restore some semblance of order to the troubled nation and allow Mr. Henry to return home.

How did Haiti end up here? To say it’s a long story is an understatement. Haiti was once a colony of both Spain and France, later coming under United States occupation, which ended 90 years ago. Since then, Haiti has been afflicted with non-stop political turmoil, coups, never achieving anything remotely close to stability. Other events, like the devastating 2010 earthquake, added insult to injury. Now in 2024, once more, Haiti is on the brink.

Here’s an overview of the current crisis from Canada’s The Globe and Mail:

Haiti is the oldest independent republic in the Caribbean, the product of a Black revolution against French colonialism and slavery in the early 19th century. Poverty, foreign interventions, coups and the 2010 earthquake have left it with fragile state institutions, but things have been more fraught since 2021, when foreign mercenaries assassinated then-president Jovenel Moïse.

Haiti has no standing army, and its underfunded National Police – whose former chief was indicted in the Moïse plot – is ill-equipped to fight the armed gangs that have seized control of much of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital.

The most recent fighting started on Feb. 29, when Haiti’s Prime Minister arrived in Kenya to salvage a planned deployment of 1,000 police officers. Gangs in Port-au-Prince barricaded streets, burned police stations, broke thousands of people out of Haiti’s two biggest prisons and vowed to capture the national police chief and government ministers. With the capital’s main port shut down, the poorest Haitians are at risk of going hungry as supplies of food and medicine run out.

In case you haven’t caught it, the gangs are pretty much in control of the country at this point. A prison break resulted in over 4,000 criminals being unleashed onto the streets, giving the gangs an overwhelming advantage. Without international intervention (more on that later), the likelihood of the gangs gaining complete control is very high.

One gang leader is drawing particular attention: Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier. A police officer prior to turning to crime, Chérizier has racked up a substantial body count throughout his lifetime and is considered the most powerful crimelord in Haiti. Ultimately, any solution to the country’s problems are going to involve dealing with Barbecue and he’s got a tremendous amount of arms and violent men under his control, with many more on the way.

Why is Chérizier called “Barbecue,” anyway? There’s been allegations of cannibalism occurring in Haiti, accounts which appear to have been overblown. Still, both cannibalism and immolation have been acts attributed to Chérizier, though he insists the nickname refers to his mother selling fried chicken for a living when he was a child.

But even without the cannibalism, the supply of horrific violence outstrips the demand in Haiti. Random murders, rape, looting and torching villages, plus dismemberments are frequent occurrences in the country. Vigilante gangs have been formed to fight the gangs in the face of completely outmatched authorities, and they too engage in brutality in response to the savagery of the criminals.

It’s no distortion to say this is what Haiti is and has been for years. No amount of cosmetic work by the media will change the reality on the ground:

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It sure looks like a s**thole country, doesn’t it? Everyone hated it when President Donald Trump called it that, but as I often say, people often hate those who speak so bluntly. Trump gets a lot wrong, but he sure got Haiti right. Even by Third World standards, Haiti isn’t a place you can build any kind of life, not anymore.

Why should we care about Haiti? The biggest reason is because it’s in our neighborhood. The reality is, what’s happening in Haiti will impact us more than anything happening in Ukraine or Gaza, even as the country isn’t any kind of power. As we’ll see, the situation is already impacting us, threatening to cause even more problems at a time when we already have far too many.

Miami-based columnist Juan Davis Rojas summed up the situation succinctly from an American perspective:

As if the United States weren’t dealing with enough international crises, it now faces the prospect of total state collapse in a Caribbean nation at its doorstep—a fate brought on, in part, by Washington’s own malfeasance in recent decades.

For now, the U.S. has removed its non-essential personnel from it’s embassy, while deploying Marines to reinforce security. Meanwhile, other U.S. citizens stuck in Haiti had to be rescued by an effort executed by a veteran-led non-profit organization and funded by a Florida congressman, as the Biden administration has opted not to do so.

What Can Be Done?

About Haiti? Nothing. Some societies are just too far gone to be saved. I realize how callous that sounds, but it’s true. Millions upon millions have been invested into the country for decades. Look at where it ended up. If nothing else, Haiti has been little more than a vanity project and money-making scheme for elites like Bill and Hillary Clinton and non-governmental organizations (NGO).

Speaking of Clinton, during his first term, the U.S. deployed military forces to Haiti 30 years ago this September in Operation Uphold Democracy (LOL), disposing the military regime that had come to power in a 1991 coup d'état. But even restoring democracy to the country didn’t change its fortunes, if the present can be used to judge the past.

Here’s some images from that largely bloodless intervention.

As a sidenote, it does show what a long ways the U.S. has fallen from its hyperpower days. Keep in mind this was the same year American forces departed Somalia following the Battle of Mogadishu the previous October which saw 18 troops killed in a single day. This would never happen now, but in 1994, all the U.S. had to do was wait for the incident to drop off the public radar, dust itself off, and move onto the next country.

Back to Haiti. The biggest concern for the U.S. now is immigration. Arguably the hottest topic of the 2024 election, the situation in Haiti just throws more fuel onto the fire. The usual suspects are attempting to shame Americans into standing by silently as Haitians seek refuge in the U.S. As always, our compassion for other humans must never be allowed to outsmart our common sense nor displace realism about the situation.

It’s worth noting there isn’t exactly a huge outcry to “do something” about Haiti. There was far more crying over President Trump calling it a “s**thole” than there is to provide help today. Remember this?

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Compassion is a commodity. Unless it can be weaponized politically or used to signal virtue, these usual suspects don’t care any more or less than the average person does. Maybe that day will come where Haiti can be exploited to score points, but that day isn’t today. I’m going to guess that it’s because the usual suspects know that Haiti isn’t something anyone wants to touch and that there’s nothing to gain from it.

And don’t get me started on Erik Prince’s proposal. You know what I’m going to say.

The Cost Of Compassion

The problem with allowing large numbers of migrants into any country isn’t just a matter of demographics. I doubt Haitians are going to replace Americans in this lifetime or the next. The problem is that when you let lots of people in, they bring all sorts of baggage and troublemakers along with them. Especially in a country as dysfunctional and violent as Haiti, you’re going to receive quite a lot of them. The saying import the Third World, become the Third World isn’t meant to be mean-spirited. It’s simply fact. People really do make a society; there’s no “magic soil” that some people are blessed with while others were denied or had it taken from them.

On the topic of magic, there may even be other reasons to be especially wary of importing Haitians or even sending our people there to rescue the country.

Rod Dreher

recently discussed the relationship between Haitian religious beliefs and the violence endemic in Haitian society:

Why is Haiti such a symbol of total human savagery? You may not like me saying this, but I believe it’s in large part because of voodoo, an Africa-derived folk religion which is, at bottom, the worship of demons. You’re not supposed to say so — this article in The Guardian talks about how voodoo is the “heart and soul” of Haiti, and is also “inherently progressive and inclusive” (naturally). The bad people are Christians and Westerners who stigmatize voodoo, we are supposed to believe.

You may recall the conversation I had some years back with a Haitian Christian taxi driver in Boston, who told me he came to the US to escape the overwhelming demonic power in his native land. He told me that he often has conversations with academics from Boston-area universities who, seeing his Haitian name on his taxi license posted in the car, engage him in discussions of voodoo. They can only see it as a good thing, as an expression of authentic blackness, and a form of resistance to the white world. This cabbie, who, of course, was black, said he never can convince these white passengers that voodoo has real power, and that the power is overwhelmingly evil. The cabbie said that when his son turns 14, he plans to take him to Haiti for a short visit, mostly so he can see this evil at work, and know that despite what American culture may tell him, this stuff is all too real, and that spiritual warfare exists.

This is all clearly beyond my scope, but I think it’s worth mentioning. Whether you believe there’s a spiritual component to it or not, the fact is Haitian culture may be found in the same part of the world as us, but it’s still quite alien. Bear in mind: voodoo is something which can be found in Louisiana, New Orleans in particular. New Orleans happens to be one of the most violent cities in the U.S. Is there a connection? I don’t know, but the idea we ought to not even give it a second thought is beyond reckless. America has proven resilient with respect to absorbing lots of different cultures throughout the world, but there does come a point where it begins to transform the country into something else entirely. We’re seeing that unfold as we speak.

Back to the physical world. Here’s something which happened recently, just as the situation in Haiti became headline news:

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Most Haitians may not be like this. Again, it doesn’t matter - if you bring in large numbers of people, especially from a “s**thole” country, you’re also going to receive quite a few people who are like this. It’s reality; policing rhetoric won’t change it. Once they’re inside the country, it’s too late. Sure, you can deport them and we absolutely should, but the amount of damage they can do in the interim is substantial. Deporting large numbers of people is no small feat, either, underscoring the importance of not allowing them into the country in the first place.

There are many reasons for not allowing anyone to just enter the country, but national security ought to be at the top of the list of concerns. A boat full of 25 Haitians was recently stopped by authorities in Florida, but there was more than humans aboard the vessel [bold mine]:

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A vessel with 25 Haitian immigrants was stopped by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers near Sebastian Inlet, according to a release.

The FWC said two officers were conducting a patrol around 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 29 near Sebastian Inlet when they stopped a 42-foot vessel.

“Immediately upon stopping the vessel, the officers knew they had intercepted a human smuggling operation. The operator of the vessel was armed and onboard; lying prone on the deck of the boat, they discovered 25 individuals, including five unaccompanied children, illegally entering the country,” the release said.

Officials said they found night vision goggles, drugs on board and firearms.

Ask yourself: why were there night-vision goggles, drugs, and weapons being brought along with people from Haiti? Do you want to find out? Allowing anyone to just enter the country is playing with fire. The fact it hasn’t completely blown up in our faces is hardly any vindication of our policies. The reality is that it is blowing up in our faces, it’s just that it’s occurring at lower levels and in more subtle ways.

If anyone believes that we can still afford to be compassionate towards Haiti and its people, note that Americans wouldn’t be unique if it chose not to be. Haiti occupies the same island as the Dominican Republic; not only have their fortunes diverged markedly, the Dominicans are choosing to simply slam the door shut on their neighbor:

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Not only that, the Dominican Republic is going further, carrying out a mass deportation of Haitians. Leftists probably find this cruel, given the state of Haiti, but ask yourself: why would they do this, knowing the international condemnation they’re likely to receive over it? Why are Dominicans preferring to seal the border over participating in a stabilization operation, given that a stable Haiti would absolutely benefit their country in the long run?

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It’s not just the Dominican Republic who has problems with Haitians, either. Haitians are said to be victims of discrimination by authorities in Mexico, but even if that were the case, it’s likely they’re bringing a fair amount of problem with them, too. In either case, it highlights the downsides mass migration entails. This isn’t just a matter of money, either. The U.S. is obviously wealthier than the Dominican Republic and Mexico, but not only do we already have large numbers of poor here already, what exactly is being wealthier as a country supposed to do? Are we supposed to just hand money over to Haitians and hope for the best? As I said once already, not only are Americans entitled to decide who gets to come into the country, we’re also entitled to expect a reward for doing so. It’s not clear what sort of reward we’d get out of letting large numbers of Haitians or any other group into the country.

If the Dominican Republic doesn’t want to deal with Haitians, that’s as good a warning as any that Americans shouldn’t want to, either. Similarly, no country in the Middle East, including neighboring Egypt, is willing to take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza. Why is that? Shouldn’t that be a clue that the West shouldn’t be so eager, either? If Muslim countries aren’t willing to do it, what makes anyone think Western countries will do any better at bringing Palestinians into the fold? Same thing with Haitians, no matter how successfully we’ve been able to incorporate them in the past. There are limits to everything.

The only thing to really do about Haiti is to treat it like a no-go, no-escape zone, like planet LV-426 from the Alien movie franchise. For those who aren’t familiar, LV-426 is the planet which becomes infested with the horrifying “xenomorph” alien emblematic of the franchise. It’s a place where nobody should go and where nothing can leave. Dehumanizing as it may sound, there’s just nothing to be gained from a place like Haiti. Not every country in the world can be saved and it’s not like we even try to, anyway.

The only alternative is to contain Haiti and prevent what’s happening there from coming here. This is a tall order, if only because the Biden administration and the Left are banking so much of their future prospects on mass migration from places like Haiti. As usual, I’m pessimistic about the near future. Within the next generation, however, the folly of open borders and the need to focus on events in the Western Hemisphere over events halfway around the world will be more apparent. America’s national security will depend more on being able to deal with what’s happening to our next-door neighbors than far-away lands.

“Camp Of The Saints” In The Making?

As noted before, stopping the migrant wave is something the Biden administration is likely to have a tough time doing, given the demographics of its constituency and pressure from donors and NGOs. Most likely, they will attempt to facilitate the migration of Haitians in as orderly a fashion as possible.

There’s evidence that’s exactly the route the Biden administration plans on taking:

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Though hardly surprising, it’s still something to see when the people who’ve bestowed upon themselves the responsibility of defending the country can’t bring themselves to do something as simple as not allow the whole world in. Despite being well-aware of the challenges that mass migration from Haiti would bring, stopping it seems to not be an option. Certainly, there are international norms regarding how to handle these types of scenarios. But as the Dominican Republic demonstrates, at some point, you just do what’s in your best interest. Even a country like the U.S. cannot help everyone and it shows. Especially at a time when concerns about immigration are as high as they’ve ever been, finding ways of bringing in people from a failed state seems like the opposite of what you’d want to do. But the Regime doesn’t answer to the public.

It all calls to mind the 1973 novel The Camp of the Saints, written by French author Jean Raspail. It’s a hugely controversial book, even when it first came out, though recent events in France suggest Raspail was very much onto something when he wrote it. It’s described as a horrendously racist piece of writing; I have yet to read it myself, so I’ll just leave it at that. Yet when you read even a synopsis of the story and look at what’s happening in the world, it’s hard not to conclude that Raspail’s only error was to be as blunt as he was.

The story goes that France, alongside other Western countries, decides to allow a massive wave of Third World migrants to enter the country out of a sense of misplaced compassion. The wave is aided and abetted by the media, politicians, and NGOs and opposition regarded as repugnant. Sound familiar?

When the migrants do reach the West, the outcome is shocking, though hardly surprising. In the end, the West is conquered, violently in some cases, by the Third World, culturally, demographically, and politically. You can see why the story remains controversial and even if it goes off the deep end, sometimes, the only way to warn people is to sound a bit crazy.

It’s doubtful America will be overwhelmed by a literal human wave from Haiti or elsewhere, but stories like The Camp of the Saints still serve as useful metaphors for what’s going to happen to the country if nothing is done to stop mass migration. The biggest lesson is that a society’s unwillingness to defend itself is the very thing that ultimately does it in. The reason why more and more Americans of all races have not only become more concerned about immigration, but also agree with things like the “Great Replacement” theory is because it’s happening for real.

Look at what Tyson Foods, one of the biggest food processing companies in the country, decided to do recently:

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As I’ve been saying recently, nobody, White or non-White, wants to be replaced. Yet that’s exactly what’s happening. The handling of the situation in Haiti isn’t allaying those concerns. It’s easy to say we can take care of Americans and occassionally take care of others, but I think the real world is proving that, ultimately, you prioritize one over the other.

It’s not clear who the Regime prioritizes. They’re going to have to pick one, though. I fear, as do many Americans, they’re going to make the wrong choice.

Not Just An SHTF. It’s WROL

Haiti is a real-world example of what it looks like when it all falls apart. This makes it not a particularly useful example for us in the First World - not only did Haiti never know stability, but it’s a long way down from where we are to where they are. I’ve never liked it when doomers, especially those in the prepper-survivalist community, sell people on the idea that Haiti could just as easily happen here. Societies are fragile, yes, but they’re also quite resilient. Kind of the like the human body. It’ll put up a hell of a fight before it finally gives out.

Nor is an SHTF at the level of Haiti today something you can prepare for. Anyone who claims you can prepare for something like that is trying to sell you something. What’s happening to Haiti isn’t a momentary thing, it’s a long-term SHTF. By the time you get to where it is today, all your food stockpiles and ammo will have run out. You may not even be alive. So let’s not even go there.

All said, we must all strive to survive in whatever sort of environment we find ourselves in. If we ever end up like Haiti, we’re screwed, yet the people of Haiti are still fighting to live one more day. There’s no reason any of us can’t do better than them. The U.S. is headed in the wrong direction, yes, but we still live in a mostly-functional society and the rule of law still exists in a nominal sense. That’s not nothing. Part of preparedness is being able to keep things in perspective and not see nothing but doom all around you. None of us like what the country is becoming, but we shouldn’t mistake that with the country becoming something it’s clearly not.

Whatever happens, live in accordance with reality. If reality affords you the option of enjoying life, do it. That’s not a luxury a lot of people have in this world. God forbid we ever do find ourselves in a Haiti-like situation, nobody’s going to pat you on the back for being one of the few who knew the day was coming. When it all falls apart isn’t going to be your opportunity to become famous, unless you want to become a murderous maniac like Barbecue.

If that’s what you aspire to, well then, God help you.

Hard Questions

What’s your reaction to events in Haiti? Should we do anything about it? Or should we stay completely out of it? What about the migrants attempting to enter the U.S.? Have you read The Camp of the Saints? What did you think of it? Does Haiti have any useful lessons for prepping? Or is it an outlier scenario, something that’s impossible to prepare for?

Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Max Remington writes about armed conflict and prepping. Follow him on Twitter at @AgentMax90.

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