Let's also assume he's sincere. There would be no excuse for using an impoverished nation's plight for political gain.
That said, Robinson's suggestion earlier this week is off-the-charts wacky, even for an Anniston politician. Homeless Haitians need help, yes. But there's no doubt that the mayor's work-session request to consider using McClellan's unused Starship barracks raised more than a few eyebrows in Calhoun County.
Of course, we're curious if the mayor has thought through these few issues.
(a.) How many translators who speak French or Haitian Creole can be found in either Anniston or northeast Alabama? Without language assistance, putting a thousand or so non-English speakers at McClellan would create as many problems as it would solve.
(b.) Does Robinson have State Department contacts who can arrange for U.S. visas for the displaced Haitians? Getting hurricane evacuees from the Gulf Coast to head north to McClellan is one thing; no visas or passports needed. But getting Haitians — many of whom have no documentation because it was lost in the earthquake — into the country is another task altogether.
(c.) Northeast Alabama's fortunate to have a hefty population of doctors and nurses well trained for virtually any health-related issue. But who's going to pay these doctors and nurses for their time? Surely, the mayor has to expect that Haitians uninjured from a 7.0-magnitude earthquake will nonetheless need extensive and continual medical care.
(d.) Who's going to feed the Haitians? Volunteers? Area churches? The Alabama National Guard? The Red Cross? The local charities and nonprofits? What's more, who's going to pay for the food the Haitians will eat? The Haitian government? The federal government? The benevolent in Calhoun County?
And that's only four thorny issues. The list is endless.
The lessons from McClellan's truncated experience in 2005 with evacuees from Hurricane Katrina are numerous. Even the politics of McClellan reuse get in the way. The Starships can help in certain situations. But it's not as easy as calling Washington and saying, "Hey, it's Anniston, and we're open for business."
So, Robinson should rethink his Starships proposal.
If Anniston City Hall wants to do its part in aiding Haiti, the better option would be to adopt the suggestion of City Manager Don Hoyt: "If anything, we should contribute to a larger effort rather than take it on our own."
There's an idea worth supporting.
