America is usually first on the scene to help out any country in need, especially after disaster strikes. I've been involved in a few large scale aid projects over the past 20 years and we had very successful results. However, I always obey the laws of my host nation and respect their cultural beliefs, even if it goes against what I'm trying to accomplish.
If you've been following the news, you've seen the Americans from Idaho, Kansas, and Texas that are being detained in Haiti for attempting to illegally transport orphaned children into the Dominican Republic. When I first heard this story, I was really embarrassed. I tried to figure out what was going on in their heads to think that they could do something like this without repercussion. I was all for them receiving full punishment for being so stupid.
Photo courtesy of yahoo news/Associated Press
Surely they didn't think they would get leniency for committing such crimes in a foreign land. They have to realize that they are not Angelina or Oprah and they can't just waltz into another country and do whatever they feel like doing. This is exactly the thing that makes the citizens of other countries dislike Americans. The all balls and no brains approach to everything.
If, in fact, they were trying to help the children and not lure them away into an occult or slavery, I commend them for doing good in this world and for risking so much. However, they didn't respect the law of their host nation and they must be held accountable. I've seen other embarrassing things such as idiotic celebrities swimming between Japanese fishing boats and marine life but I take into consideration that celebrities don't reside in the real world and most have a distorted view of who they are and where they fit in life. These were honest to goodness real people with real lives going abroad and willfully committing crimes against the laws of their host nation.
Hopefully, this will be a valuable lesson learned for any American that goes abroad and shows little respect for their host nation. Hopefully the children affected by this tragedy will get the help and care they need and everything will be done legally.
