SCOTUS UPHOLDS TRUMP'S TRAVEL BAN ON SEVERAL MUSLIM COUNTRIES (GORUSH)

SCOTUS UPHOLDS TRUMP'S TRAVEL BAN ON SEVERAL MUSLIM COUNTRIES (GORUSH):

IRAN
LIBYA
SYRIA
YEMEN
SOMALIA
CHAD
NORTH KOREA
VENEZUELA

NEIL GORUSH BALANCES SCOTUS & RULES AS SCALIA MAY HAVE.

DEMOCRATS STOP WAITING FOR TRUMP'S IMPEACHMENT OR TRYING TO ENCOURAGE AN ASSASSINATION.

INSTEAD KEY DEMS SHOULD BE STRATEGIZING TO WIN IN 2018 OR 2020.


Sources: BBC, CTV News, NY Times, TIME, Youtube


***** Supreme Court allows Trump travel ban to take full effect


The US Supreme Court has ruled President Donald Trump's travel ban on six mainly Muslim countries can go fully into effect.

But the directive against travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen still faces legal challenges.

On Monday, seven of the nine justices lifted injunctions imposed by lower courts on the policy.

The ruling covers the third version of the directive that President Trump has issued since taking office.

The presidential proclamation also imposed restrictions on travellers from North Korea and some Venezuelan government officials, which have gone into effect.

In striking down the other parts, lower court judges had cited Mr Trump's campaign description of his policy as a "Muslim ban".

Further arguments will be heard this week by federal courts in San Francisco, California, and Richmond, Virginia.

In June, the Supreme Court allowed an earlier version of the policy to take partial effect.

The president's travel bans have each been frustrated by the courts to some degree:

In January, he signed an order banning people from seven Muslim-majority countries and suspending all refugee entry. The measure prompted protests and legal challenges across dozens of states
A revised version in March exempted green card holders and dual citizens. By June, the Supreme Court allowed most of it to go into effect, a including 120-day ban on all refugees entering the US, but granted a wide exemption for those with a "bona fide connection" to the US
President Trump's third order was announced in late September. It added non-Muslim-majority nations North Korea and Venezuela, provisions which lower courts have allowed to proceed
What have lower courts said?

In striking down the other parts, federal judges have cited Mr Trump's campaign description of his policy as a "Muslim ban".

Lower courts have also found the policy violated the first amendment of the US constitution covering freedom of religion.

In October, a Maryland federal judge said: "The 'initial' announcement of the Muslim ban, offered repeatedly and explicitly through President Trump's own statements, forcefully and persuasively expressed his purpose in unequivocal terms."

A federal judge in Hawaii said the administration "lacks sufficient findings that the entry of more than 150 million nationals from six specified countries would be 'detrimental to the interests of the United States'".

A court in Virginia ruled: "The illogic of the government's contentions is palpable. The notion that one can demonstrate animus toward any group of people only by targeting all of them at once is fundamentally flawed," the court ruling said, pointing out that the countries' populations were between 90% and 99% Muslim.

NEW IMMIGRATION TRAVEL BAN SAME AS 1st TRAVEL BAN (PROTECTS USA BORDERS)

NEW IMMIGRATION TRAVEL BAN SAME AS FIRST TRAVEL BAN (PROTECTS USA BORDERS):

TRUMP SAYS YES TO NATIONAL SECURITY, NO TO BEING POLITICALLY CORRECT.

TRUMP SAYS NO TO ISIL OPERATIVES POSING AS REFUGEES.

HIS PREDECESSORS ENFORCED SIMILAR
ANTI-TERRORISM TRAVEL BANS.


Sources: Fox News, NBC News, YouTube


***** Trump adviser says new travel ban will have 'same basic policy outcome'


Senior White House Policy Adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News' "First 100 Days" Tuesday that a revised version of President Donald Trump's travel ban would "have the same basic policy outcome."

Miller claimed that the new executive order would be "responsive" to federal court rulings which halted the original order and resolve "a lot of very technical issues that were brought up by the court."

However, Miller also insisted that the court ruling staying the original order was "flawed" and "erroneous" and that Trump's action was "clearly legal and constitutional."

"Here's the reality," Miller said. "We’ve got a serious problem in our country of terrorism, radicalization and serious problems of people joining ISIS, joining terror groups, joining Al Qaeda and committing or attempting to commit acts of crime and terror against our nation."

Miller indicated the revised order would apply to the same seven majority-Muslim countries — Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya — as the previous order.

Miller spoke to host Martha MacCallum at the top of an hour-long immigration town hall in Jacksonville, Fla. hours after Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly directed agency heads to hire thousands more immigration officers, end so-called “catch-and-release” policies and begin work on the president’s promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Senior White House Policy Adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News' "First 100 Days" Tuesday that a revised version of President Donald Trump's travel ban would "have the same basic policy outcome.

Miller spoke to host Martha MacCallum at the top of an hour-long immigration town hall in Jacksonville, Fla. hours after Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly directed agency heads to hire thousands more immigration officers, end so-called “catch-and-release” policies and begin work on the president’s promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Through a show of hands, most of the town hall audience indicated that they supported Trump's tough stance on illegal immigration.

"I think [Miller's] main argument was right on point," said audience member Jack Capra. "Securing our borders is a national security issue [and] it's the federal government's job to keep our citizens safe from external and internal threats. I think immigration is a big contributor to that."

However, immigration attorney Francisco Hernandez told MacCallum that Trump's ordered immigration enforcement changes had "written a blank check that he can't cash."

"He’s going to have to get the money from somewhere," Hernandez said, "and we don’t have the money."

In last year's presidential election, a Fox News exit poll found that 10 percent of Florida voters said immigration was the biggest issue facing the country. Of those voters, 69 percent backed Trump over Hillary Clinton.

ANGELA MERKEL CALLS MULTICULTURALISM POLICIES A SHAM WHICH ACTUALLY ENCOURAGES TERRORISM

‪

ANGELA MERKEL CALLS MULTICULTURALISM POLICIES A SHAM WHICH ACTUALLY ENCOURAGES TERRORISM:

GERMANY'S CHANCELLOR VOWS TO REDUCE NUMBER REFUGEES ENTERING HER COUNTRY.

~ Multiculturalism is a sham, says Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy has attracted praise from all over the world. 

Time magazine and the Financial Times newspaper recently named her Person of the Year, and delegates applauded her for so long at her party's convention on Monday that she had to stop them.

The speech that followed, however, may have surprised supporters of her policies: "Multiculturalism leads to parallel societies and therefore remains a ‘life lie,’ ” or a sham, she said, before adding that Germany may be reaching its limits in terms of accepting more refugees. "The challenge is immense," she said. "We want and we will reduce the number of refugees noticeably."

Although those remarks may seem uncharacteristic of Merkel, she probably would insist that she was not contradicting herself. In fact, she was only repeating a sentiment she first voiced several years ago when she said multiculturalism in Germany had "utterly failed."

"Of course the tendency had been to say, 'Let's adopt the multicultural concept and live happily side by side, and be happy to be living with each other.' But this concept has failed, and failed utterly," she said in 2010.

Repeating those ideas on Monday was meant to calm her supporters who have grown increasingly weary of the influx of refugees. Newcomers, Merkel stressed, should assimilate to German values and culture, and respect the country's laws.

Merkel emphasized that despite her commitment to limit the influx of refugees, she was standing by her decision to open the borders earlier this fall. “It is a historical test for Europe,” she said, adding that other countries in Europe should accept more refugees to take some of the burden off Germany.

Refugees in need should be helped, she said, but she also suggested that not everyone who has come to Germany fulfilled those criteria. German authorities are expected to ramp up deportations in the coming months.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that multiculturalism in Germany remains "a lie," telling immigrants to "obey our laws, values and traditions." Her comments came as part of a speech on Dec. 14, in Karlsruhe, a city dominated by Europe's refugee crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy has attracted praise from all over the world. Time magazine and the Financial Times newspaper recently named her Person of the Year, and delegates applauded her for so long at her party's convention on Monday that she had to stop them.

The speech that followed, however, may have surprised supporters of her policies: "Multiculturalism leads to parallel societies and therefore remains a ‘life lie,’ ” or a sham, she said, before adding that Germany may be reaching its limits in terms of accepting more refugees. "The challenge is immense," she said. "We want and we will reduce the number of refugees noticeably."

Although those remarks may seem uncharacteristic of Merkel, she probably would insist that she was not contradicting herself. In fact, she was only repeating a sentiment she first voiced several years ago when she said multiculturalism in Germany had "utterly failed."

"Of course the tendency had been to say, 'Let's adopt the multicultural concept and live happily side by side, and be happy to be living with each other.' But this concept has failed, and failed utterly," she said in 2010.

Repeating those ideas on Monday was meant to calm her supporters who have grown increasingly weary of the influx of refugees. Newcomers, Merkel stressed, should assimilate to German values and culture, and respect the country's laws.

Merkel emphasized that despite her commitment to limit the influx of refugees, she was standing by her decision to open the borders earlier this fall. “It is a historical test for Europe,” she said, adding that other countries in Europe should accept more refugees to take some of the burden off Germany.

Refugees in need should be helped, she said, but she also suggested that not everyone who has come to Germany fulfilled those criteria. German authorities are expected to ramp up deportations in the coming months.

Merkel’s party, the Christian Democratic Union, overwhelmingly approved of her refugee policy, with only two out of about 1,000 delegates voting against a resolution in support of it.

Merkel's comments may also reflect a particular understanding of assimilation. Many Germans expect immigrants to quickly learn the German language and to contribute to their communities and work life.

Multiculturalism usually has a positive connotation, but to Merkel it symbolizes the emergence of isolated societies within Germany — and ultimately a failure of assimilating immigrants. 

Her policy toward the issue is supposed to avoid the creation of suburbs such as the areas around Paris, for instance, where young immigrants are isolated from the rest of society.

However, her speech comes at a sensitive time. Germany has opened its borders to approximately 1 million refugees this year, many of whom are still being accommodated in makeshift housing. Fights have broken out in multiple reception centers, raising fears about the country's ability to deal with the influx.

Local disputes have caused tensions in national politics as well. 

Last year, Germany's influential Christian Social Union party proposed that everyone in Germany should be required to speak German "in public and in private with their families." The public backlash forced the party to retract the draft resolution.

Compared to 2010, when Merkel first voiced her criticism of multiculturalism, there was little reaction Monday. The applause following her speech lasted nine minutes and again had to be interrupted by Merkel. "Thanks, but we have work to do," she said.

Credits:  Daily Mail, Reuters, Washington Post, The Independent, YouTube

SYRIAN GIRL VLOGGER & ALEX JONES EXPOSE FAKE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS (THE TRUTH)

‪#‎refugees‬

SYRIAN GIRL VLOGGER & ALEX JONES EXPOSE FAKE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS

MOST THE REFUGEES ARE ACTUALLY FROM PAKISTAN.

~ There are a few things you should know about the REFUGEE CRISIS:

– Its being used to bomb the country the refugees are running from.

– The war was started by the US, and those now crying about the refugees in the first place.

– The majority of the refugees are not Syrian, but the media are calling them all Syrian anyway.

– The gulf arab states won’t let syrians in, they don’t see them as arab and they’d rather give the money to ISIS.

– Why doesn’t Israel accept refugees.

– Syrians want to go home , you can’t relocate them all.

– Syrians had a great life before the war began.

-Syria is the birth place of civilization.

Post Sources: Syrian Girl Partisan, Alex Jones, Infowars, Wikileaks, YouTube

BEN CARSON TOURS SYRIAN REFUGEE CAMPS, SAYS THEY DON'T WANT TO COME HERE

‪#‎BenCarson‬

BEN CARSON TOURS SYRIAN REFUGEE CAMPS

SAYS REFUGEES DON'T WANT TO COME TO AMERICA.

CARSON SAYS RELOCATING REFUGEES WOULD COST BILLIONS.

~ Ben Carson said Sunday that most Syrian refugees would rather be relocated within their own country than resettled in the United States.

The Republican presidential contender made a post-Thanksgiving trip to Jordan to visit refugee camps -- an effort to shore up the foreign policy credentials that have been a weak spot in his campaign.

In an interview with CNN's Brianna Keilar that's set to air in the noon hour of Sunday's "State of the Union," Carson compared the stop in Jordan to a trip he took to the U.S.-Mexico border to learn about immigration.

And he concluded that refugees fleeing Syria's civil war and the rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq shouldn't be resettled in the United States.

"The thing that I really learned in listening to the refugees themselves is their intense desire is to return to their country and repatriated," Carson said.

"There's so many people who think the ideal for everybody is to come to America and be resettled here but that is not the ideal for everybody," he said. "And we need to be looking at mechanisms that already exist.

Why do you want to recreate the wheel when you have something that's working? Let's maximize that and then let's think about if we need recreate other wheels."

Carson implied that the United States should spend more money aiding the refugee camps, rather than resettling small numbers of those refugees.

"They don't have enough money," he said. "You look at last year, there was a $3 billion shortfall. That's the same amount of money we spent last month on Halloween candy."

He said his trip was "about fact-finding -- about getting an opportunity to see firsthand without having things reinterpreted over something that is really important."

He said refugees told him that "their desire, their true desire is to be resettled in Syria."

He continued: "But they are satisfied to be in the refugee camps if the refugee camps are adequately funded.

Recognize that in these camps they have schools, they have recreational facilities that are really quite nice.

And their all kind of things that make life more tolerable. Would it be better to integrate them into society?

Yes, and I've certainly talked to some people about that. But you have to make progress as you go."

Post Sources: CNN, NBC News, YouTube

BILL MAHER (A LIBERAL) CRITICIZES RADICAL ISLAMIST IDEOLOGY

“This idea that somehow we do share values, that all religions are alike, is bullshit.

And we need to call it bullshit,”

BILL MAHER

Some 2016 Voters are concerned that if Syrian & Iraqi Refugees are allowed entry onto American soil without passing a thorough Certified Background Check, Pres OBAMA'S intentions might not be in our nation's best interest.

Other Voters are concerned a certain percentage of these Refugees (at least 13%) ascribe to extreme Anti-Western ideology, including orders from ISIL to help destroy the United States.

What do you think?

I say we need to Wake up!

Sources: Arab Center of Research & Policy, Investors.com, The Wrap, YouTube

Haitian Children Living In Port-Au-Prince Tent Cities

Haiti's Tent Cities Offer Respite, Stoke Fears


In the best of times, the Champs de Mars square in downtown Port-au-Prince was an awe-inspiring sight for Haitians. The broad boulevard was home to the majestic presidential palace, the seat of the country's power and prestige.

Not anymore.

The century-old gleaming white palace is in ruins. And in the shadow of its wrought-iron gates, the immaculately maintained plaza has been overtaken by row upon haphazard row of makeshift shacks as far as the eye dwells.

These are the new homes of the capital's displaced residents: rickety quarters comprised of bed sheets, propped up on sticks and held together with ropes.

Nearly 500,000 Haitians have moved here, rendered homeless by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated the impoverished island-nation a week ago.

Throughout the capital, and in other affected areas of the country, similar tent cites have risen -- cramped, squalid encampments filled with the few belongings that residents have salvaged.

As rescue and recovery efforts continue, these mini-cities pose Haiti's next challenge.

"This is the biggest one," National Police Chief Mario Andresol said on Monday. "We have new area to protect and new people to protect. It's another kind of security we have to ensure. This is the toughest one."

It will be an overwhelming task. The Port-au-Prince police force of 4,000 has plunged to about 1,500 -- the rest of the officers dead, wounded or missing, Andresol said.

Complicating matters, about 4,000 convicted criminals are on the loose. The capital's 95-year-old, badly overcrowded National Penitentiary collapsed after the quake, and the inmates escaped.

"We have an emergency now," Andresol said. "Because, probably next week, we will have more confusion on the street. The bad guys will be organizing themselves, and they can be the most principal threat to the police and the population."

Police presence at these new neighborhoods is sporadic. With electricity lines down throughout the city, residents bunch up their meager belongings into pillows and sleep on them after dark.

You put something down, and they steal it," said one resident, who identified himself as Ruben. "You know, there's no jail in the country. All the prisoners go out. You don't know the good people or bad people. That's why you have to be careful."

In some camps, residents have far worse fears.

"By night, with not enough electricity, some people try to rape and steal and kill people also," Andresol said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that he would ask for an additional 2,000 U.N. troops and 1,500 U.N. police officers to bolster the 3,000 U.N. police and soldiers currently deployed in Port-au-Prince.

But security is just one of the many immediate needs that tent-dwellers are praying for.

They await food and medical help.

In one tent, an 8-year-old boy suffers a seizure as family members look on helplessly. In another, a little girl cries in pain, her leg wound oozing.

"The people of Haiti need help. Quickly! Quickly. We need help!" a woman screams, tears streaking her face.

In another part of the square, an old man sits quietly, thumbing a Bible.

"My situation (is) very bad, very bad," he says. "God only know that. God can help me. God can do everything for me."

For many residents, there is little else to do but pray -- and wait.

The men mill about aimlessly, wondering when help will arrive. Teenagers rush off when they hear that water and food are available somewhere. Most of the time, they return empty-handed.

With little else to play with, children kick up dirt and squeal in delight. Their mothers squat by portable stoves, fanning the fire with pieces of cardboard.

All around, trash piles up. The stench is unbearable, worsening by the hour under the hot sun.

When night falls, the residents gather by flickering candlelight and sing spirituals to keep their spirits up. Occasionally, gunshots ring in the distance.

Eventually, they drift off to sleep on tattered mattresses and cardboard boxes. Tomorrow, they hope, will bring a better day.


Sources: CNN

Obama Flips On Haitian Refugees; Al Sharpton Cries Racism

As Haitians suffer and attempt to recover from last week's horrific earthquake, the U.S. (Obama) has now decided no Haitian Immigrants will be accepted permanently on American soil.

The second video below includes a soundbite from Al Sharpton blasting U.S. Leaders for discriminating against Haitian Refugees.

Rev. Sharpton recently slammed Rush Limbaugh for his insensitive, racist sounding comments as it relates to Haiti's earthquake tragedy.

I wonder if he's going to say anything about Pres. Obama sending back Haitian Immigrants.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A soundbite from the second video below is Rev. Al Sharpton stating its Racist for the U.S. not to accept Haitian Refugees when all other Immigrants are welcome.






U.S. To Fleeing Haitians: You Will Be Sent Home


U.S. authorities are readying for a potential influx of Haitians seeking to escape their earthquake-wracked nation, even though the policy for migrants remains the same: with few exceptions, they will go back.

So far, fears of a mass migration have yet to materialize. However, conditions in Haiti become more dire each day and U.S. officials don't want to be caught off guard.

Between 250 and 400 immigration detainees are being moved from South Florida's main detention center to clear space for any Haitians who manage to reach U.S. shores, according to the Homeland Security Department. The Navy base at Guantanamo Bay could house migrants temporarily — far from suspected terrorists also being held there — and the Catholic church is working on a plan to accept Haitian orphans.

Homeland Security spokesman Sean Smith said Monday that orphans who have ties to the U.S. — such as a family member already living here — and Haitians evacuated for medical reasons are among those who can gain special permission to remain in the U.S.

The mass migration plan, known as "Operation Vigilant Sentry," was put in place in 2003 because of previous experiences with Caribbean migrations, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Chris O'Neil, spokesman for the Homeland Security Task Force Southeast that would manage any Haitian influx.

"There is no new incentive for anyone to try to enter the United States illegally by sea," O'Neil said. "The goal is to interdict them at sea and repatriate them."

Raymond Joseph, ambassador of Haiti in Washington, recorded a message in Creole over the weekend, warning his countrymen: "Don't rush on boats to leave the country."

"Because, I'll be honest with you: If you think you will reach the U.S. and all the doors will be wide open to you, that's not at all the case," Joseph said, according to a transcript on America.gov, a State Department site. "And they will intercept you right on the water and send you back home where you came from."





Dangerous Crossing

The message was underscored by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano during a weekend appearance at Homestead Air Reserve Base south of Miami, a key staging area for Haiti relief flights.

"This is a very dangerous crossing. Lives are lost every time people try to make this crossing," Napolitano said, addressing Haitians directly. "Please do not have us divert our necessary rescue and relief efforts that are going into Haiti by trying to leave at this point."

Some immigration advocates say the U.S. should shift away from stopping migrants and ease safe passage. They say those on approved waiting lists should be able to join spouses or relatives in the U.S.

The Obama administration's decision last week to grant temporary protected status to Haitians in the U.S. illegally as of Jan. 12 does not extend to those attempting to enter the U.S. after that date.

So far this year, the Coast Guard has intercepted 17 Haitians at sea, all before the earthquake struck. The 2009 total of 1,782 was higher than any year since 2004, when more than 3,200 Haitians were stopped attempting to reach U.S. shores. That was a year of political upheaval in Haiti following the collapse of the government of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Cuba is responsible for the biggest mass migration from any Caribbean nation: more than 125,000 Cubans streamed to the U.S. in 1980 after former President Fidel Castro opened the port of Mariel to anyone who wanted to leave.

Operations Pedro and Pierre Pan

U.S. policy notwithstanding, the Catholic Church in Miami is working on a proposal that would allow thousands of orphan children to come permanently to this country. A similar effort launched in 1960, known as Operation Pedro Pan, brought about 14,000 unaccompanied children from Cuba to the U.S.

Under the plan dubbed "Pierre Pan," Haitian orphans would first be placed in group homes and then paired with foster parents, said Mary Ross Agosta, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Miami.

"We have children who are homeless and possibly without parents and it is the moral and humane thing to do," Agosta said.

Officials said many details would have to be worked out and the Obama administration would have to grant orphans humanitarian parole to enter the U.S.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Haiti Earthquake Relief Is Stifled By Chaos In Port-au-Prince


Security has emerged as one of the most formidable challenges in this earthquake-shattered capital, officials said Monday, limiting the ability of the United Nations and relief officials from elsewhere to distribute the food and medicine beginning to pile up at the airport.

The U.N. Security Council on Monday unanimously endorsed a proposal from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to send 3,500 more peacekeepers to Haiti to assist in the humanitarian relief effort, but it was not clear how soon they would arrive. Pentagon officials, meanwhile, said they had about 1,700 troops in Haiti, the vanguard of an estimated 5,000 American soldiers and Marines expected to be in the country by midweek.

"Security is the key now in order for us to be able to put our feet on the ground," said Vincenzo Pugliese, a U.N. spokesman. He said a lack of security had limited peacekeepers' access "to the operational theater" -- the city beyond the U.N. compound's walls.

The acknowledgement came as the streets here filled with people scrambling to survive six days after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake destroyed the Haitian capital. The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, estimated that 200,000 people were killed in the earthquake, far more than the 50,000 estimated over the weekend. The new figure is based on information from the Haitian government, but officials cautioned that it was still only an estimate.

Although a few trucks could be spotted in the capital delivering water, residents said they were becoming increasingly hungry.

Many of those in need of food and medicine are children. A representative for UNICEF, which is racing to open a facility to hold children who have lost their families, said thousands of young Haitians could have been separated from their parents in the disaster.

Late Monday, the Obama administration said it would temporarily allow orphaned Haitian children who are eligible for adoption by U.S. citizens into the United States to receive care. "We are committed to doing everything we can to help reunite families in Haiti during this very difficult time," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement.

Exodus from the Port-au-Prince

In Port-au-Prince, scores of desperate residents clambered onto packed buses to flee the chaos. Across the city, buses left for the countryside full and returned to the capital empty. Prices for tickets doubled as the buses jostled in long lines at gas stations.

Station owners refused to open because there was no security to hold back crowds -- and to keep away gunmen who could swoop in and steal a day's sales.

In the cities of Les Cayes, Jeremie and Cap Haitien, buses were hired by civic organizations, banks and other businesses and sent to the capital to collect anyone who wanted to leave. But the need for transport far outstripped supply.

"The numbers are growing every day for people who want to leave," said Michel Pierre Andre, a bus driver who makes the run to Jeremie. His bus was crammed to the roof with passengers, but the driver had no gas. Drivers and passengers were screaming at the gas station manager to start pumping some fuel, but he refused.

"Nobody wants to come to Port-au-Prince. There is nothing here. No food to buy. No work. No nothing," Pierre Andre said.

In the city's center, at the sprawling tent cities by the destroyed National Palace, residents said they had not seen a single international aid group distribute food in five days.

"I have been here every day. I heard they gave away some food but there was a riot," said Jean Marie Magarette, who was camping with her mother, sister and four children. "If you tell me they have been giving out food, I will believe you, but we have been on this spot since the day of the earthquake, and we have not seen anyone give away anything but water."

Trying to speed up the effort, President René Préval met with his Dominican counterpart and agreed to create a humanitarian corridor stretching from an airport and ship harbor in the western Dominican Republic into neighboring Haiti.

But relief remained agonizingly slow to get here. Across the capital, painted signs calling for help multiplied: "We need help," said one. "We need food, water, medical," said another.

Caring for Haitian Orphans

Officials were only beginning to cope with the challenge of caring for children separated from their parents, who in many cases died in the quake.

Nearly half of Haiti's population is younger than 18 years old. Even in better times, many of this country's youth are in desperate need of aid. In Haiti, where malnutrition is not uncommon, one in four children is reported to have a low birthweight, according to UNICEF.

A spokeswoman for the agency, Tamar Hahn, said UNICEF was seeking to set up a facility for children separated from their parents. Already, clinics around Port-au-Prince are starting to grapple with what to do with children they have treated who arrived unaccompanied by a parent.

As Hahn approached a field hospital near the airport Monday, she was met by Karen Schneider, a pediatric emergency doctor from Johns Hopkins University.

"Did you find us parents for our kids?" Schneider demanded.

Five unaccompanied children had been brought by rescuers to the clinic, run by the University of Miami-based charity Project Medishare. One, an 8-year-old boy named Jonas, curled up in a ball on the ground and cried for his parents for two days, Schneider said.

"We realized he must have seen the bodies," she said.

On another cot was a 2-year-old girl in a diaper, covered with bloody scratches.

"Orphan Baby Girl," read the sign at the end of the cot.

No one knew who had brought in the little girl, who had the bowed arms and legs of a person with cerebral palsy. She whimpered softly.

"We can tell she's never walked. She's completely helpless," Hahn said.

On another cot lay a 9-year-old, Sandi St. Cyr, who said she was on the school bus coming home when the quake occurred. Her bus tipped over, and a man brought her to the hospital for treatment of a sprain in her leg, she said.

"I don't know if my mom is alive," she said. "I haven't seen her."



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Sources: AP, MSNBC, Washington Post, Youtube, Google Maps