Haitian Orphans and Baptists

This is a messy confusing story, and the facts are at best muddy. Part of the problem is the Jurassic Press which has gone no farther with the story than some Baptists went to Haiti, kidnapped some orphans, and were trying to smuggle them out of the country.

Here are some details that have emerged. The Baptists are from Idaho, and came from two congregations as far as I can tell. From their website:

A ten member church team traveled to Haiti to help rescue children from one or more orphanages that had been devastated in the earthquake on January 12. The children were being taken to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic where they could be cared for and have their medical and emotional needs attended to. Our team was falsely arrested today and we are doing everything we can from this end to clear up the misunderstanding that has occurred in Port au Prince.

The Baptists had an existing program in place for orphans, and were using that agency, New Life Children’s Refuge, formed before the earthquake. The children, according to the Baptists, were being taken to a temporary refuge in the Dominican Republic, where arrangements for their care had been made, at a hotel. When they had reached the border, they were told they were missing a document, and went back to get it. That's when they were arrested for child trafficking and kidnapping. Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive: "We did not arrest Americans, we arrested kidnappers."

Apparently they were working with a Haitian pastor named Jean Sanbil of Sharing Jesus Ministries, according to the AP. Again, apparently, Sanbil had made the arrangements for the housing of the orphans in the Dominican Republic. So far the Jurassic Press has not interviewed Sanbil, Dominican Republic officials, or the staff of the hotel. Can I have a job Jurassic Press? I promise I'll do actual reporting. What a concept. Good grief.

The most information so far can be found at SBC Baptist Press site.

Right now the Baptists are being held with no charges, in dank concrete rooms. Here we have Americans that were most likely trying to help, with the aid of some Haitians, to protect some kids. I don't expect anything competent to come out of the Obama State Department or Justice Department, but allowing Americans to be treated like this is just short of criminal. $Billions have been poured into this corrupt country, and the personal generosity from Americans is stunning post earthquake, and our government doesn't walk up to their corrupt dictator that we've been supporting, Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, and say we're taking custody of these people? Do not say a thing Bellerive, this is the way it is. Object and you're toast.

By the way, just showing an alternative perception, here's some comments from some Leftist anti-American anti-Christian hate site call The Raw Story.

"As I've already commented, these Kristian Krusaders were kidnapping children for the international sex trade. Apparently, there is more “justice” available in a decimated Haiti than in what's left of amerika. And if some old man sitting on a cloud convinced them their actions were appropriate, I suggest he should be shot down."

"They are firmly convinced that taking children away from their parents and raising them as crazed Jesus freaks is good for them. “Them” meaning the kidnappers themselves of course.
God damn these religious fucks all over the world. It really doesn't matter whether they're christian or moslem or jew or hindu or scientologist. They are all EVIL."

"Fanatical religious extremists from the USA going in to Haiti to steal children, have it easy because of the military invasion of Haiti which followed the earthquake. But there is much more to the Haiti story than the crimes of these pigs. The whole country is under occupation by our military, and virtually nobody is questioning that."

"The long standing open secret about oil in Haiti is not being covered by corporate American media. Online news sources known for their Obama propagandizing are not covering this Obma led invasion.
So neither the so called right or left is getting substantive news on Haiti.
The numerous complaints against the Obama 'rescue plan' being run by W Bush and Bill Clinton, are also not being reported."

Do any rational people believe that Baptists working with Orphans are doing so because they are really slavers selling kids into the international sex trade? Good grief. Sounds like the Prime Minister of Haiti agrees with these knuckleheads quoted above, and because of the lack of action by our president, he may think so to.

Who let the kooks out?