Report Slams RCL in Haiti

[Sargent_Schultz]

And the first major obsticle is that it has to be built in the US.

 

Not true. Pride of America was built in Germany.

[CannonFodder]

Not true. Pride of America was built in Germany.

 

Actually, Ocean Boy's statement is true. A US registered passenger vessel must be built in the US. In order to gain a US registration, NCL America had to obtain a special exemption from Congress (hence my note earlier that it literally took an act of Congress to get NCL America's three ships registered as US vessels).

 

It's also the reason that NCL had to create NCL America as a US based subsidiary, since the vessel must be US-owned.

 

Check the following entry on the Merchant Marine Act (aka - The Jones Act):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920

[Cruzaholic41]

Not true.

 

Yes. It is true.

[Cruzaholic41]

Can't say I am upset. I didn't personally ask the medevacs to stop. But standing there in the UK and asking those of us in the US (where we don't have healthcare for all of our citizens) and asking us to pay for healthcare for Haiti? You first.

 

Call your gov't and ask them to pick up the medevac costs.

 

You are 100% correct. My brother was seriously injured in NY during the 9-11 attacks. He was uninsured. Do you think anyone else paid his medical bills? He had to pay his own way and never argued it. Now, we have to pay for the citizens of another independent state? I feel for the injured also, but the point you make is spot on. I do not expect some socialist from across the pond to understand.

[Ocean Boy]

Not true. Pride of America was built in Germany.

No, her hull was built out of the country and was brought over here to the US where the ship was finished and there was still a lot of red tape to getting her US flagged.

[Ocean Boy]

If you / U.S government or the State of Florida are so upset at how much its costing to help fellow human beings i'm sure the UN or other countries could help.

 

 

PrincesScuba i don't think the UK hasn't received any medevacs yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

jj....

 

Well they can all feel free to kick in.

[CannonFodder]

No, her hull was built out of the country and was brought over here to the US where the ship was finished and there was still a lot of red tape to getting her US flagged.

 

Actually, it was the other way around. She was started in Mississippi but went unfinished when American Classic Voyages went bankrupt. NCL America bought the unfinished hull and had her towed to Germany where she was finished, hence the need for a special exemption from Congress for her to sail under the US flag.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_of_America

 

An additional note - the Pride of Aloha (formerly and currently the Norwegian Sky) and the Pride of Hawaii (now the Norwegian Jade) were also built in Germany and included in the special exemption negotiated between NCL and the US Congress.

[Ocean Boy]

Actually, it was the other way around. She was started in Mississippi but went unfinished when American Classic Voyages went bankrupt. NCL America bought the unfinished hull and had her towed to Germany where she was finished, hence the need for a special exemption from Congress for her to sail under the US flag.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_of_America

 

An additional note - the Pride of Aloha (formerly and currently the Norwegian Sky) and the Pride of Hawaii (now the Norwegian Jade) were also built in Germany and included in the special exemption negotiated between NCL and the US Congress.

Yup, now I remember. Thanks.

[Sargent_Schultz]

No, her hull was built out of the country and was brought over here to the US where the ship was finished and there was still a lot of red tape to getting her US flagged.

 

NCL is certainly not the only cruise line to receive permission.

 

In any event, the Passenger Vessel Services Act is the one normally associated with cruise ships and not Merchant Marine Act.

 

What Congress passed was the 2003 Hawaiian Cruise Ship Initiative, 72 Federal Register 65487. Once union approval was obtained, I think Congress was a slam dunk.

[nutzo]

Responsible Travel in Latin America

Responsible Travel in Venezuela Venezuela is at the center of a new, progressive model of socioeconomic development that is shaping

 

That anyone could actually believe this is scary.

 

I'm sure they think North Korea is a modern day paradise.....

[nutzo]

Ever notice how those with a socialist bent are so willing to "volunteer" the resources of others to a cause?

 

One of my favorite definitions of a Liberal:

Somebody who is generous with other peoples money.

The problem with all leftist governments, is that they eventually run out of other peoples money. This is a big problem here in California. They keep raising taxes (sometimes calling them fees), but they are now so high that higher income people are fleeing the state. Many others have moved as much of their income as possible into the underground economy, working for cash, and buying with cash to hide it from taxes.

 

 

[Citizen Jane]

OK. I am not jumping into the whether Royal should stop there or not thing because I honestly don't know what the ground situation is in Haiti. I know that Labadee is a long way from P-a-P and that RCI is doing good things. I also have no idea what the heck else is going on there. Gut feeling? RCI is doing what the Haitian gov. has asked them. Hard evidence? Well, I'm not there. Ya, ya, I'm a wussy fence-sitter. In reality, I just can't make a hard judgment one way or the other because I think the politics are probably so weird we can't even fathom...

 

In any case, the think tank that sent out this press release is seriously weird. As an academic, it set off my huh?-dar right away. I looked the group up. They just changed their name from another one last March, but apparently the new one (meant CLEARLY to get them more press time and name recognition) hasn't caught on enough yet to pull them onto a Google search for either "CREST non-profit" on the first page. So, I went for CREST Stanford (since that is where they are claiming their "cred") and again said to myself, "hmm, interesting." One of the main guys involved with founding the group is William Durham--a REALLY respected and well-known academic (Anthropology). On the other hand, this "Dr. Martha Honey" has nothing but political non-profit appointments appear when you google her. Granted, I could (and might just for the heck of it) dig deeper for publications, but NOTHING but political appointments pop up on an initial search (always sets of alarm bells with those of us who teach, advise, write and generally are not grubbing for administrative appointments).

 

The question is, WHO really wrote this press release (upon which the USA Today thing is based)? An academic who knows what they are talking about in re the economic numbers and impact (experientially, not just theoretically and Durham would count as far as that is concerned)? A policy wonk? Someone in-between? People (like--I think--most of us here) who don't just take everything at face value really want to know.

 

Also...just a benign request, but can we just toss the political comments about Socialism, etc. aside? I'm really hating the politics of separation these days (as Comrade IslandBear knows from the thread about "young family hating.").

[mtchg]

"Also...just a benign request, but can we just toss the political comments about Socialism, etc. aside? I'm really hating the politics of separation these days (as Comrade IslandBear knows from the thread about "young family hating."). "

 

__________________

 

 

....I think we are just "calling them as we see them"...or in this case; read....

 

 

Mitch

[Islandbear]

Comrade Jane from the Republic of Georgia is right. Name calling is what an unarmed man does in a battle of the minds.

 

What ever happened to that thread. I went away for a day and then it was gone?

[Islandbear]

babies cruising for free and support for haiti. What could be better!:D:D:D