Wednesday, February 03, 2010

A Roundtable of Haitian-American Athletes and Speidi

Moderator: Welcome to our roundtable. Today we will be discussing the Haitian earthquake. With us are Haitian-American athletes including football players Pierre Garçon and Jonathan Vilma, who are both participating in this weekend's Super Bowl, boxer Andre Berto, and basketball player Samuel Dalembert. Sam was born and raised in Haiti. Also joining us are Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag for some reason. Welcome all.
Everyone: Thank you.

Moderator: This has been a horrific tragedy. How have you all been holding up since it happened? Let's start with Andre.
Andre: I am mentally and physically exhausted.
Samuel: I basically feel helpless. I’ve been trying to reach family, friends, and other people to know to see if they’re OK. But Haiti isn’t like here. Getting a hold of people isn’t always that easy. Knowing what has happened, it’s even harder.
Pierre: Tell you the truth I sleep with CNN on. Every time there's breaking news, I'm trying to find out.

Moderator: What have you all been able to do to help?
Pierre: We're still trying to get food, medicine and water. They need a lot of rice, lot of clean water, lot of medicine. Probably medicine is the most important thing right now.
Samuel: I'm doing my best. I'll take another trip with UNICEF. So we can try to get all those children out there. You know, we have parents who have been trying to adopt for two or three years.
Jonathan: I’m so focused in on doing something that feels almost selfish, because I can’t be helping and I can’t help my family.
Moderator: It must be tough to have to keep going on while so many people are suffering?
Samuel: It’s so tough because I’m here and there hasn’t been much I can do.
Pierre: I try to use it as motivation. The people would be mad at me if I went out there and played terribly, had a bad game. I'm representing them.

Moderator: I'm almost scared to ask, but Spencer and Heidi, I heard you made a trip to Haiti. What were you thinking about when you went there?
Heidi: It's kinda like a spa vacation without the spa.
Spencer: I'm too rich and I'm too famous to be sitting with these people and cleaning up their shit.
Heidi: My husband is a very new Christian, so he is working very hard on his temper and stuff.
Moderator: I understand. And once you got there?
Heidi: I thought I was walking into Punk’d or getting killed or something.
Spencer: This is what Hell looks like. I actually feel like I'm hallucinating, but Heidi really wanted me there for backup. She was like, "This is a setup."
Moderator: Um. Thoughts, guys?
Samuel: I saw somebody's leg amputated in front of me. Surgeries performed on a kitchen table. I'm talking about a folding kitchen table. I have some disturbing pictures. And it hurts. There was no surgery room. You heard him screaming. Not enough alcohol. Things we take for granted, you know. They try to make one bottle of alcohol last.
Andre: I lost several family members to the earthquake.
Heidi: This is borderline torture. I would do this to Al Qaeda.

Moderator: Wow. Wow. People are pouring out their heart... I don't know who... well, let's bring this to a close. Do you have any finals thoughts on the tragedy in Haiti?
Pierre: Haiti is a tough country, they are tough people.
Andre: I'm devastated by everything currently happening in Haiti. As everybody knows, I have a lot of family members in Haiti and proudly represented Haiti in the 2004 Olympic Games. I have seen the pain in my parents’ eyes as they attempt to understand what has happened to our homeland and recognize a place they once called home. I hope that everyone will continue to keep the Haitian people in their thoughts and prayers as we work to rebuild this proud nation.
Samuel: One thing really touched my heart the most is all the children. A lot of homeless children. The situation is so critical.
Jonathan: It’s tragic to hear what happened, but the best thing I’ve seen or heard or read about it is everyone’s really trying to come and help.
Spencer: It’s so organic. And this is just the...
Moderator: Ok, thank you, that's enough, good bye.
Heidi: I’m ready for a nap.

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