"You know, my old bf, who was a Nam Vet, used to say the same thing because they charged him for coffee in Nam...I'm curious as to why you don't trust them. Serious question."
That's amazing - my Great Uncle, who was in WWI, said he would never support the Red Cross - because they did the same thing on the front lines then. He always supported the Salvation Army, because they didn't.
I looked at the administrative costs years ago for the Red Cross and the salary of some of their higher ups and decided that there were other groups that would get the bulk of my donation $s.
Yes, all this came out also in the aftermath of 9-11: the Red Cross was exposed, especially by Bill O'Reilly , once and for all. But here they are again, ready to accept millions of dollars in donations, which , COUNT ON IT, will NOT all be diverted to the real , current tragedy it was intended for, but split off into several contingency funds for "future" usages. This clever strategy assures that the RC will ALWAYS have reserves, and NEVER be strapped or go begging, thereby assuring their existence in perpetuity , whether they "perform" or not. They are exactly like any other bureaucracy , and are probably more politically connected than any of them. I hope O'R has the wherewithal not to let this one get by him.