Posted on 12/28/2004 11:13:29 AM PST by redgolum
Ok,
No_Outcome_But_Victory brought up a good point on an earlier thread. Lets set up a list of some charity organizations that are sending relief to the victums of the Christmas earthquake.
I have a few here. Of course the Red Cross
www.redcross.org
This is the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod page for emergency relief. I think that they are updating as more gets organized.
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=1872
I know that there are many others.
Salvation mentioned a Father Emerito that does mission activities in the area, but I don't have a good link for him
If anyone knows of a place to donate money, food, or any other supplies, please post on the thread.
New Year's Eve BTTT
What are the Mooslim countries doing to help their brothers/ I have not heard.
He's being broadcast on 710 WOR-his New York affiliate-and started his monologue approximately seven or eight minutes ago.
I wonder how many people are catching this.
-good times, G.J.P.(Jr.)
I will try to catch his show. I would love to hear what he has to say (or reiterate what I already said)!
Crap! My Michael Savage station has the local NBA game on so the Savage program gets bumped. Damn! Is there a way to hear this over the Internet?
However, I wasn't able to find a link to the Michael Savage Show.
Perhaps I'll have better luck tomorrow.
I'll try to see what I can do.
-good times, G.J.P.(Jr.)
I just called CRS directly....then gave by Credit card....
What about the kids with no political affiliation. What, we just let them starve and rot. To not help is Un-American. It's not what we're about.
We ALL want to help. That is not the issue. The issue is the FORMAT of the aid.
1] Our government should have appealed to Americans to give privately to charity and said no tax dollars will be given through the government. Americans would have raised far more than $350 million (we gave $250 billion to private charities last year, so $350 million is a drop in the bucket). Use the military for logistics, use the military for immediate food, water and medical needs and transport, but send NO government cash; only send money from private giving.
2] Had we done this, the world would have seen the money coming from the American people, not the government. The response by TV shows, radio shows, corporations etc to raise money would have been staggering if the challenge was put to the people to respond.
We had a chance to change the world's mind about Americans and we blew it. No matter how much money will be raised privately, the fact the government sent aid will wash out all private giving in the news shows at foreign nations.
3] We gave millions to Iran following the Bam, earthquake. What goodwill did we get in return? They are building nukes in defiance of the nuclear watchdog agency, and are sending insurgents into Iraq to kill Americans. We can give trillions of dollars in disaster relief, and they will still hate us and behead us.
4] I just read this at another website:
And Mud Huts Are Still 10 Feet From Shore:
And Mud Huts Are Still 10 Feet From Shore
1998 Flood in the Muslim nation of Bangladesh . . . The United States sends American taxpayer money as forced charity. People died as mud huts were 10 feet from shore.
2002 Flood in the most populous Muslim nation of Indonesia . . . The United States sends American taxpayer money as forced charity. People died as mud huts were 10 feet from shore.
2004 Flood from the tsunami in a number of Muslim nations . . . The United States sends American taxpayer money as forced charity. People died as mud huts were 10 feet from shore.
Are strings ever attached to American taxpayer money given out as charity? Why couldn't we demand two floods ago, six years ago and thousands of lives ago, that--as a condition for receiving the charity--that mud huts not be built 10 feet from shore?
Robert Sentry
I agree. Legitimate question. Why do we not demand changes be made in return for our charity?
5] As others have written, the F-22 production is being cut back because America can't afford it.
How can the American government afford charity, but we can't afford to defend our nation?
6] Oil for Food..........It is clear that most charity money ends up in the wrong hands. It makes millionaires out of corrupt officials. Some goes to terrorist organizations.
7] As one of those commentaries said, Floridians were given low-interest loans at 3.18% following the hurricanes. Why do we give foreigners cash and treat American disaster victims second rate???
You see, there are legitimate questions that should be asked. Had the government not sent taxpayer money but appealed to us to send the cash while having our military take care of logistics, I would have given as would have many others.
As it stands, I will not give a penny for this reason and for reasons listed above. Charity should be private; it should never come from taxpayer money.
"We had a chance to change the world's mind about Americans and we blew it. No matter how much money will be raised privately, the fact the government sent aid will wash out all private giving in the news shows at foreign nations."
Do you really think it matters how the money gets there or how much?? The world media will villify America no matter what the circumstances.
As far as not pledging any tax payer money; I wholeheartedly aggree, we as citizens should be the ones choosing where our charity goes not the government, but the scope of this disaster warranted an immediate financial infusion to get the ball rolling.
Look, I know where your coming from and I understand your bitterness. It's just our place in the world right now to give and give and give and only expect to be despised, spit on and have our flag burned. Do we do this stuff because we expect a pat on the back? No, we do it because it's the right thing to do and because we're better than those that spit on us. History will show that one day.
Thought this might be a good place to post something I got off of World Vision's website. I like them as they have a long-standing presence in the area. Pre-stocked emergency supplies in india, Sri Lanka, Thailand, etc. Here it is:
Jon Warren, World Vision photographer
Sent Jan. 3, 2005
India
Today we saw World Vision clothing distributions, the first one in Pudukuppan and the second in Sonangkuppan. Kuppan means fishing village. We're in Cuddalore district, in Tamil Nadu state.
World Vision is handing out clothing packets; white plastic bags containing a sari, a lungee (a man's wrap), a towel, a blouse to go with the sari, and two bedsheets. More than 500 people were at the first distribution and more than 650 at the second.
Pudukuppan had a population of around a thousand. About 100 died there.
World Vision met with the Panchayat (village counsel) and government officials to determine who should receive the goods and to verify names. World Vision's system is orderly and systematic and helps maintain the dignity of recipients and local officials, who do all the actual handing out of goods.
Later World Vision will be distributing kerosene stoves for cooking and tin footlockers with padlocks for storage. The staff here say this is a unique operation that no other NGO is duplicating. The government will provide the kerosene with hopes that this will reduce illegal wood cutting, too.
Some medical supplies have been distributed to clinics. A team of social workers and counselors are coming from one of the biggest teaching hospitals in India, Vellore Christian Medical Hospital (where Dr. Paul Brand worked and my father-in-law studied with him.) This team will train local volunteers and also supply them with basic health kits. The goal is to make health care sustainable and long term.
People in these fishing villages are reluctant to go back to fishing. Many say they've become afraid of the ocean for the first time. Some of the men were fishing when the tsunamis struck. One group reported seeing a sandbar appear far out in the ocean and knew something was wrong. They rushed home to find their communities and families destroyed, and now worry about continuing in the same profession.
Sir I respectfully Recommend not sending funds to the red crescent (Cross) as they squander most on administration.
rather send it through one that spends 10% or less on overhead after all is not the point to help those in need not the rich at home who will never lift a finger except in traffic.
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