Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

Come on, man.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

So many bastards, so little time.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

He really is that stupid.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

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121Comments

  1. 1.

    valdivia

    Also aside from donating money, if any of you are O neg please donate blood to the Red Cross they are in dire need of it as well as plasma.

  4. 4.

    Fergus Wooster

    Um, John, I know you want to keep apprised, but in your condition you might want to stay away from the Haiti coverage for awhile. It’s simply devastating.

    I heard an interview with an American staying in a hotel that has become a makeshift hospital, simply because one – one – nurse was staying there. She has deputized the American as an assistant, and they’re trying to tend to all the wounded coming in, as the hospitals are overcrowded.

    They have no gauze, no meds (not even Aspirin). They’re making splints out of chair parts and using curtains and sheets for bandages. And you could hear the people on the street in the background, just screaming constantly.

    It’s almost too much for me, and I’m not laid-up.

  5. 5.

    General Winfield Stuck

    They were already without the needed infrastructure and especially heavy earth moving equipment to open roads and lift the rubble to rescue those trapped, and by the time the world gets set up to do that given the tropical weather, for many or most trapped, it will be too late, I fear.

    I am not an atheist nor agnostic, and if there is an all powerful force for good in the universe, somebody needs to shake a knot in it’s ass. Too tragic and nothing but bad Karma for poor Haiti.

  6. 6.

    donovong

    “I’m honestly not sure how much of this coverage I can handle.”

    I’m right there with you. I have never understood how, in this day and time, a place so desperately in need of everything is allowed to exist in our world, much less our hemisphere.

  7. 7.

    Demo Woman

    Yesterday I did the $10.00 donation. It was so easy to text and hopefully the Intl. Red Cross was able to raise some much needed funds. Like John I plan on donating more. I was pleased to see that President Obama put former President George W Bush and former President Clinton in charge of fund raising. Former President Carter has spent a lot of time in Haiti, so I was disappointed not to see him included.

  8. 8.

    New Yorker

    One of the things that’s killing me about being severely underemployed is that I can’t cut a check to all the nonprofits like I used to on an annual basis. I mean, Cornell can go fuck themselves since they’re completely useless on the job search front, but man, I wish I had some extra cash to send to the International Rescue Committee.

  10. 10.

    feebog

    Everyone who participates or reads this blog should give to at least one organization. We sent our donation to the Red Cross last night. Those people had very little and many of them now have nothing. Please people, give what you can afford.

  12. 12.

    clone12

    I recommend checking out charitynavigator.org for a donation to a worthy organization of your choice

    Their top recommendations:

    AmeriCares
    CARE
    Doctors Without Borders, USA
    Hope for Haiti
    The Lambi Fund for Haiti

  13. 13.

    arguingwithsignposts

    Stop watching cable news, John. They will drown you in tragedy porn. Read a book, use Stumbleupon to find some funny stuff to watch or read, or find something on Hulu or NetFlix watch instantly.

    You know what’s happened, you are doing what you can. Don’t get sucked into the depressing vortex.

    ETA: If there is one potential bright spot here, it is that the international aid money may actually make their infrastructure more capable of withstanding these types of natural tragedies. It would be awesome (in a dark way) if out of this horrible event, Haiti would be rebuilt much better.

  14. 14.

    Zach

    I’m glad I don’t have cable right now; seeing whatever horrific pictures are on the front page of the Post and Times everyday is more than enough to know what’s going on. I donated to Oxfam for no particular reason other than that they were on the ground right away and have good ratings from the various charity watch orgs.

  18. 18.

    Brachiator

    I’m honestly not sure how much of this coverage I can handle.

    I’ve studied Haitian history since I was 14, and have had the great pleasure to know many from various cities and communities.

    I can read the news, but I can’t watch any video, can’t look at any pictures. Don’t really talk about the situation with many people.

    I can send money.

    e dietro le venìa sì lunga tratta
    di gente, ch’i’ non averei creduto
    che morte tanta n’avesse disfatta

    An interminable train of souls pressed on, so many that I wondered how death could have undone so many….

    – Dante, Inferno

  19. 19.

    jibeaux

    It’s unbearable. Gave to Partners in Health. Pretty worried that even a colossal amount of money wouldn’t be able to accomplish what needs to happen there over the next few days in order to mitigate the number of dead and injured.

  20. 20.

    Chat Noir

    I donated to Doctors without Borders. Bill Clinton said that the best way to help is to donate financially to an aid organization, even if it’s just a dollar.

    I can’t imagine what those folks in Haiti are going through.

  22. 22.

    ellaesther

    For those who want to help but don’t have money to donate:

    1) Boing Boing wrote yesterday about this (in a link titled “Haiti’s real deal with the devil” — surprise! The devil is us!): “The U.S. Congress is currently considering a bill called The Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation. Part of what this bill would do is help countries like Haiti get their debt canceled, without making that cancellation conditional on things like closing down free schools or raising the cost of fresh water. Maybe a good time to contact your representatives about about this bi-partisan measure“. You can find your senators by going to senate.gov, and your representative by going to house.gov.

    2) As someone said above: Donate blood to the Red Cross.

    3) If you have a skill that might be useful — social worker, midwife (or doctor/nurse, obvs), IT professional, French-English translator — you might well be able volunteer your skills through the Red Cross, or even in your local Haitian community (it took me about two seconds on Google to find a Haitian community organization in Chicago) — I guarantee you that a. those folks are hurting and in need of help right now and b. they will soon be joined by family members with ever greater need.

    4) Hold a garage sale, bake sale, party, raffle, some little fundraising dealio, and dedicate the funds to the Red Cross or your favorite charity.

    5) DON’T FORGET THAT THEY WILL STILL NEED HELP IN TWO MONTHS, SIX MONTHS AND A YEAR. If you can’t donate now, or have no extra time now, your situation may be different down the road, and you can commit yourself to helping then. Haiti, and the ex-pat Haitian community, will still need it then.

  23. 23.

    jibeaux

    @ellaesther:

    This sounds like a nice idea. Dollars to donuts about 90% of right-wingers calling themselves Christians have no idea what Jubilee means.

  24. 24.

    Mary G

    It is almost unbearably sad. We are so lucky to have everything we have and take for granted without even thinking about it. Imagine, John, if you had injured your shoulder and just had to sit in the street with it like that for days because there was nowhere to go, nothing to do about it.

    The survivors are suffering so much guilt and helplessness, too. Sully linked to a blog about a man trying to rescue a girl as it was getting dark – he only had a hammer and couldn’t see, couldn’t move the slab of concrete on top of her, told her to pray, came back in the morning with tools & helpers and discovered that she and the girl she was next to dead…I burst into tears for both the girls and him, how will he ever get over that?

    I used to have a little house in So. Pasadena, Calif. that was built in 1924 and after the Northridge earthquake, the insurance company demanded I have it retrofitted. It cost thousands and I bitched and moaned about it for months to anyone who was interested and many people who weren’t. Now I think of it falling over and crushing the nice couple with their little boy Bean that bought it and feel it was money well spent to keep them safer.

    I have a couple of bucks stashed in case we have the Big One; I’m going to send it to help people in Haiti.

    Get well soon, John. Next time you feel like going Galt, do it dammit. FSM is trying to tell you something.

  25. 25.

    arguingwithsignposts

    An idea that would be nice: There’s an online vocabulary game – freerice – that donates a certain amount of rice to hunger relief agencies based on how many vocabulary words you can define. I think that would be a nice idea in this type of situation for people who don’t have any extra money.

  26. 26.

    gbear

    I’ve been home from work today and have spent a lot of time watching the coverage of the earthquake.

    TPM has a good link for breaking stories and videos.

    From what I’ve seen today, Doctors w/o Borders is a good place to donate money. They were already set up and working there before the earthquake, although it sounds like all of their facilities have been damaged.

    Raechel Maddow used her entire show for coverage yesterday.

  28. 28.

    harlana peppper

    Why does Pat Robertson still have a network? Why does Pat Robertson still have a show? Why is Pat Robertson allowed to speak in any public setting whatsoever? Why Pat Robertson?

  29. 29.

    Waynski

    @Notorius P.A.T and New Yorker — We’ll all chip in for you. Gave to Red Cross yesterday and Medicins Sans Frontieres today. Will give more tomorrow.

  30. 30.

    licensed to kill time

    I can’t watch the coverage because it just feels like gawking at a car wreck but will send what I can.

    @arguingwithsignposts:
    aws, I went there but it wanted me to download a toolbar – yikes!

  31. 31.

    Comrade Mary

    @ellaesther: YES!! This thread at Ask MetaFilter also shows what you can — and can’t — reasonably do as a raw volunteer if you don’t have money to donate.

    This answer (with 72 favorites) is brilliant. You should also see Dee Extrovert’s answer, as she lived through Sarajevo (and her parents didn’t).

    In short: donate time and help to relief agencies in your town. Learn languages and skills, get your training and get your shots to volunteer to help in Haiti or elsewhere in a year, because it will still be there and there will still be so much to do.

  34. 34.

    Lizzy L

    Catholic Relief Services has been in Haiti for 55 years, and according to their website they have food, water, and supplies pre-positioned in the country, ready to be distributed, plus staff in the Dominican Republic buying what they don’t have stored. I gave them $50 bucks last night. Google Catholic Relief Services: they have a Donate to Haiti button.

  35. 35.

    ellaesther

    @Comrade Mary: Thank you so much for this. I’m trying to pull together something on my own blog, looking at the history that I have found too painful to look at before, exploring ideas beyond donations (though donations are clearly desperately needed), and so on, and having a resource like this will be very helpful. The idea of getting the skills you might need in a year makes so much sense.

  36. 36.

    LarryB

    Doctors Without Borders is warning against Haitian relief scams. Do not respond to email solicitations, especially from 3rd-parties (heh, I contributed via a moveon solicitation which, after a bit of frantic research, turned out to be legit — whew!).

  37. 37.

    geg6

    Brothers’ Brother, a charity here in Pittsburgh which has worked in Haiti for years and years, will send 100% of any donation made if you note that it is meant for Haiti. No admin costs or overhead, just straight to the people who need it. They are also taking donations of particular items (baby wipes, soap, buckets, tooth paste, etc.), so if you’re in the Pittsburgh area, please consider dropping off donations of these items.

    http://www.brothersbrother.org/

  38. 38.

    Arguingwithsignposts - ipod touchs

    @licensed to kill time:
    just click the no button andyou’ll go tithe main page. It’s legit. I’ve played a numbr of times.

  39. 39.

    KDP

    I’ve donated $5 to Yele Haiti through text and $50 to Drs. without Borders.

    I’ve also promoted support for earthquake relief efforts through my local ASQ Section’s website at http://www.asqeastbay.org, our joint linkedin group combining the East Bay, Silicon Valley and SF sections, and requested that the manager of our twitter.com/asqeastbay account tweet a support request to followers with a link back to our website.

    Hmmm, perhaps we could do a fundraising drive at our section meeting next Wednesday. Topic: Ethics as a Quality System. Should be interesting.

    @arguingwithsignposts: Brilliant idea. Wonder if freerice will do any direct Haiti support. I’ve played before. Good fun for a worthy cause.

  40. 40.

    BR

    The thing that is so unimaginable about is is the sheer scale:

    Fully 1/3 of the nation is in need of emergency aid, and has basically no food, water, sanitation, shelter, or now, livelihood. These are the most essential things a person needs, and they don’t have it just a couple hundred miles from Florida.

    I think in a week the media will realize what a long term human crisis this is – not just a fight to save lives, but to remake a nation.

    The use of our military over the last decade has had many low points. But I was proud of our military and the good they can do in Haiti – everything from taking over the airport and running it for aid flights to sending carriers that can produce water and have medical personnel.

  46. 46.

    CaseyL

    @Notorious P.A.T.: Ditto. Not just unemployed, but not getting unemployment benefits (and my appeal of that was just postponed). I used to be able to contribute to a dozen good causes; now I can’t give a penny to anyone. It really, really sucks.

  48. 48.

    numbskull

    Did the texting thing. According to C|net, this approach has raised $4 million dollars so far.

    The Clinton Fund looks good. Will donate there.

    Portlight, founded by one of the guys who founded The Weather Underground, looks good, too. They are specifically addressing needs of the disabled. They already have a “Go” container filled in Atlanta and are sending it to port asap.

    http://portlight.org/

  51. 51.

    licensed to kill time

    @J.W. Hamner: What a miserable sack of…..

    But Kevin Drum asked the same question I always ponder every time the right-wing, drug-addled radio host crosses the decency line: “I wonder what it takes to get the conservative movement to disown this guy?”

    Me too.

  53. 53.

    Mary G

    @eric: I sent Doctors Without Borders $50 more – had already sent $100 before I saw your challenge – your choice what to match.

  54. 54.

    beltane

    @eric: I just gave them $35. I wish I had more to give at the moment. I think most of us feel so useless right now.

  57. 57.

    General Winfield Stuck

    Any of these sites, especially docs without borders, take pay pal. My apartment complex was burglarized and my rent check got stole, along with others. The thiefs left laptops and everything else, just took the checks. So I am in the middle of changing checking account numbers and bank cards right now.

    But do have a few bucks in pay pal.

  60. 60.

    Jay in Oregon

    @valdivia:

    Sadly, I’m AB positive.

    But I donate platelets on a regular basis because apparently the opposite holds true for platelets as for whole blood and plasma; AB positive are universal donors, and O negative are universal recipients for platelets.

    In fact, I think I’m going to call the Red Cross and see when I can donate again — I don’t know that platelets will help with what’s going on in Haiti, but there is always a demand for donors.

  61. 61.

    South of I-10

    I pitched in via text yesterday, and will donate again after pay day tomorrow. I have to pay it forward down here in hurricane central.

  66. 66.

    kool-aide

    If you are unemployed, try contacting your local Red Cross or Haitian community org (if there are any in your area). They very well might need your help organizing aid and/or volunteers.

    I was unemployed when Katrina hit and decided to put off the job hunt for a month and became a Red Cross disaster volunteer. But I was lucky as I had a way to stash my stuff w/o paying rent while I was gone.

    Also, contact your elected officials and request they work toward granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants in the USA.

  67. 67.

    KDP

    @General Winfield Stuck: I donated to Dr. w/o Borders last night. I could not find a Paypal link anywhere on the site and used CC instead. Just checked the site again and still don’t see a Paypal link. Are you sure they take Paypal? Can you send a link?

    Here is the donation page I get to from their site.

    Just curious because I have a couple hundred floating around in Paypal and would have preferred to use that than add to my CC balance.

    Oh, and what Eric said. Need any help?

  69. 69.

    DonkeyKong

    I got an email from a friend of mine that worked as a CBS producer on Russia, Thailand during the tsunami and Iraq on and off for 3 month stints.

    He’s there now and said in the email “there is no more Haiti”

    Good God.

  70. 70.

    eric

    @HyperIon: if you want to wait for me, you can. however you want to. that puts us at 310. i will add 50 for the general as a matter of principle. so we are at 360

  71. 71.

    gbear

    I just went upstairs to get my credit card and donate $15 to Doctors w/o Borders. It’s all I can afford right now.

  74. 74.

    HyperIon

    @eric:

    if you want to wait for me, you can. however you want to. that puts us at 310. i will add 50 for the general as a matter of principle. so we are at 360

    i’m going to go ahead and donate so the funds are available now. thanks for motivating me to act!

  75. 75.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @eric: No, I’m fine, thanks for asking though. But if you know a reputable charity that takes pay pal? :)

    @KDP: I was asking if Docs w/o borders had a pay pal account. And apparently they don’t from your checking it out. Oh well, maybe they will get one.

  76. 76.

    Laura W

    @eric: Well, when I tried to give $65 they told me something odd about the field already existing, which it did not, and would not take my write-in amount. So I gave $50. Therefore, you just matched gbear’s $15 with the $15 I did not actually use up in your pot.
    Or something.
    And hey, eric. THANKS AGAIN for doing this. A great momentum-creating incentive.

  77. 77.

    Anne Laurie

    @licensed to kill time:

    I went there but it wanted me to download a toolbar – yikes

    FreeRice asked if I wanted to download a toolbar, I clicked no, and it took me straight to the vocabulary game. I managed to donate 5000 grains of rice in approximately half an hour, and the only downside I can see is that it could be a serious time-killer.

  80. 80.

    SGEW

    Dang, I missed out on the matching challenge, eh?

    Not that it’s stopping me from donating to MSF again, today . . . even if I’m kind of strapped for cash.

    I worked out my budget, and basically figured out how much I spend eating out each month; no restaurants for me for a while now. Sorry, dating life! But it’s a small, small price to pay to do what I can.

    [Plus, it gives me a great excuse to cook for my dates instead of taking them out – more recipe threads, plz!]

  81. 81.

    parksideq

    Sent $10 to both Yele and Red Cross via text. I plan to make a larger donation when I get back home to my laptop. I’m also trying to talk my mom into going down there (she’s a nurse, and our family’s Jamaican, so this is somewhat personal to see any part of the Caribben devastated like this).

    I’m happy about this immediate response; I hope we sustain it for the year(s) ahead, cuz Haiti’s going to need it.

    @eric: When I get home, I’ll throw in $50, whether or not you’re still matching.

  82. 82.

    KDP

    @General Winfield Stuck: Sure would be nice if my favorite charities took paypal. Hmmm, wonder if there is something we don’t know.

    I’m glad to hear that it was not you who was burglarized.

    @eric: count me in for another $50 towards your matching funds.

  83. 83.

    eric

    @SGEW: gotcha gbear and i will make it the even $500 and that can cover SGEW as well ;)

    thanks to all

    I will make the payment when i get home from the office and finish playing with my daughter.

    eric

  84. 84.

    bob h

    The Haiti situation is especially tough to take when it is juxtaposed on the news with the other big story of today-bankers bitching about new taxes on their unspeakable greed.

  85. 85.

    Anne Laurie

    @eric: Eric, I’m in for $25 (all I can afford until tomorrow).

    General question: I went to Dogpile to find “Doctors Without Borders” and the link came up with an icon labelled Website Match. Is it worth asking people to click through Dogpile for updates, future donations, etc. to top up our personal donations?

  86. 86.

    AC in BC

    I thought of the last expensive electronic toy I bought, and donated double the cost of that. My conscience is telling me that’s not enough.

  87. 87.

    Max

    For Canadians –

    Text “Haiti” to 45678 and a $5 donation to the Canadian Salvation Army will be added to your phone bill.

    BTW – I am disgusted by those on the “left” that are using Obama’s enlistment of W to continue to bash Obama and condemn the choice. The comments at some of those blogs, see Left, Talk, are really sad and without any compassion to the Haitians and if they represent the “real base” of the Democratic party, then I am tapping the fuck out.

  88. 88.

    WaterGirl

    @gbear:Thanks. I feel better about giving to places like Partners in Health and Doctors Without Borders because I know the money will be put to use right away on the ground.

    Places like the Red Cross and Oxfam reserve the right to use your money other places, which is probably fine, but I like knowing we’re helping support the groups that have already been at work in Haiti and they will use the money to help now.

  90. 90.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Fergus Wooster: Thanks for reposting that for me, Fergus Wooster. ARC is a great organization–I donate to them regularly.

    Cole, I am with you on watching the devastation. I saw Rachel’s show from last night, and it was heartbreaking.

    @eric: You rock. What a great thing to do.

    @Max: They are not the real left, Max. We are. Remember that.

  94. 94.

    Comrade Luke, Taking A Break

    The niece of a girl I went to college with is volunteering in Haiti. She’s also the niece of the chaplain of my basketball team (Gonzaga).

    Sounds like she headed home around 5pm to take a bath. Her apartment was on the 5th floor of an at least 7-floor building. She is currently unaccounted for.

    I just don’t know what to do other than donate money and hope for the best. And the fact that I originally typed “was volunteering” above isn’t really helping matters.

    To quote this guy:

    There aren’t a lot of natural disasters worse than the earthquake that just struck Haiti. The earthquake is such a disaster that the people who are normally in charge of telling you what a disaster it is are mostly dead or missing.

  95. 95.

    Ash

    @DonkeyKong:

    He’s there now and said in the email “there is no more Haiti”

    I’ve really been wondering wtf is going to be happening to that place a year from now. Most of what I’ve read so far has suggested things like annexation, or creating a new country of “Hispanola.” There is literally no government anymore.

  96. 96.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Of particular note for Canadians:

    The federal government is earmarking up to $50 million to match Canadians’ donations to charities aiding relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

    Minister of International Co-operation Bev Oda said Thursday morning the government will match the contributions of individuals to eligible Canadian charitable organizations in support of humanitarian and recovery efforts in response to the earthquake, up to a total of $50 million.

    I believe the matching funds will be combined and administered through CIDA.

    There’s more on the front page of http://www.cbc.ca.

  97. 97.

    Hiram Taine

    @arguingwithsignposts: Thank you so much for the freerice link, I’m so broke I can’t pay attention and this gives me something constructive to do..

    Oh, and a lot of the vocabulary words are remarkably difficult so I’m learning something at the same time, always a plus in my book.

    I’ve already posted the link on another site I frequent and am getting some good feedback there.

  98. 98.

    SapphireCate

    @Watergirl – Regarding oxfam at least that does not hold true for their emergency fundraising (ie, their Haiti fundraising). I worked for them for several years.

  99. 99.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    Thanks for the freerice reminder, arguing. I used to link to it almost daily, but then I forgot about it. It’s a good idea and certainly a painless (and fun!) (and educational!) way to do a bit of good.

  100. 100.

    Leelee for Obama

    He’s there now and said in the email “there is no more Haiti”

    This is the most chilling statement I’ve heard, so far, and from what I am seeing on the toob, it’s probably accurate. I think they will be fortunate if that 100,000 estimate is correct. It seems like there may be many more than that, and I’m only thinking about the casualties from the quake. These poor people have no water, and probably no food. I echo what someone else said up-thread-let’s all of us rebuild this little corner where hell has been in session into a safe place for the survivors of this latest calamity.

    Lots of million dollar corporate donors listed on ABC, and George Clooney is setting up a telethon. A Royal Caribbean ship loaded in San Juan with water, rice and beans is underway, and should arrive tomorrow.

    These are the times that make me hopeful that the human race is not a lost cause experiment of a five-year-old child-god.

  103. 103.

    DPirate

    I hear you can pick up an AK in Memphis for about 100$US. That is the Haitians only real solution, I’m guessing. Maybe they can start themselves a democratic drug cartel…

  104. 104.

    BR

    Here’s the even worse news that the media isn’t talking about – I’m very engaged in climate science these days, and we’re looking at a near-2005 level hurricane season this year. (Probably not quite as bad as 2005, but it’s going to be warm out there, meaning strong hurricanes.)

    They were still rebuilding from the last hurricane, then this earthquake hit. They may have fierce storms to face in 6 months.

  105. 105.

    PurpleGirl

    I’ve been unemployed so I understand how some people feel. But I decided that I had to give something so I used the credit card. Now, I’ve been good about not using the credit but this need is so great I had to give something. Maybe if I’m employed in a few months I’ll give more — because as Ellaester said, they will still need help for quite some time to come.

  106. 106.

    satby

    I was a Red Cross volunteer during Katrina. So I donated today to Doctors Without Borders.
    And that’s all I have to say about that.

  107. 107.

    WaterGirl

    @SapphireCate: I knew someone who worked for Oxfam who had told me that was the case. I am happy to hear otherwise. Not sure who is right, but I will be sure not to repeat that again. Thank you.

  108. 108.

    Yutsano

    If it makes any of y’all feel better I overheard a call at work from a gentleman wanting to donate a Chevy full size pickup bed full of coins to Haiti. We were still working on accomodating him as that would strain the capacity of our counters but the fact that this happened in such a short of time stunned me. There may yet be some good to come out of this. It’s been said several times we are the most generous people in the world (except with each other) this just made me damn proud.

  110. 110.

    Ruckus

    I lost tens of thousands of dollars and a business from the Northridge earthquake in 94. This was one of the most expensive natural disasters in US history. And it can’t hold a candle to what Haiti has experienced. The cost in human lives is so immense and looks to grow many times higher. The only thing that I feel able to do is cry. This economy has hurt many of us to the point that we can do very little but I will put in what I can in the hope that all of us helping in our own little way will make a difference.
    Twenty is all I have to share so I will give 10 to the Red Cross and 10 to Dr Without Borders.
    If you are so inclined you can donate to American Friends Service Committee

  111. 111.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @gyma: Thanks. I clicked the link for donate and it just sent me to Pay Pal front page with nothing about the group and directing any money to them. I have some actual cash and I think tomorrow will just get a money order and send it to Doc without borders by mail. They will be needing money long term for this biblical scale disaster. I trust them completely, and it should go directly to medical care. But thanks anyway.

  112. 112.

    pika

    I got an update from http://www.hopehaiti.org today, and they have decided to continue their work in the Borgne region of Haiti–the poorest, but also least affected by the quake. Reasoning: supplies from the south are indefinitely cut off:
    http://hopehaiti.org/news/index.php?art=43

    So I will give to the good organizations that will bring aid to Port-au-Prince and the south (including Jacmel, where one of my students has most family), but I beg everyone not to forget those who will also suffer in the north because of the horror further south. At Balloon-Juice, we think systemically, yes?

  114. 114.

    gopher2b

    @eric:

    Good idea.

    Let’s keep this going. Cole, why not start up a fund raising thing on here. I’ll match the first $500.

  119. 119.

    SapphireCate

    @WaterGirl: It’s ok – It’s just that Oxfam were among the first on the ground (they have a perm office there – and lost several members of staff) and so they’re really well positioned (and provisioned) to be helping people.

    The shifting funds around refers to things like the christmas goats people give each other – Oxfam tries to buy actual goats, but if water is more needed that money will go to water.

  120. 120.

    blogbytom

    I’m not sure if anyone is still reading this thread, but if you are, and you care, two of my friends are going to Haiti tomorrow, (Saturday), from Spain via Boston, and I’ve been enlisted to take the donations they receive between now and then (at, say, 2:00 EST, when I have to go to the airport to meet them) to buy basic medicines that are sorely lacking. They fly into the DR then work their way to Haiti by land. I front the money (up to my bank account’s current balance of about $1,000) and get paid back by them, who in turn get paid back by the charity at a later date.

    Here’s what Leah wrote…

    Dear friends and family,

    We have been lucky enough to find an opportunity to help in Haiti, through the organizations AIDG and SOIL (run by our friends in Cap Haitian). We will be coordinating relief supplies in Cap Haitian for distribution to the rest of the country. We have received a list of medicines urgently needed, and we ask you to donate to AIDG (through their website: http://www.aidg.org) so that we can purchase these medicines. If you can give, please let us know how much you will give by replying to this email. We will be purchasing the medicines upfront, through a friend in Boston (thanks Tom!), where we have a layover, and compensated by AIDG later. We will hand deliver these supplies to the doctors and medics and people who need them. Any donation size will make a difference.
    With love, Leah and Michael

    So there’s that, too.

  121. 121.

    blogbytom

    I’m not sure if anyone is still reading this thread, but if you are, and you care, two of my friends are going to Haiti tomorrow, (Saturday), from Spain via Boston, and I’ve been enlisted to take the donations they receive between now and then (at, say, 2:00 EST, when I have to go to the airport to meet them) to buy basic medicines that are sorely lacking. They fly into the DR then work their way to Haiti by land. I front the money (up to my bank account’s current balance of about $1,000) and get paid back by them, who in turn get paid back by the charity at a later date.

    Here’s what Leah wrote…

    “Dear friends and family,

    We have been lucky enough to find an opportunity to help in Haiti, through the organizations AIDG and SOIL (run by our friends in Cap Haitian). We will be coordinating relief supplies in Cap Haitian for distribution to the rest of the country. We have received a list of medicines urgently needed, and we ask you to donate to AIDG (through their website: http://www.aidg.org) so that we can purchase these medicines. If you can give, please let us know how much you will give by replying to this email. We will be purchasing the medicines upfront, through a friend in Boston (thanks Tom!), where we have a layover, and compensated by AIDG later. We will hand deliver these supplies to the doctors and medics and people who need them. Any donation size will make a difference.
    With love, Leah and Michael”

    So that’s another way to help. Anything that gets donated that over my bank account limit of course still goes directly to the charity, if that needs mentioning. We’re just trying to coordinate a bit of a small-scale direct relief effort.

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