Despite the President’s and the White House’s Spokeswoman’s Office constantly harping on the forgotten men and women of America (aka the same cranky white conservatives that everyone has been pandering to for over 200 years), there are actually real forgotten Americans. They live in Puerto Rico. Many (most?) still don’t have reliable power and won’t for several more months. And since the GOP controlled Congress is happy to add $1.5 trillion to the deficit for corporate and affluent tax relief and to further screw Puerto Ricans over by treating it as not part of the US for import purposes, but not to actually properly provide for the general welfare of US citizens that live in Puerto Rico, let alone any other US citizens that aren’t wealthy, the rest of us have to step up.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, an example of someone who is doing an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice, has taken the initiative to make sure the children of Puerto Rico have as merry a Christmas as possible. Puerto Ricans traditionally give gifts on the Feast Day of the Three Kings/Dia de los Tres Reyes, which is on 6 January. So he’s been pushing Toys for Puerto Rico, as well as Unidos: Disaster Relief and Recovery Program to Support Puerto Rico.
TOY DRIVE UPDATE:
Just checked in, and we have blown past our goal of 20,000 Toys for the children of ??!
Your holiday spirit is UNSTOPPABLE.
Three Kings’ Day is January 6.Can we get to 30K by New Years Day?https://t.co/gfXvSVGxV5 pic.twitter.com/F7YjoemtI6
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) December 22, 2017
Chef Jose Andres and his colleagues are still going above and beyond trying to feed all the Puerto Ricans in need.
2018 here we go! ?? #ChefsForPuertoRico amazing volunteers cooking and dispatching hot meals every day. How can we stop, when over a million American citizens in Puerto Rico still don’t have power and too many are still without water… Know of critical need? Tell us @WCKitchen pic.twitter.com/akZ6Vpdrt5
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) January 2, 2018
Here’s the link to World Central Kitchen’s page.
I know someone here is always asking you all for money. Usually it is Doug! using ActBlue to actually pay for his new kid’s college fund er, um, fund Democratic candidates. And that is very important. But too many of our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico have lost almost everything and with all the other meshugas going on they’ve largely dropped off the news media and political radar. So if you can afford to help make sure a girl or boy in Puerto Rico has something to brighten their holiday or to help make sure they and their family get a hot meal or necessary disaster relief, please pitch in.
And for those in the path of the bomb cyclone – stay warm, stay safe!
Open thread!