food.... water.... shelter .... and the desire for those you care for to be safe

[Grampa]

there are no politics

there is no religion

there is no favorite bike

there is no favorite movie

there is no american idol

there is no facebook

there is no more anything

except.....

a need for the basics.


food

water

shelter

and wanting those you love and care for to be safe.

my heart goes out to all those dealing with the basics in Haiti.




please help in any way you can.... be it well wishes or cash.

[peanut_man]

Easiest way:  txt 'Haiti' to 90999 and $10 will be donated to American Red Cross.  It will later on show on your bill.  Most wireless carriers will also not charge for that txt msg. 

Do it.

[Kopfjäger]

Also, you would be even more bothered if you know how things are messed up over there to begin with...

Beyond repair, well before this.

[Randimus Maximus]

My company is making a $500,000 donation to the relief effort through these three organizations: Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children.   

They will also be matching donations at 100% from employees.

My check will be in the mail tomorrow when I am back in the office.

[NAKID]

This subject frustrates me. How many other countries came to our aid when we were attacked by terrorists on September 11th, 2001, or during the devastation of Hurricane Katrina?

[junior varsity]

i'm having some real issues with haiti right now. I want to help, then I see the videos of the looters. Its like New Orleans again. I won't have one penny of my money help a looter. I'm not ok with that.

[mojo]

I'm sure a lot of the looters are just trying to get some food and water to survive.  I'd do the same thing.  I have a baby boy, and I'd never want him to go hungry.  Do you think the Hatians feel any different?  Probably not.

I sent my $10 donation via text this morning.

[junior varsity]

I understand needing food and water. The videos show them looting stores and homes, and they aren't walking off with food OR water. Hence, the police were trying to keep them from continuing and firing warning shots into the air to make their point, to no avail.

With over $10M donated so far, and relief flowing in, the food and water are getting there. Stealing non-essentials is not OK in my book, especially in times of tragedy. I don't like opportunists under these circumstances.

[mojo]

Jeez, you make it sound like everyone in Haiti, and everyone who was a Katrina victim is a looter.  Just because the news decided to show videos of greedy assholes stealing anything they can carry, it doesn't mean that everyone does it.  The idea of sending the $10 to the Red Cross is to help the people who need help, not to support gangs/druglords/terrorists or whoever else is up to no good. 

[junior varsity]

I just have trouble giving when that asshole stands in line and gets stuff too. It very much spoils the good deed I'm trying to do.

I did give, btw. Its just frustrating. Hard to selectively help the people that deserve it while keeping out the morally corrupt.

[mojo]

In my eyes, if only one dollar of the ten I donated goes to buying someone a meal, it's money well spent.

[Grampa]

Haiti is about 10700 square miles

San Francisco is about about 7000 square miles

Haiti was 7.0

SF was 7.1


there are reports that 150.000 people are feared dead in Haiti

there were 62 confirmed deaths in sf

I've been told that in the last ten years alone... the us government has given about 1.5 billion in financial aid (thats not including all non government assistance, via personal donations and relief efforts) Thats all non disaster funding. Imagine what a small town near you could or would do with 1.5 billion.

In Haitis history there have been (I think).... about 90 some odd coups



I'll be the first to say...enough is enough..... money has not, and will not fix their problems.

That being said..... I cant watch the news and just do nothing.... I gave money to the red cross with the hope it goes to feed a somebody hungry or dig a grave for somebody who deserves a decent send off.  Help for me is blind. If I could go there myself... I'd bring my shovel before I brought my wallet.... but see'n how thats not the case..... we did the lil bit we could do.

[mstevens]

This subject frustrates me. How many other countries came to our aid when we were attacked by terrorists on September 11th, 2001, or during the devastation of Hurricane Katrina?

Many. A great deal of assistance was offered and some was accepted. This is well-documented and easy to confirm.

Here's an alternate way of looking at it: every country richer than the US went all-out to help us at those times. What? Did you expect Haiti to send aid workers to NYC?

Are you saying that if a country is too poor to help us out, our response when they have a disaster should be to say "make the beast with two backs 'em?"

The universe doesn't run on a quid pro quo basis.

[MendoDave]

I've been told that in the last ten years alone... the us government has given about 1.5 billion in financial aid (thats not including all non government assistance, via personal donations and relief efforts) Thats all non disaster funding. Imagine what a small town near you could or would do with 1.5 billion.

In Haitis history there have been (I think).... about 90 some odd coups



I'll be the first to say...enough is enough..... money has not, and will not fix their problems.

That being said..... I cant watch the news and just do nothing.... I gave money to the red cross with the hope it goes to feed a somebody hungry or dig a grave for somebody who deserves a decent send off.  Help for me is blind. If I could go there myself... I'd bring my shovel before I brought my wallet.... but see'n how thats not the case..... we did the lil bit we could do.

S.F. could build the Muni subway extension into china town.



I won't support the Red Cross. But I am giving a $40 donation to an organization that uses ALL of the money for it's intended purpose.

[akmnstr]

I can't watch the news.  Haiti has been in a state of collapse for decades so it was incredibly vulnerable to disaster.  In the relief there will be waste, some will profit, and some will cheat.  I saw it when I helped after Rita and Katrina and the scale of that will be much greater in Haiti.  But that is just the way it is.  People need help there so my wife and I sent in our donation.  The odd dichotomy of humans is that we are both violent to our own kind and compassionate.  This is a time for charity.