I’ve hand written a letter to my neighbor asking them to join in Michele’s effort to get School Supplies to victims of Katrina.
I’m hoping that they come through in a very big way. I realize if they do, I’ll be having to fork out a great deal of money for shipping, but I’m willing to do that to make sure these kids get things they desperately need right now.
To those of you, be it friends or strangers, who want to throw your “BUSH” comments my way, how about you use that energy to help the vicims instead of sending me emails of leaving me comments, because, really? How is that helping?
Now, I’m off to Kinkos to have the flyers printed so that me and the kids can pass them out. Then, it’s off to Target to buy some supplies to donate. I can’t even describe how good it feels to be doing something…
**Michele has set up a Wishlist for those who want to help, but don’t have a paypal account or the time to buy/ship the items to her.
i’m not a big fan of Bush, it’s no secret. and let’s just leave it at that. and yes, things could have been done differently. its always easy, after the fact, to find flaws. that is not the point. the point is what can we do NOW.
you’re doing something to help, Y. those complainers aren’t. tell ’em to stick it.
Yesterday I bought a ton of stuff and went through our old baby clothes and towels and packed up two boxes of things to send to the Baton Rouge River Center.
You are right–it is such a relief to be able to do something–ANYTHING, no matter how small. At least then I can stop crying.
And yes, it is outrageous what has happened. I do blame Bush, and his advisors and the head of FEMA and anyone else who had a part in the slow response. But I certainly don’t blame the people who voted for Bush. Just because you support Bush does not mean you wanted this (i.e., the slow response) to happen or that you condone it. People, our leaders included and maybe especially, make mistakes, and it is our job as Americans to catch the mistakes and do what we can to make sure they don’t happen again. If there was a Democrat in the white house, I would be just as pissed off. I also realize that the emotional response I have to all this suffering makes pointing the finger really satisfying, so I know that in more rational times perhaps I have other people to blame.
In the meantime, I rant and rave and weep to my husband. Then I go to the red cross site and donate money. And go to the store and buy supplies. And forward links to great sites, like the ones Y has supplied, to as many people as I can think of.
These are small small things, but it’s all I can do. And I won’t make a bad situation worse by trying to make a Bush supporter feel somehow responsible for this. Everyone is entitled to their opinion–what we need now is compassion.
Can we talk about Bush *and* do something? 🙂 I’ve donated and I’m trying to think of other ways to help from far away.
Yes, Yes you can.
My point isn’t that people shouldn’t be pissed off or speak out against the way it was handled or be angry and demand answers. I’m angry. I want to know WHY?!
My point is this.
DOn’t waste your time coming HERE talking about it if you aren’t doing anything to help. It’s pointless and a waste of time and I am not in the mood for it.
I know, I know, relax. I rant in my own space, not yours. It’s only polite. You know that even when you post stuff that can’t ever be used as a political soapbox for anyone, you still get some trolls. Don’t let the trolls bug you. They’re just…well, trolls.
I’ve donated to the Red Cross, BestFriends.org and NoahsWish.org. I also sent some Golden Books to Michele. I always loved Golden Books. I put my money where my rants are.
My next-door neighbors voted for Bush and I still love them. Love the sinner and not the sin. Heh, I’ve always wanted to be able to use that.
Seriously, fuck the trolls. Maybe we could blame you for something if you were, well, responsible for what Bush does.
In lighter news, have you tried the new pumpkin frappuccino? 😉
See, when I say “don’t waste your time coming here..blahblah” it sounds like I was directing that at YOU and I wasn’t. Just people who want to be mean and don’t have the actions to back their words up, ya know what I’m saying?
P.s. check your email. 🙂
Oh, I knew it wasn’t directed at me. I’m such an angel that it would be shocking if someone didn’t want the wisdom of my comments. Ha!Ha!
Our meanness shouldn’t be directed at each other, but at the failure of those in charge. Us little people, we’ve done good stuff. Every single person I know has donated somewhere.
bushbushbushbushbushbushbushbushbushbushbush
i checked my mail. *shrugs* nothing. *giggles*
jenny lee, I can share the naked pictures with you, if you’d like. 😉
thank you for the link yvonne, i’ve sent something to help out
i always prefer the small personal approach to these things because i feel the dollar stays whole as it trickles down to the source of the need
i did also send to the red cross though *S*
and to those who are doing something directly, i stand and applaud you all…you matter!!!
Hey you were the one who proudly proclaimed you are a Republican a few weeks ago. I am just following up. You know me. I am not attacking you, I am asking a sincere question.
Helping out with the relief effort and asking you about your thoughts about Bush are not mutually exclusive. I have given money to Save the Children, the Red Cross, and today a group of other mothers and I filled new backpacks with a ton of school supplies, coloring books, markers, and games and sent it off as part of a huge shipment in a tractor-trailer truck that one of the husbands rented for the cause. We also filled it with cribs we didn’t need, diapers, sheets, blankets, pots and pans, and anything else we could think of.
Back to the question at hand – judging from the response in your comments, after you proclaimed your party affiliation, 2/3rds of your readers are too. I am curious what you guys are thinking about the Bush administration these days.
Bush’s approval ratings were in the toilet long before this because of his out of control government spending, the Iraq war, and huge deficits. You and I rarely talk politics anymore, so I have no idea what you are thinking about these days about these important topics. I wonder how you feel about all of these issues.
This should not be taken personally. I ask these questions sincerely as a friend who knows you supported this president passionately, I want to know if you still feel for Bush as you did then. I am not setting you up for attack. I really want to know the answers to the questions I ask above and below. I want to know what your thoughts are.
How did you feel when Bush told Brown the head of FEMA what a great job he was doing –that was on Thursday. How do you feel about the head of FEMA, the man whose job it is to coordinate after disasters and terrorist attacks, being an attorney with zero experience in emergency management being appointed to that position because he gave a lot to the Bush campaign?
I want to know how you fee, what your thoughts were when Bush said there will be zero tolerance for looters and they will be stopped, even if they are stealing to survive and provide for their children and our government was and is still providing them with nothing to survive.
I am wondering how you feel, what your thought, when on Thursday evening when the head of homeland security was asked if he had heard of thousands of people at the convention center in New Orleans, without water or food or sanitation. Elderly dying. Little girls being raped. Three babies dying of heat exhaustion. Completely unaware of what had been on the television all day long on both msnbc and cnn. Unaware that he, at the top of the agency charged with bringing relief to the affected areas, had not been informed of something every American with a remote already knew. That the situation there was desperate. That people needed help. And that no one seemed to be providing it. The man in charge was not in charge at all. Mr. Chertoff said, that he had not heard of such things. That you couldn’t believe every rumor from the streets of the area.
This from the head of the Office of Homeland Security; the man who is supposed to be keeping us safe and coordinating the response in the event of an attack or natural disaster like this. What do you think about that?
So I ask you:if Al -Qaeda blew up the levees instead of the hurricane, would the response have been any different? How are you feeling about your president now?
yeah flippyo, no thanks.
fiona…where ya been girl.
Y..can i email you?
take that back….Y..i emailed you 🙂
It seems half of you wouldn’t normally help out a homeless stranger on the street if you tripped over him on the sidewalk. But because of this NATIONAL DISASTER, and it’s all over the news, the soccer mommies are getting in there and getting involved? What about ordinary days… would you give to coats for kids? would you give to salvation army year round, not just xmas? doubt it.
r e p u b l i c a n s.
Oh, stop it. You have no idea what people donate on a regular basis, whether they’re Democrats, Republicans or Independents…or non-Americans, for that matter.
c o w a r d .
Sorry, Y. I’ll try to behave myself from now on…maybe.
that’s right, flippyO. i think esp classy is, that whatever doesn’t even have the balls to leave a name or email-adress to take and deal with the replies to his stupid, dumb and ignorant comment. he’d probably call me the N-word because i’m german, too. like that’s helping anyone…
i’m helping any way i can from over here with money and by spreading the word about actions like the above mentioned. and just because Y has tons more visitors i’m gonna use her comment-section to point out a (what i think) nice flickr auction because i’m just like that 😉
chuckles at FlippyO…way to go girl, well put!!!
i do stuff on ordinary days too….but yes, more on especially needy ones….so just call me a human being i guess!!
Jenny…i’ve been all over the place, busy as hell but still just about hanging in there!!
HELP! You all are apparently WAY better at this then me!
I am in Roseville CA and cannot find a place to donate household goods and baby (everything is gentlyused) gear!
Anyone have any ideas?
lucky, check the last two entries here and the sites Y linked to in those. here‘s a list of shelters and the like with information on what exactly is needed and where to send it. go through the antries since sept. 1st on been there there’s TONS of information about those things (and you have the chance to post what you have and where you live to get a respond on where best to send it …). just like the link to michele’s project Y has linked to above. michele has also mentioned a site as to where to send donations there and more. so i’m sure if you look around a bit you’ll find a place/action/organization that works for you! 😉
BUSH.DUMBASS.BUSH.IDIOT.BUSH.FUCKTARD.
Sorry. But he is.
I think it’s a wonderful thing that you’re doing.
why must you people continue to post comments about how bad bush is on y’s blog? get your own space write it there!! how freakin RUDE do you need to be! RUDE!
Thanks Kim 🙂
Unfortunately my family is bearly above the poverty level ourselves, and I cannot afford to ship what little I have, nor do I have the money to buy new supplies. But I did bookmark both sites before posting my plea for help here 🙂
I was hoping to find a truck/containter that was being sent off (as one woman mentioned she had been able to do) that I could drop things off for 🙂 I spent two hours last night searching Google for such an opportunity in my city, but to no avail….yet 🙂
Will keep trying, and in the meantime…
*goes to give half of weekly food budget to red cross and wishes she could more*
Lucky,
I’ll try to find out some more information for you. Since yesterday two more container trucks are leaving out of Los Angeles in the next few days. I’ll do some research for you and get back to you.
How far are you from Los Angles? I have no idea where Roseville is.
Whatever,
Not that this is any of your business, but you attack was so patronizing and weak I thought I would respond.
I have sponsored two children through Save the Children for last three years (one of my kids is in the disaster area, but thankfully was spared). Additionally, EVERY MONTH Second Harvest, Habitat for Humanity, and Laylya House (an orphanage for Ethiopian children) get a payment from me.
Additionally, I am in charge of a major clothing and toy drive which is delivered to a shelter in Los Angles which caters only to homeless families. We deliver car loads of desperately needed items four times a year. And that is not all that I do.
And you?
If some of you are interested in giving more directly, my friend Richard, a public sector lawyer in New Orleans, who represents the poor, was completely wiped out. So was his staff and the families with whom he works. I am organizing a money and clothing/household item drive for them. If you are interested in sending them a box of clothes, pots and pans, or a check please contact me. They are grossly underfunded to begin with, so they will accept anything of use.
Roseville is near Sacramento.
Lucky, instead of worrying about shipping anything to help out for the hurricane survivors, you can just donate your stuff locally and help the people in your own community. Help is help. You could also see if they’re looking for people to donate blood, which is free. That said, if you’re still looking for someone who is shipping something, you could post an ad (or browse for others) on CraigsList.org
Thanks Mieke, I appreciate the help. As Flippy said, I live just outside of Sacramento. I will glady do whatever I can, for whatever fund I can.
Flippy, I understand that families here need help as well. However I am “called” to this disaster (as I am sure many others are).
The city I live in has been none to kind to me and my family and our needs, and honestly….as bitter as this sounds, I would rather give to communities that actually CARE that no matter how little it is…it comes from the heart. I live in a very rich, very “right wing-religious” community…I am in the minority as regards those that have little to thier name.
I donate on a regular basis as regards blood, I work at HP and they do drives every three months or so (I forget). I am good to go on that front 🙂
If it helps make you feel any better, my brother lives in Roseville…and we’re Jewish, left-wing and non-religious. 🙂
I checked for charities out of Roseville or Sacramento, but I wasn’t thrilled with my results. I’d check Craigslist and see if someone was coordinating something out of San Francisco. After living in SF for a few years, I know you’ll find some of the caring people you haven’t found in Roseville.
Thanks Flippy, I appreciate the kindness 🙂
I might just have to coordinate something myself…I cannot believe that the Capital city is not doing something….maybe that’s where I am needed as regards my “calling” to do something good for the stranded and hurting in the South.
I’ve read your blog for a while but typically don’t post comments…however, not sure if you have this store near you but Staples has had some great deals on school supplies. Our local store had box of 24 crayons for 9 cents. You might check them out. Good luck!
I worked the Red Cross help phone lines the other day. So I’ll keep my Bush bitching to my own site.
If you all go to http://www.houstonredcross.org you can see a list of the shelters in this city. I know they all will be housing folks for a long time. You can look them up, give them a call to see what they need, and then send a care package if you like.
I know the one that I was working with was needing backpacks and underwear – of all sizes. Lots of personal toiletry items – including makeup – which I know NO ONE donates, but would really mean a lot.
Anything you can give/do is appreciated. These people have lost everything, so any sort of normalcy or decency given to them is appreciated.
i donated a trunk load of things to this drive that is sending 15 semi’s to that area. it’s through the red cross. i had this lap top computer that i never use. so i donated that. they were shocked to get it but i don’t use it so hopefully it can be of some use. also there is this animal shelter down there that is housing 150 dogs and cats and are getting more in daily. so we’re going to the dollar store and buying out their supply of animal products and donating those too. it didn’t hit me until i donated the first load of stuff (which was a basket of food and some towels) how much they needed. i left and tears poured out of my eyes. usually i’m not that sensitive about things but this hit me very unusually. so i went home, called my best friend and told him to go through his closet. i did the same and got 5 blankets i don’t ever use, clothing, socks, stuffed animals i will never use, some baby clothing i was saving for a rainy day, shoes, and anything i could pack. we ended up with a trunk load of stuff, which seems small, but it was something. i wish i could do more. what else is there to do?
It was great to wake up and read debutaunt and jenny lee’s comments. It feels good to give, it feels good to read about others giving. We are at our best when we take care of each other; when we work to ensure that others have at least what we have.
I hope that we as a nation hold onto the lessons we are learning through this disaster, that we are our brother’s keeper and that we are at our best when we fight for and consider others.
I’m collecting donations on behalf of my store to buy any supplies that are needed in the Houston area as well. so if you don’t want to send actual supplies, I’d be happy to buy them for you over here.
i sit in wonderment of the influence of the net and the connection of each blogger to the other and the power this has to make a difference in the lives of people affected by this tragedy
i thank each one of you who is out there actually doing something, organising something, making something happen
through yvonne’s and jenny’s little place on the net, i have made a connection outwards and found places to help
thank you
How fortunate we all are to now have a clear-cut explanation of this issue that we can share with our friends and family members.
lesbian girls