Blogging for Hurricane Katrina Relief Day Weekend

(Thank you to all my commenters: comments are now closed as of 11Sep05 at 10pm EST. Twenty-four comments were received, including one troll, but I'll count that anyway because I edited its remark. SO... 24.. Oh, hell, 30 x 5 equals... $150.00! W00t! Soldiers' Angels thanks you guys!)

I am signing on to offer what support I can to victims of Hurricane Katrina. I have already donated to two of my favored charities, the American Red Cross and Samaritan's Purse.

However, for my readers, and for the blogburst, I would ask you to consider donating to Soldiers' Angels Katrina Relief Fund. [UPDATE: for each comment left here on this post, I will send $5.00 up to $300 to Soldiers' Angels] Soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard will be returning from deployment in Iraq soon, and many military families in Alabama and Mississippi have been affected as well.

Hurricane Katrina has devastated New Orleans and South Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.  The homes and lives of an untold number of our friends and families have been decimated.  Included in the ranks of victims are the family members of our soldier's serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Many of these soldiers will be returning home in the next few weeks to find that their families have been displaced and their homes and businesses destroyed.

...

Soldier's Angels and Mathew and Frankie Mayo, founders of Operation AC (Operation Air Conditioner http://www.operationac.com/) have established a relief fund to help our soldiers and their families cope with and recover from this devastation. Your donation will help these families obtain essential personal items, temporary shelter and any other needs that can be met.  Soldier's Angels will also work to provide information to the soldiers concerning their families whereabouts and needs. Now is the time to help protect those who have given up so much to protect us. (emphasis mine)

So, if you are able, please consider Soldiers' Angels. If you cannot give financially, please consider donating clothing, food, housing - whatever possible. I also ask you to remember that diligent prayer, as always, is one of the best ways to offer support. Please join me by posting your own prayer in the comments here (or over at this post).

I will also see if I can put a round up of support and good news in the extended section.

Thank you!

Technorati tags: flood aid and hurricane katrina. Linked up with Instapundit's roundup.

My blog-brother, Rick Moran of Right Wing Nut House, has an article up at the American Thinker, as well as an excellent post about rebuilding New Orleans.

Rick pointed me over to Captain Ed, who says in part:

However, Americans don't do pessimism, not as policy and not as part of our national character. We grew into the nation we know through an unbridled optimism about the kind of people we are and the kind of people we could become. Jimmy Carter found that out when he decided to tell Americans that we had come as far as we could go in his infamous "malaise" speech, and that we needed to know our limits. Rarely has an elected leader so misunderstood the people he led. We put men on the moon less than a decade after the notion occurred to us as a real possibility. We don't do limits.

How we take care of New Orleans will say something about our national character and whether it remains as tough and optimistic as our history, for all its flaws, amply demonstrates. Will we walk away from a tough fight? Will America shrug its shoulders and tell the city that we don't want to take on difficult tasks? Make no mistake; our response to New Orleans will say just as much about our staying power as a cut-and-run from Iraq would, and to much the same audience. Believe me, some of those who plan our destruction have cheered the scenes shown on television around the world of Katrina's devastation in New Orleans, and they're watching to see what we do.

And so New Orleans must be rebuilt, in some manner, right where it is now.  No leader will get up and say, We give up.  Katrina beat us.  Let's move on. That message will not resonate with the vast majority of Americans on either side of the political divide, which will bring a political consensus to ensure that we produce some kind of recovery for New Orleans. We can and will debate the how and the what, but not the whether. We're Americans, and we don't run from a fight.

Amen, Captain - AMEN! This, indeed, is the true Spirit of America. Let's show the world that's it is alive and well.

The Anchoress, God bless her, has the best post-hurricane essay up ever. Go read the whole thing.

Do you not see what is wrong with thinking this way, at this time? Do you not understand that while people are dying, or being threatened with violence, when they have lost their homes, their schools, their families, their memories, their whole pasts - then it is perhaps a time for silence, and for a bit of prayer, and for regretting where we have all fallen short, and then it is time to simply open the heart, open the heart, and try to do what you can to help? Just help, without the harangue?

But…perhaps a heart shrivelled by unrelenting hate cannot be opened.  How grievous that is to contemplate.

 

Comments

[Ogre]

1.

Hey look! A comment! :)

[David]

2.

Timely, good info. Thanks. Posted and tracked back atcha...

[Hans Mast]

3.

Informative post! And yes, I do read your blog even though I comment rarely enough... *grin*

[PolitaKid]

4.

I'm glad you brought up the soldiers who are returning to find their homes destroyed. It's something I never even thought of. It must feel terrible to be in Iraq and know your family is displaced, but can't do anything about it.

[Jamilyn]

5.

Hopefully these troops won't come home to find their families living in worse conditions than they themselves are currently living in.

[kat-missouri]

6.

I'm here. I'm commenting. I really enjoyed that by the anchoress. $5.00 more to the Red Cross Please!

[Jamie]

7.

Also consider the plight of the New Orleans police who had to stay in the city, trying to maintain order, being shot at, while at the same time they were separated from their own families and their homes were being destroyed.

The original, oldest part of New Orleans, the French Quarter, is virtually untouched by the floodwaters and had little damage from the storm. Probably because the founders of the city chose the best possible place to build.

[Mrs Media Matters]

8.

I have also donated to ARC and trying to get some to the Salvation Army. My husband and I adopted a soldier to support from Soldiers Angels and we send him care packages and letters. He gets to come home next month so we will find another one.

[Harvey]

9.

Yay! Money for the troops! :-)

[caltechgirl]

10.

one of my pet charities! Thanks!

[Miss Sparky]

11.

Comment. Commentcomm. Commentc co comm com. Comme co comm.

[vw bug]

12.

Another one...

[Raven]

13.

Comment...
Comment...

Very good idea.

[Mr. Media Matters]

14.

Great idea. My adopted solider through Soldier's Angels is a Marine stationed in Iraq. He is a great guy and I feel privileged to be able to encourage him in even the smallest of ways. Thanks for doing this.

[GEBIV]

15.

Way to go! Every not-so-little bit helps!

[Chris]

16.

#16 here! onward to 60 comments!

[Sean]

17.

Thank you, I hope this kind of thing inspires more people to donate and have similar drives!

[GunnNutt]

18.

Who ever imagined that simple comments could produce such largess? This is a great idea!

[Insolublog]

19.

Zuzu from It's a Wonderful Life says: Every time a Submit pings, an angel gets its wings.

[Sarah]

20.

Yet another wonderful fundraiser you are doing! Good for you! Glad to support it.

[ticklebug]

21.

Count me in on this, and thanks for your generosity! :)

[Gary Fuller]

22.

Thank you for helping, it is deeply appreciated.

[Lori Fuller]

23.

I really admire what you're doing. (And I'd never heard of Soldier's Angels before, so thanks for a new thing to look into donating to!)

Yay for another $5 donated! :) Keep up the great work!

[Um Yeah]

24.

Not on my blog, you twit, and certainly not on this post.

Cretin.

Romeocat, the Queen of this Domaine