A couple of folks have written to ask that I say something here to urge donations to help those who were devastated by the recent tornado swarm. One even wrote, "Not all southernerners are right leaning; and, really, even if they were, would it really matter? For the record. I voted for Obama, and I live 50 miles south of Atlanta." Of course it doesn't matter. Most of us sent money to aid Haiti or Japan without wondering about the politics of those in need of aid. Why deny anyone in Alabama?
In any case, if the news footage of wrecked homes and bodies being removed from rubble doesn't convince you, I don't know how anything I write here is going to matter…but jeez, yes. Let's help those people. All of them. Even the ones still writing in the name of Lyndon LaRouche on their ballots.
My usual recommendation in a time like this is to send money to Operation USA, which is my charity of choice. As I've said here before, I really looked into this some years back and I came to the conclusion that while there are many worthy charities, I got as much "bang for my buck" with them as I would giving to any other effort. They spend very little money on administrative costs and none whatsoever on lavish perks for the staff. I know some of the folks who work there and they're utterly serious about helping people.
Their website emphasizes their work around the world and at this moment says nothing about rushing food and first aid to people hit by the recent tornadoes here. But Operation USA has always done a lot in this country and I assume they've been too busy helping out there to update their site. If you want to make sure your donation gets used domestically, you can specify an earmark…and I'll bet it stands a better chance of going where you want it to go than if you send money to the Red Cross or Salvation Army. Not that either organization wouldn't put it to good use.
Moments like this — when lives are being lost and people are suffering — make me especially angry about a lot of the time and money we waste in this nation on nonsense causes and silly battles. We deplete way too many of our resources on matters a lot less important than being ready to help in time of tragedy.