How You Can Help Haiti
“While those of us who do not believe in a god or gods might identify ourselves as ‘atheists’, ‘humanists’, ‘non-theists’, ‘skeptics’, ‘Freethinkers’, or other label – the term ‘non-believer’ has been brought into the public consciousness by President Obama and is easily identifiable. Independent of whether we are non-believers or not, the tragedy of Haiti pulls at everyone’s heartstring. All of us are unified in our humanity.”
If you want to make a donation to assist the people of Haiti and
the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS) has set up a dedicated bank account and PayPal facility to collect donations to non-religious relief organizations.
The two organisations they have chosen are Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Red Cross. You can choose to donate to both equally or just one.
You can make your donation through the Giving Aid website where you can also find out more.
For more of a discussion about why you might want to donate this way PZ Myers has a post at Pharyngula.
Earthquakes and tsunamis are caused not by ‘sin’ but by tectonic plate movements, and tectonic plates, like everything else in the physical world, are supremely indifferent to human affairs and sadly indifferent to human suffering. Those of us who understand this reality are sometimes accused of being indifferent to that suffering ourselves. Of course the very opposite is the truth: we do not hide behind the notion that earthly suffering will be rewarded in a heavenly paradise, nor do we expect a heavenly reward for our generosity: the understanding that this is the only life any of us have makes the need to alleviate suffering even more urgent.
[tags]Haiti, aid, red cross, medecins sans frontieres, disaster, disaster relief, earthquake, natural disaster, non-religious, atheist, skeptic, sceptic, free thinker[/tags]
Posted: 17 January, 2010 in Australian Values, Life, Medicine, Religion, Science, values.
Tags: aid, atheist, disaster, disaster relief, earthquake, free thinker, Haiti, Medecins sans Frontieres, natural disaster, non-religious, red cross, sceptic, skeptic
Comments
Comment from roger migently
Posted: 17 January, 2010 at 11:54 pm
There is a lot to be said about Haiti – which one didn’t know, of course. Pat Robertson has told the world that Haiti has suffered the earthquake because it is cursed:
“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heal of the French. You know, Napoleon the third, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you will get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it’s a deal.”
What is closer to the truth is that the Haitians have been screwed by the French and then went into enormous debt for the “reparations” demanded by the French and when, by
giving foreigners any money they had they had paid back their debt, Papa Doc ran up another huge debt to fund his obscene lifestyle and they are still paying that off.
BUT the IMF and/or World Bank have constantly refused to forgive the debt, condemning them to the poverty which is all they’ve known for decades and decades. Plus a couple of coups and of course an American invasion.
AND all those fawning foreign dignitaries who are crying crocodile tears so convincingly are representatives of nations which refused to lend a hand when it might have made a difference to the suffering the Haitians have been living with for so long.
That is the story as I understand it. You are likely to know better.
I, of course, am as guilty as the next person of ignoring the plight this country so far away because I pretend that I can have no influence over events there – but then I never tried.
Comment from laird lang
Posted: 18 January, 2010 at 5:46 pm
They were under the ‘heal’ of the French(if only they were)..if Robertson said that,who wrote it?.
This,the below link, is a quick outline of the of ‘recent’ history of Haiti and why they are possibly at the lower end of the scale when it comes to ‘hopeless’ and no, Sir.R.it’s far beyond ‘I, of course, am as guilty as the next person of ignoring the plight this country so far away because I pretend that I can have no influence over events there – but then I never tried.’,for that, this is an examination of the worlds goodwill and humanity, and guilt that such a situation should have been condoned/allowed for so long. and in a perfect world, this will be rectified and a flow on caused to correct other examples. (Unlikely)
However, this is why we have a moat.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6281614.ece
Comment from laird lang
Posted: 18 January, 2010 at 5:56 pm
I apologize for the double link.
While I am here, may well it be that the “Church” can be banned from Haiti at this time, they can well do without apoplectic remarks on apostasy , the U.S. seem to have covered that’.
Comment from laird lang
Posted: 17 January, 2010 at 7:42 pm
The Fiefdom has indeed caused that to happen through International Red Cross, where the treasury of the Fiefdom has been lowered. Also these causes are supported only when ‘administration’ costs are searched out and qualify.
One wonders, a world wide scale, and let’s be Franc, what the French attribute will be to this in the wash up of accounts, will be an interesting study of a Nations (guilt) conscience. Or the lack of, lets hope not.