I Know You Don't Care Either So.....

This started out as my ENews and Movie Blog. Originally I was going to review Avatar and Sherlock Holmes for you today. But I really don't see how I can given what's going on in Haiti. Really...I don't care about movies, money, who's wearing what and who's effing who in Los Angeles when people are suffering and dying by the thousands. I'm sorry. My heart just isn't THAT hard.

An estimated 100,000 are dead and thousands more after the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquate hit Haiti on Tuesday. The Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince is unrecognizable as the city it once was. The injured have been trapped going on 72 hours; the dead bodies line the streets as hospitals and morgues have reached capacity. Relief efforts are well intentioned but difficult and slow to reach the island due to chaos on the ground and complete wreckage at air and sea ports. There are no medical supplies, no water, no food, no heavy equipment to move rubble....it is a catastrophe. The sense of loss and hopelessness must be overwhelming.

Many of us feel the need to help but have no idea how. I've heard so many people say, "I want to be there. I feel useless here." Here's what our First Lady Michelle Obama had to say:

“The images from Haiti are heart-breaking—homes, hospitals and schools destroyed; families searching for loved ones; parents trying to feed their children. But we can all do something. We can help the American Red Cross as it delivers the food, water and medicine that can save lives. Donate $10 by texting “HAITI” to 9-0-9-9-9. Visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Thanks for your help.” (redcross.org)

Right now contacting a relief organization such as the Red Cross is all many of us can do. It's easy to text to donate. Think about all the texts you send to family and friends every day. One text that costs $10 can move mountains and save a life. In fact, the Red Cross has raised an unprecedented $7 m through text donations alone. That's three times the amount raised in the first days following the tsunami in Indonesia in 2004. Put your thunbs to work and save a life.

There are countless other organizations to contact but please be careful and research where your money goes. Sadly, this is the time when scammers strike. The safest bet is the Red Cross but you can also feel safe about President Bill Clinton's organization found at http://www.clintonfoundation.org/haitiearthquake/. Celebrity musician and Haitian born Wyclef Jean heads an organization called Yele Haiti and information about his rescue and relief efforts can be found at www.yele.org.

This story is still unfolding. People are hurting and need help...not just from us but from the world. Some people say that the Unites States isn't the world rescuer...that we have our own problems to address. That's true. We do have our own problems. To those that say we're not the world's rescue operation I say this: This is not about borders or roles that nations play. This is about people helping people. It's about humanity. If you can honestly sit and watch Sanjay Gupta find and treat a 15 DAY old infant with lacerations on her head with no antibiotics, no gauze, no pain killers, no diagnostic equipment...and not feel a thing...Then you have even bigger problems.