Compassionate Action

It's Thursday and you can't complain! What to do? Hmmmm... LOL!

First, details for the "Last Picnic of the Summer Season" event: it's to be held Saturday, Sept. 9th at Ft. Lee Park, right at the foot of the Washington Bridge on the NJ side. I will be sending Evites as soon as I can. If you're reading this and want to go, drop me a line, all are welcome! You have two choices: quickly think of an excuse NOT to come, or just come, dammit! LOL! It's a kid-friendly event, so bring the house monkees if you so desire. More details to follow, I'm rushing right now. It's prison day and I have to get ready!

A child in early development understands the power of compassion and empathy -- even at a stage of growth that hinders their intellectual or cognitive grasp of it. They understand compassion in action, they understand empathy. One child cries, the rest cry along with it.

While I question the motivation behind the challenge, "Well, what have you done?" as a way of furthering dialogue, I certainly can understand compassion as an instigator toward action. As I noted yesterday, it's part of what I do on a daily basis.

I believe that coherent, intellectually sound conversation can be a tool for activism. It was for me when I heard public speakers passionately articulate their causes. I believe, contrary to what others may say, that the media have abdicated their role in keeping the public informed. Much of what's going on, as in the Katrina Debacle, goes on unchallenged by the mainstream media. Yes, the do get paid huge sums of money, but for the most part they are corporate whores, plain and simple.

I will explore the connection between the level of moral reasoning and political affiliation, but today, in the spirit of compassionate action, I will offer some ways you can help in the aftermath of the crime that was Katrina. Keep in mind that if this happened to the good people of "Nawlins," it can happen to you. Katrina missed New Orleans, it was the government that killed "those" people -- hardworking, tax-payong folk, just like most of us. Perhaps we're entering an age where the wealthy will be saved while the working poor and poor will be sacrificed on the altar of Corporate Christianity.

For a full report on the aftermath of Katrina and what you can do, click here.

I have handpicked some sources below:

I get those stupid forwards all the time. You know those things that are bullshit: “Send this to 1000,000,000,000 of your friends and you will get a blowjob in ten days,” bullshit? Well, I would suggest that you can become an online activist. Yup. I learned this from a friend who’s confined to a wheelchair. The internet has been her salvation and she does a lot of GREAT work, right there in front of her computer…

**Visit www.katrinaaction.org to find information, connect with local organizations and learn about actions that affect housing, health, jobs, and other related issues.

 

**Help ensure that news media tell the real story of Katrina and its aftermath and continue to offer balanced reporting on the issue. Call your local news and radio talk shows, and write letters to the editor. (For pointers, Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting has an online kit with contact information for media outlets and sample letters.) I have been part of several FAIR alerts that caused media outlets to publish retractions when they were found to be reporting falsehoods. I recommend FAIR highly.

**Got five minutes a week? Join the Katrina Information Network. KIN members commit to five minutes a week to send emails to their network and to policymakers to keep these issues on the public agenda. Rather than send those abominable forwards…

On the creative front, the most innovative project I've seen coming out of the catastrophe is the New Orleans Kid Camera Project. Created to address the psychological and emotional impact of Hurricane Katrina on children returning home to New Orleans, the project fosters photography, creative writing and mixed media as means for children to explore their environment and express themselves, their stories and feelings. Check out the latest gallery of the kids' work here and then click here to support future efforts.

Finally, if you want to donate money to help the tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors still homeless and in great need, see the American Institute of Philanthropy's guide to find the best ways to help the victims, and check out the Network for Good's suggestions on Katrina giving. Habitat for Humanity is also a good recipient. It's been on the ground for virtually the last twelve months helping to rebuild the homes of those way down on the government's priority lists. Giving to Habitat will get your money to the right place.

May you all know true happiness or I’ll smack you upside your head till you get it! LOL!

Off to prison, love ya!