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[Fadeaway]

@leehalf I can understand why you may feel upset, by @Crow statement, but as someone else who can not donate due to being a frequent recipient of blood myself, your response to @Crow hit a ouchie spot for me.

What about the earthquakes in Mexico. Mexico volunteered to help the U.S. but what are we doing to help them? I think a lot of people don't understand how big the quake really was.

 

[scout86]

I am just completely horrified and disgusted at how this president doesn't not value brown American lives as much as white American lives.

I just want to toss in another idea. I don't know that we can, accurately ascribe motives. That it's a color thing is one possibility. Another, slightly more cynical, thought is that you want to give priority to those who can actually vote.... But, sometimes I think stupid shit just happens because people are, well, "stupid". It's totally true that Puerto Rico presents challenges that TX & FL didn't. The Cajun Navy couldn't have gone, even if they'd wanted to. (And maybe they did.) From what I understand, there was a lot "make it up as you go along" people helping people in TX & FL. That's harder to do when it's an island and the only resources you have are the resources that are already at the scene. It's also true that this was the third disaster in line and there have to be disadvantages to that. Resources are stretched. I wonder if our emergency planners had a plan for 3 major hurricanes in a short span of time. I wonder if they didn't think "that will never happen". When the President talks about this being unprecedented, I don't think that's quite true. The earthquake in Haiti presented similar challenges, and, I would hope, we can make use of lessons learned there. (I don't necessarily think he was using "unprecedented" as anything other than a word that sounded good, BTW. He might have thought about Haiti if he was worried about accuracy more than effect.)

Anyway, at some point, I think we, the people, need to be ready and willing to look out for ourselves. Depending too much on "the government" probably isn't a good idea. They AREN'T always that well organized. (And I'm not prepared to say that's got anything to do with politics, directly.) If you look out for yourself, at least you know someone is looking out for you. But, that's harder to do on an island.

In the background, the stories about Russia and social media are pretty interesting.

 

[LuckiLee]

An ouchie spot for you? Really?

I post a couple of things my family and I are doing to help the situation and I get attacked. These things aren't good enough for you all.

Seriously, what have any of you done to help the victims of these horrible events? Besides sitting in the comfort of your home on your computer and bashing anyone and anything trying to make a difference.

You may want to look for the reason you are doing this.

Legit question. What have any of you done to help?

So done with this thread. Later.

 

[Fadeaway]

@leehalf that is kind of the point. Some people can't help and they feel real shitty about it, and then when a statement is made saying

Something EVERYONE can do.

And it is something you can't actually do, it makes me feel kind of worthless. That isn't on you, it is on me, but I felt the need to express my feelings.

Not trying to bash, I said I understood why you would be upset and why you would feel attacked, but I also owed it to my self to speak up and say "ouch that hurts" and it is because of feeling bad and guilty about prior to even reading your post and it just reinforced the negative thoughts i was having about myself. Now, you are not responsible for my feelings, but I did feel the need to express my feelings, because it involves my issues with being a infrequent recipient. I can't donate, but maybe I can forgo a pint for a little while to help someone who needs it more.

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

I'm another individual who can't donate blood, no matter how badly I'd like to. I made some really bad choices in my late teens to try intravenous drugs as a form of self-medication and attempt to escape my abusive reality I was living in, and although at age 50, after having very regular checkups my whole life to ensure I have no incurable blood diseases, or otherwise, I'm permanently marked in the system as someone who is not allowed to ever donate.

It's hard to read tone and intent through simple text on a screen, @leehalf , but it did come across as seeming like a pretty shitty response to Crow about just go ahead and do nothing, then. Maybe that's only because I can't donate, either, and it strikes a deeper chord within. You have no way of knowing what all anyone does in their day to day life to help others. Not everyone will be able to reach as far as you have, or do as much as you have in the same manner you have, nor should they ever be automatically expected to. No one has to report to you or anyone else all they've done in hopes of being deemed a credible contributor, either. Each one reach one teach one by doing the best one can with what they've got to work with. Sometimes, taking care of ourselves in order to still even be around this f*cked up world is all that's possible in any given moment.

 

[Crow]

No attack was intended and my wording was not aggressive. I was just throwing out that a lot of people can't give blood. Like others have said, there's a bit of guilt and shame that goes with not being able to help save lives in that way and that's totally on me and my responsibility - no one else's. Up until the new rules, as I said in my previous post, I gave the max each quarter. And yes, I do plenty to assist in both my community, our country, and the world at large. Donating blood is just not one of them. Just offering insight that it's not something everyone can do even if it's ultra important to them.

 

[hodge]

I still think we didn't prepare enough because this admin doesn't care as much about brown people who can't vote in presidential elections. It would have been easy to have tons of support waiting on the sidelines to go in and help, because we knew days ahead of time how bad this was going to be.

 

[Deleted member 541]

It’s not like the government didn’t know that these hurricanes were coming and that they were huge and were going to cause severe damage and loss of life. I think what some of us might be missing is this.... There should have been preparation done in advance. Ships should have been loaded with supplies. Helicopters should have been on the tarmac waiting. People should have been called in and told where they were going and when. This is how the government should work and since Katrina and the failing mess that was, they should have learned. Well, they did for Tx and Fl but I gues this islands in the really big ocean are just too much for Donnie to worry about!!!! He’s more concerned with football players kneeling....

When people sit here and point fingers at what we should do because of what they have done........Let me remind them.... This is what I and millions more pay taxes for. It’s our money that the government uses to help restore these places, and to bring food and supplies. Do I donate? Yes, I donate to Good Will and to Salvation Army. When the stores have cups out for donations, I contribute $$.

 

[Deleted member 41765]

And then add to all of this -- the insanely ignorant victim blaming Trump tweet of this morning. We should "listen to" this man? I should say not.

When people sit here and point fingers at what we should do because of what they have done........Let me remind them.... This is what I and millions more pay taxes for.

This is a valid point.

And I agree with @hodge that there is very likely a racial element at play as well.

AND I've donated to the United for Puetro Rico and Unicef. They need cash as it travels more quickly, which is of particular urgency in this instance. I intend no shame for those unable to contribute, just wanted to provide the relevant channels for those able to do so.

 

[Deleted member 41765]

My Ken Burns Vietnam installment for this week:
I've been inching along this series, sick at the state of current events that are a vague reflection of this war, and sick for my 18 year old father who was drafted directly out of high school (and did not want to go). Episode five. Footage of John McCain. Speechless...

Instantly anxious and then angry. In terms of current events, I'm beginning to wonder if the time for "understanding both sides" is past. Too much is at stake. In fact, I'm not wondering at all...

Also edited above -- active channels of contribution to Puerto Rico. Cash moves quickly. And situations are dire.

 

[BLA]

And then add to all of this -- the insanely ignorant victim blaming Trump tweet of this morning. We s...

Oh god so this!! I got so angry when I saw this. Just when I started to calm down the his social media director joined in! I signed off Facebook for the day before I went postal on someone.

 

[Deleted member 41765]

@BLA Please be as gentle with yourself as you can. This is all excruciatingly difficult to navigate. May you and I be peaceful.