Legitimizing the Ignored

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
-Emma Lazarus, "The New Colossus"

We spend a lot of time in our own little bubbles. For some, it's something we've always done: there are quite a few people who knew me in college who probably wonder exactly what it is I'm up to now - not because they care that much, but because I really suck at staying in contact with people who aren't within 20 feet of me. For others, like it's a matter of survival. And for a few, it's a matter of being ostracized.

But the thing about bubbles constructed of self-absorption is that they can be pierced. For better or for worse, sometimes we are forced to confront the world around us.

The absolute devastation in Haiti is certainly one of those "worse" situations. Tuesday's earthquake near Port-au-Prince was just five miles deep, and has completely devastated the capital city of the poorest nation in the western Hemisphere. Haiti has, recently, been very familiar with poverty, disease, and armed insurrection. People die in Haiti way too young, way too hungry, and way too often.

Some of you might remember the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco and Oakland that caused hundreds of millions of dollars, and killed a few dozen people. That earthquake was a 6.9 or 7.1 magnitude temblor, depending on who you ask. And the Bay Area of California has been preparing and upgrading for earthquakes since the 1906 monster that nearly destroyed San Fran.

Now think about the fact that Haiti has no building standards, no bureaucracy to enforce them if they did, substandard medical care, and was completely unready for this. Don't believe me? Ask the guys under this house, and see what they say.

The end result is that thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of people have died. Many more will die in the days to come as they succomb to their injuries, or simply to their fates.

That is the lot of Haitians today.

There is not a lot we, from our perches here, can do directly - but there are people who can help. There are people who are helping. But they need your support.

Make a difference in your own way, and make a gift to support any one of these fine charities:

• The American Red Cross is accepting donations from your cell phone. Just text "Haiti" to 90999.


• Grassroots International supports food sustainability and independence for Haitians. For survivors of any natural disaster, thinking about food is going to be last on the list of things to worry about. Make a donation to sustainable agriculture in Haiti here.


• While I disagree theologically on nearly every point, the Haiti Church of Christ's Cap Haitian Children's Home has been providing a home to Haitian orphans or abandonees for years. Good people doing good work under God's good graces.


• No matter the debating position, most Americans take medical care for granted. You can make a gift to support Doctors Without Borders to help those who don't have that same luxury.


• Lastly, some bloggers are digging in their own pockets because of keyboard jockeys like me. Kirsten pointed me towards a blogger she follows, Modern Matriarch, who will donate one dollar for every comment she receives on that linked post. Go by, say hello, and send a dollar to someone who, I promise, needs it a hell of a lot more than you.

Bubble? Consider yourself popped.