Okay... Now I Can Bitch

The one thing I didn't do the other night (since it meant creeping into the bedroom to get my wallet), which I have since rectified, is that I hadn't yet given any money to relief efforts myself. But now, that's done. We gave to the American Red Cross International Response Fund. If you prefer to give somewhere else, The Washington Post has an impressive list of agencies offering aid.

I'm a bit embarassed at my earlier post -- sometimes I feel like being over-the-top, and I figure this is the place to do it. At the same time, I have to realize that when I do that, it tends to trivialize my concerns, which is not my intention. In short, I've got to figure out a way to blow off steam AND raise issues I think are serious. I'm not sure what the solution is, but I'll work at finding some way to do both in the new year.

I still think that our government can do more than what's being done. And I think it's shameful that the President has squandered what used to be an enormous surplus into an overwhelming deficit, so that critical international aid winds up getting short-changed. But as of today, American individuals have donated $18 million to the Red Cross to help the earthquake victims, which is pretty impressive.

Rob