I'm on everyone's e-mail lists it seems. But today, more than ever, I know why I'm a Democrat.
It's not the party affiliation, the liberal in me, the union support, the belief that government is there to help, it's not any of this. For me, being a Democrat is about asking "not what your country can do for, but what you can do for your country.(JFK)"
Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.(RFK)
More on the flip...
I got this e-mail yesterday from the DNC:
Many stayed behind and suffered devastating loss and injuries -- nearly a hundred have died that we know of, and hundreds of thousands need our help.
America is at its best when we realize that we are one community -- that we're all in this together. That means that each one of us has the responsibility to do what we can to help the relief effort.
(emphasis added)
The Red Cross is a great place to start:
http://www.redcross.org
They are already moving people and resources into the region to help. Donations will provide clean water, food, and shelter for disaster victims. The Red Cross web site also has important information for victims and their relatives across the country.
Many local Red Cross chapters are organizing volunteers to travel to affected areas -- doctors and nurses to provide medical care, workers to build shelters, first responders to assist in rescue operations. (emphasis added)
You can find your local chapter here to learn what you can do:
http://www.redcross.org/where/chapts.asp
We are still learning the full story of the devastation, but there is no time to wait.
Please do something now.(emphasis added)
So, here's what Ken sent me...
Hurricane Katrina has passed and now the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama must begin the process of rebuilding (emphasis added). Our thoughts are with those who were affected by this powerful storm. During times like these, there is no room for politics and partisanship. (emphasis added)This is a time when we all come together to help our neighbors.
Due to the size of this storm and the area of impact, the cost for recovery will be staggering. For that reason (emphasis added), we are asking you, our supporters, to make a donation to hurricane relief efforts. The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army provide shelter, food, water, blankets and clothing to those who have lost everything.
We appreciate your willingness to help these groups. Your generosity will help the people impacted by the storm begin the process of rising up and recovering from this disaster.
Thanks for all you do. (emphasis added)
Oddly enough, I compared and contrasted these. Never done that before. But Ken, seriously we see things very differently. I do believe that as an American, it is my responsibility to help my neighbors. And I have put aside partisan politics. I do every single day in order to help those whose opinions on how this country is run are different than mine. It's called being a grown up.
But I am now taking exception with your e-mail. We don't know the extent of damage. No, we aren't even close to start re-building. We need more assistance. We need more volunteers. Why haven't you suggested that we're all in this together? Aren't we?
So, today, I'm proud of the Chair of my party sending out an e-mail that reminds me and everyone else, that we must do something now.
When my friend in Jackson. MS gets back to me, I'm looking to do a fundraiser. I'll be working to adopt a neighborhood that he recommends. An entire neighborhood. After hearing the woman this morning on NPR who has $80 no place to stay, no job now and nothing to eat...it seems that I can do little else. I don't want to give to a specific organization. I want to adopt a neighborhood and give the neighborhood whatever we can come up with.
Mississippi is the poorest state with the worst schools and is now most in need of simple neighborly concern and love. These are my neighbors. I live no where near them and I don't know them now, but in a month, they'll be my family.
Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not. (RFK)