I am a South Jersey Friend and dad with a love out of outreach and a passion for looking afresh at Friends' testimonies, language and practices. I am the publisher of Quaker Quaker, a community site for Friends, and write about online publicity, organizing and design on my business site at MartinKelley.com.
Grief at the Asian Tragedies
Our grief goes out to the ever-higher number of known victims of the earthquake and tsuamis in southern Asia. Nonviolence isn't just protesting politicians, it's also about supporting our brothers and sisters in time of need. As of this writing, the death tool from the earthquake and tsuami has climbed over 140,000. That's many times the 3000 who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That's more than the estimate of 100,000 iraq civilians that have died in the two years since the U.S. led invasion. We humans seem to do a good job of creating mass misery for ourselves but nature can strike harder, faster. Who can truly imagine such instant, unexpected mass death?
Please consider a generous donation to a relief organization like the American Red Cross or American Friends Service Committee. Please also write letters to your respective governments: more can be done.
Update: reader Ric Moore says "Helping in Tsunami is good, but donors should be aware that donations to the American Red Cross go to a general response fund, whereas the International Red Cross has Tsunami relief separated (Thanks for the tip Ric!)
http://donate.ifrc.org/

