There seems to be a strong impression among the Left that the Red Cross is not worthy of our support, or that it is doing nothing, or that it is just as

clueless as FEMA. I don't know exactly why people think this, but perhaps some of it springs from the fact that the Red Cross has been turned away

from the disaster zone by FEMA and the National Guard. Or perhaps because local people have been quoted saying that FEMA and the Red Cross were

nowhere around.

If you know of any other reasons for bad-mouthing the Red Cross and withdrawing our support, please enlighten everybody. I hope they are specific,

knowledgeable reasons and not just anti-establishment feeling. However, the above reasons are not enough. The problem of being turned away by FEMA

is the same problem of everybody who is trying to help, and neither the Red Cross nor any progressive community-based organization can be everywhere

at once.

And just this morning, I heard somebody on KPFK actually saying, "Please don't donate to the Red Cross." What the f???! In times like this, when

everybody needs to help, it is just callous and cynical to tell people NOT to help the people who are helping. I have not even heard a whisper of a rumor

about any scandal or incompetence with the Red Cross' Katrina relief effort. If what I have read is correct, just yesterday (Sept. 15) the Red Cross

sheltered 50, 000 people and served 300,000 meals. That is NOT "doing nothing." To tell people NOT to support that effort, is the ultimate in political

hair-splitting, or perhaps it's just jealousy. I'm sure the people sleeping in those shelters and eating those meals don't give a fig about how progressive the

Red Cross is.

Last pay cycle, I donated to both the Red Cross and Operation USA (favored by KPFK). This pay cycle, I'm dispersing my contributions among smaller

in-kind direct-aid groups, like Pastors For Peace, Food Not Bombs and the Dream Center, which is housing 300 people in the heart of Silver Lake. Next

pay cycle, I may go back to the Red Cross and Op USA again. My point is that both large and small relief groups need our help, whether they're

progressive or not.

No one can ever be 100% sure that their aid dollars won't be ripped off. If the Red Cross can waste or steal your donations, then so could the local

anarchist foodbank. It's always a crapshoot, and the only way to be sure SOMETHING gets through, is to donate to a wide variety of groups. Since I

have not heard recently about any Red Cross officials resigning in disgrace or going to jail or enacting any discriminatory or homophobic policies, I guess

I might as well include the Red Cross in my generosity. So, unless you have a reason, please lay off the Red Cross for now.

For some statistics on the relief effort:

http://www.redcross.org/news/ds/hurricanes/katrina_facts.html

Red Cross:

1-800-HELP-NOW

1-800-257-7575 (Spanish)

http://www.redcross.org/

Operation USA

(323) 658-8876

http://operationusa.org/

ACORN:

http://tinyurl.com/chmat

Pastors For Peace:

Lucia Bruno at 347-423-4330

www.pastorsforpeace.org

Dream Center

2301Bellevue Ave. LA 90026

Volunteer hours 9-7 daily (except Sunday)

Volunteer check-in at 9, 11, 1, and 3

(213) 273-7100

http://www.dreamcenter.org

Food Not Bombs

1-800-884-1136

The Houston Kitchen can be called at 713-802-9642

http://www.foodnotbombs.net/katrina.html

MoveOn.Org

http://www.hurricanehousing.org/

The Moutre Family (seen on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, providing shelter to over 50 people)

The Bearrington's School

1250 Texas Parkway

Suite F

Stafford, TX 77477

(281) 499-7975

(281) 431-8999

e-mail Bearrington123@aol.com

Veterans For Peace Chapter 116

28500 Sherwood Rd

Willits CA 95490

http://www.veteransforpeace.org/hurricane_relief.htm

Compare the list of donors with the PDF list of Red Cross leadership. (see attached). They are giving money to themselves! Giving to the Red Cross is giving to the government (Bush and the people who caused it) and the corporations (who are planning to profit from it). There is no way to know where your Red Cross donation will end up. (Iraq maybe)

Progressives know all this and are donating directly to local non-profit groups.



List of corporate donors to Red Cross

3M Co

7-Eleven Inc.

Abbott Laboratories Fund

ACE INA Foundation

ADA Foundation

ADC Foundation

Adobe Systems Inc

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Albert & Katherine E. Merck Charitable Fund

Albert Trostel & Sons Company

Albert W. Cherne Foundation

Albertsons Employees Federal Credit Union

AMD Matching Gift Program

America Chung Nam, Inc

American Express Employee Giving Campaign

American Express Foundation

American Psychological Association

American Standard Companies Inc

Amgen Foundation

Amphenol Corporation

Andreas Foundation

Anheuser-Busch Co Inc

Ann Taylor Inc

AOL Online Inc

AOL Time Warner

Apple Computer

Applera

Applied Materials

Aramark Charitable Fund

Archer Daniels Midland Company

Ascent Media

Ask Jeeves Inc

AT&T Foundation

Avaya Inc

Avocent Corp

B.R. Guest Inc

Bacardi USA Inc

BAE Systems

Banco Popular De Puerto Rico

Bank of America

Bank of America Foundation

Bank of New York Company, Inc

Bass Pro Outdoor World LLC

Battelle Memorial Institute

Baxter International Employees

BearingPoint

BearingPoint Charitable Employee Giving Campaign

BearingPoint Charitable Foundation

Bechtel Corporation

Bechtel Foundation

Becton Dickinson & Co

BellSouth Corporation

Bemel & Ross

Best Buy Childrens Foundation

Best Buy Purchasing LLC

Big Y Foods Charitable Foundation

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

BJs Wholesale Club, Inc.

Blockbuster Entertainment Corp

Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Florida

Boeing Co

Bonnie Allchin

Bose Foundation Inc

Boston Financial Data Services

Boston Scientific Corporation

Boye Foundation, Inc

BP Foundation Inc

Bridgestone-Firestone Trust Fund

Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation

Brother International Corp

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co

Brown Family Foundation

Buick Open Charitable Fund

Butler Manufacturing Company

Calyon Financial PTE Ltd

Canon USA Inc

Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation

Capital One Services Inc

Cardinal Health Inc

Caremark RX Inc

Cargill Inc

Carnival Corporation

Carroll Petrie

Case Foundation

castle Trust

Caterpillar Foundation

CDW Corporation

Celebrities for Charity Foundation

Cendant Charitable Foundation

Chad Hallock

Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation

Cheryl & Lowell Jacobsen Family Fund

ChevronTexaco Corp

Chris Kenber

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

CIGNA Foundation

Cingular Wireless LLC

Cirque du Soleil Inc.

Cisco Foundation

Cisco System Inc Employees

Cisco Systems Inc

CITA The Wireless Foundation

Citgo Petroleum Corp

Citigroup Inc

Citrix Systems Inc

Clarence Grimes Charitable Remainder Unitrust

Clarke American

Clear Channel Entertainment

Clear Channel Worldwide

CN

Coca-Cola Company

Coinstar Inc

Colgate-Palmolive Company

Columbia House Company

Comerica, Inc.

Community Foundation Of Middle Tennessee

Community Of Christ

CompuCredit Corporation

Computer Associates International Inc

ConAgra Foods

ConEdison

Cooley Godward Llp

Cost Plus, Inc

Costco Wholesale

Credit Suisse First Boston LLC

CVS, Inc

D. W. McMillan Foundation

Dade Behring, Inc.

Dads Denim Inc Citizens Of Humanity

Dairy Relief Inc

Dana Corporation

Dana Corporation Foundation

Danaher Corporation

David Barger

David G. Neeleman

David R. Welland

Delhaize America, Inc.

Deloitte & Touche LLP

Delphi Foundation Inc

Department Of the Army Chaplain Fund

Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation

Diane Fagen

Diebold Inc

Dominos Pizza

Donald G. Fisher Fund

Dover Corporation

Dow Chemical Company Foundation

Dow Corning Foundation

Dresser-Rand Company

Duncan D. Ebersol

E. D. S. Workplace Campaign

Ebay

Eddie Bauer Inc

Edith Pattison Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust

EDS

Edward Jones Company

Edward W. & Lee Hill Snowdon Administrative Fund

Eisai, Inc.

El Adobe Corporation

Elbert E. Clark

Electronic Arts Inc

Eli Lilly & Co Foundation

Ellen K. Estate of Roberts

EMC Mortgage Corporation

EMCOR Group Inc

Emerson Electric Company

Emmeline Ling

Employees Community Fund Of Boeing Puget Sound

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Entrust Partners, LLC

Equity Residential

Ernst & Young Foundation

Express Scripts Inc

ExxonMobil Corp

ExxonMobil Foundation

F&M Bank Iowa

F. M. Kirby Foundation Inc

Federated Insurance

Fidelity Charitable Fund

First Data Western Union Foundation

Fluor Foundation

FM Global Foundation

Foley & Lardner LLP

Food Lion, LLC

Ford Foundation

Foster Poultry Farms LLC

FPL Group Foundation Inc

Frances Alexander Foundation

Frank Florik Charitable Trust

Frank M Ewing Foundation Inc

Fred Maytag Family Foundation

Fulbright & Jaworski Foundation

Fulcrum Global Partners Llc

G S. Doctor

G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation

Gallatin Steel Company

Gannett Fleming

Gap Foundation

Gary Bloom

GE Foundation

General Mills Foundation

General Motors Corporation

Genworth Financial Inc

George F. Mueden

George Hoag Family Foundation

Giant Eagle Inc

Gladys & Roland Harriman Foundation

Gloria Estefan Foundation

GMAC Financial Services

GMAC RFC

Golden State Foods

Goldman Sachs & Co

Good Samaritan Inc

Grainger Inc

Great Lakes Chemical Corporation

Gregor S. Bailair

Gregory W. Baird

Guggenheim Capital LLC

H.R.C. Foundation, Inc

Halliburton Co

Hannaford Bros Co

Hard Rock Cafe International

Harland

Harman Management Corp

HCA Inc

Helen T. Madeira

Hewlett-Packard Co

Hogan & Hartson LLP

Holiday Retirement Corp

Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation Inc

Hollywood Media Corp

Home Depot Inc

Hospira_inc.

Household International Inc

HSBC

Hsbc - North America

HSC Foundation

IAC Foundation Inc

Idt Integrated Device Technology Inc

IMS Health

Infineon Technologies Foundation

Ingersoll-Rand Charitable Foundation

Intel Foundation

International Paper

Intuit Foundation

Irwin Home Equity

Islamic Foundation Of Greater St Louis

J M Family Enterprises, Inc

J. M. Huber Corporation

Jack & Adele Mason Family Foundation, Inc.

Jack in the Box Foundation

Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust

Jacobs Engineering Foundation

James Burrows

James D. Sinegal

JCPenney Company Inc

JCPenney Purchasing Corporation

Jeff Nathanson

Jessie Ball Dupont Fund

Jewish Communal Fund

Joan H. McBride

Jo-Ann Stores, Inc

John Deere Foundation

John F. Welch Jr Foundation

John S & Amy S Weinberg Foundation

John S. & James L. Knight Foundation

John T. Chambers

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies

Jon S. Corzine Foundation

Jones Lang LaSalle Charities

Joseph & Victor Saturno Foundation

Joseph A. DiMenna

Joseph Lizzio

JP Morgan Chase

JP Morgan Chase Foundation

Jp Morgan Private Bank

JPMorgan Chase and Co

Juniper Networks Foundation Fund

JustGive

Kantar Group

Kash N Karry Food Stores

Kerzner International Resorts, Inc

Key Foundation

Keyspan

Kidde

Kmart Corp

Knapp Swezy Foundation

Kohl s Corporation

Kresge Foundation

Kroger Co

Kroger Co Foundation

Kubota Tractor Corp

L L Bean

Laur D. Wheaton

Lehman Brothers Foundation

Leon W. Harman

Lilly Endowment Inc

Lincoln Financial Group Foundation Inc

Lincy Foundation

Little Caesers Enterprises Inc

Lori L. Huang

Lowes Companies Inc

LP Touring

LPL Financial Services

Lucasfilm Ltd

Lucent Technologies Foundation

Luitpold Pharmaceuticals Inc

M & T Bank

M. R. Erdman

Mac Valves Foundation

Macromedia

MAG Instrument Inc

Magnus Charitable Trust

Make Yourself Foundation

Maria Torok Foundation, Inc

Marriott International Inc

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc

Martha E. Horowitz

Maurice P. Newton

Maxxis International USA

MBNA

MBNA Foundation

McDermott Will & Emery Charitable Foundation

McDonald's

McGraw-Hill Companies

McGregor Fund

MCI - Employee Contributions

MCI, Inc

McKesson Foundation

MeadWestvaco Foundation

Medieval Times Foundation

Mendel Rosenblum

Mercer Human Resources Consulting

Merck & Co Inc

Merck Partnership For Giving

Merrill Lynch & Co Foundation Inc

Merrill Lynch & Co Inc

Merrill Lynch Employees Tsunami Disaster Relief Program

MetLife Foundation

Miami Overseas Chinese Association

Michael Foods Inc.

Michael J. Good

Michael P. Krasny

Microsoft Giving Campaign

Mission Fish

Mitsui & Co USA Inc

Mizuho Corporate Bank LTD

MoneyGram International

Monsanto Company

Monte dei Paschi di Siena Foundation

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP

Morgan Stanley

MTV Networks

My Points.Com Inc

Nalco Foundation

Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.

National Semiconductor

Ned S. Alexander

Nestle Waters North America Inc.

Network for Good

Network Of Asian-American Organizations

New Egg.COm

New England Biolabs, Inc

New York Power Authority

New York Times Co Foundation

News Corporation Foundation

Nextel Communications Inc

Nissan North America Inc

NOL Beyond Boundaries Trust Fund

Nortel

Northern Trust

Northern Trust Bank

Northern Trust Cmopany

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Northwestern Mutual Foundation

Novartis US Foundation

Nuveen Investments

Oaktree Capital Management LLC

Oc Tanner

Office Depot Inc

Old Republic International Corporation

Oldcastle Materials, Inc.

Olga Schernekau

Oneida Indian Nation

Oracle Corporation

OSI Group LLC

Oxford Industries

PACCAR Inc

Pacific Gas and Electric Co

Pathmark Stores Inc

Paul L. Newman

Paymentech Merchant Services Inc

Peets Coffee & Tea

Pepsico Foundation

Peter Kraus

Pfizer Foundation Matching Gifts Program

Pfizer Inc

Philip A. Rhodes

Plastipak

Pokemon USA Inc

Pokerstars.com and Its Players

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, Inc

PPG Industries Inc

Presidio

Price Waterhouse Coopers Llp

Princess Cruises / Cunard Line

Princess Tours

Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc.

Procter & Gamble Co Inc

ProLogis Foundation

Provident Financial Management

Publix Super Markets, Inc.

Pulte Home Inc

Putnum Investments Inc

PWH Coopers Charitable Foundation

QLogic Corporation

Quad Graphics Inc

Qualcomm Inc

Quest Diagnostics

QVC Inc

R & P Partnership

Raytheon Company

RBC Capital Markets

Reliant Energy Inc

Reliv International, Inc.

Research Foundation for Health & Environmental Effects

Richard V. Spencer

Risk Management Solutions

Rite Aid Corp

Robert W. Woodruff Foundation

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Rockwell Automation

Roger Penske

Ronnie G. Ben-Zur

Ross Stores Inc

Russell J. Fuller

S A. Johnson

Safeway Foundation

Sales Force.Com / Foundation

Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

Samuel I Newhouse Foundation Inc

Sandra Bullock

SBC Foundation

SBC Foundation Matching Gifts Program

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc

Sealed Air Corporation

Sean Penn

Selby Foundation

Self-Realization Fellowship

Sempra Energy

Shaws Supermarkets, Inc.

SHeDAISY Inc

Shell Oil Company Foundation

Shop-Rite Disaster Relief Fund

Si Bank & Trust Foundation

Siemens Caring Hands Fndn

Siemens Corporation

Siesta Valley Ranch

Sing Tao Newspapers New York LTD

Sixty Four Foundation

Sonnenschein

Sony Corporation of America

Southwest Airlines

Spencer Savings Bank

Sprint Corp

Sprint United Management Company

St Jude Medical Foundation

St Paul Travelers Foundation Community Action Awards

State Farm Insurance Company

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co

State Street

State Street Corp

State Street Foundation

Stavros Niarchos Foundation

Steelcase Foundation

Stemmons Foundation

Stop & Shop Family Foundation

Stuart Frankel And Company Inc

SuperValu Foundation

Sybase Inc

Sycamore Networks Charitable Trust

Symbol Technologies Inc

SYSCO Corp

Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc

Target Corporation

Taylor Family Foundation

Tekelec

Tellabs

Teradyne Inc

The Oxford Club

The Peierls Foundation Inc

The Pentair Foundation

The Pepsi Bottling Group Foundation

The Pew Charitable Trusts

The PMI Foundation

The Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation

The Ralphs/Food 4 Less Foundation

The Resnick Family Foundation

The Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving

The Security National Bank Of Sioux City

The Starr Foundation

The Sun-Sentinel McCormickTribune Foundation

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

The Toro Company Employees

The Vanguard Group Foundation

The VF Foundation

The Vranos Family Foundation

The Walter Foundation

The Wireless Foundation

Thompson Family Fund

Tiffany & Co

Tiger Woods Foundation Inc

Time Warner Foundation

Tomkins Corporation Foundation

Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America Inc

Toyota Motor North America Inc

Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc

Toyota Tsusho America Inc

Treadwells

Tribune Company

Tudor Investment Corporation

Tuthill Corporation

Tyson

UBS Investment Bank

Unilever United States Foundation Inc

Union Oil Company of California

United States Steel Corportation

United States Trust Company of New York

United Stationers Inc

United Technologies Corp

Unocal Foundation Workplace Giving Program

URS Corporation

Us Bancorp Foundation

Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc

Verizon Foundation

Vernon H. Wright

Viacom Inc

Vinik

Virginia Fulton Charitable Gift Fund Of The Fidelity

Vivendi Universal Music Group

W L Gore & Associates Inc

W.R. Grace Foundation, Inc.

Wachovia Corp

Wachovia Foundation

Wacoal America Inc

Wal-Mart Stores Inc

Walt Disney Co

Washington Mutual Bank

Waters Corporation

Wayne Wilde Family Fund

Weight Watchers International, Inc.

WellChoice

Wellington Management Company LLP

Wells Fargo Bank

Wells Fargo Foundation

Western Gas Resources, Inc

Westinghouse Electric Company LLC

Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation

White & Case Llp

Whole Foods Market

Wilbur-Ellis

Wild Oats Markets, Inc

Wiliam Schreyer

William B Dietrich Foundation

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale And Dorr LLP

Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati

WorldReach, Inc

Wyeth Consumer Healthcare

Yahoo

Yahoo Employee Giving Program

Yahoo Inc

Yum Brands Foundation Inc

Zimmer

First of all, a correction: KPFK didn't say "Don't donate to the Red Cross." One host did. KPFK's hosts have a remarkable degree of free speech in their broadcasts, and because of that and habituation to corporate-dictated lines of most other media, comments by a show host are often, but wrongly, attributed to the station.

I would be surprised if many in any political sector are blaming the delays in entering NO on anyone but FEMA (although I suspect some of us would have been pleased if the Red Cross had pushed through the lines). But there is cause for caution when the Bush administration touts a few handpicked charities and the Red Cross tops the list.

But even if you're not so cautious, the last figure I heard was that 82% of private relief money is going to the Red Cross. I wholeheartedly agree that, if you're in a position to do so and your concerns about the disaster on the Gulf Coast are broadbased, donating to multiple causes is the way to go.

But be aware that the Red Cross's efforts are limited. The Red Cross provides immediate relief: cots, food, water, first aid, critical medical attention and medicine. They aren't set up for long-term aid. They don't assist with rescue. They aren't in the business of rebuilding. In natural disasters, they have a track record in emergencies that require short-term assistance and timely return to pre-disaster conditions. That's not the Gulf Coast.

The Red Cross is notoriously top-heavy with administrative costs. According to Bill Bischoff in Smartmoney, "In its fiscal year ending on June 30, 2002, the American National Red Cross spent $1.16 billion on employee salaries. Spending on actual disaster relief assistance for individuals was only $608 million. Of that, $479 million was for Sept. 11 assistance. . . . During the preceding fiscal year (the one ending on June 30, 2001), the Red Cross spent $1.04 billion on employee salaries and only $149 million on actual assistance for individuals." (http://www.smartmoney.com/tax/advice/index.cfm?story=charity1111)

Finally, the Red Cross is a top-down organization. It's relief efforts are coordinated through its office in Washington, DC. You've provided a useful list of more grassroots-based organizations, which, in my observation, have a better sense of what's needed than a far-flung international corporation, nonprofit though it be. I'd like to suggest that you and others who are reading this check out the May First list for grassroots/low-income/people of color-led

Hurricane Katrina relief and its list of where to donate to organizations that are:

* Organizing at the grassroots level in New Orleans, Biloxi, Houston and other affected areas

* Providing immediate disaster relief to poor people and people of color

* Directed by, or accountable to, poor people and people of color

* Fostering the democratic inclusion of poor people and people of color in the rebuilding process.



They are at http://katrina.mayfirst.org/ . They have a link to a webpage on reasons to give to local groups instead of just to the Red Cross. I haven't looked at it, but it might have more answers to your concern.

The problem is that people give to the RC expecting the money to be used for the victims, but, there's no guarantee of that. It could go to administration.

The other issue is a larger political one, where the government is trying to outsource everything to corporations and NGOs. The Red Cross could start a trend of externalizing disaster costs. The net effect could be a reduction in disaster preparedness, where people "self-tax" during disasters, but no long-term rebuilding effort is undertaken. People *feel* good, but, things don't get done.

"Hey, I gave to the Red Cross. I don't wanna pay more taxes," could become the mantra of the selfish, if it already isn't.