Humanitarian Aid without Voodoo

Been out of town on a very frustrating excursion, but now I am back and mostly caught up on my work -- for now.

The big news item, of course, is the devastation from the earthquake in Haiti. Seems that Fat Al Sharpton is going to Haiti tomorrow (Martin Luther King Day) for a "Mercy Mission." If his past activities in America are any indication, one can presume that he will be organizing the rioting and looting down there.

This whole Haiti thing presents a dilemma. On one hand, I do wish to help those disaster victims who are in need. But Haiti is, and always has been, a corruptocracy run by one greedy despot or another. If I donate money to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake, it is unlikely that any more than a few cents out of each hundred dollars will actually go towards helping the victims. Virtually all of that money will likely go into the pockets of the Haitian corruptocrats, whether as embezzled funds or outright bribes. And, based upon prior performance during Hurricane Katrina, I do not trust the American Red DoubleCross.

The solution: ZAKA, the Israeli rescue organization, has sent a delegation to Haiti. Unfortunately, the ZAKAniks have had to deal with many victims of terrorism in Israel. The upside of this is that they have developed much expertise and know-how in aiding victims such as those left in the wake of the quake. And if I support ZAKA, I know that my donations really will be used to help victims. In fact, ZAKA has already pulled off some rescues.

Donation checks can be sent to:

American Friends of ZAKA
1303 53rd St. #170
Brooklyn, NY 11219

[Write "Zaka Haiti Fund" in the Memorandum line of the Check.].


ZAKA's website also has a special secure Haiti Emergency donation webpage for those who use credit cards.