This is the original posting that got things rolling:



wow. most of the time i slap myself if i find myself watching oprah. i almost did today. but i found out she was in houston doing a show on the hurricane relief effort. believe it or not, it really moved me. i know, a week late, but it really hit hard today. frankly, the local news media is doing a terrible job of covering the disaster. they dont really accurately represent the true scale of the horror. it is so unbelievably miserable over there. it looks like a poor part of the world that has been ignored by all for years. but its not. *it is america.*



i dont care about your political position, race, religion, ethnicity, wealth, or social position. no matter what the government is doing now or didnt do then, the damage has been done. there are still desperate situations in mississippi, louisiana, arkansas, alabama, and texas. we need swifter, more useful, more meaningful action. this was an immensely catastrophic, massive disaster. EVERYONE needs to help.



also, i am so sick of people complaining about getting their schedule changed because of the need to make room for evacuees from louisiana. please, just deal with it. lets put a smile on our face, have open arms, and try to show a little compassion.



now, for those who have read this for a long time, remember my plea for helping to aid the impoverished people of third world countries? well im asking for help again, but this time, i am asking for help for our neighbors.



we are VERY fortunate. why shouldnt we share our good fortune with the victims who have been badly scarred by the storm? giving money and donating things is FANTASTIC, but one of the best ways to help will not cost you anything but some time. they need volunteers. i want to help! do any of you? i want to do whatever i can to help. because its no bother to me, but it can mean the world to someone who needs my help.



i am asking you, my loyal readers, if you can help. if you dont do it for me, do it for the sick elderly couple who had no possible way to get out. do it for the crippled man who was forgotten about. do it for the child who has no idea where their parents are, or even if they are still alive. do it for the baby delivered in the superdome, only to have their mother end up dying hours later.



ways to help? im kind of dazed. i can only hope that the red cross will accept a 16 year old to help. i have another idea. there is a story behind the idea:

last saturday, the kids down the street from me (ages 5, 6, 9, and 10) opened up a lemonade stand to benefit the red cross. i thought it was so awesome that they had started it up without their parents pushing them to do so. but the sad part of it was that i was their biggest cutomer, possibly their only. they said i was their first. i talked to them for a while, and in the time i was there, no one came. is it just that no one cares? unless foreign terrorists attack a major city, no one around here cares. i estimate they only raised around $10. really. in such a rich area (cinco ranch/kellywood/grand lakes), cant we spare a few measly dollars?

so i want to give the lemonade stand a second shot. it would be awesome if i had some backing up on this, as in some people to help me to get one set up somewhere and then getting people to work with me. please, anyone up for it?



my plan is to get the word out a few days before, and make it something significantly noticeable. im thinking front enterence to krogers, or target, or HEB. i want to raise at least $50. thats not a whole lot, but i must admit, i am somewhat skeptical as to how much people are willing to give. it would be nice to also sell some cookies and other random stuff, if people are willing to donate stuff to be sold for charity. lets make this happen.



i think of myself as a caring, compassionate, willing-to-work person. i try to be that way. this is not some flaky, superficial, popularity seeking, publicity stunt. i really do care. i really want to help. so the question is, do you?