Beyond Imagination

From today's headlines:

China's official toll tops 22,000. as aftershocks continue to rock the country.

Myanmar death toll takes big jump; The official count doubles to nearly 78,000, state TV says.

and from CNN:

Around 436,000 properties were destroyed or badly damaged in Monday's earthquake in southwestern China, leaving at least 4.8 million homeless, according to official figures released Friday. The official death toll now stands at 22,000, with at least 14,000 still buried.

It has always been hard for me to get my head around numbers like this. The images from both countries are heart wrenching. And especially in Burma it is hard for the outside world to help, given the regime in charge there. There is so much pain in those places this week. Our actions as Americans in the coming years are so important.

• Dealing with the climate crisis.


• Rebuilding our economy so we can take care of our country and feel the financial confidence to help others in need.


• Changing the thinking between short term profit and long term safety, accountability and care for citizens

We can not do any of those things under a McCain presidency. We have to all do what we can, where we can, to bring everyone together under a Democratic administration taking over at long last in January of 2009. (and cross our fingers and hope we can keep it together until then)

America is a leader in the world. Time we started to act like one again.

In the meantime- send what you can;
Oxfam

Unicef and Direct Relief International, relief for Burma sponsored by Google

Doctors Without Borders