5 Responses

1. Don Guizzetti
   April 11th, 2008 at 10:13 am

   An increasing number of Haitians are subsisting on “mud biscuits” made from clay, a bit of salt, and margarine or oil. Sort of adds a horrible dimension to the term “dirt poor.” The US government is most concerned that the rising food prices (up 40% in less than a year!) may cause a sudden increase in the number of Haitian refugees seeking to come to this country. The Coast Guard has been positioned to intercept the possible flotilla of homemade craft.

   Is this the very best we can do? We can spend over $510 BILLION to date on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to very questionable ends, while a nation that we have at times been intimately connected starves at our door step. To quote Joseph Welch of Army-McCarthy Hearings fame, “Have you left no sense of decency?” It appears that we have not.

   The 2 billion or so people in the poorest developing nations live on a dollar or two a day and often much less. The rising food and fuel prices push those who live on less than enough into living on nothing or if they are fortunate, maybe mud biscuits.

   So while we in the US, where at least 40% of the population is overweight or obese, every urban and suburban corner has some type of food outlet, our kitchen garbage overflows with wasted food, and we bemoan the price of gasoline as we drive our SUVs at least 10 mph over the speed limit spend much time and effort complaining about our miserable lot in life, our government is worried about starving refugees trying to make it to our shores on rafts made of garbage.

   Is this really the best we can do? Have we really no sense of decency or sense of shame? Do we expect that the poorest of the poor throughout the world will consent to just quietly go away and die so we can live in peace? Do we really believe that we will be isolated from the increasingly frequent shortages of food, fuel, and water? Will we simply dig a little deeper into our pockets to pay for all that we want while those on the margins explore making dirt palatable?

   The ultimate answer may be found in the 16th Chapter of the Gospel of Luke.

   19″There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
   22″The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[a] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

   25″But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.’

   Is this really the best we can do?

2. Emily
   April 20th, 2008 at 7:00 pm

   Does anyone know any good organizations to donate food to?

3. Don Guizzetti
   April 27th, 2008 at 10:06 pm

   Trinity?Hope

4. meggy
   May 5th, 2008 at 4:15 pm

   hey, stoked to hear what you guys are doing! i’m a teacher from new zealand (although not teaching at the moment) and think its awesome you are doing something as a class/school. i saw the situation in haiti on the news the other day. mud cakes! i couldn’t believe it. so i’m just not sure how to make a donation to your cause and would love to know how much money you have already raised. keep up the good work!

5. admin
   May 5th, 2008 at 6:50 pm

   @meggy - thanks for your encouraging words! We’ve added a “Donate” link at the top which links to a variety of ways to contribute. You can donate a particular dollar amount, or you can choose one of the other (more creative) options.

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