I. Just. Can't. Anymore.

I just can't watch any more news. I've been trying to follow on written word, rather than t.v., but last night i watched a special they had on the Haitian Quake on MSN. Speechless. I couldn't sleep last night as Chris Matthew's sound bite about his trip to Haiti and the first thing he saw was a kid drinking out of a pothole kept replaying in my head. And here this morning, i am able to wake up, drink my coffee out of a cup, eat my salad for lunch with a fork and a plate, on a table, after having used clean water to clean all of the ingredients in the said salad, and watch my child play with her toys while she sips juice and milk. Incredible how blessed we are. It is incredible to me that we are a country where if anyone needs food or water, there are shelters set up to deliver just that. Yet, i am still reeling from the news of our countries apparent ineptitude with this recent international disaster.

Having worked in the medical field--for a while at a nationally recognised burn centre, i know the medical miracles that a good medical team can pull out. Yet, i can't help reflecting on whatelse i saw after watching the news lately. We'd complete inventory regularly and find tons and tons of medical waste in the form of numerous expired bottles of pills at various $$$/pill & dump them into a cardboard drum that was loaded up when full and shipped to an incinerator. Saline bags (salt + water for hydration purposes or for adding medicine into to be given IV) outdated by 1-2 months--still in original sterile packaging--removed from sterile packaging and cut open and drained of it's contents into the sewer system.

This morning, i caught a glimpse of CNN reports from yesterday and today. Infuriating and embarrassing to say the least.

Especially infuriating was the story about the gentleman that they had patched, but because of severe hydration, and lack of saline bags, he was suffering horribly as his saline had run dry and his family was there to wait with him until his death.

Another report this morning was about the Isreali medical hospital that set up in Haiti...looking like something straight out of a M.A.S.H. set, but with ventilatours and computer modules. And where are the Americans that are only 1100 miles away? For cryin' out loud!! It's over 6500 miles from Jerusalum to Port-au-Prince!!

I appreciate that the personnel we do have there is helping the best they can, in many cases momentarily saving the lives of hundreds of survivours, who without further treatment for something even so minour as a broken bone, they will be stablised only to die a longer and more horrific death.

What is definitely becoming apparent is something that i thought was common sense knowledge...whether it's meant figuratively or literally, for some things a band aid isn't gonna solve the problem.

I encourage you to surf the net, if nothing else. If our gov't can't get it together in a timely fashion, let it be said that it wasn't for lack of help from nor the lack of generousity of the American populous! There are many bloggers out there that are donating money based on the number of comments they receive. There are ebayers and esty-ites that are selling wares with proceeds going toward Haiti relief. Find a charity to donate to. Ask your church or social group about any planned contributions and pile yours in with it. It's time to start our seeds here, and i'm mulling over the idea of planting the entire packets this year and selling the leftover starts i won't need for a massive donation to CRS.

Truly, any way you can help and at any time you can help...Lord knows the people of Haiti have needed help for many years, and they'll need it for a great many more years to come.