INTERNATIONAL POLITICS/LOCAL LABOUR:

IWW RELIEF FOR HAITI:

The situation in Haiti is grim, and the immediate impulse is to send money for relief through whatever channels are available. Still, there are channels that are more reliable than others. Some of this judgement is easy. If a relief organization has a religious bent to it it is suspect from that fact, and the closer it approaches to American evangelism the more likely it is to be a scam. American evangelism is one of the few movements in human history that has raised dishonesty to the point of a defining characteristic.

At6 the same time, while I was immediately alerted to the unpleasant religious nature of 'World Vision' and I both searched down their previous scandalous history and decided not to donate to them I was unaware of the recent scandals of the Red Cross. to my mind their most recent scandal was in the early 1980s with the tainted blood scandal here in Canada. I guess I don't pay enough attention to events outside of my own country because there have been many other incidents since then.

The following post gives you a way to contribute to Haiti relief directly to ordinary Haitian working people without having to go through government controlled quangos. There is also an alternative pathway to contribute, via the IWW, at http://pledgie.com/campaigns/7950 . The following appeal is from our local IWW group here in Winnipeg. While I think that at least some of the aid organizations now working in Haiti are legit, and even those who are not do at least some good work I would urge my readers to contribute via the IWW recommended sites to assure that their contributions won't be sucked away by an aid bureaucracy. Here's the appeal.

IPIPIPIPIPIPIPIP

IWW Fundraising for Haiti Earthquake Relief :

On behalf of union workers in Haiti, the Industrial Workers of the World is raising funds for relief in the wake of the tragic earthquake that struck January 12th, 2010.

On the decision of the International Solidarity Committee of the IWW, all funds raised through these donations will be distributed to Batay Ouvriye and the CTH (Confederation of Haitian Workers), workers organizations in Haiti that the IWW has had contact with.

Since the IWW is a 501c5 Labor Organization, these donations will not be tax deductible.

ISC Haiti support is for long-term labor assistance and Development. For short-term disaster relief, the ISC suggest a donation to Partners in Health (http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti)