... and, this is accurate.  And, the criticisms with regard to FEMA and the Red Cross continue to come in. I have not recommended donating to the Red Cross for more than a decade. After a great deal of criticism came in after Katrina, their "switching" of donations intended for Hurricane Sandy (2012) relief was unethical. The RC puts its disaster donations into a single pot along with its income from other sources. Money is then doled out as the RC sees fit. In other words, your disaster donation may well end up remodeling a Red Cross office nowhere near the disaster. I also do not like the nearly $700,000 annual salary given to its president (100% of Salvation Army personnel are volunteers) and its use of private jets.  The Red Cross says it gives "nearly" 90% of its donations to various needy people (those who need blood transfusions, veterans, et cetera) but with Salvation Army and Samaritan's Purse, virtually 100% go to those who need it. 

A peaceful area for meditation and prayer in Leawood, Kansas. We have an incredibly beautiful world that we should protect and cherish. A number of readers are unhappy when I refer to "Big Climate." Here's some information that will clarify why I choose to use that term: "According to E&E News, the CEO of the World Wildlife Fund, Carter Roberts, takes home a nifty $1.2 million each year in compensation. Similarly the president of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) gets close to one million each year, and the head of the Nature Conservancy gets three-quarters of a million. It takes half a million dollars to get the chief of the “Rainforest Alliance” to turn up for work, and $415k to feed the account of the president of the Wilderness Society. The two co-directors of Greenpeace USA get about $330,000 a year each." You can read more here . These aren't charities in the traditional sense of the term. They demand your money, your votes and your loyalty. Th...

The lie that "pro-life people are only pro-birth" is outrageous. So, I'm posting his thread for reference to any women who wants to keep their babies but may have concerns about support and finances. Here in Wichita, parochial school tuition is free.   Yes, free. And, you do not have to be Catholic to attend (those students receive an extra study hall). This is from kindergarten through high school. We understand that, to be truly pro-life, we must assist underprivileged women keep their babies.  The thread is below. Nowhere in the Gospels does it say that Jesus said to build giant unaccountable bureaucracies. He told us that every single one of us has a personal  obligation to help the poor. Nothing could be better than helping parents with the most important job on earth -- raising children! For those who may have missed it, here is CBS News' story about a pregnancy center and what it does for pregnant women in crisis. 

Let's begin with the bottom line. The situation is critical after Monday's derecho. Donation information is below.  This morning in Cedar Rapids It is hard to believe how serious the situation is in Iowa. Six days after, there are still a quarter-million  people without power. It won't be until tomorrow afternoon for even half  of the City of Cedar Rapids to have power. The Iowa governor was very slow on the uptake with this storm and didn't even call out the Iowa National Guard until Friday. The derecho's damage is more like a Cat. 2 hurricane than a windstorm. More on the derecho, here . Please, please donate. Local meteorologist Rebecca Kopelman recommends: United Way of East Central Iowa. Go here . However, their donations have to go through PayPal and I was not able to get the link to work this morning. She also recommends the Food Pantry, here .  This is where I made my donation this morning.  God Bless You for doing so!!

Unfortunately, this story is apparently correct. Here is the story . I dislike the headline because I don't care who makes whom richer as long as they are honest about it. That stipulated, I believe the story is essentially correct because it tracks with my experience pertaining to 350.org .  The Dakota Access Pipeline, which recently began carrying oil from the Bakken oil field in North Dakota to a refinery in Illinois, was threatened and delayed by a series of professional and well-funded protests. Much of the anti-Dakota Access Pipeline activities were part of a campaign orchestrated by  350.org , an extremist organization that receives major funding from the Tides Foundation – which gets a large portion of its financial support from Buffett’s NoVo Foundation. It appears NoVo’s interest in blocking the construction of the pipeline had more to do with protecting Berkshire Hathaway’s railroad interests than protecting the environment. Berkshire Hathaway owns Bur...

Houston, after Harvey : As I walked the floor (which I estimated to be the size of 10 to 12 football fields), I found that many people just needed someone to listen to their stories and maybe hold their hands.  I saw families and single mothers with two, four, or even six children, including newborns.  I spoke to people who had been separated from families or had no one else in the world.  I prayed with elderly and handicapped people and became friends with an elderly man with no legs in a wheelchair who always had a smile for me.  I procured small stuffed animals and toys for dozens of small children and babies.  I was rewarded with tiny smiles and blessed to hold little hands. I have been amazed by the courage and hope and faith in God displayed by these victims who did not behave like "victims."  They kept up their spirits and told their stories and, in very profound ways, ministered to me and other volunteers.  Yes, there was some tension and ...