Added bonus: if they can keep making folks with hearts pay for things like phone cards and common decency, those suckers^b^b^b^b^b^b^b great patriots won't have money enough left to donate to political organizations that oppose the junta.

Second bonus: these folks can always, always, always turn to the Church for help! The Armies of Compassion are geared up and ready to assist! For, you know. A few words about Our Savior, and a moment spent in prayer.

Fucking. Disgrace.

Someone remind me to register Republican for the next election so I can at least do the tiniest bit to nudge the Repub party back to the center through the primaries...

Am I the only one who, seeing the phrase 'calling cards', still thinks of paper cards that you leave when you came by but the people you were coming to see weren't there? Or metaphors based on the same?

It really takes me an extra parse tree or so to get to phone calling cards.

Along Jon's lines, I'm wondering how many of the beneficiaries will think twice before voting Republican....

*snickers at MV*

-Catie

The only thing that comes to mind is the Red Crescent. I know most other aid agencies including Medecins sans frontiers have had to go.

This site might be a good starting point.

AnnaFDD, the Red Crescent isn't being allowed in Iraq because some of their ambulances carried PLO people/stuff over borders.

They apparently are in Iraq, they just tried to carry a convoy of various stuff to Fallujah. After a bit of searching around, I came to the conclusion that they are the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, working together with the International Red Cross Commitee and the International Red Cross Something Else. I doubt they are all that popular with the guys currently running the show there right now, but they do exist, and they seem to be able to carry aid where others can't.

I know the International Red Cross itself is scaling back its operations in Iraq - like almost everybody else - because it's just too dangerous. MSF withdrew. The Italian Red Cross is still there, despite being I think restricted to Baghdad - poor Enrico Baldoni was with one of their convoys when he was kidnapped. Still, the Italian Red Cross is a military organization and works with the Italian Army who is in Iraq in clear violation of our Constitution, so I for one won't be giving them money, as much as I appreciate what they're doing. (They, and Emergency, are probably the main reason of the seven Italian hostages in Iraq only two were killed.)

Emergency - www.emergency.it - is still operating several hospitals in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan and Sudan, but they are very definitely opposed to the war on extreme pacifism grounds. I will be giving them money, but I'm warning people - they are definitely pacifists.

I did a lot of searching around but to be honest I wasn't able to come up with anybody who was actually providing direct humanitarian aid in Iraq. My Amnesty International friends probably do know of somebody, though.

Of course - anybody providing aid to civilians is unlikely to worry too much about distinguishing between "combatants" and "non-combatants" in a situation of insurgency. Emergency for example will cure anybody at all (though they have a tendency to lecture to them). Which is both a problem for the civilians involved and for those who might like to donate, but not to insurgents.

Best I could come up with is the international branch of the Red Cross. If they are getting into the prisons, they're able to do something. Here's their site: http://www.icrc.org/eng

I was going to do more looking, but my internet has gone sloooooooow.

The children are given top-notch medical service, but they each come with a parent attached. These parents are allowed through the border stations with absolutely nothing, and they're not allowed to leave the hospital. So it falls to people like my mother to bring them food, toiletries, and their no. 1 requested item - phone cards.

Imagine my surprise when I realized you were talking about your own soldiers.

Would anyone know of a print-your-own-phone-card service...I want to give $100 of "Anti-war/Pro-vet!" phone cards stat.

That's a pretty cool idea. Letus know if you figure something out.

Mercy Corps is still in Iraq doing water supply and sanitation as well as projects with longer-term benefits. The Seattle Times has them there as recently as 11/08.

Also from the Seattle Times article,

Some groups that continue to work in Iraq now shun publicity for fear of emerging as a target of terrorism. Others agreed to be named in this article. They include Portland-based Northwest Medical Teams, which trains nurses and doctors in its international and Iraqi-staffed office in Kurdish-controlled Erbil in northern Iraq, and Connecticut-based Save The Children Federation, which works in the southern Iraqi town of Basra.

(browse browse) Yeah, Save the Children is doing direct humanitarian aid.

Just to remind you all, if you want to help service personnel, you can do worse than:

• Air Force Aid Society


• Army Emergency Relief


• Coast Guard Mutual Assistance


• Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society


• American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services

As an outpaitient, my finacee had as much access as anyone else to me, which is to say they moved me to an empty room when she came to visit. All I had to do was tell the desk.

As an inpatient, I suppose I might have needed to be legally wed, but I suspect I could have gotten around it. I can think of other things (like invitational orders) which would need the deed.

TK

But I'm gonna do it. It's worth it.

Abigail, your mother is a mensch. I hope that translates OK. I love her.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

That's what my Republican in-laws are going to get for Christmas this year--Donations in their name to the Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services.

If your duplicate cards don't need magstripes you could do it cheaper (and wouldn't have to invest in a magstripe writer). You could just print onto card stock; laminate if you're feeling fancy.

My friend's perspective is that the troops are wonderfully taken care of; it's the families and the hospital staff that are stretched really, really thin. (Hint: medical draft). Some local vets are working on projects to help them out; if you live in the area and can help, feel free to email me.

Ronit

The Red Crescent IS the Red Cross. Even though the Red Cross is simply an adaptation of the Swiss Flag (the founder was Swiss), from Day One Muslims deemed the cross to be offensive, so Red Cross operations in Muslim states are symbolized by a Red Crescent. They are one and the same organization.

And the Italian Red Cross is not a military organization affiliated with the Italian military. The International Red Cross, which administers all Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations, is adament in their neutrality and they will not be affiliated with any military for any reason.

See http://www.members.cox.net/smithbrian/pictures/Bushh3.jpg

Brian David Smith, San Diego, California
http://www.briandsmith.com

True enough, Ronald Reagan stuck to his guns. The difference between him and
other politicians was his choice of guns. --- Brian David Smith, June 12, 2004 ---

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/phonecards.asp