Charity Begins...well, you know.

[redstar2000]

I was somewhat reluctant to post this item; I went through both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita...and the only financial assistance I received was from the American Red Cross...about $900.00 altogether. I filed two claims with FEMA and never saw a goddam dime! :angry:

Still, we live in a capitalist society...which means the opportunity to steal can never be passed up even in the midst of catastrophe.


Originally posted by New Orleans Times Picayune
Red Cross gives fraud case to FBI

Federal investigators have started looking into allegations of fraud and deceit by American Red Cross volunteers stationed in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. attorney's office said Friday.

The Red Cross this week turned over its internal report on purported wrongdoing in connection with food distribution and warehousing in the New Orleans region, including alleged rogue operations such as a black market of disaster relief items, according to an attorney and volunteer who spoke out a week ago.

No formal charges have been filed, and federal investigators and the Red Cross have declined to offer details into the alleged theft ring financed by donated dollars. But at one point in New Orleans, said attorney Jerome Nickerson who headed the charity's investigation, warehouses were packed with millions of dollars worth of off-the-books Red Cross inventory.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/ind...78609237990.xml (http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1143878609237990.xml)

I understand that people feel an "impulse" to give in the face of horrendous disasters.

But you need to understand that in a capitalist society, only a portion -- at best! -- of your donation is ever going to reach the people who need help.

I frankly suspect the American Red Cross is more honest than all the religious groups that were pimping off the hurricanes.

But even the Red Cross will succumb to temptation. :(

http://www.websmileys.com/sm/cool/123.gif

[VonClausewitz]

I frankly suspect the American Red Cross is more honest than all the religious groups that were pimping off the hurricanes.

Isn't the red cross a christian group in the USA ?


But even the Red Cross will succumb to temptation.

People succumb to temptation.

It's sad though, that people will volunteer to work for such an organisation, and then decide to skim a bit off the top. It's just not on, the money and goods, whatever the proportion, were meant to help people. It's perhaps a good example of how personal greed will help to overshadow whatever good intentions something might start out with.

[redstar2000]

Originally posted by VonClausewitz
Isn't the red cross a Christian group in the USA?

No, it's a secular organization and the "red cross" is apparently an accidental choice of a symbol to designate non-military personnel when it was founded in the mid-19th century.

http://www.websmileys.com/sm/cool/123.gif

[Cult of Reason]

Originally posted by redstar2000+Apr 1 2006, 06:16 PM--> (redstar2000 @ Apr 1 2006, 06:16 PM)
VonClausewitz
Isn't the red cross a Christian group in the USA?

No, it's a secular organization and the "red cross" is apparently an accidental choice of a symbol to designate non-military personnel when it was founded in the mid-19th century.

http://www.websmileys.com/sm/cool/123.gif [/b]
I thought the symbol was derived from the Swiss flag, or have I got it the wrong way around?

[Axel1917]

This does not surprise me one bit. I have heard of money being squandered by them in the past. The Red Cross CEO also skims $650,000 off the top of the donations each year for personal use as well! I have never donated to them, and never will!

The whole thing could have been prevented with proper allocation to dams and such as well. Of course, profits over people is the way things go in capitalism.

[violencia.Proletariat]

Soon after the hurricane donation campain ended, I tallied up the money they recieve on their website. It was a cool $200,000,000. :(

[Zak]

I wonder how much of that 200mil went to help people, or rather, do we know how much they stole?

[Atlas Swallowed]

a large portion of the money they collected for 9-11 victims famillies was put away for the so called "war against terrorism".

The Red Cross has a wonderful history.


http://www.counterpunch.org/allen10202005.html

[Atlas Swallowed]

This thread reminded me of an article I read yesterday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060405/ap_on_...trailer_dispute (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060405/ap_on_re_us/katrina_trailer_dispute)

Some people deserve thier knee caps broken and Ed Markle is one of them. I guess these assholes in thier gated community never heard of blinds or shades. God forbid some one of another color might actually live near them and thier precious gated community. Petty cowardly scumbags.

[Chrysalis]

Originally posted by [email protected] 1 2006, 05:37 PM

I frankly suspect the American Red Cross is more honest than all the religious groups that were pimping off the hurricanes.

But even the Red Cross will succumb to temptation. :(


I think our society is still reluctant to ask hard questions when it comes to financial management of charitable institutions: their presence creates a double-standard of morality. We don't try to be militant towards them because they're doing good to society. So, inadvertently this leniency creates opportunity for exploit and fraud. And given that capitalism has paved the way for underground economy, black markets, and borderline criminal business activities, we tend to see the "crimes" of charitable institutions as negligible in comparison.

It's all relative, I suppose.

[bezdomni]

I evacuated from Galveston (well, technically Houston...I'm right on the city line) to Dallas during Rita, under the (false) reporting that the Hurricane was going to drown my entire city. The worst thing that happened was part of our fence fell over and a tree was missing a substantial part of its limb.

During the 24 hours that I spent on the road with my parents, brother, 76 year old grandmother and 3 dogs - I saw only two FEMA vehicles and NO red-cross (or other charity) vehicles.

In fact, the only charity or help we received was about half-way to dallas, some people who lived in the area set up a free water stand on the side of the highway.

Dozens of people died from heat exhaustion, heart attacks, strokes. diabetic shock...et cetera and hundreds more would have died had the hurricane been nearly as bad as predicted (drowned on the side of the road, next to their empty vehicles).

I share your anger against the Red Cross, FEMA and the government (both federal and local had major fuck ups).

The government provided a weak response to the hurricanes because they do not understand the conditions of the working class. George Bush doesn't know what it feels like to lose family, friends, pets and all of your possessions that you couldn't fit in your car. If he did, he (or any high government official) would have been helping us in the streets. The capitalist state is completely unable to "take care" of "its people" because the ruling class is inherently opposed to the wills of its people. That is why so many of us suffered.