be direct/or

Self-directed study.  Self-directed sexuality.  I've used these terms in various contexts, but I'm becoming increasingly aware of what it really means to "call the shots."  I worked myself into a fury this week over the media coverage of the first anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti.  I was raging for days, and then Rosa sent me this link—it's to an organization that's doing really important work in Haiti, and they were featured on PBS last night.  With others, Partners in Health is calling for NGOs in Haiti to LISTEN TO THE HAITIAN PEOPLE.  Billions of dollars in aid were donated after the earthquake, but we've seen very little progress and the Haitian people are not to blame b/c the money wasn't placed in their hands.  International aid is complicated—even here at home, we confront ethical issues when we choose to give to those in need.  I remember a friend once telling me that he "grilled" anyone who asked him for change in the street; he would scoff at me as I handed over my spare change—"You know that guy's just going to buy booze with that.  Look at his shoes—he's not homeless."  He was so sure he knew everyone's backstory—and as the donor, he felt he had the right to sit in judgment over the recipients of his aid.  This plays out in the welfare debate, and for centuries the "haves" have been careful to distinguish between the "deserving" and "undeserving" poor.  They turned poverty and distress into a moral issue, and then made recipients of aid conform to their sense of what is right and good.  I generally donate to Unicef, but I think for the next year I'm going to support Partners in Health; I especially want to support their mental health outreach efforts, since few NGOs seem able or willing to deal with the emotional trauma of the quake victims/survivors.  I hope you'll sign the petition to ensure that Haitians have a say and a role to play in the rebuilding of their country.  Swaziland sent rubble-crushers—hand crank rubble crushers, which enable individuals to clear the debris that still chokes their neighborhoods.  If anyone knows how to send more of those to Haiti, please let me know.  The power ought to be placed in THEIR hands.  Stand with Haiti.