Those Who Helped Haiti Earthquake Victims Earn This Week's BuzzFlash Wings of Justice Award

WINGS OF JUSTICE

Those who helped Haiti earthquake victims

As bad as things are in the United States and other First World countries, and they certainly aren't good, especially here in the United States, we do have a basic human understanding that things could be worse.

This sentiment is clear after seeing the outpouring of love, concern, and support for those in Haiti who have suffered terribly after the devastating earthquake last week.

Food, water, shelter, medicine -- you name it, Haitians need it. And people have responded with kindness, sending money, resources, whatever they need.

In our modern world, you can even text your financial support. So far, the Red Cross text donations have passed $21 million. This total is all the more amazing given that Haiti doesn't usually get into the headlines, unless something bad or tragic happens.  

While giving has been easier to do than ever before -- picking up your cellphone doesn't even require you to get up off the couch -- finding the right outlet proved more difficult.

Rush Limbaugh tried his best to discourage giving at all to the cause. Then there were the attacks, either exaggerated or unfounded, about the work that musician Wyclef Jean was doing to raise money for his fellow countrymen. And concerns in general about potential scams were also floating on the wide Internet.

While there were many who donated things/money to send there, others went to Haiti to do whatever they could first hand. You know you are in a severe crisis when medical correspondents are pressed into actual medical service on the ground in Haiti. You know this is really, really bad when other journalists become involved directly into the story, something their training normally tells them not to do.

And a special thanks to the medical personnel who have come from all around to do what they can, even if their focus might be on amputations, the result of crushing injuries and long waits before treatment.

The beautiful thing about human nature is that in times of trouble, we respond with instinctive generosity. And those that donated money, time, provisions, medical supplies, or other basic necessities had to overcome Limbaugh and other large obstacles. Good for you for doing so.

And if you haven't already done so, there are still plenty of opportunities. One major outlet is the upcoming Haiti telethon hosted by George Clooney, Jean, and Anderson Cooper. The telethon will air January 22 on a number of over-the-air networks and cable channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, CNN, BET, HBO, MTV, VH1, and CMT. 

People in the United States have lost jobs and homes. Lives here are filled with economic ruin, off-the-chart health care costs, bankruptcies, and credit card debt. Yet, with the devastation of the lives in Haiti, those that gave to those efforts prove once again that we do care about our fellow human beings in their time of need.

Americans are seen, right or wrong, as the country that comes through in times of crisis. And even with our struggles, we see that Haiti has it a thousand times worse.

For those who proved that generosity exists, even in times of financial peril, for those even less fortunate, we award this week's BuzzFlash Wings of Justice award to those who gave to the earthquake victims in Haiti.

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Nominated by BuzzFlash staff. Click here to see a full list of past Wings of Justice honorees.

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