I can't believe the tsunami death toll is up to 55,000

[HEyHEY]

This is insane. And the sick part is most of North America will have forgotten about it by next month.

Remember - you can donate to the red cross!

[Bertha Venation]

1. WHAT?! Fifty-five thousand dead?

:cry:

This has been running through my head since I first heard of this catastrophe: The earth does not belong to us -- we belong to the earth.

[justinsb]

2. It is unbelievable

I hope that North America doesn't forget as quickly this time - this makes 9/11 look like a fender bender. The 55,000 is going to go way, way up before they are done.

[spinbaby]

3. It will be over 100,000

This morning on BBC a reporter in India said there were at least 10,000 bodies just in the town she was in. A reporter in Thailand said that they had recovered only 200 bodies where he was but there were thousands still on the beaches. So sad.

[justinsb]

4. Yes, it will

and that's before the next phase which is disease caused by contaminated food and water, and all the bodies.

[ProfessorGAC]

21. I'm Guessing Even Higher

I think they are just scraping the surface with the estimates right now. This will probably be the biggest death producing single event in my lifetime.
The Professor

[thecrow]

5. If everyone around the world would only donate $5

to the relief effort, billions would be raised.
I have made it my responsibility to donate at least $1 for every thousand people affected by this disaster.
How about you?

[HEyHEY]

7. All I can really afford is $50

But, I'm reading the red cross needs money asap on all of my newscasts for the next week.

[Walt Starr]

6. It'll go higher

I expect the final count will be mid six figures after the disease etc. comes into account.

[HEyHEY]

8. That's spooky to think about

2005 will be a grim year

[Walt Starr]

11. It's sad, but true. I expect the final tally to be done in February

with about a half a million dead.

[patcox2]

9. Bush promised $15 million, yet the inaugural will cost $40 million.

That should be our mantra, our meme, Bush should cancel the inaugural parties and send the $40 million to aid those stricken by the devastation.

[SoCalDem]

10. $40M for fun...$15M for human misery...sounds about right for him

:(

[thecrow]

12. If everyone on DU would contribute at least $5

we could raise over $300,000.
$10 donations would equal over $600,000
and so forth.

So people... DIG IN and Donate!
I have been contributing to Doctors without Borders.

Mods, could we set up a donations board here and donate the lump sum to an honest charitiy?

[BeTheChange]

13. I donated

The least I can do is open my pocketbook. The depth of the devasation that just happened is unfathomable to me. I fear the death toll will be easily in excess of 100K

[Stinky The Clown]

15. Great Idea! Can this be done, moderators?

What a wonderful message this would send, too.

[electricmonk]

14. Donating some cash myself this week

And me and some friends are organizing a bake sale/yard sale to take place in 2 weeks and then we are setting up a benefit concert with a bunch of local punk bands. So I don't know about anybody else but we are looking at this as an ongoing thing and hope to raise awareness as well as money.

The enormity of the disaster is almost overwhelming to think about but you have to do something.

And that whole inauguration cost just pisses me off. Even without this disaster that's an obscene amount of money to throw a party with.

[DainBramaged]

16. The Freepers aren't happy

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1309689/posts

They think that because Sri Lanka turned down an Israeli delegation with 60 soldiers in it they should go it alone.


The madness of the right continues.

[tjdee]

22. That's because few of them can read.

Sri Lanka rejected the MILITARY part of the relief team.
Only a few freepers were smart enough to catch that, while the rest were only too happy to go into "they're dumb to reject help", etc.

[flvegan]

17. They haven't even been in contact with many of the islands, either

I read (somewhere) that looting has begun in some places, and there is no food, nor any way to get food to them. Starvation will set in in a few days, then more deaths.

This is where big American corps should, thanking their bloody stars for their success, step in and do what they can. Hey, WalMart, how about sending $20 or $30 million in supplies their way? Home Depot? I'm looking in your direction.

[DainBramaged]

18. Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Sears, not a chance

They won't short their customers in America. Low prices everyday while the rest of the world suffers.

[flvegan]

19. Sigh. Yeah, I know.

That's why I said "should" rather than, "hoorah! They'll show the world the amazing compassion of America's ruling party, Corporatepublicans."

[DainBramaged]

20. There will be lots of photo-ops showing how compassionate

the BFEE and Corpuglicans are, but no action. Jesus only likes white people, don't ya know? Christians are a minority 'over there', why would they help them?

[tjdee]

23. I'm sending some money too... how terrible.