Humanists Helping Haiti

I'm sure most of you have seen this on Pharyngula, but for the one or two folks who don't hang on PZ's every word, here's the link for godless giving.  Your donation goes to Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross.  And now we have a nice central gathering spot for all those godless donations.

Meanwhile, the horror in Haiti keeps bringing out the burning stupid in people:

I heard a nice chat on the BBC World Service the other evening. Roger Heering was naturally very worried that the people of Haiti might have lost their 'religious faith' due to the recent unpleasantness, and he and a woman from a faithy charity group talked about it. 'You might think this would undermine it,' he said to her anxiously, but she was quick to reassure him. 'It actually seems to have strengthened it,' she said in a pleased tone. They hugged themselves in glee, and then Roger Heering turned to the sports.

But that's interesting, isn't it - having all the buildings fall down and tens of thousands of people die and tens of thousands more lying around screaming in agony is another point for God. Well if that's the case, what would be a point against God then? What would God have to do to make everyone decide God was a shit? Not just letting children lie under a slab of concrete for hours and hours crying in pain and fear and misery and then die. So, what then? It's frankly quite hard to think of anything. If that kind of thing goes in the credit column, it's hard to think of anything that would be considered a demerit.

I guess we're going to have to come up with a corollary to the IOKIYAR rule: IOKIYAG.  It's okay if you're a god.  Put it like this: if someone came to me with proof that god (any god) exists, and further proved that he's omniscient and omnipotent as advertised, I'd no longer be an atheist - but I'd surely be telling them to shove the worship where the sun don't shine.  Sadists and murderers aren't worshiped round here, thankyewverymuch.

Meanwhile, back in reality, rescue crews are still finding the occasional survivor in the rubble - and not getting to other survivors in time.  Food is getting to survivors - but sometimes not.  Order and chaos still coexist amidst the stench of rotting flesh.  But help is flooding in.  Things may get much worse before they get better, but at least the world is reaching Haiti, and more help is on the way.

And President Obama did the right thing.  Undocumented Haitians in the United States now have Temporary Protected Status.  That's on top of all the other right things he's done, mind.  I am so very, very happy we have an adult in charge again.