Matins. Lauds. Prime. Terce. Sext. Nones. Vespers. Compline. Eight times a day, people all over the world stop to chant or pray the Liturgy of the Hours. "Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise," begins Matins, sung in the wee, still-dark hours of the morning. But the other Offices -- the Offices that punctuate the working day, all begin with a different prayer, precisely because in the day hours there is work to be done, there are needs to be met, there are burdens to be overcome: Deus in adjutorium meum intende," begins each one -- "God, come to my assistance." And then, "Domine, adjuvantum me festina! -- Lord, make haste to help me!" In Myanmar, there is work to be done; there are needs to be met; and there are burdens to be overcome. If you listen, you can hear a version of that prayer rising up out of Myanmar right this very minute. That prayer is being directed to God. That prayer is being directed to us.
The repressive and closed-off country that continues to keep Noble Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest, has been hit by a cyclone of monstrous proportions, with monstrous results -- an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people have been killed, and an estimated 30,000 people are missing,
Moreover, Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta, it's rice-producing foodbasket, has been devastated, according to the Associated Press. Price gauging on top of already rising food prices are more than the poor can cope with; loss of a major source of staple rice, and the reality of hunger, adds to the devastation.
Despite the magnitude of the disaster and the extent of the need there, the United States has offered to send a disaster team and a scant $250,000 in disaster aid. (What is that in Iraq-war dollars ... maybe 20 minutes?) Laura Bush assures Myanmar that if the U.S. is allowed to view conditions on the ground, we'd be willing to send lots more money. (CNN)
Myanmar can be its own worst enemy in this situation, because its government distrusts outsiders so much that they are slow to allow help; aid workers are being held up at the border waiting for visas to be approved, and the U.S. team been not yet been allowed to enter. Help is needed urgently, and Myanmar certainly should put the needs of its people first. But we, too, should do what we can as soon as we can.
Certainly, I don't think help for Burmese disaster victims ought to depend on the U.S. taking strategic advantage of a time of vulnerability, no matter what the political situation is there. For me, this this calls for a response similar to that undertaken by Physicians Without Borders; America must send medical aid, clean water, shelter, clothing, and food as a humanitarian response, not as a political response.
In the meantime, all people of compassion and conscience (and that means every single member of DailyKos) should do what we can. Five bucks ... $10 ... $100 -- the Red Cross/Red Crescent could use it right now, and you can designate that your contribution goes directly to Myanmar, rather than to general funds.
Unfortunately, you cannot specify Myanmar relief online yet -- (I've telephoned the Red Cross office, and they are still setting it up). Nevertheless, you can donate to the International Relief Fund at the Red Cross, here.
To make clear that you want your donation specifically to go to Myanmar, just donate over the phone, or write a check with a notation that it goes to Myanmar. Address and phone are: 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669); American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013.
"Domine, adjuvantum me festina." Nothing is so poignant as an urgent cry for help. Let's answer it.