This weekend President Obama called on us to do whatever we can to raise money and help the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devastated the capital city of Port-au-Prince and much of the surrounding area. I now call on my friends to do the same, and join me in this effort and help me organize the first of several service projects in Haiti.

In the immediate aftermath of the 2005 gulf coast hurricanes that devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, I launched a similar awareness campaign on JustinSchuck.com. Now I come to you again asking for your help and compassion. As we move forward I will provide additional resources on my dedicated Haiti page.

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
On Saturday, President Clinton and President Bush announced the creation of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund as a central resource to donate money towards the recovery and rebuilding efforts in Haiti. I feel very proud that these two former presidents have taken this call to action. Their presence will lend a unifying credibility to the fundraising effort. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund will ensure that all funds raised go directly to the organizations and groups that need it the most. We are being asked to send only money at this time so that people on the ground can decide for themselves exactly what they will need to save lives.

Please visit their website to learn more: http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org

We've come a long way, baby.
Since the 2004 South Asian tsunami and the 2005 gulf coast hurricanes, we have seen great advances in technology and fundraising capabilities. The U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the American Red Cross used the power of mobile communications to raise an unprecedented amount of money via text messaging. By texting "HAITI" to "90999," users will be charged $10 on their phone bill, the money going directly to relief efforts. The swift action on the part of the government and Red Cross in launching this innovative program made it easy for people to give what they can.

In the months to come, I hope we continue to remember to text our donations so that we can provide a sustained stream of revenue for aid.

Where do we go from here?
Like many I feel restless to help, donations to aid organizations do not ease these tensions. Words eloquent enough to describe the range of emotions I feel for the Haitian people have not found my tongue. I want to be on the ground, getting my hands dirty, clearing rubble, building homes and comforting the impoverished of spirit. It will be several months before we are able to fully understand the scope of this tragedy, but my convictions are simple: I plan to organize, with the help of friends and partners, service projects in Haiti once the immediate crisis calms and the journey of rebuilding a nation begins—as early as this spring if the stars align.

I urge you to heed my call to action and join me in helping the people of Haiti. If you are interested in volunteering or contributing in any way to this effort, please email me directly with the subject "HAITI SERVICE PROJECT" to info@justinschuck.com.

Haiti Tags
To stay up-to-date on the latest from me, use this link to find my blog posts on Haiti.

Twitter Hashtags
I am asking my friends and followers to use the "#JustinSchuckHaiti" hashtag at the beginning of tweets to provide an easy way to follow the conversation on the web.

Labels: AIDS, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Bush Clinton Haiti Fund, Catholic Relief Services, George W. Bush, Government, Haiti, Justin Schuck, JustinSchuck.com, News, Twitter, USAID, Volunteer, Website

I will leave the commentary to others.

Labels: Bush Administration, George W. Bush, Iraq, U.S. Military, Video, War

Dear President Bush,

By my calendar you have about 7 months, give or take a little, before the end of your term, but I wanted to let you know that it's not too late for you to take back your presidency from your handlers.

I know you know that things haven't been going well. The American people aren't your biggest fans right now, but you can change that. It's really simple actually. Well nothing is ever simple in politics or government, but I have a few ideas I think might be good.

First thing you'll want to do is call a prime time press conference. Have your people put the feelers out that this is going to be a big conference that the world won't want to miss. I'm sure someone will have all the right signage and imagery up on the stage behind you to help convey your importance and your patriotism. In this first press conference you should make a series of announcements, but don't tell anyone what they are until you're ready to give the speech. Oh, and don't read from the prompter. Try and memorize most of it and read from your hand-written notes that you'll pull out of your pocket after the cameras are streaming live.

So if I were you, I'd announce the following:

1. You would like to apologize to the American people and the world for the bungling of intelligence leading up to the Iraq War. Use your own language, but make it sincere.
   
2. You want to apologize for dropping the ball in Afghanistan but you pledge to renew your focus on this vital part in the "battle against maniacal guerrilla forces" -- not the "war on terror."
   
3. You want to apologize for the perception that you stole the 2000 election. You didn't, but it still doesn't sit well with a lot of Americans.
   
4. You are going to start and all-out, non-stop-until-inauguration day 2009 diplomatic offensive, both abroad and at home.
5. You are going to spend one weekend, if not more, a month in New Orleans getting your hands dirty building homes, talking to fellow citizens and learning how we can prevent people from suffering like this ever again in America.
6. You're going to tell people of New Orleans that they shouldn't rebuild in the lowest wards and parishes. It won't be popular down there, but it needs to be said.
7. You're going to stop blaming the Democratic congress for everything. You'll admit your part in contributing to the vitriolic partisan rancor that has further sullied the already-soiled reputation of Washington. (See #3) And you'll tell the American people that they need to read books by authors of an opposing political ideology.
8. You'll admonish Rush Limbaugh and other conservative hosts for promoting fear to your own advantage and ask that this behavior in radio and television come to an end.
   
9. You'll announce a call for people from all financial brackets in the US to serve their government and their country. You'll ask for more volunteers to join the armed services to help serve the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq to make it easier for them to come home soon. Again, I know that won't be popular, but it needs to be said.
10. You'll also announce that you will have a weekly prime-time press conference to discuss the progress of your final-days initiative.
11. You'll admit that the tax cuts weren't responsible in light of the spiraling costs of the wars and our government's other responsibilities. You'll note that the government desperately needs money to not only pay for the wars, but for infrastructure improvement, and to pay down our debt to foreign nations, especially China. You'll propose to veto every single bill that is laden with earmarks and pork projects.
12. You'll admit that you're disappointed that no compromise could be reached on serious reform of Social Security and Medicare and that if the next administration and congress won't tackle the problem, they don't deserve a salary or benefits for the office which they hold
    
13. You'll have to apologize for your nonconservative, unrepublican, unrestricted spending and expansion of government, even though you acknowledge the need for a Department of Homeland Security.
14. You'll tell republicans especially to grow up and face the reality that illegal immigrants aren't going anywhere and that we need to find a swift pathway to citizenship to bring them out of their de facto slavery. You'll note that we need more than a southern-border wall; we need to work harder to promote economic opportunities in Central and South America to allows those nations' citizens to find meaningful and financially viable work in their home country.We are the land of opportunity for many, but we are the land of fear and poverty for so many as well.
    
15. You'll stop using overly-crafted political rhetoric and sound bites, instead focusing on a finite number of things you can change. You'll have to work with democrats, but that's okay. History will be kinder to you because of it.
16. You're going to promise to the American people that anyone in your administration who seeks to derail your proposals will be exposed and humiliated in addition to being fired.
    
17. You'll invite prominent democrats and independents, in addition to Republicans, to take key advisory roles in the new President's Task Force for America's Future.
    
18. You'll denounce the partisan coverage of news channels that use fear and sound bites as a tactic of record rather than promoting independent journalistic principles.
19. You'll acknowledge that these proposals and initiatives must continue on in the new administration, and that my friend will be your lasting legacy.
    

There's a lot more that you'll want to say and need to say, but we'll all just have to wait until next week. It would be the most gripping bit of news and could do wonders for the Republican party in the fall. The only way any republican can win is to run against you, but the only way you can have a legacy is to run in a new direction. It isn't too late. I promise.

You might think Americans won't listen to you, but you're wrong. We're waiting to be asked. We're waiting to be asked to fully share in the responsibility of America's future. We're waiting to be asked to vote to make change happen.

I know you let the usual cronies get carried away, but it's high time you took back your presidency and became the president you always could be and should have been.

I'm available at your request at any point that you seek my counsel.

Sincerely Yours,
Justin Schuck

Labels: Bush Administration, George W. Bush, Iraq, Republican Party, U.S. Military, War