RA’s admirers once more show their compassion! ❤
Dear friends, sisters-in-RA, fellow human beings,
over the weekend, no doubt you have seen the heart-breaking image of a little Syrian boy, washed ashore in Turkey. For me it has highlighted the urgent need for all of us to step up to the plate and do something about the current humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, as have the images of hundreds of people welcoming the refugee trains in Austria and Germany, with food and gifts. Tbh, I am put to shame by the efforts of some of my friends who are actively helping on the ground. A friend of mine is organising shelter in Regensburg (town in Southern Germany), directing the logistics of sheltering refugees, collecting items and welcoming the first busloads of refugees. Another friend in Austria is collecting items. Even in Ireland my German friends are active. A crafty friend of mine has pledged all proceeds…
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the armitage effect 
Thanks for reblogging this.
People need to be educated about what is going on in Syria, and not read the sort of stuff that’s being out there to promote people’s own agendas (like blaming this crisis on climate change, or using it to attack various groups of immigrants, or having something else to blame on US ‘meddling’, or even make complaints along the lines of ‘our government shouldn’t help these refugees until they help x group’).
Not everyone is going to be in a position to rush out and rescue someone, or ever contribute in the ways that are mentioned above. For one thing, not all countries are as generous as Germany and Iceland. I hope RA’s fans in other countries can work to increase the number of refugees accepted, and to raise awareness that these are not people fleeing only from poverty. They’re fleeing war and torture. The little boy’s father was put in prison, tortured and had all his teeth pulled out as part of that torture. He bankrupted himself to bribe the guards to let him out of prison. When he tried to flee, he spent whatever was left of the family’s money to put them on a rubber raft which tipped. Then, the whole family drowned in his arms because they’d been sold fake life-jackets. Let’s not let our various governments make token gestures or give in to the pressure of loud-mouthed, selfish (and often xenophobic) segment of the population. Every RA fan can do this by contacting local political representatives, the media, etc and asking for action.
Well said, Cill. Thank you! I think we all have to imagine how we would feel if we ourselves or our loved ones, our friends, were put in the predicament these people are in. As you stated, we may not all be in a financial position to provide economic aid, but we can let our voices be heard.
Seeing that “journalist” kick and trip people–children!–really upset me.
Wrong on so many levels . . .