Recovery Work in Wisconsin

After posting yesterday’s podcast, I sent Rob a thank you email. He responded and proceeded to tell me of another disaster going on right now that Rainbow Rapid Response is going to tackle: the catastrophic flooding of farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Record rainfalls have led to terrible flooding in that part of the US. A few people have died, and a tremendous amount of organic farm land has been ruined. The last number I saw estimated 8 million$ in crops were lost. It has also been reported that alot of farmers who had crop insurance will not receive anything for this type of damage. (familiar story)

The great thing, if anything positive can be found in all this, it is the spirit of the Rainbow Rapid Response people. Not waiting for the notoriously slow and incompetent emergency response from the white house or congress, they’re already on their way to feed and shelter people who’ve lost everything. They’ve already put out the call for industrial kitchen equipment, large tents, communications equipment, and response vehicles. The least I can do besides write about it, is echo that call and provide links for where you can get informed and involved.

bm162 Remembering Paul Wellstone

It has been 4 years since the sudden death of one of the most progressive and passionate voices the US congress has ever known. In this program, with help from guests from Carleton College, the school where Wellstone taught, we talk about who he was, what he stood for, and what can be learned from him.

John Schott, blogger & professor of new media, Carleton College
Karina Hill, videoblogger & grad assistant at Carleton College

Wellstone Action