Weblogs: Horror [at the aftermath of Katrina]

Bad Catholic: "El Salvador, Honduras and the Dominican Republic want to send help. They want to do what they can, even though you might think they've got enough problems of their own and would leave us to fend for ourselves. They want to give what they have. Amazing. Canada, Germany, France, Russia -- all nations that have taken a lot of derision in recent years from half of the U.S. because they didn't like our war. They want to help. Jamaica. Japan. China. Belgium. Venezuela!

Yeah, there's often political posturing involved in offers of aid. No doubt there's some here too, at least in some quarters. But there's also political posturing involved in its refusal -- and of course Bush said we didn't need their help because goddammit, we're Americans and we bleed red, white and blue and we don't need foreigners meddling in our disasters. The State Department quashed that attitude pretty quickly, it sounds like. Good.

Because you know what? Even if we don't technically need the help, we need to let people help us. We need to lean on those who want to hold us up. It is touching that they care. And people do, even if governments don't. They love their neighbors. That's how love changes the world. That's what Jesus would do. I really believe that."