Like most of you, the news left me horrified and sick to my stomach. Over the weekend, a lunatic took a gun and killed three men and three women, and left a young, vibrant, popular congresswoman struggling for her life. The murder was indiscriminate, including a 76 year-old man and a 9-year old little girl. Thirteen others were wounded.

Almost as sickening as the awful tragedy has been the media and the politicians’ reaction to it. Immediately, people stood up on their pulpits and made bold pronouncements. It was this political party’s fault. No, it was that radio talk show’s fault. No, it was the fault of our government. I’d say that hearing some of the people talk was like hearing children on the playground fighting, but that’d be an insult to children on the playground. For some of these “talking heads” to use this tragedy as a means to further their own political agendas was disappointing and a tragic reflection of the very abuse of free speech they are supposedly champions of. I couldn’t take any more. I shut off the TV, the radio, and the Internet over the weekend.

Make no mistake. There was one person at fault: the madman who pulled the trigger.

So of all the voices out there, there is only one voice I trust at this point in time. It’s the voice of the person whom I know was the most reluctant spokesman of all.

On behalf of Gabby and our entire family, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the people of Arizona and this great nation for their unbelievable outpouring of support. Gabby was doing what she loved most – hearing from her constituents – when this tragedy occurred. Serving Southern Arizonans is her passion, and nothing makes her more proud than representing them in Congress.

Like all Americans, we mourn the loss of Judge John M. Roll, Christina Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck, Dorwan Stoddard and Gabe Zimmerman, a fine man and beloved member of Gabby’s team. We must never forget them, and our prayers are with their families. Our hearts go out to everyone injured yesterday; we hope and pray for their quick recovery. We also extend our thanks and appreciation to all of the first responders, medical personnel, law enforcement, and Arizona citizens who acted swiftly on Saturday and continue to assist our community through this tragedy. Many stories of heroism are emerging, and they are a source of strength for us during this difficult time. We are forever grateful.

Many of you have offered help. There is little that we can do but pray for those who are struggling. If you are inspired to make a positive gesture, consider two organizations that Gabby has long valued and supported: Tucson’s Community Food Bank and the American Red Cross.

The words, of course, are from Mark Kelly, Representative Giffords’s husband. He asks us to help in one way: to pray. And not to pray for some amorphous concept like justice or even our country or our society. No, pray specificaly for those who are struggling. The families of those six innocent men, women, and children who were murdered in cold blood, whose own lives were forever ripped apart. And those fourteen who are fighting for their lives right now. That is what will help right now.

Knowing that there will be some who want to do more, Mr. Kelly suggests a donation to one of Ms. Giffords’s favorite charities.

Community Food Back of Tuscon

American Red Cross

It was an amazing statement from a remarkable family. Even in their hour of pain, they make a point to think about the hungry, the suffering, and the sick among us. Instead of lashing out and turning their pain into anger and outrage (which was their right, and theirs alone), they showed the spirit of what it means to be a true American.

Please pray for Representative Giffords’ full recovery, as well as the others who are fighting for their lives right now. And let’s all learn from their example and unlike those who are throwing around loud and empty speeches, let’s quietly give of ourselves to help those who are in real need. The true way to combat evil is through doing good.

This stylish diaper bag is made by the good folks at Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods, a company that produces high quality baby toys, bags, and feeding items using organic, natural, and recycled items.Their organic stuffed animals are the cutest little things you’ll ever see, and they have a great array of organic teethers, rattles, and developmental toys.

They have a set of six organic canvas totes. If you purchase one using promotion code “Haiti”, they’ll donate $10 to the American Red Cross and also take $5 off your purchase price.

The totes make great baby bag. They are big and roomy, with unique rope shoulder straps, 2 snap pockets to keep smaller stuff in, a large outer front pocket with snaps, 3 back pockets, an elastic pouch for bottles, and an attached key-catcher.  It’s made of durable, 100% organic cotton canvas.

You’re probably seeing the devastation of the January 12th earthquake in Haiti on your TV screens, and you may be inspired to donate to help those who are suffering. 

But while it’s important to give, it’s also important to be very selective in your giving. Unfortunately, for as many wonderful, generous, and giving people there are out there, there are also those who would not hesitate to take advantage of the disaster for their own greedy gains. Just like giving a dollar to a homeless person on the street, it’s gotten to the point where you almost become suspicious of giving to anyone because you don’t know whether your money is going to be used for good or for bad. No doubt you’ll see emails and Facebook entries and Tweets in the coming weeks. Some will be legitimate, others will not be.

There’s a great site called Charity Navigator which is one of the best sites on the Web for reporting on charities. They are an unbiased source of information on charities, and they rate charities by how efficiently they are run. It’s the source I always go to first before I decide whether or not to give.

 They have a special page dedicated to Donations for Haiti Earthquake Relief. It includes a list of very important things to keep in mind when planning your Haiti donation, and also have a list of the top-rated, best run charities that have a history of relief work in Haiti (even before the earthquake). There are obviously dozens of other great charities not listed on this page; if you wish to give to one of those charities, just be sure to do your homework first.

Charity Navigator has even gone so far as to identify specific work that some of the charities are doing. This includes the following (click on the link to go directly to the charity’s site).

American Red Cross – Founded in 1881 by Clara Barton, the Red Cross is a premier emergency response organization. Sending tarps, cooking sets, and hygienic supplies for thousands of families and helping with those who need blood. Help is being provided by local citizens who are volunteers, who will be supported by Red Cross Disaster Management personnel.

Americares - A nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs, founded in 1982. Sending millions of dollars in medical equipment and supplies including antibiotics, pain relievers, bandages, to survivors with traumatic injuries.

CARE – One of the world’s largest private international humanitarian organizations, committed to helping families in poor communities, originally founded in 1945 to provide relief to survivors of World War II. Have over 100 emergency team members and staff on the ground coordinating with U.N. agencies to distribute food.

Convoy of Hope – Established in 1994, Convoy of Hope was formed to network churches within communities to help people. Charity specializing in feeding the hungry and providing pure drinking water to people in need. Have set up a command center outside Port-au-Prince to distribute food, water and supplies.

Direct Relief International – Since 1948, has been providing medical assistance to improve the quality of life for people affected by poverty, disaster, and civil unrest at home and throughout the world. They’ve set up an emergency airlift providing over $2 million in medical supplies and medicine.

Doctors Without Borders – Created in 1971 to provide medical assistance to people of nations in crisis, based on principles of medical ethics and impartiality. They’re treating people on the ground and are setting up an inflatable hospital.

Food for the Poor – Established in 1982, this is the largest international relief organization in the United States, whose goals are to improve the health, economic, social and spiritual conditions of the men, women and children they serve. They’re an interdenominational ministry, following the principles of Matthew 25:31-46. They’re distributing hundreds of containers of urgently needed medical supplies, rice and canned food.

Partners in Health - Founded in 1987, this is a charity that was first established in Haiti to help provide health care to its poorest people. They’re organizing medical personnel volunteers and gathering supplies.

Save the Children – Founded in 1932, this is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need. Have been in Haiti for over 25 years and will be providing food, water, shelter and child-friendly space. Save the Children is also providing refuge for other aid workers, as their offices in Haiti did not suffer the structural damage that others did.

Water Missions International - Founded in 1998 after Hurrican Mitch devastated Honduras, this is a Christian nonprofit organization which provides clean, safe water to people in developing countries and disaster areas through a variety of technologies. They have full-time staff in Haiti and are assisting in getting clean water back to its people.

Most of these sites have active blogs and Twitter feeds where you can follow the progress of their work.

Whichever of these charities you decide to give to, do give generously and let’s keep on giving even the celebrities stop talking about it, the pictures stop appearing on TV, and everyone has gone onto the next thing.

This Red Cross Emergency Radio makes a great gift for yourself or for anyone who might find themselves in a hurricane, tornado, thunderstorm, flood, or other situation where electricity is not available.

It contains an AM/FM radio, as well as NOAA weather radio and TV bands. In addition, it contains an LED flashlight (bright bulb that doesn’t burn out), a loud siren (get one for the car and one for the house), and even a cell phone charger with several cell phone adapters.

Best thing about it is that it includes a hand-crank that charges the built-in rechargable battery. So even when the lights go out, just turn the crank for a few minutes, and you’ve got access to the radio, siren, and light.

For each radio purchased, the manufacturer will donate to the American Red Cross. So your purchase will not only help you but others as well in need.