Comments on: You know you’re having a great day when the Red Cross tells you off

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 16:43:51 +0000

I’m with Samaritan’s Purse, all the way….

By: The Medical Blog Network

The Medical Blog Network — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 05:35:46 +0000

Joe Scarborough put it best, while talking about Red Cross deplorable performance during Katrina:

don‘t you find that FEMA and these local authorities and these big national charities are almost like rival gangs? If you don‘t filter everything through them, they don‘t want to help the people.
...
if you are not in their gang, they want nothing to do with you. And, a lot of times, they will stand in the way.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9256087/

By: DrO

DrO — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 21:23:24 +0000

We tried to run free ad for Arthritis Foundation: they harassed us about their logo. These orgs are too big: they care about trademarks and legislations more than they care for money or delivery of services they suppose to do. AMA is as good…

By: Jim in Texas

Jim in Texas — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 14:30:53 +0000

I’ve been down on the Red Cross after I learned that I couldn’t give blood anymore because I lived in England during the years that “Mad Cow” was allegedly getting started (78 – 84)

Plus, when I was in Somalia in 92-93, I busted the local IRC manager selling bags of donanted grain on the black market so he could pay off his local staff. I also seized a crap load of weapons, including 60mm mortars, at the IRC facility less than a 1/4 mile from my beloved C-5s.

Capricious? yep! spiteful whimsey? you becha…..scroom.

By: RBB

RBB — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 14:03:36 +0000

For many years, I supported the American Red Cross (as opposed to the dreadful International Red Cross). As a Lt, I volunteered to to run the “cookie cart” on Sundays at HAFB, NM. I always remembered them and the USO at CFC time. Then in the late 90s/early 2000′s the revelations came out about the ARC not passing along all the money to the disasters and other accounting irregularities/PR disasters…

The final straw came a few days after 9/11. I was in the relief area at the Pentagon where they were taking care of the rescue workers and the critical workers (command posts, etc.). I had $100 in my wallet from a rebate check I had just cashed. I went up to the Red Cross table and asked to make a donation. They refused!?!?! WTF? They said they had no way of taking the money… So, I walked over to the Salvation Army desk and asked the same question. The SA Major asked her supervisor and they said yes, but they had no receipts. I said it didn’t matter what it was written on. So, amidst my tax receipts for that year is one written on a napkin. And the SA has gotten my money ever since ;^)

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 12:42:02 +0000

Why not use the English flag (cross of saint George). It looks just the same.

By: Jodi

Jodi — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 02:17:07 +0000

Although I do like the new logo, I couldn’t help thinking what you should’ve done is make it look less like a greek cross and more like a crucifix. Last I checked, Jesus didn’t trademark it.

By: GruntDoc

GruntDoc — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 23:46:58 +0000

Enrico,
It’s a good quality Resistol cowboy hat. I wouldn’t presume to put a DI’s hat up there.

Now I’ll just wait for the Resistol form letter…

By: enrico

enrico — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 23:24:47 +0000

I know it was a form letter, and I know the legal justification behind their position. I myself, in a former online life, received a “cease and desist” letter from Fox Entertainment about a fan site I ran that allegedly improperly used material from said network. My dad’s an attorney (not IP law, but certainly more wise than the gen pop), and we’ve talked a lot about such things.

I don’t know if this will pass our host’s “morality clause,” (heh) but I say “f*ck ‘em and feed ‘em fishheads.” It’s a form letter, but in order to fill in the blanks, the [sub]attorney that sends the letter takes reponsibility for verifying the infraction and its relevance before sending. Knowing the recipient was a veteran who honorably served in the Armed Services, much less in a medical capacity, really destroys the spirit, not necessarily the letter, of the law (or at least its attempted enforcement). A letter requesting some disclaimer or modification of the logo so that even the most dim-witted individual could not mistake our good doctor for the Red Cross would have been far more appropriate, easier to comply with, and mutually respectful overall. “Change the color or remove it,” are not the only two viable options.

Now that I’m here, I like the new logo, although I don’t know if the 2nd hat is a Texan cowboy hat or a USMC-style DI hat. It looks like the former, but just making sure. My suggestion to Dr. Allen is to add or superimpose a green surgical cap, to complete the all-inclusive picture. Or better yet, emblazen a red cross on the cammo cap, just as a “universal one-finger salute back ‘atcha” that will probably not even be on their radar. But that’s just pissed off old me. ;) Kudos to GruntDoc for handling it in a professional manner.

By: V

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 22:04:22 +0000

1. I know a Dr. Redcross. That’s his real, parentally bestowed name. Should he be worried???

2. My mom had the same negative feelings about the Red Cross. She knew soldiers that had to buy coffe, cigarettes & other items that had been “donated” to the Red Cross. She would never donate to them & was quite vehement about this. However, I’ve also heard that since they got such a black mark about this, they’ve subsequently changed the practice. But, I’ve heard the same song from several WWII vintage folk. SO, I’d believe that was SOP back then.