The Situation in Puerto Rico Is Not Good

Many Puerto Ricans currently have no internet, no electricity, and NO WATER: "Mercader said 70% of the island was without drinking water."

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 21, 2017

...elsewhere return home only to discover their houses have been destroyed and thus need long-term shelter.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 21, 2017

Every member of Congress should be profoundly concerned w/ the devastation in Puerto Rico. I don't see much evidence of that.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 21, 2017

I am so upset about how awful the situation in Puerto Rico is for its residents right now, especially because there's nothing meaningful I can do.

I'm also wondering why the FUCK it is that I'm getting the best news on what's happening in Puerto Rico from the Guardian. The U.S. media is treating Puerto Rico like it's some far-off place, just another exotic locale in some other country.

Which isn't justification for ignoring people in need anyway, but: PUERTO RICO IS PART OF THE UNITED STATES. They literally don't have fucking drinkable water, and our media is barely paying attention and our Congress is dicking around with trying to kill people by taking their healthcare away.

And what does the president have to say about it? "The White House on Thursday morning declared Puerto Rico 'a major disaster' zone and ordered federal assistance to be directed to dozens of municipalities in the territory." How will that aid get there? When will it get there? Who knows — because Trump was too busy doing his gross superlative-hurling about the scope of the devastation, saying that Puerto Rico had been "absolutely obliterated" by the intense winds: "All you have to do is read or turn on the television and you will see a place that is practically leveled," he said.

A place where 70% of the population currently lacks access to clean water. That seems more urgent than virtually anything else in the country right now.