I am reminded of the aerial bombing videos sent during the Gulf War that we watched as a family in our “living room.” The blurred buildings viewed in infrared, outlined with a set of cross hairs set along its shape. Then BOOM! A cloud of dust, lives lost, and a new target on the screen.

What I didn’t see were the children and women impacted. I didn’t see the families in pain and chaos from the devastation of lost relationships and hopes. There was a disconnect, an interruption of the backstory to what I was watching on my television screen.

What brought this to mind was my recent scanning of the Internet for new videos and coverage of the earthquakes in Haiti. I see the masses wandering and looking for help. I can even view the stories of the lives impacted. I don’t just see the ruin of buildings; I can hear and view the stories of brokenness of the Haitians on my 17-inch Mac.

But the disconnect is back. Beer, pick-up trucks, cheerleaders, stuffed burritos, Whoppers, Viagra, 4th down, what was Farv thinking! mmmm dollar menu and McD’s, more tough trucks (that they could really use to haul all that rubble in Port-au-Prince)…and “Oh, there it is!”

Text 10 bucks to Haiti. Text American Red Cross. Mission accomplished. Now back to the game.

How to keep this on the front-burner after all the lights shut down and CNN takes leave will be a challenge for many who are interested in relief to Haiti right now. It seems that the best I can do is not to “add” Haiti to the disconnected universe I live in, but rather to cut out the peripheral fluff that secretly whispers sweet nothings into my ear.