Hurricane Disaster

Today I am ashamed of my country.

I have never before felt this way. Whether agreeing or disagreeing with the current or past administrations, disgust at people feeling the need to force their own beliefs down the throats of others and the christian right in general (wasn't the idea behind the original european settlers coming to America about religious freedom?), sadness because of the general lack of simple courtesies we show one another and lack of regard for those around us and much, much more. All of it is difficult to see and to understand but nothing has ever made me as angry as the lack of response to the people affected by hurricane Katrina.
People who following instructions by the local authorities proceeded to the relative safety of the New Orleans Convention Center where they had no food or water available. These people were turned back from the kitchens and stocks in the convention center by the National Guard (not blaming the individual soldiers) and continued to believe that help would come. Local military bases were stocked and available to move precious supplies but claim they were encumbered by the posse comitatus act from acting as a police-like force on US soil. I call bullshit to this and do not understand how providing basic food and water to stranded people could be construed as a police action. We are all members of the greater family of Americans.

I feel helpless and ashamed that we as a nation do not have the infrastucture in place to take care of our own people while we continue to take care of the rest of the world. I am a supporter of the war on terrorism and feel that the US and our allies need to fight the good fight even though this does not seem to be the popular view. However, the fight must begin here, in our own country as we strive to preserve our own freedoms and way of life. How do we preserve our way of life if we cannot even provide drinking water during a natural disaster of which we had warning?

What if the levees in New Orleans had been targeted and destroyed by terrorists, would we have been able to respond in that case?

I am ashamed and this makes me sad.