Angry and sad

I am angry as I watch the coverage of New Orleans. It doesn’t matter which nationality’s television stations I look at, American, English, German, Arabic or Chinese, the pictures are the same exposing the myth of the US as a superpower. This is not to deny the US is a powerful country militarily, but any country that lets this happen, is neither a great country nor is it a superpower. The reality is the US cannot care for its own people and this existed before Katrina was born.

One might say no one can control a hurricane, but poor Cuba with almost no resources had a category 5 hurricane and thanks to preventative action not one person was killed.

Although we can’t prove that global warming is responsible, we still aren’t taking action having passed a (non) energy bill that does nothing to increase standards for conservation on gasoline in vehicles, nothing to expand public transportation.

That we gutted budgets for the infrastructure of the country isn’t limited to the lack of care of the levees. What other disasters await us? The cost of rebuilding New Orleans will exceed ten times the cost of having invested in the levee reinforcement.

When I listen to some of the people in New Orleans speak, I want to ask how did so many people slipped through the cracks and did not receive the education to speak in an understandable English never mind learn the skills that would mean that they could get jobs beyond the poverty wage. The statistic that 30% of Louisiana citizens make poverty level salaries is a national disgrace. We are the only country in the world debating if intelligent design should be taught in school as a science as our children fall further and further behind other countries in basic skills such as reading, writing and math. We won’t even mention anything as important as geography or history. Without a massive overhaul of the educational system the US has no future.

The police superintendent talked about how often they were shot at, but our gun laws lets people own guns. The violence is unimaginable reducing us to the level of anti-social animals. But why did rescue operations stop to stop looters? Everyone I know who heard that asked that question – is property more important than people? And shoot to kill? Good God, how primitive are we to kill people over a pair of sneakers?

Why didn’t we accept the help instantly offered? Planes filled with equipment, food, water, and aid workers were ready to fly from Germany and Sweden. Likewise Cuba was ready to send doctors (considered as some of the best of the work). Why wasn’t Chicago aid accepted immediately? And I go could go on and on and on…

The death toll is still unknown, although reporters aren't to take pictures of body. Maybe people will not think people died if they don't show bodies just like they don't show the coffins coming back from Iraq. But with or without photos there are too many dead. We keep talking about 3000 that died in 9/11 but how many will be killed by neglect? We turn a deaf ear to 30,000 killed by the heat in 2003 in Europe or 800,000 massacred in Rwanda. But then what are numbers of dead unless we can use it as an excuse for an illegal war when 3000 become more important than any other number.

I recognize there are many people fighting hard and heroically to overcome this disaster, but unless the United States uses this tragedy to examine its core values, its government, and every other aspect of its life, I believe it is doomed to degradation far greater than the levees that failed.

When I am not feeling angry, I am sad to the core of my being.