Land of the Free?

Here’s something that all of us should be seriously thinking about in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina – How does a country with so much wealth and power get reduced into acting no better than a third world country in response to a natural disaster? We all have a part in it; we all have some blood on our hands, because of the people we vote into power. We are so wrapped up in labels in this country between liberals and conservatives that we have let innocent people die. How can we as a country send 140,000 troops to the Middle East to ‘Nation Build’, when we cannot even help ourselves?
I think the conservatives are finally getting it a few weeks too late and that’s only because they’re looking at the 2006 elections and the potential fallout that it might cause for them. I read today with amazement that President Bush is taking full responsibility for the bungled rescue efforts. That’s admirable and that will win you back some of the people you lost, but why do I always get the feeling that you’re not the one talking to us? Why do have to wait three days for you to address a nation looking for leadership? Why do we always have to wait for your staff to prepare a speech for you? Can’t you just speak to us from the heart?
Hurricane Katrina has given the world a glimpse at this country’s dirty laundry. We spend billions helping others, yet we hesitate to help our own. What a disgrace!
The following piece, taken from today’s New York Times’ op-ed column written by Tom Friedman, will give you a glimpse of what others think about this “Great” nation.
Speaking of Katrina, Sumiko Tan, a columnist for the Sunday edition of The Straits Times in Singapore, wrote: "We were shocked at what we saw. Death and destruction from natural disaster is par for the course. But the pictures of dead people left uncollected on the streets, armed looters ransacking shops, survivors desperate to be rescued, racial divisions - these were truly out of sync with what we'd imagined the land of the free to be, even if we had encountered homelessness and violence on visits there. ... If America becomes so unglued when bad things happen in its own backyard, how can it fulfill its role as leader of the world?"
America looks like a beautiful polished apple from the outside, however when you bite into it, you’ll find that it’s full of worms.