I am repulsed and disheartened by the lack of international response to Katrina.  Where is the UN?  Where is Kofi Annan and his lofty ideals?  Where is the international response akin to that seen following the Boxing Day tsunami?

I as an American am appalled and disgusted.  We as a people never fail to render aid whenever possible — which means every time.  Why is it then, with millions of evacuees (more than a million from New Orleans alone), hundreds and more likely thousands dead, billions of dollars in damage, cities ruined for months to come (if not permanently), the economy kicked while it was still floundering, and essentially death and destruction spread across thousands of square miles (remember, this storm stretched hurricane-force winds across a 400-mile swathe and tropical storm-force winds much further than that), that we are left on our own?  Where are our allies and friends?

Why, in the face of such a gargantuan disaster, are we left alone?

Surely the Brits must be doing something, right?  Well, they are, but only if it involves their own people.  British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said it was "merciful" that there had not been any reports of British casualties.  Apparently the other casualties don’t matter since they weren’t British citizens.  While I realize British officials in Houston, Atlanta and Washington DC are doing all they can to help, their primary focus is on the welfare of those Britons caught in the disaster, not on providing general aid for all those impacted.

The Queen was polite enough to tell Bush she was "shocked and saddened" by these events.  Seems like something was missing from that statement, like, oh, I don't know, an offer to help, maybe…?

Perhaps I'm wrong.  Perhaps not.  Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive in what is undoubtedly an emotional time.  Perhaps I just touched a raw nerve.

Before someone yells at me for being an idiot, I do realize that our own government would undoubtedly turn down any external support except for cash funds to help the survivors directly.  What I'm referring to is any semblance of solidarity from the international community, anything that might be taken as being supportive of those impacted by this tragedy.  It's the emotional support that will undoubtedly count in this case, yet many Americans like me feel as though none has been forthcoming — at least none publicly that would let us know that someone out there cares when something like this happens, regardless of who it happens to.

But I'm likewise left wondering where our own military and federal aid is.  I realize there are already thousands of FEMA representatives working the issue, but why do we see looting and violence while our own military stands by and does nothing?  If we can send our troops all over the world for reasons both real and imagined, why is it then that we cannot get them to the Gulf Coast states to help provide support and security?

I do realize the military has been helping with the rescue efforts, but am I to believe that dozens of helicopters was the extent of what they could send?  Given the scope of the disaster, does that really seem an appropriate response?

Am I to be impressed that Dubya rushed back to DC from yet another extended vacation just to take charge of the federal response?  As the New York Times said in response to Bush's speech about Katrina, "…nothing about the president's demeanor yesterday — which seemed casual to the point of carelessness — suggested that he understood the depth of the current crisis."  This would also appear to be true of the rest of his administration, each of them giving little more than lip service to what is clearly horrendous suffering on the part of the people of this nation.

Only now, days after the disaster, only after thousands of deaths, after looting and violence break out causing additional injury and loss to those who lost so much already, only after these things does the federal government decide to send 10,000 troops to the worst-hit areas in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi.   Where were these troops yesterday?  And the day before?  Is the military only now being told of the disaster?  Perhaps they just hadn't heard the news yet.

And those left behind in the most horribly impacted areas (such as Biloxi and New Orleans) are angry.  Especially in New Orleans, they remain without food and water or any kind of support — and now in danger from roaming groups of looters and other half-wits who are out to do harm.  They have been without essentials for days.  When will they get help?

I was happy to hear Hugo Chavez had offered significant funds, personnel and cheap petroleum to help the US in its recovery efforts.  Oh, but wait…. The religious right, and by proxy and close ties, the Bush régime want him assassinated, so it's unlikely we'll accept any aid from Venezuela.  Our administration and the theocratic plutocracy that runs our nation feel that Chavez can't be trusted and isn't to be dealt with (he's a friend of Castro, so he can't be a nice person, right?).

As a citizen of Texas I'm happy to announce that we as a state have opened our doors and purses to help in whatever way we can.  Survivors from Louisiana, especially from New Orleans' Superdome where conditions had become "atrocious," are being moved to the Astrodome in Houston as I write this post.  Our governor has relaxed educational requirements in this state so children from other states can go to school here — knowing full well many of them will be unable to attend school in their home states for many months at least.  We have opened our homes to shelter those who have nothing left.

The same is happening in other states as well, especially those which border Louisiana, Alabama or Mississippi.  This is the example we set, whether at home or abroad, when people are in need.  We are Americans, so we help.  We help in whatever way that we can, whether it's sending money, providing supplies, offering shelter, enforcing security, or simply proffering a shoulder to cry on.  Yes, we are Americans and this is what we do, regardless of who's in need.