Far From Perfect

Hurricane Katrina represents one of the worst disasters in recorded history, natural or otherwise. Lawlessness broke out last week, people are receiving inadequate nutrition, and dead bodies were strewn or floating across the city of New Orleans.

In most cases, tragedies such as this brings people closer together, but the violence that erupted last week, I simply could not understand. I watched news reports of emergency personnel attempting to evacuate people in need of medical attention while other people were shooting at them. This is America, and from the reports on the television, it looks more like a war torn third world country. It is staggering to think that this is happening in our country, and indeed only a few states away. Thousands of people have died, and armed gangs were patrolling the city. What is wrong with this picture?

Last week people were blaming the government for not acting fast enough, and this may have something to do with the worsening situation, but the government did not force people to brandish weapons and shoot emergency personnel attempting to administer medical aid.

What sort of society have we, in America, harbored that this can happen? What sort of ideals have we instilled in these people, that when other countries look at us, they see the violence and destruction that was not caused naturally, but by the hands of men and women? The ideal of America is not one of violent criminals, but of a society that lives and helps each other in concordance with moral thinking.

It saddens me to think that things have gotten so bad that these people are turning to a Lord of the Flies type situation. We aided the Asian tsunami victims, we're involved in the Middle East, but it took us a week to get aid into New Orleans, Alabama, and Mississippi. Even President Bush has had to relent and chide the relief agencies for not being quick enough to the scene of the disaster.

Perhaps had emergency relief efforts been coordinated quicker, this lawlessness that was so prevalent last week may not have happened. Thankfully, National Guard troops were deployed and the televise news reports are not reporting as much violence. But that fact that it happened at all should be a warning for the future, that although we have the greatest country in the world, we are far from perfect.