I'm not surprised that people in other countries are shocked by the situation in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They can only react to what they see on TV and what they read.

Americans need to demand a non-political response to this disaster. Politicians need to stop blaming each other and start leading the people. Racism has nothing to do with how Americans respond in time of need. We all need to think twice before criticising because it just makes the United States look bad in the eyes of the rest of the world.

If you haven't yet made your contribution to help our fellow Americans, do it now. Give to the Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html. Josh Hallett has listed lots of other good charitable giving options on his Hurricane Katrina page.