The State of Things

So I can honestly say that with the events of the past week or so occcuring in the US I'm not exactly dying to go back. The events in New Orleans are sad, tragic and downright unacceptable..not only the people who picked up guns but the government who wasn't prepared for a disaster on our own soil, the rescue efforts are worse for this than they were for the tsunami which occured in some of the poorest areas of the world..there are lots of people who should be ashamed by the whole mess. Also I've had endless questions from foriegners who don't understand why so many people had guns and why they were shooting and rescue personnel and each other and I can honestly tell them I don't understand either b/c I don't, but I can say that I'm embarassed that I have to be asked these questions to begin with and that the image of Americans as gun-toting lunatics is constantly being reinforced. My Swedish roommate simply said this is what happens in a society where the government doesn't take care of its own. I tend to agree as the wealthiest nation on earth we leave a large number of our citizens to fend for themselves, the poorest among us which only exaserbates things like crime and creates a cycle that's hard to break. I don't know how to fix it or if it can be fixed but I think it's worth a try..to make the world a better place by starting at home. Didn't mean to preach today but I'm frustrated, frustrated of trying to explain to others, and frustrated of trying to understand myself, most of all though I can say that I do love home and even though I may chose not to live there for a while I do want to see America grow and prosper and change for the better.