the letter i sent

Elected officials in every U.S. state and territory, from local government to federal, are listed here:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

i called the white house. comment line closed.

here is the letter that i emailed to the "president."


Dear Mr. President -

Sir, your inaction on behalf of the victims of Hurricane Katrina appalls me. Once it became clear that a hurricane was to hit New Orleans, you should have ended your vacation and, at the very least, made sure that local, state, federal and FEMA officials were doing all they could to anticipate and coordinate relief efforts. Your failure to do so is another callous example of your administration's disregard for human life. As with your initial paltry offering of aid to tsunami victims, you have exhibited a basic lack of empathy.

There are people dying, minute by minute, because of your lack of leadership. Where are the values you trumpet? Why are people still trapped on rooftops? After the WTC collapsed it took less than six hours to completely block off lower Manhattan, to evacuate and secure it. Why are the poor people of New Orleans any different? I suppose I've answered my own questions - lower Manhattan is not a slum; the Financial District no ghetto.

Mr. Bush, you had no problems firing the country up to go to war, to chase down terrorists. You convinced Americans to stock up on bottled water and gas masks, to fear Islamic militants and give blood. Why, sir, can you not convince FEMA to marshall its resources and save New Orleans? Why can you not gather what troops remain in the country? Why aren't they there yet? Where is the Coast Guard? Don't you, as their Commander-in-Chief, determine where they go? Shouldn't you, as a strong leader, guide them in the right direction, towards saving lives and lessening this terrible suffering? Sir, as the leader of the free world, is there nothing more you can do than take photos with victims, who are suffering as much from lack of relief efforts as from the disaster itself?

We are Americans. Around the world, we secure peace zones and topple dictatorships. Have we nothing more to offer our own people than a dark, dank Superdome and the threat of disease and death? Can we do no better?

I am ashamed of you, sir. Ashamed of your failures. New Orleans was a shining example of the best of American cities; you are a disgrace to the American spirit of generosity and brotherhood.

You do not make me ashamed to be an American; merely ashamed that you are one, too.