Save New Orleans

I love New Orleans. My wife and I have strong memories of visiting in the first few months of our relationship, and, later, sharing a wonderful 2001 New Year's Eve with some of our closest friends. I am currently:

• Sad beyond words to see that city "destroyed." That's the only term I can think of for it. It will be uninhabitable for months or years. There are even statements by short sighted Republicans that it may not be worth rebuliding. It is one of the only American cities that should unquestionably be rebuilt, regardless of the cost or difficulty. It is a city that has the history, art, and culture that so many US cities lack. We must rebuild it.
  
• I'm also ashamed of the leaders of my country--I know that this is not a surprising sentiment coming from me, but, trust me, this is no philosophical difference or policy quibble. The largest natural disaster that we have ever experienced in this country, and our President and Congress were on vacation, and when they finally got off of their asses, they responded painfully slowly. In 2005, in the richest country in the world, people are dying of starvation and dehydration (the irony!) in the streets of New Orleans, surrounded by dead bodies and human waste while they wait for aid and transportation out of the city.
  
• Don't believe them when they said they didn't know how bad it would be. Two days before the storm made landfall, they were predicting a direct hit on New Orleans, by a storm that was category 5. TV, radio, and print media were all doing stories about the "bowl" that New Orleans was sitting in, and how this storm could flood it completely. This was a surprise to no one--our government was simply unprepared and did not move quickly enough.
  
• Where's the aid? There should be a caravan of buses a hundred miles long going into that city (I know that there is only one reliable route into the city, but why isn't it jammed with relief traffic?). If our government can't mobilize these forces after THREE DAYS have already passed, maybe citizens should take the initiative. Every bus, truck, RV, or van in the American south should be filled with food and get to New Orleans. Feed the people and get them the hell out of there.
  
• I don't want to here another goddamn report about looters. I don't want to hear our President say that there will be "zero" tolerance for them. I couldn't care less if Wal-mart is down a few (or even a few thousand) TVs at the end of this. People are stealing becasue they have nothing, and because the US government is not doing enough to help them. Let's also be clear about the guns and violence among the looters--They are desperate, and they wouldn't be holding guns and shooting at rescuers if they weren't. Get them fed, treated medically, and the hell out of New Orleans, and they won't shoot you or steal TVs. Mr. Bush, the looting is the fault of the authorities--not the looters. HELP THEM!
  
• For some reason, known only to him, Bush is not accepting assistance from other countries. Jamaica, Canada, and UN have all offered, but Bush refuses. What the hell is his problem?!?!?! PEOPLE ARE DYING. RIGHT NOW. You're on the clock Mr. President take every offer of help that you receive--every death in the streets of New Orleans in the aftermath of this disaster is on your head.
  

This is an appalling situation. America should be able to do better than this.