Many were lead to believe that the global “War on Terror” was being waged to keep Americans safe. That the lives and safety of the American public was the top priority to the American ruling class. As the administration was defending its war as a safeguard for the American public, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

The scenes of intense human suffering, hopelessness, squalor, and neglect amidst the wreckage of what was once New Orleans have exposed the rotten core of American capitalist society before the eyes of the entire world-and, most significantly, before those of its own stunned people.

The reactionary mythology of America as the “Greatest Country in the World” has suffered a shattering blow.

Hurricane Katrina has laid bare the awful truths of contemporary America-a country torn by the most intense class divisions, ruled by a corrupt plutocracy that possesses no sense either of social reality or public responsibility, in which millions of its citizens are deemed expendable and cannot depend on any social safety net or public assistance if disaster, in whatever form, strikes.

The storm knocked out power and submerged up to 80 percent of New Orleans in 6ft of water. This devastation was not due solely to a natural disaster, as the Republicans claim, but to the neglect of the infrastructure which kept New Orleans livable. The breach of the levees was the direct result of essential social services being cut and government agencies, in charge of alleviating poverty and coping with disasters, being dismantled. The needs of society and the actions of the government ran contradictory, with the latter defeating the former.

Evacuees were told to seek shelter in the superdome. Tens of thousands gathered there only to find a lack of food, water, and sanitary facilities. Two days after the hurricane struck, a public health emergency was finally declared. FEMA director, Mike Brown, was profoundly unqualified to deal with the situation. He was appointed to his position by Bush in January of 2003. Hurricane damage to oil facilities also gave multi-million oil companies another excuse to raise gas prices and profit from the disaster.

The United States government showed the world just how little they care about the American people by failing the people of New Orleans. Rather than address the concerns and outrage of the public, they resorted to finger-pointing to save their jobs rather than our lives. On Good Morning America, the president declared that there would be “zero tolerance” for looters. When Dianne Sawyer suggested that the oil companies, who had reported record profits, should cede a share of their earnings to disaster relief, President Bush instead called on the American people to “send cash”. Over seventy countries donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the victims of Katrina before our own government made any real attempt to help. In some cases, aid was actually turned down by the US government. Meanwhile, American politicians patted each other on the back for the most minimal of gestures while people in New Orleans literally died of starvation and disease in the streets. At least 1,836 people died from the Hurricane and subsequent mayhem left in its wake.

In a televised event to raise money for victims of the hurricane, rapper Kanye West attacked the media for its unbalanced portrayal of blacks. “If you see a black family, it says they’re looting. See a white family; it says they’re looking for food.” Kanye then attacked the president for his inept response by saying “George Bush doesn’t care about black people”. While that statement may be true, West would’ve been more accurate if he would’ve said “George Bush doesn’t care about poor people”. His Afro-centric remark neglected the fact that non-blacks were also suffering in New Orleans. Kanye was brainwashed by the age old diversion set forth by rulers to keep the masses fighting amongst themselves. Kanye believed that racial discrimination was the real issue rather than social discrimination. This mentality pits poor blacks against poor whites, creating a never-ending struggle to nowhere. One year later, many parts of New Orleans are still without water and power while the majority of politicians who failed the American people during Katrina sit comfortably.
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