I lived in Japan in the 60's, learned the language fairly well and credit those wonderful people with easing my transition from 2 years of combat,physical and mental wounds than accompany that. I look today in horror at the devestation that has become northern Japan. Tears fall from my eyes,prayers from my lips. But I notice there is no large arena filled with forgotten poor,there is no looting, there is no part of the nation refusing to accomodate the homeless. No,this not Katrina, actually it is far worse,but food is getting to people as is medical aid and the army. Even U.S. troops. the amazing thing is U.S.troops got to aid victims in Japan quicker than they did in Katrina. Plus the Japanese had a plan, everyone rehearsed it,they built for it and thousands and thousands of lives were saved by this preparation. Imagine this haMFening on the California coast. America would be paralyzed, we have no plan. Asa Katrina proved FEMA is a joke and I doubt if we learned anything either. What with massive budget cuts in domestic programs, there may well be nothing left of FEMA. Ah but foreign aid flows and weapons systems are delivered overseas. Sad