Well I heard this today, and it bothered me.

Strained US National Guard has hurricane relief role

"National Guard troops played a leading role responding to Hurricane Katrina's destruction along the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday, but thousands more who might have been part of the effort are deployed in Iraq.
...
The Pentagon has sent about 40 percent of Mississippi's National Guard force to Iraq and 35 percent of Louisiana's

Well I didn't really know that this was happening in many states of this union. I understand the need for these soldiers in Iraq, not that I agree that we should be there in the first place, but none the less, there are some serious consequences here at home.

The Army National Guard was formed as a part-time force, with its members living civilian lives while doing periodic military training. But the Pentagon has relied heavily on these troops in combat roles in Iraq.

Unlike soldiers in the part-time Army Reserve, made up of federal troops, those in the National Guard serve under the control of state governors usually for roles like disaster relief in their home states. They can be summoned to active-duty Army service in times of national need.

Some state governors have worried that the Pentagon's deployment of so many Guard troops has eroded their states' abilities to respond to disasters like wildfires and hurricanes. The Pentagon has promised never to deploy more than half of a state's guard force at any given time."

Well that is a relief, they won't use more than half of a state's national guard. I'm sorry maybe I am too cynical, but people in OUR country need help. I am watching the coverage of the devastation from this storm, and so help me god if any of these states are short on help and lives are lost because most forces are in Iraq. We need to think about exactly what we are doing.