Four of the five black Hurricane Katrina evacuees testifying to a special House committee yesterday attributed the slow response to racism. Some congressmen got a little defensive about comparison to genocide and the Holocaust.

Representative Christopher Shays, a Republican from Connecticut, used poor judgment when he said, "I don't want to be offensive when you've gone though such incredible challenges," but referring to some of the victims' charges, like the gun pointed at the girl, Shays said: "I just don't frankly believe it." He certainly can opt to not believe, but his response reflects an attitude that lacks compassion and sensitivity.

The hearing was requested by Representative Cynthia McKinney, Democrat from Georgia and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. "Racism is something we don't like to talk about, but we have to acknowledge it," McKinney said. "And the world saw the effects of American-style racism in the drama as it was outplayed by the Katrina survivors."