Americans get hit up for so many calls worldwide for assistance that we could become overwhelmed and disinterested by the magnitude of the requests.

But we’ve seen, in the aftermath of Burma’s devastating cyclone, that sometimes the U.S. can’t give away its aid.

Burma’s ruling military junta delayed international aid, seeing the worldwide humanitarian community as a threat to its power. The junta also rejected help when the tsunami hit in 2004.

Burma has been called Myanmar since 1989 by the military junta, which has ruled the country since 1962. The U.S. doesn’t recognize the relatively new name.

As of Thursday, Myanmar’s state media said Cyclone Nargis killed at least 22,997 people and left 42,019 missing, mostly in the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta. Estimates of fatalities have been as high as 100,000.

Initially, generals issued an appeal for help. But Burmese officials wouldn’t waive visa requirements to allow aid workers in.

As of Thursday, the U.S. was looking at the possibility of air-dropping aid to victims even without permission from the government. The issue arose whether that would be more harmful since it was not the most efficient way to get aid into a country.

If the government ever wanted to be seen as benevolent to its people, it could use the cyclone as a chance to open its doors, even under its own conditions.

What we’ve witnessed so far is that the U.S. has taken the right approach — in the humanitarian world and in the political sense. Our offer of aid has not been linked to political reform.

And while we may be stunned that our aid isn’t taken, none of us should let this misguided military junta’s attitude dissuade our humanitarian spirit.