3 Sufis 3

Now let’s try to restore a bit of stability to the postings, as New Orleans gradually begins the long road of reconstruction. I’ll probably alternate Katrina postings with world postings for a while.
From what I can see the Bush Administration is rapidly imploding, considering Bennett’s comments today, Abramoff’s (sp?) ongoing saga, Libby’s outing, DeLay’s indictment, and various news about Iraq. Well, let’s hope so:

1) Read this article, and then judge for yourself how significant the posting of body parts on a porn sites is vis-a-vis the US image in the world:
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/09/us-soldiers-allegedly-trading-pictures.html

2) Apropos torture in Iraq:
http://balkin.blogspot.com/2005/09/shirking-responsibility.html

3) A song about old Baghdad:
www.sawari.com/taleb/fairuz/bagdad.wma

4) Required reading, about the America that Bush hath wrought, and may be imploding — or may just be taking a breath before worse actions:
Dear Colleagues:
I would like to bring to attention an article I recently published, although about three years in the making, entitled: “The Road to Internment: Special Registration and other Human Rights Violations of Arabs and Muslims in the United States.” It is published in the Vermont Law Review at Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 407-553 (2005) (The article can be ordered at http://www.vermontlawreview.com/ by contacting the staff) and is also available on West Law and in most law libraries in the most recent issue. Below is the Table of Contents and thesis:
I. THESIS
This article is an essay and critical review of immigration law. It is based on my experience as an immigration attorney and research that concurs with the well-documented, widespread, and systematic violations of the rights of Arabs and Muslims in the United States post 9/11. These violations are part of a continued trend in recent decades, and there now exists a real risk of another internment that could approach the levels of internment experienced during World War II.
Internment of Arabs and Muslims has arguably already occurred since 9/11, although we may not know at this point if they are kept in special designated locations. In 1986, the U.S. government developed a contingency plan for interning Arabs. Although the proposed camps in this plan were never built, the new, large detention facility in Oakdale, Louisiana, was constructed perhaps to take their place; this Oakdale camp is known in the immigration field as being used for immigration detention in general. Although Professor David Cole believes that a World War II-level of internment is not likely to occur because it is not practical and Arabs are more disbursed geographically than were the Japanese, he has recently asserted that the number of detainees has exceeded 5,000, which is approximately the number of Germans and Italians interned in World War II. It does not appear at this moment that Arabs and Muslims have been interned in “camps” within the mainland United States, such as that envisioned with the 1986 plan to intern Arabs from eight countries. It is also not known the exact percentage of the 5,000 detainees that are Arab or Muslim. We do not know if any of those detained could meet the threshold definition of “internment.” If there was any level of internment occurring, such as a few unknown individuals in “camps” somewhere, this internment certainly would be on a dramatically lower scale than the Japanese internment in World War II. However, thousands continue to be held in detention facilities off the mainland, and the government has constructed “camps” that are housing hundreds at Guantanamo. This detention in principle is broader in many respects in scale than the Japanese internment because it is based on religion, ethnicity, and a broad spectrum of nationalities of countries with which the United States is either not at war or considers strong allies. Moreover, as Professor Susan Akram, who also believes that internment of Arabs and Muslims is a realistic possibility, points out, what is occurring to Arabs and Muslims is extralegal, whereas the Japanese internment was arguably legal because it was based on an Executive Order.
This article particularly focuses on Special Registration and how it creates a logistical framework and discriminatory culture that could lead to the internment of Arab and Muslims. Census data on Arab-Americans has been provided to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) upon its request. This increases the risk of a higher level of internment that may include U.S. citizens. Both Special Registration and census data can assist the government with overcoming the issue of Arabs and Muslims being dispersed throughout the United States. This internment, detainment, deportation, and massive rights abuses have already occurred on a scale that rivals past major government actions, including the Japanese internment and Palmer raids.
This author does not assert that Special Registration is a systematic plan or conspiracy known to all or many sectors of the government, merely that internment has been planned by the government for Arabs recently. Special Registration falls right in line with this plan in both theory and practice. The mechanisms are in place to track Arabs and Muslims through continued Special Registration, and now with the DHS requesting census data on locations of Arab-Americans, they may be located in numbers of at least 1,000 down to the zip code. The climate of discrimination and persecution continues to be present with little discussion in the general public discourse. The rights abuses of Arabs and Muslims are sensational in U.S.history. The United States is continuing to make the same mistakes, and the Special Registration system is analogous to those past mistakes. There is continued, increased, or at the very least unabated support for internment in public discourse. Another terrorist attack or increased war in the Middle East could make internment a known reality, and it may be large scale.
In Part II, this article provides a brief overview of the discrimination and persecution of Arab and Muslim aliens in the United States. In Part III, this article introduces Special Registration, which is the massive, ongoing, and unprecedented registration of Arab and Muslim males ages sixteen and over in the United States, including women and children of all ages for some countries. In Part IV, I discuss my experience in my immigration cases involving Arabs, Muslims, and others, including aliens and citizens that range from early 2002 to late 2004, almost a year after the press reported that Special Registration had “ended” in December 2003. In Part V, the defenses by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the DHS in support of Special Registration are discussed. Part VI discusses the fallacies of racial and ethnic profiling, such as Special Registration, as well as de jure and de facto discrimination in all law enforcement issues and more discussion of the Japanese internment, history of the treatment of the Germans, and the recent racial profiling of Mexicans in border enforcement. Part VII includes details of the 1986 plan to intern Arabs and how the DHS has recently requested data from the Census bureau on Arab-Americans as it did with the Japanese in World War II. The conclusion is a poem, The Day of Evacuation. It serves as a warning or foreshadowing of how today, as in World War II when a U.S. citizen was allegedly implicated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, that if a U.S. citizen was ever implicated in a terrorist attack in the United States in the near future who was Arab or Muslim, not only could Arab and Muslim aliens be interned, but U.S. citizens as well. Registration paves that road.
Introduction: The Road to Internment..
……………………. 411
I. Thesis…………………………… 419
II. The Discrimination and Persecution of Arabs and Muslims in the United States……… 422
III. Special Registration: The Road to Internment…………….. 442
A. The Legal Authority and Logistics of Special Registration ………… 443
B. Research and Reports of the Implementation of Special Registration … 446
IV. Experiences in the Field……………………….. 454
A. Immediate Post-September 11th Aftermath…………………. 455
B. Universities as Sword and Shield of Arab and Muslim Students ……… 460
1. The Shield: Protecting Students from INS “Cowboys Who Come to Scare the Crap out of the Students……… 461
2. The Sword: Discriminating Against Arab and Muslim Students andAssisting in their Deportation …………… 462
C. FBI Interviews: “Voluntary” Questioning as Means to Deport Arabs & Muslims Rather than a Valid Law Enforcement Purpose………. 464
D. Abuse of Arab and Muslim Detainees……………. 472
E. U.S. Attorney General Utilizing Criminal Prosecutorial Discrimination
to Target Arabs and Muslims …………………………………….. 475
F. Discriminatory Arrest, Harassment, and Deportation ……………… 477
G. U.S. Citizens with Muslim or Arab Spouses Falsely Accused of
Fraudulent Marriages or Forced to Withdraw Immigrant Petitions ………. 480
H. Discriminating Against Arabs and Muslims at Local CIS Information
Window….. 482
I. Discriminating and Investigating Arabs and Muslims Applying for
Permanent Residence …………………………………………….. 483
J. General Climate of Discrimination ……………………………… 484
K. Special Registration Field Experience ………………………….. 485
1. Improper Registration of Arab and Muslim U.S. Citizens and Other
Issues for Muslim U.S. Citizens ………………………………….. 487
2. Arabs and Muslims are Treated Differently Because of the
Logistics of Special Registration ………………………………… 489
3. Continud ICE Targeting of Arabs and Muslims After Two Special
Registration Requirements are Suspended ………….. 491
V. U.S. Government Defense of Special Registration …………………. 501
A. Analysis of Attorney General Response to Comments on Special
Registration in the Federal Regist……………. 502
B. The Attorney General’s Defense of Special Registratio………….. 507
VI. The Fallacy of Discriminating on the Basis of Race, Ethnicity, or
Religion… 527
A. Historical Failure of Discrimination in Protecting National Security ….. 527
B. Alienation of Arab and Muslim Communities …………… 532 C. Deportation Can Be a War Crime, and the Irony is that Discrimination
Based on Nationality, Social Group, and Religion Can Be a Basis for Seeking Asylum …….. 533
VII. Special Registration Paves the Road to Internment for Arabs and
Muslims ….. 536
A. Special Registration and Census Data Utilized as Tracking System of
Arabs and Muslim……… 536
B. INS Contingency Plan for Interning Arabs and Muslims Prior to September 11th……………………………… 538
C. The Dark Precedent of Racism and Continued Discrimination of Ethnic Minorities………………………………………. 540
1. The Japanese Experience………………………. 541
2. The German Experience ………………………….. 542
3. The Continuing Mexican Experience……………….. 545
D. Unprecedented Targeting Based on Religion and Ethnicity: The Meaning of the Terms “Arab” and “Muslim” …………………. 546
E. The Current U.S. Supreme Court May be Weak Protection Against Internment. 550
Conclusion: The Day of Evacuation…………………………… 553

5) And what about those Iraq pix?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5308836,00.html

Army: No Felony in Release of Corpse Pics
Wednesday September 28, 2005 10:01 PM
By ROBERT BURNS
AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) – After an initial look at complaintsabout U.S. soldiers posting photos of Iraq war dead onan Internet site, Army investigators concluded theyhad too little evidence to pursue criminal charges.
An Islamic civil rights group called on the DefenseDepartment to take action, while the Florida man whoruns the Web site said Wednesday he has no intentionof taking the photos down or stopping future postings.
The controversy centers on grisly photographs of whatappear to be war dead. The Web site says they wereposted by U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who,in exchange, received free access to onlinepornography.
Army officials expressed concern that the matter couldtrigger an anti-American backlash in the Middle East.One official said the Army was considering thepossibility of banning the use of personal cameras andpersonal computers by soldiers while they are in warzones.
Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, called the corpsepostings despicable and unacceptable.
Paul Boyce, an Army spokesman, said the Army’sCriminal Investigation Division in recent daysconcluded from a preliminary inquiry that there wasinsufficient evidence to pursue felony charges againstanyone.
However, he said, “While this may not rise to thelevel of a felony crime, it’s still serious.”
An Islamic civil rights group expressed disappointmentin the Army’s decision not to pursue criminal charges.
“Their conclusion would be entirely premature,” saidIbrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council onAmerican-Islamic Relations. “For this to be treatedin a manner that suggests the Army does not take thisseriously is only going to further harm our nation’simage and interests around the world, particularly theMuslim world.”
Boyce and other officials said that while no criminalinvestigation would be pursued based on currentlyavailable evidence, disciplinary action may be takenagainst individual soldiers if it can be verified thatthey used government computers to transmit digitalphotos of Iraqi war dead. Such an act could be deemeda violation of Article 134 of the Uniformed Code ofMilitary Justice, which proscribes behavior thatundermines good order and discipline or bringsdiscredit to the military.
Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, sent amessage Wednesday to soldiers in the field remindingthem of guidelines issued by the Defense Departmentand the Army regarding “Internet safety.” Hereferred mainly to prohibitions on posting informationor photos that jeopardize troop security. He did notmention the corpse photos, and spokesmen said hismessage was not in reaction to news stories this weekdescribing the Web site that offers access to onlinepornography in exchange for corpse photos.
Some of the photos show dismembered corpses, describedin accompanying Web postings as Iraqis killed in U.S.attacks. Some show what appear to be internal humanorgans; others show what look like charred humanremains.
The Web site is owned by 27-year-old Chris Wilson, whooversees it from his apartment in Lakeland, Fla. Hestarted it about 18 months ago as a place where mencould post nude photos of their wives and girlfriends.
For the last seven or eight months, the site also hasbecome a venue for soldiers serving in the war zonesto post photos depicting their daily lives, includingthe grisly images of dead people identified as Iraqiand Afghani insurgents.
“To me this is a real look at what’s going on overthere,” Wilson said in an interview Wednesday. Hesaid he has no intention of taking the photos down orstopping future p
osts. “It’s right from their camerasto the site.”
Wilson said the Pentagon has not contacted him aboutthe photos.
Boyce said Army investigators could not verify thatU.S. soldiers were involved because the Web sitepostings were anonymous and investigators were unsureof the authenticity and origin of the photos. He saidthe matter had been referred to U.S. commanders inIraq.

6) Here are pictures taken by a New Orleans area peace activist last weekend at the DC rally urging a US pullout from Iraq:
One World: New Orleans Represented at D.C. Peace March/ Anti-War Protest: The Whole Wild Creation.
http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/5620.php
http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/5640.php

7) Some ask: is it time to negotiate?:
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=14645
US academics urge Americans to listen to al-Qaeda Leading academics say governments will have to seek truce with Al-Qaeda sooner or later. By Michel Moutot – PARIS
Writing in a US newspaper earlier this month, a leading expert on Al-Qaeda at Harvard University courted controversy by suggesting that people in the United States should spend more time listening to the demands of Islamic extremists.
Derided by critics as an apologist for Al-Qaeda, Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou questioned the US reaction to the September 11 attacks in an article that observers say demonstrates a more open public debate about responses to Osama bin Laden and his conspirators.
“Since the attacks on New York and Washington, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have delivered, respectively, 18 and 15 messages via audio or videotape making a three-part case: The United States must end its military presence in the Middle East, its uncritical political support and military aid of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, and its support of corrupt and coercive regimes in the Arab and Muslim world,” wrote Mohamedou in the Boston Globe under the headline “Time to talk to Al Qaeda?”
He said that “developing a strategy for the next phase of the global response to Al Qaeda requires understanding the enemy”.
Mohamedou cited the analysis of the former head of the “bin Laden unit” at the CIA, Michael Scheuer, who is now a fierce critic of the Bush administration and its “War on Terror” policy.
During a recent speech at the US Army War College, Scheuer said that both militant and non-militant Muslims hated the United States “for what we do in the Islamic world, not for our democratic beliefs and civil liberties”.
The speech was called “no strategy can defeat an nemy you refuse to understand”.
The willingness of academics and opinion leaders in the US to address the issue in public reveals a change in the political climate inside the United States, according to some observers.
Francois Burgat, a leading expert on the Arab world at France’s national research institute, the CNRS, said the change in tone was “the start of a critical reassessment of the logic of the whole security policy”.
He continued: “The evolution is doubtless the result of a worsening of the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. The lessons of the attacks in London have also been learnt: the threat of terrorism can resist the formidable security deployment.”
Another academic, an expert in responses to disasters at New York University, Allen Zerkin, said that governments would have to seek a truce with Al-Qaeda sooner or later.
“To be sure, the terrorists can’t win this war, but neither can we,” he said, citing examples in Britain with the IRA and in France with the FLN from Algeria.
Research by Robert Pape at Chicago University has also challenged the commonly held belief that the motivations for terrorism are religious fanaticism.
Pape said he was “surprised” to discover from the study of 463 suicide bombings that “what over 95 percent of all suicide attacks around the world since 1980 until today have in common is not religion, but a clear, strategic objective: to compel a modern democracy to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists view as their homeland.”

8) On the ever so quiescent “American street”:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2005/09/29/protests/
The “American street” speaks: Will the DemocraticParty listen?
As more and more Americans turn against Bush’s Iraqwar, Democratic politicians remain silent. Theirplay-it-safe strategy isn’t just cowardly, it alsowon’t work.
– – – – – – – – – – – -By Juan Cole
Sept. 29, 2005 The antiwar mother of a U.S.soldier killed in Iraq, Cindy Sheehan, protested withhundreds of others outside the White House on Monday.She and the others approached the gate of 1600Pennsylvania Avenue three times, and each time policewarned them that they were trespassing. On the thirdapproach, Ms. Sheehan was arrested and carried fromthe scene, as were the others. She left behind, in thefence, a picture of her dead son Casey, who diedfighting the Mahdi Army in Sadr City in spring of2004. Ever since, Ms. Sheehan has been asking the U.S.government to explain what exactly he died for.

9) The quagmire deepens:
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=30428
POLITICS-IRAQ:Can the US Military Presence Avert Civil War?Analysis by Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON, Sep 26 (IPS) – The growing spectre of afull-scale civil war in Iraq — and the likelihoodthat such a conflict will draw in neighbouring states– has intensified a summer-long debate here overwhether and how to withdraw U.S. troops.
Some analysts believe that an immediate U.S.withdrawal would make an all-out conflict less likely,while others insist that the U.S. military presence atthis point is virtually all there is to prevent thecurrent violence from blowing sky-high, destabilisingthe region, and sending oil prices into thestratosphere.
The Bush administration continues to insist it will”stay the course” until Iraqi security forces can bythemselves contain, if not crush, the ongoinginsurgency. But an increasing number of analysts,including some who favoured the 2003 invasion, believeWashington will begin drawing down its 140,000 troopsbeginning in the first half of next year, if for noother reason than the Republican Party needs to showvoters a “light at the end of the tunnel” before theNovember 2006 elections.
Indeed, reports in the British press over the weekendstrongly suggested that London is already planning amajor drawdown next May, although Prime Minister TonyBlair insisted Sunday that “no arbitrary date has beenset”.
Even these plans, however, could be renderedirrelevant if the current slide towards civil war inIraq accelerates, as a growing number of expertsbelieve it will.
In fact, some of these analysts believe that a civilwar — pitting Sunnis against the Kurdish and Shiapopulations — has already begun. “A year ago, it waspossible to write about the potential for civil war inIraq,” wrote Iraq-war booster Niall Ferguson in theLos Angeles Times. “Today that civil war is wellunderway,” he asserted.
While that remains a minority view, the likelihood andimminence of civil war in Iraq is no longer questionedby analysts outside the administration.
Ferguson blames the situation on Washington’s failureto deploy a sufficient number of troops in Iraq tocrush any insurgency. But a report released Monday bythe International Crisis Group (ICG) pointed thefinger at the U.S.-sponsored constitutional process,which will culminate in a national plebiscite Oct. 15,as having further alienated Sunnis from the two othermajor sectarian groups.
Barring a major U.S. intervention to ensure that Sunniinterests are addressed, according to the report,”Unmaking Iraq: A Constitu
tional Process Gone Awry”,”Iraq is likely to slide toward full-scale civil warand the break-up of the country.”
Similarly, no one outside the administration doubtsthe under-reported judgment made here just last weekby visiting Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal.
“Iraq is a very dangerous situation and a verythreatening situation,” he said. “The impression is(that it is) gradually going toward disintegration.There seems to be no dynamic now that is pulling thecountry together.”
“All the dynamics there are pushing the (Iraqi) peopleaway from each other,” he said, adding that, ifcurrent trends persist, “It will draw the countries ofthe region into the conflict…”
This view was shared by members of a high-poweredpanel of Iraq and Iran specialists at thequasi-governmental U.S. Institute for Peace earlierthis month.
Amid these gloomy, not to say apocalyptic, warnings, apublic debate over U.S. withdrawal — and specificallywhether the U.S. military presence is making all-outwar more or less likely — has intensified outside theadministration.
The mainstream position still sees the U.S. forces asa bulwark that is preventing, or at least braking, thetrend toward war. According to Ferguson, who was awar-booster, the current situation, as bad as it is,is just “a little local difficulty” compared to thealternative of all-out civil war and itsregionalisation.
“The kind of violence that we could see in Iraq if wequit now, leaving full-scale civil war to rage, woulddwarf all that has happened since 2003,” he predicted.
But others argue that, in the words of sociologistMichael Schwartz, “the U.S. presence doesn’t deter,but contributes to, a thickening civil-war-likeatmosphere in Iraq”, and that if the U.S. were leaveIraq quickly, “it is far more reasonable to assume…that the level of violence would be reduced,possibly drastically, not heightened.”
In a widely-read essay posted on www.tomdispatch.com,Schwartz argued that the U.S. military is alreadykilling more civilians than would likely die in athreatened civil war (he estimates more than 25,000civilian deaths a year).
He said that the U.S. presence is actually aggravatingterrorist violence, rather than suppressing it, andthat much of the current terrorist violence,particularly that associated with the radical Islamistgroup of Abu Musab al Zarqawi, would be likely tosubside if the U.S. left.
“The longer we wait to withdraw, the worse thesituation is likely to get — for the U.S. and for theIraqis,” he wrote.
Schwartz, who is situated on the left side of thepolitical spectrum, did not explicitly embrace some ofthe more cold-hearted arguments made recently byconservative critics of Iraq policy, in particularAndrew Bacevich, a decorated Vietnam veteran whoteaches international relations at Boston University,and retired Lt. Gen. William Odom of the HudsonInstitute, who have called for the earliest possiblewithdrawal..
“We created the civil war when we invaded (Iraq); wecan’t prevent a civil war by staying,” Odom wrote lastmonth in an essay entitled “What’s Wrong with Cuttingand Running?”
He and Bacevich both argued that, instead of creatinga vacuum in Iraq that would draw in neighbouringpowers, Washington’s withdrawal would force neighboursand other great powers — who have been relegated tothe sidelines by the Bush administration’shigh-handedness — to form a coalition to ensure aconflict would not get out of hand.
Some of the administration’s critics, however, arguethat an immediate withdrawal will indeed make thingsfar worse, particularly for Iraqis.
“I just cannot understand this sort of argument,”wrote University of Michigan Middle East expert JuanCole on his much-read blog (www.juancole.com).
“The U.S. military is killing a lot of Iraqis, butwhether it is killing more than would die in a civilwar would depend on how many died in a civil war,” hewrote. “A million or two could die in a civil war, andthat’s if the war stays limited to Iraq, which isunlikely.”
“A U.S. withdrawal would not cause the Sunnis suddenlyto want to give up their major demands; indeed, theymight well be emboldened to hit the Shiites harder,”wrote Cole, who favours both the withdrawal of mostU.S. ground troops and, in the absence of NATO or U.N.peacekeepers, the maintenance of Special Forces andU.S. airpower in the region precisely to preventsectarian forces from escalating the conflict into aconventional civil war, as in Afghanistan. (END/2005)

10) Don’t worry, Tom Friedman has a solution:
We are a menace. Atrios on Friedman:
All we are sayingIs give civil war a chance.
“That will become clear in the next few months as wesee just what kind of minority the Sunnis in Iraqintend to be. If they come around, a decent outcome inIraq is still possible, and we should stay to helpbuild it. If they won’t, then we are wasting our time.We should arm the Shiites and Kurds and leave theSunnis of Iraq to reap the wind.”
This is a stupefying statement. You sell this Debacle,stand by it as Bush is Bush and NOW you talk aboutwasting our time? So if the Sunni do not do what youTom Friedman wants you suggest washing your hands ofthe whole affair? Do me a favor folks, never tell mehow intelligent Friedman is again. This is simplydespicable.

11) This may be just a rant, but it’s a well-written rant, and I agree with this fellow whole-heartedly. They’re going down, finally (let’s hope):
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0927-22.htm
George Bush in Hell by David Michael Green You would not want to be George W. Bush right now.
Not that you ever would anyhow, but especially not now. Indeed, there are indications that not even George W. Bush wants to be George W. Bush right now.
That second term in office, the one that just a year or two ago seemed so precious that he was willing to launch a war just to obtain it, now feels like a life sentence. Plans for four years spending political capital now look a lot more like endless months of capital punishment.
The Bush Administration has nowhere to go but down, and that is precisely where it is headed. Poll data show that even members of his solid-to-the-point-of-twelve-step-eligibility base are now deserting him as his job approval ratings plunge like so much Enron stock, lately crashing southward through the forty percent threshold. With almost his entire second term still in front of him, Bush is poised to set new records for presidential unpopularity. That scraping noise you hear? It’s the sound of sheepish voters creeping out to the garage late at night, furtively removing “Bush-Cheney 2004” bumperstickers from the back of their SUVs when no one is looking.
Meanwhile, as the scales fall from the eyes of the hoi polloi, even the one constituency which could plausibly make the claim that Bush has been good for America (read: their wallets), is speaking the unspeakable as well. Robert Novak, of all people, wrote a column last week chronicling his experience watching rich Republicans at an Aspen retreat bash the idiocy of Bush administration policies on Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, stem-cell research and more. Perhaps these folks realized when they saw Trent Lott’s house go under that Mother Nature doesn’t care whether you’re rich and well-connected any more than does al Qaeda. You may be on Karl Rove’s Rolodex, but now Bush is taking you down and your yacht too, not just forgotten kids from the ghetto who enlisted in the Army as the only alternative to a life of poverty.
Even conservative columnists like David Brooks (though not Novak) are writing articles nowadays accurately describing the changed mood of the American public. Where those powerful currents are heading is unclear, but given the radical right experiment of the present as their point of departure, there would seem to be only two choices. We can either go completely off the deep-end and finally constitute the Fascist Republic of
Cheney, or we can turn to the left, toward some semblance of rational policymaking. The latter seems far more likely, especially as America increasingly regains its senses after a long bout of temporary insanity. These are bad bits of news for poor George, but worse yet is that they are only the first signs of the coming apocalypse. The real fun stuff is just around the corner. I’ll confess to more than a little schadenfreude as I contemplate the ugly situation staring Republicans officeholders in the face right now. They are tethered to a sinking ship, and have only two lousy options to choose from as November 2006 approaches. One is to stay the course and drown. The other is to start renouncing Bush and his policies, appear to voters as the complete hypocrites and political whores many will prove to be, and then still drown anyhow. Nobody could be more deserving of such a fate, with the possible exception of Democrats like Hillary Clinton and John Kerry who have been even more hypocritical yet in facilitating many of the president’s disastrous policies.
Watching these GOP opportunists jump ship will certainly be fun, but the greatest fun awaits the president himself. Bush has now lost everything that once sustained him. That includes 9/11, now safely in the rearview mirror for most Americans. That includes his wartime rally-around-the-flag free pass, as he has failed to capture America’s real enemy, while lying about bogus ones to justify an invasion pinning our defense forces down in an endless quagmire. That includes, post-Katrina, the ridiculous frame of Bush as competent leader, and the former reality of the press as frightened presidential waterboys.
And that’s the good news for W. The bad news is all the chickens coming home to roost. The economy is anemic and fragile, and yet Bush has played the one card in his deck ostensibly (but never really) intended to remedy the country’s economic woes. (Remember during the 2000 campaign when times were flush and tax cuts were the prescription? Remember in 2001 when the economy was in a recession and tax cuts were still the prescription?). In any case, Bush’s one-note economic symphony has succeeded in producing precisely the cacophony of disaster that progressive commentators have predicted all along: massive deficits, little or no economic boost, a hemorrhaging of jobs overseas, and a vastly more polarized America of rich, poor and a disappearing middle class.
Another angry chicken, of course, is coming home in the form of devastating storms and a grossly incompetent administration to deal with them. Bush is not entirely responsible for Hurricanes Katrina or Rita, of course, but he is partially responsible for them by his willful ignorance of the global warming issue. And he is more than a little responsible for the carnage and damage done, because of his budget-slashing on preventative structural projects, because of his deployment of needed-at-home Guard forces to Iraq, because of his staffing of the government with completely incompetent crony hacks, and because of his and their astonishingly lame performance in responding to a known crisis. Where I come from, a president who remains on vacation during possibly the worst natural disaster to hit this country, praises his FEMA chief for doing a “heckuva job” when the guy doesn’t know what any American with a TV set has known for 24 hours about New Orleans, and then later fires him for poor performance, is a president who should be impeached for those reasons alone.
The other demons awaiting George W. Bush just around the bend are multiple and grim. One of these days (right?), Patrick Fitzgerald is actually going to move on the Treasongate story, and signs suggest that multiple heads will roll within the White House. The political damage will be even worse than the legal, though, as Bush’s clean and patriotic image will be smashed beyond repair, as no one will believe that he himself didn’t know all along who committed treason by outing an American spy, and as he will likely lose the key magicians who have kept him afloat for five years and more. Oh well. W’s loss will be Leavenworth’s gain.
And there is more. The Jack Abramoff investigation has now been tied to the White House. There are also presumably an infinite number of other scandals waiting to explode (can you say ‘Halliburton’?) should the Democrats capture either branch of Congress next year, not least of which being those concerning the Downing Street Memo revelations. Gas prices are off the charts and home heating bills are supposed to soar this winter. Jobs are disappearing, along with pensions and healthcare coverage, inflation is likely to rise, and voters are surly already.
But, of course, the biggest cross for Bush to bear is the one he built for himself, and thus the most richly deserved. In Iraq, simply put, there are no good options. None for America, that is, but even fewer for George W. Bush.
What can he do?
He can’t win. America (or, more accurately, America’s oligarchy) is clearly losing the war as it is. It is a fantasy to imagine that, at this late date, more troops could pacify the resistance. But even if that were so the political consequences to Bush, especially given his promise of no draft on his watch, would be devastating and rapid. American public opinion has already turned decisively against the war. Imagine if there were a draft and all the bumper-sticker patriots across the land had to actually make a sacrifice for their president’s transparent lies. All hell would break loose, and the Republican Party would be dead for a generation.
He can’t lose. The major downside to wrapping yourself in the flag, landing on aircraft carriers, labeling yourself a “war president”, and being marketed in an election campaign as the reliable national security choice is that you had better deliver. Egged on by the likes of Cheney, Wolfowitz and Perle, Bush no doubt thought Iraq would be a fine little walk in the park from which he would benefit politically for the rest of his presidency. (Nor, assuming this president possesses anything resembling a conscience, need he have concerned himself with resulting deaths, since he told Pat Robertson “we’re not going to have any casualties”, and he may have even believed it.) Unfortunately for all concerned – most especially the Iraqis and American soldiers – Bush’s presidency would be one very real casualty indeed should he decide to pick up his marbles and leave the arena, and so he will not, no matter the carnage or the futility. Doing so would be effectively admitting that there was no legitimate reason for the war in the first place. Everyone now knows that, of course, but were Bush ever to even hint at it, he would be committing instant political suicide. He can’t draw. One option is to find some – any – kind of stability, declare victory and go home, saying we got Saddam, we brought democracy, yada, yada, yada. But how many Americans are now going to be fooled by calling an Iraq ruled by militants of one stripe or another a victory, after all the hooey about fighting for democracy in the Middle East? How many think replacing Saddam with a brutal dictator of another name is worth the price of 2,000 American troops and two or three hundred billion dollars? How many will be convinced that Iraqi women having fewer rights than they did under Saddam Hussein, of all regimes, represents a win for the home team? How many will still be unschooled enough to look at a Iranian-dominated theocracy in Iraq and call that a triumph? Moreover, even these total disasters presume a stability of some sort which may be little short of fantasy at this point. When the Saudi foreign minister goes public with his concerns that Iraq is careening toward civil war, you know you’re in deep, and no amount inanities sanctimoniously uttered by Scotty McClellan can keep the truth at bay.
He can’t get help. Now there’s a good one. Maybe the French have finally seen the light and realized what a mistake they made by not bringing something to the party in 2003, eh? No doubt there’s a long queue of countries
behind them wanting to commit forces to the farces that are decomposing in the Cradle of Civilization. Luckily for George Bush you can still thumb your nose at the rest of the world and have them come to your rescue afterwards. Just think of what a pickle he would be in if that weren’t the case…
He can’t divert attention. Time was, a government in trouble at home could throw a little war in some hell-hole abroad and divert public attention away from their domestic or other foreign failures. Kinda like Reagan in Grenada, or the Argentinians in the Malvinas, or Thatcher in the Falklands. Yet, while the American public has managed to massively and repeatedly disappoint still sane observers in recent years, it doesn’t appear to be in any mood for more of Mr. Bush’s Fun With Foreign Policy antics. Not that the country any longer has the available military force to pull it off anyhow, but it hardly seems that an invasion of Iran right now would have much effect diverting attention from Iraq, even if it could somehow successfully be done, another fantasy in its own right.
In short, George W. Bush is toast, as is the whole regressive conservative movement of which he is but the most egregious exemplar. Not even another 9/11 would be likely to help him, as the security president who fails to provide security is the nothing (but simply failed) president. The demise of the right is now likely be true even if Democrats continue hurtling down their current path toward breaking all world records for political cowardice by a major party. Indeed, the worst of the Democrats may now also be in trouble amongst the base – as well they should be – for their cozy associations with the right, enabling its destructive march to the sea these last years.
It is thus too bad, as we emerge from the nightmare of the last quarter-century, that so many of us lefties are atheists, agnostics or otherwise debauched secular humanists. Not only have we had to suffer the reign of Bad King George here on Earth, we can’t even have the satisfaction of knowing that he’ll be spending the rest of eternity rotting in Hell.
The good news, though, is that he’s already there, and the flames are only beginning to warm him up. Perhaps that is why Time describes the dry heaves of a young staffer who had to breach the fantasy bubble and tell this “cold and snappish” president the unhappy truth about an issue, or the National Enquirer’s report that Bush, who according to a family member is “falling apart”, is back to drinking.
Thus does a new possible ending to the Bush administration suddenly emerge as a real possibility. Previously, I had assumed that our long national nightmare would be over in one of three ways, either with Bush somehow managing to finish his term, with him being impeached, convicted and run out of Washington, or with him being impeached, convicted and then refusing to leave, precipitating a constitutional crisis and even, possibly, a civil war. Now I see a fourth very real possibility.
It was all fun and games when everybody loved him. When the guy who had failed at everything in life except having the right last name all of a sudden was showing those elitist snobs who was tops after all. When the man with a Texas size inferiority complex got to be adored by millions as if he were some kind of religious icon.
But what if that all changes? What if Diminutive George, just like LBJ before him, can’t leave the completely scripted bubble his staff manufactures, just as such set-pieces become increasingly difficult to sustain? What if the Peevish President can’t escape – even by going to Crawford or Camp David – the mothers of dead children, the baby-killer taunts, the stinging-because-they’re-so-accurate chickenhawk accusations, the calls for his own daughters to go to Iraq, the possibility that everyone was right about him all along when they dismissed him as the family clown? What if all of a sudden, it sucks being president? Why bother, then?
It is clear now that one way the Bush administration might end would be with the president’s resignation, in order for him to duck into more tranquil quarters. Who knows, maybe he could spend his days getting tanked in Crawford, not writing another book, or going into exile, perhaps in the south of France.
Of course, a pardon deal would have to be prearranged with Cheney, if they haven’t convicted him yet, or with Hastert if they have. And, equally certainly, the resignation would be put down to “the president wanting to spend more time with his family”, or some such ludicrous McClellanism, no more or less plausible than the rest of his daily fare. But the truth would be plain for all to see. The frat-boy party-time president who condemns kids less than half his age to the hell of futile battle in support of his lies would himself be deserting as commander-in-chief when the fun part ended. Kinda like he did last time he wore a uniform.
History, it would seem, all too rarely delivers justice. The privileged few go out of this life richer than they came into it, while the poor often leave even poorer, not to mention sooner. Those who commit unspeakable crimes sometimes become presidents or prime ministers, while those who dare speak truthfully of those deeds are crushed owing to the threat posed by their honesty.
Even more rare yet are the cases in which history delivers justice with a deliciously deserved irony. But George Bush has provided us with just such a case. And the very delicious irony is that he is now being undone by a cynical choice he himself made to go to war in Iraq with other people’s blood and other people’s treasure, for the purpose of enhancing his tenuous self-esteem and the power of his presidency.
Goodbye, George. May you know precisely the rest and precisely the peace someone who would do such a thing deserves.
David Michael Green is a professor of political science at Hofstra University in New York. Email: pscdmg@hofstra.edu.

12) Language matters, and don’t trust MEMRI with your translations:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,1580217,00.html
Language matters
A new online translation service provides the westwith an English-language digest of the Arabic press,writes Brian Whitaker
Wednesday September 28, 2005
The idea of a “mysterious” east has been around forcenturies, and even today there is nothing moremysterious for the average westerner than an Arabicnewspaper with its squiggly back-to-front writing.
“As far as I can tell,” William Rugh, former USambassador in the Middle East told a conference acouple of years ago, “there are no prominent Americanpoliticians, state governors, members of congress,members of the government, or members of the nationalpress corps among those reading Arabic newspapers. Inthe entire US government … only a handful of peoplecan read Arabic and they are so busy these days thatthey generally do not have time to read Arabnewspapers.”
This is not particularly surprising but if we look atthe situation the other way round there’s a verydifferent picture. Large and increasing numbers ofArab politicians, government officials and journalistsare fluent in English. Many of them – thanks to theinternet – are now avid readers of the WashingtonPost, the New York Times, the Guardian and otherwestern newspapers.
It’s much the same among ordinary Arabs, too. Even ifthey don’t read the foreign newspapers, they stilltend to know more about what westerners are thinkingthan westerners know about what Arabs are thinking.
Considering the central role of the Middle East inwestern foreign policy and the latest US attempts towin hearts and minds in the region, this is a seriousgap in our knowledge.
“Americans are not entirely ignorant of what appearsin the Arabic press,” Rugh said, “but the few items ofwhich they are aware have often been translatedselectively and with hostile intent.”
The pioneer in this field was t
he Middle East MediaResearch Institute (Memri), which has been circulatingtranslated snippets from the Arabic press since 1998.It has become influential in the US among politiciansand journalists, and was once described by New YorkTimes columnist Thomas Friedman as “absolutelyinvaluable”.
Though Memri claims to be “independent”, its founderswere Yigal Carmon, a former colonel in Israelimilitary intelligence – who is currently its director- and Meyrav Wurmser, an ardent Zionist who helped todraft the now-famous 1996 Clean Break documentproposing the overthrow of Saddam Hussein as a steptowards reshaping Israel’s strategic environment.
“This service does not present a balanced or completepicture of the Arab print media,” Rugh said. “Itsowners are pro-Israeli and anti-Arab. Quotes areselected to portray Arabs as preaching hatred againstJews and westerners, praising violence and refusingany peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue.”
Having written about Memri at length before, I don’tpropose to do so again here. Readers unfamiliar withthe organisation and the controversy surrounding itcan refer to Wikipedia, where there’s a page withbackground information, links to the relevant articlesand discussion of the pros and cons. Since I firstwrote about Memri, however, several other Englishlanguage sources have come along, and they are worth alook.
The two leading pan-Arab dailies, ash-Sharq al-Awsatand al-Hayat both publish some of their content inEnglish translation on their websites. There’s alsothe Iraqi Press Monitor, produced by the Institute forWar and Peace Reporting, which provides a dailysummary of items from the Iraqi newspapers. Thesesources are all free of charge.
For a general view of what the Arabic newspapers aresaying – as well as some of the Farsi newspapers inIran – the most useful and affordable service is therecently-launched Mideast Wire, which monitors morethan 50 publications and provides extracts from 30-40news items and opinion articles every day. It’s notfree, but at $87 (£50) a year, the basic-ratesubscription is quite modest considering the amount ofcopy supplied – around 10,000 words a day.
Mideast Wire was started by four journalistsassociated with the Daily Star in Beirut; twoAmericans, Nicholas Noe and Seth Walls, and twoLebanese, Majdoline Hatoum and Maha al-Azar.
After subscribing for several weeks, I think it’s safeto say there’s no obvious political agenda apart froma desire to inform people about what Arabic newspapersare saying.
“I realised there was a lot more diversity of opinionthan was being portrayed,” Noe said during a visit toLondon last week. “Ultimately, that’s our coremission.”
“We’re not seeing ourselves as a counterbalance toMemri,” he said. “We’re interested in the whole rangeof opinions. The Arab media isn’t black and white …often we try to put together a number of differentsources on the same issue.”
One example of this was after the London bombings inJuly, when Mideast Wire translated six differenteditorials commenting on the attacks. “This is our bigdifference with Memri,” he said.
Unlike Memri, which has always been secretive aboutits financial backers, Noe was happy to talk. MideastWire got $25,000 start-up money from Abdrew Rasiej, aNew York internet entrepreneur, he said – though infuture they hope to rely on subscription income astheir best guarantee of independence.They have a teamof 12 people but keep costs down by not having anoffice, and they work on the blogging principle, Noesaid, discussing what to translate and generallykeeping in touch with each other over the internet.
Making use of the time difference between the MiddleEast and the US, they get their translations ready intime for Americans to read them each morning. This isan important benefit, though there’s a trade-offbetween speed and polish. Some of the translations area bit ragged, though they are adequate for mostpurposes.
As elsewhere in the world, Arab newspapers range fromthe serious to the sensational. Some are governmentand some privately owned – often by politicians orbusinessmen with an axe to grind – and there are veryfew that can truly be considered independent. Thequality of the journalism also varies a great deal.
Even a perfect translation is only as good as theoriginal article and particularly in the Middle East,it’s essential to know the quality of the sourcebefore jumping to conclusions about a story.
Over the last few weeks, Mideast Wire has translated alot of articles – from a variety of sources andviewpoints – about Syria, Lebanon and the ongoinginvestigation into the assassination of Rafik Hariri.
They included several stories from a Kuwaiti newspaperabout strange goings-on in Syria which, if true, wouldhave been astounding. It seemed a bit odd that aKuwaiti newspaper should have knowledge of theinnermost machinations of the Syrian regime, so Iasked a Kuwaiti journalist what he thought of thereports.
“Probably 50% accurate,” he replied. So I’m stilltrying to work out which 50% was accurate and whichwas not.
At present Mideast Wire (along with Memri) gives verylittle information to help readers judge thereliability or importance of the sources ittranslates. When I put this to Noe, he said they hadalready recognised the problem and would shortly beproviding a background guide to the papers theymonitor, including circulation figures.
In the meantime, around 2,000 people have signed upfor the service, he said. They include journalists,researchers, NGOs, government bodies, sections of theUS military and writer and activist Noam Chomsky.Since this is probably the first time that Chomsky andthe US military have seen eye-to-eye on anything, itsurely counts as a recommendation.

13) Turkish women speak their mind:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/28/AR2005092801429_pf.html
washingtonpost.com
Turkish Women Blast Karen Hughes With Iraq War Criticism
By Glenn KesslerWashington Post Staff WriterWednesday, September 28, 2005; 1:45 PM
ISTANBUL, Sept. 28 — A group of Turkish female activists confronted Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes Wednesday with heated complaints about the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, turning a session designed to highlight the empowering of women into a raw display of the anger at U.S. policy in the region.
“This war is really, really bringing your positive efforts to the level of zero,” said Hidayet Sefkatli Tuksal, an activist with the Capital City Women’s Forum. She said it was difficult to talk about cooperation between women in the United States and Turkey as long as Iraq was under occupation.
Hughes, a longtime confidant of President Bush tasked with burnishing the U.S. image overseas, has generally met with polite audiences — many of whom received U.S. funding or consisted of former exchange students — during a tour of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week.
In this case the U.S. Embassy asked Kader, an umbrella group that supports woman candidates, to assemble the guest list. None of the activists currently receive U.S. funds and the guests apparently had little desire to mince words. Six of the eight women who spoke at the session, held in Ankara, the capital, focused on the Iraq war.
“War makes the rights of women completely erased and poverty comes after war — and women pay the price,” said Fatma Nevin Vargun, a Kurdish women’s rights activist. Vargun denounced the arrest of Cindy Sheehan, the activist mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, in front of the White House Monday at an antiwar protest.
Hughes, looking increasingly pained, defended the decision to invade Iraq as a difficult and wrenching moment for President Bush, but necessary to protect America.
“You’re concerned about war, and no one likes war,” she said. But, she said, “to preserve the peace sometimes my country believes war is necessary.” She also asserted that women are faring much better in Iraq than under the rule of deposed president
Saddam Hussein.
“War is not necessary for peace,” shot back Feray Salman, a human rights advocate. She said countries should not try to impose democracy through war, adding that “we can never, ever export democracy and freedom from one country to another.”
Tuksal said she was “feeling myself wounded, feeling myself insulted here” by Hughes’ response. “In every photograph that comes from Iraq there is that look of fear in the eyes of women and children. . . . Thisneeds to be resolved as soon as possible.”
Turkey, a member of NATO, has long been a close ally of the United States, but relations have soured during the Bush administration, especially after the Turkish parliament blocked a request to allow U.S.troops to stage an invasion of northern Iraq via Turkey. National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley visited Ankara last week as part of a new effort by the White House to mend ties.
The Turkish public has also become rattled by an increase in attacks by the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a Kurdish militant group operating out of northern Iraq, amid accusations that the United States has not done enough to rein in the group.
Nurdan Bernard, a journalist participating in the panel, raised concerns about the PKK, prompting Hughes to respond that it was “somewhat an irony.” She added: “Sometimes you have to engage in combat in order to confront terrorists who want to kill you.”
Hughes later flew to Istanbul for meetings with religious leaders — part of an effort to promote interfaith dialogue — and with Turks who have participated in U.S. exchange programs. She returns to Washington Thursday.

14) …And Saudi women speak their minds:
September 28, 2005The New York Times
SAUDI WOMEN HAVE MESSAGE FOR U.S. ENVOYMany in this region say they resent the American assumption that, given the chance, everyone would live like Americans.
By Steven R. Weisman
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 27 – The audience – 500 women covered in black at a Saudi university – seemed an ideal place for Karen P. Hughes, a senior Bush administration official charged with spreading the American message in the Muslim world, to make her pitch.
But the response on Tuesday was not what she and her aides expected. When Ms. Hughes expressed the hope here that Saudi women would be able to drive and “fully participate in society” much as they do in her country, many challenged her.
“The general image of the Arab woman is that she isn’t happy,” one audience member said. “Well, we’re all pretty happy.” The room, full of students, faculty members and some professionals, resounded with applause.
The administration’s efforts to publicize American ideals in the Muslim world have often run into such resistance. For that reason, Ms. Hughes, who is considered one of the administration’s most scripted and careful members, was hired specifically for the task.
Many in this region say they resent the American assumption that, given the chance, everyone would live like Americans.
The group of women, picked by the university, represented the privileged elite of this Red Sea coastal city, known as one of the more liberal areas in the country. And while they were certainly friendly toward Ms. Hughes, half a dozen who spoke up took issue with what she said.
Ms. Hughes, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, is on her first trip to the Middle East. She seemed clearly taken aback as the women told her that just because they were not allowed to vote or drive that did not mean they were treated unfairly or imprisoned in their own homes.
“We’re not in any way barred from talking to the other sex,” said Dr. Nada Jambi, a public health professor. “It’s not an absolute wall.”
The session at Dar Al-Hekma College provided an unusual departure from the carefully staged events in a tour that began Sunday in Egypt.
As it was ending Ms. Hughes, a longtime communications aide to President Bush, assured the women that she was impressed with what they had said and that she would take their message home. “I would be glad to go back to the United States and talk about the Arab women I’ve met,” she said.
Ms. Hughes is the third appointee to head a program with a troubled past. The first, Charlotte Beers, a Madison Avenue executive, produced a promotional video about Muslims in America that was rejected by some Arab nations and scoffed at by a number of State Department colleagues. Her successor, Margaret D. Tutwiler, a former State Department spokeswoman, lasted barely five months. A report issued in 2003 by a bipartisan panel chosen by the Bush administration portrayed a dire picture of American public diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim world.
Ms. Hughes, on this first foray, has churned through meetings in which she has tirelessly introduced herself as “a mom,” explained that Americans are people of faith and called for more cultural and educational exchanges. Her efforts to explain policies in Iraq and the Middle East have been polite and cautious.
As a visiting dignitary, she had audiences in the summer palaces of Jidda with King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and the foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal. But mostly it was a day that underscored the uneasy Saudi-American relationship, fed by unsavory images the countries have of each another.
In December, there was an armed attack on the American Consulate in Jidda, leaving five people dead, and that meant that the Americans traveling with Ms. Hughes were cautioned against traveling alone in the city.
At the meeting with the Saudi women, television crews were barred and reporters were segregated according to sex. American officials said it was highly unusual for men to be allowed in the hall at all.
A meeting with leading editors, all men, featured more familiar complaints about what several said were American biases against the Palestinians, the incarceration of Muslims at Guant·namo Bay and the supposed American stereotype of Saudis as religious fanatics and extremists after Sept. 11.
Ms. Hughes responded by reminding listeners that President Bush had supported the establishment of a Palestinian state and asserting that Guant·namo prisoners had been visited by the International Red Cross and retained the right to worship with their own Korans.
Americans, she said at one point, were beginning to understand Islam better but had been disappointed that some Muslim leaders had been “reticent” at first in criticizing the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Now, several years later, we’re beginning to hear other voices,” she said.
But it was the meeting with the women that was the most unpredictable, as Ms. Hughes found herself on the defensive simply by saying that she hoped women would be able to vote in future elections.
In June, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talked of democracy and freedom in the Middle East but declined to address the question of driving. By contrast, Ms. Hughes spoke personally, saying that driving a car was “an important part of my freedom.”
A woman in the audience then charged that under President Bush the United States had become “a right-wing country” and that criticism by the press was “not allowed.”
“I have to say I sometimes wish that were the case, but it’s not,” Ms. Hughes said with a laugh.
Several women said later that Americans failed to understand that their traditional society was embraced by men and women alike.
“There is more male chauvinism in my profession in Europe and America than in my country,” said Dr. Siddiqa Kamal, an obstetrician and gynecologist who runs her own hospital.
“I don’t want to drive a car,” she said. “I worked hard for my medical degree. Why do I need a driver’s license?”
“Women have more than equal rights,” added her daughter, Dr. Fouzia Pasha, also an obstetrician and gynecologist, asserting that men have obligations accompanying their rights, and that women can go to court to hold them accountable.
Ms. Hughes appeared to have left a favorable impression. “She’s open to people’s opinions,” said Nour al-Sabba
gh, a 21-year-old student in special education. “She’s trying to understand.”
Like some of her friends, Ms. Sabbagh said Westerners failed to appreciate the advantages of wearing the traditional black head-to-foot covering known as an abaya.
“I love my abaya,” she explained. “It’s convenient and it can be very fashionable.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/28/international/middleeast/28hughes.html

15) DNA issues, and ethnicities:
ADC Action Alert:Block Congressional Efforts to Expand Collection ofDNA
http://capwiz.com/adc/issues/alert/?alertid=8065891&type;=CU
On Wednesday, September 28, Congressman Jeff Flake(R-AZ) will offer an amendment to expand lawenforcement’s ability to collect DNA data. CongressmanFlake’s amendment will be offered during the House ofRepresentatives consideration of H.R.3402, theDepartment of Justice Appropriations AuthorizationAct. Similar language to expand DNA data collectionwas added last week by Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) to theViolence of Women Act during committee considerationof that bill. This is a dramatic expansion of thegovernment’s ability to collect DNA and theAmerican-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) asksthat you contact Congress immediately to oppose theseefforts.
Flake’s proposed DNA amendment, just like Kyl’s in theSenate, would authorize any federal government agencyto collect the DNA of anyone arrested or detainedthroughout the country. This would include people whoare arrested and never charged, wrongfully detained,or held as a material witness. DNA information wouldbe collected, currently through the use of a swabswiped against the inside of a cheek, and dumped intoCODIS, the federal DNA database. There is no provisionfor law enforcement to automatically remove DNAinformation of those released without charge orwrongfully held. Further, DNA dumped into CODIS wouldmix information of those convicted of violent crimeswith the information of people mistakenly picked up bylaw enforcement. Though the FBI currently oversees thefederal DNA database, an increasing number of stateand local jurisdictions are also collecting DNA. Thereis no oversight or plan to secure this information ata state and local level.
This amendment has serious implications for people whoare detained on possible immigration violations, whowill be forced to submit their DNA to federalofficials. Further, civil rights advocates, like theAmerican-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) areconcerned about the possible racial and ethnicimplications large DNA dragnets would ensure. TheseDNA dragnets could exacerbate already troubling racialdisparities in arrest rates as law enforcement detainand collect DNA from large groups of people based onlyon racial or ethnic characteristics. And unlike afingerprint, an individual’s DNA includes genetic anddisease information raising concerns of how thisinformation could be manipulated in the future.
ACTION REQUESTED:
1) Immediately call your member of congress in theHouse and ask them to vote AGAINST the FLAKEAMENDMENT.
2) Follow a call the House to those of your twosenators demanding the Senate strip language, known asthe Kyl Amendment, in the Violence Against Women Actexpanding the collection of DNA.
Find contact information for your officials at:http://capwiz.com/adc/dbq/officials/

16) Gaza after the withdrawal:
From: “heba” <heba@gcmhp.net>Subject: Stunning Gaza! 28 September 2005
Stunning Gaza!
In the last days, Gaza was awakened from its dreams of liberation with horrible explosions which have shattered our skies, shaken our buildings, broken our windows, and threw the place into panic
We are being bombed since Friday 23 of September day and night. Usually between 2:00-4:00am, between 6:30 – 8:00 in the morning school going time, and in the afternoon or early evening.
The explosions are heard and felt all over the Gaza Strip with the same intensity. These explosions were used alongside the usual routine of killing and destruction which the Israelis forces are familiar with.
This new cycle of terror started with Israel assassinating four people in the West Bank town of Tolkarem. In the same day Islamic Jihad retaliated from Gaza by sending rockets to Israeli village of Sdirot. In the same day 19 people were killed during a military parade of Hamas. Apparently the cause was mishandling of explosive, but Hamas blamed Israel and joined Islamic Jihad in sending rockets to Sdirot where five people were injured.
Hamas quickly retracted and announced that it will stop all military operation from Gaza. Islamic Jihad followed with assertion that it will abide by the truce. Israeli campaign of bombing continues. Last night I, with all Gazans, were awakened by the horrible noise twice, 3:30am and at 7:15am. I hardly was able to sleep in between. Five more explosions were directed at us in the last four hours, one has shaken my desk while I am writing.
Gaza is in a state of panic, children are restless, crying, frightened and many are wetting their beds. Some children are afraid leaving home and they refuse to go to school. Many are dazed, pale, insomniac and have poor appetite.
Some pregnant women reported colics and some were admitted to hospital with precipitated labour. Many people complain of ear pressure. All are stunned
The new method of exploding sonic bombs in our skies was obviously never used before the disengagement so as not to alarm or hurt the Israeli settlers and their children.
Israel is inducing learned helplessness to the Palestinians in Gaza with the aim of making the whole population captive to fear and paralysis. This is a war crime and this is a racist crime. Israel must be stopped.
Dr. Eyad El Sarraj——————————–Please visit our site:Gaza Community Mental Health Programmehttp://www.gcmhp.net

17) Hollywood news:
Studio sees no humor in ‘Muslim’
Albert Brooks seeks other distribution for new film
Thursday, September 29, 2005 Posted: 1705 GMT (0105 HKT) LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Comedian Albert Brooks says a very unfunny thing happened on his way to making a new film called “Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World” — the studio panicked over the title.
Brooks says the studio — Sony — got so worried the comedy’s title, with its use of the word Muslim, might bring reprisals that it decided not to release the picture. That forced the comedian to find a new distributor for a movie that pokes fun at American ignorance of the Muslim world.
“Fear is playing a major part in Hollywood production,” Brooks said in an interview, adding he started getting bad vibes when the studio “jokingly” asked him if the movie could be called “Looking for Comedy.”
He said the suggestion came after Newsweek triggered a storm in May by publishing a short item that a Koran was flushed down a toilet by guards at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The magazine later retracted the article, saying it could not substantiate the report.
Sony said doubts about the title were only part of much larger problems. Sources close to the company said executives did not find the movie funny and passed on it.
Sony, which is owned by Sony Corp., said in a statement, “To those looking for truth in this manufactured controversy, here it is: We made our decision to pass on Brooks’ movie the same way we did to accept ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ — on the merits, with neither fear nor favor.”
Brooks is an old hand at making sweetly satiric comedies like “The Muse,” “Modern Romance” and “Lost in America” that poke fun at himself, his anxieties and the narcissistic show-business world he inhabits.
In “Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World,” he plays a comedian sent by the State Department t
o India and Pakistan with a couple of minders to find out what makes Muslims laugh, so everyone can get along better in the post-9/11 world.
He says he got the idea before U.S. President George W. Bush appointed close adviser Karen Hughes to be undersecretary of state for public diplomacy charged with countering the negative U.S. image among Muslims.
Brooks says most of the jokes in the movie are aimed at Americans and there are no religious references at all, even though he was allowed to film in a mosque in India.
“I steered clear of religion in this movie. There’s no mention of the Koran — the whole point of the movie is looking for comedy, not looking for God. I was allowed to film in the biggest mosque in India and when I told the imam the plot of the movie he started to laugh.”
Brooks added studio executives at Sony were not as supportive as the imam. “One told me that if a mullah in Iran saw a poster for the movie and took it the wrong way, I could be in deep trouble. I told him that I have trouble getting posters put up for my movies in Sherman Oaks,” a Los Angeles suburb.
The film will now be distributed by Warner Independent, the art-house unit of Warner Brothers, with a January release date. It says it likes the title because it tells the story of the film and is funny. Warner Bros. is a division of Time Warner, which is the parent company of CNN.
Copyright 2005 Reuters.

18) DC Hunger Strike report, from that same NO activist who posted the pix above:
Dear Friends,
It may surprise you that I am writing not about the destruction and consequent exploitation of my beloved home of New Orleans or that the photos I am attaching are not from the D.C. Peace March/ Anti-War protest from last weekend. I look forward to sharing these with you as well when my heart and mind have time to clear.
I am writing, however, about the circumstances of Burma and the incarceration of Nobel Laureate and imprisoned democratically elected leader of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi. In a time when the din of military war planes and faces of poverty and hopeless dominate the media between commercials for cars and insurance companies, the elegant non-violent leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi (despite 16 years of house arrest) and the noble struggles of the world’s 4rth poorest peoples in Burma against a brutal military dictatorship get almost no notice. For this reason, I am writing to you about the Hunger Strike on behalf of Burma and Aung San Suu KYi that is taking place in front of the United Nations, even as I write. There has been NO press coverage of this event, and as many of you work on behalf of equality, peace and human rights and also may have taken personal refuge at times in the practice of silent meditation or non-violent awareness as a means of personal and political transformation, I thought you might help raise awareness of this Hunger Strike.
The Hunger Strike began as a march for solidarity with Burma in front of the Mahatma Ghandi statue at the Indian Consulate in Washington D.C. The marchers walked all the way to New York City where some of them began a hunger strike 12 days ago. The man of fast is Han Lin, a former school teacher who was witness to the 1988 massacre of students and non-violent protestors in Rangoon, Burma in 1988. He lived in the jungles of Burma, escaping and supporting students and ethnic minorities who were hiding in the mountains. Accompanying him is Nu Nu Lih, who also lived in the mountains of Burma on the border of Thailand for years in an area that some ethnic minorities managed to free from Burmese military authority. She spent much time in and out of Thailand prisons for her activism on behalf of her people in Burma. In solidarity with them sits a Japanese Buddhist nun. Other people from the American-Burmese community come and go to support the Hunger Strikers. The Hunger Strikers seek to raise awareness of the ethnic cleansing, starvation and deprivation, and brutalities inflicted on the Burmese people by the dictatorship. They are seeking to present a letter demanding the immediate and unconditional release from arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize and is actively supported for her non-violent activism on behalf of democracy by Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and Vaclav Havel.
In a time when violence and money seem to be the only methods of political change that seem to get media time, the opportunity to support a woman as an International leader who uses compassion and forgiveness as the methodology of political change is something I think many of you may welcome and embrace.
Thank you for your time. Attached is a link to the Hunger Strike organizers and photos of the beautiful people I have had the opportunity to visit with since being dislocated from my home in New Orleans.
Peace and love. One World,mary beth
International Campaign for Freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi & Burma, March from Washington D.C. to New York City and 17 Day Hunger Strike at United Nations: www.progressiveburma.org/icfabcontact organizer & U.S. spokesperson: Maura Stephens: 607.274.3829
http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=5036&z;=153
UN Rights Envoy Calls for Reform in BurmaBy Aung Lwin Oo September 29, 2005
A UN human rights envoy has called on Burma’s military government for immediate reform by creating a freer political environment in the country and establishing democratic dialogue with opposition parties.
“The transition to a full, participatory and democratic system in Myanmar [Burma] can no longer be postponed,” the UN Commission on Human Rights special rapporteur on Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, said in a report submitted to the General Assembly Wednesday. “Political and constitutional dialogue must begin without delay,” he added.
Pinheiro said that the exclusion of opposition parties from any reconciliation process and continued detention of opposition figures, including Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic minority leaders, raise concerns for reform in the country. He also said that the release of 249 political prisoners from Burma’s prisons in July has been overshadowed by fresh arrests, detention and harsh sentences for democracy activists and civilians.
The special envoy also highlighted widespread reports of forced labor, rape and other sexual violence, extortion and expropriation committed by government forces.
“By instituting values of democracy and human rights,” Pinheiro said, “the government will send a clear signal to the people of Myanmar and the international community that it is actively committed to facilitating the creation of a stable and democratic future for the country.”
Last week, Burma’s Foreign Minister Nyan Win claimed the country is “poised at the threshold of a new era,” in a speech during the UN General Assembly in New York.
Pinheiro has been denied access to the country since November 2003, while UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail’s last visit took place in March 2004. Effectively barred from carrying out his responsibilities in Burma, Pinheiro said that he prepared the report based on information collected from a variety of independent and reliable sources.
A group of activists has been staging a 17-day hunger-protest outside the UN headquarters since September 18, calling on the world body to pursue the immediate release of opposition leader Suu Kyi and ensure political reform.

19) A Nicaragua flat ad:
Hello! I hope that you are doing well. Michael and I have been dealing with pretty crazy lives since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans almost five weeks ago. We are still not permitted back into the city until next week, but we are lucky to have our families to house hop to and from. After realizing that we won’t realisticly be allowed to live in the city again until at least the first of the year 2006, we have decided t
hat we would return to the beautiful country of Nicaragua to finish looking for the perfect piece of land we starting searching for only a few days before this hurricane. We will be arriving in Nicaragua around the 11th-15th of October and we wanted to put our feelers out to those that may know of a place that we could rent for a reasonable amount per month. We have a very sweet black lab that we will have with us. He is an outside dog and would not have to come indoors as long as there was a yard for him to live in. He is very well behaved and very sweet with kids and other animals. If you have any ideas on where we might find a place to rent, can you please email either of us some information. We would love to secure a place before coming down. We have a 4×4 vehicle and we will be leaving Louisiana around October 6th. Any help would be greatly appreciated! My email address is flybetty@hotmail.comand Michael’s is mdevin@cox.net Thanks again!Sincerely,Bethany and Michael

20) An ATFP Report:
Below is the summary of the U.N. report submitted to the General Assembly by John Dugard, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights, on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967.
To read the full report:
http://www.americantaskforce.org/unreport.pdf
———————
SUMMARY
During the past year, Israel’s decision to withdraw Jewish settlers and troops from Gaza has attracted the attention of the international community. This focus of attention on Gaza has allowed Israel to continue with the construction of the wall inPalestinian territory, the expansion of settlements and the de-Palestinization of Jerusalem with virtually no criticism. This report focuses principally on these matters.
Although uncertainty surrounds the full extent and consequences of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, it seems clear that Gaza will remain occupied territory subject to the provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilians in Time of War, of 12 August 1949 (Fourth Geneva Convention) as a result of Israel’s continued control of the borders of Gaza. The withdrawal of Jewish settlers from Gaza will result in the decolonization of Palestinian territory but not result in the end of occupation.
In its advisory opinion of 9 July 2004, the International Court of Justice held that the wall currently being built by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is contrary to international law. It accordingly held that construction of the wall should cease and that those sections of the wall that had been completed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory should be dismantled. The Government of Israel has paid no heed to the advisory opinion and continues with the construction of the wall.
The wall has serious consequences for Palestinians living in the neighbourhood of the wall. Many thousands are separated from their agricultural lands by the wall and are denied permits to access their lands. Even those who are granted permits frequently find that gates within the wall do not open as scheduled. As a result, Palestinians are gradually leaving land and homes that they have occupied for generations.
Most Jewish settlers in the West Bank are now situated between the Green Line (the accepted border between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory) and the wall. Moreover, existing settlements in this zone — known as the “closed zone” — are expanding and new settlements are being built. Emboldened by the support they receive from the Government and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), settlers have become more aggressive towards Palestinians and settler violence is on the increase.
The construction of the wall, the de-Palestinization of the “closed zone” and the expansion of settlements make it abundantly clear that the wall is designed to be the border of the State of Israel and that the land of the “closed zone” is to be annexed. Israel has embarked upon major changes in Jerusalem in order to make the city more Jewish. Jewish settlements within East Jerusalem are being expanded and plans are afoot to link Jerusalem with the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim with a population of 35,000, which will effectively cut the West Bank in two. Palestinian contiguity in East Jerusalem is being destroyed by the presence of Jewish settlements and by 3 A/60/271 house demolitions. Some 55,000 Palestinians presently resident in the municipal area of East Jerusalem have been transferred to the West Bank by the construction of the wall. The clear purpose of these changes is to remove any suggestion that East Jerusalem is a Palestinian entity capable of becoming the capital of a Palestinian State.
The international community has proclaimed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the need to create a Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security with Israel. This vision is unattainable without a viable Palestinian territory. The construction of the wall, the expansion of settlements and the de-Palestinization of Jerusalem threaten the viability of a Palestinian State.
The occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory continues to result in major violations of human rights. There are some 8,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, whose treatment is alleged to fall well below internationally accepted standards. Freedom of movement is radically undermined by over 600 military checkpoints. Social and economic rights are violated. A quarter of the Palestinian population is unemployed and half the population lives below the official poverty line. Health and education services suffer and Palestinians have severe difficulties in accessing safe water. Housing remains a serious problem as a result of house demolitions conducted by the IDF in previous years. Women suffer disproportionately from these violations of human rights.
In 2004 the International Court of Justice handed down an advisory opinion in which it condemned as illegal not only the construction of the wall but many features of the Israeli administration of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The advisory opinion was endorsed by the General Assembly on 20 July 2004 in resolution ES-10/15. Since then little effort has been made by the international community to compel Israel to comply with its legal obligations as expounded by the International Court. The Quartet, comprising the United Nations, the European Union, the United States of America and the Russian Federation, appears to prefer to conduct its negotiations with Israel in terms of the so-called road map with no regard to the advisory opinion. The road map seems to contemplate the acceptance of certain sections of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the inclusion of major Jewish settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in Israeli territory. This process places the United Nations in an awkward situation as it clearly cannot be a party to negotiations that ignore the advisory opinion of its own judicial organ.
21) Yo, Wattup? As-salaamu alekum, mudda fukka:
Homegrown hip-hop catching on among young Palestinians – Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/krwashbureau/20050928/ts_krwashbureau/_mus_mideast_hiphop_1

22) Somalia article:
Signpost in Somaliland’s Quest for Sovereignty
Nathalie Peutz
September 28, 2005
(Nathalie Peutz is a doctoral candidate in anthropology at Princeton University.)
A year after its inception, the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia remains in disarray. The interim president, Abdullahi Yusuf, lingers northof Mogadishu, amassing weapons and recruiting troops for his return to the capital. His 91-member cabinet and 42 ministries, forged in exile, are scattered across the globe. Meanwhile, on September 29, 2005, the self-proclaimed R
epublic of Somaliland in the northwest of the country will hold its third multi-party elections since 2000. Often disparaged as a”rogue enclave” or a “breakaway region,” Somaliland has asserted a largely unrecognized right to self-determination since 1991.
Before the October 2004 “National Reconciliation Conference” in Mbagathi, Kenya, which ended in the formation of the Transitional Federal Government,the Somaliland government was adamant on two issues: the Republic of Somaliland would remain independent, whatever the outcome of the conference, and the government of Somaliland would negotiate with a government of Somalia only as one sovereign state talking to another. In a July 2004 press release, President Dahir Riyale Kahin confirmed: “Somaliland will only have dialogue with Somalia when they put in place a president and a government elected by the people of Somalia.”
The upcoming elections, originally slated for March 29 but delayed by the government, are another signpost in Somaliland’s thus far frustrated questfor international recognition. They should also complete the transition from a clan-based government selected by elders to a system of multi-partyrepresentation elected by and accountable to the public. Additionally, they will present the first major challenge to the otherwise growing entrenchmentof government party rule in Somaliland.
SECOND “INDEPENDENCE”
In the colonial era, the north of Somalia — what is now Somaliland and neighboring Puntland — was known as the British Somaliland Protectorate. This northern “State of Somaliland” was granted independence on June 26, 1960 and recognized by 35 governments, including the United States, even though plans for unification with the south were imminent and the dream of a “Greater Somalia” — comprising Italian Somalia, British Somaliland, Djibouti (French Somaliland), and the Somali regions of Ethiopia andKenya — was widespread. Five days later, Italian Somalia received its independence and the two legislatures met in Mogadishu to announce theirunification as the Somali Republic.
The unification was imbalanced from the outset, with the seat of government having moved to Mogadishu. Additionally, the merger was encumbered by incongruent colonial administrations, legal systems and languages. By June 1961, the “northerners” demonstrated their discontent by boycotting thereferendum on the constitution and in December 1961, northern lieutenants staged an unsuccessful coup. But it was not just the south-north divide that troubled these early years. Somalia was also marked by the proliferation of nepotism, corruption and “clanism” –the division of political and economic spoils to favored clans.
In October 1969, the military staged a successful coup d’état, established the Supreme Revolutionary Council with Gen. Mohamed Siad Barre as its president, and renamed the state the “Somali Democratic Republic.” Under Barre, the country embarked on a course of “scientific socialism” aiming to modernize the nation and eradicate “tribalism.” Nevertheless, Barre began to depend on clan affiliations for his support, as did his mounting opposition. After a disastrous defeat by the Ethiopians in the 1977-1978 Ogaden War, officers from the northeast (now Puntland) led a failed coup against Barre and formed the first clan-based opposition group, the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, with Abdullahi Yusuf as one of its leaders.
In 1981, exiles from the northwest (now Somaliland), belonging to the Isaaq clan, formed the Somali National Movement (SNM), another Ethiopia-basedguerrilla movement aimed at overthrowing the regime. The government responded with heavy reprisals against the northern population and fighting between the SNM and the national army developed into full-scale civil war in the northwest. In May 1988, the government ordered aerial bombardment of two northern cities, Hargeisa and Burco, and by early 1989 an estimated 50,000 had died and a half million people were displaced. The SNM continued fighting in the north while supplying southern opposition groups withweapons. In January 1991, Gen. Mohamed Farah Aidid advanced on Mogadishu, forcing Barre and his troops to flee.
With the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic in 1991 and the spectacular debacle of the UN peacekeeping mission that followed, Somaliabecame the textbook example of a “failed state.” The war-torn country has lacked an operating central government ever since. On May 18 of the same year that Somalia “failed” as a state, “the Republic of Somaliland” declared its independence, and a two-year transitional government was formed with the SNM chairman as interim president.
WEATHERING VOLATILITY
As not all northern clans had supported the SNM insurgency, its Isaaq leadership sought reconciliation with other clan elders. By January 1992, however, tensions among the Isaaq had surfaced and the SNM “army” was at war with SNM opposition factions. In October 1992, Somaliland elders called for peace talks and reached a ceasefire agreement.
In 1993, the “Grand National Reconciliation Conference” succeeded in replacing SNM rule with a civilian administration headed by President Mohamed Ibrahim Egal, the major Isaaq politician to emerge from the Protectorate era. With little to no foreign assistance, a National Charter was drafted and a beel (clan) system of government — institutionalizedmulti-clan representation in a bicameral parliament — was established. Inter-Isaaq fighting broke out again between 1994 and 1996 and a Second National Conference convened in Hargeisa in 1996-1997. President Egal was reelected for another five years and a constitution was drafted to lock in the power sharing agreement outlined in the National Charter. Finally, on May 31, 2001, a referendum was held on the constitution that was simultaneously a plebiscite on Somaliland’s independence. Nearly 66 percent of the eligible voters voted yes, though low turnout in the Sool and eastern Sanaag regions suggested a local boycott.
With the constitution ratified, elections were held in December 2002, when nearly half a million citizens elected 332 district councillors from six political parties. To avoid clan-based party affiliation, the electoral law required each party to obtain 20 percent of the vote in each of Somaliland’s six regions while restricting the number of parties in future elections to the three with the largest base. With allowances for the lack of census data and limited resources for voter registration in a largely nomadic and illiterate society, the elections were judged free and fair by local and international observers, although irregularities were noted. The three parties to win the permanent right to run were Egal’s Democratic United Peoples’ Movement (UDUB), the Somaliland Unity and Development Party (Kulmiye) headed by former SNM chairman Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud Silanyo, and the Party for Justice and Democracy, chaired by Faysal Ali Warabe.
Seven months before the 2002 elections, Egal had died during surgery in South Africa and Dahir Riyale Kahin was appointed interim president. Although Riyale was a silent figurehead under Egal, his first moves aspresident were bold, if somewhat unpopular. His first official visit was to Djibouti — still a firm supporter of a “greater Somalia” — where he mendedbilateral relations even though the Somaliland population was weary of what many consider Djibouti’s anti-Somaliland rhetoric. Riyale also attempted avisit to Las Canod in the region of Sool, which, along with adjacent eastern Sanaag, is inhabited by Harti clans who remain ambivalent about Somaliland’sclaim of sovereignty and the “Hargeisa” government. Although the Harti clans were party to the 1993 reconciliation conference, they have felt progressively marginalized in the emergent Somaliland, and many Harti in Sool and eastern Sanaag shifted their allegiance to the Puntland “administration” established under the presidency of Abdullahi Yusuf in 1998. Whereas Somaliland demarcates itself by its colonial borders, Puntland defines its area as that inhabited by the Harti clans. Puntla
nd’s Bossaso port is closer to Sool and eastern Sanaag than Somaliland’s Berbera port, and Somali shillings, not Somaliland shillings, remain the operative currency in the regions. Reflecting the struggle for the regions’ loyalties,Riyale was chased out of Las Canod by Puntland militias.
Half a million voters turned out in April 2003 when Riyale ran in a presidential election. A number of irregularities marred a contest that was otherwise more or less “free and fair.” The ruling UDUB was castigated for using public funds for its campaign and for monopolizing time on state-owned radio; Kulmiye was charged with encouraging double voting; and, as in the 2002 election, a number of polling stations were closed in Sool and eastern Sanaag because of “security” concerns. The true challenge to the election’s integrity came from the surprisingly close result. On April 19, the National Electoral Commission announced an 80-vote margin of victory for the UDUB, a tabulation contested by both the UDUB and Kulmiye. The decision went to the Supreme Court, which adjusted the margin of victory upward to 217 votes. On May 16, 2003, Riyale was sworn in as the first democratically elected president of the Republic of Somaliland.
In a period of only two years, Somalilanders had weathered two potentially volatile changes of leadership and voted on three different occasions. The fact that this war-ravaged society was able to navigate these challenges without real foreign assistance and without succumbing to the cycles ofviolence that continued in the south speaks volumes for Somalilanders’ commitment to peace — however fragile its foundations.
“INSIDE THE SOMALI STOMACH”
Somalilanders are frustrated by the lack of international recognition of the “peace and stability” in their country — not to mention their claim of sovereignty. In 2000, I heard expressions of hope that Western governments or the UN would recognize Somaliland’s right to self-determination based on its functioning government, the consent of the governed, defined borders and relations with neighbors. While the African Union refuses to acknowledge Somaliland’s “secession” from the former Somali Republic, Somalilanders have long argued that their current territory is nothing if not consistent with the colonial borders recognized for those five fateful days of post-colonial independence.
Later, in 2002, I witnessed the increasing disappointment of those hopes, with one common feeling being that Somaliland’s bid for recognition had been sidelined by the US preoccupation with the “war on terror.” At a public forum attended by the former US ambassador to Ethiopia, the speaker of the parliament quipped: “Can we have someone in the audience volunteer to be a member of al-Qaeda? We will turn him in and this will change our fate!”Indeed, since 2001, the Somaliland government has counted less on the West and turned increasingly to African states for support, notably South Africa and Senegal. In January 2005, however, I found that many Somalilanders presumed that recognition will not come soon in any case. That is because it depends less on the West or the African Union than on Somalia — still a non-functioning state.
According to Somaliland’s minister of information, Somalilanders have moved beyond the need for recognition: “We are not going to say recognize us or else. It’s the business of a nation to recognize or not recognize. But as far as we are concerned, we recognize ourselves. We haven’t been doing all these good things — democratization, nation building, decency, civility — just to appease others! We’ve got a vested interest in that matter and, if in my generation, this country is not recognized, then the following generation will carry the flag.” Similarly, during a qat chew with Somaliland elders one prominent sultan asserted, “We don’t need to berecognized. We have to recognize ourselves first and make peace. Then the whole world will come to us and recognize us!” In a private setting, he sounded less convinced, lamenting that no country would recognizeSomaliland’s independence until the new Somalia does. “Since we united with Somalia,” he said, “we were swallowed by the Somali people. We cry insidethe Somali stomach, ‘Oh, we are Somalilanders!’ But we are still inside their stomach.”
The government accuses outside elements of trying to derail the September 29 parliamentary contests. On September 23 and 24, seven alleged al-Qaeda militants were arrested in Hargeisa on charges of plotting to disrupt the upcoming elections. “The terrorists who planned to wage attacks in Somaliland are trained and facilitated from Mogadishu,” Riyale declared.
AT STAKE
The September 29 elections may bring little change in the attitudes of outsiders, but they should have momentous domestic consequences. It is clear that what is at stake is not just parliamentary democracy, but the very glue that could keep the country together.
Somaliland faces immense social and economic challenges. In the past years, over 500,000 Somaliland refugees have been repatriated from Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen, and the towns already swell with nomads moving in from the countryside. Money transfer services, called hawalat, funnel roughly $400 million into Somaliland each year from Somalilanders living abroad, many in the West. These remittances are sorely needed. The livestock trade,Somaliland’s major economic resource, has suffered from a seven-year Saudi ban, supposedly the result of an outbreak of Rift Valley fever, but interpreted by Somalilanders as a political boycott targeting their claim of independence. Unemployment is estimated at 70 percent. Unemployed men and youth spend their remittances on qat imported from Ethiopia. People chew, they say, either to forget or to remember; the war has left many scars.
A deep-seated distrust of the government and its intentions vis-à-vis a future “Somalia” is perhaps symptomatic of the people’s political, economicand social frustration. Rumors abound that there is a secret deal between Riyale and the president of Djibouti and that Somaliland will come apart atthe seams.
Distrust also persists because each step toward parliamentary democracy is accompanied by a step backward in the name of security. Between October 2003 and March 2004, four foreign aid workers were killed by southern Somali militants aiming to destabilize Somaliland. Immediately, the governmentordered the removal of up to 77,000 “illegal foreigners” (mainly from Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia), though this measure was never enforced. The tragic deaths held some promise at least of rallying the nation behind peace, security and good governance. However, on May 18, 2004, the celebration of Somaliland’s independence day, 150 students demonstrating against corruption were sentenced to one-year imprisonment. One month later, the interior minister released an edict prohibiting Somalilanders from speaking in groups about political issues, “because of the delicate circumstances the nation is going through and because there are conspiracies being hatched to destroy the peace.” Poignantly, his decree fell on the same date as the infamous Jezira Beach massacre 15 years earlier, when Barre’s forces rounded up 46 Isaaq students and executed them on a beach south of Mogadishu. The significance of this coincidence was not lost on the public.
Despite Riyale’s public commitment to holding elections in March come what may, he postponed the contests at the eleventh hour, citing a lack ofpreparedness dictated by a lack of sufficient funds. The government was seeking financial assistance from EU donors, but it was slow in coming — whether because the donors were reluctant to antagonize the Transitional Federal Government or because the government was slow in asking. Riyale accused the parliament of wishing to retain their seats. Others accused the president and the UDUB of delaying the elections out of fear that the governing party would lose seats to the opposition. Throughout 2005, there were spirited debates in the parliament about gender quotas and media access for oppositio
n parties. Since August 30, 246 candidates — only seven of whom are women — have been campaigning for the 82 parliamentary seats.
Another specter hanging over the elections is continued tension in Sool and eastern Sanaag. Having gravitated toward Puntland in recent years, the Harti clans of these regions found themselves without the expected representation among the Puntland leadership. Today, they may be more willing to placetheir stake in Somaliland — if they can vote. The people of Sool and eastern Sanaag were partially disenfranchised during the elections of 2002 and 2003 for reasons of “security.” In December 2003, Puntland militias entered the vicinity of Las Canod in Sool, where they have been in a standoff with Somaliland troops ever since. Sool and eastern Sanaag are areas effectively administered by no one.
YESTERDAY, TOMORROW
Somaliland is a nation of displaced people, now returnees, and each person has experienced loss. In 1981, a group of prominent professionals in Hargeisa started a self-help scheme to improve the hospital and schools. Eventually, the group — named ufo or “wind” — started an underground newspaper and the Barre government arrested them and sentenced many todeath. The severity of the verdict provoked student riots in Hargeisa, which the government quashed with tanks. When the prisoners were suddenly released from solitary confinement in 1989, they had no idea of what had befallen their country. It was Barre himself who “briefed” the freed prisoners on the bombing of Hargeisa, the deaths of 50,000 civilians and the refugee camps — and then blamed them for all of it. One doctor related how he could not even comprehend what he heard until he met family who informed him of his father and brother’s deaths. Hearing this, he said, “was shocking, but perhaps the best therapy one could get…[realizing that] what happened to you is minor compared to what your people went through.”
Today, one of the planes that bombed Hargeisa is mounted on a pedestal next to the public “square” that is currently off limits to demonstrations. A War Crimes Investigation Committee operating out of a back office and with minimal funding continues to collect evidence of mass graves around Hargeisa. They aim to have the known perpetrators brought before an international war crimes tribunal, but they require UN assistance. At this time, however, explained the chairman, “the world is involved in the peace process” — meaning that its attention is focused southward where many of those involved in this process have blood on their hands.
The Republic of Somaliland has indeed accomplished a remarkable feat and without international assistance. The success or failure of the September 29 elections will determine which road Somalilanders adhere to: a continuing compromise or a frustrated abandonment of their ideals. The African Union and the West may wish to believe that a pan-Somalian “peace” has finally been drafted in Mbagathi, irrespective of the transitional government’s failure to function and irrespective of events inside Somaliland, but this is unwise. The ufo — the wind before the storm — is quite likely to return, yet now there is no telling which way it will blow.
—–
For background on Somalia, see Dan Connell, “War Clouds Over Somalia,” Middle East Report Online, March 22, 2002.http://www.merip.org/mero/mero032202.html
For background on the importance of hawalat to the Somali economy, see Khalid Medani, “Financing Terrorism or Survival? Informal Finance and State Collapse in Somalia, and the US War on Terrorism,” in Middle East Report 223 (Summer 2002).
The summer 1994 issue of Middle East Report offers in-depth coverage of the 1993-1993 “humanitarian intervention” in Somalia.
Order back issues of Middle East Report, and take advantage of a special subscription offer, through a secure server at MERIP’s home page:http://www.merip.org/index2.html
23) On Gaza, again:
The Palestinian Security Sector:Post-Disengagement and BeyondSummary of Palestine Center Briefing by Amjad AtallahFor the Record No. 231 / 28 September 2005 (amended)
The Palestinian Authority (PA) and legitimate Palestinian security services have respect from the Palestinian people in the extent to which the government can show a “game plan that will lead to the freedom and independence the Palestinians are seeking.” Inquiries into why the Palestinian security services have not done more to prevent violence miss this point and ignore entirely the question of capacity, argued Amjad Atallah, president of the international organization Strategic Assessment Initiatives (SAI).
Speaking at the DC-based Palestine Center on 21 September 2005, Atallah argued that ineffectiveness in the Palestinian security sector must be considered within the political context created by four main factors: 1) the contradictory mandate the security sector was given to provide security for Israel at the cost of Palestinian national aspirations; 2) the destruction and physical dismantling of the security sector caused by Israel’s retaliation against it for Hamas bombings; 3) the lack of political and organizational structure afforded it by Fatah, the PA’s ruling party; and 4) the competition that Hamas poses in terms of popularity and legitimacy “on the street.” Atallah’s comments drew from the July 2005 independent, international third-party assessment that SAI conducted of the Palestinian security sector.
Atallah said that “Palestinian security forces were reintroduced into the Occupied Territory by an agreement between Israel and the PLO so that the Palestinian security services would end the first intifada (popular uprising) and provide security services for Israel.” However, the Palestinian public did not see the return of the security forces to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as protection for Israel, but instead coming “in order to prepare the way for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”
He said this quid pro quo, or trading of valued items, was to allow the Palestinians to begin a negotiated process with Israel that would lead to Palestinian independence and freedom by 1999 under the interim agreement signed between Israel and the PLO. When a Palestinian state did not materialize in 1999 as promised, the Palestinian security sector was helpless to prevent the second intifada from erupting. “It could not do what the Israelis wanted it to do without Palestinian public support, but at the same time it could not do what the Palestinians wanted it to do, which was to join the intifada and fight Israel,” Atallah said.
“The contradiction between Israel’s security concerns and Palestinian aspirations to be free were effectively subsumed during the Oslo years,” explained Atallah. Israel received unmatched security from the Palestinian security services and the Palestinian public received steps towards statehood on the land for peace model. However, once this arrangement collapsed in September 2000, the PA security services were trapped between the PLO’s agreements with Israel and the Palestinian people’s desire to end the occupation. “The result was paralysis,” he said. Israel saw the Palestinian security services’ failure to prevent the intifada as a betrayal of the mandate the PLO had signed, believing that it had effectively subcontracted the PLO to provide security for its occupation while it decided what type of state and level of sovereignty it would allow Palestinians to have, said Atallah. Israel responded by attacking the Palestinian security services both because they were easier targets than the cell-based system of Hamas and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and because their employees, police stations and jail houses were “a very well known commodity” to the Israeli military.
Atallah said that this was a “win-win” situation for Hamas; at the beginning all it needed to do was “attack Israel and get credit on the street.” Pointing out that Hamas’ primary rival is the PA, not the Isra
eli government, Atallah said Hamas’ popularity and the coherence of its political agenda and organizational structure create an environment in which the Palestinian security sector has only a limited capacity to maintain public order despite the generally secular orientation of Palestinian society. “Hamas has responded very rapidly to Israeli attacks on Palestinians,” he emphasized, noting in particular the immediate physical assistance and cash it provides to victims of Israel’s attacks before the PA or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) can respond.
In this context, Atallah argued that several things must happen before any reconstruction of the Palestinian security services will be effective. First, Fatah’s organizational structure must be rebuilt. He argued that at the same time Israel was attacking the security services during the second intifada, the Palestinian leadership under the late President Yasser Arafat was itself dismantling Fatah’s structure through its inaction and other missteps. The result was that “the largest secular grassroots movement among Palestinians collapsed from an organizational structure into a general movement.”
One crucial way of reforming Fatah would be to hold primaries before general elections, as the “young guard and the middle guard” have been demanding, said Atallah. This would enable Fatah to select the candidate most popular and capable of speaking on its behalf and “to provide a legitimate Palestinian alternative to the most dominant force right now, which is Hamas.” However, Atallah said that many in the “old guard” resist primaries because they see changes in the process as a threat to their own positions of power.
Secondly, the Palestinian security sector must be streamlined and fully integrated under the PA Ministry of the Interior. Moreover, a functioning national security council is necessary for the Palestinian security services’ effectiveness. While it has not fully addressed the need to rebuild Fatah, the PA has begun to address the question of reconstructing the security forces by mandating that the extra-legal units and former police who joined the militants return to the legitimate Palestinian security services, said Atallah. President Abbas has also instructed independent Palestinian security forces to no longer communicate directly with the intelligence services of other governments, reinforcing the authority of the Ministry of Interior. The goal is to unify the security forces into three command and control structures that work together and report directly to the Ministry through the creation of sectoral and joint operation centers in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Atallah was positive about the steps the Palestinian security sector has taken already, noting new initiatives such as the process of retiring Palestinian security officials who are above the age of sixty, the first-ever preparation of a joint “concept of operations” plan for the recreation of the security sector, and the development of a communications plan that will better enable the security services to work with people in the community, such as the Rafah and Khan Yunis refugee camps. However, implementation of the consolidation plan is only about 70 percent complete, he said, because of the resistance of some former police units to integration within a legitimate structure. He noted that Force 17, the military intelligence, special forces, special security, air force and maritime forces remain separate and/or report directly to the president.
Thirdly, Atallah said that the Palestinian security services’ effectiveness is weakened by the lack of an independent judiciary. Atallah said that Palestinians must have an independent judiciary before reform in the security sector will be sustainable. The first step in the process to achieve an independent judiciary would be the appointment of an independent attorney general who has subpoena and investigative powers as well as the protection of the security services, Atallah said. This is a necessary step “to clear the names of the people wrongly accused and to bring to justice those who are found guilty,” like the former Gaza security chief Moussa Arafat who was assassinated on 7 September 2005 instead of facing an independent jury and public trial.
Lastly, Atallah argued that the Palestinian security sector needs greater support from the international community. He commended the European Union for its civil policing capacity training through the Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support (EUCOPS), and the UK for its military liaison mission that augments the communications and operations room capabilities of the Palestinians. He also noted the desire of Egypt and Jordan to play a stronger role in Palestinian security in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, respectively. However, Atallah said the international community’s current strategy of involvement is aimed at containing the conflict and developing “a strong and powerful security force that can ensure that…a third intifada does not restart.”
Atallah said this strategy by the international community is destined to fail because it only addresses one angle of the problem: the security forces’ capacity to command and control. Atallah said the international community sees Gaza as a test case for statehood in the West Bank, or “those cities that Israel chooses to withdraw from,” while ignoring the political process, national goals, and organizational structure in which this capacity exists. “It is clear that the international community is not in a conflict resolution mode,” said Atallah. “What there is, is an attempt to manage the conflict.” Without these considerations dealt with, the security sector will not be able to withstand Hamas or to guarantee law and order for Palestinians, said Atallah.
The above text is based on remarks delivered on 21 September 2005 by Mr. Amjad Atallah. The speakers’ views do not necessarily reflect those of the Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development or its educational program, The Palestine Center. This “For the Record” summary may be used without permission but with proper attribution to The Palestine Center.

Wow, that Mike Brown just keeps topping himself. I won’t add to the ridicule heaped upon him by Jon Steward and company tonight.

1) Jordan Flaherty posting:

Fighting for New Orleans
by Jordan Flaherty

A month later, many of those dislocated and displaced from New Orleans are still trying to reunite with family members, still trying to find out information about their homes and belongings, still grieving over their losses. Parents are still trying to find a school district for their kids, and local schools are over full and some are not welcoming. One Louisiana school suspended all New Orleans students as punishment for the actions of one child.

For many who are still in the shelter system, abuse and revictimization is rampant. There have been widespread reports of racism and discrimination in Red Cross shelters, especially in Lafayette, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge. According to Jodie Escobedo, a doctor from California who was volunteering in the Baton Rouge shelters, “Local officials, including politicians, select Red Cross personnel and an especially well placed but small segment of the Louisiana medical community, have managed to get themselves into positions of power where their prejudices result in the hoarding of supplies, vilification of the needy and substandard treatment of volunteers and refugees alike.”
Escobedo paints a devastating portrait. “I witnessed Red Cross staff treated abusively by shelter administration who also expressed contempt for the sheltered population. Dental abscesses abounded and when several cases of small individual cases of Scope were donated, Red Cross staff was told not to distribute it because ‘they will drink it and get drunk.’

At the River Center the Red Cross hoarded hygiene supplies and basic necessities on a giant loading dock while kids could not go to school because they had no pants or shoes, babies drank from dirty baby bottles, people slept on the floor and donated clothes sat inaccessible. I tried for 4 days to get access to the Red Cross storehouse of hand sanitizer which was unfortunately off site.”

According to another volunteer in Baton Rouge, “The River Center had a special bathroom that was set up for elderly and handicapped residents. Those with special needs. The FEMA guys came in and made it a private bathroom for FEMA staff.”Not only have many New Orleanians been mistreated in the shelter system, their voices are not heard. The same people of New Orleans residents who the national media portrayed as murders and animals are still silenced. Even in the progressive media, white voices like mine have been over represented instead of Black voices, and Black female voices are doubly missing. Beyond race, there are also other issues of privilege. As one community organizer expressed to me the other day, “there’s a difference between New Orleans residents and New Orleans natives. The voices I’ve heard speaking for us have been people who moved to New Orleans Many of them are currently staying with family or friends from somewhere else. They’re in a different situation. I’m from New Orleans. I don’t have anywhere else.”

They way the media covered the first few days still stings. This headline from today’s New Orleans Times-Picayune says it all: “Rumors of deaths greatly exaggerated – Widely reported attacks false or unsubstantiated.” The article goes on to state, “Four weeks after the storm, few of the widely reported atrocities have been backed with evidence. The piles of bodies never materialized, and soldiers, police officers and rescue personnel on the front lines say that although anarchy reigned at times and people suffered unimaginable indignities, most of the worst crimes reported at the time never happened.” The one national guard soldier who was shot turned out to have shot himself. Between the Convention Center and Superdome, there were ten bodies found. Despite the reports of mass killings, only one of the deaths appears to be a homicide. However, it was these rumors that were used to demonize the people of New Orleans, and since most of the media has offered no correction, the representation still stands.

Meanwhile, the bulldozer of the Disaster Industrial Complex continues to rush towards our city. For executives at Halliburton, there was no pause for grieving. For the white elites of New Orleans, the same unelected power structure that parades in all white Mardi Gras Krewes and lives in wealthy uptown mansions, there was no fear and insecurity. For all of those who are poised to gain from this horrible chain of events, there has been nothing but a rush to profit. The real criminals run free.

New Orleans’ progressive infrastructure is as weak and underfunded as the levees around the lower 9th ward. The grassroots organizations who are coming together to fight for the future of New Orleans are struggling to define their work and mission, while the diaspora of our city becomes ever more displaced.

There are so many difficulties that organizers face right now, from the stress and trauma of lost lives and livelihoods, to communications and housing issues. The cell phone network in Baton Rouge is so overloaded right now, its almost impossible to call from one local cell phone to another. Apartments are scarce, and some landlords are asking for six months rent in advance. New Orleans-based groups have no access to their office and files. It seems that every day I talk to another friend who has lost everything, or is trying to clean mold off of a few remaining possessions they’ve recovered. I still don’t know if all of my friends are alive, including one of my best friends and her family.

Still, the fight continues. The People’s Hurricane Relief Fund and Oversight Commission (PHRF), currently based in Jackson, Mississippi, is working to set up offices in other cities with evacuee populations. They have also formed committees and a structure for folks from New Orleans and for supporters from around the US to join, and they are convening a strategy retreat for this weekend, in South Carolina. “We’re buckling down for the long term,” organizer Curtis Muhammad told me. “This is a five year, a ten year struggle.”

PHRF has achieved an early prominence through its powerful and galvanizing first statement, issued just days after the world watched in horror as a city drowned under mismanagement and neglect. Since then, representatives from the group have been highlighted on independent media, and have met with Hugo Chavez and spoke at last weekend’s March on Washington.

However, there are other efforts as well, with various levels of cooperation and communication. In Baton Rouge, at least two other coalitions focused on reconstruction have come together. One of the groups was initiated by the NAACP and the Service Employees International Union, and is planning demonstrations, as well as media and political campaigns. Their first two meetings featured a diversity of organizations and individuals, from shelter residents to folks from ACLU, ACORN, Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana and Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. They are still grappling with everything from the group’s name and mission, to their demands.

Another group, the Rebuilding Louisiana Coalition, was initiated by progressive political campaigners from New Orleans, and appears to be focused more on political pressure. The conveners, Cheron Brylski and Russell Henderson, have worked with a wide array of progressive politicians from Louisiana.

Still, most New Orleans residents do not know about these groups, and those of us who are in touch have been following their progress with hope and apprehension. As one shelter resident whispered to me during a recent coalition meeting, “I’m just worried that they’ve won already. The Krewe’s have won, and we’ll never see our city again.”

======================
==============================

Jordan Flaherty is a union organizer and an editor of Left Turn Magazine. This is his seventh article from New Orleans. To see the other articles, go to www.leftturn.org. You can contact Jordan at NewOrleans@leftturn.org.

2) This is an appeal for assistance and advice from Mary Beth Black, a writer, activist, and wonderful person. If you have input, she can be reached at mblack13@hotmail.com :

Hey friends and family,

Of course a great remedy for heartbreak is hardwork and I hope to be returning to New Orleans sooner than later to get my hands dirty with relief work. However, I do not want to go empty handed. Specifically, for purposes of cultural, civil rights, and my own self-defense, I want to return to New Orleans with a cell-phone, digitial camera, and video recorder in hand, as well as the accompanying cables, tapes, etc…

I know that whether I am looking up friends I’ve found but that are dislocated, seeking the wellfare and whereabouts of the homeless (especially a few homeless friends in particular), or working in an evacuee center or clinic, I will be hearing stories that need telling. I think back, too, to this summer when I witnessed Melvin Green (whereabouts unknown) get arrested by private security, (which along with Blackwater, seem to be running quite a show down on the Gulf Coast). and I know that if I had a camera and a phone at the time, he might not be missing today. A friend and I were about to work on and apply for grants to produce a “BUSTED: Know Your Rights” sitcom/civil rights educational piece to counter all the false arrests and police abuses that were happening in New Orleans prior to the storm, but I am sorry to say that I have no idea where or how Joseph is now. Circumstances have changed dramatically. Additionally, I’ve always loved people, specifically the folks in New Orleans, and recording their tales and tears, needs and knowledge, would be an honor and a service.

That mentioned, I am applying for an Immediate Response Grant with the Media Justice Fund. I need 501C sponsorship, and so far I have asked the Highlander Center, the longtime social justice organizing center in New Market, TN to sponsor me. (This is not their policy, and are to get back to me tomorrow.) I have put you all as references since I don’t really have my home or a base organization to work from and you are all friends, family and allies aware of my community activism and arts & media based work. If you can be of any help with this project, please let me know. (Donations, advice on the process of story collecting, contacts in relief work down that way or with 501C organizations who might sponsor me, grant sources – all opinions and advice are welcome.)

Really, I can not imagine “moving on” with my life until I’ve put some serious heart, soul, and elbow grease back into the home I loved so dearly. And I’ve always been fortunate to have wonderful friends who show their care and engagement with making the world a better place on a daily basis.

Lastly, in this last month I have certainly felt that my skills and resources are too little, too late when it came to the enormous crisis that Louisiana and all the Gulf Coast residnts are facing. All of you have an awareness of the diabolical history of the South and this country and how important it is to speak Truth to Power. If I do have one thing I can offer, it is my sincere love for all the people of New Orleans and for some reason, the gift of naturally engaging most people I come across – for this reason, I’d like to go to the people and simply see and hear what is happening – with camera in hand.

Thanx so much for your love. Just wanted to give you a head’s up on the grant I am seeking and that I’ve named you as references to Highlander Center, from whom I’m seeking the non-profit umbrella. And please do connect me to any relief efforts that you have personal contact with. My heart will not rest until I have the opportunity to return.

All Love,
mary beth

p.s. Today I attended a hungerstrike in front of the U.N. on behalf of Burma and for the immediate and unconditional release from 16 years of house arrest of Nobel Laureate and overwhelmingly democratically elected democracy leader of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi. The hungerstrikers and supporters marched from D.C. to New York last month. You can find more about the “Voice of Hope” and the “Revolution of the Spirit” at www.progressiveburma.org/icfab and at www.worlddharma.com. Even these murky swamps of despair and political corruption, their are places of courage and endeavor on behalf of peace.

3) Watch those bulldozers, which will be hard to do from afar…:

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/weather/index.ssf?/base/news-20/112796154492741.xml&storylist;=hurricane

Preservationists: Don’t tear down New Orleans
9/28/2005, 9:34 p.m. CT
By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI
The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In the aftermath of a natural disaster, the first instinct of local and federal officials is to tear down devastated structures — an “instinct that is almost always wrong,” said the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, who urged officials at the group’s annual symposium here to lobby for the preservation of New Orleans’ historic buildings.

“There are new technologies, new building practices that can be brought to bear that were not available even 15 years ago,” said Richard Moe, president of the trust, which spearheads preservation efforts in all 50 states. To thunderous applause from the packed auditorium in downtown Portland, he stressed that: “No historical building” in New Orleans “should be torn down without a survey.”

The trust’s president is attempting to place his organization at the forefront of the debate over whether the low-lying areas of the hurricane-ravaged city should be rebuilt.

The Washington-based trust, which was chartered by Congress in 1949, has published an annual list of endangered sites for 18 years. Once a site is placed on the list, groups wishing to tear down the structure down must go through a rigorous application process. That has placed the trust in many thorny fights to save endangered structures, often pitting them against developers in a battle between history and progress.
According to the trust, there are 20 neighborhoods within New Orleans designated on the National Register of Historic Places, containing 37,000 historic structures.

“There’s a lot of talk about mold,” Moe said. “But there are measures that can be taken” to mitigate its effect and save the historic core of New Orleans from demolition.

Moe unveiled a number of initiatives aimed at helping rebuild the Big Easy. They include offering a 30 percent tax credit for homeowners living in historic structures who decide to rebuild; a $60 million grant program to help repair hurricane damaged historic properties; and a proposal submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service which would make it easier for owners of historic commercial buildings to get tax credits.

The scars of the hurricane are “first and foremost a human tragedy,” Moe said. “But it’s also potentially one of the greatest cultural disasters.”

A slideshow of New Orleans’ destroyed heritage — including the blown-off steeple of an elegant Methodist church and the water marks scarring the tombs at the 138-year-old St. Roch Cemetery — drew palpable sighs from the several hundred preservationists in attendance.

“You can’t save New Orleans without rebuilding w
hat’s there,” Moe said. “It has this unique character.
“No other city in the country or in the world has these layers of cultures, traditions, histories…It’s the Creole home, the corner shop, the shotgun structure that makes up the vernacular architecture.”

4) On yesterday’s Brownie testimony:

www.dailykos.com

The Blame Game: Brownie Sez “It Wasn’t My Fault” by Armando Tue Sep 27th, 2005 at 10:12:18 PDTAP:
Former FEMA director Michael Brown aggressivelydefended his role in responding to Hurricane Katrinaon Tuesday and put much of the blame for coordinationfailures on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and NewOrleans Mayor Ray Nagin. “My biggest mistake was notrecognizing by Saturday that Louisiana wasdysfunctional,” two days before the storm hit, Browntold a special congressional panel set up by HouseRepublican leaders to investigate the catastrophe.

. . . Brown’s defense drew a scathing response fromRep. William Jefferson, D-La. “I find it absolutelystunning that this hearing would start out with you,Mr. Brown, laying the blame for FEMA’s failings at thefeet of the governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of NewOrleans.”

Brown, who for many became a symbol of governmentfailures in the natural disaster that claimed thelives of more than 1,000 people, rejected accusationsthat he was too inexperienced for the job. “I’veoverseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. Iknow what I’m doing, and I think I do a pretty darngood job of it,” Brown said.

You did a heck of a job Brownie. Que cojones. (Roughtranslation – chutzpah.)

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Katrina-Brown.html?ei=5094&en;=51e66a3f71899c10&hp;=&ex;=1127880000&partner;=homepage&pagewanted;=print

September 27, 2005
Former FEMA Director Blames Local Officials forFailures
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:44 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FEMA director Michael Brownblamed others for most government failures inresponding to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday, especiallyLouisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans MayorRay Nagin. He aggressively defended his own role.

Brown also said that in the days before the storm, heexpressed his concerns that ”this is going to be abad one” in phone conversations and e-mails withPresident Bush, White House chief of staff Andy Cardand deputy chief of staff Joe Hagin.

And he blamed the Department of Homeland Security, theparent agency for the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency, for not acquiring better equipment ahead ofthe storm.

His efforts to shift blame drew sharp criticism fromDemocratic and Republican lawmakers alike.

”I’m happy you left,” said Rep. Christopher Shays,R-Conn. ”That kind of look in the lights like a deertells me you weren’t capable of doing that job.”

Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., told Brown: ”Thedisconnect was, people thought there was some federalexpertise out there. There wasn’t. Not from you.”

Brown appeared before a special congressional panelset up by House Republican leaders to investigate thecatastrophe.

”My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturdaythat Louisiana was dysfunctional,” two days beforethe storm hit, Brown told the panel.

Brown, who for many became a symbol of governmentfailures in the natural disaster that claimed thelives of more than 1,000 people, rejected accusationsthat he was too inexperienced for the job.

”I’ve overseen over 150 presidentially declareddisasters. I know what I’m doing, and I think I do apretty darn good job of it,” he said.

Brown resigned as the head of FEMA earlier this monthafter being removed by Homeland Security SecretaryMichael Chertoff from responsibility in the strickenareas. Brown will remain on the FEMA payroll for twomore weeks, advising the agency, said Russ Knocke,spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.

Brown, who joined FEMA in 2001 and ran it for morethan two years, was previously an attorney who heldseveral local government and private posts, includingleading the International Arabian Horse Association.

Brown’s testimony drew a scathing response from Rep.William Jefferson, D-La.

”I find it absolutely stunning that this hearingwould start out with you, Mr. Brown, laying the blamefor FEMA’s failings at the feet of the governor ofLouisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans.”

And in a testy exchange, Shays compared Brown’sperformance unfavorably with that of former New YorkMayor Rudolph Giuliani after the Sept. 11, 2001,terror attacks.

”So I guess you want me to be the superhero, to stepin there and take everyone out of New Orleans,” Brownsaid.

”What I wanted you to do is do your job andcoordinate,” Shays retorted.

”I’m happy to be called not a Rudy Giuliani…ascapegoat … if it means that FEMA that I knew when Icame here is going to be able to be reborn,” Brownsaid.

Criticized by Shays for not acquiring better equipmentin advance that would have let different emergencyagencies communicate with each other, Brown blamed theDepartment of Homeland Security.
”We put that money in our budget request and it wasremoved by the Department of Homeland Security”before the budget was finalized, he said.

Brown also said he was ”just tired and misspoke”when a television interviewer appeared to be the firstto tell him that there were desperate residents at theNew Orleans Convention Center.

Brown testified that he had already learned, one daybefore the interview, that people were flocking to thecenter.

Brown blamed ”a hysteric media” for compounding thecrisis with what he said were unfounded reports ofrapes and murders. He characterized blunt-spoken ArmyLt. Gen. Russel Honore, the military coordinator forthe disaster, as ”a bull in the China closet, Godlove him.”

And he said Americans themselves must play a moreactive role in preparing for natural disasters and notexpect more from the government than it can deliver.

But Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas told Brown:”I don’t know how you can sleep at night. You lostthe battle.”

Brown in his opening statement said he had madeseveral ”specific mistakes” in dealing with thestorm, and listed two.

One, he said, was not having more media briefings.

As to the other, he said: ”I very strongly personallyregret that I was unable to persuade Gov. Blanco andMayor Nagin to sit down, get over their differences,and work together. I just couldn’t pull that off.”
Both Blanco and Nagin are Democrats.

In Baton Rouge, La., Blanco’s press secretary, DeniseBottcher, ridiculed Brown’s line of attack. ”MikeBrown wasn’t engaged then, and he surely isn’t now. Heshould have been watching CNN instead of the DisneyChannel,” Bottcher said.

”The people of FEMA are being tired of being beat up,and they don’t deserve it,” Brown said.

The hearing was largely boycotted by Democrats, whowant an independent investigation conducted intogovernment failures, not one run by congressionalRepublicans.

But several Democrats from the stricken region,including Jefferson and Taylor, attended.

Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., cautioned againsttoo narrowly assigning blame.

”At the end of the day, I suspect that we’ll findthat government at all levels failed the people ofLouisiana and Mississippi and Alabama and the GulfCoast,” said Davis.

He pushed Brown on what he and the agency he ledshould have done to evacuate New Orleans, restoreorder in the city and improve communication among lawenforcement agencies.

Brown said: ”Those are not FEMA roles. FEMA doesn’tevacuate communities. FEMA does not do lawenf
orcement. FEMA does not do communications.”

In part of his testimony, Brown pumped his hand up anddown for emphasis.

Brown said the lack of an effective evacuation of NewOrleans before the storm was ”the tipping point forall the other things that went wrong.” He said he hadpersonally pushed Blanco to order such an evacuation.

He did not have the authority to order the cityevacuated on his own, Brown said. A ”mandatory”evacuation was ordered Sunday by Nagin, the mayor.However, buses were not provided and thousands ofresidents were stranded without transportation inlow-lying areas.

When asked by Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky, whether thelack of an ordered evacuation was ”the proximatecause of most people’s misery,” Brown said, ”Yes.”

5) On mandatory evacuations I:

I know I haven’t said a whole lot during the past fewweeks — mostly I’ve been reading and absorbinginformation. This morning I watched C-Span for a while. Michael Brown was in the hot seat and a varietyof Representatives were taking turns raking him overthe coals. For as poor of a job as he did, Brownhimself was clearly frustrated by the lack of commandstructure, along with the bureaucratic and financialemasculation that had festered in FEMA under theDepartment of Homeland Security. According to Brown,even after the Hurricane Pam exercise, the Departmentof Homeland Security scaled back the FEMA budgetrequests before sending their budgets on to Congress.

FEMA didn’t even have enough communications equipmentto dispense to each county or parish effected. Butdespite his insight on the shortcomings of the federal government, Brown spared no amount of contemptfor Louisiana’s state and local leadership. Onerecurring theme was the failure of state and local officials to order a mandatory evacuation. Thisbrought to my mind the issues of unfunded mandates.All the suits on the panel, with a few notable exceptions [Gene Taylor of Mississippi], were carryingon about whether or not a mandatory evacuation shouldhave been ordered earlier, without ever addressing thelegal issues of what responsibility and liability theState and Cities take on when they order a mandatoryevacuation. Once the mandatory evacuation is ordered,do they have a legal and fiscal (not to mentionethical) responsibility to provide transportation,housing, and food to people who have no means ofotherwise complying? How can they take on that legalresponsibility if they themselves have no way ofimplementing the evacuation? And do they becomelegally liable for the lives of people who evadeofficials during the evacuation so as to not evacuate,or for those whose presence is simply unknown such as poor or shut-in elderly living alone, or for unprotected property left behind with no one tosecure and protect it? Deciding to force people from their homes, and send them off to parts unknown is a difficult decision that take alot of planning, a hell of a lot. It can’t be done overnight and to accept the legal repercussions that go along with it must have been an administrative nightmare.

The term “Mandatory Evacuation Order” keeps poppingup, but what was needed was implementation. Withoutthe ability to implement the order, it’s just anotherunfunded mandate, which in reality accomplishes verylittle, and certainly nothing of significance in theface of catestrophic natural devastation.

As a citizen I operate on a level of “do what you haveto do right now to get through this,” while ourelected officials are required to operate “by thebook” even if there is no book. Although I am not alegal expert of any sort, I am interested in seeing anevaluation of the legalities involved in hurricanepreparation on every level.
Also, I found a Katrina Timeline (link below) thatdocuments its sources pretty well, and a humorousarticle about LSU’s newest frat house.

–C

KATRINA TIMELINE

http://www.thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline

FBI becomes newest occupants of LSU’s fraternity row08:11 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 27, 2005

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl092705fratrowfbi.9adb9ca2.

6) On Mandatory evacuations II:

I just noticed a quote (article link below) from Aaron Broussard, on August 28th, that explained why Jefferson Parish had not ordered a mandatory evacuation — lack of the ability to enforce it.

–C

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_27.html#083003

“I’ve just announced at a press conference that we’re probably going to lose all services over night: sewage, drainage, water, etc.,” President Aaron Broussard of Jefferson Parish said at noon the day before the storm. “I cannot issue a mandatory. I do not have the resources to enforce it. However, I’ve just made the strongest message possible, and we will have police vehicles and fire vehicles going throughout Jefferson Parish with broadcasting advising people to leave now.”

7) Overheard in NYC, at www.overheardinny.com:

Old man: Do you even understand the Republican mind? Giving money to poor people is like a crime to them…Where’s our Lee Harvey Oswald? Where’s our John Wilkes Booth?

–Corner Bistro, W. 4th & Jane

8) Apropos Oswald and Booth, how ’bout that Brownie?:

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/09/27/brown-blames-horsesassorg/

9) Here is a quite relevant announcement by the NO Mayor’s office, for those fixin to go back:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breaking/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_localbreakingnews/archives/2005_09.html#083498
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 City expands re-entry ZIP codes

More ZIP codes will be opened for re-entry for business owners on Thursday, and to residents on Friday, the New Orleans mayor’s office announced late Thursday.

Mayor Ray Nagin’s office announced the expanded ZIP code openings in targeted areas of 70112, 70113, 70114, 70115, 70116, 70118, 70130 and 70131. Those areas include Algiers, the Central Business District, the French Quarter and Uptown.

Business owners will be allowed to re-enter Thursday . . . on Friday, residents will be allowed back. The mayor’s office offered extended cautions about the lack of basic city services and health hazards, and said that anyone entering would do so at their own risk.

The official announcement is as follows:

(New Orleans, LA) Mayor C. Ray Nagin today announced that the City of New Orleans is streamlining access into targeted areas of Orleans Parish while continuing to safeguard previously flooded areas. The City will begin allowing re-entry in the targeted zip codes of 70112, 70113, 70114, 70115, 70116, 70118, 70130 and 70131. Those areas include Algiers, the Central Business District, the French Quarter and Uptown.

Business owners in these zip codes may re-enter beginning tomorrow, Thursday, September 29, 2005. On Friday, September 30, 2005, residents in those eight zip codes will be allowed back in New Orleans. On Wednesday, October 5, 2005, residents and business owners in the rest of New Orleans, with the exception of the Lower 9th Ward, can return.

Mayor Nagin warned that residences may be uninhabitable. Citizens should have a back-up plan in case they cannot live in their homes.

The City is offering the following information to anyone planning to return to New Orleans:

New Orleans Safety and Security Re-Entry Infor
mation

On behalf of Mayor C. Ray Nagin and the City of New Orleans, welcome home! We are working to bring New Orleans back and need your cooperation. Please be advised that although we are slowly returning our City to normal operations, there are some precautionary measures you need to follow. Please read the following carefully.

1. You are entering the City of New Orleans at your own risk, whether you are a business owner or resident. There are still many health and safety issues. Please take great caution before entering your business or residence since structural problems are not always visible.

2. THERE IS A CURFEW IN PLACE FROM 6 PM to 8 AM every night that will be strictly enforced until further notice. This means you may not be outside between 6 pm and 8 am, in a vehicle or on foot.

3. The 911 system is operable when dialing from a landline. *Call 911 for Police, Fire and other emergencies. * Alternate emergency number is 504-525-9261.

4. Traffic lights are out throughout the City. ALL INTERSECTIONS ARE FOUR-WAY STOPS and the speed limit is 30 mph, regardless of the posted speed limit. Proceed with extreme caution. Report any downed power lines to Entergy; downed power lines may be live.

5. You are not permitted to go beyond your designated zip code area. Travel in your zip code only when absolutely necessary. Keep personal identification with you at all times.

6. There are only a few health clinics open at this time. We can handle minor injuries and health care needs. We cannot handle critical care needs. For your safety, you should have a tetanus shot if you have not had one in the past 10 years.

7. YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS MAY NOT BE STRUCTURALLY SOUND; ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. Use extra care when navigating upper floors and attic space.

8. The sewage system is operational but not fully functioning. With the exception of Algiers, you are advised not to drink, bathe or wash your hands in water from your tap. WE RECOMMEND THE USE OF BOTTLED WATER UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. BRING A SUFFICIENT SUPPLY OF BOTTLED WATER FOR DRINKING, BATHING AND PERSONAL USE. You may flush toilets.

9. Important numbers for your use:
Police, Fire and Emergency 911
Red Cross 1-800-435-7669
Remains Management 1-225-763-5480, 1-225-763-5760
Entergy (Gas and Electric) 1-800-368-3749, 1-800-968-8243

10. Standing water and soil may be seriously contaminated; avoid contact. If you come in contact with dirt or water you should wash with antibacterial soap and bottled water as soon as possible.

11. Limit your exposure to airborne mold and wear rubber gloves, masks (N-95 mask), goggles/eye wear and other protective materials to protect yourself. You must supply your own protective equipment. Open windows for 30 minutes before entering your home or business.

12. Bring sufficient food and any medical supplies required to sustain you and your family for an extended period of time. FOOD AND WATER WILL NOT BE PROVIDED TO YOU.

13. Have sufficient fuel with you before you enter the city. Gas stations are not fully operational and fuel is limited.

14. AVOID CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. Opening doors and windows or using fans will not prevent carbon monoxide build-up. Do not connect electrical generators to the electrical panel or an outlet in your business or home.

15. To assist in the collection of trash and debris, we ask residents to separate debris into different piles at curbside for separate collections. This will speed the removal of your trash and debris. Items should be separated into the following categories:

* Household garbage (dispose as usual) except spoiled food MUST be bagged in black plastic trash bags.* Tree debris and clean wood * Carpet, sheetrock, insulation, flooring and furniture, etc. * Roofing materials *
Appliances such as refrigerators (emptied of contents), stoves, and air conditioners * Household hazardous wastes such as pesticides, paints, solvents, automotive fluids and cleaning products. We are working on developing a program to handle these items, which will be announced at a later date. In the meantime, please store them in a safe place.

16. Electric customers with property damage must have the electrici
ty at the main fuse box or circuit breaker TURNED OFF. Don’t step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker. Call a licensed electrician for advice when necessary. A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN MAY NEED TO INSPECT YOUR PROPERTY’S ELECTRIC WIRING BEFORE ENTERGY CAN RESTORE POWER TO A HOME OR BUSINESS. TREAT ALL DOWNED WIRES AS LIVE.

17. Natural gas customers: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TURN GAS ON YOURSELF.

Please have repairs made by a licensed plumber and certified by a city inspector. Call Entergy at 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) when repairs are complete.

18. To dry out your home or business
• Do not turn on or plug in anything electric until it has been checked out.
• Do not turn on gas until checking with the gas company.
• Do not turn on switches when standing in water.
• Throw out any wet furniture, mattresses and pillows.
• Wash clothing, towels and bedding in hot, soapy water. Remove drywall and insulation that has been wet.
• Place a fan blowing outwards to dry the house without spreading the mold.

10) This writer notices something I’ve also wondered about — is the federal government only capable of military responses nowadays? Is that all we are now?:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1580427,00.html

To keep its dream alive, America must end its military obsession

The US is dynamic and adaptable, but it needs to pay more attention to its fragile economy to save itself from future shocks

Timothy Garton Ash in Stanford
Thursday September 29, 2005
The Guardian

As dusk fell, they danced barefoot on the grass, small children and straw-hatted grannies, fat and slim, rich and poor, white, black, Hispanic-American, Indian-American, Chinese-American, while the irresistible beat of the zoot-suited Big Bad Voodoo Daddy band pounded from the stage. Some of the dancers looked great, others ridiculous, but they didn’t give a damn. Then fireworks erupted into the spacious night sky, and a leather-faced man in a cowboy hat cried: “Red! White! Blue!”

The concert to mark Independence Day here at Stanford University in California, earlier this year, showed America at its best. It was an authentic, infectious celebration of freedom and national togetherness, but also of a very particular kind of equality. Not the European kind, which looks to a state-guaranteed social standard for all citizens, but the American kind, which claims that anyone, coming from anywhere, has an equal chance to make their own way to the top.Where else would you get men and women of such diverse origins dancing so exuberantly together, barefoot on the grass, to celebrate a national holiday? Perhaps in Australia, Canada, or London, which is a small multinational country in itself. But even there, would it have quite the same pizzazz and largeness of spirit?

This was the enactment of a dream, of course. The statistical reality of social mobility in today’s United States is rather different. But a dream in which enough people believe is itself a kind of reality, and that has long been the case of the American dream. It’s a remarkable fact that, in surveys, many poorer Americans oppose high taxes on the rich – presumably because they believe they might one day be rich themselves. There are just enough success stories of outstanding individuals from poor and immigrant backgrounds to keep the dream alive.

Two months later we saw America at its worst, as members of the black underclass in the ninth ward of New Orleans drowned, grew sick and were preyed upon by violent gangs, while government failed
to help or protect them. There are even reports (unconfirmed, and perhaps apocryphal) of American women changing their name from Katrina, since Hurricane Katrina has become a synonym not just for natural disaster but for human and political failure. How could the richest and most powerful country in the world, capable of hitting a flea in Afghanistan with a precision laser-guided missile, fail its own poor so miserably?

And then there was Rita. I returned last week from Iran (where an ayatollah at Friday prayers used Katrina to illustrate the inhumanity of the Great Satan America) to an America engulfed in preparations for the onslaught of Hurricane Rita. Watching television, which reported virtually nothing else, 24 hours a day for several days at a time, this felt like a country facing up to a Martian invasion, as in H G Wells’ The War of the Worlds. As the 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds famously triggered a mass exodus from American cities, so now an estimated one million people fled north from Texas. “Galveston is virtually a ghost town now,” reported one correspondent, “which is encouraging.” While that multicoloured rotating swirl in the weather-map simulations attacked the Gulf coast again and again, like an alien spaceship, the governor of Louisiana warned people: “If you choose to stay, write your social security number on your arm in indelible ink.” So they can identify the corpse, you see.

In the event, it was not so bad as they feared. Three things struck me about this week of Ritamania. First, how often people reached for the word “hero”. “Hero docs ride out the storm,” said a report on ABC. Of course our tabloids do the same, but this has a different quality and frequency to it. When a military man briefing President Bush said the response to Hurricane Katrina had been “a train wreck”, meaning a complete mess, Bush responded: “Having said that about Katrina, there were still some amazingly heroic rescues … “

It would be interesting to do a word count for mentions of the word “hero” in American public life, as compared with Britain, France or Germany. A hundred years ago, conservative nationalist Germans used to characterise the “true” Germans as heroes and the Jews as wheeler-dealers: Helden against Händler. Today, we have a different stereotype: true Americans as Helden and limp-wristed Europeans as Händler. Yet in practice, of course, you had the same mix of true bravery and, as one journalist on the spot noted, “real raw panic” in the response to Rita and Katrina as you would in most societies.

The second thing that struck me was the way the Bush administration fell back on to the military. After the breakdown of public order following Katrina, members of the 82nd Airborne swept the streets of New Orleans, guns at the ready, as if this was Somalia, Kosovo or Iraq. Not just once but twice in the past few days, Bush has been shown being briefed by military commanders. The president confided that he was thinking about the circumstances “in which the department of defence becomes the lead agency”. In the run-up to Rita we were shown the deployment of an entire, fully transportable accident and emergency department, with all mod cons, entirely owned and run by the military. Spick and span, and eerily empty. I could not help reflecting that the poor inhabitants of the ninth ward in New Orleans could have done with one of those in everyday life. But that’s not where the money has gone in the past few years.

The third thing that struck me very forcefully was the number of people left destitute, or shouldering mounting debt, by the damage to their homes. Why? Because they had no savings. Indeed, many of the poor evacuees from New Orleans did not even have a bank account. The possessions in the house, some of them purchased on the never-never, were all they had. That’s why some poor African-Americans refused to leave their homes. This is not just about poverty; it’s also about a consumer culture, a relentless commercial pressure to spend, spend, spend, which has given the United States its lowest average personal savings rate since 1959, and one of the lowest in the developed world.

There’s very little padding there to absorb another shock, such as the soaring petrol prices which are America’s other current obsession. On Monday President Bush even suggested that Americans might think of driving a bit less. If I had any shares in the manufacturers of gas-guzzling SUVs, I would sell at once.

Now I believe the United States will meet this challenge, precisely because of the spirit and diversity I saw in that Independence Day celebration. This is still a very dynamic society, full of enterprising people who want to be here and want to make it. It’s also good at scientific and technological adaptation, which can go a long way to address the country’s oil dependency. But as I leave Stanford to return to Europe, I do come away feeling that this country needs to spend the next few years concentrating more on its economy and less on its military. When the next recession comes along, it will be no use sending for the marines.

www.freeworldweb.net

11) Another eyewitness fragment, concerning nursing homes, evacuations, and aged relatives:

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Finally getting around to looking at my e-mail.

I finally located Aunt Gin and Uncle Frank at Grant High School in Grant Parish, Louisiana, about 20 miles north of Alexandria, Louisiana, where they had been evacuated from the Jennings Guest House nursing home in Jennings, Louisiana. The original evacuation plan for the Jennings Guest House was for them to evacuate to a Knights of Columbus hall in Alexandria. The K/C’s were expecting 60 people, but 200 people showed up! [COMMENT: That should say something about Reality and “Contingency Plans”. I am sure that the nursing home’s original evacuation plan would have worked – given the original size of the population at the nursing home; but with the influx of new evacuee patients, the old plan was inadequate for the new situation.]
The trip to Grant Parish is Aunt Gin’s fifth evacuation and Uncle Frank’s fourth evacuation since Hurricane Katrina: First evacuation – Aunt Gin left her home in Arabi, Louisiana and went to the Chateau de Notre Dame to be with her two brothers, Frank Newfield and Msgr. John Lyle Newfield. Second evacuation – The Chateau population evacuated in advance of Hurricane Katrina to Baton Rouge, to St. George’s Catholic Parish gymnasium. They were at St. George’s for the duration of the hurricane. Don’t forget, this was not a simple evacuation (an oxymoron, to be sure!), but rather a medical evacuation, with patients, nurses, medical professionals, medicines, files(?), etc. With New Orleans underwater as it was, and the Chateau also under water, it became evident that the stay at St. George’s could only be temporary, and that there was a need of a more permanent medical solution for these evacuees (who were now refugees). The Chateau group was divided up, and the patients disbursed to three different nursing homes in southwest Louisiana, to Jennings and possibly to Erath and to Eunice. This was the third evacuation for Aunt Gin. She ended up at the Jennings Guest House in Jennings, Louisiana.

It took me several days to locate her in Jennings, and when I did, I arranged for my Aunt Dot to visit her. Aunt Dot (my mother’s sister) was also an evacuee who was then staying with relatives nearby. My daughter Charlotte made a day trip from Baton Rouge to Jennings, ans also visited Aunt Gin; they went shopping together. The situation at the Jennings Guest house was crowded and chaotic. It was at maximum capacity with the influx of refugees, and I am sure that they were doing the best they could, given the circumstances. Aunt Gin did not like the place, and she was anxious to relocate to better surroundings. By that time I knew that she would never be able to return to Arabi. EVERYTHI
NG in St. Bernard Parish had been flooded, and the amount of work and money that would necessary to rehab the house was not the kind of thing that a 80 year old, live-alone woman could undertake. We had to find a permanent solution for Uncle Lyle and Uncle Frank; wherever they would be, Aunt Gin would have to be nearby.

Enter John Breaux, an old friend of Uncle Lyle’s in Houma, and an accountant for Aunt Gin and Uncle Frank. He was making arrangements for all three to be transferred to the Houma / Thibodaux area, and those arrangements were almost complete, when Uncle Lyle developed a urinary tract infection, along with other complications. He was taken to the American Legion Hospital in Jennings. The Newfield Family of refugees were split up for the first time. John Breaux’s plans for the relocation were, none the less, moving right along.
Then came Hurricane Rita.

The plans to relocate Aunt Gin and Uncle Frank were put on hold. The Jennings Guest House was planning to evacuate to Alexandria, Louisiana -or so was the plan! Uncle Lyle would remain at the American Legion Hospital in Jennings, and ride the storm out there – or so was the plan. Hurricane Rita would strike the Texas coast near Galveston – or so we thought.

Rita struck Louisiana. Thank God it missed Houston! The hospital in Jennings lost electrical power, and Uncle Lyle was transferred to the Christus St. Francis Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, Louisiana, where he is now. When Uncle is next moved, I pray it will be to the nursing home in Thibodaux – as per John Breaux’s plan. Although Aunt Gin is still at the high school gym in Grant Parish, she has been talking to Aunt Marie on the phone. Virginia and Marie – two sisters giving each other the comfort that each needs at this time.
Meanwhile, Nancy and I are preparing to go to Thibodaux to get Aunt Gin’s apartment set up. It is a small studio, but she will be near her brothers.

Keep the prayers a comin’.

Paul “Skip” Newfield <skip@thebrasscannon.com>

12) Yet another eyewitness moment, about Bywater:

My granola neighbors bugged out before Rita. Bywater was pretty much empty when I went in on Sunday. The levee breaks had people worried but we were still high and dry. The Oklahoma National Guard was patrolling Bywater and carded me to make sure I was a resident. Obviously that makes me feel much better. Very nice guys, when I asked them about the Granolas, they had nothing but goods things to say. Said the crunchies and the military kept feeding each other and showing the out of towners some good old Southern, crunchy hospitality. I ran out of film when trying to get a picture of the humvee parked next to two flower school busses with “make levees, not war” painted all over them. Definite Kodak moment.

I told the OK guard I was headed to the LSU game and they got very jealous. They were dying to have a few beers. Alas, they will be gone on Wednesday and replaced by the Guard from Kentucky. He also said, we may get power by the end of the week. We’ll see.Also, I’ve been to Carrollton/Claiborne several times and it seems fine to me. Palmer Park looks like shit but Stuart Hall(formerly Carrollton Pres.), is in fine condition. Again, I haven’t been able to get to Chalmette/Lower 9th, but Lakeview is absolutely destroyed. City Park as well. Yesterday I saw about thirty 18 wheelers parked outside of Tad Gormley being used for debris removal.
Also, Jesuit is opening next week at St. Martin’s in Metairie. The majority of the students are at other jesuit schools(300 in Houston, 200 in Dallas). Rummel is taking girls for school from 4-10 pm.

13) Mike Brown’s still a consultant with FEMA:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/26/katrina/main886323.shtml

14) On Rita’s effects:

For those who have asked about Louisiana, top birding spot [i.e., CAMERON PARISH, LA]:

Reply-To: Bill Fontenot <bbboy@naturestation.org>

air video of cameron yesterday showed 65-75% anihilation in cameron, oak grove/creole, grand chenier (no video of [what was] holly beach & johnson’s bayou communities available at this point in time)………….mostly empty slabs at just about every (former) structure lining the north & south sides of LA 82……cameron motel & cam-mart, for example, are empty slabs…….the courthouse, the air log heliport terminal, and our lady of the sea catholic church still stand……..many houses sitting north of LA 82 look to be standing, but inundated……………things get a little better north to hackberry/sweet lake, but most structures up there are under various depths of water as well…….in vermilion parish, everything south of LA 14 went under varying depths of gulf water; ditto for iberia & st. mary parishes south of US 90………..up along the I-10 corridor, all communities from crowley west to beaumont are serverely damaged; exits off of I-10 are mostly closed, and re-entry into those parishes/counties is cut off for now………..power/sewer/water expected to be restored in 2-4 weeks…………………….

Today I’ll return to Middle East and global issues again — even though Michael Brown’s testimony defending his role as FEMA head during Katrina and attacking LA local officials is almost too good to pass up. To quote dailykos, que cojones!:

1) Here’s a link to the International Crisis Group’s new report on the failings of the Iraqi Constitution, and why it should be re-negotiated in the next week or two:

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id;=3703

2) Riverbend here analyzes the Iraqi Constitution and all that’s wrong with it:

http://www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

3) Here’s a link to a website which is now offeringpictures of dead Iraqis and Afghanis in addition toits normal menu of amateur porn. I suppose it’s atleast one example where perhaps “they” MIGHT “hate our values”:
http://www.nowthatsfuckedup.com/bbs/forum23.html

4) Supporters of Bush’s Iraq Experiment put their money where their mouths are:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1577750,00.html

Bush plea for cash to rebuild Iraq raises $600
Mark Townsend in Houston
Sunday September 25, 2005
The Observer

An extraordinary appeal to Americans from the Bushadministration for money to help pay for thereconstruction of Iraq has raised only $600 (£337),The Observer has learnt. Yet since the appeal waslaunched earlier this month, donations to rebuild NewOrleans have attracted hundreds of millions ofdollars.

The public’s reluctance to contribute much more thanthe cost of two iPods to the administration’s attemptto offer citizens ‘a further stake in building a freeand prosperous Iraq’ has been seized on by critics asevidence of growing ambivalence over that country.

This coincides with concern over the increasing costof the war. More than $30 billion has beenappropriated for the reconstruction. Initially,America’s overseas aid agency, USaid, expected it tocost taxpayers no more than $1.7bn, but it is nowasking the public if they want to contribute evenmore.

It is understood to be the first time that a USgovernment has made an appeal to taxpayers for foreignaid money. Contributors have no way of knowing whowill receive their donations or even where they maygo, after officials said details had be kept secretfor security reasons.

USaid’s Heather Layman denied it was disappointed withthe meagre sum raised after a fortnight. ‘Every littlehelps,’ she said.

In the past 12 months, Americans raised some $250bnfor charity, including other foreign causes such asthe Asian tsunami victims. Layman said: ‘There is nofinancial goal. People are looking for a way to helprebuild Iraq and this is a way to facilitate that.’

The fundraising comes amid concern that some USprojects in Iraq will be scrapped or only partlycompleted because of rising costs. Some officials fearthat money may run out before key projects arecompleted.

Last week, the number of US troops killed in Iraq roseabove 1,900.

5) Pat Tillman opposed the Iraq war:

http://cunningrealist.blogspot.com/

Sunday, September 25, 2005
Anatomy Of A Disgrace

Some readers may recall that I’ve written about PatTillman before. The San Francisco Chronicle is outwith this must-read article that updates the storywith new details. Some excerpts:

A Chronicle review of more than 2,000 pages oftestimony, as well as interviews with Pat Tillman’sfamily members and soldiers who served with him, foundcontradictions, inaccuracies and what appears to bethe military’s attempt at self-protection.

For example, the documents contain testimony of thefirst investigating officer alleging that Armyofficials allowed witnesses to change key details intheir sworn statements so his finding that certainsoldiers committed “gross negligence” could besoftened.

Interviews also show a side of Pat Tillman not widelyknown — a fiercely independent thinker who enlisted,fought and died in service to his country yet wascritical of President Bush and opposed the war inIraq, where he served a tour of duty. He was an avidreader whose interests ranged from history books onWorld War II and Winston Churchill to works of leftistNoam Chomsky, a favorite author.

The horrific description of his death at the hands ofhis fellow soldiers:

The soldier next to him testified: “I could hear thepain in his voice as he called out, ‘Cease fire,friendlies, I am Pat f—ing Tillman, dammit.” He saidthis over and over until he stopped,” having been hitby three bullets in the forehead, killing him.

The soldier continued, “I then looked over at my sideto see a river of blood coming down from where hewas…I saw his head was gone.”

The political context of a deception:

Tillman’s death came at a sensitive time for the Bushadministration — just a week before the Army’s abuseof prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq became public andsparked a huge scandal. The Pentagon immediatelyannounced that Tillman had died heroically in combatwith the enemy, and President Bush hailed him as “aninspiration on and off the football field, as with allwho made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror.”

His killing was widely reported by the media,including conservative commentators such as AnnCoulter, who called him “an American original —virtuous, pure and masculine like only an Americanmale can be.” His May 3, 2004, memorial in San Josedrew 3,500 people and was nationally televised.

Not until five weeks later, as Tillman’s battalion wasreturning home, did officials inform the public andthe
Tillman family that he had been killed by hisfellow soldiers.

The fate of his superiors on the ground that day:According to the documents and interviews, Capt.William
Saunders, to whom platoon leader Uthlaut hadprotested splitting his troops, was allowed to changehis testimony over a crucial detail — whether he hadreported Uthlaut’s dissent to a higher rankingcommander.
In initial questioning, Saunders said hehad done so, but when that apparently was contradictedby that commander’s testimony, Saunders was threatenedwith perjury charges. He was given immunity andallowed to change his prior testimony.

The regiment’s commander, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bailey, waspromoted to colonel two months after the incident, andSaunders, who a source said received a reprimand,later was given authority to determine the punishmentof those below him.

The handling of the physical evidence:

A soldier who on April 23 burned Tillman’s bulletriddled body armor — which would have been evidence ina friendly-fire investigation — testified that he didso because there was no doubt it was friendly firethat killed Tillman. Two days later, Tillman’s uniformand vest also were burned because they were soaked inblood and considered a biohazard. Tillman’s uniformalso was burned.

And some interesting new background:

Yet other Tillman family members are less reluctant toshow Tillman’s unique character, which was morecomplex than the public image of a gung-ho patrioticwarrior. He started keeping a journal at 16 andcontinued the practice on the battlefield, writing init regularly. (His journal was lost immediately afterhis death.) Mary Tillman said a friend of Pat’s evenarranged a private meeting with Chomsky, the antiwarauthor, to take place after his return fromAfghanistan — a meeting prevented by his death. Shesaid that although he supported the Afghan war,believing it justified by the
Sept. 11 attacks, “Patwas very critical of the whole Iraq war.”

Baer, who served with Tillman for more than a year inIraq and Afghanistan, told one anecdote that tookplace during the March 2003 invasion as the Rangersmoved up through southern Iraq.

“I can see it like a movie screen,” Baer said. “Wewere outside of (a city in southern Iraq) watching asbombs were dropping on the town. We were at an old airbase, me, Kevin and Pat, we weren’t in the fight rightthen. We were talking. And Pat said, ‘You know, thiswar is so f— illegal.’ And we all said, ‘Yeah.’ That’swho he was. He totally was against Bush.”

Another soldier in the platoon, who asked not to beidentified, said Pat urged him to vote for Bush’sDemocratic opponent in the 2004 election, Sen. JohnKerry.

The extent of the disgrace defies belief: the initialcoverup of the way Tillman died, the harvesting ofthat death for political expedience as the Abu Ghraibstory broke, the predictable promotions of thosearguably responsible for what happened on the groundthat day, the changing of crucial testimony, thedestruction of physical evidence, and the willful,flat-out lies our political and military leadershiptold to Tillman’s family and the American public.
In the context of Tillman’s strong and openly-statedopinions about Bush and the war in Iraq, it’s all morethan a bit interesting.

6) Here’s an analysis of that bizarre event last week where British forces stormed a Basra prison:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10383.htm

Agents Provocateurs?
By William Bowles
09/21/05 “William Bowles” — —

Fascinating. No really, the ‘evolution’ of state disinformation has probably never been better displayed than in the case of the two (more than likely) SAS soldiers who were‘liberated’ after being arrested by the Iraqi police on 19 September by a phalanx of tanks and helicopter gunships that stormed the police station where the two undercover soldiers were being held after theyallegedly failed to stop at an Iraqi police roadblock and subsequently opened fire on the Iraqi police, killing one and wounding another.

The car they were travelling in was loaded with weapons including allegedly, assault rifles, a light machine gun, an anti-tank weapon, radio gear and a medical kit (’standard’ SAS issue according to theBBC). According to at least two reports, the car they were traveling in (A Toyota Cressida) was “booby-trapped”.
Subsequent accounts vary according to the source but according to the initial story broadcast on the BBC (19/9/05), the two men wore traditional Arab dress but then this changed to “civilian dress” (BBCTV News).

As more information trickled out, a BBC story reported that the men were freed after the police station had been attacked by British tanks, a report that the British government initially denied saying that “the release of the soldiers had been negotiated” (BBC Website 20/0/05).

Britain’s Ministry of Defence says the release of the two soldiers had been negotiated and it did not believe the prison had been stormed.

“We’ve heard nothing to suggest we stormed the prison,” a ministry spokesman said.

“We understand there were negotiations.”

Lisa Glover, spokeswoman for the British embassy in Baghdad, says three people have been wounded in the operation to free the soldiers.

She did not give further details of how the soldiers were freed.

Then the story changed yet again, only now the ‘official’ story, dutifully reported by the British State Broadcasting Company (BSBC), was that “negotiations broke down” and that the two men were in the hands of the Mehdi Army in another building, in which case, why was the police station stormed?

Then yet another version was issued by the British government only now the police station was indeed attacked but only after “negotiations broke down”. So were the two SAS men in the police station or not?
According to yet another BSBC report, after breaking into the police station, the Brits discovered that they had been moved to a Mehdi Army house for “interrogation”. Yet subsequent accounts revealed that they had in fact, been in the police station all along and, according to a CNN report, were being questioned by an Iraqi judge, not, as the British government alleged, by the ‘insurgents’.

By now, in a classic disinformation campaign, so many stories were being circulated that sorting out the truth from fiction was virtually impossible unless one is prepared to dig and dig deep.

What is clear is that the two SAS “undercover operatives” had been caught red-handed by the British government’s alleged allies, the Iraqi police, dressed as Arabs, replete with wigs and armed to the teeth and in a car which according to one report, was packed with explosives (the car by the way, has been taken away by the British occupation forces).

The question the BSBC was not and still is not asking, is what were they up to, creeping around dressed up as Iraqis in what is meant to be a relatively peaceful Basra?

Once more the BSBC answered the question, sort of, courtesy yet another ‘official’ story, one that was to emerge only after a very angry crowd attacked two British armoured vehicles, setting at least one on fire. The “mob”, as the BSBC described them, were, according to the report, angry over the arrest of two Mehdi Army members, also on 19 September, and that it had nothing to with the freeing of the two SAS. In reality of course, the ‘mob’ had already been informed about the two SAS undercover guys and were understandably upset.
So now, the two undercover SAS men were, it is imputed, searching for ‘insurgents’ as part of a counter-insurgency operation, which if true, what were they doing dressed as Iraqis?

Were they on some kind of provocative operation? According to one report, this is exactly what they were up to. Fattah al-Shaykh, a member of the Iraqi National Assembly told this account to al-Jazeera
If you really want to look for truth, then we should resort to the Iraqi justice away from the British provocations against the sons of Basra, particularly what happened today when the sons of Basra caughttwo non-Iraqis, who seem to be Britons and were in a car of the Cressida type. It was a booby-trapped car laden with ammunition and was meant to explode in the centre of the city of Basra in the popular market. However, the sons of the city of Basra arrested them. They [the two non-Iraqis] then fired at the people there and killed some of them. The two arrested persons are now at the Intelligence Department inBasra, and they were held by the National Guard force, but the British occupation forces are still surrounding this department in an attempt to absolve them of the crime.

And in yet another report from Syrian TV we read:

[Al-Munajjid] In fact, Nidal, this incident gave answers to questions and suspicions that were lacking evidence about the participation of the occupation in some armed operations in Iraq. Many analysts andobservers here had suspicions that the occupation was involved in some armed operations against civilians and places of worship and in the killing of scientists. But those were only suspicions that lackedproof. The proof came today through the arrest of the two British soldiers while they were planting explosives in one of the Basra streets. This proves, according to observers, that the occupation is not far from many operations that seek to sow sedition and maintain disorder, as this would give the occupation the justification to stay in Iraq for a longer period.

When viewed in the context of all the stories that have been circulating about the mythical ‘al-Zarqawi’ and the alleged role of al-Queda, the events in Basra are the first real evide
nce that we have of the role of occupation forces in destabilising Iraq through the use of agents provocateurs masquerading as ‘insurgents’.
And, as I have long alleged here, it is now almost certain that ‘al-Zarqawi’ is probably long dead. An AFP story tells us:

[The] Imam of Baghdad’s al-Kazimeya mosque, Jawad al-Kalesi said, that “al-Zarqawi is dead but Washington continues to use him as a bogeyman to justify a prolonged military occupation…He’s simply an invention by the occupiers to divide the people.” Al-Kalesi added that al-Zarqawi was killed in the beginning of the war in the Kurdish north and that“His family in Jordan even held a ceremony after his death.”

And indeed, last year, in a piece I wrote about ‘al-Zarqawi’, I referred to a report about ‘al-Zarqawi’ being killed when the US flattened the ‘base’ of his group Ansar al-Islam in northern Iraq in early 2003, a report that actually originated with the US government.

Yet the BSBC, along with the rest of the Western media continues to put out endless reams of disinformation about ‘al-Zarqawi’ and his connection to the fictitious ‘al-Qaeda in Iraq’. Given the long-held assertion by the
West that goes back to 2003, that Iraq was on the verge of ‘civil war’, it’s instructive to note that as the military situation of the occupation forces has deteriorated, so too has thelevel of so-called al-Queda operations increased, in a transparent attempt to divide the Iraqi national resistance, thus the increasing stories about impending civil war and the wave of ‘suicide’ bombings.

The exposure of the undercover SAS operations will only add to the resolve of Iraqi resistance forces to step up their campaign to expel the occupiers regardless of what kind of blatant propaganda line the UK government puts out.

It furthermore exposes the untenable position of the Iraqi ‘government’ which is now being squeezed by both sides, thus we get contradictory positions from the Iraqi ‘government’, with one denying that the SASoperatives had been handed over to ‘Shiite militia’ and the other trying desperately to tread an almost invisible line between condemning the actions of the British government whilst blaming the actions of theIraqi police in Basra on ‘insurgents’ who have ‘infiltrated’ the police force. Yet it is a fact that at best, perhaps only 25% of the Iraqi military can be relied upon to serve their colonial masters.

Continuing to call them insurgents is itself an admission that the majority of Iraqis are opposed to the occupation and indeed, the bulk of the fighting is being carried out by the Kurdish Peshmerga as Iraqiforces simply cannot be relied on. It’s a classic situation that the US and UK military top brass know only too well having ‘been there and done that’ before.

Thus the occupiers become more desperate to destabilise the situation and no doubt we’ll see more SAS and US provocations revealed over the coming weeks as the situation continues to deteriorate.

7) Here’s another analysis of that British raid:

IAS Alert: Basra Confrontation Lifts the Veil on Local Problems
22/09/2005 20:00
Basra Confrontation Lifts the Veil on Local Problems

The exact details of the September 20 UK military operation to release two undercover servicemen being held captive by Shia Islamist militamen in a Basra jail remain sketchy. But the event has shone a light on the state of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in the south and the degree to which they have become beholden to local political groups rather than national institutions. Both Baghdad and London have been relatively circumspect in their comments about the UK action, seeking to play down the incident. Both publicly and privately, Iraqi leaders have sought to deflect blame for the incarceration on insurgents and terrorists who have infiltrated the ISF, and have insisted that new recruitment and vetting procedures, combined with ongoing de-Baathification, will eventually solve the problem. UK government officials have restricted themselves to defending the operation, while insisting that there has been no lasting damage to UK-Iraqi relations.

Both sides have been disingenuous in their reaction to the incident. While there is little doubt that the ISF has been infiltrated by insurgents and members of the ousted Saddam Hussein regime, the Basra events are an illustration of a different problem, namely the penetration of Shia Islamist militias — some closely linked to the United Iraqi Coalition that dominates the government in Baghdad — into the local police and security services. SCIRI ‘s Badr Organization, Muqtada al-Sadr’s Jaish al-Mahdi as well as the armed factions of Fadhila and Thar Allah all control elements of the local police force; indeed, its seems that in some cases different units of the police are run by rival organizations. These militamen take their orders not from the Interior Ministry in Baghdad or independent local police chiefs, but rather from their political masters. The result has been a factionalization of the police and the narrow politicization of their mission; party members act with impunity, and corruption and human rights abuses abound. More generally, this situation has helped to perpetuate an upsurge in political thuggery, as rival groups target each other as well as suspected elements of the former regime.

All of this is an embarrassment to the UK Government, which has been responsible for security sector reform in the three southern provinces. Moreover, it makes a mockery of claims that Basra and its neighboring provinces are fully secure. Clearly, the region has not suffered from violence on a scale comparable to Baghdad and the north-west of Iraq, where the insurgency has raged. But this week’ events, coming on the heels of a series of deadly attacks on UK forces over the past couple of months, belies the notion that Basra is a haven of calm or that a tipping point for foreign investment has been reached (as the UK Consul General there was recently quoted as saying). Nor is the situation likely to change soon, even though both UK forces and the Interior Ministry in Baghdad are likely to try to impose more order and discipline on the police. The political parties and their militias are well-entrenched in Basra: SCIRI and a coalition of rival Shia Islamist parties led by Fadhila between them hold the vast majority of the seats on the Provincial Council; and Basra’ Governor Muhammed al-Waeli, a Fadhila member himself, has resisted past efforts to rid the local security services of militia influence. The fact that yesterday’s emonstrations in Basra protesting the UK operation were reportedly organized by local policemen in coordination with Sadr’s party illustrates how politicized the security forces have become and the degree to which they are using their positions to pursue narrow political agendas.

Under these circumstances, even with its present troop numbers in the area, UK military forces and their political counterparts are unlikely to be able to undermine the militia influence significantly. Their best short-term option may be simply tacitly to support one militia (probably the Badr Organization, which is regarded as being the most disciplined and benefiting from political oversight from its national leaders in Baghdad) over others that are regarded as more radical. If this is the course that is chosen, it will inevitably lead to a rise in tension between UK forces and the local militias, and divisions between the militias themselves (especially between the Badr Organization and Sadrist/Fadhila forces), which will manifest itself violently.
What this incident and its possible fallout means for UK withdrawal plans from southern Iraq remains to be seen, but it is unlikely to disrupt them. Under pressure from commitments elsewhere, London has for some time planned to draw down its troop numbers significantly over the course of next year. Moreover, the UK go
vernment has hinted in the past that the overall security situation in the region is sufficiently benign to justify such a pull-out, pointing to the absence of insurgency attacks and the capacity of the ISF and the police to bear the security burden. Privately, it probably hoped that the militias problem would remain sufficiently hidden not to disrupt this timetable. Now that this hope has been dashed, it may adopt the tack that the capture of the UK soldiers was an isolated incident, and that it is up to the Iraq government to clean up security forces in the southern region.

In the longer term, none of this bodes well for security in the southern region. The withdrawal of UK forces while the local and national governments remain weak is likely to embolden local militias further. Given their competing agendas and political rivalries, the resulting vacuum will encourage violent competition between them as they seek to establish a greater presence on the ground. Moreover, there will be less to restrain them from engaging in political extortion and intimidation. This does not necessarily mean that Basra and neighboring provinces will necessarily become a battle zone, but rather that the general security situation will deteriorate, and that commercial enterprises, including foreign ones, could prove very tempting targets.

8) WaPo comes out against the Iraqi Constitution in their editorial:

washingtonpost.com
Wrong Way in Iraq
Sunday, September 25, 2005; B06

AS IRAQ MOVES toward a referendum on its new constitution just three weeks from now, many of its senior politicians readily concede that the charter is seriously flawed, and that its approval may worsen rather than alleviate the relentless violence. Leaders of neighboring Arab states and some Bush administration officials seem to share this view. Yet none of these officials or leaders has been willing or able to stop the political process from going forward. Some, like Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, speak hopefully of fixing the constitution by adding an annex between now and Oct. 15. Others, including senior Bush administration officials, more realistically look past the referendum to parliamentary elections at the end of the year. These, they hope, will produce a different and more representative group of Iraqis able to settle the many conflicts that the constitution leaves unresolved.

Faced with sinking domestic support, the Bush administration seems driven by an unwise zeal to produce visible results in Iraq — such as a ratified constitution — however problematic they may be. At best, administration policymakers are calculating that moving forward with the referendum offers better odds of eventual success than trying to stop and start over. Yet, judging from what even supportive Iraqis are saying, the risk is very great that the constitutional process will either tip Iraq decisively toward civil war or produce a state far from the goal of a tolerant democracy for which nearly 2,000 Americans have given their lives.
The fundamental source of trouble is not the Islamic extremists President Bush usually speaks about; nor is it the presence of American soldiers. If the protesters visiting Washington this weekend succeeded in forcing a quick U.S. troop withdrawal, the bloodshed in Iraq, and the damage to the United States, would grow far worse. That is because the real problem is the absence of an agreement about Iraq’s future between the majority Shiite and Kurd communities and the minority Sunnis, who ruled the country from the time of its establishment until the fall of Saddam Hussein. That disconnect is expressed in the overwhelming rejection by Sunni leaders of the constitutional draft.

In one hopeful sign, the Sunnis are working hard to register their voters and produce a massive turnout in the
referendum, a striking contrast to their boycott of January’s elections. But the most probable outcome of that democratic participation is that Sunnis will vote overwhelmingly against the constitution — and it nevertheless will be ratified by the votes of Shiites and Kurds. Even officials of the current, Shiite-led government fear that such a result would cause moderate Sunnis to reject the nascent political system and more fully embrace the armed insurgency, which is led not by foreign Islamists such as Abu Musab Zarqawi but by Iraqi Sunni nationalists.

Defenders of the constitution argue that many Sunni leaders are pro-Hussein diehards who wouldn’t accept any democratic system in Iraq and who don’t represent most Sunnis. That’s probably true, but it’s equally true that some Sunni complaints about the constitution are legitimate. Though the details of implementation were postponed, the current draft would allow the Shiites, who already control the national government, to create their own ministate in southern Iraq, which very likely would be ruled by clerics and Islamic law and would closely ally itself with neighboring Iran. It would have its own armed forces and control Iraq’s biggest oil fields. The Kurds would have their own ministate in northern Iraq and would probably take over the city of Kirkuk and its oil production. This radical form of “federalism” not only would be ruinous to the Sunni community, as well as the mixed population of Baghdad: It would be threatening and even destabilizing for all of Iraq’s neighbors except Iran. It would produce an Iraq that the United States would have no interest in defending.

The only way for Iraq to avoid catastrophe is a political accord among Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis, one that can be based only on the preservation of Iraq as a federal but unified state in which resources and political power are fairly shared and human rights protected. The Bush administration, and Iraqi leaders themselves, ought to be focused on striking that national compromise rather than on prematurely enshrining pieces of paper or adhering to deadlines that were set arbitrarily 18 months ago. The longer the delay in achieving real compromise, the greater the risk that Iraqis will be locked into a march toward ruinous civil war, whether the political calendar is followed or not. Many important Iraqi leaders, among them Shiites and Kurds, understand what is needed. The Bush administration must catalyze them into action. If it can do so in the next three weeks, the odds that it can rescue the American mission in Iraq will be much better.

9) Here’s a petition concerning the Israeli Apartheid Wall:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Bilin/petition.html

some background info about popular non-violent resistance against the separation wall in bil’in:

http://direland.typepad.com/direland/2005/07/the_palestinian.html
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3898.shtml
http://fromoccupiedpalestine.org/node.php?id=1574&PHPSESSID;=d78cbd40e4db04329b543a6da822f9bc

10) A report from last weekend’s DC protest:

Like tens of thousands of others, I spent the afternoon doing a two-step between the tents of the unobtrusive annual Library of Congress book sale, filling the expanse of dying grass between the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian Castle, and the giant anti-war protest on the far side of the Monument. Call me middle-aged, but I admit to having my doubts that the unshaven legions of pierced college kids in black–brilliant green highlights in Rasta locks appear to be in vogue–and the remnants of organized Marxism present took the nation a step closer to fiscal sanity.

Still, the number of protestors who brought small children and “Ex Republican, Ask Me Why” signs impressed me, as did the many well-behaved policemen and women dispatched t
o shield the small pro-Bush contingent.
It was fun to hear the usual suspects — Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Cynthia McKinney — rant alongside random entertainers like Jessica Lange. Watching Cindy Sheehan being treated like royalty by retirees at the Veterans-for-Peace lemonade stand flanking a mock cemetery made me wonder if there isn’t truth to
predictions by talking heads of the tide turning…

Unsurprisingly, many of the signs, and speeches, shouted parallels between bumbling on the Gulf Coast and in Iraq, e.g. “Make Levees, Not War.”

My brother is off to smashed up small town Mississippi on a mobile government medical van – good for him. Dad is heading to Florida to keep the kids company; I’m staying put to tend to my half-written dissertation prospectus. Ho hum. Take care.

Ellen Psychas

11) Bush’s reply to the marchers, even before they marched:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1576040,00.html

Bush: Troops will not withdraw on my watch
Staff and agencies
Thursday September 22, 2005

President George Bush today insisted American forceswould not withdraw from Iraq “on my watch” and giveterrorists the chance “to claim an historic victoryover the United States”.

Mr Bush said the resolve of terrorists had beenstrengthened by the hesitant US response to thehostage crisis with Iran in 1979, the bombing of USmarines barracks in Lebanon four years later, and the1993 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre.

“The terrorists concluded we lacked the courage andcharacter to defend ourselves,” Mr Bush said. “Theonly way the terrorists can win is if we lose ournerve and abandon the mission. For the safety andsecurity of the American people, that’s not going tohappen on my watch.”

Mr Bush spoke at the defence department afterreceiving a briefing on the global “war on terror”,focusing
mainly on Iraq and Afghanistan.

With a large anti-war march expected this weekend, MrBush acknowledged that there were differences ofopinion about Iraq and that some wanted the US towithdraw to escape more violence.

“I recognise their good intentions but their positionis wrong,” the president said. “Withdrawing our troopswould make the world more dangerous.”

He said a pullout would embolden US adversaries andallow Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawiand al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden “to dominate theMiddle East and launch more attacks on America andother free nations”.

Mr Bush acknowledged the deaths of more than 1,900Americans in Iraq and said “we’ll honour theirsacrifice by completing the mission and winning thewar on terrorism”.

“The battle lines are drawn and there is no middleground,” he said. “If we fail that test, theconsequences for the safety and security of theAmerican people would be enormous. Our withdrawal fromIraq would allow the terrorists to claim an historicvictory over the United States.”

Mr Bush also said 18,000 US troops serving inAfghanistan had not yet finished their mission.

“The international community is helping Afghanistanbecome a lasting democracy,” he said. “There are stillterrorists who seek to overthrow the young government.You see, they want to return Afghanistan to what itwas under the Taliban.

Meanwhile, the governor of Basra, Mohammed al-Waili,today threatened to halt cooperation with
Britishforces until Tony Blair apologised for the storming ofa prison in the southern Iraqi city.

Mr al-Waili also demanded compensation for the damagecaused when British forces destroyed part of theprison compound on Monday following the detention oftwo undercover SAS soldiers.

The incident happened as a mission to rescue thesoldiers from a nearby house was mounted amid
Britishclaims that the men were to be summarily executed bylocal militia.

The Iraqi national security adviser, Mowaffakal-Rubaie, called the attack by British forces “aflagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty”.

It raised concerns that radical Shia militias withclose ties to Iran had developed substantial power inthe region around Basra.

Elsewhere in Iraq today, a roadside bomb hit a USconvoy in southern Baghdad, killing one soldier andwounding six, while insurgents gunned down at leasteight Iraqis in four separate attacks, officials said.

12) US Domestic Terrorism Case:

ADC Press Release:JDL Leader Earl Krugel Sentenced to 20 Years for 2001Terrorist Plot
Washington, DC, September 22, 2005 — A member of theJewish Defense League was sentenced today to 20 yearsfor his role in a plot to blow up a Los Angeles-areamosque, the office of an Arab-American congressman,and the office of the Muslim Public Affairs Council(MPAC).

Earl Krugel and the militant group’s leader, IrvRubin, were charged in December 2001 with conspiringin the bomb plot. Rubin died a year later frominjuries suffered in what authorities said was ajailhouse suicide attempt.

Under his 2003 plea bargain, Krugel admittedconspiracy to violate the civil rights of worshippersat the King Fahd Mosque and also a weapons count tiedto explosives that prosecutors said were meant for thefield office of Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA).

Krugel admitted in his plea agreement that he met witha teenage JDL recruit and showed him a list of mosquesthat were potential targets. He alleged that Rubin,who was present at the meetings, told the recruit tocarry out the bombings. Krugel admitted he and Rubintargeted Issa because he is an Arab American. He alsoacknowledged calling mosques “filthy” and saying Arabsneeded a “wake-up call.”

The JDL has been responsible for at least 40 terroristacts in the United States since its inception in 1968,according to the FBI. Law enforcement officials alsosaid the original target of the foiled plot was MPAC’SLos Angeles office, but it was changed in the daysbefore the planned attack.

The JDL is also suspected in the 1985 murder of AlexOdeh, the Southern Regional Director of theAmerican-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).Odeh was killed when a bomb exploded as he enteredADC’s Santa Ana office The FBI investigation remainsopen, and there is currently a $1 million reward forinformation leading to conviction. . However, noarrests have been made. For more information see:http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/seekinfo/odeh.htm

At today’s sentencing Krugel also revealed one namelinked to the Odeh investigation that had not beenpreviously known. The judge seriously admonishedKrugel for withholding this information and forrepeatedly failing polygraph tests.

An interfaith delegation was present at the hearing.The delegation included: Anthony Saidi, InterimPresident of the ADC Los Angeles Chapter; SalamAl-Marayati, MPAC Executive Director; Rabbi AllanFreehling, Former Rabbi Of University Synagogue; RobinToma, Executive Director of the L.A. County HumanRelations Commission; Rev. Ed Bacon, Pastor of AllSaints Church; and Rev. George Regis, Director of theInterfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace.Al-Marayati spoke at the hearing. The following is thefull text of
Al-Marayati’s comments at the sentencinghearing:

“I want to thank the court for giving me theopportunity on behalf of the Muslim American communityto address you. I would like to appeal to you, yourhonor, for Earl Krugel to receive the maximum sentencefor his crime to harm me, my institution, a mosque anda congressman’s office. Mr. Krugel should be treatedlike any terrorist, even though there is no mention ofthis term in the charges against him. My family and mycommunity, the Muslim American community and the ArabAmerican community, have had to live with the fear ofbeing targets of terrorism since the day the FBIinformed us of this plot by Earl Krugel and Irv Rubin.We appr
eciate the FBI’s diligence in foiling this plotand will continue to work closely with them to preventterrorism and to ensure that conflicts rooted in theMiddle East do not spill over to our neighborhoods inAmerica. To this day, we are living under the shadowof terror as a result of Mr. Krugel’s actions. Forjustice to be served, we strongly urge you to considerthat the same punishment be levied against him asanyone who plans to target synagogues or churches orany other American houses of worship and theirleaders.

“The fear we suffer from today is similar to that feltby the family of Alex Odeh, whose murder from 20 yearsago remains an open investigation for the FBI. InOctober 1985, Alex Odeh was killed by a bomb at theoffices of the American-Arab Anti-DiscriminationCommittee in Orange County. I do not know the terms ofthe plea agreement with Mr. Krugel. I only hope thathe has cooperated in providing information that willhelp apprehend the culprits of Alex’s assassination.Because Alex’s killers remain at large, we continue tolive under the threat of terrorism, and we ask you,your honor, to ensure that criminal elements who planto do harm to any American are put away for good tokeep our streets and our homes and our houses ofworship safe. I also want to tell you that regardlessof what Earl Krugel attempted to do to us, hisnefarious plan did not ruin our relations with theJewish or Christian community. It has actuallystrengthened it, as is evident by the solidarity ofJewish and Christian leaders with me today. A crime ofthis magnitude planned by Earl Krugel should receivethe maximum punishment allotted by the statute todeter Krugel and those like him from doing more harmto our country.”

13) Saudi Foreign Minister address to the Baker Institute in Houston. Doesn’t it seem like they’re facing some pressure due to “peak oil” speculation?:

Prince Saud Baker Institute Speech
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal address to the Baker Institute Address by HRH Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal to the Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University in Houston, Texas, September 21, 2005.
Topic: Saudi Arabia and the International Oil Market.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Allow me to convey my heartfelt condolences to the people of the United States for the suffering, death and destruction brought about by Hurricane Katrina. At the same time allow me to praise this great city of Houston for the noble generosity of its people in offering a very needed assistance in sheltering those who suffered most. Houston has always been a great city and I am very pleased to be here.
Many years ago, when I started my government career in the Ministry of Petroleum, one of your fellow Houstonians gave me advice about traveling in the oil-producing countries of the world. He was what is known in the oil industry as an “old redneck.”

We were sitting in my office in Riyadh on a very hot summer day when he volunteered this unsolicited advice: “When you get to one of them countries,” he said, “the first thing you do is to go to the nearest shop, buy some durable candy, stock up on candles, go to your hotel room, fill the bathtub with water, and wait for the revolution.” I am sure I don’t need to do that in this oil city, I hope. [OUCH!]

Before I proceed further, I must apologize to my friend and colleague His Excellency Mr. Al-Naimi, the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia, for delving into his turf. He has my wholehearted blessing to discuss matters relating to our foreign policy any time he wishes.

My topic today is of vital importance to both my country and yours, namely the structural flow in the oil industry. The severe increase in oil prices which we have experienced over the past several years is only a phase of a cumulative process that has been going on for some time.

The developments in the oil industry are important and warrant our full attention. High energy costs can create long term repercussions to the economies of the world that will affect all of us consumers as well as producers, both in the industrialized and the emerging economies of the world.

It is important, therefore, that our two countries, the largest consumer and the largest producer, make the time available to assess the situation. We must define the issues and review our options to resolve them before they become too severe to manage. This becomes a matter of urgency and priority for all of us, especially when Saudi-bashing has become fashionable, and allocating blame has become an end in itself.
Crude oil has doubled in price to over $65 per barrel since 2002. Escalating energy prices have already had some indication of a depressing effect on the global economy.

The risks are too great to leave the solution to market forces alone. Because of global interdependence, depressions create social and political instability which cannot be confined to one region of the world. If not dealt with promptly and reasonably, such instability will spread regardless of the political and economic soundness of any individual nation.

What then is going on in the oil industry?

There are three sets of variables that need to be examined: Production, consumption, and political-psychological variables.

On the crude supply side, there is currently no shortage of oil. However, and for the first time in decades,
there is no sizable excess production capacity. This has understandably caused some heated debates about the long-term supply of oil.

Some pessimists, mostly geologists, contrary to their customary nature, are predicting dire shortages in the future, while some optimists, mainly economists, also contrary to their nature, are predicting higher prices would eventually reduce the growth rate of consumption while increasing the growth rate of production.
However, all these predictions are at best educated guesses based on uncertain assumptions.

What is indisputable is the finite depletable nature of oil. However global proven oil reserves have increased from 550 billion barrels in 1970 to 1.2 trillion today, and there is no reason why this trend should not continue.

In addressing these uncertainties, I must emphasize Saudi Arabia’s proven record of meeting its production commitments irrespective of international crises and political turmoil or even wars. Yes, we have kept our commitment even when wars were being fought in our region, when oil tankers were being set ablaze in the Gulf and when our cities and oil facilities were being attacked by Scud missiles.

Saudi Arabia has made up for shortfalls in oil production levels by maintaining between 1.5 and 2 million barrels per day of excess capacity at great cost to our industry and economy for the last 20 years.

Saudi Arabia’s year-to-date production in 2005 has increased by 700,000 barrels per day from last year.
This accounted for more than half of the increase in global demand for that period.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has declared its plan to increase its production capacity by 2.4 million barrels per day by 2009. This represents a net capacity increment of 1.5 million barrels per day while the rest will augment existing capacity. Barring any outside impediments that are beyond our control, we see no problem in achieving this ambitious target.

We have signed drilling contracts, selected project management teams, allocated funds and put the initial engineering plans on the drawing boards. And unless the international companies use up the equipment we have on order and divert contractors from our oil fields to other projects, we see no problem in achieving our objectives.

It is estimated that the total investment needed to increase OPEC production to meet demand by 2025 ranges between U.S. $258 and 382 billion. The difference of U.S. $124 billion is due to different estimates in demand projections based on different economic growth assumptions. Thi
s gives you an idea of the difficulty of planning investments by producing countries.

Yet, with an attitude of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t,” we are now — in spite of what we have done and are doing — accused, of all things, of a lack of transparency.

This truly puzzles me. How can we lack transparency when we have published our production capacity, our oil and gas reserves, and our current and future production plans? And we have done so in a manner totally consistent with international norms and standards. In fact, our known practice is to err on the side of underestimating our reserves and potential production.

Let us face it, providing additional data will not stop endless questions and challenges raised by those who get publicity and consulting fees for questioning everything we do. No amount of data and analysis can convince a truly dedicated conspiracy theorist.

The focus on tarnishing proven Saudi performance is largely a distraction from the fact that the key price and supply issues affecting you are not about volumes of production, but rather about gasoline formulations, limited refinery capacities, lack of storage capacity, and the various other restrictions that have paralyzed the energy industry in the Western hemisphere.

Without minimizing the importance of the environmental issues, a balance must be reached between the need for further oil exploration and development and the preservation of the environment. In that respect, Saudi Arabia calls for increased research in this field.

We are ready to join others in developing uniform regulations that are environmentally responsive and sustainable while offering the most effective energy utilization.

In fact, the real energy issues that we need to address today have little to do with Saudi Arabia. Consider the situation with regards to some of the major oil companies.

In recent years, we have witnessed unprecedented mergers and acquisitions on both sides of the Atlantic.

Tremendous resources and capabilities have been concentrated within the hands of a few corporations. All of them have the resources and experience to invest in and manage the entire value chain of the oil industry.

The collective expectations were that the oil and gas industry would experience a tremendous revival as a result of such restructuring and integration. But this did not materialize.

It seems that over-regulation made it easy to avoid investing in the needed downstream operations, which are of marginal returns, by tempting investors to seek higher returns and safe investments. The result was a break in the value chain of investments in the industry.

At the risk of angering some of my good friends in the audience, oil companies may have forgotten that calculated risk-taking is the means to higher profit making. They may have opted for the ease of the cautious advice of corporate accountants instead of the spirit of adventure that has characterized the oil industry from its inception.

A critical shortfall in the industry’s refining sector has been created, which is totally beyond the control of oil exporters. This in turn has lead to a gap between the oil production of crude oil and consumption of refined products.

The consumers are clamoring for more fuels which cannot be supplied due to the lack of refining capacity. This gap traditionally has been bridged by the integrated operations of the oil companies.

To be fair to the oil companies, the main reason for the refinery shortages is the environmental and land use restrictions that limit the construction of domestic refineries. Refinery projects which already require years to construct have to wait for additional years for site approvals, if such approvals are forthcoming at all. In fact, not withstanding certain modifications and expansions in existing facilities, not a single refinery was built in the United States during the last three decades.

According to the Energy Information Administration, global refining capacity has only increased by 1.3 million barrels per day over the past five years. Meanwhile, oil demand has increased by over 7 million barrels per day. Today, global refinery capacities stand at 82.7 million barrels per day, over one million barrels short of global demand.

Yet in spite of these refinery bottlenecks, Saudi Arabia is called upon to increase its oil production on a daily basis. Clearly, additional oil production will do little to meet the fuel requirements of the world refined products. We, however, began adding to our refinery capacity in Yanbu and Jubail, our two industrial cities which are the major hubs for our petrochemical and refinery industries, and there is room for more expansion. We therefore invite all investors to join with us to build additional refineries and to expand existing ones, to alleviate the refined products bottlenecks.

This invitation does not require any delays in implementation that would create added cost to the consumers.
All it needs is the will to contribute to relieve the pressure that is building. At the same time, we are ready to join any efforts in building facilities in the U.S.

Over-regulation does much to limit supply and raise prices. Gasoline specifications often vary on a state by state basis. Applying standardization would increase the efficiency in managing refineries and allow better utilization of fuel products storage capacities.

The imposition of boutique fuel specifications on a state by state and country by country basis only confounds efforts to formulate global solutions for overall fuel shortages.

The reality is that as oil supplies from the North Sea, Alaska and continental U.S. lag behind demand, heavier crudes with higher sulfur contents will be increasingly needed to meet increased demand. Therefore fuel specifications must be standardized in order to modify refinery processes on a timely basis. This is something which we must resolve urgently if we are to ensure fuel specifications and optimum refinery efficiencies over the next decade.

The question of stability in the Middle East is a major concern in this regard. Conflicts in the region that contains over 65% of the world’s oil reserves and 45 % of its gas reserves have been allowed to spiral out of control.

Regional turmoil and military confrontations have created a volatile atmosphere that undermines investment in the region’s oil industry.

This volatility has in turn become a fertile ground for oil price speculation. Every tragic incident in the Middle East has become a green light for oil traders to set higher premiums on oil supplies.

The need to putting a just and equitable end to the Arab-Israeli conflict is a matter of extreme urgency. This would not only end decades of human suffering, but in the process rid us from the unhealthy speculations that have been so damaging to the oil markets.

I have taken a lot of time to cover these matters because they are of vital importance and yet have no simple resolution. Identifying the problems is always easier than seeking their effective solutions.
What is certain, however, is that we need to move away from the blame game, and to recognize the simple truth that the desired solutions can only be arrived at through collective cooperation.

Facing these challenges require a joint effort by oil producers, oil consumers and the oil companies. To institutionalize a fruitful dialogue among all concerned, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques, took the initiative in setting up a Secretariat for the International Energy Forum in Riyadh.

One of its primary functions has been to facilitate data exchange and transparency through the administration of the Joint Data Initiative, which involves monthly submissions from producing and consuming countries. A few months ago, while in Dallas, he called for the convening of a confe
rence under the auspices of this International Forum.

We look forward to increased cooperative effort and stand ready to work with the United States to do our part in addressing these challenges.

Let me conclude by quoting an old Chinese proverb: “It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”

Thank you.

14) “Voice of the Caliphate” TV News:

http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369784

Volume 2, Issue 17 (September 19, 2005)

Coming Soon: The ‘Voice of the Caliphate’ RadioBy Stephen Ulph

A September 11 posting on the jihadi forums further demonstrates the mujahideen’s vulnerability and sensitivity to negative media coverage. Issued by the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF), the posting detailed the imminent appearance of its latest project, the “first of its kind in the media world”—the Sawt al-Khilafa (Voice of the Caliphate) radio broadcast. The initiative is billed as “a transparent vision with an Islamic view” and a “voice of Truth in a time of Evil.” The GIMF announcement was accompanied by a fanfare of media flashes for forum readers to download and distribute among their colleagues. The stated aim of the new initiative is to confront the “media obfuscation carried out by the collaborationist [i.e. Iraqi government] media channels and the frantic media war directed against our mujahid brothers all over the world, which spares no effort to blacken the image of the mujahideen and conceal their victories.” [http://soutgimf.s5.com]
The announcement of the new broadcast service comes at a time of increasing frustration for the mujahideen at their weakening profile in the international media. Symptomatic of this was a report by AFP of a new warning issued on September 8 to the Arabic satellite TV channel al-Arabiya—and intended for all Arabic language channels—from an unknown group calling itself Jama’at Jund al-Islam al-Jihadiyya (Group of the Jihadi Soldiers of Islam) to cease their “slander” and contribution “to the distortion of jihad and the mujahideen all over the world… and their description of it as terrorism.” As an example of the media distortion, it cited the labeling by these channels of martyrdom operations as ‘suicide attacks.’ It reminded the al-Arabiya channel of the earlier car bombing of its offices in Baghdad by the Jihadist Martyrs Brigades in Iraq in October of last year that resulted in seven fatalities. It added that “our arms are long and able to reach all the traitors and collaborators in this nation.”

The present posting dedicates its efforts to Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Emir Mulla Omar and Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi, “and to the Islamic armies in Chechnya, Kashmir and the Land of the Two Shrines [Saudi Arabia], and in every place.” It repeats earlier announcements as to the GIMF’s purpose—”The Front does not belong to anyone. It is the property of all zealous Muslims and knows no geographical boundaries.” On August 22 it signaled an acceleration of activity with an audio “call to zealous Muslims” to add their efforts to the jihad by joining in with the work of the group. The GIMF’s recent productions include a so-called “Top Ten” video production of attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq, carried out by the Islamic Army in Iraq and al-Zarqawi’s al-Qaeda Organization in the Land of Two Rivers, and a film entitled “Bloody Comedy” stitching together more footage of U.S. casualties to a soundtrack of laughter. [www.al-farouq.com]
These developments testify to the new emphasis placed by the mujahideen on the media war. Pointedly, the warning against al-Arabiyah noted that “our war with the American tyrant and his collaborators is now not confined to the military war, but extends to the information war which our mujahideen brothers are waging in Iraq with success.”

15) This from a population that actually thought Iraq posed it a threat:

In Evolution Debate, Creationists Are Breaking New Ground
Museum Dedicated to Biblical Interpretation Of the World Is Being Built Near Cincinnati

By Michael Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 25, 2005; A03

PETERSBURG, Ky. — The guide, a soft-spoken fellow with a scholarly aspect, walks through the halls of this handsome, half-finished museum and points to the sculpture of a young velociraptor.

“We’re placing this one in the hall that explains the post-Flood world,” explains the guide. “When dinosaurs lived with man.”

A reporter has a question or two about this dinosaur-man business, but Mark Looy — the guide and a vice president at the museum — already has walked over to the lifelike head of a T. rex, with its three-inch teeth and carnivore’s grin.

“We call him our ‘missionary lizard,’ ” Looy says. “When people realize the T. rex lived in Eden, it will lead us to a discussion of the gospel. The T. rex once was a vegetarian, too.”

The nation’s largest museum devoted to the alternative reality that is biblical creation science is rising just outside Cincinnati. Set amid a park and three-acre artificial lake, the 50,000-square-foot museum features animatronic dinosaurs, state-of-the-art models and graphics, and a half-dozen staff scientists. It holds that the world and the universe are but 6,000 years old and that baby dinosaurs rode in Noah’s ark.

The $25 million Creation Museum stands much of modern science on its head and might cause a paleontologist or three to rend their garments. But officials expect to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors when the museum opens in early 2007.

“Evolutionary Darwinists need to understand we are taking the dinosaurs back,” says Kenneth Ham, president of Answers in Genesis-USA, which is building the museum. “This is a battle cry to recognize the science in the revealed truth of God.”

“Intelligent design,” the theory that the machinery of life is so complex as to require the hand — subtle or not — of an intelligent creator, has stolen the media thunder of late. This week a trial will begin in federal court in Pennsylvania, in which 11 parents accuse the Dover school board of violating the separation of church and state by requiring high school biology teachers to read a statement in class that intelligent design is an alternative explanation of life’s origins.

Most scientists dismiss intelligent design as flawed science, and they fear cultural conservatives intend it as a religious wedge. The small band of scientists who promote intelligent design retort that theirs is a scientific inquiry, albeit with theistic implications.

But by any measure, Young Earth Creationism — which holds that the Bible is the literal word of God and that He created the universe in seven days– has a more powerful hold on the beliefs of Americans than evolutionary theory or intelligent design. That grip grows stronger by the year.

Polls taken last year showed that 45 percent of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form 10,000 years ago (or less) and that man shares no common ancestor with the ape. Only 26 percent believe in the central tenet of evolution, that all life descended from a single ancestor.

Another poll showed that 65 percent of Americans want creationism taught alongside evolution.

In the early 20th century, many creationist thinkers viewed Genesis as metaphorical, accepting that Earth formed over hundreds of thousands, even millions of years. But as society became more secular, and science offered an implicit challenge to fundamentalist beliefs, creationist leaders took a more literal line.

“The creationists have been very successful in persuading conservative Christians to abandon any nonliteral interpretation of the Bible,” said Ronald L. Numbers, a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and author of “The Creationists.” “There is a very large co
nstituency of Americans who are quite comfortable with Young Earth Creationism.”

To drive past the stegosaurus silhouettes at the gate to the parking lot at the Creation Museum here is to enter a creationist world in great ferment. Answers in Genesis is one of about a half-dozen creationist organizations and museums, each with its own headquarters, radio studios and Web sites, and scholarly and popular magazines. (A family-oriented column even ferrets out covert evolutionary messages in “Finding Nemo” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”)

Another creationist museum launches expeditions to the Papua New Guinea highlands in search of living pterodactyls.

All of this — creationist zoology, paleontology, archaeology — is framed in a distinctive academic language.

So one reads of post-Babel studies, and floodology and post-diluvium studies, these being the study of the world after Noah and the Great Flood, which is regarded as purest fact. The sanctified imagination, which is to say inspired by God, helps the scientists and artists at Creation Museum re-create the world of Adam and Eve, from sauropods playing with children to the “humongous” mature trees that God created in a single day.

“Our artists anticipated some challenging . . . work,” the Answers of Genesis Web site notes.

Young Earth Creationists emphasize the rigor of their science. Looy rattles off the names of experts with doctorates, many of whom obtained degrees from mainstream universities. A creationist scientist, Kurt Wise, worked as a graduate student at Harvard with prominent biologist Stephen Jay Gould. John Baumgardner of the Los Alamos National Laboratory became a well-regarded designer of computer models for planetary catastrophes.

They herald successes. Recent discoveries by geologists tend to support creationists’ beliefs that great floods — albeit not necessarily ordered up by God — played a role in gouging out some canyon lands.
But often, scientists say, the creationist bottom line is a through-the-looking-glass version of science. The scientific method of theory, experiment and assumptions upended does not apply. Ask Ham if he could accept evidence that conflicts with his reading of Genesis — proof, say, that a fossil is more than 6,000 years old — and he shakes his head.

Creationists believe man became mortal when God cast Adam and Eve out of Eden 6,000 years ago. Death did not exist before that.

“We admit we have an axiom: We have a book and it’s the Bible and it’s revealed history,” says Ham. “Where the Bible teaches on science, we can trust it as the word of God.”

Scientists place the age of Earth at 4.5 billion years. Many tend to act resigned at the mention of creationists,
seeing a worldview so different as to defy debate.

“There are people who are prepared to accept that the universe is a pretty untidy place,” said Ian Tattersall, a curator at the American Museum of Natural History. “And there are people, like the creationists, whose minds rebel at this notion.”

Ham, whose voice carries broad hints of his native Australia, is a charismatic speaker and skilled debater, and he has built Answers in Genesis into the world’s leading creationist organization in less than a decade. He raised nearly $20 million to build the museum, and the average donation was about $70, officials say.
Answers in Genesis hews to no particular evangelical line. Ham’s politics lean strongly to the right, seeing America as under siege by homosexuality and abortion. In a recent column for the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s newspaper, Ham described his mission as “fighting the ‘Philistines’ of our day.”

“By and large, much of the church has compromised God’s Word in Genesis by allowing millions of years and evolutionary ideas to be embraced by God’s people,” Ham wrote. “We need to take back the maligned Grand Canyon, the majestic mountain ranges, the massive coal beds . . . and the dinosaur fossils.”

Ham is ambivalent on the question of intelligent design. He admires the movement’s founders and applauds their battles. But he is skeptical of creationists who see intelligent design as a battering ram that might smash down the constitutional doors and allow the Bible back into schools.

“They are not a Christian movement, they are not about the Bible,” he says in his spacious corner office at the museum. “It’s not even against evolution, not really, because they don’t tell you what that intelligence is. It could open a door for Muslim belief, for Hindus, for New Age.

“We are telling you unashamedly that the word of the Bible is the way.”

16) Another Evolution Article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/26/education/26evolution.html

New York TimesSeptember 26, 2005
A Web of Faith, Law and Science in Evolution Suit
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

DOVER, Pa., Sept. 23 – Sheree Hied, a mother of five who believes that God created the earth and its creatures, was grateful when her school board here voted last year to require high school biology classes to hear about “alternatives” to evolution, including the theory known as intelligent design.

But 11 other parents in Dover were outraged enough to sue the school board and the district, contending that intelligent design – the idea that living organisms are so inexplicably complex, the best explanation is that a higher being designed them – is a Trojan horse for religion in the public schools.

With the new political empowerment of religious conservatives, challenges to evolution are popping up with greater frequency in schools, courts and legislatures. But the Dover case, which begins Monday in Federal District Court in Harrisburg, is the first direct challenge to a school district that has tried to mandate the teaching of intelligent design.

What happens here could influence communities across the country that are considering whether to teach intelligent design in the public schools, and the case, regardless of the verdict, could end up before the Supreme Court.

Dover, a rural, mostly blue-collar community of 22,000 that is 20 miles south of Harrisburg, had school board members willing to go to the mat over issue. But people here are well aware that they are only the excuse for a much larger showdown in the culture wars.

“It was just our school board making one small decision,” Mrs. Hied said, “but it was just received with such an uproar.”

For Mrs. Hied, a meter reader, and her husband, Michael, an office manager for a local bus and transport company, the Dover school board’s argument – that teaching intelligent design is a free-speech issue – has a strong appeal.

“I think we as Americans, regardless of our beliefs, should be able to freely access information, because people fought and died for our freedoms,” Mrs. Hied said over a family dinner last week at their home, where the front door is decorated with a small bell and a plaque proclaiming, “Let Freedom Ring.”

But in a split-level house on the other side of Main Street, at a desk flanked by his university diplomas, Steven Stough was on the Internet late the other night, keeping track of every legal maneuver in the case. Mr. Stough, who teaches life science to seventh graders in a nearby district, is one of the 11 parents suing the Dover district. For him the notion of teaching “alternatives” to evolution is a hoax.

“You can dress up intelligent design and make it look like science, but it just doesn’t pass muster,” said Mr. Stough, a Republican whose idea of a fun family vacation is visiting fossil beds and natural history museums.
“In science class, you don’t say to the students, ‘Is there gravity, or do you think we have rubber bands on our feet?’ “

Evolution finds that life evolved over billions of years through the processes of mutation and natural selection, without the
need for supernatural interventions. It is the foundation of biological science, with no credible challenges within the scientific community. Without it, the plaintiffs say, students could never make sense of topics as varied as AIDS and extinction.

Advocates on both sides of the issue have lined up behind the case, often calling it Scopes II, in reference to the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial that was the last century’s great face-off over evolution.
On the evolutionists’ side is a legal team put together by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. These groups want to put intelligent design itself on trial and discredit it so thoroughly that no other school board would dare authorize teaching it.

Witold J. Walczak, legal director of the A.C.L.U. of Pennsylvania, said the plaintiffs would call six experts in history, theology, philosophy of science and science to show that no matter the perspective, “intelligent design is not science because it does not meet the ground rules of science, is not based on natural explanations, is not testable.”

On the intelligent design side is the Thomas More Law Center, a nonprofit Christian law firm that says its mission is “to be the sword and shield for people of faith” in cases on abortion, school prayer and the Ten Commandments. The center was founded by Thomas Monaghan, the Domino’s Pizza founder, a conservative Roman Catholic who also founded Ave Maria University and the Ave Maria School of Law; and by Richard Thompson, a former Michigan prosecutor who tried Dr. Jack Kevorkian for performing assisted suicides.

“This is an attempt by the A.C.L.U. to really intimidate this small-town school board,” said Mr. Thompson,
who will defend the Dover board at the trial, “because the theory of intelligent design is starting to gain some resonance among school boards across the country.”

The defense plans to introduce leading design theorists like Michael J. Behe, a professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University, and education experts who will testify that “allowing students to be aware of the controversy is good pedagogy because it develops critical thinking,” Mr. Thompson said.

The case, Kitzmiller et al v. Dover Area School District, will be decided by Judge John E. Jones III of the United States District Court, who was nominated by President Bush in 2002 and confirmed by a Senate vote of 96 to 0. The trial is expected to last six weeks and to draw news coverage from around the world.

The legal battle came to a head on Oct. 18 last year when the Dover school board voted 6 to 3 to require ninth-grade biology students to listen to a brief statement saying that there was a controversy over evolution, that intelligent design is a competing theory and that if they wanted to learn more the school library had the textbook “Of Pandas and People: the Central Question of Biological Origins.” The book is published by an intelligent design advocacy group, the Foundation for Thought and Ethics, based in Texas.
Angry parents like Mr. Stough, Tammy Kitzmiller, and Bryan and Christy Rehm contacted the A.C.L.U. and Americans United. The 11 plaintiffs are a diverse group, unacquainted before the case, who say that parents, and not the school, should be in charge of their children’s religious education.

Mr. Rehm, a father of five and a science teacher who formerly taught in Dover, said the school board had long been pressing science teachers to alter their evolution curriculum, even requiring teachers to watch a videotape about “gaps in evolution theory” during an in-service training day in the spring of 2004.

School board members were told by their lawyer, Mr. Thompson, not to talk to the news media. “We’ve told them, anything they say can be used against them,” Mr. Thompson said.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that teaching creation science in public schools was unconstitutional because it was based on religion. So the plaintiffs will try to prove that intelligent design is creationism in a new package. Richard Katskee, assistant legal director of Americans United, said the “Pandas” textbook only substituted references to “creationism” with “intelligent design” in more recent editions.

Mr. Thompson said his side would prove that intelligent design was not creationism because it did not mention God or the Bible and never posited the creator’s identity.

“It’s clear they are two different theories,” Mr. Thompson said. “Creationism normally starts with the Holy Scripture, the Book of Genesis, then you develop a scientific theory that supports it, while intelligent design looks at the same kind of empirical data that any scientist looks at,” and concludes that complex mechanisms in nature “appear designed because it is designed.”

A twist in the case is that a leading proponent of intelligent design, the Discovery Institute, based in Seattle, removed one of its staff members from the Dover school board’s witness list and opposed the board’s action from the start.

“We thought it was a bad idea because we oppose any effort to require students to learn about intelligent design because we feel that it politicizes what should be a scientific debate,” said John G. West, a senior fellow at the institute. However, Professor Behe, a fellow at the institute, is expected to be the board’s star witness.
Parents in Dover appear to be evenly split on the issue. School board runoffs are in November, with seven candidates opposing the current policy facing seven incumbents. Among the candidates is Mr. Rehm, the former Dover science teacher and a plaintiff. He said opponents had slammed doors in his face when he campaigned and performed a “monkey dance” when he passed out literature at the recent firemen’s fair.
But he agrees with parents on the other side that the fuss over evolution has obscured more pressing educational issues like school financing, low parent involvement and classes that still train students for factory jobs as local plants are closing.

“There’s no way to have a winner here,” Mr. Rehm said. “The community has already lost, period, by becoming so divided.”

17) Here Daniel Pipes blames Muslims in Canada for upsetting what at first sight seems to have been a Canadian attempt to institute an Ottoman-style millet system approach for its judicial system. Seems like it was a brave attempt, and could have succeeded, but failed due to the slogan of “enforcing Islamic Law” in Canada:

Enforce Islamic Law in Canada?
by Daniel PipesNew York Sun
September 27, 2005

http://www.danielpipes.org/article/2989

[this version differs slightly from the NY Sun’s]

In 1991, the Canadian province of Ontario passed what seemed at the time to be an enlightened, multicultural piece of legislation. Called the Arbitration Act, it stipulates that if two parties agree to engage a commercial, religious, or other arbitrator to settle a civil dispute, the provincial authorities will then enforce the verdict, so long as it is in accord with Canadian law.

“People can use any arbitrator they want and can use a religious framework if it is mutually acceptable,” notes Brendan Crawley, spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General. “If the award is not compatible with Canadian law, then the court will not enforce it. You can’t agree to violate Canadian law.”

Over the years, Jews, Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mennonites, and aboriginals, among others, made use of arbitration to settle family law questions without using Ontario’s court system. The system quietly worked.
“If there have been any problems flowing from any rabbinical court decisions, I’m not aware of them,” observed the Ontario region chairman of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Joel Richler.

Then, in October 2003, an organization called the Islamic Institute of Civil Justice proposed the crea
tion of Muslim Arbitration Boards (internally, it used Islamic terminology for these, Darul-Qada). As explained by the institute’s founder, Syed Mumtaz Ali, the boards, arbitrating on the basis of Islamic law, the Sharia, would permit a Muslim to live according to Islam’s “complete code of life.”

A first news article on this initiative came out in November 2003; within days, prompted by WorldNetDaily.com (“Canada prepares to enforce Islamic law”), a huge dispute got going. A hitherto obscure Ontario provision prompted a sharp national debate and even street rallies in twelve Canadian and European cities.
Interestingly, the main opposition came from Muslim women’s groups, who feared that ignorant, isolated females would submit to the inescapably misogynistic Sharia, a law code that permits parents to marry off pre-pubescent girls, men to marry multiple women, husbands alone to divorce, fathers automatically to win custody of children over certain ages, and sons to inherit more than daughters.

The anti-Sharia campaign succeeded. On Sep. 11 – after almost two years of public debate – the premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, held that religious-based arbitrations “threaten our common ground.” He announced that “There will be no Sharia law in Ontario. There will be no religious arbitration in Ontario. There will be one law for all Ontarians.”

His decision means that faith-based arbitration can continue to operate, as it did long before 1991, but the government will no longer enforce its verdicts.

Anti-Sharia forces were of course jubilant. “That was the best news I have ever heard for the past five years,” said Homa Arjomand. “We’re still in disbelief. But it’s such good news. It’s remarkable,” commented Nuzhat Jafri. “I’m just thrilled!” reacted Tarek Fatah (before he began receiving death threats).

McGuinty’s decision has a catch, however. Acting on the correct premise that Islam must be treated the same as other religions, he determined that if Muslims cannot enjoy state enforcement of faith-based arbitration, neither can anyone else. Therefore, McGuinty said, his government would “as soon as possible” introduce legislation to repeal the Arbitration Act of 1991.

This side-effect prompted a pained reaction from those who would lose state enforcement of their arbitration decisions. Richler denounced it as a “knee-jerk reaction against the Sharia issue.” Rabbi Reuben Poupko of Montreal added, sadly, “the Ontario government felt compelled to throw the baby with the bath water.”
That Orthodox Jews and others might lose out points to an emerging pattern, whereby efforts to integrate Muslims into the West upset a benign [BENIGN?] status quo. Other recent examples:

French nuns for the first time must take off their cowls for identity card or passport pictures because of anti-hijab legislation. Likewise, French schoolchildren may not wear crosses or Stars of David to class. [WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE…]

Large populations – British underground riders, American airport passengers, Russian theater-goers – must undergo extensive security checks, thanks to Muslim terrorists. […IN TURN CAUSED BY INVADING OTHER COUNTRIES WITHOUT CAUSE]

Danes marrying foreigners face extensive restrictions to bring them into Denmark because of immigration abuses (the “human visa” problem) involving Muslims. [UH, EXCUSE ME, MR. PIPES. I’VE DEALT WITH INS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND SUCH EXTENSIVE RESTRICTIONS ARE DUE TO ANTI-FOREIGNER SENTIMENT PEDDLED BY THE LIKES OF YOU, WITH THE PATRIOT ACT]

Santas, Nativity plays, Christmas carols, and Bibles are banned in Western countries so as not to offend Muslim sensitivities [ACTUALLY, THIS IS USUALLY DONE SO AS NOT TO OFFEND JEWISH SENSITVITIES — ALTHOUGH ON THIS POINT OBSERVANT JEWS AND MUSLIMS WOULD ACTUALLY AGREE]
Unremarked upon by most Westerners, Islam’s presence has started to change their way of life.

I took a little break, distracted by a mini trip, an upcoming conference paper, and less frequent postings coming my way. Katrina is gradually fading from the national consciousness, but NO is still a wreck… After a couple of conversations here and there, I’m getting the impression that the last month is starting to really wear on otherwise strong people. I’m also getting worried about NO rebuilding, because there’s currently no low-income housing to speak of.

I’ve heard several things lately: a crunchies’ co-op is now in the Bywater, numbering ca. 50 service industry folk/artists. There are talks afoot by the elite to remake NO completely, and there’s not much talk about building low-income housing. Arby’s now pays 12 USD/hour in Metairie, but still can’t find a crew — as there’s nowhere for anyone to live. I imagine migrant contract workers will turn up in the coming days, ready to rebuild the city while sharing 12 to a room or even squatting/camping. NO Parish schools won’t open till next fall, so NO’s going to be childless this year. Claiborne/Carrollton is described as too toxic to enter, let alone rebuild on. What a mess.

1) These are the best photos I’ve seen yet of the destruction in NO. For locals, these can be really depressing. Be forewarned:

New Orleans flood photos

An inside look from someone who worked down there during the first few days after the storm.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=n7vl128.10k36pe4&Uy;=-lsttlk

2) Report from one of our readers:

Dear Ones,

Hugs and kisses from Hurricane Alley! Got back into the metro area last Sunday and spent the night at an acquintances house down in Raceland. There were 10 people staying there, 9 of them for the duration. I am now staying in the charming guest room of one of the attendance secretaries at work–she is also putting up one of the music teachers from St. Rose elementary.
It is not at all uncommon to hear about people sheltering 20-30 family members–seems like most everyone has taken in one or two folks. I’m on a list for one of the FEMA trailers the St. Charles parish school board and Dow Chemicals will be installing in Hahnville. I’m calling it Harvard Yard–the best educated trailer park in the South! 30×8 ft. to call my very own–heaven. I spent the weekend up in Mandeville after an anxiety attack and an evacuation order persuaded me to head for the hills.

In the four weeks since we all fell down the rabbit hole, I have not spent more than four consecutive nights in any one place, nor have I ever managed to unpack my car. Of course the advantage is that it makes your next evacuation such a snap.

I got into New Orleans on Wed. afternoon ahead of Rita. Lakeview is a nightmare; mud, debris, that creepy sweet smell of organic rot. But the minute I pulled up outside the house, the gorgeous Yuppie couple from across the street stuck their heads over the mangled wreck that used to be their fence and yelled “hi” while waving cheerily. It made me just a little verklempt. The sun room of the apartment below mine looked like an abandoned aquarium–the mud line went all the way to the tops of the windows, on the inside of the glass. Yikes. I had tried to steel myself for all the worst possibilities, but I am happy to report to you boys and girls, that every blessed thing I own was absolutely fine. I got out all the clothes, art, Mardi Gras costumes, family photos, documents, signed books, and other portable, irreplaceable treasures of sentimental value which I have been kicking myself for not taking in the first place. My furniture and housewares were all fine too, but I’ll have to try and dig up a rental truck or van (which I’m told is nearly impossible, because Guess which federal agency we all know and love has commandeered them all?) and then find some place to store them for the next 12-18 months, which is my best guess how long it will be before anyone will be able to find functional rental property. I may just decide to make an offering of the whole mess to Poseidon. Whatever.

So I have been very blessed on a material level–didn’t lose a thing except, I guess, my lease (as it were). I am still fairly bereft at the loss of my life–that is, you all. I find myself in the unfamiliar territory of living to work. Most everything else that gives me pleasure, meaning, and validation–that is, you all, and the beauty and culture of our fair city–has been pulled out from under me. It sucks, and is disorienting to say the least. But I find solace in the most unexpected places and moments, like my impossibly tan and maniacally cheery neighbors, the return of WWNO/NPR to the arid wasteland of ClearChannel classic rock radio from Houma, the modest graciousness of tens of thousands of Louisianans opening their homes to their neighbors, co-workers, and strangers, the knowledge that many of you are on your way home at this very moment. (I’m getting a little verklempt again. It’s a trauma thing, you understand.) I had another moment of tedious and trite revelation while sitting on someone else’s back porch and drinking their good wine, watching Rita flail away at our already crippled state. The material world really is ephemeral; ideas and emotions are what endure. We are the foundation upon which the house stands–our hare-brained ideas, our hopelessly unrealistic passions, our skills, our history together, our arms linked resolutely as we march (or skip, mince, and amble–we don’t have to be in lockstep here in the Big Easy) forward into the grand and terrifying experiment that is our future. Lemonade anyone?

your Gypsy Rose

3) Another Jordan posting, sent out last Friday:

Dear Friends and Allies,

I spent yesterday in New Orleans, where residents are once again preparing for storm and flooding. In Treme, I spoke with Al, Chief of the Northside Skulls Skeleton Crew, a vital institution of Black Mardi Gras. He hasn’t left yet, and says he isn’t leaving now. “We’re holding on,” he says. “I’ve got plenty of food – I’ve been feeding people from all over. Let me know if you need anything.” I also spoke with the activists from Food Not Bombs, who have set up a food distribution network from a house on Desire Street, and are working on setting up a medical clinic. “We’re feeding folks from Central City, Ninth Ward, Treme, all over,” said Leenie.

Meanwhile, in Houston, many New Orleans evacuees have been evacuated once agin.

Below is an update from Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children, an excellent organization I’ve mentioned in a couple of recent articles. They also speak about ways in which you can support their work. Please help them if they can.

The People’s Hurricane Fund also is developing a new website, available at
http://www.communitylaborunited.net/.

Please check in with them for updates on their work.
New Orleans fights on.

in solidarity,

-jordan
——————————————————
FROM FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF LOUISIANA’S INCARCERATED CHILDREN

It has been 22 days since the storm hit, 3 weeks since the levee broke, 20 days since we began witnessing on national TV, the images of thousands of forgotten people fighting to survive and being abandoned by those whose job it was to rescue. Sometimes it feels like it all happened yesterday. Sometimes it feels like years have passed in these last three weeks. There are no more people suffering and dying in the superdome and out on the causeway, but the nightmare is hardly over.

This brief update of what FFLIC has been observing, experiencing and doing is being sent out via a listserve. You are receiving it if you have called or emailed with donation offers, support,
words of solidarity or offers to volunteer. We apologize if anyone would prefer not to receive these – please unsubscribe by sending an email to fflic.mayfirst.org if you do not want to receive any more. You can also have others join by sending an email to that same address.

Thanks to you all

First, of all we want to say thank you to all of you who have supported, donated, and volunteered. We cannot express fully enough how much your solidarity means to us as individuals and as an organization. If we have neglected to return your call or get back to you with a thank you email, please know that we sincerely apologize! It has taken us a minute to get organized and we know some people may have not received the prompt response they should have. Please know that we appreciate every dollar, every computer, every box of paper, every word of encouragement.

Finding Folks

FFLIC is now working with Critical Resistance and Communities United to have volunteers all over the country go shelter to shelter with information for anyone who has a loved one who was locked up or detained in the affected areas when the storm hit. We have volunteers in Arizona, California, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas, etc. We are talking with people, collecting information, and helping folks call the hotline and facility numbers to locate where their family members are and speaking directly to them or leaving them messages. If you are interested in volunteering with us to help us help folks find their family members, please contact Daniel Horowitz de Garcia at Daniel@cuapj.org.

Going shelter to shelter, here’s what we can tell you about some of what we’ve discovered:
Some shelters are well organized, providing needed services, with staff who are respectful and caring of the survivors. Houston’s convention center was a good example of this. Some are dirty, mis-managed, with racist and unpleasant staff. At the River Center in Baton Rouge, we witnessed dinner being served – a hot dog, a bag of chips and an apple. We also witnessed the National Guardsmen patrolling the sleeping quarters, two at a time with huge AKs slung over their shoulders. The woman who I was helping find her son as her grandson played around us asked me, “why are they here? Are we in prison?” We hear that many Red Cross staff in Lafayette and Lake Charles have been fired and replaced after serious complaints of prejudice and disrespect. One volunteer said she wouldn’t be surprised if folks just got fed up and started rising up against the Red Cross authorities.

All around Louisiana and Texas, local responses to Katrina survivors vary from welcoming to hostile. In Houston, we saw signs and expressions of sympathy and support. In Lake Charles the city is planning to put a fence around the shelter and has doubled law enforcement in areas like the mall and popular restaurants. The theme of treating survivors like prisoners has been repeated over many of our visits and observations. In St. Louis, they just skipped the middle step and created a shelter out of an abandoned prison.

We have been in touch with several of our long time members, for those who know them: Ms. Mathews now has an apartment in Houston after several weeks in the Astrodome, Ms. Flora is safe in Jackson, MS. Ms. Sabrina should be flying out with her 2 sons to Colorado Springs, and Ms. Cortez and Mr. Minoo are both safe. We are still searching for others. If anyone would like to send support to these individuals, please let us know. We are keeping a list of what people need and can get that information to you.

Those who are left in the shelters right now are the folks who have no where else to go. Many are planning on staying there until they can go back to New Orleans. Many are separated from families that are in shelters as far away as Massachusetts, Los Angeles and San Antonio, TX.
People have harrowing, horrifying, overwhelming and inspiring tales of surviving the storm, surviving the evacuation, saving lives, watching loved ones die. It is important that these stories be told and heard. It is important that people know the extent of what went wrong and how people paid the price for it.

We continue to hear the stories of young people and adults locked up who were not evacuated but who had to break free from their cells, sometimes leaving others behind in chest high water that was rising. We continue to hear nothing from state officials that addresses this issue and commits to investigating who was responsible and what will be done to determine how many prisoners lost their lives.

FFLIC’s Hurricane Relief Fund

Our fund is finally being put to good use! We are helping folks with housing, transportation and basic necessities. We have raised over $10,000 thanks to the generosity of dozens of people across the country. We have been moved to tears by the letters and notes which accompany the checks apologizing for not sending more, not being able to do more. Our collective sense of powerlessness is profound. We are determined to overcome it and make something of this tragedy.

Moving Forward

There is so much to do. Hopefully, by next week, we will have an office set up and operating in Lake Charles, Louisiana. We cannot stop with simply gathering the information, finding our members, and helping families reconnect. The fight for a transformed juvenile justice system must continue, but not in isolation. This disaster has illuminated that the racism and oppression which have fueled the juvenile and criminal justice systems in this state for years are the very same which abandoned people to die in our city after the storm hit. For these reasons, we must figure out how to continue to build membership and channel the rage, and righteous indignation that people have into a movement that demands justice on every level – in the short, medium, and long term. FFLIC has joined with Community/Labor United (CLU) to strategize how to do this in a unified, powerful way. For those organizers who would like to come down and support us, please stay in touch with us, we will soon have a clearer sense of all that needs to be done and how to begin the doing.

Last Notes

As folks know, FFLIC is a project of the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL), a legal and advocacy organization dedicated to transforming Louisiana’s juvenile justice system. JJPL and our Board of Directors have been incredibly supportive of and generous about FFLIC’s work in this crisis while also trying to continue on with the JJ reform work that has been years in the making. We want to invite anyone who would like to donate to JJPL and FFLIC’s efforts, to designate on your checks whether you are making a donation to “JJPL and FFLIC” overall or specifically for the “JJPL/FFLIC Hurricane Relief Fund” which goes to fund the immediate needs of displaced families and children with whom FFLIC is working. JJPL/FFLIC Hurricane Relief Checks can be still sent to:

920 Platt Street, Sulphur, LA 70663.
Checks to JJPL may be sent to Sonji Hart at:
392 Sisters Rd., Ponchatoula, Louisiana, 70454.
Thank you all – with love and respect,
Xochitl, Gina, Grace and Kori
FFLIC Staff

4) That Marigny Spirit:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_22.html#081762

Marigny streets groove to the sound of music
Makeshift disc jockey keeps the noise alive
By Bruce HamiltonStaff writer
The music is still alive on Frenchmen Street.

From a porch near the corner of Frenchmen and Chartresstreets, the sounds of Dr. John, Professor Longhairand other New Orleans musicians pour out.

“This neighborhood is normally noisy, and I justwanted to make it noisy aga
in,” said musician KennyClaiborne, 42, a lifelong New Orleans resident and oneof the owners of the Mermaid Lounge.

Claiborne’s “station” started out more as a personalneed than a public service.

“By about day eight, I was going crazy because of nomusic,” he said.

Claiborne turned his speakers toward the street from2019 Chartres, and used his 3,350-watt generator tokill the quiet.

“It was an inspirational moment for the neighborhood,”said German Bas, who lives around the corner. “Thatwas the night that things started to lighten up here.”Claiborne started spinning CDs, LPs and, with aborrowed Apple G4 computer, MP3 sound files forseveral hours each day.
Other neighbors cheered on the sonic mission, whichhas evolved with community needs. Claiborne startedusing his microphone to make announcements,town-crier-style. Passers-by and military troopscongregated on the street outside and made requests.The stereo station became a focal point, a place tosocialize.

And then one night at about 9, some police officersfrom out of state tried to stop the music.
He turned down the music at the officer’s request. Thenext day, a fan in the neighborhood created fliersthat read, “I (heart) Radio Marigny,” and posted themon buildings to show the community’s support ofClaiborne’s effort. She made a sun-bleached, pink”Radio Marigny (heart)” banner, which now flaps gentlybeside a New Orleans city flag above the porch.

The residents who remain are supportive. HerbertLaborde, 88, who was sitting Wednesday on Frenchmaninside his business, Laborde and Sons Printers, saidthe music doesn’t bother him.
“It’s nice to hear there’s somebody alive out there,”he said. “Because I look out my door and north, south,east, west, there’s nothing happening. There’s life inthe block somewhere. More power to him.”

He has done about four “shows” in the area, playingfor the Oregon National Guard, stationed at FrederickDouglass High School, and the “federal city” atHarrah’s New Orleans Casino, where various police,military and federal agencies are located.

Military troops, he said, tend to want to hear heavymetal bands such as Pantera. New Orleans police, hesaid, want to hear Al Green.

During Claiborne’s off-site shows, he even performedsome live music on bass with guitarist David Jaurequiof Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters. The duetwas mostly blues. Claiborne found some upbeat forms ofmusic don’t have the right emotional timbre for thesituation.

“It’s not like we’re partying,” he said. “It’s toosad. I don’t want to be fiddling while Rome burns.”

With Hurricane Rita hovering in the Gulf, fewer peoplewere around. “I’m just waiting for people to comeback. It’s so lonely,” he said. He wants to visit hisfamily in Austin, Texas, and his girlfriend in SanFrancisco when things return to normal.

Until then, Galactic and Stanton Moore, the NevilleBrothers and the Soul Rebels will help keep himcompany – along with as his dogs, Stryker and Simon,and his listeners. “I’m just trying to keep the spiritalive as well as the body,” he said. “New Orleansisn’t dead.”

Staff writer Bruce Hamilton can be reached at (504)343-1744.

5) The vultures are circling. Somebody should tell Seminole County what they can do with their tax breaks used to lure NO area companies away just now:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_22.html#081762

Ruth’s Chris headquarters leaving Metairie
By Mary JudiceBusiness writer

The newest publicly traded company in the New Orleansarea plans to leave the city as a result of HurricaneKatrina.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House, which began trading onNasdaq last month, has decided to make its temporaryrelocation to the Orlando area permanent.

The company said its Metairie headquarters wasdamaged, communications were down, and that the NewOrleans area “would not be able to support ourcorporate office and our support center for anextended period of time.”

The move affects 58 executives and corporate stafferswho worked out of the Metairie office.
Ruth’s two company-owned restaurants in New Orleanssuffered flood and wind damage. Craig Miller, Ruth’spresident and chief executive, said he is optimisticthe company will be able to reopen its Metairierestaurant on Veterans Highway. But company officialsare far less optimistic about the Broad Streetrestaurant because they have been unable to assess thedamage at that location.

A Ruth’s restaurant in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino inBiloxi, which was scheduled to open the weekendHurricane Katrina hit, suffered significant damage andwill not open until next year, the company said.

Miller said the company chartered a couple of propplanes and flew to New Orleans the first weekend afterthe storm to retrieve computer equipment.

“The first thing people took out were three picturesof Ruth and I,” Miller said.

Miller said the company carried insurance on all ofits facilities and expected to report a one-time gainin the third quarter because of the insurancesettlements. Ruth’s may also incur one-time chargesfor uninsured losses and asset write-downs.

Ruth’s Chris is a national presence with 88restaurants. But its New Orleans influence is seen inall of its restaurants, and the company has used itsties to the Big Easy in its marketing. Miller saidexecutives considered this identity issue andquestioned the impact of not being anchored in NewOrleans.

“It is not merely an office building in Metairie,Louisiana, that dictates who and what Ruth’s ChrisSteak House is,” Miller said.

Miller said central Florida is a vibrant economic areawith several major restaurant chains and an availablework force. The company received tax breaks fromSeminole County, where it is renovating a21,000-square foot building to house its headquarters.

This is not the first time Ruth’s has faced such asetback. In 1965, three months after founder RuthFertel opened her first restaurant, Hurricane Betsydevastated New Orleans. Fertel was able to reopen herrestaurant and cook several thousand pounds of steakover a gas stove. She served the steaks to victims andrelief workers.

6) Killer dolphins on the loose in Lake George…who knew?

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1577753,00.html

Armed and dangerous – Flipper the firing dolphin letloose by Katrina
by Mark Townsend Houston
Sunday September 25, 2005
The Observer

It may be the oddest tale to emerge from the aftermathof Hurricane Katrina. Armed dolphins, trained by theUS military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spiesunderwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.Experts who have studied the US navy’s cetaceantraining exercises claim the 36 mammals could becarrying ‘toxic dart’ guns. Divers and surfers riskattack, they claim, from a species considered to beamong the planet’s smartest. The US navy admits it hasbeen training dolphins for military purposes, but hasrefused to confirm that any are missing.

Dolphins have been trained in attack-and-kill missionssince the Cold War. The US Atlantic bottlenosedolphins have apparently been taught to shootterrorists attacking military vessels.
Their coastalcompound was breached during the storm, sweeping themout to sea. But those who have studied thecontroversial use of dolphins in the US defenceprogramme claim it is vital they are caught quickly.

Leo Sheridan, 72, a respected accident investigatorwho has worked for government and industry, said hehad received intelligence from sources close to the USgovernment’s marine fisheries service confirmingdolphins had escaped.

‘My concern is
that they have learnt to shoot atdivers in wetsuits who have simulated terrorists inexercises. If divers or windsurfers are mistaken for aspy or suicide bomber and if equipped with specialharnesses carrying toxic darts, they could fire,’ hesaid. ‘The darts are designed to put the target tosleep so they can be interrogated later, but whathappens if the victim is not found for hours?’

Usually dolphins were controlled via signalstransmitted through a neck harness. ‘The question is,were these dolphins made secure before Katrinastruck?’ said Sheridan.

The mystery surfaced when a separate group of dolphinswas washed from a commercial oceanarium on theMississippi coast during Katrina. Eight were foundwith the navy’s help, but the dolphins were notreturned until US navy scientists had examined them.

Sheridan is convinced the scientists were keen toensure the dolphins were not the navy’s, understood tobe kept in training ponds in a sound in Louisiana,close to Lake Pontchartrain, whose waters devastatedNew Orleans.

The navy launched the classified Cetacean IntelligenceMission in San Diego in 1989, where dolphins, fittedwith harnesses and small electrodes planted undertheir skin, were taught to patrol and protect Tridentsubmarines in harbour and stationary warships at sea.

Criticism from animal rights groups ensured the use ofdolphins became more secretive. But the project gainedimpetus after the Yemen terror attack on the USS Colein 2000. Dolphins have also been used to detect minesnear an Iraqi port.

7) This Gretna story won’t be forgotten soon, although I’m sure no local was really surprised:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_22.html#081762

Bridge emphasizes divide between communities
By Matthew Brown
West Bank bureau

When the Superdome and the Ernest N. Morial ConventionCenter deteriorated into anarchy and food and waterran short, many who tried to escape the floodedstreets of New Orleans found their paths blocked.

Gretna police fired shots over the heads of evacueesstreaming across the Crescent City Connection, asbullhorns blared for them to go back to New Orleans.

In Plaquemines Parish, dozens of sheriff’s deputiesraised shotguns and pistols to turn back a convoy ofschool buses attempting to take storm victims tosafety at the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base inBelle Chasse.

And in Westwego, arriving evacuees had two choices:Leave immediately, or go to an overcrowded shelterwith few supplies where armed guards accompanied by apolice dog prevented anyone from leaving.

The confrontations occurred largely along raciallines: African-American residents of poor sections ofNew Orleans facing off against majority white lawenforcement agencies.

Elected law enforcement officials remain unapologeticover their response and say they would take the samesteps if the city flooded again.

“If you are in your house and they’re rioting allaround to get in, are you going to let them in?” askedGretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson. “We saved our cityand protected our people. Our plan worked and we’regoing to stick with our plan. Next hurricane, we’regoing to secure our city the same way.”

Lawson added that evacuees “actually would have beenbetter off where they were, because we didn’t haveanything for them.”

He said his city of 17,000 was overwhelmed with itsown problems at the time: flooded neighborhoods, abarge that damaged the Mississippi River levee, andthe daily task of feeding 800 city employees and otheremergency personnel.

Officials from Plaquemines and Westwego also saidtheir own problems were too great for them to shouldersomeone else’s.

But New Orleans elected officials bristle at thesuggestion they should have kept residents in thecity. While acknowledging their own preparations cameup far short, they say getting people out quicklyafter supplies ran short became the only option.

“If he (Lawson) is saying they would do the same thingover again, is he saying the same woman who died onthe ramp because she couldn’t get over the bridge, ishe saying he would let that woman die again?” saidCity Council President Oliver Thomas. “I don’t thinkhe’s thinking that. I think he’s talking political.He’s just trying to make white folks in Gretna thinkhe’s protecting them from all those poor black peoplefrom New Orleans.”

Lawson insists he would have taken identical measures”if it had been any ethnic group” coming into hiscity.
The chief’s stance has turned him into a folk heroamong his
constituents. Signs nailed to telephonepoles and planted in highway medians proclaim “Thankyou and God bless Chief Lawson” and “Balls is spelledArthur Lawson.”

Sitting on the front steps of her shotgun-style houseon Monroe Street, just a few paces from where Gretnapolice had placed barricades to keep out New Orleansresidents, city resident Ida Koenig offered a moremixed reaction.

“If they were stopping looters, God bless ’em. Butmaybe it was just people getting out of harm’s way,”said Koenig, 59. “The good suffered for the bad.”

But Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish EmergencyManagement director, said West Bank law enforcementwas justified in its aggressive reaction, particularlygiven the partial burning of the Oakwood ShoppingCenter on Aug. 30.

The fire, attributed to arson, occurred across thestreet from a bus stop where thousands of displacedNew Orleans residents – primarily women and children –had been cordoned off by Gretna police and JeffersonParish sheriff’s deputies.

“That was the fear — these people that came out ofthe Superdome, they had no food, no water.
They weredesperate and, let’s be honest, there were some thugsamong them,” Maestri said.
Westwego Chief Dwayne “Poncho” Munch said at one pointa call came over the police radio warning of “400 to500 looters coming down the (West Bank) Expresswaytoward Westwego.”

That marauding army never arrived, and most lootingturned out to be homegrown.

This week, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Officereported 266 looting arrests since Aug. 29.
Thatincluded 110 residents of the parish’s East Bank, 111from the West Bank and three from out of state. Theremaining 42 – about 16 percent of the total – werefrom New Orleans, said sheriff’s spokesman Col. JohnFortunato.

Lawson said few, if any, of the 50 people arrested forlooting in Gretna came from other jurisdictions.

“We were not herding criminals, for God’s sake,” saidNew Orleans Councilwoman Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson,referring to the city’s attempt to march people acrossthe Crescent City Connection on foot after evacuationbuses were delayed. “We were sending poor, honest,distressed people who should have been picked up 48hours earlier.”

But both Lawson and Munch attributed the low numbersof New Orleans looters to locking down their cities.”The sh– got deep when all those people were comingthrough on that Wednesday and Thursday,” Munch said.”If you wasn’t here, shut your mouth, because youdon’t know.”
In Plaquemines Parish, Sheriff Jiff Hingle said he wasforced to turn back the school bus convoy headed forthe Naval Air Station because the evacuees “would havebecome our problem.”

“All they were going to do was end up destroying mycommunity,” he said. “I feel very, very sorry forthem. But they would put such a burden on us that wewould collapse.”

John Pine, director of the disaster science andmanagement program at Louisiana State University, saidthe actions on the West Bank underscore howill-prepared the entire region was for the disaster.

“People are raising a lot of questions about race andclass discrimination,” he said. “In the law, there’stwo forms of discrimination: One is intentional. Oneis
unintentional.

“I look at this situation and see it’s not so much theintent of the decision-makers. It just worked out thatway.”

But Pine added that the images played out in the media– poor minorities struggling to survive in the face offloodwaters and hostility from their neighbors – haveleft a mark that will be hard to erase.

“Our state is embarrassed,” Pine said.

8) From last week’s NOLA.com articles:

Predictions of bigger, better New Orleans may be onlyhalf right
Nagin foresees dramatic decrease in population
Officials put priority on letting residents back in
By Robert Travis Scott
Capital bureau

BATON ROUGE – Mayor Ray Nagin said Wednesday heforesees the New Orleans of the near future as a cityof about 250,000 people, about half its populationbefore Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in lateAugust.

As Nagin addressed questions from elected officialsand the public at a meeting in the state Capitol, hedefended his policies to allow citizens limited accessto re-enter the city in the short term and to rebuildNew Orleans in the long term.

“We are going to lose a significant portion of ourpopulation” in the next 12 to 18 months, he said,partly because the city’s infrastructure will not beable to handle more. After establishing a populationof about a quarter of a million, “then we’ll buildfrom there,” Nagin said.

“Let’s start to dream about where we can bepost-Katrina,” he said.

The city plans to hold meetings in cities where manyNew Orleans residents sou
ght refuge “so the entirecommunity will have a say in the new New Orleans,”Nagin said.

The mayor said he still plans to name task force todirect the rebuilding of the city. It will have about17 people on an executive committee, plus othercommittees with racial and ethnic segments of thecity’s population represented. The design of the taskforce is not final, he said, “but I think you’re goingto be happy at the end of the day.”

The city’s priorities are continued rescue efforts,followed by more evacuations, picking up the deceasedand clearing debris, Nagin said. The next priority isto set a schedule for people to re-enter the city sothey can check on their homes, he said.

Several elected officials urged Nagin to move quicklyto let people back into city, even if temporarily.

“People just need to get those little pieces of theirlives they can hold onto,” said state Rep. PeppiBruneau, R-New Orleans.
New Orleans City Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewiscalled for
a comprehensive timeline of re-entry plansfor all of the city’s neighborhoods. Her request wascouched in a statement that she wants to see theentire city rebuilt, and wants a commitment from Naginthat the city would not set a plan to repopulate onlycertain ZIP codes.

Nagin warned that, if people come back to the city tostay, they should know that hospital facilities arewell below the normal standard and that sewer serviceis faulty. “Our levee systems are beaten down,” Naginadded, pointing to the potential for more flooding iffurther rain stresses the water barricades.

“Make sure you are a very mobile person” if you cometo New Orleans, Nagin said.

Nagin last week identified several ZIP codes whereresidents could re-enter the city in a phased scheduleover several days, but he pulled back from that planwhen Hurricane Rita became a threat to the region.

The mayor said he has heard concerns aboutgentrification and that the targeted areas forre-entry tend to favor a repopulation of the city bywhite residents.

Those initial re-entry areas were targeted becausethey are dry, Nagin said. Collectively, 55 percent ofthe population in those ZIP codes is black, 42 percentwhite and the rest Hispanic, he said.

When Rita moves out of the way, the re-entry willstart again on an expedited basis, Nagin said.
Nagin is concerned about people getting hurt in theunsafe conditions, especially in demolishedneighborhoods.

“I struggle with, ‘Are we moving too soon? Are wemoving too slow?’ ” Nagin said. “You guys are pushingme in an area I don’t want to go. I don’t want to loseanother person.”

The entire City Council and nearly all the statelawmakers representing New Orleans attended themeeting.

9) Ms. Noonan here demonstrates the split now emerging within Republican ranks. All I can do, besides gloat, is simply ask why none of them have not simply offered to transfer the funds currently being poured into the corporate corruption of Iraq into Katrina relief? It’s a more or less one-for-one trade, and not one Republican politician has yet pointed out this obvious solution:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110007291

PEGGY NOONAN
‘Whatever It Takes’ Is Bush’s big spending a bridge to nowhere?
Thursday, September 22, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT

George W. Bush, after five years in the presidency, does not intend to get sucker-punched by the Democrats over race and poverty. That was the driving force behind his Katrina speech last week. He is not going to play the part of the cranky accountant–“But where’s the money going to come from?”–while the Democrats, in the middle of a national tragedy, swan around saying “Republicans don’t care about black people,” and “They’re always tightwads with the poor.”
In his Katrina policy the president is telling Democrats, “You can’t possibly outspend me. Go ahead, try. By the time this is over Dennis Kucinich will be crying uncle, Bernie Sanders will be screaming about pork.”

That’s what’s behind Mr. Bush’s huge, comforting and boondogglish plan to spend $200 billion or $100 billion or whatever–“whatever it takes”–on Katrina’s aftermath. And, I suppose, tomorrow’s hurricane aftermath.

George W. Bush is a big spender. He has never vetoed a spending bill. When Congress serves up a big slab of fat, crackling pork, Mr. Bush responds with one big question: Got any barbecue sauce? The great Bush spending spree is about an arguably shrewd but ultimately unhelpful reading of history, domestic politics, Iraq and, I believe, vanity.

This, I believe, is the administration’s shrewd if unhelpful reading of history: In a 50-50 nation, people expect and accept high spending. They don’t like partisan bickering, there’s nothing to gain by arguing around the edges, and arguing around the edges of spending bills is all we get to do anymore. The administration believes there’s nothing in it for the Republicans to run around whining about cost. We will spend a lot and the Democrats will spend a lot. But the White House is more competent and will not raise taxes, so they believe Republicans win on this one in the long term.

Domestic politics: The administration believes it is time for the Republican Party to prove to the minority groups of the United States, and to those under stress, that the Republicans are their party, and not the enemy. The Democrats talk a good game, but Republicans deliver, and we know the facts. A lot of American families are broken, single mothers bringing up kids without a father come to see the government as the guy who’ll help. It’s right to help and we don’t lose by helping.

Iraq: Mr. Bush decided long ago–I suspect on Sept. 12, 2001–that he would allow no secondary or tertiary issue to get in the way of the national unity needed to forge the war on terror. So no fighting with Congress over who put the pork in the pan. Cook it, eat it, go on to face the world arm in arm.

As for vanity, the president’s aides sometimes seem to see themselves as The New Conservatives, a brave band of brothers who care about the poor, unlike those nasty, crabbed, cheapskate conservatives of an older, less enlightened era.

Republicans have grown alarmed at federal spending. It has come to a head not only beca
use of Katrina but because of the huge pork-filled highway bill the president signed last month, which comes with its own poster child for bad behavior, the Bridge to Nowhere. The famous bridge in Alaska that costs $223 million and that connects one little place with two penguins and a bear with another little place with two bears and a penguin. The Bridge to Nowhere sounds, to conservative ears, like a metaphor for where endless careless spending leaves you. From the Bridge to the 21st Century to the Bridge to Nowhere: It doesn’t feel like progress.

A lot of Bush supporters assumed the president would get serious about spending in his second term. With the highway bill he showed we misread his intentions.

The administration, in answering charges of profligate spending, has taken, interestingly, to slighting old conservative hero Ronald Reagan. This week it was the e-mail of a high White House aide informing us that Ronald Reagan spent tons of money bailing out the banks in the savings-and-loan scandal. This was startling information to Reaganites who remembered it was a fellow named George H.W. Bush who did that. Last month it was the president who blandly seemed to suggest that Reagan cut and ran after the attack on the Marine barracks in Lebanon.
Poor Reagan. If only he’d been strong he could have been a good president.

Before that, Mr. Mehlman was knocking previous generations of Republican leaders who just weren’t as progressive as George W. Bush on race relations. I’m sure the administration would think to criticize the leadership of Bill Clinton if they weren’t so busy having jolly mind-melds with him on Katrina relief. Mr. Clinton, on the other hand, is using his new closeness with the administration to add an edge of authority to his slams on Bush. That’s a pol who knows how to do it.

At any rate, Republican officials start diminishing Ronald Reagan, it is a bad sign about where they are psychologically. In the White House of George H.W. Bush they called the Reagan administration “the pre-Bush era.” See where it got them.

Sometimes I think the Bush White House needs to be told: It’s good to be a revolutionary. But do you guys really need to be opening up endless new fronts? Do you need–metaphor switch–seven or eight big pots boiling on the stove all at the same time? You think the kitchen and the house might get a little too hot that way?

The Republican (as opposed to conservative) default position when faced with criticism of the Bush administration is: But Kerry would have been worse! The Democrats are worse! All too true. The Democrats right now remind me of what the veteran political strategist David Garth told me about politicians. He was a veteran of many campaigns and many campaigners. I asked him if most or many of the politicians he’d worked with had serious and defining political beliefs. David thought for a moment and then said, “Most of them started with philosophy. But they wound up with hunger.” That’s how the Democrats seem to me these days: unorganized people who don’t know what they stand for but want to win, because winning’s pleasurable and profitable.

But saying The Bush administration is a lot better than having Democrats in there is not an answer to criticism, it’s a way to squelch it. Which is another Bridge to Nowhere.

Mr. Bush started spending after 9/11. Again, anything to avoid a second level fight that distracts from the primary fight, the war on terror. That is, Mr. Bush had his reasons. They were not foolish. At the time they seemed smart. But four years later it is hard for a conservative not to protest. Some big mistakes have been made.

First and foremost Mr. Bush has abandoned all rhetorical ground. He never even speaks of high spending. He doesn’t argue against it, and he doesn’t make the moral case against it. When forced to spend, Reagan didn’t like it, and he said so. He also tried to cut. Mr. Bush seems to like it and doesn’t try to cut. He doesn’t warn that endless high spending can leave a nation tapped out and future generations hemmed in. In abandoning this ground Bush has abandoned a great deal–including a primary argument of conservatism and a primary reason for voting Republican. And who will fill this rhetorical vacuum? Hillary Clinton. She knows an opening when she sees one, and knows her base won’t believe her when she decries waste.

Second, Mr. Bush seems not to be noticing that once government spending reaches a new high level it is very hard to get it down, even a little, ever. So a decision to raise spending now is in effect a decision to raise spending forever.

Third, Mr. Bush seems not to be operating as if he knows the difficulties–the impossibility, really–of spending wisely from the federal level. Here is a secret we all should know: It is really not possible for a big federal government based in Washington to spend completely wisely, constructively and helpfully, and with a sense of personal responsibility. What is possible is to write the check. After that? In New Jersey they took federal Homeland Security funds and bought garbage trucks. FEMA was a hack-stack.

The one time a Homeland Security Department official spoke to me about that crucial new agency’s efforts, she talked mostly about a memoir she was writing about a selfless HS official who tries to balance the demands of motherhood against the needs of a great nation. When she finally asked for advice on homeland security, I told her that her department’s Web page is nothing but an advertisement for how great the department is, and since some people might actually turn to the site for help if their city is nuked it might be nice to offer survival hints. She took notes and nodded. It alarmed me that they needed to be told the obvious. But it didn’t surprise me.

Of the $100 billion that may be spent on New Orleans, let’s be serious. We love Louisiana and feel for Louisiana, but we all know what Louisiana is, a very human state with rather particular flaws. As Huey Long once said, “Some day Louisiana will have honest government, and they won’t like it.” We all know this, yes? Louisiana has many traditions, and one is a rich and unvaried culture of corruption. How much of the $100 billion coming its way is going to fall off the table? Half? OK, let’s not get carried away. More than half.
Town spending tends to be more effective than county spending. Count
y spending tends–tends–to be more efficacious than state spending. State spending tends to be more constructive than federal spending. This is how life works. The area closest to where the buck came from is most likely to be more careful with the buck. This is part of the reason conservatives are so disturbed by the gushing federal spigot.

Money is power. More money for the federal government and used by the federal government is more power for the federal government. Is this good? Is this what energy in the executive is–“Here’s a check”? Are the philosophical differences between the two major parties coming down, in terms of spending, to “Who’s your daddy? He’s not your daddy, I’m your daddy.” Do we want this? Do our kids? Is it safe? Is it, in its own way, a national security issue?

At a conservative gathering this summer the talk turned to high spending. An intelligent young journalist observed that we shouldn’t be surprised at Mr. Bush’s spending, he ran from the beginning as a “compassionate conservative.” The journalist noted that he’d never liked that phrase, that most conservatives he knew had disliked it, and I agreed. But conservatives understood Mr. Bush’s thinking: they knew he was trying to signal to those voters who did not assume that conservatism held within it sympathy and regard for human beings, in fact springs from that sympathy and regard.

But conservatives also understood “compassionate conservatism” to be a form of the philosophy that is serious about the higher effectiveness of faith-based approaches to healing poverty–you spend prudently not to
maintain the status quo, and not to avoid criticism, but to actually make things better. It meant an active and engaged interest in poverty and its pathologies. It meant a new way of doing old business.

I never understood compassionate conservatism to mean, and I don’t know anyone who understood it to mean, a return to the pork-laden legislation of the 1970s. We did not understand it to mean never vetoing a spending bill. We did not understand it to mean a historic level of spending. We did not understand it to be a step back toward old ways that were bad ways.

I for one feel we need to go back to conservatism 101. We can start with a quote from Gerald Ford, if he isn’t too much of a crabbed and reactionary old Republican to quote. He said, “A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.”

The administration knows that Republicans are becoming alarmed. Its attitude is: “We’re having some trouble with part of the base but”–smile–“we can weather that.”

Well, they probably can, short term.

Long term, they’ve had bad history with weather. It can change.

Here are some questions for conservative and Republicans. In answering them, they will be defining their future party.

If we are going to spend like the romantics and operators of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society;
If we are going to thereby change the very meaning and nature of conservatism;
If we are going to increase spending and the debt every year;
If we are going to become a movement that supports big government and a party whose unspoken motto is “Whatever it takes”;

If all these things, shouldn’t we perhaps at least discuss it? Shouldn’t we be talking about it?

Shouldn’t our senators, congressmen and governors who wish to lead in the future come forward to take a stand?

And shouldn’t the Bush administration seriously address these questions, share more of their thinking, assumptions and philosophy?

It is possible that political history will show, in time, that those who worried about spending in 2005 were dinosaurs. If we are, we are. But we shouldn’t become extinct without a roar.

10) Here’s a posting from a USG employee. Even though I could agree with some of these cuts, I wonder why we don’t just pull out of Iraq and save ourselves 4-5 times as much as these proposed cuts:

Got this info from the Kaiser Daily Health Policy report. Note second item:
“Programs that may be cut, shrunk
A group of conservative Republicans led by Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana proposed a variety of spending cuts to pay for hurricane relief efforts along the Gulf Coast. A sample:
Proposal savings 2006
Daily Medicare prescription drug benefit $30.8 billion
Reduce funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention $1.8 billion
Restrict first-responder grants that help local governments prepare for terrorism $630 million
Eliminate funding for Corporation for Public Broadcasting $400 million
Eliminate funding for National Endowment for the Humanities $143 million
Charge federal employees for parking $140 million
Freeze payments for U.N. peacekeeping operations $93 million
Eliminate funding for clean coal technology $50 million
Close elementary, secondary schools in U.S. operated by the Pentagon $18 million
Decline pay raise for members of Congress $1 million
Source: House Republican Study Committee”

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-09-21-katrina-spending-cuts_x.htm

Completely eliminating funding for PBS, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the UN, and clean energy sources……hm…..is it just me, or is there a pattern here? Also notice that allowing the repeal of the estate tax to expire, which would bring in an additional $10 billion a year, doesn’t even get mentioned.

11) Here’s an article rewriting Bush’s speech 10 days ago about Katrina reconstruction. Yup, pretty much sums it up:

Liar, Liar, By Jason Miller 9-17-5

If George Bush had encountered the same fate as Jim Carrey,s character in the movie Liar Liar, and had been rendered incapable of lying, America would not have been subjected to thirty minutes of manipulative propaganda on 9/15. Compelled to tell the truth, Bush’s oration would have captured the reality of the situation in New Orleans, and of life for the poor and working class in an America dominated by a wealthy aristocracy:

8:02 P.M. CDTHE PRESIDENT:

Good evening. It is a very good evening for me. I am still an obscenely wealthy and powerful autocratic leader of a nation of sheeple who falsely believe they are free. While I am surrounded by misery and suffering, I make this presentation of shameless propaganda from a comfortable, beautiful stage set while surrounded by an entourage of thugswho assure my safety. I am speaking to you from what is left of the city of New Orleans, a gem of an American city which was gutted by a powerful forceof nature, and by the insidious social experiment undertaken by my malevolent administration. Millions of lives were destroyed by a cruel and wasteful storm, and by a cruel and wasteful federal government over which I zealously preside. In the aftermath of Katrina, the haves of this nation have gleefully watched the have-nots dispersed to the four corners of this great nation.

As the victims search for loved ones and grieve for the dead, America’s attention is diverted from my nomination of a Supreme Court Justice who will strengthen the tyranny I have created, Karl Rove’s criminal behavior, and my administration’s numerous war crimes related to Iraq. The lies and exaggerations of my media lap-dogs have persuaded many Americans that blacks are undisciplined animals who live off of government hand-outs, feeding my agenda to end social welfare programs and perpetuating the lucrative prison-industrial complex. With their persistent cries for civil rights, blacks have been a thorn in the side of the American aristocracy long enough. These days of joy and elation for me and my base have been marred by acts of courage and kindness by members of the Coast Guard, who rescued tens ofthousands of the undesirables in New Orleans. Rest assured that my administration will deal with them accordingly.

I have met first responders who performed their duties in spite of their own suffering. Steve Scott of the Biloxi Fire Department aided in rescue efforts despite having lost his house and car. For his obstruction of the purge of undesirables, I will see to it that he loses more than just his physical possessions. Across the Gulf Coast, the people whose suffering I facilitated are showing a spirit and a faith in God which not even I could crush. However, there isa powerful determination amongst corporations, contractors, and entrepreneurs to take what is left of these battered areas and utilize them for personal financial gain. Like me, they have no compassion or humility. Our relentless bid for wealth and power will eventually break the backs of the downtrodden. To the victims of the hurricane dispelled far and wide, I send you this message. Many soft, weak people I call “liberals” care about you. In contrast, my base of the obscenely wealthy and I are relishing your misery. We are salivating at the opportunities to expand our wealth by rebuilding your city with you out of our way. The Crescent City will rise again, and as it does, so will the balances in our bank accounts. The National Guard and our hired thugs from Blackwater have nearly completed the task of quelling the New Orleans insurgency. Those thugs who were stealing food to survive or staying
in their homes to protect their meager possessions have nearly been suppressed. Let the scenes of armed militia battering down doors of private homes be a lesson to you otherpotential dissidents across this great nation. As we have restored “law and order” to New Orleans and have scattered the “evacuees” to the wind, we have taken care of the truly important business.

With that mass of worthless humanity out of our way, we have resumed trade in the Port of New Orleans, restored the flow of precious gasoline thatensures profits for me and my cronies in the oil industry, and have repaired the levees to prepare for the impending land grab by wealthy business owners. What I want you to believe is that our first commitment is to meet the immediate needs of the refugees. To help convince you of my concern forthem, I have even started calling them evacuees rather than refugees. However, the reality is that the aid the federal government is offering to the evacuees is window dressing to maintain the facade that we still live in a democracy that is “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. After days of inaction on my part, Karl Rove reminded me that if we didn’t throw the poor some scraps, we could be looking at civil unrest and rioting across the nation. For assistance, please call this number: 1-877-EAT CAKE. To ensure that Americans believe we are helping the evacuees, but more importantly to start the rebuilding efforts, I have ordered $60 billion in aid. My friends in Congress gave me their usual rubber stamp. Know that this administration has been so generous with your tax dollars because the money will be flowing into the pockets of our friends at Shaw Contracting, Halliburton, and Bechtel National. I have ensured that their profits will be further enhanced by suspending that vexatious Davis-Bacon Act. Forget the damage caused by Katrina. The real tragedy would be if my friends were obligated to pay America’s working people reasonable wages, thereby cutting into their disaster profiteering. Our second commitment, and our true agenda, is to rebuild the Gulf Coast. We will not rest until Trent Lott and I are able to share a drink on the front porch of his newly rebuilt home. Many of the 250,000 uninhabitable homes in New Orleans will be bull-dozed to make way for developments to benefit corporations and the wealthy. While we are orchestrating the theft of their homes, we will implement programs to ensure that the poor, black former denizens of New Orleans are permanently relocated to slums and decaying urban cores of other major cities in the US. The federal government will be heavily involved in the rebuilding process. I want my people to have ultimate authority to guarantee that my people prosper from this calamity. Many of the same contractors who were awarded large sums to rebuild the infrastructure in Iraq, and have bilked America’s taxpayers of billions of dollars, will get the same opportunity here in New Orleans. We will see to it that the city of New Orleans changes its zoninglaws, to prevent the re-emergence of the disgusting “jungles populated by poor black “animals which existed before Katrina. I pledge a third commitment: The communities that we rebuild will be better than those before the disaster. We have already eliminated the persistentpoverty and racial discrimination prevalent in this region by evacuating the residents to various cities across the nation. Once this region is rebuilt, there will be a multitude of new businesses, including some token minority-owned businesses to pacify the black community. When houses are rebuilt, most of the residents will be white so they can own and not rent. In keeping with our emphasis on businesses and profit over humanity, I am proposing a Gulf Opportunity Zone in areas touched by the disaster. This program will further the interests of entrepreneurs and business people, and move our nation closer to the raw capitalism that is so near and dear to my heart. The Zone will grant loans and tax incentives to businesspeople so they can begin prospering again while the poor continue to suffer. I want you to believe that entrepreneurship breaks the cycle of poverty, but the reality is that without a reasonable degree of government regulation, it perpetuates impoverishment by keeping money in the hands of entrepreneurs who pay meager wages and offer limited benefits to theiremployees. I am also proposing Worker Recovery Accounts to help evacuees find work. This will provide accounts of up to $5000.00 from which evacuees can draw for education, job training and child care as they search for work. I want assurances that the poor who are receiving federal assistance are not using the money to buy crack, and this program will weed out the “trash” of our society. The Urban Homesteading Act, another of my programs I will submit for automatic endorsement by a Congress which is dominated by members of my wealthy base will take the property in the region which the federalgovernment will appropriate from its rightful owners and create a lottery for low-income individuals. Lottery winners will receive a plot of land on which they will be required to build a home. My friends in the mortgage industry will reap the windfalls of providing the financing. Those lottery winners whose credit is too weak to qualify for a loan from my friends will have to rely on Habitat for Humanity to build their homes. If that does not work out, Wal-Mart sells some very affordable tents. New Orleans presents a unique challenge. It is a city built below sea level. Now that we have expelled the scourges of humanity, my Army Corps of Engineers will make the levees bigger and better. I will spare no expense ensuring that my friends’ investments are protected from future Katrinas. We have witnessed armies of compassion as Americans have given generously to mitigate the plight of the suffering in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf Region. Because I remained on vacation and FEMA acted with gross ineptitude, the burden to aid the storm victims initially fell upon private charities, organizations like the Red Cross, individual Americans, and religious organizations. This is “compassionate conservatism” in action, and I am delighted to see it working so well. I want you to know that my administration will capitalize upon this disaster, much like we did with the 9/11 tragedy. I have already apprised you of the $60 billion which will flow into the coffers of companies with ties to members of my administration and their friends. The financial windfall will be wonderful, but the true benefit lies in the opportunity to expand our power. I realize that like the WTC catastrophe, the cataclysm in New Orleans has left Americans feeling fearful and insecure. We will prey on this trepidation to broaden executive powers and sweep away the remaining semblance of a republic in America. America, Big Brother is there for you. Above all, remember: It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces—the institution of our government most capable of massive logistical operations on a moment’s notice. While I realize that Americans expect a more effective response from the federal government when a disaster of this magnitude happens, they need to realize that under my New American Century, domestic programs like FEMA have been rendered impotent. The military is the essence of our government. The US military budget, including money for its ancillary departments, is over $600 billion per year. This siphons money away from domestic, humanitarian programs like emergency response, education, and health care. But the good news is that the rich who have high stakes in entities like the Carlyle Group get richer as a result. Besides, my delayed and feeble response in New Orleans enabled the Gulf Region to rid itself of many of its criminal, useless inhabitants. Congress is preparing an investigation of the situation in New Orleans. However, the results will be similar to the probes into 9/11 and Abu Gharib. My administration will see to it that no evidence of ourculpa
bility comes to light, and if perpetrators are punished, they will be lower echelon scapegoats. The trials in the Gulf Coast remind Americans of their strength, as they struggle against the forces of nature, and against the corruption and criminal acts of my administration. These challenges also remind them that the poor and working class are bound together, and that despair touches all of them. Meanwhile my rich friends and I raise glasses of outrageously expensive champagne to toast the new opportunities for enrichment and empowerment. Because my rich, sheltered existence makes it impossible to empathize, I cannot tell you that I understand what you are feeling while you are sitting on the porch where your home once stood or lying on a cot in an over-crowded government internment center. I can say that I doubt that you can imagine a bright future, but rest assured it will come for some of us. My friends and I will prosper at your expense. Before Katrina and I joined forces to destroy it, New Orleans had a custom for funerals for jazz musicians. Following the funeral procession, a band would play a sorrowful dirge. After the coffin was laid to rest, the band would break into a joyful tune to celebrate the soul’s victory over death. No such joyous music will emerge from our new New Orleans. My friends and I will erect a hollow, soulless shrine to the avarice and excesses of capitalism. This I promise you. Thank you, and may God continue to bless the wealthy of America.

Jason Miller is a 38 year old activist writer with a degree in liberal arts. He works in the transportation industry, and is a husband and afather to three boys. His affiliations include Amnesty International, the ACLU and the Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Hewelcomes responses at willpowerful@hotmail.com or comments on his blog at http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/.

12) Some of this seems pretty transparent — waiveDavis-Bacon for the regional workers’ sake, and ensureno-bid contracts for the national Friends of George’sshareholders’ stake. Good thing he’s got the Katrinavictims’ interests at heart (as in the previous posting):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1575392,00.html

Hurricane aid used ‘to test out rightwing socialpolicies’

Julian Borger in Washington
Thursday September 22, 2005
The Guardian

President Bush’s multi-billion dollar reconstructionplans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina are being usedas “a vast laboratory” for conservative socialpolices, administration critics claim.
The White House strategy involves the suspension of aseries of regulations guaranteeing the going localwage and affirmative action for minorities, whileoffering tax incentives for businesses in the affectedregion.

Education aid for displaced children will include$500m (£276m) in vouchers for private schools, while asenior Republican has also proposed a new lawpermitting a wide-ranging waiver of environmentalregulations.

The White House has argued that the deregulationmeasures are designed to disentangle the relief effortfrom federal red tape. But Democrats are furious atthe proposals. They view them as an attempt to slipthrough unpopular policies under cover of the wave ofsympathy for Katrina’s victims. “The plan they’redesigning for the Gulf coast turns the region into avast laboratory for rightwing ideologicalexperiments,” said John Kerry, the party’s defeated2004 presidential candidate.

Conservative commentators see the measures as anopportunity to reverse federal entitlement programmesdating back to Franklin Roosevelt’s that they argueingrain poverty by encouraging dependency on thegovernment. “The objection to these Bush proposalsisn’t fiscal, but philosophical,” Rich Lowry, aneditor on the National Review magazine, wrote. “Theyserve to undermine the principle of governmentdependency that underpins the contemporary welfarestate, and to which liberals are utterly devoted.”
The focus of Democratic opposition is the White Housedecision to suspend the 1931 Davis-Bacon act, whichrequires firms working under government contract topay locally “prevailing wages” to workers.

Critics argue that the law’s suspension will mostlybenefit big corporations such as Dick Cheney’s formeremployer, Halliburton, at the expense of the localpoor who need a decent wage more than ever.

Claude Allen, the president’s domestic policy adviser,argued that the deregulation measures would help localpeople by making it easier for small businesses tocompete for contracts.
“The purpose of the waiver of Davis-Bacon and otherregulations was to remove red tape so that we couldget at more small businesses, medium-size businessesthat do not currently contract with the federalgovernment, to get them involved in this activity,” MrAllen told journalists.

13) Although this analysis strikes me as extreme (as well as dated — it came last Thursday, and all of the short term predictions didn’t come true), some of the trends pointed to seem accurate enough:

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/092105_rita_storm.shtml

RITA: Storm May Be the Coup de Grace for the American Economy and Many of Us As Well
by Michael C. Ruppert

© Copyright 2005, From The Wilderness Publications,www.fromthewilderness.com. All Rights Reserved. May be reprinted, distributed or posted on an Internet web site for non-profit purposes only.

September 21st, 2005 1530 PST (FTW) – As I pack my bags to head to Washington for Congressional Black Caucus hearings on the September 11th attacks (to be conducted this Friday and Saturday) my inbox isbeing progressively flooded with emails from inside sources in the energy industry about what Hurricane Rita is now likely to accomplish – the near-complete destruction of an already teetering US economy.

Fully 30% of all US refining capacity is in the target zone. Perhaps most importantly, almost every refinery capable of producing diesel fuel is in immediate danger. This promises (especially in the wake of Katrina) a devastating and irreplaceable shortage of the diesel fuel needed to power America’s harvest of grain and food crops this month and next. Without diesel fuel to power the harvesters and combines, crops may be left to rot in the ground presenting a double whammy: food shortages (with prices that may treble or quadruple) and exportdefaults negatively impacting the financial markets and trade deficit.

Even before Rita strikes, fully 30% of all domestic natural gas production is shut in. The US cannot import natural gas from overseas like it can both crude and refined products. Repair work on infrastructure damaged by Katrina has been halted as crews have been evacuated. The remaining half of Gulf energy production undamaged by Katrina is directly in Rita’s crosshairs. Natural gas prices are up over 110% and home heating oil futures are up almost 70% before Rita even gets here. Since Katrina, US domestic oil production is down one million barrels per day (from 5Mbpd to 4 Mbpd). We were producing 9Mbpd less than a decade ago.

Peak Oil has made replacement of losses almost impossible even as Saudi heavy-sour is bei
ng spurned as useless around the world, even with discounts of up to $10 and $12 per barrel.
A Bloomberg article today contains a quotation from a Wall Street energy expert as saying, “`Rita is developing into our worst-case scenario,’ said John Kilduff, vice president of risk management at Fimat USA in New York. `This is headed right into our other major refining center just after all the damage done to facilities in Louisiana. From an energy perspective it doesn’t get an
y worse than this.'”

The Chairman of Valero Energy agrees with the Bloomberg assessment calling Rita a potentially national disaster. His opinion is important because Valero operates more refineries in the US than anyother company.
CNN is now predicting $5 per gallon gasoline and this will not likely go away with market manipulations. We had not yet experienced the permanent spikes resulting from Katrina, and the emergency reservesof the United States’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the International Energy Agency have already been tapped once and not refilled.

The South Texas Project nuclear plant – one of the largest in the country – is being completely shut down in preparation for Rita’s landfall. It is only 12 miles from the Texas coast and almost dead center in the hurricane’s projected path. Texas has its own power grid but catastrophic electricity shortages could easily ripple throughout the country in a short time. Electricity lost from that facility will only be added to what is lost from other facilities powered by now critically short supplies of natural gas.

For those of you who expect FEMA to behave any differently in Texas than it did in New Orleans you are in for a crude awakening. FEMA will do what it must now do to preserve even a functioning part of America’s governing and economic infrastructure. Saving lives will be one of the least important functions in its mandate. While I had serious doubts about America’s ability to recover from Katrina, I am certain that – barring divine intervention – the United States is finished; not only as a superpower, but possibly even as a single, unified nation with the arrival of Hurricane Rita.

14) Bush sells Louisiana back to France (would that it were so):

BATON ROUGE, LA. – The White House announcedtoday that President Bush has successfully sold thestate of Louisiana back to the French at more thandouble its original selling price of $11,250,000. “This is a bold step forward for America,”said Bush. “And America will be stronger and betteras a result. I stand here today in unity with FrenchPrime Minister Jack Chirac, who was so kind toaccept my offer of Louisiana in exchange for 25million dollars cash.” The state, ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, willcost hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild. “Jack understands full well that this one’s a’fixer upper,'” said Bush. “He and the French peopleare quite prepared to pump out all that water, andmake Louisiana a decent place to live again. Andthey’ve got a lot of work to do. But Jack’s assuredme, if it’s not right, they’re going to fix it.” The move has been met with incredulity fromthe beleaguered residents of Louisiana. “Shuba-pie!” said New Orleans resident WillisBabineaux. “Frafer-perly yum kom drabby sham!” However, President Bush’s decision has beenwidely lauded! by Republicans. “This is an unexpected but brilliant move bythe President,” said Senate Majority Leader BillFrist. “Instead of spending billions and billions,and billions of dollars rebuilding the state ofLouisiana, we’ve just made 25 million dollars inpure profit.” “This is indeed a smart move,” commented FoxNews analyst Brit Hume. “Not only have we stoppedthe flooding in our own budget, we’ve made money onthe deal.

The money gained from ‘The Louisiana Refund’is expected to be immediately pumped into therebuilding of Iraq.

15) An analysis of TWC [The Weather Channel]:

http://www.monkeycube.com/article-5

16) Katrina reconstruction as anti-immigrant platform:

Dealing with Katrina Sept. 21, 2005
by Phyllis Schlafly

Katrina has displaced hundreds of thousands of Americans who now need food, housing, and cash. Relief for those necessities will have to be temporary and it will be many months before they can return to New Orleans, if ever, so what they need most of all is jobs.

Our government should act immediately to put these displaced Americans in the jobs now held by illegal aliens. Some 10 million illegal aliens are now working in our country, so there is no excuse for not replacing a million of them with unemployed American citizens.

President Bush should announce an immediate crackdown on employers of illegals and set up a hiring database to match up the unemployed with jobs.

Remember how Bush was talking glibly about inviting “willing workers” to come here from other countries? We should give affirmative-action preference to willing workers from Louisiana and Mississippi.
Meanwhile, the Senate voted $10 billion and then ano
ther $50 billion for hurricane relief, and that’s all deficit spending. Why not take that money out of foreign aid handouts since we have an obligation to help our own first?
Our guide for dealing with the Katrina disaster should be Dr. Bo
oker T. Washington’s speech at the Atlanta Exposition in 1895. Known as one of the most memorable and influential speeches in American history, it is just as timely today as when it was given.
Dr. Washington started by telling the story of a ship lost at sea for many d
ays. When it sighted a friendly vessel, it sent a desperate signal from its mast: “Water, water; we die of thirst!” The friendly vessel signaled back, “Cast down your bucket where you are.”

The lost ship signaled again, “Water, water; send us water!” Again the friendly ship sent the message, “Cast down your bucket where you are.”
After a third and fourth such exchange, the captain of the distressed vessel finally heeded the injunction and cast down his bucket. It came up full of fresh, sparking water from the mouth of the Amazon River.

Dr. Washington then admonished members of his own race to cast down their buckets “in agriculture, mechanics, in commerce, in domestic service, and in the professions.” He cautioned that “in the great leap from slavery to freedom we may overlook the fact that the masses of us are to live by the productions of our hands.”

“We shall prosper in proportion as we learn to dignify and glorify common labor and put brains and skill into the common occupations of life,” he said. “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.”

“It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities.”

Booker T. Washington then gave a stern message “to those of the white race who look to the incoming of those of foreign birth and strange tongue and habits for the prosperity of the South. . . . Cast down your bucket among these people who have, without strikes and labor wars, tilled your fields, cleared your forests, built your railroads and cities, and brought forth treasures from the bowels of the earth.”

Continuing, Dr. Washington said: “As we have proved our loyalty to you in the past, in nursing your children, watching by the sick-bed of your mothers and fathers, and often following them with tear-dimmed eyes to their graves, so in the future, in our humble way, we shall stand by you with a devotion that no foreigner can approach, ready to lay down our lives, if need be, in defense of yours.”

Ever so practical, Dr. Washington counseled that “progress in the enjoyment of all the privileges that will come to us must be the result of severe and constant struggle rather than of artificial forcing. . . . The opportunity to earn a dollar in a factory just now is worth infinitely more than the opportunity to spend a dollar in an opera-house.”

Booker T. Washington had a dream of bringing “our beloved South a new heaven and a new earth.” He called for “that higher good that, let us pray God, will come in a blotting out of sectional differences and racial animosities and suspicions, in determination to administer absolute justice, in a willing obedience among all classes to the mandates of law.”

Dr. Washington’s speech wowed his a
udience and was widely reprinted in newspapers all over the country. A faraway Boston newspaper editorialized that “the sensation that it has caused in the press has never been equaled.”

President Bush, stop looking for “willing workers” from other countries. Cast down your bucket in America and guide these displaced Americans to jobs now held by those who have no right to be in our country.

Eagle Forumwww.eagleforum.orgPO Box 618 Alton, IL 62002
Phone: 618-462-5415 Fax: 618-462-8909 E-mail: eagle@eagleforum.org

1) Katrina Oral History Website:

http://www.aliveintruth.org/a_pages/oral_histories.htm

2) More FEMA Follies:

http://ksdk.com/news/us_world_article.aspx?storyid=85020

FEMA Sends Trucks Full Of Ice For Katrina Victims To Maine
9/19/2005 8:31:47 PM

The trucks started arriving this weekend, and they’re expected to keep coming through Sunday.

City officials say they have no idea why the trucks are here, only that the city has been asked to help out with traffic problems. But the truck drivers NEWSCENTER spoke to said they went all the way down to the gulf coast with the ice — stayed for a few days — and then were told by FEMA they needed to drive to Maine to store it.

The truck drivers, who are from all over the country, tell us they were subcontracted by FEMA.They started arriving over the weekend, and city spokesperson Peter Dewitt says as many as 200 trucks could come to the city by the end of the week.

The trucks are storing the ice at Americold, a company with a warehouse on Read Street in Portland. People who live nearby say all the traffic has been baffling them for days.

The trucks can only unload 4 at a time — so the city is allowing some of them to sit at the International Marine Terminal and at the Jetport’s satellite parking lot.

No one NEWSCENTER talked to has any idea when, or even if the ice will go back to the gulf coast.
WCSH/WLBZ

3) Er, buy one and kill two birds with one stone?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050917/od_afp/usweather_050917193020

Breast-flashing video proceeds donated to Katrina victims
Sat Sep 17, 3:30 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Video makers notorious for filming women flashing their breasts said they will donate revenues from “Girls Gone Wild” episodes tied to Mardi Gras to the Red Cross to help Hurricane Katrina victims. “Mardi Gras is synonymous with New Orleans and ‘Girls Gone Wild’ is synonymous with Mardi Gras,” Bill Horn of Mantra Films, the southern California company behind “Girls Gone Wild,” told AFP.
“We have a personal and profound connection to the city,” Horn continued. “We had to do something.”
“Girls Gone Wild” crews have roved Mardi Gras annually since the company was founded eight years ago, filming females flashing body parts in exchange for bead necklaces, attention, t-shirts or just for the exposure.
“Girls Gone Wild” will donate to the Red Cross the online purchase prices of each title or package set “that has anything to do with Mardi Gras,” including “the very popular ‘Girls Gone Wild Doggy Style’,” with rapper Snoop Dogg, Horn said.

Nearly a third of the company’s 19 titles are linked to Mardi Gras, Horn said.

“I think I’m going to stick to the high road here,” HT Linke of the Red Cross in Los Angeles responded when told of the “Girls Gone Wild” donation plans.

“If people make a donation to the Red Cross, we will use it for the intended purpose. Right now, the emergency is the needs of a lot of people.”

Mantra films did not notify the Red Cross of its decision.

“I think the Red Cross has more important things to do than hear from us,” Horn said. “I’m sure they will appreciate the funds.”

Horn said the video proceeds would be diverted to the Red Cross for at least three months, dating back to when Katrina struck Louisiana on August 29. He estimated the donation amount would total thousands of dollars.

Mantra wasn’t seeking publicity regarding the donation plans, and no press release was issued, according to Horn.

4) Shelter And Safety

by Jordan Flaherty
September 20, 2005

Last New Year’s Eve, a Black Georgia Southern University student named Levon Jones was killed by bouncers in the Bourbon Street club Razzoo’s. The outrage led to near-daily protests outside the club, threats of a Black tourist boycott of New Orleans, and a city commission to explore the issue of racism in the French Quarter. Despite widely-publicized advance warning, a “secret shopper” audit of the Quarter found rampant discrimination in French Quarter businesses, including different dress codes, admission prices, and drink prices, all based on whether the patron was black or white.

“The French Quarter is not a place for Black people,” one community organizer told me pre-hurricane. “You don’t see Black folks working in the front of house in French Quarter restaurants or hotels, and you don’t see them as customers.”

Just north of the French Quarter, a few blocks from Razzoo’s, is the historic Treme neighborhood. Settled in the early 1800s, it’s known as the oldest free African-American community in the US. Residents fear for the post-reconstruction stability of communities like Treme. “There’s nothing some developers would like more than a ring of white neighborhoods around the French Quarter,” said one Treme resident recently. The widespread fear among organizers is that the exclusionary, “tourists only” atmosphere of the French Quarter will be multiplied and expanded across the city, and that many residents simply won’t be able to return home.
Chui Clark is a longtime community organizer from New Orleans, and was one of the leaders of the protests against Razzoo’s. He now stays in Baton Rouge’s River Street shelter. “This is a lily-white operation,” he reports. “You have white FEMA and Red Cross workers watching us like we’re some kind of amusement.”

Despite repeated assurances of housing placements from Red Cross and government officials, the population of the Baton Rouge shelters does not appear to be decreasing, according to Clark. “You have new arrivals all the time. Folks who were staying with families for a week or two are getting kicked out and they got no where else to go.”

I went to the River Road shelter as part of a project initiated by Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children to help displaced New Orleans residents reconnect with loved ones who are lost in the labyrinth of Louisiana’s corrections system.

Everyone I met was desperately trying to find a sister or brother or child or other family member lost in the system. Many people who were picked up for minor infractions in the days before the hurricane ended up being shipped to the infamous Angola Prison, a former slave plantation where it’s estimated over 90% of the inmates currently incarcerated will die within its walls. Most of the family members I spoke with just wanted to get a message to their loved ones, “Tell him that we’ve been looking for him, that we made it out of New Orleans, and that we love him,” said a former East New Orleans resident named Angela.

While Barbara Bush speaks of how fortunate the shelter residents are, in the real world New Orleans evacuees have been feeling anything but sheltered. One woman I spoke with in the River Street shelter said that she’s barely slept since she arrived in the shelter system. “I sleep with one eye open,” she told me. “Its not safe in there.”

According to Christina Kucera, a feminist organizer from New Orleans, “issues of safety and shelter are intricately tied to gender. This has hit women particularly hard. Its the collapse of community. We’ve lost neighbors and systems within our communities that helped keep us safe.”

Where once everyone in a neighborhood knew each other, now residents from each block are spread across
several states. Communities and relationships that came together over decades were dispersed in hours.
Kucera lists the problems she’s heard, “there have been reports of rapes an
d assaults before evacuation and in the shelters. And that’s just the beginning. There are continuing safety and healthcare needs. There are women who were planning on having children who now no longer have the stability to raise a child and want an abortion, but they have no money, and nowhere to go to get one. Six of the thirteen rape crisis centers in Louisiana were closed by the hurricane.”

One longtime community organizer from the New Orleans chapter of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence has written, “We have to have some form of community accountability for the sexual and physical violence women and children endured. I’m not interested in developing an action plan to rebuild or organize a people’s agenda in New Orleans without a gender analysis and a demand for community accountability.”
We are already unsettled, and now Hurricane Rita threatens a new wave of evacuations. Astrodome residents are being out on buses and planes. While communities continue to be dispersed, some New Orleanians are staying and building. Diane “Momma D” Frenchcoat never evacuated out of her Treme home on North Dorgenois Street, and has been helping feed and support 50 families, coordinating a relief and rebuilding effort consisting of, at its peak, 30 volunteers known as the Soul Patrol.

“I ain’t going nowhere,” one Soul Patrol member told the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper in a september 18 article about Momma D. “I’m the son of a bricklayer. I’m ready to cut some sheetrock, lay some block, anything to rebuild the city.”

Asked about her plan, Momma D had these words, “Rescue. Return. Restore. Can you hear what I’m saying, baby? Listen to those words again. Rescue, return, restore. We want the young, able-bodied men who are still here to stay to help those in need. And the ones that have been evacuated, we want them to come home and help clean up and rebuild this city. How can the city demand that we evacuate our homes but then have thousands of people from across this country volunteering to do the things that we can do ourselves?”

Community organizers like Momma D in Treme and Malik Rahim, who has a similar network in the Algiers neighborhood, are the forces for relief and rebuilding that need our help. The biggest disaster was not a hurricane, but the dispersal of communities, and that’s the disaster that needs to be addressed first.
Yesterday a friend told me through tears, “I just want to go back as if this never happened. I want to go back to my friends and my neighbors and my community.” Its our community that has brought us security. People I know in New Orleans don’t feel safer when they see Blackwater mercenaries on their block, but they do feel security from knowing their neighbors are watching out for them. And that’s why the police and national guard and security companies on our streets haven’t brought us the security we’ve been looking for, and why discussions of razing neighborhoods makes us feel cold.

When we say we want our city back, we don’t mean the structures and the institutions, and we don’t mean “law and order,” we mean our community, the people we love. And that’s the city we want to fight for.

======================================================

Jordan Flaherty is an organizer with the Service Employees International Union and an editor of Left Turn Magazine. This is his sixth article from New Orleans. To see the other articles, go to www.leftturn.org. You can contact Jordan at NewOrleans@leftturn.org.

5) Preservation article:

http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/16017.html

Breaking NewsHistoric trust rallies to preserve damaged New Orleans buildings
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (9-21-05)

There will be no rush to judgment on the approximately 100,000 buildings in New Orleans damaged by Hurricane Katrina, and there will be no demolitions without public review. “The vast majority of those structures can be saved,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, who toured the city this week. “I’m confident we can avoid the wholesale demolition some of us were worried about.”

Moe’s comments came at the beginning of a meeting yesterday in Baton Rouge, La., with dozens of federal, state and local experts in historic preservation and cultural resources.

The trust, which convened the meeting and opened it to reporters around the country via conference call, announced it will try to raise $1 million to help pay for building assessments, which will be done by 100 teams of inspectors, each of which will include a preservation specialist. The assessments are expected to take about two months.

“Everything is proceeding very cautiously, methodically, legally and with every consideration for preservation,” said a New Orleans historic preservation officer who did not give his name.

Some of the “shotgun” houses in the 9th Ward were submerged for more than a month following Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and survived.

The key, one expert said, will be moving quickly, after the water recedes, to dry out the buildings, remove carpets, drywall and insulation, and prevent mold and rot.

6) Frank Rich NYT Op-Ed:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/18/opinion/18rich.html?incamp=article_popular&pagewanted;=all

Message: I Care About the Black Folks
By FRANK RICH
Published: September 18, 2005

ONCE Toto parts the curtain, the Wizard of Oz can never be the wizard again. He is forever Professor Marvel, blowhard and snake-oil salesman. Hurricane Katrina, which is likely to endure in the American psyche as long as L. Frank Baum’s mythic tornado, has similarly unmasked George W. Bush….

7) Tenet and Me letter:

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Dear Trevor,

I have been a Registered Nurse for 30 years and never in my life did I expect to see an event or its aftermath such as Hurricane Katrina. What I did expect was to be at work regardless of the severity.

That is, in both my personal and professional opinion, an expectation of the profession when there are those in need of the care I had made a promise to provide some 30 years ago. So I stayed at Lindy Boggs Medical Center. While I can say that I was never worried for my own safety, I had great concerns for those vulnerable patients who had entrusted themselves to our care. My sense of urgency grew and I found myself on the roof holding up a sign along with two physicians hoping that a helicopter would acknowledge us and send what we were asking for: water and medications. I was bitten by one of my pets, anxious and frightened over all of the commotion. I declined a Tetanus shot because I heard someone say there were only 10 available at the time and I knew there were employees going through water to get to the Medical Office building to retrieve samples of medications from the physician’s offices . They needed it more than I did. Yet I must admit, I took it later when I slipped and fell on the roof and got a cobblestone lodged in the palm of my hand. I figured God was telling me it was ok and I wasn’t being selfish. I say this with a smile.

My biggest smile and sense of safety for all those around me came because of you. Thank you so very much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the individual that you are. You came to get everyone! You didn’t forget. You cared and it showed. We felt forgotten and feared abandonment by FEMA and our Government. We heard there was confusion as to who was in charge. We heard help was declined initially by our Governor. It was difficult to ascertain what was truth and what was false. But what we all heard was that Tenet was
here for us. You sent help to aid in the evacuation. You sent protection.

You later sent help to rescue our beloved Pets. You considered everyone’s hardship and went above and beyond with paychecks and cash plus pay outs. You set up an employee assistance line and resources in abundance for those in need to reach out to. All of this made me proud to be an employee of this organization and committed to Tenet for life or as long as you’ll have me. My heart and gratitude go out to you. To say thank you is not enough. Words can not express how I feel. You will forever be in my thoughts and prayers. God Bless you and all those who assisted you in providing so much support and assistance to so many in need.

I have no family. My Pets were my “Children” and Lindy Boggs was my home away from home. Many of those wonderful individuals were kind, caring, hard working, committed employees. I hope you re-establish this family in the future. There is a need for us in that area. Many of us have been communicating via email because phone service is so sporadic. Many of us would be willing to assist with the cleaning and restoration of the building. I would be glad to be one of those to scrub floors, wash and paint walls, to do whatever I can to give back a small fraction of what you have given me.

I lost a cat, my beloved Cheyenne, in the building. She was left behind by mistake; I hope she will still be saved. There was food and water. I hope and pray I will find her alive. All of my personal belongings and house papers are still there. Even the charger to my cell phone was left behind when I grabbed the wrong bag. Hard for people to purchase necessary items when banks are closed and only cash was accepted. Lots of challenges post event. Too numerous to share. I will put them to paper in the future.My poor old car was under water along with every one else’s who was at work those days.

But I have much to give thanks for. I saw much. Both from the air and from riding in areas that was initially restricted to residents but that I had access to view first hand. Spent a day feeding Troops at a Coast Guard station by the breech in the flood wall, assisting a church organization with food for those in need, and even flew in a Black Hawk with a group of patients from the Northshore. But I feel that I have more that I must give back. So I will be seeking out some more volunteer work before battling the job market. I saw so many people looking for a job when I assisted at the information desk at Northshore Regional. The demand exceeds the current supply. Who would ever think this would happen in a time of a nursing shortage. So I pray that Lindy Boggs survives this devastation and its employees have the place they stayed to assist to return to.

But if not, I realize that you have done more than I would have expected or hoped for. You are truly a wonderful person and I hope that one day I might meet you to say thank you in person. I will never be the same. We will never be the same. Let us grow from this. Let us remember that when everything returns to “normal” that there will still be many out there that will need our help. We need not forget them as our daily lives return to something bearable. We should remember those less fortunate. We can help rebuild homes. We can pray for them and with them. We can offer so much of ourselves and much of this need not cost a dime. I pray that the relief efforts continue and people do not choose to forget and move on.

Thank you for letting me share some of my thoughts with you.

God Bless You and Yours,
Cheryl Ann Martin, RNClinical Administrator

8) Arabi Inspection Tour:

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Nancy and I returned home to Metairie on Sunday (September 18th). Lots of work to do, but the house is basically in good condition, with no damage to speak of.

Yesterday (Monday, September 19th, 2005) I made an inspection tour of my aunt’s home in Arabi (St. Bernard Parish), in the Caroline Park Subdivision. It was a disaster. In 1965, I was there when the waters came up during Hurricane Betsy; we were able to wade away from that flooding and later rebuild and return.
That was in 1965.

In 2005, I do not have that same feeling about Caroline Park in the aftermath of H. Katrina. In Aunt Gin’s house, the waters came up into the attic. The insulation became saturated with water, and as the flood waters receeded, the water-logged insulation crashed thru the saturated ceiling into the house. As the waters were rising, wooden furniture floated about the rooms. Nothing remained upright. Besides the debris, the floor was covered with a silty layer of sludge.

Outside, the land and lawn are ashen color of death. All of the homes there are marked with a large spray painted ” X ” to indicate that the property was inspected for dead people, and where there were ” O “‘s it indicated that there were none found. One house, however, showed a ” 3 “, and I knew what that meant. In my aunt’s area of Caroline Park, it wasthe Georgia National Guard who performed this grisley function.

But my mission to Arabi yesterday was threefold:
1) I had to inspect the house;
2) I had to retrieve certain papers (if possible); and
3) I had to retrieve my uncle’s (Msgr. John L. Newfield’s) historic chalice which dates from the late 1700s, and which has a history all of its own. In truth, this was my primary goal, and I knew that I would not leave until I found it.

I did inspect the house; it is a total loss.I did retrieve those papers – wet but usable.And, I did retrieve the chalice.

There was so much loose debris in the house, about waste high, that I could not walk about in the house. In order to gain access to the room where the chalice was located, I had to pry off the entire window frame so that I could enter. I removed not only the screen, but the glass and the windows, and part of the framing itself. Then, I could standupright in that window opening, so as to pry the closet doors off of their hinges with a garden shovel. I cast the doors across a fallen dresser and used it to support my weight inside of the room. I then searched for the chalice inside of that closet, and I found it wrapped in a protective (Ha!) plastic bag, and brought it outside and set it on the ground.

Although the wood and leather case that held the chalice and patten were so badly weakened by the waters that it fell apart at the touch, the sacred vessels were saved. When I unwrapped the chalice and patten from their protective coverings, I cried.

On the way out of St. Bernard, I stopped in at a military medical facility to get a Tetanus innoculation. While there, I saw Junior Rodriguez coming from a meeting; I asked him, “Hey, Junior, How about a photo?”, and he answered, “Why? Do you have roaches in your house that you want to try to chase them away??” Great sense of humor. I told him that I was part of the Canary Islands group in Baton Rouge, and he told me how caring and concerned the people in the Islands for our condition. He said that there was even a Spanish reporter somewhere about.

That’s about the extent of it for my one day visit to “Da Parish”. The people there are strong, and I hope that they will be able to come back.

There was a building there, with a message painted on the roof, “Chalmette Spirit — Salt of the Earth”. How True!!!

Paul “Skip” Newfield
skip@thebrasscannon.com

9) Pointed out by one of our readers:

A quote from a simple weather website is perhaps appropos to the initial intelligence situation in Iraq:

“Poor model analyses of initial conditions can lead to even worse model solutions.”

That same sentence – placed into its original weather context:

“These scatter plots are intended for use by individuals with proper training and expertise.There are multiple
potential causes of misinterpretation that include, but are not limited to, the following:

– Each model utilizes different assumptions and different calculations which leads to different models performing better in different situations.- All models have unique biases.
– Some models utilize statistics, some utilize physics formulas, some utilize a combination of both.- Some models perform best with weaker systems, others perform best with well
-developed, purely tropical systems.
– The spread of the various model solutions can give a sense of the uncertainty associated with a particular storm track. However, some of the models are interrelated as they share the same initial analyses or the same global forecast fields. Therefore, clustering of model solutions does not necessarily indicate truely independent agreement.
– Poor model analyses of initial conditions can lead to even worse model solutions.- The National Hurricane Center has access to many other models not included in these products. At times, these other models have a significant impact on the forecast track issued by the National HurricaneCenter.
– Further information on some of the models used by the National Hurricane Center can be found at the Hurricane Research Division website.”

Reference:
<http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/omd/ops/weather/plots.html>

1) News from Algiers mosque clinic and relief efforts:

http://ihsan-net.blogspot.com/

2) Another Katrina blog:

http://izzymo.blogspot.com/

3) I wonder if this article was where the Onion got their idea for this week’s satire article on Katrina?:

Dear Folks,

Here is a story about Kenyon in Raw Story. It would be interesting to know WHO from FEMA gave the order to start working with Kenyon. The local FEMA in Louisiana were furious about having to report to them. Also, if anyone has any other information about Kenyon, please let us know.

Anna Marie Mattson
FEMA, La. outsource Katrina body count to firm implicated in body-dumping scandals
Miriam Raftery

<http://rawstory.com/images/new/katrinabody.jpg> The Federal Emergency Management Agency has hired Kenyon International to set up a mobile morgue for handling bodies in Baton Rouge, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, <http://rawstory.com/> RAW STORY has learned.

Kenyon is a subsidiary of Service Corporation International (SCI), a scandal-ridden Texas-based company operated by a friend of the Bush family. Recently, SCI subsidiaries have been implicated in illegally discarding and desecrating corpses.

Louisiana governor Katherine Blanco subsequently inked a contract with the firm after talks between FEMA and the firm broke down. Kenyon’s original deal was secured by the <http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY;=/www/story/09-01-2005/0004098489&EDATE;=> Department of Homeland Security.

In other words, FEMA and then Blanco outsourced the body count from Hurricane Katrina — which many believe the worst natural disaster in U.S. history — to a firm whose parent company is known for its “experience” at hiding and dumping bodies.

The Menorah Gardens cemetery chain, owned by SCI, desecrated vaults, removed hundreds of bodies from two cemeteries in Florida and dumped the gruesome remains in woods frequented by wild hogs, investigators discovered in 2001. In <http://web.archive.org/web/20020614081704/http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/2774919.htm> one case, a backhoe was used to crack open a vault, remove corpses and make room for more dead bodies.

SCI paid <http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY;=/www/story/12-02-2003/0002068322&EDATE;> $100 million to settle a lawsuit filed by outraged family members of the deceased.

A secretary at the lawfirm that sued SCI over the Florida cemetery scandals gasped when informed that FEMA had outsourced handling of Katrina victims’ bodies to an SCI subsidiary.
“Oh, good lord!” she said.

Peter Hartmann, general manager of the Menorah Gardens Cemetery chain, was later <http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/12/27/cemetary.scandal.suicide/index.html> found dead in his car from carbon monoxide poisoning outside his parents’ home in an apparent suicide.
<http://rawstory.com/> RAW STORY calls to FEMA were not returned.

Waltrip, chairman of SCI, is a longtime friend of Bush’s father, former President George Herbert Walker Bush. The firm’s political action committee donated <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/texas083199.htm> $45,000 to George W. Bush’s 1994 gubernatorial campaign.

The company also contributed more than<http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2000-05-05/pols_feature5.html> $100,000 for construction of the George H.W. Bush presidential library.

“It is appalling that the Bush administration — which has already badly bungled its response to hurricane Katrina — would hire a company with a record of gross mismanagement of mortuary services,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a Washington D.C.-based watchdog group. “I can only imagine that this decision was made because of President Bush’s long-time friendship with the head of SCI, Robert Waltrip.”

SCI also owned fifteen funeral homes named as defendants in a <http://www.americanpolitics.com/20020304Baker.html> lawsuit filed on behalf of family members alleging “macabre mishandling, abuse and desecration of bodies” by Tri-State Crematory in Georgia. The lawsuit accused SCI-owned funeral homes of sending bodies to the unlicensed, unregulated crematorium, where never-incinerated corpses were found piled outdoors and stuffed in sheds in 2000.

Some vaults designed to hold one body each had 67 sets of human remains stuffed inside, investigators<http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/02/21/crematory/index.html> discovered.
SCI was among the companies ordered to pay settlement fees to family members, a legal source has confirmed to <http://rawstory.com/> RAW STORY.

Kenyon bills itself as the world’s leading disaster management company. It provided morgue support services following the 9/11 plane crash in Pennsylvania and the Asian tsunami.

As North America’s largest funeral and cemetery company, SCI operates 1,500 mortuaries and
cemeteries nationwide.

The company’s website claims the firm is dedicated to “compassionately supporting families at difficult times, celebrating the significance of lives that have been lived, and preserving memories that transcend generations, with dignity and honor.”

SCI was also involved in an earlier scandal in Texas. Eliza May, former Texas Funeral Service Commission Director, filed a lawsuit accusing George W. Bush, then Governor, of obstructing an investigation into SCI license violations. May was fired following a dispute with Waltrip.

Waltrip and an SCI lobbyist met with Governor Bush’s chief of staff, Joe Allbaugh (Allbaugh was later appointed head of FEMA after Bush became President, but left to become a lobbyist representing Halliburton, among other corporate clients).

According to Newsweek, Bush stopped by and said to Waltrip, “Hey, Bobby, are those people still messing with you?”

May, a Democrat, sought to force Bush to testify in the case, but in August 1999, a Texas judge tossed out a subpoena issued by May’s lawyers for Bush to give a deposition. Bush, who was not a defendant, called May’s claims “frivolous” and denied knowing the circumstances of her ouster.

In 1999, when Bush was gearing up to run for the presidency, Texas Governor Rick Perry approved a <http://www.caller2.com/2001/november/09/today/texasnew/17283.html> settlement for May. SCI paid $55,000; the state of Texas shelled out the balance without admitting wrongdoing in May’s termination.

Jennifer Crider, spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), expressed concern over FEMA’s choice of an SCI subsidiary and questioned whether the selection was made through a no-bid process.

“The tragedy in the Gulf States must not be compounded by disrespecting those who have died,” Crider told <http://rawstory.com/> RAW STORY.

“It’
s critical that government contracts be subjected to scrutiny to ensure that there has been
no fraud or abuse of taxpayer money or interest.”

Democrats have called for formation of an anti-fraud commission to investigate no-bid contracts awarded in relation to Hurricane Katrina, she added.

Why FEMA chose to outsource mortuary services to a paid contractor is also mystery to Dan Buckner, co-owner of the Gowen-Smith Chapel in the Gulf area. Buckner had planned to serve with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Responses Team, which reportedly told Buckner’s partner, Gary Hicks of Paducah, KY, to expect up to 40,000 deaths from Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Upon learning of Kenyon’s contract, Buckner expressed puzzlement. He told the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, “Volunteers would have gone at no charge.”

Clarification: After FEMA began working with Kenyon, they were subsequently contracted by Louisiana Governor Blanco. It was Louisiana that signed a formal contract.

4) One wonders how temporary all these housing units will turn out to be:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_19.html#080890

Temporary housing planned for 1 million
FEMA to create miniature towns
By Allen Powell IIRiver Parishes bureau

Officials have announced an aggressive plan to find federally funded temporary housing for the more than 1 million Louisiana residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina -including more than 100,000 still in shelters – that could create new miniature towns throughout the state.

The plan, which would be financed completely by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, would include about 200,000 manufactured homes and camping trailers, thousands of prefabricated apartment complexes and single-family homes and several cruise ships, said Jerry Jones, the director of facility planning and control for the state Department of
Administration.

Louisiana officials have estimated that more than 250,000 homes in the New Orleans area are now uninhabitable, said Mark Smith, a spokesman for the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Any individual whose house is no longer inhabitable and
has not found any other suitable housing is eligible for FEMA housing.

Some of the FEMA housing units would go in hurricane-affected parishes, but many will be placed in unaffected parishes. There have not been any estimates on the possible cost of the housing plan, and some people may have to stay in the homes for two or three years, Jones said.

State and federal officials have already begun moving employees of certain essential industries and companies into temporary housing to help jumpstart the economy. In addition, the state has obtained waivers from the federal government to eliminate all income-restrictions on any existing apartment complexes and single-family homes so that anyone can move into them.

Work has already begun on a temporary community of camping trailers in Baker, near Baton Rouge. Smith said that FEMA contractors have already begun installing the infrastructure — sewerage and roads– necessary for about 600 trailers.

Jones said the state has given FEMA a list of all state-owned land that could be used for housing and is working with local parishes to create a list of parish-owned land. Several dozen commercial properties are also under consideration. Once each site’s location, existing infrastructure and availability are evaluated, Jones said residents would be moved in based on a priority system.

First priority would go to those individuals still in shelters, individuals with special needs or small children, and first responders. There are about 46,000 individuals still in Louisiana shelters alone, and hundreds of others are still in special-needs shelters. In addition, about
2,000 first responders are being housed in cruise ships in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish.

However, Lisa Woodruff White, the deputy secretary of Louisiana’s Department of Social Services, said that the number of people in shelters across the country has decreased rapidly from its highest point of 230,000 a short time ago.

“We’re keenly interested in getting our people back home,” Jones said. “We want all the other states to know that those are our people and we want them back.”

Kim Hunter Reed, the director of policy and planning for Gov. Kathleen Blanco, said the state is working to not only get all of its residents back to Louisiana, but to also get them in temporary housing near their previous homes. Reed said the goal is to create small semi-self-contained communities where FEMA will provide all of the necessary services, including transportation, job placement and some infrastructure.

Jones noted that the state plans to place people from the same communities and shelters together, so that they can retain their sense of community.

“We realize this must be done as expediently as possible,” Reed said. “We want to ensure that these transitional communities are enriched communities.”

Jones noted that some local officials have expressed concern about the possible impact on their areas’ infrastructure and law enforcement from the large influx of residents. He said that FEMA understands that it may have to provide new roads, sewerage systems and policing forces to these communities. He attributed some of the alleged lag in the agency’s response time to the uniqueness of Louisiana’s plight, and said the agency is now fully aware of its responsibility.

“Everything a community needs, FEMA will have to provide,” Jones said. “You can’t just abandon our people.”

David Passey, a FEMA spokesman, said the agency understands that Katrina will require several atypical actions by the federal government.

In most disasters, FEMA would have partnered with private insurance companies to provide residents with money to find their own housing. But Louisiana’s existing housing shortage was only exacerbated by Katrina’s destruction, which means that FEMA is in the position of having to create new communities for people. Passey said the enormity of the task, and people’s natural impatience, may be driving the perception of the agency’s slow response

5) On archival preservation efforts:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_19.html#080886

Preservationists rush to save city’s history
Centuries-old records imperiled by floodwaters
By John PopeStaff writer

When Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, a group of highly trained professionals knew exactly what to do: Find and preserve Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, John James Audubon’s bird prints, a drum from the Battle of New Orleans and city records dating back to 1769.

To a large extent, they succeeded. These and other irreplaceable ingredients of the city’s history, along with Napoleon Bonaparte’s death mask, early Carnival costumes and the paintings of acclaimed primitive artist Clementine Hunter, have been moved to warehouses in the Baton Rouge area, said Emily Sneed, press secretary to Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, whose office is responsible for the state museum network.

She declined to be more specific about where they are, citing security concerns.

Those artifacts came through the storm undamaged, but others remain in doubt. Professionals are working to salvage about 6,000 bound volumes of more than two centuries of property transactions in Orleans Parish — about 10 percent of all the books in the Notarial Archives — that were under 3 feet of water in the basement of the Civil District Court buil
ding on Loyola Avenue.

Concern mounted because archivists weren’t allowed inside for more than a week after the storm, prompting Shelly Henley, immediate past president of the Society of Southwest Archivists, to sound the alarm in a letter to editors of several newspapers.

Without professional help, the documents “will soon be unrecoverable,” she wrote. “New Orleans, a city so rich in history, may soon become a city with no history.”

All the documents are backed up on microfilm in Baton Rouge, but saving the actual records is crucial, said Stephen Bruno, custodian of notarial records.

“When you talk about losing land records, you can’t establish who the owner of a property is,” he said. “These records are critical to any kind of real-estate commerce in the city.”

His office has hired Munters, a Swedish firm, to restore the documents. The job could cost as much as $500,000, but, Bruno said, “there’s no price tag on this. They’re too priceless.”

Plan of action sought

The close call made Angele Davis, Louisiana’s secretary of culture, recreation and tourism, realize that a plan must be developed to protect the city’s past. “We’ve got a task force going now,” she said. “We have to come up with a plan to protect them.”

Members will include representatives of the Historic New Orleans Collection and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Buildings containing both institutions’ holdings were unscathed, even though the art museum was surrounded by floodwater.

However, the storm reduced a piece in the museum’s sculpture garden to a mass of twisted metal.

Davis’ purview includes the Louisiana State Museum system. Part of the roof was torn off the Old U.S. Mint on Esplanade Avenue and Decatur Street, but damage was minimal to the Presbytere and Cabildo, two iconic structures that flank St. Louis Cathedral overlooking Jackson Square.

Another historical storehouse that escaped damage was the basement of New Orleans’ main library at Tulane and Loyola avenues, which houses the city archives. Papers there date back to 1769, and they include the papers of all New Orleans’ mayors, some court records, photographs, slave records, maps and City Council minutes, said Tania Tetlow, chairwoman of the New Orleans Library Board.

“The historical importance of the survival of these archives cannot be overestimated,” said Loyola history professor Michael Ross, who described them as “one of the nation’s great historical treasures.”

The archives were secure, Tetlow said, because the library was built in the late 1950s, when officials were preoccupied with making buildings strong enough to withstand a nuclear attack.
Preserving archives

The major focus of historical restoration has been the Notarial Archives. Munters employees assessed the damage last week, pumped out water and retrieved the books. Damaged books were sent to a company warehouse, where workers hope to minimize damage by freeze-drying pages and vacuuming the ice off.

The other records were put in air-conditioned trucks to be delivered to a temporary storage site, said Bruno, adding that he does not sure where they will go.

Older property records, some dating to 1734, are in the Notarial Archives Research Center in the Amoco Building on Poydras Street. Although floodwater didn’t damage them, the lack of air conditioning is affecting older documents, he said, and they may be moved where air conditioning is available.

Among other repositories in the New Orleans area are several at Tulane University’s Uptown campus, including the William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive; the Special Collections department, the city’s oldest historical research library; and the Amistad Research Center, which specializes in African-American history.

Although curators were optimistic because floodwaters did not get into those buildings, they were eager to pump in air conditioning to thwart the dangerous effects of mold and humidity.

And Susan Tucker, a curator at the Newcomb College archives, said she was concerned about the status of her holdings and Amistad’s, which share space in an off-campus building that she had not heard about.

Staff writers Chris Kirkham and James Varney and Salon.com contributed to this article.

6) Rebuilding letter:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_19.html#080886

ELIE: Rebuilding should lift up the poor

David Kallick worried aloud that his phone call, or at least his subject matter, might be premature.

Kallick is a senior fellow at the Fiscal Policy Institute. The New York think tank coordinated a coalition of progressive groups that helped shape the direction of the rebuilding effort following
the Sept. 11 attacks.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is largely empty of its people. Many of our homes remain under water. Our dead are unburied.

So Kallick, a sensitive man, wanted to proceed with caution. He had some suggestions about what we should do, even at this early stage, to ensure that the interests of our poorest citizens are taken into account as we rebuild.

Other people have not been so delicate.

Last Thursday President Bush suspended the Davis-Bacon Act, the law requiring employers to pay locally prevailing wages to construction workers on federally financed projects. The declaration applies to parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Snouts in the trough

Since Katrina, nothing has been laid so bare as the fact that, in many instances, the poorest among us were fatally ill-equipped to save their own lives. Yet if these people managed to survive the hurricane and obtain jobs in the rebuilding effort, they may well find that their president is opposed to using their tax dollars to pay them decent wages.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts have already been let. Companies that have received them seem guaranteed to reap big profits. Many other companies have hired lobbyists
to help them get their snouts in the trough.

In “An Open Letter From Civic Groups in New York on 9/11 and Katrina,” the Fiscal Policy Institute, in conjunction with Good Jobs NY and Good Jobs First, urge community groups to move quickly to help shape the debate over the rebuilding of our city.

“In New York, many of us hesitated in criticizing program design because we didn’t want to seem ungrateful or (in the post-Sept. 11 world) divisive. As it turned out, however, when we got into debates later on, the early design of the programs wound up limiting the possible range of our response,” the letter states.

Pricing out the poor

Ultimately, the financial assistance and focus of the Sept. 11 rebuilding effort focused on ensuring that falling real estate values were propped up. This was a boon to those rich enough to own property in the area, but little was done to ensure affordable housing and living wages for the area’s moderate-income residents.

As a result, Kallick said, that area of Manhattan is wealthier than ever. But income levels in the community were raised primarily by pricing out poor residents.
We could soon face the same problem in New Orleans.

I hope that our political leaders have learned more from this disaster than our president has.
But, if their past action is any indication, their contempt for our poorest citizens will remain unabated.

The full text of the open letter can be found at http://www.reconstructionwatch.net/ . David Kallick can be reached at ddkallick@fiscalpolicy.org.

7) How’s this for harrowing:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_19.html#080890

‘Help me, please don’t let me die’
911 operators confront grim task, ghastly calls
Operators fall apart once off the phone
By Brian Thevenot
Staff writer

As she took that first call from a woman trapped in her 9th Ward attic, 911 operator Lechia
Allen ached with the grim realization that the next call would be the same. And the next. And the next. She couldn’t do a thing for any of them.

Working in the downtown 911 center at Broad and Gravier streets, next to the Falstaff antenna,
Allen knew police wouldn’t respond to calls while the winds of Hurricane Katrina roared. She knew the rescue operation wouldn’t start for hours and, in many cases, days. Laboring under the heavy weight of helplessness, all Allen and her 120 fellow operators could do was listen to the terrifying tales of rising waters, raging fires and parents holding their children toward the
skies, above the floodwaters.

“They heard people taking their last breaths. They heard people holding children up in the peak of the attics, and dropping children in the water and watching them drown,” said New Orleans
Police Capt. Steve Gordon, chief of the 911 center.

Some of the nearly all-female staff working with Allen, 44, took calls from the same neighborhoods where they knew their families had stayed to ride out the storm, she said. Some lost loved ones. Others haven’t been found.

“Seek higher ground” – that was all that Allen could tell them, in the calmest voice she could muster.

“I’m already on my roof,” so many of them would respond.

After that first call, the one that still sticks in Allen’s head, they all blended together.

“It was a lot of hollering and screaming and, ‘Help me, please don’t let me die,’ and ‘The water’s coming up’ and ‘We’re all going to die’ … ‘I have a baby’ … ‘Where do you go? What do you do?
What time are you coming?'” Allen said after working another 12-hour shift one day last week.

Such moments are captured in wrenching clarity in a sampling of 911 tapes released by the New Orleans Police Department.

In one, an operator identified only as “operator 16” calmly and politely advises just-as-polite resident from “1623 Rampart, between Tupelo and Gordon” that help would not arrive anytime soon.

“I’m stuck in the attic, me and my sister and them, and my mama, and we got water in the
whole house,” the caller says.

“How many people are in this location with you?”

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine people.”

“OK, ma’am, we’re going to try to get somebody out there to 1623, OK.?”

“OK, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Another woman called from eastern New Orleans, reporting a spreading fire across the street.

“I’m calling to report a fire, at 6131 Bundy Road.”

“What type?”

“There’s a whole apartment complex on fire … ”

“Do you know how long … ,” the operator interrupts.

“No, ma’am.”

” Do you know if anybody’s inside the house?”

“I know there’s people over there, that’s what I’m trying to say … “

“… OK, we’ll get somebody out there.”

“Ok. Thanks.”

Another woman called from 1428 Gallier St. in the 9th Ward.

“How many inside the location with you, ma’am?” the operator asks.

“I got a handicapped girl and I got a baby that’s on a pump machine … we’re in the bed … But the water is coming up.”

“He’s an infant?”

“Yeah, the baby’s 8 months …”

“OK, what you need to do – we’re trying our best – but you need to get to higher ground, until we’re able to get to you.”

As Hurricane Katrina sent water rushing into the 9th Ward and eastern New Orleans the day of the storm, Allen listened for a full hour to the callers before taking a break. Many of the operators around her couldn’t take it for more than 15 minutes before breaking into sobs and handing the chair over to a revolving cast of replacements. When they recovered their composure, they stepped back in line to relieve those who just had relieved them.

In between such stunted shifts, the women gathered in the hallways, weeping and hugging, watching for which of their colleagues would be the next to break down.

“It’s a given that they handle life-and-death emergency calls,” said Joe Narcisse, second in command at the call center. “But they don’t handle calls where somebody’s going to die call after call after call. It was a kind of doomsday, sum-of-all-fears atmosphere.”

Yet the women processed the calls like they always do, knowing that for so many of the people they had tried to soothe, it wouldn’t matter. At times they couldn’t get clear answers even on the most basic information from distressed callers.

In one call that drove home the deadly power of the storm, Narcisse said, an operator asked for an address the caller couldn’t possibly give.

“His house had floated down the street,” Narcisse said.

Even as they continued to get frantic calls from east of the Industrial Canal, nearest the storm, the passing of the storm gave way to a brief sense of relief, an end in sight.

Then the floodwall at the 17th Street Canal burst, sending water raging into the city all night and generating a whole new round of frantic calls. The new wave of destruction swamped Allen’s house in Gentilly.

As the city continued to flood late Aug. 29 and into Aug. 30, the difference between day and night blurred as the operators continued to struggle through short shifts, replacing one another as each reached the limit of horrors.

Meanwhile, the water crept closer to the call center, already damaged by wind. Gordon roamed the center that night, trying to determine whether to move the operation to a safer room.

By daybreak, the water came in around the operators’ ankles, then to their knees. Gordon had little choice: The operators loaded onto boats that would take them to the Broad Street overpass, where they would bake in the heat for several hours before spending several uncomfortable days at downtown hotels.

Even as the water had come into their building, the operators’ phones never stopped working.
They were ringing as the boats pulled away.

Now, more than two weeks after the storm, almost all of the operators have left town, in many cases joining their evacuated families out of state. Only about 15 operators, including Allen, remained in the city and working this week. State Police operators have stepped in to fill the gap, 911 officials said.

Allen has yet to take a day off. She hasn’t seen her house, her boyfriend or her two sons, who all evacuated. She doesn’t know when she’ll be able to see them, and her cell phone rarely works.
She’s also waiting for calls from FEMA and her insurance company.

But she said she plans to keep her $9-an-hour job, and to stay in New Orleans.

“I’m not leaving New Orleans,” she said. “If I have to rebuild, I’ll rebuild.”

8) The most tragic part of this article comes at thevery end:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5288490,00.html

Residents Streaming Back to New Orleans
Monday September 19, 2005 6:31 PMBy DAVID CRARY
AP National Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Residents began streaming backMonday as part of a plan by the mayor to reopen NewOrleans one neighborhood at a time, despite repeatedwarnings from the top federal official on the scene -and President Bush himself – that the city is unsafe.

Mayor Ray Nagin, under mou
nting pressure to rescindhis decision to let people in, defended the move andcomplained that the federal official in charge in NewOrleans, Coast Guard Vice Adm.
Thad Allen, had madehimself “the new crowned federal mayor of NewOrleans.”

Around midday, however, Nagin spokeswoman SallyForeman said the mayor was reassessing the timetablefor bringing people back into the city because of“external factors,” such as a tropical storm headedfor the Gulf of Mexico.

The dispute underscored the lack of coordinationbetween federal and local officials that has markedthe disaster practically from the start.

Algiers, a neighborhood of 57,000 people across theMississippi River from the French Quarter, became thefirst section Monday to reopen to residents. Algiers,home to many of the companies that make floats forMardi Gras parades, saw little damage from HurricaneKatrina three weeks ago. Unlike much of the rest ofthe city, it has electricity and drinkable water.

Over the next week, the Uptown neighborhood, theGarden District and the historic French Quarter arealso set to reopen to residents and businesses atNagin’s invitation, bringing a total about one-thirdof New Orleans’ half-million inhabitants back.

John Schwab, 31, came back to Algiers with his brotherand encountered no checkpoint getting into theneighborhood, despite warnings from the mayor thatpolice would be checking IDs.
Schwab owns a janitorialservice that had contracts with movie studios. Butthey have all pulled out of New Orleans because of thestorm

“I’ll probably have to look for a job inconstruction,” he said. “That’s about the only thingaround.”

A few gas stations and convenience stores were open,but little else. The manager of Winn Dixie supermarketsaid he had hoped to be open by Monday, but it tooklonger than he anticipated to clear out the spoiledfood and other debris.

“We’re now shooting for Thursday,” said GradyShavers. “Salvage crews already took everything outof the store. That was a nasty job.”

In Washington, President Bush on Monday questioned theplan to let people back in, saying there is “deepconcern” about the possibility that Tropical StormRita, which was headed toward the Florida Keys, couldhead into the Gulf of Mexico and drop more rain on NewOrleans. He said he has been warned that the city’slevees would be breached again if that happened.

In addition, Bush said there are significantenvironmental concerns. New Orleans still lacksdrinkable water, and there are fears about thecontamination in the remaining floodwaters and themuck left behind in drained areas of the city.

“The mayor – you know, he’s got this dream abouthaving a city up and running, and we share thatdream,” Bush said. “But we also want to be realisticabout some of the hurdles and obstacles that we allconfront in repopulating New Orleans.”

Allen, head of the federal government’s hurricaneresponse, warned over the weekend – and again onMonday morning – that city services may not be able tohandle the influx of people. He cited a lack ofdrinkable water and 911 service, and he, too,expressed concern that another storm could cause thepatchwork repairs to New Orleans’ levees to fail andbring another round of flooding.

He said hoped to meet with the mayor later Monday todiscuss his concerns and work out a timetable forbringing the city back.

Asked on CBS’ “Early Show” when it would be safe forpeople to return, he said, “We know potable waterwill probably be restored soon and the levees will befixed, so that may mean days, weeks.”

Nagin defended the decision to bring people back.

“If he’s suggesting I’m pushing a little hard, I am.The citizens of New Orleans deserve the opportunity tosee what they have left and what they can salvage,”Nagin told Fox News in response to Allen’s warnings.

“I’m a little surprised the admiral came out publiclyon this,” he added. “Maybe since I’ve been away aday or two, maybe he’s the new crowned federal mayorof New Orleans.”

About 20 percent of the city is still flooded, downfrom a high of about 80 percent, said Mitch Frazier,spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers. Thestill-flooded areas are near Lake Pontchartrain wherethe levees broke and in eastern New Orleans. Fraziersaid all of the water is expected to be pumped out ofthe city by Sept 30.

With hurricane season still in full swing, he said,engineers are trying to repair the broken levees “tooffer at least a baseline level of protection.”

“There is not the hurricane protection here thatthere once was. It is significantly compromised. Thehurricane level protection we have had here prior toHurricane Katrina will not be able to return. It willbe years, not months,” he said.

On Monday morning, traffic was backed up severelyalong Interstate 10 west of New Orleans and wasstop-and-go across the elevated portions of thehighway that crosses Lake
Pontchartrain.Tractor-trailers, emergency vehicles and NationalGuard trucks shared the highway with cars towingtrailers full of hurricane gear and pickup trucks withtheir beds loaded with water, cleaning materials andcoolers.

In the Uptown section, where the floodwaters leftbehind mud and other debris, residents were cleaningup, even though the neighborhood had not officiallybeen reopened.

Refrigerators, strapped shut with rotting food stillin them, lined some streets. Garbage bags, stacks ofmattresses and box springs, furniture, clothing, toysand other goods were piled at the curb to be pickedup.

In Algiers, Barry Kern, president of Mardi Grasfloat-maker Kern Studios, said he supports the mayor’splan to bring businesses and some residents back.

“Obviously we need to get businesses up and runningany way we can,” Kern said. “If we don’t startsomewhere, where do we start?”

He said that the city might be unfit for children, butthat there are key businesses that need to bereopened, like his, so that people can start makingmoney and the city can get back on its feet.

The vice president of the national hospitalaccreditation organization also cautioned againstreopening parts of the city, saying several hospitalsprobably were damaged beyond repair, while others maytry to rush back into business before conditions aresafe.

“Essentially the health care infrastructure of NewOrleans is gone – it no longer exists,” said JoeCappiello, who had just completed a three-day missionto the city for the Joint Commission on Accreditationof Healthcare Organizations.

Although the city has more than a dozen hospitals,none has resumed normal operations. Officials atChildren’s Hospital, which Nagin had hoped would beready in time for the planned return of residents tothe Uptown neighborhood, said they may need 10 moredays to prepare.

The Garden District’s Touro Infirmary, one of thecity’s largest hospitals, announced plans to reopen onWednesday, when residents are due to start moving backthere. That would make it the first hospital to reopensince the storm. Cleaning crews were busy Sundaycarting out debris and readying the hospital.

Dr. Brobson Lutz, New Orleans’ former health directorand an assistant coroner for Orleans Parish, said thehospitals clearly will not be up to accreditationstandards, but the city still needs them open as soonas possible.

“I don’t believe the people in New Orleans or thedoctors give a hoot whether they accredit ourhospitals or not,” Lutz said. “We need to have ouremergency rooms open so that if people returning needemergency care for trauma or infections or otherthings, they can get it.”

Crews still searched by boat for the dead. The stateDepartment of Health and Hospitals said the death tollin Louisiana had risen to 646. The toll across theGulf Coast was 883.

In the impoverished and heavily damaged Ninth Ward, asearch team found four corpses Sunday and alsodiscovered a 39-year-o
ld man who had survived in hishome with his dog since the flood.
Louie Fernandez, aspokesman for the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency’s search-and-rescue operations, said the man -who gave his name as Reyne Johnson – was disorientedand taken to a medical center for treatment.

Fernandez said the man may have sustained himself byeating some of the food that National
Guardsmen hadbeen leaving at the house for the dog.

Cappiello also said he had heard unconfirmed reportsthat some doctors may have euthanized some criticallyill patients who could not be moved out, rather thanleaving them to die from flooding or neglect.

“There was a whisper about that when we were downthere,” he said. “It may prove to have someviability to it. Sometimes horrible decisions likethat have to be made.”
—

9) Baton Rouge right wing commentary on Katrina folks. At least this person gave us a name and contact info:

Baton Rouge Area Foundation
402 N. Fourth Street
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
Phone (225) 387-6126
Toll-free 1 (877) 387-6126

Baton Rouge Area Foundation is a nonprofit organization that forms partnerships with philanthropists, nonprofit organizations and other community leaders to ensure that our community can exceed any challenge, and that our residents have every opportunity to succeed.

Individual Members
Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Kean III
~~~~~~~~~
Interesting perspective from a Louisiana resident……

Those of us in La. know who screwed up this disaster. Our Governor, the levee board, the Corps of Engineers and the New Orleans Mayor are primarily to blame with the incompetence of FEMA being secondary.

By the way, things have improved significantly. We give credit to our armed forces who have taken the pressure off of local law enforcement allowing them to regain control of our cities. I’ve often wondered why New Orleans police have a reputation for being tough, no nonsense guys — I now understand.

The looting here has been bad. You won’t see it on TV, since we’re not even close to being newsworthy considering all the deprivation, death and suffering being reported. Our parish took in the first 600 evacuees, and put them up in one of our brand new high schools located next to I-10. In l0 hours, they had trashed the school, torn out urinals, ripped the bleachers out of the gym and trashed the classrooms and computers.

We moved them, plus 600 more to a place across the Interstate at an expo center. By Tuesday night, there were 3 car jackings and 3 armed robberies. So we had to call in our deputies, police and Nat’l Guard troops to guard the evacuees. Most of our law enforcement had been down in NO working the rescue mission. The same stories apply to BR, only multiply the numbers 10 fold. My godson/nephew is the chief of the K-9 Department in Shreveport, 250 miles north of BR. He had been in NO working on the rescue till now, except he has been called back to Shreveport tonight to protect against the looting there. Mandy works for a doctor in a clinic next to our small hospital in Gonzales. It’s situated across the Interstate from the evacuee center. At 11 AM yesterday Thursday), the police locked down the hospital and the clinic to protect them from looters. The clinic closed down at 2 PM and the medical staff got escorts out of the vicinity.

The national news seems to carry a constant theme of Louisiana politicians crying “shame, shame America”. “Where’s the government?” It’s the mantra de jour. Our governor had the power to declare martial law and commandeer school buses to evacuate the NO folks. She did not. Her news conferences are unscheduled, unformatted ramblings, punctuated with tears and calls for help and prayers……but not much information or direction. She has been noticeably absent from sight today since the President toured. Maybe I can’t see the forest for the trees here, but I don’t want any of you “Americans out there” to accept any blame for the lack of immediate response when it was clearly the responsibility of local and state government officials.

Frank H. Kean, III
1614 LaSalle Parc
Baton Rouge, La. 70806

10) The author of this article did not offer a byline or address. Oh well, I guess racists are
(anonymous) people too:

This won’t make the evening news……….

A group of about 30 British students were among the very small number of whites in the stadium, where they spent four harrowing days. Jamie Trout, 22, an economics major, wrote that the scene “was like something out of Lord of the Flies,” with “people shouting racial abuse about us being white.” One night, word came that the power was failing, and that there was only ten minutes’ worth of gas for the generators. Zoe Smith, 21, from Hull, said they all feared for their lives: “All us girls sat in the middle while the boys sat on the outside, with chairs as protection,” she said. “We were absolutely terrified, the situation had descended into chaos, people were very hostile and the living conditions were horrendous.” She said that even during the day, “when we offered to help with the cleaning, the locals gave us abuse.”

Mr. Trout said the National Guard finally recognized how dangerous the threat was from blacks, and moved the British under guard to the basketball are! a, which was safer. “The army warned us to keep our bags close to us and to grip them tight,” he said, as they were escorted out. Twenty-year-old Jane Wheeldon credited one man in particular, Sgt. Garland Ogden, with getting the Britons safely out. “He went against a lot of rules to get us moved,” she said.

Australian tourists stuck in the Superdome had the same experience. Bud Hopes, a 32-year-old man from Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, took control and may have saved many lives. As the stadium reverted to anarchy he realized whites were in danger, and gathered tourists together for safety. “There were 65 of us altogether so we were able to look after each other, especially the girls who were being grabbed and threatened,” said Mr. Hopes. They organized escorts for women who had to go to the toilet or for food, and set up a roster of men to stand guard while others slept. “We sat through the night just watching each other, not knowing if we would be alive in the morning,” Mr. Hopes s! aid. “Ninety-eight percent of the people around the world are good,” he said; “in that place 98 per cent of the people were bad.”

John McNeil of Coorparoo in Brisbane tells what happened to their group, too, heard the lights were about to go out: “I looked at Bud [Hopes] and said, ‘That will be the end of us.’ The gangs had already eyed us off. If the lights had gone out we would have been in deep trouble. We were sitting there praying for a miracle and the lights stayed on.” Mr. Hopes said the Australians owed their lives to a National Guardsman who broke the rules and got whites out to a medical center past seething crowds of blacks.

Peter McNeil of Brisbane told the Australian AP that his son John was one of the 65 who managed to get out. The blacks were reportedly so hostile “they would stab you as soon as look at you.” “He’s never been so scared in his life,” explained Mr. McNeil. “He just said they had to get out of the dark. Otherwise, another night, he said, they ! would have been gone.” No American newspaper wrote about what these white tourists had gone through.

When guardsmen began to show up in force on Sept. 1 and take control, some blacks met them with cheers, but others shouted obscenities at them. Capt. John Pollard of the Texas Air National Guard said 20,000 people were in the dome when the evacuation began, but thousands more appeared from surrounding areas when word got out that there were buses leaving town.

Soldiers held their M-16s and grenade-launchers at the ready, and kept a sharp eye out for snipers.

That same day, when it was time to bo
ard buses for Houston, soldiers had trouble controlling the crowd. People at the back of the mob crushed the people in front against barricades the soldiers put up to contain the crowd. Many people continued to yell obscenities whenever they saw a patrol go by. Some were afraid of losing their place in line and defecated where they stood.

The Army Times reported that Sgt. 1st Class Ro! n Dixon of the Oklahoma National Guard, who had recently come home from Afghanistan, said he said he was struck by the fact Afghanis wanted to help themselves, but that the people of New Orleans only wanted others to help them.

By the evening of Sept. 3, the Superdome was finally evacuated, but the state-of-the-art stadium was a reeking cavern of filth, human waste, and an unknown number of corpses. It, too, had been looted of everything not bolted down. Janice Singleton was working at the stadium when the storm hit. She said she was robbed of everything she had, including her shoes. As for the building: “They tore that dome apart,” she said sadly. “They tore it down. They taking everything out of there they can take.”

If anything, conditions were worse at the Convention Center. Although on high ground not far from the stadium, it had not been designated as a shelter. It was, however, beyond reach of the high water, and soon some 20,000 people were huddled in its cavernous ha! lls. There were no supplies or staff, and for several days neither FEMA nor the National Guard seems to have known anyone was there.

Armed gangs took control, and occasional gunshots caused panic. There was no power, and at night the center was plunged into complete darkness. Degeneracy struck almost immediately, with rapes, robbery, and murder. Terrible shrieking tore through the night, but no one could see or dared to move. When Police Chief Eddie Compass heard what was happening, he sent a squad of 88 officers to investigate. They were overwhelmed by superior forces and retreated, leaving thousands to the mercy of criminals.

It was not until Sept. 2-four days after the hurricane-that a force of 1,000 National Guardsmen finally took over from the armed gangs. “Had we gone in with a lesser force we may have been challenged, innocents may have been caught in a fight between the guard and military police and those who did not want to be processed or apprehended,” explaine! d Gen. Blum.

Sitting with her daughter and other relatives, Trolkyn Joseph, 37, told a reporter that men had wandered the center at night raping and murdering children. She said she found a dead 14-year old girl at 5 a.m. on Friday morning, four hours after the girl went missing. “She was raped for four hours until she was dead,” Miss Joseph said through tears. “Another child, a seven-year old boy, was found raped and murdered in the kitchen freezer last night.”

Africa Brumfield, 32, explained that women were in particular fear: “There is rapes going on here. Women cannot go to the bathroom without men. They are raping them and slitting their throats.” Donald Anderson, 43, was at the convention center with his wife who was six months pregnant: “We circled the chairs like wagons because at night there are stampedes,” he said.

“We had to survive.”

The very few whites in the crowd were terrified. Eighty-year-old Selma Valenti, who was with her husband, said blacks threatened! to kill them on Thursday, Sept. 1. “They hated us. Four young black men told us the buses were going to come last night and pick up the elderly so they were going to kill us,” she said, sobbing. Presumably, the blacks wanted to take their places on the buses.

The center was not entirely without a form of rough justice. A National Guardsman reported that a man who had raped and killed a young girl in the bathroom was caught by the crowd-which beat him to death.

At one time there were as many as seven or eight corpses in front of the center, some of them with blood streaming from bullet wounds. Inside, there was an emergency morgue, but a National Guardsman refused to let a Reuters photographer in to take pictures. “We’re not letting anyone in there anymore,” he said. “If you want to take pictures of dead bodies, go to Iraq.” By Saturday, Sept. 3, the center was mostly cleared of the living. Refugees pulled shirts over their noses trying to block out the smell as they walked pa! st rotting bodies.

By the weekend, there were an estimated 50,000 soldiers and federal rescue workers in the city, but even the massive presence did not bring calm. On Sunday, Sept. 4, contractors working for the US Army Corps of Engineers came under fire. Their police escort returned fire, in what became a running gun battle. Deputy Police Chief W.J. Riley said police killed four of the attackers.

By Saturday, police had set up a temporary booking and detention center at the New Orleans train station. State Attorney General Charles Foti said there were plans for a temporary court system, but no one knew how they were going to assemble juries or call witnesses. The grim business began of combing the drowning city for corpses and the remaining survivors.

Reactions

The world reacted with astonishment to sights it never expected to see in the United States.

“Anarchy in the USA,” read the headline in Britain’s best-selling newspaper, The Sun.

“Apocalypse Now,” said Handelsblatt in Germany. Mario de Carvalho, a veteran Portuguese cameraman, who has covered the world’s trouble spots, said he saw the bodies of babies and old people along the highways leading out of New Orleans. “It’s a chaotic situation. It’s terrible. It’s a situation we generally see in other countries, in the Third World,” he said.

The comparison would have been insulting to some Third-Worlders. “I am absolutely disgusted,” said Sajeewa Chinthaka, 36, of the looters. The Sri Lanka native added: “After the tsunami our people, even the ones who lost everything, wanted to help the others who were suffering. Not a single tourist caught in the tsunami was mugged. Now with all this happening in the U.S. we can easily see where the civilized part of the world’s population is.”

In the United States, the stark contrast between endless scenes of appalling behavior by blacks and rescue personnel who were almost all white was greeted with the standard foolishness. Some peop! le accused the “biased” media of suppressing footage of rampaging whites and heroic black helicopter pilots. Most blacks made excuses for looters. “Desperate people do desperate things,” said U.S. Rep. Diane Watson of California. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Democrat from Illinois, said we must not judge harshly: “Who are we to say what law and order should be in this unspeakable environment?” Rep. Melvin Watt, North Carolina Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, was perhaps the greatest ass of all: “Whatever is being taken could not be used by anyone else anyway,” he said.

Many blacks took it for granted that federal relief was slow because the victims were black. Rep. Elijah Cummings said “poverty, age and skin color” determined who lived and who died. Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington bureau, blasted “disparate treatment” of Katrina victims. “Many black people feel that their race, their property conditions and their voting patterns ha! ve been a factor in the response,” explained Jesse Jackson, Sr. He said the rubbish outside the Convention Center made the place look “like the hull of a slave ship.” Black activist and reparations-booster Randall Robinson said the relief effort was the “defining watershed moment in America’s racial history.” He said he had “finally come to see my country for what it really is. A monstrous fraud.”

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick said she was “ashamed of America and . of our government.” The mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, shouted and wept on local radio, demanding of federal officials: “Get off your asses, and let’s do something,” (and gave city workers a vacat
ion when the feds arrived). There was an undercurrent of fury at a meeting of black leaders in Detroit. One audience member wanted to know whether the slow federal response was “black genocide.” Another shouted, “African Americans built this nation. Descendants of slaves are being allowed to die.”

One black man, observing ! the chaos from abroad, took a different view. Leighton Levy wrote in the Sept. 2 Jamaica Star: “I am beginning to believe that black people, no matter where in the world they are, are cursed with a genetic predisposition to steal, murder, and create mayhem.” He wanted to know why there was no footage of white looters: “Is it that the media are not showing pictures of them looting and robbing? Or is it that they are too busy trying to stay alive, waiting to be rescued, and hiding from the blacks?”

Most blacks and many whites fell into the usual assumptions about omnipotent white government and helpless Negroes. If black people were suffering it was because whites had not done enough for them. It did not occur to them that it was the responsibility of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana-not the federal government-to prepare for hurricanes. Before the storm hit, Mayor Nagin issued a mandatory evacuation only under pressure from the Bush administration. The mayor then did nothing t! o enforce the order, leaving hundreds of city buses and school buses to drown rather than use them to offer transportation to people without
cars.

Something of the mood of black New Orleans was caught by Fox News film crews as late as Sunday, Sept. 4. White volunteers were trying to persuade a black woman and her small children to leave her flooded house. “You’ve got to get out,” they explained. “The water isn’t going away.” A black man at the top of a multi-story building told a helicopter crew he didn’t need to leave. All he needed was some supplies. These people could not understand something that was obvious to the whole world: New Orleans had no electricity, no plumbing, no transport, and no food. Blacks refused to leave their flooded homes, even though to stay meant near-certain death.

Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff noted how crazy it was to stay in the wreckage. “That is not a reasonable alternative,” he said. “We are not going to be able to have people si! tting in houses in the city of New Orleans for weeks and months while we de-water and clean this city.”

FEMA reported that it had pulled three Carnival Cruise Lines ships from commercial duty to shelter the blacks of New Orleans. Maybe the chance of berth on the Ecstasy, the Sensation or the Holiday would be enough to drag them out of the muck.

Lessons

Ninety-nine percent of the white people left New Orleans when the evacuation order went out.

Some 80,000 blacks could not or would not leave. Whites did not “leave them behind,” as the editorial-writers keep telling us. No one could have gotten some of them to leave, but if it was anyone’s job to give them the option, it was that of the black-run city government. Of the blacks who stayed, probably only a minority committed crimes, but they were enough to turn the city into a hell hole. Some did unspeakable things: loot hospitals, fire on rescue teams, destroy ambulances. No amount of excuse-making and finger-pointing can pape! r over degeneracy like that. Black people-and only black people-did these things.

The Superdome and the Convention Center were certainly unpleasant places to spend three or four days, but 50,000 whites would have behaved completely differently. They would have established rules, organized supplies, cared for the sick and dying. They would have organized games for children. The papers would be full of stories of selflessness and community spirit.

Natural disasters usually bring out the best in people. They help neighbors and strangers alike.

For blacks-at least the lower-class blacks of New Orleans-disaster was an excuse to loot, rob, rape and kill. Our rulers and media executives will try to turn the story of Hurricane Katrina into yet another morality tale of downtrodden blacks and heartless whites, but pandering of this kind fools fewer and fewer people. Many whites will realize-some for the first time-that we have Africa in our midst, that utterly alien Africa of roa! d-side corpses, cruelty, and anarchy that they thought could never wash up on our shores.

To be sure, the story of Hurricane Katrina does have a moral for anyone not deliberately blind.

The races are different. Blacks and whites are different. When blacks are left entirely to their own devices, Western Civilization-any kind of civilization-disappears. And in a crisis, civilization disappears overnight.

11) Another right-wing Katrina comment:

In 1927, a major unnamed hurricane struck the city of New Orleans. It was actually more powerful than Katrina. The scope of damage was much more severe because this particular hurricane actually hit the city. Katrina missed it by 25 miles.

The interesting difference is the response the government gave in 1927 to those hurricane refugees, compared to the refugees of Katrina, err- I meant “survivors” —(sorry Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson).

How much aid did the government dispense at that time? Zero, nada, not one dime. And you know how much aid the army offered? The only aid from the army came in the form of loaning the city of New Orleans tents and camp stoves. Ironically, later, the army sued the city for reimbursement. So what was the big difference here?

It was the attitude the people had towards the government at that time, compared to the attitude that Katrina’s victims have. The 1927 “survivors” expected nothing from the government. 80 years ago, people understood that the government was there to “protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Today, Americans expect the government to “provide life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” That’s a major difference.

And now, a week later, when the government failed on all three levels of local, state, and federal to provide for their needs, Americans were sorely disappointed.

Reverend Jackson and reverend Sharpton spend their opportunities arguing about semantics.”They shouldn’t be called refugees, they should be called survivors” Unfortunately, they missed the boat. It was a perfect opportunity to deliver a very basic message to their people.

Fact, if you are poor and uneducated in America, this is what happens.

Fact, if you depend on the government, you will be sorely disappointed.

Fact, if you are poor in America, there is no reason for you to be uneducated. Its free! 12 grades.

And if you really apply yourself, there is enough grants and assistance out there for higher education, which will raise you above the poverty level. And no longer will you depend on the government and be disappointed. Its unfortunate that this lesson will be missed by most of the “survivors”.

A couple of other points should be brought to light. G. W. has asked the congress for 50 billion dollars worth of aid for the “survivors” and clean up of the city. Interesting isn’t it? one million people displaced and out of work in that city, sitting all day in shelters, waiting for the next handout. Of course, the thought never occured to anyone that just maybe, “hey, we should give all these folks jobs filling sand bags to plug the levees and clearing trees.” (Wonder how many of them would want government aid if they had to work for it?)

And finally, they haven’t hardly begun the task of picking up dead bodies, and already the finger pointing has started. The congressional hearings and probes will go forever. Millions will be spent on a wasted diatribe of a bipartisan “witch hunting expedition”- all of which will be nonsense. If you’re a democrat, you are going to blame the president. If you are a republican, you are going to blame the mayor and the governor. This i
s another case in point of how the government will once again fail its people, they could have spent the millions educating the poor and misplaced citizens of New Orleans so that they could go out and get a new and better life, instead of wasting it on useless blame investigations.

12) New Orleans culinary article:

In New Orleans, a city defined by its culinary culture, restaurateurs vow to rebuild.
By Regina SchramblingSpecial to The Times
September 14 2005

OTHER cities have specialties, a hoagie here or a chimichanga there.

New Orleans has a cuisine, a rich, vibrant, fully evolved style of cooking from centuries in a pivotal location. There the melting pot actually lived up to the great American concept, blending African, West Indian, French, Spanish, Italian, Cajun and recently Vietnamese into one exuberant good-times roll.

The complete article can be viewed at:

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-neworleans14sep14,0,7083884.story?coll=la-home-headlines

This Middle East and globally-concerned posting returns to the normal content of this blog — Katrina #19 was posted right before this one, so there’s new Katrina content right below this one. Blogspot apologizes for the lack of spacing and paragraphs on this posting. It’s too late at night for me to reinsert such basic necessities…The Katrina blog to follow is cleaner…

1) This is about as “in your face” a speech as onecould imagine — and most of his points are right onthe mark. Clearly, “the natives are restless”:

People with blood-soaked hands.The following is the text of a controversial speech byMahathir Mohamad at Suhakam’s Human Rights Conferenceon 09/09/05, which led to the walkout of a number ofdiplomats and made news all over the world.By Mahathir Mohamad09/16/05 “ICH” — — I would like to thank Suhakam forthis honour to address you on a subject that you havemore knowledge and experience than I do. You are concerned with human rights or hak asasimanusia. And it is only right that as a civilisedsociety and nation we should all be concerned withhuman rights in our country and in fact in the world.But human rights should be upheld because they cancontribute to a better quality of life. To kill100,000 people because you suspect that the humanrights of a few have been denied seem to be acontradiction. Yet the fanaticism of the champions ofhuman rights have led to more people being deprived oftheir rights and many their lives than the numbersaved. It seems to me that we have lost our sense ofproportion.With civilisational advances it is only right that thehuman community try to distinguish itself more andmore from those of the other creatures created by Godwhich are unable to think, to reason and to overcomethe influence of base desires and feelings. Submissionto the strong and the powerful was right in the animalworld and in primitive human societies. But the moreadvance the society the greater should be the capacityto think, to recognise and evaluate between right andwrong and to choose between these based on higherreasoning power and not just base feelings anddesires. The world today is, in the sense of the ability tomake right choices, still very primitive. For examplethose who claim to be the most civilised still believethat the misfortune which befall them as a result ofthe actions by their enemies are wrong but themisfortune that they inflict on their enemies areright. This is seen from the concern and anger overthe death of 1,700 US soldiers in Iraq but the deathof a hundred times more of Iraqis as a result of themilitary invasion and occupation of Iraq and the civilwar precipitated by the imposition of democraticelections are not even mentioned.There is no tally of Iraqi deaths but every singledeath of a US soldier is reported to the world. Theseare soldiers who must expect to be killed. But theIraqis who die because of US action or the civil warin Iraq that the US has precipitated are innocentcivilians who under the dictatorship of Saddam Husseinwould be alive.You and I read reports of the death of Iraqis withequanimity as if it is right and just. You and I donot react with anger and horror over this injustice,this abuse of the rights of the Iraqis to live, to befree from terror including state initiated terror.Prior to the invasion of Iraq on false pretences,500,000 infants died because sanctions deprived themof medicine and food/ Asked by the press, MadeleneAlbright, then US secretary of state, whether shethought the price was not too high for stopping SaddamHussein’s dictatorship, she said it was difficult butthe price (death of 500,000 children) was worth it.At the time this was happening where were the peoplewho are concerned with human rights? Did they exposethe abuses of Britain and America? Did they protestagainst their own governments? No. It is because they,the enemy, are killed. That is acceptable. But theirown people must not be killed. To kill them is tocommit acts of terror.Yet what is an act of terror. Isn’t it any act thatterrifies people? Are not the people terrified at theidea of being bombed and killed? Those who are to bekilled by exploding bombs know they would have theirbodies torn from their heads and limbs. Some will dieinstantly no doubt. But many would not. They wouldfeel their limbs being torn from their bodies, theirguts spilled on the ground through their tornedabdomen. They would wait in terrible pain for helpthat may not come. And they would again experience theterror, expecting the next bomb or rocket. And thosewho survive would know the terror of what would, whatcould happen to them personally when the bombers comeagain, tomorrow, the day after, the week or monthafter.They would know that they could be next to have theirheads torn off from their bodies, their limbs too.They would know that they would die violently or theywould survive in horrible pain, minus arms, minuslegs, maimed forever. And yet the bombings would goon. In Iraq for 10 years between the Gulf War and theIraq invasion, the people lived in terrible fear. Theywere terrorised. Have they any rights? Did the peopleof the world care?The British and American bomber pilots came,unopposed, safe and cosy in their state-of-the-artaircrafts, pressing buttons to drop bombs, to kill andmaim real people who were their targets, just targets.And these murderers, for that is what they are, wouldgo back to celebrate ‘Mission accomplished’.Who are the terrorists? The people below who werebombed or the bombers? Whose rights have been snatchedaway?I relate this because there are not just doublestandards where human rights are concerned, there aremultiple standards. Rightly we should be concernedwhether prisoners and detained foreign workers in thiscountry are treated well or not. We should beconcerned whether everyone can exercise his right tovote or not, whether the food given to detainees arewholesome or not, indeed whether detention withouttrial is a violation of human rights or not.But the people whose hands are soaked in the blood ofthe innocents, the blood of the Iraqis, the Afghans,the Panamanians, the Nicaraguans, the Chileans, theEcuadorians; the people who assassinated thepresidents of Panama, Chile, Ecuador; the people whoignored international law and mounted militaryattacks, invading and killing hundreds of Panamanianin order to arrest Noriega and to try him not underPanamanian laws but under their own country’s law,have these people a right to question human rights inour country, to make a list and grade the human rightsrecord of the countries of the world yearly, thesepeople with blood-soaked hands.They have not questioned the blatant abuses of humanrights in countries that are friendly to them. In factthey provide the means for these countries to indulgein human rights abuses.Israel is provided with weapons, helicopter gunships,bullets coated with depleted uranium to wage waragainst people whose only way to retaliate is bycommitting suicide bombing. The Israeli soldiers werewell-protected with body armour, operated fromarmoured tanks and armoured bulldozers, to rocket andbomb the Palestinian and demolish their houses whilethe occupants were still inside.Israel has nuclear weapons but it was provided withbombers to bomb so-called nuclear research facilitiesin other countries. And as with American and Britishactions, the Israeli bombs and rockets tore up theliving Palestinians, Iraqis and soon Syrians andIranians, without the slightest consideration that thepeople they killed have rights, have human rights totheir lives, to security and peace.Then there are other friends of these terroristnations who abuse the rights of their own people, denythem even the simplest democratic rights, jailing andexecuting their people without fair trial but are notcriticised or condemned.But when countries are not friendly with these greatpowers, their governments claim they have a right toexpend money to subvert the government, to support theNGOs to overthrow the government, to ensure onlycandidates willing to submit to them win. Already weare seeing elections in which c
andidates wanting tostay independent being rejected while only those readyto submit to these powers being allowed to contest andto win.There was a time when nations pledged not to interferein the internal affairs of other countries. As aresult many authoritarian regimes emerged whichcommitted terrible atrocities. Cambodia and Pol Pot isa case in mind. Because of the principle ofnon-interference in the internal affairs of countries,two million Cambodians died horrible deaths.There is a case for interference. But who determineswhen there is a case? Is this right to be given to aparticular superpower? If so, can we be assured thesuperpower would act in the best interest of thecountry concerned, in order to uphold human rights.Saddam Hussein was tried by the media and found guiltyof oppressing his people. But that was not the excusefor invading Iraq. The excuse was that Iraq threatenedthe world with weapons of mass destruction (WMD).Specifically Britain was supposed to be threatenedwith WMD capable of hitting it within 45 minutes ofthe order being given by Saddam.As we all know it was a lie. Every agency tasked withverifying the accusation that Saddam had weapons ofmass destruction could not prove it. Even theintelligence agencies of the US and Britain said thatthere was no weapon of mass destruction that Saddamcould threaten the US or Britain or the world with.And today, after months of thorough search withoutSaddam and his people getting in the way, no WMD hasbeen found.Yet the US and UK took it upon themselves to invadeIraq in order to remove an allegedly authoritariangovernment. The result of the invasion is that manymore people have been killed and injured than Saddamwas ever accused of. Worse still, the powers which aresupposed to save the Iraqi people have brokeninternational laws on human rights, by detainingIraqis and others and torturing them at Guantanamo,Abu Ghraib and elsewhere.So can we accept that these big powers alone have aright to determine when to interfere in the internalaffairs of other countries to protect human rights?Malaysia is concerned about human rights within itsborders. It does not need the interference of foreignpowers before it sets up Suhakam, a body dedicated tooverseeing and ensuring that there are no abuses ofhuman rights within its borders.People in Malaysia seem to be quite happy. They canwork and do business and make as much money as theylike. There is no restriction on the freedom to moveabout, to go abroad even.They have political parties that they are free tojoin, whether these are pro-government oranti-government. They can read newspapers, whichsupport or oppose the government. While the localelectronic media is supportive of the government, noone is prevented from watching or listening to foreignbroadcasts which are mostly critical of thegovernment.Foreign newspapers and magazines are freely available.In fact many foreign papers, like the InternationalHerald Tribune and Asian Wall Street Journal areprinted in Malaysia and are freely available toMalaysians. Then there is the Internet which no oneseems able to stop even if libelous lies are screened.Periodically, without fail there would be elections inMalaysia. Anyone and everyone can participate in theseelections. The campaigns by both sides are vigorousand hard-hitting. And the results show quite clearlythat despite accusations against the government ofundemocratic practices, many opposition candidateswould win. In fact several states were lost to theopposition parties. Not one of the winning oppositioncandidates has been charged in court and found guiltyof some minor breaches of the election procedure andprevented from taking his seat in Parliament ashappens in a certain country.But all these notwithstanding, Malaysia is accused ofhaving a totalitarian government during the 22 yearsof my premiership. That I had released detainees onassumption of office as prime minister and I had usedthe ISA sparingly does not mitigate against theaccusation that I was a dictator, an abuser of humanrights.And not using the ISA, not detaining a person withouttrial would not help either. And so when a former DPMwas charged in court, defended by nine lawyers andfound guilty through due process, all that was saidwas that there was a conspiracy, the court wasinfluenced and manipulated and the trial was a sham.So you are damned if you use the ISA, and you aredamned if you don’t use the ISA.In the eyes of these self-appointed judges of humanbehaviour worldwide, you can never be right no matterwhat you do, if they do not like you. If they likeyou, a court decision in your favour, even onlaughable grounds, would be right.Those are the people who now seem to appropriate tothemselves the right to lay down the ground rules forhuman rights and who have appointed themselves as theoverseers of human rights credentials of the world.And now these same people have come up with what theycall globalisation. In the first place who has theright to propose and interpret globalisation? It iscertain that globalisation was not conceived by thepoor countries. It was conceived, interpreted andinitiated by the rich.The globalised world is to be without borders. But ifcountries have no borders surely the first thing thatshould happen is that people would be able to movefrom one country to another without any conditions,without papers and passports. The poor people in thepoor countries should be able to migrate to the richcountries where there are jobs and opportunities.But it has been made clear that globalisation,borderlessness are not for people but for capital, forcurrency traders, for corporations, for banks, forNGOs concerned over so-called human rights abuses,over lack of democracy, etc. The flow is, as you cansee, only in one direction. The border crossing willbe done by the rich so as to be able to benefit theirbusiness, banks, currency traders, their NGOs, forhuman rights and for democracy.There will be no flows in the opposite direction, fromthe poor countries to the rich, the flow of poorpeople in search of jobs, the NGOs concerned withhuman rights abuses in the rich and powerful countrieswhere the media self-censors to promote certainparties, where dubious voting results are validated bytame courts. There will be no flow of coloured peopleto white countries. If they succeed they would beapprehended and sent to isolated islands in the middleof the ocean or if they manage to land, they would beaccommodated behind razor-wire fence. It is all verydemocratic and caring for the rights of man.If we care to look back, we will recogniseglobalisation for what it is. It is really not a newidea at all. Globalisation of trade took place whenthe ethnic Europeans found the sea passages to theWest and to the East. They wanted trade, but they camein armed merchantmen with guns and invaded, conqueredand colonised their trading partners.If the indigenous people were weak, they would just beliquidated, shot on sight, their land taken and newethnic European countries set up. Otherwise they wouldbe made a part of empires where the sun never sets,their resources exploited and their people treatedwith disdain.The map of the world today shows the effect ofglobalisation, as interpreted by the ethnic Europeansin history. There was no US, Canada, Australia, LatinAmerica, New Zealand until the Europeans discoveredthe sea passages and started global trade.Before the Europeans, there were Arab, Indian, Chineseand Turkic traders. There was no conquest orcolonisation when these people sailed the seas totrade. Only when the Europeans carried out world tradewere countries invaded, human rights abused, genocidecommitted, empires built and new ethnic Europeannations created on land belonging to others.These are historical facts. Would today’sglobalisation not result in weak countries beingcolonised again, new empires created, and the worldtotally hegemonised. Would today’s globalisation notresult in human rights abuses?In today’s world 20 percent of the people own 80percent of the wealth. Almost two billion people liveon one US dollar a day. They don’t have enough food orclothing or a proper roof over the
ir heads. In winter,many of these people would freeze to death. The peopleof the powerful countries are concerned about ourabuses of human rights.But shouldn’t we be concerned over the unevendistribution of wealth which deprived two billionpeople of their rights to a decent living, deprived bythe avarice of those people who seem so concernedabout us and the unintended occasional lapses that hasresulted in abuse of human rights in our country.We should condemn human rights abuses in our countrybut we must be wary of the people who want todestabilise us because we are too independent and wehave largely succeeded in giving our people a goodlife, and despite all the criticism, we are moredemocratic than most of the friends of the powerfulnations of the world.The globalisation of concern for the poor and theoppressed is sheer hypocrisy. If these people whoappears to be concerned are faced with the situationthat we in Malaysia have to face sometimes, theirreactions and responses are much worse than us. AtGuantanamo detention camp the detainees, some of whomare not even remotely connected with terrorism, aretortured and humiliated. At Abu Ghraib, the mostsenior officers actually sanctioned the inhumantreatment of the detainees.When forced by world opinion to take action againstthose responsible for these reprehensible acts, theculprits were either found not guilty or given lightsentences. They were tried by their own courts undertheir own laws. Their victims were not represented.The countries where the crimes were committed weredenied jurisdiction. Altogether the whole process wasso much eyewash. Yet these are the countries and thepeople who claim that Malaysian courts are manipulatedby the government, that abuses of rights are rampantin Malaysia. And Malaysian NGOs, media and otherslapped it up.We must fight against abuses of human rights. We mustfight for human rights. But we must not take away therights of others, the rights of the majority. We mustnot kill them, invade and destroy their countries inthe name of human rights. Just as many wrong thingsare done in the name of Islam and also otherreligions, worse things are being done in the name ofdemocracy and human rights. We must have a properperspective of things. Two wrongs do not make oneright. Remember the community have rights too, notjust the individual or the minority.We have gained political independence but for many theminds are still colonised.Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a former prime minister ofMalaysia——————————————————

2) Neo-Conservatives’ Analysis:America Has Fallen to a Jacobin CoupBy Paul Craig Roberts09/16/05 “ICH” — — The most important casualties ofSeptember 11 are respect for truth and Americanliberty. Propaganda has replaced deliberation based onobjective assessment of fact. The resurrection of theStar Chamber has made moot the legal protections ofliberty.The US invasion of Iraq was based on the deliberatesuppression of fact. The invasion was not the resultof mistaken intelligence. It was based on deliberatelyconcocted “intelligence” designed to deceive the USCongress, the American public, and the United Nations.In an interview with Barbara Walters on ABC News,General Colin Powell, who was Secretary of State atthe time of the invasion, expressed dismay that he wasthe one who took the false information to the UN andpresented it to the world. The weapons of massdestruction speech, he said, is a “blot” on hisrecord. The full extent of the deception was madeclear by the leaked top secret “Downing Street Memos.”Two and one-half years after the March 2003 invasion,the US Congress and the American people still do notknow the reason Iraq was invaded. The US is boggeddown in an expensive and deadly combat, and no oneoutside the small circle of neoconservatives whoorchestrated the war knows the reason why. Manyguesses are rendered – oil, removal of Israel’s enemy– but the Bush administration has never disclosed itsreal agenda, which it cloaked with the WMD deception.This itself is powerful indication that Americandemocracy is dead. With the exception of rightwingtalk radio, everyone in America now knows that theinvasion of Iraq was based on false information. Yet,40 percent of the public and both political parties inCongress still support the ongoing war. The CIA has issued a report that the war is workingonly for Osama bin Laden. The unprovoked Americanaggression against Iraq, the horrors perpetratedagainst Muslims in Abu Ghraib prison, and theslaughter and mistreatment of Iraqi noncombatants,have radicalized the Muslim world and elevated binLaden from a fringe figure to a leader opposed toAmerican hegemony in the Middle East. The chaoscreated in Iraq by the US military has provided alQaeda with superb training grounds for insurgency andterrorism. Despite overwhelming evidence that the “waron terror” is in fact a war for terror, Republicansstill cheer when Bush says we have to “fight them overthere” so they don’t come “over here.”If fact played any role in the decision to continuewith this war, the US would not be spending hundredsof billions of borrowed dollars to provide recruitsand training for al Qaeda, to radicalize Muslims, andto destroy trust in the United States both abroad andamong its own citizens. American casualties (dead and wounded) of thisgratuitous war are now approximately 20,000. In July,Defense Secretary Rumsfeld said the war might continuefor 12 years. US casualties from such protractedcombat would eat away US troop strength. Consideringthe well-publicized recruitment problems, Americawould require a draft or foreign mercenaries in orderto continue a ground war. Like the over-extended RomanEmpire, the US would have to deplete its remainingwealth to pay mercenaries.Dead and wounded Americans are too high a price to payfor a war based on deception. This alone is reason toend the war, if necessary by impeaching Bush andCheney and arresting the neoconservatives for treason.Naked aggression is a war crime under the Nurembergstandard, and neoconservatives have brought this shameto America.There is an even greater cost of the war – the legalsystem that protects liberty, a human achievement forwhich countless numbers of people gave their livesover the centuries. The Bush administration usedSeptember 11 to whip up fear and hysteria and toemploy these weapons against American liberty. TheOrwellian-named Patriot Act has destroyed habeascorpus. The executive branch has gained theunaccountable power to detain American citizens onmere suspicion or accusation, without evidence, and tohold Americans indefinitely without a trial. Foolishly, many Americans believe this power can onlybe used against terrorists. Americans don’t realizethat the government can declare anyone to be aterrorist suspect. As no evidence is required, it isentirely up to the government to decide who is aterrorist. Thus, the power is unaccountable.Unaccountable power is the source of tyranny.The English-speaking world has not seen such powersince the 16th and 17th centuries when the Court ofStar Chamber became a political weapon used againstthe king’s opponents and to circumvent Parliament. TheStar Chamber dispensed with juries, permitted hearsayevidence, and became so reviled that “Star Chamber”became a byword for injustice. The Long Parliamentabolished the Star Chamber in 1641. In obedience tothe Bush regime, the US Congress resurrected it withthe Patriot Act. Can anything be more Orwellian thanidentifying patriotism with the abolition of habeascorpus?Historians are quick to note that the Star Chamber wasmild compared to Gitmo, to the US practice of sendingdetainees abroad to be tortured, and to the justice(sic) regime being run by Attorney General “Torture”Gonzales and his predecessor, “Draped Justice”Ashcroft, who went so far as to say that opposition tothe Patriot Act was itself the mark of a terrorist.The time-honored attorney-client privilege is anothercasualty of the “war on terror.” Taking their cue fromthe restrictions placed on lawyers representingStalin’s victims in the 1930s show trials, Justice(sic) Department officials seek to
limit attorneysrepresenting terrorist suspects to proceduralniceties. Lynn Stewart, attorney for Omar AbdelRahman, was handed a letter by a Justice (sic)Department prosecutor instructing her how to representher client. When she did what every good lawyer woulddo and represented her client aggressively, she wasarrested, indicted and convicted. Many conservative lawyers have turned a blind eye,because Stewart is regarded as a leftwing lawyer whomthey dislike. Only a few civil libertarians, such asHarvey Silverglate, have pointed out that prosecutorscannot create felonies by writing letters toattorneys. Stewart was convicted for violating aprosecutor’s letter (technically, a SpecialAdministrative Measure). This should make it obviouseven to the blind that American democracy has lost allcontrol over law.Federal officials have sensed the sea change inAmerican law: arbitrary actions and assertions byfederal officials are taking the place of statutorylegislation. We saw an example recently when theFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announcedthat news media covering the New Orleans hurricanestory were prohibited from taking pictures of thebodies of inhabitants drowned when the levees failed.Nowhere is FEMA given authority to override the FirstAmendment. Yet, FEMA officials saw no reason not toissue its decree. Rome had one caesar. America hasthem throughout the executive branch.We see the same exercise of arbitrary authority inbreak-ins by police into New Orleans homes in order toconfiscate legally owned firearms. No authority existsfor these violations of the Second Amendment. Noauthority exists for the forceful removal of residentsfrom non-damaged homes. Tyrannical precedents arebeing established by these fantastic abuses ofgovernment authority.In the US today nothing stands in the way of thearbitrary exercise of power by government. Federalcourts have acquiesced in unconstitutional detentionpolicies. There is no opposition party, and there isno media, merely huge conglomerates or collections offederal broadcasting licenses, the owners of which areafraid to displease the government.The collapse of the institutions that confinegovernment to law and bind it with the Constitutionwas sudden. The president previous to Bush wasimpeached by the House for lying about a sexualaffair. If we go back to the 1970s, President RichardNixon had the decency to resign when it came to lightthat he had lied about when he first learned of aminor burglary. Bush’s failures are far more seriousand numerous; yet, Bush has escaped accountability.Polls show that a majority of Americans have lostconfidence in the Iraq war and believe Bush did a poorjob responding to flooded New Orleans. Many Americanshope that these two massive failures have put Bushback into the box of responsible behavior from whichSeptember 11 allowed him to escape. However, there isno indication that the Bush administration sees anyconstraints placed on its behavior by these failures. The identical cronyism and corrupt government contractpractices, by which taxpayers’ money is used to rewardpolitical contributors, so evident in Iraq, is nowevident in New Orleans. Despite having been fought to a stalemate by a fewthousand insurgents in Iraq, the Bush administrationcontinues to issue thunderous threats to Syria andIran. To press its fabricated case against Iran’s allegedweapons of mass destruction program, the Bushadministration is showing every foreign diplomat itcan corral an hour-long slide show titled, “A Historyof Concealment and Deception.” Wary foreigners arereminded of the presentations about Iraq’s WMD andwonder who is guilty of deception, Iran or the Bushadministration.Now that the war in Iraq has established that USground forces cannot easily prevail againstinsurgency, the Bush administration is bringing newmilitary threats to the fore. The neocon orchestrated”Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations” abandons theestablished doctrine that nuclear weapons arelast-resort options. The Bush administration is soenamored of coercion that it is birthing the doctrineof preemptive nuclear attack. US war doctrine is beingaltered to eliminate the need for a large invasionforce and to use “preventive nuclear strikes” in itsplace.Is this the face that the American people want topresent to the world? It is hard to imagine a greaterrisk to America than to put the entire world on noticethat every country risks being nuked based on meresuspicion. By making nuclear war permissible, the Bushadministration is crossing the line that dividescivilized people from barbarians. The United States isstarting to acquire the image of Nazi Germany.Knowledgeable people should have no trouble drawing uptheir own list of elements common to both the Bush andHitler regimes: the use of extraordinary lies tojustify military aggression; reliance on coercion andthreats in place of diplomacy; total belief in thevirtue and righteousness of one’s cause; the equatingof factual objections or “reality-based” analysis totreason; the redirection of patriotism from country toleader; the belief that defeat resides in debate and aweakening of will; refuge in delusion and denial whenpromised results don’t materialize.As Professor Claes Ryn made clear in his book, Americathe Virtuous, the neoconservatives are neo-Jacobins.There is nothing conservative about them. They arecommitted to the use of coercion to impose theiragenda. Their attitude is merciless toward anyone intheir way, whether fellow citizen or foreigner. “Youare with us or against us.” For those on the receivingend, the Nazi and Jacobin mentalities come to the samething.The Bush administration has abandoned Americanprinciples. It is a Jacobin regime. Woe to itscitizens and the rest of the world.Dr. Roberts <paulcraigroberts@yahoo.com> is John M.Olin Fellow at the Institute for Political Economy andResearch Fellow at the Independent Institute. He is aformer associate editor of the Wall Street Journal,former contributing editor for National Review, and aformer assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury. He isthe co-author of The Tyranny of Good Intentions.

3) Phoenix and the Salvador Option – Non-transparentCIA ‘precedents’ in Iraq’s torrent of bloodshed”Developed by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1967,the Phoenix Program is considered the single-greatestAmerican human-rights aberration of the Vietnam War.Its purpose was to “neutralize” the Vietconginfrastructure. (emphasis added)As Valentine underlines, due process was completelynon-existent under the Phoenix Program and suspects,real or imagined, could be murdered, blackmailed,tortured or detained at will. At one point the programimposed monthly “”neutralization” quotas that led tofurther abuses in the field. The number of victims wasnever established but is estimated at between 40,000and 60,000, of which many were innocent.While recruitment for the Phoenix Program spreadacross all the branches of the US government, not allthose approached accepted to serve. One Air Forceofficer who refused as a matter of conscience wasJacques Klein, who later rose to the rank of generaland became one of the most respected UNtroubleshooters in conflict areas. French-born, Kleinreportedly commented that he would not join Phoenixbecause the means and methods used were “similar tothose used by the Nazis in World War II”.Refugees awaken ghosts of Vietnam September 14, 2005Thememoryhole.org describes the Phoenix Program inVietnam as follows: “Created by the CIA in Saigon in1967, Phoenix was a program aimed at ‘neutralizing’ -through assassination, kidnapping, and systematictorture – the civilian infrastructure that supportedthe Viet Cong insurgency in South Vietnam. It was aterrifying ‘final solution’ that violated the GenevaConventions and traditional American ideas of humanmorality.” “The following article examines evidence that the’Salvador Option’ for Iraq has been ongoing for sometime and attempts to say what such an option willmean.It pays particular
attention to the role of theSpecial Police Commandos, considering both thebackground of their US liaisons and their deploymentin Iraq.The article also looks at the evidence for death-squadstyle massacres in Iraq and draws attention to thealmost complete absence of investigation. As such, thearticle represents an initial effort to compile andexamine some of these mass killings and is intended tospur others into further looking at the evidence.Finally, the article turns away from the notion thatsectarianism is a sufficient explanation for theviolence in Iraq, locating it structurally at thehands of the state as part of the ongoing economicsubjugation of Iraq.” For Iraq, “The Salvador Option” Becomes Reality June2, 2005The above subject matter was dealt with previously onthis site: CIA terrorism in Iraq … Who? US? June 1,2005 (see attached)Imad Khaddurihttp://abutamam.blogspot.com

4) Bill Moyers takes on US religious extremism:
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050909/911_and_the_sport_of_god.php

At the Central Baptist Church in Marshall, Texas,where I was baptized in the faith, we believed in afree church in a free state. I still do.My spiritual forebears did not take kindly to livingunder theocrats who embraced religious liberty forthemselves but denied it to others. “Forced worshipstinks in God’s nostrils,” thundered the dissenterRoger Williams as he was banished from Massachusettsfor denying Puritan authority over his conscience. Baptists there were a “pitiful negligible minority”but they were agitators for freedom and thereforedenounced as “incendiaries of the commonwealth” forholding to their belief in that great democracy offaith—the priesthood of all believers. For refusingto pay tribute to the state religion they were fined,flogged, and exiled. In l651 the Baptist ObadiahHolmes was given 30 stripes with a three-corded whipafter he violated the law and took forbidden communionwith another Baptist in Lynn, Mass. His friendsoffered to pay his fine for his release but herefused. They offered him strong drink to anesthetizethe pain of the flogging. Again he refused. It is thelove of liberty, he said, “that must free thesoul.”…

5) Former Iraqi President’s Chief Translator emergesas a negotiator:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5268938,00.html

Saddam’s Translator Emerges From Obscurity Saturday September 10, 2005 4:16 PMBy SLOBODAN LEKIC Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) – A familiar face is a rarity inIraq’s newly installed political leadership, but atleast one participant in the recent constitutionaldebates was recognizable to television viewersthroughout the country. Sadoun al-Zubaydi, once Saddam Hussein’s officialtranslator and a fixture on TV screens during thestrongman’s frequent meetings with foreigndignitaries, has emerged from self-imposed obscurityfollowing the dictator’s fall, disproving rumors hehad been executed, fled the country or had joined theU.S. occupation authority. Nearly two and a half years after the U.S.-ledinvasion, the articulate and urbane diplomat -considered one of Iraq’s leading foreign policyanalysts – now advises Sunni negotiators in talks overIraq’s new constitution. Although his current work as a Sunni legislator bringshim into contact with U.S. diplomats in Baghdad, heremains implacably opposed to the Bushadministration’s policy in Iraq and the Middle East. “We’re under occupation of a great power that caresnot a bit about Iraq but only about its owninterests,” he said. “Nobody in Iraq believes theideological hubris that America is trying to do goodhere.” He says he has no concrete plans for the future, buthopes to remain in diplomacy or at the university. “I’m a government animal, I can’t work for theprivate sector,” said the 57-year-old al-Zubaydi. Al-Zubaydi has returned to the limelight as an adviserto the Sunni Arab delegation at the constitutionaltalks, which ended recently when the charter wasadopted by the majority bloc composed of Kurds andShiite Arabs. Although the secular al-Zubaydi refuses to describehimself as either a Sunni or a Shiite, he shares Sunniopposition to Kurdish and Shiite demands that Iraq -traditionally a highly centralized secular state – betransformed into a loose, heavily religiousfederation. “Federalism would mean fragmentation and the eventualdisintegration of Iraq,” al-Zubaydi said. “We wouldend up in civil war like former Yugoslavia.” Al-Zubaydi, who says he was a low-ranking member ofSaddam’s Baath Party, also opposes the purge ofBaathists first initiated by the U.S. occupation andnow backed by the Shiites and Kurds who suffered mostunder Saddam’s regime. The United States introduced the policy of“de-Baathification” soon after the 2003 invasion andit has continued under the current government. Underthe policy, anyone who held a senior position inSaddam’s party is barred from government employment.Rank-and-file members are excluded. Al-Zubaydi maintains that the Baath was originally asecular Socialist party deformed by Saddam’s rule. Still, al-Zubaydi refrains from direct criticism ofSaddam, saying only that he was “shrewd andwell-framed intellectually,” but that he succumbed tothe influence “of a number of factors, mainly hisfamily and the cronies who surrounded him.” “When I met him again in early 2002, he was a changedman – much less focused,” al-Zubaydi said. “That’s all I will say. One day you’ll be able toread all this in detail in my book – if I actuallywrite it.” He says he is especially skeptical of U.S. intentionsnow in Iraq because he was present at some of the mostcrucial talks between Saddam and U.S. envoys duringthe Iran-Iraq War, in the run-up to the attack onKuwait in 1990, the 1991 Gulf War and again in the 18months preceding the 2003 invasion. “The meetings were very revealing about U.S.policy,” is his cryptic comment about what helearned. Al-Zubaydi was present during the pivotal meetingbetween Saddam and U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie onJuly 25, 1990, just prior to Iraq’s invasion ofKuwait. Al-Zubaydi maintains that throughout the discussionSaddam never actually told Glaspie of his intention toinvade Kuwait. And when Egyptian President HosniMubarak happened to call from Cairo during thediscussion to talk about the crisis, Saddam moved theAmerican ambassador from the conference room into asecretary’s office so she would not overhear himtelling Mubarak about his plans. That meeting later became the source of a heatedcontroversy over whether Glaspie intentionally impliedthat the United States would not intervene if thedictator moved to take over his tiny, oil-richneighbor. The Iraqi transcript of that meeting saidGlaspie told Saddam Washington would not take sides in“Arab-Arab disputes like your border disagreementwith Kuwait.” But according to al-Zubaydi, Glaspie was in the darkabout the invasion plans when she made that comment. Aweek later, an estimated 100,000 Iraqi troops and 300tanks crossed the Kuwaiti border. Al-Zubaydi – a British-educated English literatureprofessor at the University of Baghdad – served asIraq’s ambassador to Indonesia from 1995 to 2001. During his tenure in Indonesia, Zubaydi was involvedin two diplomatic run-ins with then-Secretary of StateMadeleine Albright and Paul Wolfowitz – who laterbecame a chief architect of the invasion of Iraq. The episodes – during which al-Zubaydi challenged theU.S.-backed sanctions regime against Iraq thataccording to U.N. reports resulted in the deaths ofthousands of children – earned him the nickname“Voice of the Arabs” in Jakarta. The Cairo-basedVoice of the Arabs, or Saut el-Arab, was a wildlypopular radio station that trumpeted Arab unity andopposition to foreign rule during the 1950s and 60s. Al-Zubaydi said he was astonished to receive a call inmid-2003 from Indonesia’s then-president Meg
awatiSukarnoputri who told him she heard he had beenexecuted. “I told her no, I’ve just been staying home andwaiting for things to settle a little after theinvasion.”

6) Move-On Announcement for anti-war march in DC nextSaturday:A solid majority of Americans now believe we shouldbegin to bring troops home from Iraq. And, despitecontinued calls across party lines for an exit planfrom Iraq, President Bush continues to insist on”staying the course.” The war has drained the federalbudget—forcing us to face Hurricane Katrina with a$352 billion budget deficit1, a degraded and de-fundedFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)2 and athird of the National Guard in affected areas deployedoverseas.3 To date, nearly 1,900 American andcountless Iraqi lives have been lost, with thousandsmore maimed and injured.4Next weekend on Saturday, September 24, there is amassive “End the War on Iraq” peace march and rally inWashington, DC organized by United for Peace andJustice (UFPJ). The weekend of activities will make itunmistakably clear to President Bush and Congress thatthe American people want an exit plan with a timelineto end the war in Iraq. Join United for Peace andJustice next weekend.Saturday, September 24, 2005 :: Washington, DC10:00 AM All-Day Peace & Justice Festival Begins,Washington Monument Grounds on the National Mall onWashington, D.C.11:30 AM Rally at Ellipse across the street from theWhite House in Washington, D.C.12:30 PM March steps off from the EllipseLearn more about the March and rally here:http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?i%64=3091 .If you’re coming from a far distance there are busesfrom some cities.3:00 PM Closing Rally and beginning of the “OperationCeasefire” Concert—a ten-hour, free concert at theWashington Monument on the National Mall inWashington, D.C. featuring Joan Baez, Steve Earle,Thievery Corporation, LeTigre and other performers andwith special guest Cindy Sheehan. Learn more about theconcert at the link below.http://www.opceasefire.org/MoveOn.org Political Action is not part of thecoalition organizing the peace march. And among thegroups organizing the rally are some with whom we havedisagreements on a range of issues. But this is amoment when thousands of concerned and reasonableAmericans from all walks of life will come together toprotest the war in Iraq, and we know that many MoveOnmembers will want to be there. We believe the Saturdaymarch and rally will be peaceful and effective. Pleaseconsider attending.Also that weekend—September 24 and 25—the GreenFestival comes to the Washington, D.C. ConventionCenter. The festival is focused on the ‘how-to’ ofsustainability: how to make sure the money in yourchecking account is not supporting war or oppressiveregimes here and around the world, how to make yourhome more green, how to green your career, how to stopclimate change with simple decisions you make everyday and how to be a great parent in challenging times.Learn more about the Green Festival at the link below.http://www.moveon.org/r?r=913Thanks for all you do.–Tom, Eli, Joan, Rosalyn and the MoveOn.org PoliticalAction Team Friday, September 16th, 2005Sources1. “A Congressional Budget Office Analysis,”Congressional Budget Office, September 7, 2005http://www.moveon.org/r?r=9142. “FEMA’s subordinate status may have caused sluggishresponse” Eat Valley Tribune, September 6, 2005http://www.moveon.org/r?r=8823. “Troops Head Home To Another Crisis,” TheWashington Post , September 1st. 2005http://www.moveon.org/r?r=8864. Iraq Coalition Casualty Counthttp://icasualties.org/oif/

7) Iraq war commitment quote:From the 9/14 NY Daily News…FIGHTING WORDS: That was funnyman Damon Wayans inOrlando the other day going nuclear on President Bush- and twins Jenna and Barbara – over the war in Iraqand the possible reinstatement of a military draft.”I’ll send my sons if he sends his daughters,” Wayanstold the crowd, including Daily News contributor JawnMurray, at Tom Joyner’s Family Reunion in Disneyworld.”Put those two drunk b-s on a plane and let them gofight. At least I know my sons would be getting someon the way.” By way of White House reaction, FirstLady Laura Bush’s press secretary, Susan Whitson,gasped yesterday and told me: “I wouldn’t dignify thatwith a response.”

8) Galloway – Hitchens Debate in NYC last week:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1781608,00.html

Galloway and Hitchens get down and very dirty Tworival titans of the raging row over Iraq engaged in anintellectual prize fight in New York last night thatquickly degenerated into knock-down, drag-out bar-roombrawl

9) Good thing they’re going after the bad guyseffectively:Arrest of US peace activist sparks row in Australia The arrest and planned deportation of a peace activistfrom the United States sparked a political row inAustralia, with an opposition leader accusing thegovernment of pandering to Washington.Greens Party leader Bob Brown said he had seriousconcerns about the reasons for the arrest of ScottParkin given his history of activism against USmilitary contractor Halliburton, which has close tiesto US Vice President Dick Cheney.”I think the big question here is whether it’s apolitical arrest and deportation,” Brown said. “Itseems to have nothing to do with terrorism.”The (Prime Minister John) Howard government will dowhatever Washington asks of it and I am very concernedthe request for his arrest came in the wake ofinformation from Washington … because he’s anabsolute thorn in the side of Dick Cheney, Halliburtonand profit-making deals that apply in Iraq.”Parkin, who has reportedly been arrested in the US inthe past and took part in a recent protest in Sydneyagainst Halliburton, was detained Saturday as he satat a cafe in Melbourne where he was teaching at peaceactivism workshops.Howard is a close ally of US President George W. Bushand Australia contributed troops to the US-ledinvasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq.Brown said he doubted the order for Parkin’s arresthad come from Australia’s security services, giventhat he was cleared for a visa months ago.Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said ImmigrationMinister Amanda Vanstone had made the decision todetain the American after a security check.Parkin has been in Australia since June, and prominenthuman rights lawyer Julian Burnside said he wanted toknow why it took so long for authorities to act if hewas a security threat.”They’ve got the right but the question is whetherthat right has been exercised in a way that providessufficient protection for ordinary citizens ofAustralia,” he said.Parkin’s arrest came days after Howard announced plansfor tough new legislation aimed at curbing terrorism,including detention without charge for up to twoweeks and the electronic tagging of suspects for up toa year.

10) Sharon at the UN:“A Defiant Sharon at the United Nations”Information Brief No. 122 (16 September 2005)By Samar Assad*Overview: On 15 September 2005, Israeli Prime MinisterAriel Sharon disregarded the opinions of the 60year-old United Nations (UN) and other internationalpeacekeeping bodies when he stated, moments into hisspeech before the fully-convened UN General Assembly,that Jerusalem will remain the “undivided and eternalcapital of the State of Israel.” During his speech, healso stated, wrongly, that Israel ended its control ofand responsibility for the Gaza Strip with the “lastIsraeli soldiers leaving Gaza last week.” Sharonfurther disregarded numerous UN resolutions when heannounced that Israel will complete the constructionof the separation
wall it is building in the OccupiedPalestinian Territory (“the Wall”).The UN Position on JerusalemThe United Nations recognizes East Jerusalem asoccupied territory in accordance with the provisionsof the Fourth Geneva Convention. It therefore rejectsIsraeli claims of full sovereignty over EastJerusalem. Moreover, customary international law, asreflected in the UN Charter (Art. 2, Para. 4), rejectsthe admissibility of acquisition of territory byforce, making Israel’s annexation and authority overEast Jerusalem illegal under international law.In 1967, in response to Israel’s occupation of theWest Bank and East Jerusalem, the UN Security Councilcalled for the “withdrawal of Israeli armed forcesfrom territories occupied in the recent conflict”through its adoption of Resolution 242. The followingyear, the Security Council stated its opposition toIsrael’s expansion of Jerusalem’s borders when itadopted Resolution 252, which “considers thatall…actions taken by Israel…which tend to change thelegal status of Jerusalem are invalid and cannotchange that status.” Thirteen years later, the Security Council againstated that “all…actions taken by Israel, theoccupying Power, which purport to alter the characterand status of…Jerusalem have no legal validity andconstitute a flagrant violation of the GenevaConvention relative to the Protection of CivilianPersons in Time of War and also constitute a seriousobstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just andlasting peace in the Middle East” (UNSCR 476).Gaza Still Occupied TerritoryOnly hours after Sharon delivered his address at theUnited Nations, the Israeli Defense Ministry announcedplans to establish a new “security zone” 150 meterswide in the south of the Gaza Strip. Even asPalestinians are rejoicing that Israeli soldiers nolonger control Gaza’s roads and traffic intersectionsthrough the checkpoints once bisecting the improvisedand densely populated Strip, they must now prepare fora new “security zone” that violates Palestiniansovereignty in the region.Regardless of this new development, the departure ofIsraeli soldiers from within Gaza did not end Israel’scontrol over the territory, contrary to Sharon’sstatement. Israel continues to control the borders andpeople of the Gaza Strip militarily and politically.In particular, the Israeli army controls the northernErez crossing between Gaza and Israel even as it doesthe southern Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Italso patrols the sea waters and airspace around Gaza.Israel has not started talks with the PalestinianAuthority over the reopening of either, despite theirsingular importance to Palestinians’ economicdevelopment and freedom of movement. Israel also maintains its control over the fate of theErez Industrial Estate as well as the “safe passage,”or territorial link that once existed between Gaza andthe southern West Bank. People and goods wanting toleave or enter Gaza still need Israel’s permission,must apply for Israeli-issued permits, and must passthrough border checkpoints. As Karen Koning AbuZayd,Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agencyfor Palestine Refugees in the Near East, saidrecently, the only thing Israel did in Gaza during itsoccupation of the territory was to protect thesettlements and build checkpoints. The causes ofPalestinian poverty and statelessness thus remaindespite the removal of its soldiers and settlers frominside the Gaza Strip. The WallIn his speech, Sharon also told the General Assemblythat the Wall is “vitally indispensable,” and “saveslives.” The statement is the first public admissionfrom Israel that the Wall is not a temporary fixturebut rather a permanent fact on the ground. Thismirrors Israel’s public statements regarding its planto retain and expand the West Bank settlements. By announcing that his government intends to completethe construction of the Wall, Sharon brazenlyreaffirmed Israel’s dismissal of the advisory opinionthat the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issuedon 9 July 2004, in response to UN General AssemblyResolution Es-10/14. The ICJ ruled that, inter alia,the construction of Israel’s Wall in the OccupiedPalestinian Territory contravenes international lawand that Israel is obliged to stop construction andmake reparations for all the damage it has caused. Sharon’s claim that the Wall has saved lives ispremised on the belief that the only lives who matterare Israeli’s. The Wall impairs access to hospitalsfor Palestinians’ living in isolated areas, such asEast Jerusalem and the northern West Bank cities ofTulkarem and Qalqilya. The Ramallah-based Health, Development, Information &Policy; Institute has found that 71 primary healthclinics are isolated from the rest of the West Bankbecause of their location between Israel’s border andthe Wall. These clinics are under-funded andinadequately equipped to serve their constituenciesdespite the essential service they provide. They oftendo not have delivery rooms or specialized doctorsbecause of their limited financial resources. The Wallthus increases the likelihood of Palestinian deathsdue to preventable causes-whether a lack ofspecialized doctors, inaccessibility to hospitals forthe injured and sick, or a stagnant economy.* Samar Assad is Executive Director of The JerusalemFund and its educational program, The PalestineCenter. The above text does not necessarily reflectthose of the Fund. This Information Brief may be usedwithout permission but with proper attribution to ThePalestine Center.

11) ATFP Gaze Disengagement Analysis:’REAL ESTATE AND DIGNITY’ DEFINE ISRAELI-PALESTINIANCONFLICTExpert Briefing by Dr. Ziad Asali Daily Star (Lebanon)September 17, 2005http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_ID=10&article;_ID=18560&categ;_id=2Editor’s note: The following presentation by AmericanTask Force on Palestine President Dr. Ziad Asali wasmade at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’14th Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference onMonday. Appearing with Dr. Asali on theIsrael/Palestine panel were Dr. Aaron Miller,president, Seeds of Peace; and the Honorable ElizabethDibble, deputy assistant secretary for Near EastAffairs/Arab-Israeli Affairs, U.S. State Department.In its bare essence, the Palestine/Israel conflict isabout real estate and dignity. The interconnectednessof these two issues, and the need to make progress onboth, have rendered the conflict intractable andreduced it to a zero-sum game. Historically, anyplayer could exercise veto power on compromise, byinflaming passions that no politician could control,and bring progress to a halt.The most interesting feature of the disengagement planwas that it offered enough incentives to each party toimplement policies that denied veto power to anyspoiler. The inherent imbalance of power between theparties was reflected in the unilateral conception andexecution of the disengagement by the Israelis;however, it afforded the Palestinians enough to remainengaged and reap as many benefits as possible withoutofficially compromising their goal of achieving aviable state in the land occupied since 1967.The salient features, with practical and symbolicsignificance, of the disengagement are as follows:1. The evacuation of settlers from their homes is aclear acknowledgement of the end of the dream ofGreater Israel.2. The northern West Bank withdrawal, with no pretenseof a meaningful security link, breaks the metaphysicalbond to the land and sets a precedent.3. The settler movement has engendered sympathy andexhibited hooliganism, but proved no match to themight of the government. The taboo on future Israeliwithdrawals from the West Bank has been broken.4. The Palestinian leadership has delivered on apeaceful withdrawal, something Israel itself was neverable to achieve by force.5. Intra-Palestinian conflict remains one of the mostserious potential problems and the challenge for thePalestinian leadership to manage the takeover andreconstruction is daunting.6. The international community continues to play acrucial role in providing pre- and post-withdrawalsupport. An engaged American administration madedise
ngagement possible, without which gains cannot besustained.7. Egypt played a pivotal role in security, economicand border agreements. While future violence in Gazacould force excruciating choices on Egypt with majorpolitical consequences inside Egypt, a prototype mayhave been set for a future Jordanian role regardingwithdrawal from the West Bank.The disengagement is an interim step, and its lastingsignificance will depend on steps to follow: Willpolitical realities in Palestine, Israel and theUnited States allow the making of decisions that willeventually lead to peace and to a viable Palestinianstate alongside Israel?The Palestinians must establish a central authoritythat provides security to its citizens and to itsneighbors. Asking President Mahmoud Abbas to disarmhis opponents without providing him the tools to doso, and without giving him and his people a politicalsense of their future independence in a viable state,is neither realistic nor achievable.A democratically elected president has the legitimacy,but no matter how courageous he might be, he needs tohave the means to impose his will as he upholds thelaw. This cannot be accomplished presently inPalestine without outside assistance in terms ofweapons and economic aid. The present Palestinianleadership understands that without security therewill be no state and no peace. The crimes committed inGaza recently, and the lawlessness, could lead toanarchy if not confronted by the might of a stateauthority.Israel overall, acknowledges the difference betweenpresidents Abbas and Yasser Arafat. For it to continueto deny Abbas a genuine partnership role, willinevitably lead to his defeat at the hands of moremilitant and noncompromising opponents. Security ofthe Palestinians and Israelis is indivisible andgovernments of both sides have to coordinate toachieve it. Partnering with moderate Palestinians isin the national interest of Israel if it wants toretain a clear Jewish majority in a democratic state,but its political system may trump its nationalinterest. This is the where the United States can render themost valuable service: with the goodwill that it hasearned in Israel, it can prevent the dynamics ofIsrael’ s political system from enacting measures thatwould damage the cause of peace. It can do so bypublicly and clearly drawing red lines on Jerusalem,settlements and borders, that must not be crossed topreserve the viability of a Palestinian state. FewIsraeli politicians will publicly defy this presidentof the United States. The difference between pressureand advice amongst allies and friends should not behard to tell. The coming period of internalstocktaking and political maneuvering cannot be usedto establish more facts on the ground, and the UnitedStates can help responsible Israeli politicianssurvive the attacks of demagogues by assuming theresponsibility for this decision. The international community has a clear interest inestablishing peace on the basis of a viable Palestinealongside Israel. Its involvement in Palestinianeconomic development and security enhancement is beingsupervised by Jim Wolfensohn and General Ward.Economic assistance provided immediately, withconcrete results on the grounds, will greatly reducethe chances of Gaza descending into extremism andviolence. Some Arab and Muslim nations and the G8 havemade commitments of assistance, but much more needs tobe done. However, no amount of external assistancewill do without free access to people and goodsbetween Gaza, the West Bank and the rest of the world.Palestinian corruption can be remedied by stringentmeasures to provide accountability and transparency.The competent management of finance minister SalamFayyad has given comfort to all relevant internationalagencies. The Palestinian private sector has alreadycommitted $100 million to Gaza, however much remainsto be done to gain the confidence of outsideinvestors.Resolution and progress on these and other issues willgreatly impact Palestinian legislative elections setfor January 2006. Excluding Hamas and others bysetting unachievable criteria for inclusion, as someIsraelis have suggested, is a sign of weakness. Havingthem compete in elections against credible candidateswho promise a future of hope and prosperity is a muchbetter alternative. The clock is ticking on winningthe hearts and minds of the people and the challengeis to put the remaining time to best use.It seems clear that there remain many challengesbefore a two-state solution can be implemented.Indeed, an ever-increasing number of people areconvinced that Israeli settlements have alreadyforeclosed a viable Palestinian state. We should ask,what are the other possible options if this one fails?Option one: A one-state solution with one-manone-vote. The political realities facing such anoption in Israel are insurmountable. The Jewish peoplewho wanted to have a state of their own for ages arenot going to volunteer to give it up without a fight.No matter what the future may bring, in the near termthis proposal means continued conflict.Option two: Separating Gaza from the West Bank: Thiscan be done by failure to establish easy communicationand transportation to the West Bank, by making nopolitical progress on the road map, by implementingpolicies that favor Gaza economically, or by allowingit to descend into chaos and instability. This optionwill leave all the ingredients of the conflictunresolved.Option three: Establishing new borders for Israelunilaterally, as defined by the barrier annexingaround 15 percent of the land and separating Jerusalemfrom Palestine. Such a state will not be viable and nopolitical leadership in Palestine can accept it.Significantly, it keeps the problem of Jerusalemunresolved and invites the jihadis across the Muslimworld to call for its liberation for generations tocome. It will redefine the conflict as a holy warbetween Muslims and Jews.Option four: A variation on pre-1967: by letting Gazadrift to the Egyptian sphere of influence and havingthe majority of the West Bank and its people revert toJordan, perhaps even by “making Jordan Palestine.”This will add to the present mix a conflict with, andwithin, Jordan and will expand the geographic area ofconfrontation and strife. It too will hand the issueof Jerusalem to the holy warriors of the 21st century.Option five: A provisional Palestinian state withoutborders. This is an acknowledgement of the politicalimpossibility of dealing with permanent status issuesat this point in time. Managing a protracted processto lead to peace will take a level of coordination anddiscipline on the part of so many parties that ignoresthe historical record. Any option that extends theuncertainty about the end game will guaranteecontinued conflict.Having outlined these options, I submit that theprudent course of action would be to empower thepresent Palestinian leadership to control and managethe transition to a state, to encourage the trendtoward compromise and withdrawal in Israel initiatedby Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and to havethe international community guide the massive effortto rebuild a peaceful viable Palestine alongside asecure Israel. Such a formula is a bargain at today’sprices. Human passions run amuck at a large scalecould make tsunamis and hurricanes seem like minorevents.

12) Israeli researcher collects statistical evidencefor banking bias in the US:Interesting statistical report by an Israeli gradstudent at U. of Washington and follow-up articlesin the seattlepi.com, about pay-day loan branchestargeting afro-american populations in washingtonstate.http://www.stat.washington.edu/assaf/WashPayDay.pdfhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/225559_payday24.htmlhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/225524_paydaymilitary24.html

13) Blair relished war:http://new
s.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article313548.eceDowning Street furious as official’s diary accusesBlair of ‘relishing’ Iraq invasion By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor Published: 19 September 2005 Labour insiders were furious last night over claims bya former No 10 official that Tony Blair “relished”ordering British forces to attack Iraq as part of his”coming of age” as Prime Minister. Lance Price, the former deputy to Alastair Campbellwhen he was the Prime Minister’s director ofcommunications, has been accused of “betrayal” by theCabinet Secretary after writing a “tell-all” diary.The ex-BBC reporter, who worked at Downing Street forthree years, had his account of the war on Iraqcensored by the Cabinet Office, but his original diarynote was published yesterday in The Mail on Sunday,which has bought the serial rights to his book, TheSpin Doctor’s Diary.Mr Price’s account confirms there is some truth to thebelief that Mr Campbell treated Mr Blair withcontempt. He noted in his diary that Mr Campbell hadcalled Mr Blair a “dickhead” to his face, and refusedto take calls from ministers who had annoyed him. MrPrice said his boss made personal attacks on MoMowlam, the former Northern Ireland Secretary, whodied last month, noting her performance on oneoccasion had been “two out of 10”.One former ally of Mr Price said: “We are verysurprised at what he has done. We are even moresurprised that he chose to give it to The Mail onSunday, which is not exactly the most supportive ofthe Labour Party.”Sir Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, has takensteps to stop the most damaging claims beingpublished. In a letter to Mr Price’s publishers, SirGus accused him of “betrayal”.Mr Price, 47, was obliged to submit his manuscript tothe Government for clearance under the civil servicecodes of practice. Three passages were toned down onthe orders of No 10 and the Cabinet Secretary.In his entry for Christmas 1998, when Mr Blair firstauthorised UK air strikes against Iraq, Mr Pricewrote: “I couldn’t help feeling TB was ratherrelishing his first blooding as PM, sending the boysinto action. Despite all the necessary stuff abouttaking action ‘with a heavy heart’, I think he feelsit is part of his coming of age as a leader.”The Cabinet Office ordered the entry to be toned downto read: “I couldn’t help feeling TB had mixedemotions about sending the boys into action. He saidhe did with a ‘heavy heart’ but at the same time, hemust have known it would happen sometime and maybeit’s part of the coming of age as a leader.”The Cabinet Office also toned down a reference to MrBlair’s “f-ing and blinding” over the prospect of aLabour defeat in the 1999 Welsh Assembly elections. MrPrice wrote: “‘Fucking Welsh’, repeated many times byTB.” That was changed to: “TB f-ing and blinding aboutthe whole thing.”Claims that Mr Blair had promised to tell RupertMurdoch, the Australian-born media mogul, beforeannouncing a change of policy on Britain’s entry tothe euro were also toned down.In his original diary entry, Mr Price said No 10 was”very edgy” after pro-euro comments by Mr Mandelson”because apparently we’ve promised News Internationalwe won’t make any changes to our Europe policy withouttalking to them.” The censors ordered it to be changedto say: “Apparently News International are under theimpression we won’t make any changes without askingthem.”Downing Street has refused to comment on the diaries.”We don’t want to get drawn into this book at all,”said an official.Downing Street also refused to deny unrelated claimsthat Mr Blair was furious with the “anti-US bias” ofthe BBC in its coverage of the New Orleans flooddisaster. It was widely reported yesterday that MrBlair had denounced the BBC’s reporting of HurricaneKatrina as “full of hatred of America” and “gloating”at the plight of the US.Mr Blair allegedly made the remarks at a privatemeeting with Mr Murdoch.How Downing Street changed the diaryORIGINAL VERSION:”I couldn’t help feeling TB was rather relishing hisfirst blooding as PM, sending the boys into action.Despite all the necessary stuff about taking action’with a heavy heart’, I think he feels it is part ofhis coming of age as a leader.”CENSORED VERSION:”I couldn’t help feeling TB had mixed emotions aboutsending the boys into action. He said he did it with a’heavy heart’ but at the same time, he must have knownit would happen some time and maybe it’s part of thecoming of age as a leader.”ORIGINAL VERSION:'”Fucking Welsh’, repeated many times by TB.”CENSORED VERSION:”TB f-ing and blinding about the whole thing.”ORIGINAL VERSION:”No 10 were very edgy because apparently we’vepromised News International we won’t make any changesto our Europe policy without talking to them.”CENSORED VERSION:”No 10 were very edgy because apparently NewsInternational are under the impression we won’t makeany changes without asking them.” Labour insiders were furious last night over claims bya former No 10 official that Tony Blair “relished”ordering British forces to attack Iraq as part of his”coming of age” as Prime Minister. Lance Price, the former deputy to Alastair Campbellwhen he was the Prime Minister’s director ofcommunications, has been accused of “betrayal” by theCabinet Secretary after writing a “tell-all” diary.The ex-BBC reporter, who worked at Downing Street forthree years, had his account of the war on Iraqcensored by the Cabinet Office, but his original diarynote was published yesterday in The Mail on Sunday,which has bought the serial rights to his book, TheSpin Doctor’s Diary.Mr Price’s account confirms there is some truth to thebelief that Mr Campbell treated Mr Blair withcontempt. He noted in his diary that Mr Campbell hadcalled Mr Blair a “dickhead” to his face, and refusedto take calls from ministers who had annoyed him. MrPrice said his boss made personal attacks on MoMowlam, the former Northern Ireland Secretary, whodied last month, noting her performance on oneoccasion had been “two out of 10”.One former ally of Mr Price said: “We are verysurprised at what he has done. We are even moresurprised that he chose to give it to The Mail onSunday, which is not exactly the most supportive ofthe Labour Party.”Sir Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, has takensteps to stop the most damaging claims beingpublished. In a letter to Mr Price’s publishers, SirGus accused him of “betrayal”.Mr Price, 47, was obliged to submit his manuscript tothe Government for clearance under the civil servicecodes of practice. Three passages were toned down onthe orders of No 10 and the Cabinet Secretary.In his entry for Christmas 1998, when Mr Blair firstauthorised UK air strikes against Iraq, Mr Pricewrote: “I couldn’t help feeling TB was ratherrelishing his first blooding as PM, sending the boysinto action. Despite all the necessary stuff abouttaking action ‘with a heavy heart’, I think he feelsit is part of his coming of age as a leader.”The Cabinet Office ordered the entry to be toned downto read: “I couldn’t help feeling TB had mixedemotions about sending the boys into action. He saidhe did with a ‘heavy heart’ but at the same time, hemust have known it would happen sometime and maybeit’s part of the coming of age as a leader.”The Cabinet Office also toned down a reference to MrBlair’s “f-ing and blinding” over the prospect of aLabour defeat in the 1999 Welsh Assembly elections. MrPrice wrote: “‘Fucking Welsh’, repeated many times byTB.” That was changed to: “TB f-ing and blinding aboutthe whole thing.”Claims that Mr Blair had promised to tell RupertMurdoch, the Australian-born media mogul, beforeannouncing a change of policy on Britain’s entry tothe euro were also toned down.In his original diary entry, Mr Price said No 10 was”very edgy” after pro-euro comments by Mr Mandelson”because apparently we’ve promised News Internationalwe won’t make any changes to our Europe policy withouttalking to them.” The censors ordered it to be changedto say: “Apparently News International are under theimpression we won’t make any changes without askingthem.”Downing Street has refused to comment on the diaries.”We don’t want to get drawn into this book at all,”said an official.Downing Street also refused to d
eny unrelated claimsthat Mr Blair was furious with the “anti-US bias” ofthe BBC in its coverage of the New Orleans flooddisaster. It was widely reported yesterday that MrBlair had denounced the BBC’s reporting of HurricaneKatrina as “full of hatred of America” and “gloating”at the plight of the US.Mr Blair allegedly made the remarks at a privatemeeting with Mr Murdoch.How Downing Street changed the diaryORIGINAL VERSION:”I couldn’t help feeling TB was rather relishing hisfirst blooding as PM, sending the boys into action.Despite all the necessary stuff about taking action’with a heavy heart’, I think he feels it is part ofhis coming of age as a leader.”CENSORED VERSION:”I couldn’t help feeling TB had mixed emotions aboutsending the boys into action. He said he did it with a’heavy heart’ but at the same time, he must have knownit would happen some time and maybe it’s part of thecoming of age as a leader.”

A lot of today’s postings are just reading from the Sunday T-P. If you’re checking NOLA.com on your own, then there’s less interesting stuff today than most days:

1) As far as I’m concerned here’s the Katrina quote of the day (as excellent a quote as the one I heard on the Wednesday after the storm — “they’d better do something quick, ’cause people gettin’ medieval around here”):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5286726,00.html

…”The Wal-Mart store in uptown New Orleans, built within the last year, survived the storm but was destroyed by looters.

“They took everything – all the electronics, thefood, the bikes,” said John Stonaker, a Wal-Martsecurity officer. “The only thing left are thecountry-and-western CDs.”…”

2) It’s clear that NO needs a few visionaries rightnow, and there’s literally not a moment to lose because reconstruction events will start to move very quickly now. I hope a few local visionaries step up to the plate, because otherwise a mess will emerge:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_18.html#080770

Rebuilding plans confront turf wars, political strife

Racial tension mars initial discussions

By Robert Travis Scott
Capital bureau

BATON ROUGE – Twelve days after Hurricane Katrina, asthe worst of the storm’s physical perils subsided,about 60 business people and public officials from NewOrleans gathered in Dallas with Mayor Ray Nagin todiscuss the future of the city.

The room full of “type A” personalities, as oneparticipant described them, showered advice on themayor. But it was New Orleans-born trumpeter andcomposer Wynton Marsalis, one of several peopleparticipating by phone, who passionately made thepoint that seemed to resonate most with the group: NewOrleans must rebuild its cultural, as well as itseconomic, strength.

For a city suffering an almost total exodus ofresidents and standing on the precipice of historicchange in its population size and demographic makeup,the challenge of Marsalis’ message struck deeply,according to people who attended the Dallas meetingSept. 10. One huge concern is the potential loss of adisproportionately large number of African-Americanswhose neighborhoods endured some of the most damagingflood waters and whose low incomes hinder theirreturn.

Reaching agreement on how to rebuild New Orleans won’tbe easy. Nagin’s effort already has run up against aLouisiana political environment rife with historicaldivisions and turf wars. The city’s initiative alsowill face a headstrong wave of federal aid andfree-market forces that will play a role in making orbreaking a new grand plan, whatever it turns out tobe.

“We can talk in the abstract about what a rebuilt NewOrleans would look like,” said Jim Schwab, seniorresearch associate with the American PlanningAssociation. “In the end that is not going to matternearly as much, I hope, as what the people of theregion themselves decide they want.”

And while critics from across the political spectrumdarkly warn about the dangers of “social engineering”as a strategy for rebuilding the region, costs, safetyissues and what insurance companies are willing tounderwrite may be the determining factor in manydecisions.

Urban planners who have studied the history ofcommunities struck by disaster recommend they begin bybuilding a consensus about what they want to preserveand create, Schwab said. But Katrina makes that jobespecially difficult.

“Every time you’ve done it before, you still hadpeople in the community,” Schwab said.

In Dallas alone, as the mayor’s group met, thousandsof evacuated citizens from New Orleans filled sheltersand hotels, including about 2,000 people being placedthere in federally subsidized housing. Nagin was inDallas primarily to rent a place for his family and tosettle his children into school until they canre-enroll in a New Orleans school.

Marsalis and others participating in the Dallasmeeting predicted that if the diverse peoples of NewOrleans do not return, its distinctive neighborhoods,musical inspirations and culinary traditions probablywon’t, either.
Confusion, hard feelings

The Dallas meeting was an early lesson in thedifficulties facing those who seek a consensus on aplan for the future. It quickly ignited a controversyand led to miscommunication and hard feelings amongsome political leaders.

One of its organizers was Nagin’s RegionalTransportation Authority chief, Jimmy Reiss, a whitebusinessman who was quoted that week in the WallStreet Journal saying that some people who want torebuild the city foresee a town with a new demographicof fewer poor people. To some in the city, the storypainted an impression of an elitist cadre of white NewOrleans leaders callous to the plight of the city’spoor.

“It was an extremely unfortunate article,” said BillHines, a lawyer and leader of the economic developmentgroup Greater New Orleans Inc. who attended the Dallasmeeting.

The story enraged a number of black state lawmakersand New Orleans City Council members, includingCouncil President Oliver Thomas, state Rep. CedricRichmond, D-New Orleans, and Sen. Diana Bajoie, bothD-New Orleans, who confronted Nagin in a publicmeeting Sept. 12 at the state Capitol. They expressedconcern that Nagin and the Dallas group of mostlywhite businessmen were coordinating a recovery programassuming that a large portion of poorAfrican-Americans would be discouraged from returningto the city.

As the legislative hearing room gained the air of aformal inquiry, Nagin responded sharply that he had nosuch intention and said he had made that point clearat the Dallas gathering.

“So don’t worry about this city being hijacked by asmall group of people who are trying to take usbackward,” said Nagin, who is black.

Reiss, contacted at his home in Aspen, Colo., wouldnot comment. In a letter to The Times Picayune, hesaid, “there was no selfish politics, no parochialgoals” at the Dallas meeting. “We all shared the sameobjective: Make New Orleans a prosperous city thatprovided jobs and a high quality of life for all ofits citizens, and preserving the diverse cultural andethnic heritage that makes us special.”

Some of those who joined the Dallas meeting, whichlasted several hours, said it was positive andunified, and that Nagin persuasively articulated hisdream for a prosperous city. In addition to Marsalis,there were other African-Americans who participated,including Entergy New Orleans chief Dan Packer, who isthe board chairman of the Louis ArmstrongInternational Airport, businessman David White andstate Sen. Derrick Shepherd, D-Marrero.

Still, the event fed Nagin’s reputation as an aloofleader indebted to the white business establishmentthat helped elect him. Nagin himself is a businessmanwith no prior experience in elected office. Few haveforgotten that Nagin, a Democrat, endorsedconservative Republican Bobby Jindal in the 2003governor’s race over Kathleen Blanco, the Democrat whowon. His relations with Blanco – and hence relationsbetween New Orleans and state government – have beencool ever since.

He also has strained relations with council membersand the black legislative delegation from New Orleans,many of whom feel shut out by his administration,especially in this time of crisis. Those same peoplewere unaware of the Dallas meeting until it was over.

“You don’t need to fight these battles by yourself,”Thomas told Nagin at the Capitol hearing.

“You may have done it that way in the past,” stateRep. Karen Carter, D-New Orleans, told Nagin. “But youdon’t have to do it that way in the future.”

Nagin explained th
at he had been dealing with urgentand stressful conditions hampered by dysfunctionalcommunication systems. He made his mea culpa andannounced he would appoint a racially balanced taskforce dedicated to planning the city’s revival. He wasadamant that New Orleanians, not state or federalofficials, will determine the new plan for NewOrleans.

Limited local leadership

Bernie Pinsonat, a consultant with Southern Media &Opinion; Research in Baton Rouge, said the publicperceives the Katrina political landscape as devoid ofoutstanding leadership from the president on down.

“Louisiana produced no Giuliani figures for the restof the country,” Pinsonat said, referring to formerNew York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s much-lauded handlingof the 2001 terrorist attacks on his city.

Leadership is critical to the recovery process, andNagin seems determined to emerge as the one settingthe agenda for the future.

But the city has long been limited in determining itsown affairs and revenue base. For example, statecommissions own the Superdome and the Ernest N. MorialConvention Center, and the Legislature ultimatelydecides how much room tax New Orleans hotels willcharge to pay for the buildings. The state,represented by the governor, is the primary negotiatorin deals with the New Orleans Saints. Local sales andproperty taxes are capped by state law.

The city’s public housing authority, which hastemporarily moved to Houston, is under the control ofthe federal Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment because of past financial problems.Financing for future public housing projects willdepend largely on the impetus of the federal agency.

Last week, the state Bond Commission, acting on arequest that preceded Katrina, approved a federallybacked $49 million financing package to continue aredevelopment program for three of the city’s majorpublic housing developments, one of which was severelyflooded. It won’t matter if people don’t come back tooccupy the apartments; the federal financing is notbased on occupancy.

One senator on the commission questioned whether thepanel was moving too fast considering the manyunknowns about New Orleans’ public housing scene. Butthe commission decided it was better to have the moneyin the pipeline than to derail the projects whilewaiting for a grand new plan for public housing.
The federal government has its own recovery agenda,announced by Bush last week, and it plans tocontribute billions of dollars. There has been muchtalk about the possible appointment of a federal tsarfor the recovery effort.

Federal Emergency Management Agency money for the citywill pass through state agencies. It remains to beseen whether state or federal authorities willinterfere or attempt to dictate the city’s plan.

The state at times has been possessive of the city’srevenue. For example, the state is the main taxcollector for Harrah’s New Orleans Casino downtown.Blanco has refused to release millions of dollars ofHarrah’s tax money that was supposed to be passed onto the city, and pleas from city officials andlawmakers have not convinced her to let it go.

Blanco wrote President Bush this week requesting thatfederal dollars cover 100 percent of the cost forKatrina recovery, and lawmakers at the state Capitollast week were nearly universal in their expectationthat federal money would take care of New Orleans,leaving state budgets to continue providing the sameservices and projects elsewhere in Louisiana.

Whitney National Bank President King Milling, whoparticipated in the Dallas meeting, said that despiteall the obstacles, he is hopeful consensus can beformed on a recovery plan.

“We can create a better community in the long run withthe same sensibilities and culture,” said Milling, whois white.

Late last week, Nagin spent considerable time buildingpolitical allies and staking out a national mediapresence to put a confident face on the dauntingrecovery effort. Now out of crisis mode, he can spendmore time on the future.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rebuildthe greatest city in the world,” Nagin said. “It’sbeen a wild ride, and we’re getting ready to get onanother wild ride.”

3) I don’t really agree with the premise of thisarticle — namely that LA might go Republican due tothe potential loss of all those African-AmericanDemocratic voters. First of all, such voters won’tjust disappear — they may swing TX Democratic, forexample (not addressed in this article). Secondly, anawful lot of NO locals who might’ve voted Republicanthree weeks ago might be reconsidering their vote now– and that could change yet again depending on howBush’s reconstruction plan plays out…

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_18.html#080770

Evacuations throw wrench into Democratic strategy

Return of reliable voter base uncertain

Those in Houston shelters skeptical of government

By Laura Maggi
Capital Bureau

BATON ROUGE – With so many New Orleans residents inevacuation centers and temporary housing arrangementsacross Louisiana and the rest of the country,political analysts say that Hurricane Katrina couldprove a turning point in the state’s politicalhistory.

The potentially permanent diaspora of voters -especially the poor and black residents who make upthe Democratic Party’s most loyal constituency and maylack the resources needed to return – could change thecalculations for getting elected to statewide officefor years to come.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco and other leaders are beginningto assess the task of rebuilding the city andsurrounding region, emphasizing that they want all ofthe Louisiana citizens to come back home. Thosedisplaced lower-income residents currently withoutjobs, they say, can be put to work on the massiveconstruction projects that are soon to come to thearea.

The city of New Orleans has always been key instatewide elections, where well-established politicalmachines have historically been able to turn out alarge Democratic vote.

African-American voters make up about 63 percent ofthe registered voters in the city and 29 percent inthe state. They have historically vote overwhelminglyfor Democrats, making them essential to a winningstrategy.
The well-organized black voters in New Orleans havebeen an essential factor in statewide elections,allowing Democrats to compete in a way that theyhaven’t been able to in neighboring Deep South statessuch as Mississippi and Alabama, said Jim Nickel, aformer chairman of the party.

“Unless there is a very significant, almost completereturn, the math gets very complicated for Democrats,”Nickel said.

It is unclear exactly how many people from southeastLouisiana have left the state since Katrina struck thecoast three weeks ago, although Blanco estimates that1 million residents from the region have beendispersed. Many of them are now out of state,including an estimated 250,000 in Texas alone.

Which of those Louisianians choose – or are able – toreturn will set the political landscape.

Residents already have begun to return to St. Tammanyand Jefferson parishes, which have majority whitepopulations that often back Republican candidates.Both parishes went for Blanco’s GOP opponent, currentU.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, in the 2003 governor’s raceand gave Republican George W. Bush some of his highestpercentages in the state in 2000 and 2004.

People from the flood-ravaged parishes of St. Bernardand Plaquemines are unlikely to be able to return asquickly because of the extensive flood damage. Butthose rural parishes, which are almost entirely white,are less politically predictable, evenly split betweenDemocrats and Republicans in competitive races.
The real question mark remains Orleans Parish, even asresidents
are being allowed back this week into dryneighborhoods such as the Central Business Districtand Uptown. Heavily black neighborhoods such as theLower Ninth Ward and eastern New Orleans sufferedextensive flooding, which could take months, if notyears, to rebuild.

At the same time, thousands of lower-income NewOrleanians, most African-American, who were unable toleave the city before the storm waited for days to beevacuated, often without food, while increasingviolence dominated the streets. Many have expressedanger at their state and local leaders and reluctanceabout returning to the area. One recent poll ofevacuees at shelters in Houston found that 44 percentintended to permanently relocate outside New Orleans.

State Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, said thatit may be too soon to tell whether people will beunwilling to return to the city because of theirexperiences during Hurricane Katrina. AnAfrican-American politician, Richmond acknowledgedthat the exodus of large numbers of black voters wouldbe significant for state Democratic politics.

“If we don’t get people home, it is going to be veryhard for Democrats to be elected,” he said, whileemphasizing that politics isn’t the priority rightnow. “The main goal is to create a new city thateverybody who was displaced would want to come hometo.”

Bernie Pinsonat, a pollster and political consultantwith Southern Media & Opinion Research in Baton Rouge,said it likely won’t be clear for at least threemonths how the storm will impact the voter base in NewOrleans. For example, if those who evacuated toHouston find it a more appealing and safer place fortheir families, the new lifestyle might keep themthere, Pinsonat said.

Roughly speaking, if New Orleans loses more than40,000 black voters, then the impact will be felt insome local elections. Once more than 50,000 AfricanAmericans leave the state, the departure will impactstatewide elections, Pinsonat said.

Recent statewide elections won by Democrats broke downalong 52 percent to 48 percent lines: U.S. Sen. MaryLandrieu beat her Republican challenger Suzanne HaikTerrell by 42,012 votes in 2002, while Blanco beatJindal by 54,874 votes in 2003.

For current leaders, the political impact of HurricaneKatrina could be problematic even if people do returnto the state. A survey of 680 people at shelters inHouston, almost all of them from New Orleans, foundthat evacuees were critical of politicians at everylevel.

Fifty-eight percent disapproved of Blanco’s handlingof the storm’s devastating aftermath, when floodingand violence overtook the city and thousands of peoplewere stranded with little assistance for days. About53 percent disapproved of New Orleans Mayor RayNagin’s actions, while 70 percent found fault withPresident Bush.

The survey showed that people experienced a totalcollapse of local and state services, said RobertBlendon, professor of health policy at the HarvardSchool of Public Health, who helped conduct thesurvey, along with the Kaiser Family Foundation andThe Washington Post.

Only 7 percent of respondents said they were helped bythe New Orleans police or fire departments or a stateagency, compared with 25 percent who said theyreceived assistance from the National Guard or othermilitary units.

“There was a real skepticism about the ability torebuild and make things work in the future at thestate and local level,” Blendon said.

As the survey polled only people in emergencyshelters, it is not a representative sampling of allNew Orleans-area people who have evacuated to Houston,capturing generally low-income people who stayed inthe city during the storm and needed government helpto get out. More economically well-off evacuees, whoare typically paying for their own housing or stayingwith family and friends, were not included.
Capital bureau reporter Robert Travis Scottcontributed to this report.

4) Here’s to plans to keep Louisianans home:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_18.html#080770

State looks at ways to keep folks in La.

Businesses, homeowners could receive tax credits

Blanco says she has repaired fractured friendship withNagin
By Laura Maggi
Capital Bureau

BATON ROUGE – State officials are working on aneconomic development package they want Congress toconsider to help jump-start businesses in New Orleans,as well as encourage people to rebuild their homes inthe area, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said in an interviewSaturday.

Based on the tax breaks and other incentives that werecreated for New York City after the Sept. 11 terroristattacks, the state is trying to craft “sellable” taxcredits program for homeowners and businesses thatwould benefit anyone who rebuilds in the 10-parisharea affected by the storm, Blanco said.

The package is still in its conceptual stages, Blancosaid, being worked out in partnership with Mississippiofficials, who will have similar problems rebuildingalong the coastline.

“A lot of the details are not yet identified, but wewant it as liberal as possible,” Blanco said, addingthat any incentives would likely have to be in placefor as long as a decade. “We want it to work forre-employing our people.”

Among the ideas:

* A $50,000 tax credit for homeowners who rebuild inthe area or a $20,000 tax credit for renters whoreturn. People whose tax liability is less than thoseamounts would be allowed to sell those credits.

* An accelerated depreciation schedule for businesses,allowing them to write off 50 percent of theirinvestment in the first year.

* A $30 billion bond issue allowing businesses thatwant to rebuild to get tax-free bonds, as well asproviding businesses that reopen in the New Orleansarea with a $100,000 tax credit.

The state already is working with large companies toget their work forces back into the area, Blanco said,by helping set up temporary housing at facilities.This will help get the larger employers up andrunning, she said, providing a boost for the stalledeconomy.

In a phone interview before she traveled to Alexandriato meet with troops coming back from the war in Iraq,the governor said she had a good meeting Wednesdaynight with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. The mayor hasbeen critical of the state’s post-hurricane response,saying that he did not get enough support as floodingswamped the city and violence became more pervasive.

“We began the process of debriefing each other,sharing what our unique experiences were,” Blancosaid. “I know the mayor felt very desperate in hishour of need.”

But Blanco said that because of the communicationsnetwork breakdown, Nagin was unaware of all that wasgoing on at the state level to deal with the crisis.”We came to some new levels of understanding that wereabsolutely necessary,” she said.

Although Nagin endorsed opponent Bobby Jindal duringthe 2003 governor’s race, Blanco said she hasdeveloped a good working relationship with the mayorsince she took office. “We re-established ourfriendship,” Blanco said of their conversation.

5) Here’s a disaster assistance website:

Sorry, all.

D’oh! Jimbo

This is a site my friend has set up for victims of Katrina in New Orleans. It is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping out the city that everyone on this list has enjoyed. Check it out, purchase a bracelet and wear them with pride. Every little bit helps. Take care, all. Jim Brooks ps. I never ask anyone to do this, but send it to as many people as you can on your email lists. The money needs to be raised and people need to be helped. The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:

Shortcut to: http://www.renewnola.o
rg/

6) New Orleans’ Vietnamese will be back — they’ve started from scratch once before, and can do it again:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_18.html#080770

Vietnamese businesses must start over – again
Many made homes in eastern N.O.
Businessman says many residents will return
By Doug MacCash
Staff writer

The grass in the neighborhoods along Chef MenteurHighway beyond Interstate 510 is a cadaverous graycolor, seemingly lifeless after being submerged fordays beneath floodwaters.

Bass boats, V-bottomed pleasure craft and even oneforlorn Sunday-in-the-park paddleboat are grounded onthe four lanes’ shoulders, medians and side streets -evidence of a hectic exodus. Car washes, mobile homesand threadbare motels dating from the era when ChefMenteur, also known as U.S. 90, was a thoroughfare tothe Gulf Coast, seem to have exploded into rubblealong the roadside.

Other, more substantial architecture is merely scouredby the wind, missing shingles and gutters. Cypress andcedar trees are bent to the ground, their roots pulledsummarily from the earth like garden weeds. As otherNew Orleans neighborhoods seem poised for aspeedier-than-expected comeback, eastern New Orleansis still utterly humbled by Hurricane Katrina’s power.

Near the corner of Chef Menteur and Alcee FortierBoulevard, where for 30 years Vietnamese lettering hasreplaced English on the roadside shop marquees,businessman Huang Tran, 49, surveyed the damage withnervous dismay Friday.

“I feel very down,” he said. “It’s so terrible. BeforeI came back I thought I could rebuild in a few weeks.Now I think it will take five or six months.”

Tran pointed to several of the storefronts in theblock-long strip malls that line the intersection,each owned by a member of his immediate or extendedfamily, all of them damaged. His younger sister ownsthe jewelry store, his wife’s older sister owns thepharmacy, and his older sister owns the Vietnamese hamfactory, where, he said, the hundreds of pounds ofmeat have certainly spoiled.

Other family members ran small businesses inneighborhoods across New Orleans, most, he said,damaged to some degree by the storm. Everyone, hesaid, escaped to Carrollton, Texas, near Dallas, wherethey waited for his report on the damage.

Tran’s own business, a second-story video rentalstore, had survived both wind and floodwaters.Ironically, this fact only seemed to add to hisfrustration, since somehow he’d misplaced the keys,making the long drive from Texas to retrieve valuablesand begin the repair process in part useless.

“I’ve almost lost my mind,” he said, patting hisforehead, the heat of the midday sun rippling from themuddy, littered pavement around him.

As a 19-year-old, Tran was one of thousands ofVietnamese who escaped their war-ravaged homeland totake permanent asylum in the somewhat familiar heatand fecundity of the reclaimed wetlands in NewOrleans’ eastern reaches. There they’d established alargely self-sufficient Southeast Asian communitysuperimposed on a typical American suburb of tracthouses, modest yards and chain-link fences.

“I feel the same thing as then,” he said. “I have tostart at the beginning, just like when I came here in1975.”

A fishy smell filled the air from the nearby bayou,which had returned to its banks only days before. Thestaccato pulse of helicopter blades could be heard inthe distance. The streets of the neighborhood werealmost completely vacant, except for a rare passingcar with wide-eyed occupants inspecting what the floodhad left behind.

Tran had not abandoned his neighborhood and businesseasily. He drove through the limb-strewn streets whileKatrina’s winds still wailed. He forded the samestreets as the tide rose, leaving only when thewaist-deep water threatened to drown the engine of hisFord pickup. Now he was among the very first to stealback in for a peek. He said he believes that many ofhis Vietnamese neighbors will return.

“The young people are gone, he said. “The old people,yes, they’ll come back for the church.”

He was referring to Mary Queen of Vietnam Church onDwyer Boulevard a few blocks away, a modernsheet-metal structure adorned with subtle Asianmotifs, but with part of its roof torn away anddropped like a shed snakeskin in the adjacent parkinglot.

“Now I have to go back to Dallas to see what to donext,” he said.

Unexpectedly, Tran went to the back of his truck,returning with cold Cokes to share.

Inside the truck’s large cab, two of Tran’s employees,Willie Watson, 56, and Michael McKinley, 22, waitedsomewhat impatiently, dust masks pasted to theirforeheads with sweat. In the front seat sat PhatQuach, 26, introduced as Tran’s daughter’s boyfriend,a newly minted Xavier University pharmacist.
The next and last stop on Tran’s expedition wasQuach’s house, a mile away down Chef Highway on ashort cul-de-sac that was no longer marked with streetsigns.

The modest low-slung ranch house had one of thenow-familiar rescue schematics spray- painted on thedoor, a crossed circle indicating no one was foundinside, dated 9-10. The house had taken in a foot ofwater that drew a greasy brown tidemark around theinside of the living room. The floor was slick withmud, the walls polka-dotted with quarter-sized moldcolonies. Scenes of Vietnam’s long-ago war with Chinaand da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” rendered in mother ofpearl, shared the wall with formal, old-world, familyphotos.

“I just kind of expected it,” Quach said of his musty,waterlogged home. “But it’s just now hitting me thatit’s real. You have to step into your house and see itfor yourself.”

Quach was most interested in retrieving two articles.The first was a sheaf of papers including the permitsand licenses for the pharmacy he and Tran were on thebrink of opening in Mid-City when the storm struck.
“We were going to open in October,” he said, a faintsmile of pride, or perhaps irony, lighting his face ashe handed the documents to Tran for safekeeping.

“I work 365 days,” said Tran, standing in the doorway.”I never close. In the evening I go fishing for acouple of hours. I go home and have a couple of beersand go to bed and get up again every day.”

“He’s a good boss,” Watson said. McKinley nodded inagreement. “But it’s going to be a long while beforewe’re back. Just look at the place.”

Quach clutched the other object he hoped to salvage, asuit he said he’d recently paid $1,000 for, stored ina now-dripping vinyl carrying bag. No one stated theobvious, that the suit was a lost cause.

Unexpectedly, there was the sound of another vehicleon the road and a heavily accented voice called out toTran’s party.

Three police offers had arrived, parking their blackpickup across the driveway, trapping Tran’s vehicle.One wore an NOPD T-shirt. The other two, a man andwoman, wore black and khaki combat gear, complete withflak jackets, spare clips and leather-sheathed gearclustered on their belts. He carried an assault riflewith sniper scope; she, a bulky pistol.

Special Agents Kim Wright and Manual Noudewo,accompanied by officer Douglas McGowan, were on looterpatrol. They politely asked for ID, never assuming athreatening posture – never needing to. In theirregular life, they said, they are Drug EnforcementAdministration officers in Miami. Agent Noudewo, withthe distinct accent, was born in Cameroon.

Once the IDs were produced, the officers chatted for afew minutes with Tran’s expedition party. “It’s thebad luck of our people,” Tran said, explaining hisbelief that every 30 years the Vietnamese have beenforced to leave behind one life for another. In 1945they escaped Japanese occupation; in 1975 they fledthe communist takeover; now it’s Katrina.

His father, he
said, had seen it all, but since he isnow in his 80s, Katrina will probably be the old man’slast exodus.

Heading back to the black pickup, Wright said,”Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

“You’ll get it, you’ll get it,” Watson saidreassuringly as Tran and the others stepped to theFord, preparing for the long trip to their temporaryhome. “You’re a businessman; you’ve seen hard times.”

7) Wetlands article:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpsports/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpsports/archives/2005_09.html#080775

Bob Marshall: Lessons to be learned from Katrina
By Bob Marshal
lOutdoors editor

The dividing line between good and bad could not havebeen starker.

Inside the levees that formed the border of PortSulphur – the Mississippi River levee on the east, theso-called hurricane protection levee on the west – thescene was one of utter, ugly ruin. Islands of debristhat had once been homes, marinas and schools floatedin a sickening black sea of fetid water. Even at 300feet in a seaplane, the odor of what had happenedthere permeated the humid air.

It was a different story outside the levees. On oneside green oyster grass sliced by bayous rested underthe sun, clean and quiet. One the other the big riverflowed easily toward the Gulf. Nature seemed at peace.

We all saw the contrast. Wildlife biologist ScottBurdett spoke first. “There’s a lesson to be learnedfrom that picture, and some serious questions to beasked,” he said.

Indeed.

In the immediate wake of Katrina, the obvious questioncoming from all parts of the country went like this:Why rebuild a city that sits on sinking lands in ahurricane zone?

The answer is equally obvious. For the same reasonwe’re not moving Los Angeles or San Francisco, whichsit on major fault lines. Or Miami or Tampa, which sitright on the coast in hurricane zones. Or Denver andLas Vegas, which are sucking local aquifers dry.

It would be too expensive and far too inhuman toattempt to move a million or more people. Further,those cities represent important cogs in the nation’seconomy. In our case, the city’s port is indispensableto the economies of all those states that touch theMississippi River and its tributaries, easilyone-third of the nation.
That said, this disaster should finally teach thenation a lesson it has refused to learn for 200 years:Our communities must live within the infrastructure ofthe ecosystems upon which they are built. If we allowourselves to grow beyond those limits we are courtingdisaster, whether on the Gulf Coast, the Great Plainsor the arid west.

We can live safely in New Orleans, but only if werespect the natural storm defenses that once existed.If we hadn’t allowed industry to destroy half themarshes that were found south of the city 100 yearsago, Katrina’s blows would have been much less severe.If we had put parochial concerns aside 20 years agoand united behind plans to rebuild those marshes, manymore of us would be dry today, and the nation would be$100 billion richer. If we hadn’t allowed developersto put houses and businesses in areas prone toflooding, we would have a smaller city – but we wouldhave had much less death and destruction.

We can live here in safety, but not if we try toignore nature. Yes, we will need to build levees thatare high enough and strong enough to withstand aCategory 5 storm, but we must also rebuild thewetlands we’ve destroyed, even if that means removingsome old developments and curtailing future growth. Ifnot, we’ll soon be an island in the Gulf toovulnerable for levees of any height to protect.

This lesson isn’t only for New Orleans. Disasters on asimilar scale are building across the nation, justfrom different forces of nature, and all because ourplanners put “growth” ahead of respect for theirecosystems. Western cities like Denver and Las Vegasthat were built on dry or semi-arid landscapes havebeen allowed to grow without limits. Now they face theprospect of running out of water in 30 or 40 years,leaving millions of people homeless.

Yet the solutions being discussed point to furtherdevelopment – trapping water in endless reservoirs,piping it down from Canada, taking it from the sea.Even if possible, those ideas would cost billions andstill not solve the problem, because the continuedgrowth would soon out-pace the new supply.

They can have their cities in the desert just as wecan have our city on the delta – but only if werespect the natural systems we’re building on. Thepenalties we court for ignoring and destroying thosesystems can be found in New Orleans today.

8) NO area university news:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_18.html#080770

Colleges to seek billions in federal assistance

Officials hope aid strengthens systems
By Coleman Warner
Staff writer

A tattered American flag was tacked to a thin plank ofwood just inside the door of Delgado CommunityCollege’s main administration building, a hurricanerelic that soldiers from the Oregon National Guardplucked from a tangle of storm debris.

The shredded flag could serve to symbolize the blowsuffered by several campuses that are beginning torestore crippled physical plants. Preliminaryassessments of damage to campus buildings, equipmentand lab materials has set the stage for a historicrequest of as much as $5 billion in federal aid.

Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education JosephSavoie said Saturday that congressional staffers areworking out the details but that the request should beintroduced in Congress as soon as Monday. Savoie saidthe total is “subject to all sorts of strategicdecisions they’re going to have to make.” In additionto rebuilding damaged buildings, the money would beused for scholarships, faculty stabilization, economicdevelopment and to restore damaged research, Savoiesaid.

To fine-tune the damage assessment, “we’re hoping tohave people on site this week looking at all thosecampuses,” Savoie said.

But in interesting ways, despair over the havocwrought among institutions so important to NewOrleans’ economy and culture is giving way to optimismthat the storm may have provided an opportunity.College and university leaders meeting regularly inBaton Rouge as part of the higher education responseteam have begun talking about how wise use of federalaid could ultimately strengthen the institutions,Savoie said.

“There’s a growing sense of opportunity; people arethinking of ways they can improve theircircumstances,” he
said.

Last week, conditions at several campuses appearedgrim. A sheen of white and brown muck marked buildingwindows and was cracking in the sun.

Floodwaters covered two-thirds of the TulaneUniversity’s Uptown campus between Freret Street andSouth Claiborne Avenue, to depths of three or fourfeet in many places. The brackish water tossed debrisabout a baseball stadium that was under renovation,ruined virtually all of the university’s vehicle fleetand spilled into the basement of Howard-TiltonMemorial Library, where a world-famous jazz musicarchive is stored, officials said. The universityhired a document salvage firm, but it was unclearSaturday how much of the archive will be saved. Muchof the campus was strewn with large tree limbs.

“We’re going to be buying a lot of stuff,” said SeniorVice President Yvette Jones. “We’re moving quickly.”

Floodwaters still covered most of the SouthernUniversity at New Orleans campus Wednesday, the firstday anyone representing SUNO could access the propertynear the Lakefront to check on its condition, interimChancellor Robert Gex said.
There were reports ofwater as deep as 14 feet around the campus after thestorm, and by Wednesday the receding water was stillan inch deep in the administration building. A statedamage assessment team hadn’t yet begun its work, hesaid.

“In every building, some damage has taken place. Weneed people to look at foundations and things,” hesaid Thursday. “It’s been hard on everybody. We’retrying to make the best of the situation.”

At the University of New Orleans, floodwaters at somepoint covered about a third of the Lakefront campus,mostly on its south and west sides, invading the firstfloor of a dorm and the city’s premier high school,Ben Franklin, at the edge of the college campus. But”most of the academic buildings didn’t have water,”Chancellor Timothy Ryan said. Still, he estimated thatbuilding repair and equipment replacement needs willtop $100 million.

Storm refugees brought from rooftops by helicopter toopen ground at UNO broke into many buildings and spentdays on campus, with the bulk of them, 1,500 or more,apparently sleeping at Kirschman Hall, a newmulti-story business complex, Ryan said.

“Apparently there was some miscommunication, becausethey were left there for several days,” Ryan said,adding there was “some substantial damage done, butreparable damage.” Some of the displaced residentsapparently broke into soft drink machines, he said.

Cleanup workers on Wednesday said they found humanfeces and mounds of trash inside the business hall,and more than 100 chairs from the building had beendragged out and left in a grassy field.

“For somebody to have that much trash in there, it hadto be a whole, whole bunch of them,” said Ricky
Burch,director of a private cleanup crew hired by UNO. “Itlooked like Mardi Gras inside.”

Xavier and Dillard universities, both hit hard by whatappeared to be at least a few feet of flooding onground floors, were strewn with tree limbs and otherdebris last week. Damage at Xavier, near SouthCarrollton Avenue and the Pontchartrain Expressway,had yet to be formally assessed, Savoie said.

In addition to flood damage, Dillard lost threebuildings to fire, said Savoie, who did not know whichbuildings burned. A drive past the campus suggestedthat the stately buildings along Gentilly Boulevardhad been spared. But dried muck and downed tree limbsacross much of the campus gave it a look ofdevastation.
Dillard and Xavier officials weren’t immediatelyavailable for comment.

“Dillard requires significant cash investments fromalumni, government, foundations, corporations andfriends to restore the physical facilities andinfrastructure, equipment and academic instructionalmaterials,” Dillard’s Web site says. “We are dedicatedto the success of our students and the entire Dillardcommunity, and all of us eagerly await our return tofair Dillard.”

Floodwaters invaded ground-floor medical facilities ofTulane University and Louisiana State University in theCentral Business District, damaging records, killinglaboratory animals and disrupting hundreds of researchprojects, Savoie said. Money for shoring up suchresearch projects will be sought from Congress, hesaid.

Nunez Community College in Chalmette, part of a swathof destruction caused by storm surge in St. BernardParish, saw six to seven feet of water on the bottomfloors of its four buildings, spokeswoman Teresa Smithsaid. Some of the buildings also sustained roofdamage, and mud from the storm waters filled parkinglots, one of which was littered with marooned boats. Adamage assessment for Nunez was incomplete last week.

Delgado received some flooding on the back sections ofthe City Park campus, and soldiers from the OregonNational Guard found in the main administrationbuilding trash that appeared to have been left behindby a small colony of storm refugees. But the unit,which had more than 240 soldiers camped out at thecampus, found no major damage or evidence of looting,said its spokesman, Sgt. 1st Class Cameron Hanson.
“I’ve only seen one broken window, and that was from abullet hole,” he said.

Using Delgado equipment, the Oregon soldiers mowed thelawn.

Other than minor wind damage, Our Lady of Holy Cross,located in Algiers, and Loyola University, off St.Charles Avenue Uptown, were left relatively unscathedby Katrina, officials said. Serving as theheadquarters for Texas National Guard units, Loyolabenefited from its location on the river side ofFreret Street, avoiding the water damage that willrequire months of repair at neighboring Tulane.

9) Jefferson Parish Update:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_18.html#080770

Jefferson Parish springs to life
Residents come back, businesses reopen
By Mary Swerczek
Kenner bureau

Backing away from a phased return order that hadstretched through next Wednesday, Jefferson ParishPresident Aaron Broussard announced that all JeffersonParish residents are welcome to return this weekend.

“He feels the parish has come back enough,” saidWalter Maestri, the parish’s Director of EmergencyManagement. “That was his commitment that he couldbring more and more people in as the infrastructurewould admit.”

Maestri estimated Saturday that about 75 percent ofelectricity and sewerage is working in the parish. Buthe said the hardest-hit areas of Old Metairie,Bucktown and Terrytown remain without those services.Parish officials say about 65 percent to 70 percent ofthe parish’s residents have already returned.

Beginning Monday at 5 a.m., residents will have totalaccess to the Causeway bridge, said Causeway GeneralManager Robert Lambert. Previously, the commission hadrestricted access to emergency personnel and thosewith special business permits, in an effort to helpadhere to the curfews enforced in various parishes,Lambert said.

But as of Monday, each parish will have to decide howit wants to handle the curfews in light of theCauseway’s opening, he said. “The parish will have toenforce (curfews), not the Causeway Commission,” hesaid.

With more and more residents arriving, Maestri saidthe biggest challenge facing the parish now is findingtemporary housing for thousands of citizens lefthomeless by the storm. West Bank residents have beenallowed to return, with the main problem area beingTerrytown, Maestri said.

Also, the parish is lifting the restriction againstrecreational vehicles and trailers in driveways, aslong as residents get a permit from the JeffersonParish Department of Inspection and Code Enforcement,Maestri said. There is no charge for the permit.

He didn’t have an estimate of how many businesses havereopened, but said more are springing to life everyday.

“Today’s the first active day,” said River Ridgeresident Sandra Couvillion, standing outside aMcDonald’s on Jefferson Highway on Saturday.

The fast-food restaurant’s lobby was closed atlunchtime, but the line for drive-through stretchedonto the highway.

Many businesses advertised not just that they wereopening, but that workers were needed.

“We’re hiring for every position,” said Lowe’s zonemanager Dwayne Dempster, at a Veterans MemorialBoulevard location. Employees from Lowe’s storesthroughout the country and Lowe’s vendors are helpingout at New Orleans area stores, Dempster said.

In addition to the new businesses opening, there wereother signs of life returning closer to normal.
In River Ridge, only the crumpled awnings and damagedsigns signaled the storm that came through nearlythree weeks ago.

Traffic was brisk along Jefferson Highway where themedian was dotted with spray-painted signs announcingthat various restaurants were open for business.

At Colonial Lanes bowling alley in Harahan, ownerChuck Ferrara threw a party for police andfirefig
hters who hepled the city reopen. “It’s just alittle bit of appreciation for the people who helpedget us back on our feet again,” said Ferrara, as theemergency workers bowled and ate pizza.

An RTA bus that was commandeered by New Orleansevacuees to escape the city in the days after thestorm is parked in front of City Hall. The dozenpeople on the bus weren’t booked with a crime, butwere brought to the evacuation center at LouisArmstrong International Airport.

“I understand why they did what they did,” PoliceChief Peter Dale said.

Staff writers Matt Scallan and Jenny Hurwitzcontributed to this report. Mary Swerczek can bereached at
mkswerczek@hotmail.com.

10) Another response analysis – looks like the city turned down that empty Amtrak train after all. Guess it wasn’t part of the evacuation plan:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_18.html#080770

Need and response proved out of sync
Initial confidence rooted in ignorance
Getting ‘boots on the ground’ proved particularlydifficult
By Bill Walsh
Washington bureau

WASHINGTON – It was 8:30 a.m., shortly after HurricaneKatrina made landfall Aug. 29, and Donald Bordelon wasfeeling pretty good.

Katrina’s 145-mph fury was still raging outside hisArabi home. But in St. Bernard Parish, where residentslook up at the Mississippi River, the real worry iswater. Always, the water.

For the time being, the levees were holding back theforces of nature that daily threatened to render hisneighborhood just one more south Louisiana swamp. Hisrelief didn’t last long.

Forty minutes later, water swirled up around the stovein his kitchen. He jumped into his boat and gave uphis home to the storm.

Elsewhere in the hurricane’s tailwinds, a brief senseof security swept across much of southeasternLouisiana and the nation. In the early afternoon ofthat Monday, it seemed, the 287-year-old city had onceagain been spared a direct hit by a major storm. Aheadline in a national press service assured, “NewOrleans Weathers the Storm.”

That assumption was dead wrong.

As surely as water seeks the lowest level, Katrina wasabout to lay bare the shortcomings of disaster plansby local, state and federal officials.

And as levees were breached around a city restingmainly below sea level, years of disaster planninggave way to finger-pointing, legal wrangling anddenial that things were as bad as they clearly were -even as residents suffered through unimaginableconditions just to survive.

A million evacuate

Days before it struck, Hurricane Katrina commanded afear and respect uncommon along the Gulf Coast, whereresidents are annually menaced by several hurricanesthat are often false alarms and near misses.
More than 1 million people fled the region ahead ofthe massive storm under a new evacuation plan. Manyhad heeded New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin’s stern warningto “treat this one differently.” Those left behind -some who chose to stay, others who couldn’t afford toleave – were promised a shelter of “last resort” inthe Superdome. Nagin said the city “planned for themto be in there for four of five days.”

Amtrak offered its last train out of town Saturdaynight, which had room for several hundred passengers.A railroad spokesman said the city declined and thetrain left empty.

On Sunday, Nagin ordered the first-ever mandatoryevacuation of New Orleans. Police with bullhornscombed neighborhoods for stragglers.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco also issued a mandatoryevacuation and Michael Brown, director of the FederalEmergency Management Agency, described “a phalanx ofsupplies” positioned in a semi-circle around the cityready to deploy once the storm had passed. PresidentBush had taken the extraordinary step Saturday ofdeclaring a state of emergency, activating for thefirst time the much-vaunted National Response Plancreated in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“We’ve planned for this kind of disaster for manyyears because we’ve always known about New Orleans andthe situation,” FEMA’s Brown said on NBC’s “Today”show as the hurricane made landfall. “We actually didcatastrophic disaster planning for this two years ago,so we’ve put all of those in place. One year ago weactually did a tabletop exercise with the state ofLouisiana, so they’ve been through this drill.”

But, as Nagin had said in urging residents toevacuate, this was not a drill.

FEMA’s role

His frequent public pronouncements notwithstanding,Brown clearly saw himself in a supporting role in thedisaster drama. He issued a directive to FEMAemployees Monday not to respond to hurricane-ravagedareas “without being requested and lawfully dispatchedby state and local authorities.”

The directive revealed an allegiance to bureaucraticprocesses that proved maddening to some as FEMAdemanded written requests for food, troops and fuel. AFlorida congressman said the agency turned down anoffer for flat-bottomed air boats because it didn’twant to sign a contract with the supplier.

Save for the Coast Guard’s dramatic air rescues, adetached, legalistic approach set the tone for thefederal government’s response. Brown is a lawyer as ishis boss, Department of Homeland Security SecretaryMichael Chertoff. And the founding document of U.S.disaster planning reads like a legal brief.

The National Response Plan is chock full of legalese,case law and statutes, but it doesn’t clearly spellout something as basic as who is responsible forgetting food and water to flood victims. The 426-pageplan was supposed to have remedied thecommand-and-control problems that plagued the responseto the terrorist attacks in New York City. But it’shardly a model of clarity. Its authors thought itnecessary to attach an 11-page glossary of “key terms”and a three-page explanation of acronyms. On theseminal question – Who’s in charge? – the FederalResponse Plan is murky.

It says incidents are “typically” managed at thelowest levels of government. On the same page,however, it says that “Incidents of NationalSignificance” put the secretary of the Department ofHomeland Security in charge. The next page seems toreverse course again. It says that “Incidents ofNational Significance,” emergencies declared by thepresident, puts the federal government in a supportingrole to protect state sovereignty. That is, unless thepresident decides he wants to be in charge, in whichcase the governor is secondary. Under thosecircumstances, the plan says, the president willconsult with the governor, “if practicable.”

Desperate situation

Legal nuances meant little to those in the disasterzone. In many parts of New Orleans, the water was onthe rise.

Three breaches in the Industrial Canal levee pouredwater into the Lower Ninth Ward and Bywater. Twoothers breaks along the London Avenue Canal sent adeluge into Gentilly. Another along the 17th Streetcanal levee flooded Lakeview, City Park and Mid-City.As long feared, the barriers that had been built tokeep the water out were now trapping it in.

The thousands of people who hadn’t evacuated scrambledto keep above the rising water. By mid-afternoonMonday along Claiborne Avenue, a man and his familycould be seen peering out a window from his attic as12 feet of water churned below. Many people wereforced to cut their way through their roofs to escapethe rising tide. Some were being plucked off roofs byCoast Guard helicopters or lifted into boats, bothwhich were suddenly in short supply.

By nightfall, a helicopter pilot flying over thedarkened city reported seeing dozens of flickeringlights below, signals from desperate flood victimshoping for a ride. Most would spend the first nightafter Katrina on their roofs. Some would be there f
ordays.

Rule of law falters

Lawlessness became the story Tuesday. Looters smashedstore windows and pried open doors. Some of thelooters sought food and health supplies. Others wentfor the big-ticket items.

New Orleans Police Chief Eddie Compass said that his1,500 officers were too busy rescuing people to worryabout looting. But some officers took more than apassing interest. At the Wal-Mart on TchoupitoulasStreet, an officer was seen loading a shopping cartwith a 27-inch flat-screen television and a
personalcomputer.

Some residents began arming themselves. Keith Williamssaid he began carrying a handgun in his Uptownneighborhood after seeing the body of a gunshot victimslumped on a sidewalk.

“What I want to know is why we don’t have anyparatroopers with machine guns on every street,”Williams said.
Nowhere was the need for law and order more acute thanin the Superdome. About 25,000 people had taken refugein the domed stadium and the situation quicklydeteriorated. The lights went out. Theair-conditioning stopped. The plumbing failed.

Violence, deprivation and worse were widely reportedinside. Thousands were trapped.

Buses that the city was to have provided to get peopleout had been parked on low ground and were now stuckin water. It took at least three days for Blanco andfederal officials to round up enough buses and driversto haul people out.

For the moment, Nagin remained calm. Asked whether hehad enough troops to keep order, he answered:”Absolutely. There are 3,500 National Guard officersthat are on their way and should be here tomorrow. Sowe have enough resources to get the job done.”

What Nagin didn’t know was that the rescuers werehaving problems of their own.

The National Guard staging area at Jackson Barrackshad flooded, and a downed radio tower crippledcommunications. The water in many parts of the regionwas too deep to drive in trucks pulling rescue boats,yet too shallow for top-grade Coast Guard vessels.

“No one is satisfied with the response early on,” saidRuss Knocke of the Department of Homeland Security.
Third World scenes

By Tuesday afternoon, the enormity of the disaster wasbecoming clear to almost everyone. It seemed to knockofficials back on their heels. After a helicoptertour, Blanco called the devastation “untenable” and”heartbreaking.” FEMA’s Brown predicted it would be”weeks and weeks” before people could return home.
On national television Americans watched Third Worldscenes play out in a beloved American city.

Viewers couldn’t help but notice that the vastmajority of those pleading for help from atop roofs oroutside the Superdome were African-American. Some ofthe victims asked whether the response would have beenquicker had their skin color been lighter. Althoughmany white residents were stranded in other placesoutside the majority-black city, race became anundercurrent of criticism of the federal response.

On Wednesday, Bush cut short his Texas vacation andwent back to Washington. On the way, he peered outover the disaster zone from Air Force One as it passedhigh above.

At the White House, Bush hastily convened a Cabinetmeeting and appointed Chertoff to the helm of a newhurricane task force. The political master stroke,though, was the appointment of Army Lt. Gen. RusselHonore, a brash, media-savvy Louisiana native, as thefederal government’s new face in New Orleans.
The imposing three-star general barked out orders tosoldiers and obliged countless reporters enthralled byhis cigar-chomping style. Even Nagin was impressed,calling him “that John Wayne dude.”

Assessing the federal government’s response from thecomfort of the Department of Homeland Security inWashington, Chertoff on Wednesday liked what he saw.

“We are extremely pleased with the response that everyelement of the federal government has made to thisterrible tragedy,” Chertoff said.

Dangerous refuge

Chertoff, he would later confess, had not yet seenwhat was unfolding at the Ernest N. Morial ConventionCenter.

Thousands of people since Tuesday had begun seekingrefuge in the Convention Center in the high groundalong the Mississippi River. The massive halls soonbecame desperate scenes of deprivation.
Outside, the body of a 91-year-old man slouched in alawn chair. His wife said he died in the back of aRyder van during the evacuation and was deposited onthe neutral ground.

Inside, there were reports of armed men from rivalpublic housing developments in an atmosphere teemingwith danger. A doctor said he saw at least four deadbodies uncovered, uncared for.
Help, it turned out, was only a few doors away. Acontingent of 250 armed National Guardsmen haddecamped in one of the convention halls nearby. But aGuard spokesman said that they held back attempting toquell the violence awaiting reinforcements.

Getting enough “boots on the ground” proved adifficult task in the aftermath of Katrina. Legalisticwrangling between Gov. Blanco and the White Housewould keep active-duty soldiers out of the disasterzone until five days after the hurricane had passed.

Blanco said she expected to see a heavy federalmilitary presence soon after she spoke with PresidentBush on Sunday.

“I asked him, ‘Send me everything he’s got,'” shesaid.

But the administration said Blanco hadn’t been clearon what she needed. On Wednesday, she asked for 40,000troops. Bush administration officials say Blancowanted active-duty soldiers, who aren’t by law allowedto act as police. But, Blanco aides said she requestedany combination – National Guard or regular Army -just as long as there were enough to help restoreorder and help in the rescue effort.

“She didn’t know what she wanted or what she needed,”an administration official said.

In between television interviews, Blanco wasquestioning herself.

“I really need to call for the military,” she could beheard telling an aide. “We should have started that inthe first call.”

On Wednesday, the Guard force in the New Orleans areanumbered nearly 500. It swelled to 6,500 by Thursdayand 7,767 by Friday. But it wouldn’t be until Fridaythat the Guard troops believed they had enough backupto seize the Convention Center. When they did, agrateful and mostly passive crowd greeted them.

Fire and water

Soon after Katrina blew through, the U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers had been trying to repair the breaches inthe levees. Their main worry was a yawning, 200-foothole in the 17th Street canal dike that was pouringmillions of gallons of Lake Pontchartrain into thecity.

They had dropped 3,000-pound bags of sand into thebreach, but it did little good. On Wednesday, MotherNature brought some relief. A shift in the tidesstabilized the water in the city, a glimmer of goodnews in a city that was sinking into anarchy.

Fires burned out of control. Hospitals refused to takeemergencies as staffers prepared to evacuate withpatients. Two police officers committed suicide.

‘There is frustration’

Thursday dawned with a familiar refrain: Help is onthe way.

President Bush was asked on “Good Morning America” whyaid was so slow. “I understand the anxieties of peopleon the ground. There is frustration,” Bush said.”There is a lot of help coming.”

But there remained signs that officials weren’tcompletely aware of what was happening in the city.
Despite years of warnings that the city’s leveescouldn’t withstand a hurricane as strong as Katrina,Bush said, “I don’t think anyone anticipated thebreach of the levees.”

Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff told a reporterthat he hadn’t heard reports of thousands of peoplehungry and thirsty at the Convention Center. FEMAChief Brown said the government had learned of it onlythat day.

Terry Ebbert, the city’s disaster planner, voiced acommon sentiment inside the disaster zone Thursday.
“This is a nat
ional disgrace,” he said. “FEMA has beenhere for three days and there is no command andcontrol. We send massive amounts of aid to tsumanivictims, but we can’t bail out the city of NewOrleans.”

By Friday, the Coast Guard had rescued more than 7,000people, 5,500 by helicopter. Dozens were confirmeddead, but everyone expected the toll to rise.

President Bush visited Mississippi to survey thedamage. He walked past demolished homes and huggedhurricane victims. He gave Brown, the FEMA director, avote of confidence.

“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job,” he said.

In a matter of days, Brown would be removed as head ofthe Gulf Coast relief effort and then resign his postat FEMA. Bush and Blanco would, in quick succession,publicly take responsibility for the mistakes thatwere made in the response effort.

It seemed that another corner had been turned fromassessing blame to focusing on rebuilding the city.Nagin and leaders from surrounding parishes begantaking steps so that residents could return.

Bush came back to New Orleans. Ahead of him andthrough deep water, a long-awaited convoy of food,supplies and troops rumbled into New Orleans. At theairport, the president reaffirmed the government’scommitment.

“In America,” he said, “we do not abandon our fellowcitizens in their hour of need.”

11) Nobody got hit harder than St. Bernard:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_18.html#080770

Sunday, September 18, 2005
EMPTY HANDS, BROKEN HEARTS
St. Bernard dwellers return to collect belongings andfind there’s little left

‘It’s only going to get worse,’ sheriff says

By Paul RiouxSt. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau

The once-tidy cottage on Lebeau Avenue in Arabi hadbeen home to five generations of Susan Probst’sfamily, from her grandparents to her 9-year-oldgrandson. So Probst made sure she was among the firstin line Saturday at dawn when St. Bernard Parishofficials allowed residents in her neighborhood toreturn and salvage the few possessions that HurricaneKatrina had spared.

Despite dire warnings about the devastation throughoutthe parish, Probst and her husband, Tony, held outhope and had even rented a small moving van to haulaway their possessions. But that all changed with oneglimpse through the home’s windows.

“Oh, my God! Oh, my God!” she screamed as she fell toher knees and her words dissolved into a piercingwail.

The refrigerator lay in the middle of the kitchenfloor, surrounded by slimy muck. The living room was ajumbled mess of mildewed furniture tossed about byfloodwaters that had nearly reached the tops ofdoorways. Mold was spreading on the walls andceilings.

Once she gathered herself enough to go inside, Probstdiscovered more heartbreak. Her collection of MickeyMouse memorabilia was destroyed, and the water hadsmeared the ink on scores of pictures of her fivegrandchildren, blurring theirfaces so she couldn’trecognize them.

“I tried to prepare myself for what I might see, but Inever imagined this,” she said. “Maybe I was justtrying to fool myself.”

“Looks like we won’t be needing the truck after all,”Tony Probst said.

Similar scenes played out throughout Old Arabi asabout 300 carloads of residents returned to the parishSaturday to see what they could salvage. Most leftvirtually empty handed.

“People are shocked by what they’re seeing and this isthe least impacted area,” Sheriff Jack Stephens said.”It’s only going to get worse.”

In the coming days, residents will be allowed toreturn in stages to other areas of the devastatedparish, where virtually all 27,600 homes flooded,including hundreds that were simply washed away ineastern St. Bernard.

On Saturday, warped doors and jammed locks forced manyresidents to break into their own homes.

Residentswore masks, rubber gloves and knee-high boots as theydragged moldy furniture to the curb. Soggy
photoalbums and other valuables were delicately placed intoplastic bags.

Mary Ann Hoover, 79, insisted on personally inspectingthe damage to the Friscoville Avenue home, where shehas lived for more than 50 years. “She’s got thingsstashed away in there that only she knows how tofind,” said her son, Jesse Hoover.

Wearing a flowered shirt and matching slacks, Mary AnnHoover donned a white mask and green rubber gloves.She then shuffled toward her side door past arefrigerator filled with rotten food. “Good thing Ilost my sense of smell,” she said.

“What in the world is that?” she said, looking at alarge mold-covered object in her darkened living room.”That used to be your coffee table,” Jesse Hooversaid. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said.

Authorities have estimated that 75 percent or more ofSt. Bernard’s homes will have to be razed. ParishCouncilman Craig Taffaro said an informal poll ofresidents returning to the 800-home Old Arabineighborhood suggested that six out of 10 don’t planto rebuild.

Even so, Councilman Mark Madary, whose districtincludes Arabi, said he saw some encouraging signs.”It was uplifting to see people cleaning out theirhomes,” he said. “The rebirth of St. Bernard dependson people coming back. And like childbirth, it ain’talways going to be a pretty sight.”

Carol Becnel said she can’t imagine rebuilding hershotgun in the 300 block of Angela Drive, which tookon precisely 36 2/3 inches of water, according to herhusband’s tape measure.

“I spent the first half of my life renovating thishouse. I’m not going to spend the rest of my lifedoing it all over again,” she said, holding backtears. “I try not to cry because if I start, I mightnever stop.”

Displaced from the close-knit parish where peoplepride themselves on looking out for each other, Becnelsaid she has had to rely on the kindness of strangers:The waitress in Houma who tore up their dinner billwhen she heard their house had flooded. The woman whooffered to replace the shoes Becnel bought for herson’s wedding next month. Even the postal clerk whohanded her a phone book brought tears to her eyes.

“I wish I was the one being kind,” she said. “I don’tlike being on the receiving end, but God is workingthrough these people.” Children were conspicuouslyabsent from Saturday’s recovery efforts, which took onthe feel of a reunion as neighbors spoke to oneanother for the first time since before the Aug. 29storm.

For safety reasons, parish officials had urgedresidents to not bring their children. BrendaSchaubhut, whose recently restored shotgun double wasruined by the storm, left her two children withfriends at a Shreveport hotel. She said they are doingwell and have treated the family’s evacuation,including a week at a makeshift shelter in Chalmette,as an adventure. Mallory, 7, told her grandmother howthey “got” to sleep on cardboard at the shelter. AndDylan, 5, was thrilled by the sight of helicoptersbuzzing over New Orleans as the family was evacuatedon a crew boat up the Mississippi River to BatonRouge.

But Schaubhut said the children’s resilience is beingstretched thin as the days have turned into weeks.”Dylan just about broke my heart the other day when heasked me, ‘Does Santa Claus come to hotels?’ ” shesaid.

12) Survivor stories:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5286734,00.html

After Storm, Survivors Learn to Improvise

Sunday September 18, 2005 6:46 PM
By DEBORAH HASTINGS
AP National Writer

In devastated Chalmette, La., at Lehrmann’s bar andseafood restaurant just across the street from arefinery, pool tables were converted to beds for thosewho lost their homes but refused to leave flooded St.Bernard’s
parish.

In New Orleans, mattresses became life rafts andplastic storage bins were floating baby strollers.
Without electricity and running on sheer adrenaline,survivors of Katrina quickly learned that making domeant making use, in an entirely different way, ofwhatever was at hand.

Their improvisations serve as valuable lessons – andtestaments to the human spirit and adaptability. Ababy can be delivered by the illumination of a singleflashlight. A raft of two-by-fours can be a funeralbarge. Anti-bacterial dishwashing liquid can cleanyour dentures. And an exotic dancer’s garter belt canbecome a headband.

“That’s called the ingenuity of survivors,” saidJoanna Dubreuil, standing outside what used to beWaffles Plus restaurant in Bay St. Louis, Miss., agulf-front town that is basically gone. Her sons hadjust secured a length of pipe to an erupting artesianwell, creating a blessed outdoor shower in the middleof widespread wreckage.

In New Orleans’ French Quarter, where flooding wascomparatively minimal but running water nonexistent,personal hygiene took a great deal of improvising.Carolyn Krack, 76, used dishwashing liquid to brushher dentures.

Ron Seitzer, 61, took up residence on the roof ofChris Owens’ transvestite cabaret on Bourbon Street.Just outside the quarter, in the Mississippi River, hejoined others who came to wash their clothes, theircookware, and themselves.

His detergent was a mix of dish soap and “cool oceanscent” floor cleaner. “I feel sort of bad that it’sgoing to be going into the river,” he said. “But I’msure there are a lot worse things at this point.”

After Katrina, even death required improvising. In NewOrleans, a woman’s body lay outside for days.Eventually, bricks were stacked to form a makeshiftgrave. A bedsheet became a tombstone. “Here LiesVera,” it said. “God Help Us.”

Xavier Bowie died while his common-law wife was outlooking for help. No one would come get his body, soEvelyn Turner wrapped a sheet around him and floatedhim down to the main road on a raft of two-by-fours. Atruck finally stopped and its driver was persuaded tocarry Turner and her dead companion to CharityHospital.

There, doctors had enlisted bystanders and relativesto squeeze portable air bags for patients – ademanding and tedious job – who had been onventilators that gave out when the generators died.Boats became gurneys, transporting the sick out of thedamaged hospital. “The patients were being treatedwith not even what you’d have in a field hospital,”said Dr. L. Lee Hamm.

At University Hospital, in a dark and airlessthird-floor room, Dr. Stacey Holman held a flashlightwhile her colleague delivered a baby. The mothercouldn’t have epidural anesthesia because there was nopower.

Ferries became giant relief rafts. In Chalmette,would-be evacuees waited in a storm, wearing garbagebags as rain ponchos. Standing in line, exotic dancerCortny Elder, 24, used her garter belt to hold backher hair.
On Canal Street, in the heart of New Orleans’ centralbusiness district, relief workers who had journeyedfrom cities across the country – to improviseeverything from meals to housing to rescues – foundthey had to improvise again when they had nowhere toturn for church.

So volunteers stood in the bed of a pickup truck, tookup a bullhorn and led about 100 worshippers in prayer.
“We want to thank you for bringing peace and love andhope to this community,” said one.

On the fringes of downtown Dallas, at the DeckerDetention Center, a minimum-security prison, 750inmates were removed so the dispossessed of HurricaneKatrina could have a place to sleep. The refugees alsogot new clothes to wear, with “PRISONER” runningdown the leg of loose-fitting pants and “DallasCounty Jail” printed across the back of shirts.

Some weren’t so appreciative, even though a countysheriff’s spokesman insisted authorities were doingall they could to make it feel like home. Computerswith Internet access were brought in. Phone calls werefree.

“We don’t want them to feel like it’s a jail,”said Sgt. Don Peritz.

Which is much easier to say when one doesn’t have tosleep there.

“Why we got to stay in a prison cell?” asked38-year-old Norris Gullo, a New Orleans constructionworker.

“Why we getting strung out like this?”
—
Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed, MarilynnMarchione, Erin McClam, Matt Sedensky and Vicki Smithcontributed to this story from Louisiana andMississippi.

13) Another survivor story:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpsports/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpsports/archives/2005_09.html#080775

Katrina’s might surprised the Campo clan

3:47 p.m. Saturday
By Bob Marshall
Outdoors editor

After living in the St. Bernard marshes all of his 87years, Blackie Campo thought he’d probably seen andheard it all – even when it came to hurricanes. It wasa hubris Campo earned by watching storms wipe homesaway in 1947 and 1956.

So as he and his son Ken waited in the Poydras home ofhis grandson Kenny for Katrina to pay her visit on thenight of Aug. 28 Blackie – arguably the best-knownmarsh man in south Louisiana – thought there could beno surprises.

He was wrong.

“This was worse than everything I’ve ever seen beforecombined,” Blackie said Friday from his refuge inBaton Rouge. “I thought we’d have some water. Ithought there would be winds. But I never thought itwould be like this – just all gone.

“I’ll tell you, we’re lucky we got out of there withour lives.”

They have little else left.

Katrina already is being called the most destructivenatural event in the nation’s history, a storm thatspawned a million stories of horror, escape and livessuddenly changed. The Campos have one such story.If a family and a place can be an icon for a traditionas old and cherished as fishing in southeast

Louisiana, it has always been the Campos and Blackie’sShell Beach hoist. They have been fixtures not just onthe Lake Borgne fishing scene, but in the hearts anddreams of three generations of metro-area residents.

Saying “Blackie’s” in a New Orleans crowd is almostlike saying “Archie”. The name brought instantrecognition, and visions of a place as much a part ofthe local culture as Jackson Square. The Campo clanhad been there since the 1800s, running their hoistsince 1931. They seemed permanent, even in a regionwhere land disappeared at the rate of 35 square milersa year.

Today they are gone, and the future is uncertain.Blackie and his wife Mabel are staying with family inBaton Rouge. Ken, 57, and Kenny, 33, are earning awage working on hurricane clean-up crews in St.Tammany Parish.

“We’re making a living, and happy to have it,” saidKenny. “But did I ever dream it would come to this?Not until that day.

“And I can tell you exactly when everything changed.”It was 11 a.m. on Monday Aug. 29, and the Campo menwere in a celebratory mood. Katrina’s eye and itsvicious 145-mph winds had passed close to the area butthey had come through unscathed in the house just 200yards from the river levee. They really weren’tsurprised.

“When I built my house, I chose that land in Poydrasbecause everyone said it had never flooded there,ever,” Kenny said. “That’s why we evacuated there. Wehad locked down grandpa’s house, the hoist and thebusiness on Sunday, our families had gone to BatonRouge, and we’d come to my house because – likegrandpa said – it never floods in Poydras.

“And after the first part of Katrina passed, it stillhadn’t flooded.”

With a new generator purring, the men watched thestorm’s progress on TV and were preparing to have somelunch. Kenny went outside bare-chested and bare-foot
edto pick up the few shingles blown off his roof.

That’swhen he heard a peculiar hissing sound, and looked upthe street.

“Water was coming down the street, then from the otheryards, then up the street, it was just pouring in fromeverywhere,” he said. “By the time I got back to thehouse, it was up to my knees.”

His alarms dumbfounded his father and grandfather.

“Kenny comes in yelling ‘We got to get out of here! Wegot to go!’ and I didn’t know what he was talkingabout,” Ken Sr. said. “Then, the water started comingin the house.”

The men ran to their two pickup trucks, Blackiejoining Kenny in one, Ken Sr., in the other, and withthe water rising fast made a hurried, fatefuldecision.

“As we’re getting in the pickups, I’m thinking aboutwhere we should go,” Ken recalled. “At first I thoughtwe should try to get to St. Bernard High School, thenmaybe the courthouse. But the levee was right there,so we just took off and drove up to the top of thelevee.

“Let me tell you, maybe 15 minutes had passed sinceKenny saw that water until the time we got to the topof the levee, but by then there was seven feet ofwater in his house, and it was still rising. We wereon the only high ground left. If we’d tried to goanywhere else, we would have all drowned.”

They were safe, but only for the moment. Katrina’swinds returned blowing from the northwest with avengeance.

“It was so strong it was rocking those pickup trucks,and several gusts almost rolled us completely over,”Ken said. “We finally decided we had to drive part waydown the river-side of the levee. That got us someprotection, but we were still being bounced by thegusts.

“We stayed like that for two hours, but it seemed likeweeks. It was really, really scary. Several times Ithought we’d be rolled into the river.”

When the wind and rain finally eased they drove northon the levee to Violet, where Ken’s brother, F. J.,had planned to ride out the storm in his 55-footshrimp trawler. What they saw along the way made themanxious.

The parish was a lake broken only by theroofs of homes, many holding people begging for help.They rescued a few, including several relatives.Each mile made them fear the worst for Violet andF.J.. But he was fine, and the shrimp boat becametheir home for the next three days.

“We had a whole bunch of people living on boats,waiting to find out just what had happened,” Kennysaid.
The survivors helped open the Violet flood gates withhand power and on Wednesday the Campos motored downthe MR-GO to check on their business and homes inShell Beach. It was a short voyage, but one they willnever forget.

“The (MR-GO) levee was gone, and that’s what probablyflooded St. Bernard and Poydras,” Kenny reasoned.

“Thechannel was twice as wide as it was before the storm.

“When we made that turn from the channel into thebayou (Ycloskey), we couldn’t believe our eyes –because there was nothing to see. The steel beams andthe roof on the hoist were still standing, but therewas nothing else left. It was total devastation.”

Blackie’s home that had withstood everything naturehad thrown its way since 1956, the marina store, theboat sheds, and almost every home on nearby Proctor’sLanding and Beauregard Estates were gone. Only slabsremained.

“My house was built strong, with the idea ofhurricanes hitting,” Ken Sr. said. “The pilings weredriven deep, and they were anchored in the slab, andthen bolted to the frame of the house. Everything wasbolted and anchored down. And there’s noting left.

“I don’t mean it was torn down. I mean it’s nowhere tobe found. I don’t know what hit us, but it had to be ahell of a lot of water, and an incredible amount ofwind.”

Blackie looked at the scene through eyes that havewatched nature play violent games with his nativemarshes for 87 years, and was still shocked.

“I knew it would be bad, especially after the floodingat Kenny’s house, but I’ve never seen anything likethis,” he said. “You put all the other stormstogether, and they don’t equal this.

“I don’t know where my house is, or even its roof.Nothing’s left. It’s almost like we were never there.”By the end of the week the family had affected arescue thanks to friends in Covington, and cousinDavid Snyder, a native who had relocated to BatonRouge more than 15 years ago. Like hundreds ofthousands of other evacuees, their immediate concernwas getting work, and their vast extended fishingfamily was ready to help.
“We got offers to work, places to stay, people havejust been unreal,” said Ken. “We’re OK for now.”But the future is in question. The infrastructure ofthe fishing business – roads, fuel, ice and customers– is in shambles.

“Sure, we’d like to rebuild the business, but even ifwe could do that next week – they could open theroads, fix the bridges, get power and fuel – wherewould our customers come from?” Kenny pointed out. “Ican’t see us staying out forever, but for right now Idon’t see how any of that’s going to get done verysoon.”

Ken agreed, but said his clan is struggling with thesame emotions all Katrina evacuees are saddled with.He and Kenny will look for work and places to livewith their families as close to home as possible, andmake the best of it.

Blackie and his wife of 65 years will remain for nowwith his cousin in a Baton Rouge subdivision calledCamelot. He knows it’s too far from the marsh to liveup to that name.

1) Blue Dog is back:

http://www.georgerodrigue.com/wewillriseagain.htm

2) Google “failure” and see what pops up. Those folks at google never cease to amaze.

3) Article from the shelters:

After and Before the Flood
by Suheir Hammad
September 16, 2005

If I ever forget what I have seen, I do not know if I will be a blessed or a cursed woman.
I begin with what I brought with me. Loot. Clothes, money, napkins, poetry books, nail polish, vitamins, hope. These I left in Algiers, in the West Bank.

I brought a pretty pair of pajamas. That I left in Baton Rouge.

I brought with me an innocence I did not know I possessed, until I left it in the toxic ravined streets of New Orleans.

My homegirl Jacquie and I got into New Orleans yesterday. She had her camera and I drove the car. She’s never been to the Crescent City. She will never see what it was. The Mayor’s press conferenceannounced that this was the first time in the history of the city that it has been drug and crime free. We listened to his speech during one of the long hours spent in the car yesterday. Beware, hesaid, those of you planning on returning to do no good. The city has police even more invested in protecting property. Army, National Guard, M16s, M4s, night vision, and even bazookas, he chuckled, for special people.

The smell is not human, though humanity did manufacture the chemicals and structures that have dissolved into nature, to create it.

Hurricane Katrina did not destroy this city or her poor. Human planning and human response did.
The streets of New Orleans are peppered with so many military vehicles, it appears a film. The 9th ward, which has just been drained of its flood, is empty of its people and heavy with menacing air. The cars that had been underwater are parked, salted. I drovethe streets I’d walked down, and knew what hell would look like. What it would smell like. Hell is not just fire, it is water as well.

People lived here and made love here and fought here and ate here and slept here and birthed here and built here and whispered here and cried here and danced here and danced here and danced here and diedhere and finally they fled here.

It will take me moons and cycles to begin to craft the language I need to transform these words, and myself, into something more than a simple reflection.

Jacquie, Jordan and I then entered the River Center in Baton Rouge to talk with evacuees/refugees/survivors/victims/people.

I am a poet. I entered through an exit. I brought with me my ancestry and the knowledge that displacement happens internally and externally. Within countries. Within bodies.

The River Center has several shelters set up within it. The one I entered did not allow cameras. We weren’t allowed in at all, actually. We said we were press. We were pressed. An evacuee outside, watching a TV set up by TV people, said, just tell them you live here. You don’t really need no wrist band. I followed her lead.
The lights are bright. The noise a constant din. A loudspeaker announces things no one understands. People are set up by exits, by communal televisions. Girls are placed in the center of groups of tired adults. There are sick people. There are women who are trading what they have for extra food and blankets.

I am a poet, I said to the Haitian woman folding and refolding her clothes. A classmate had molested her eight-year-old daughter on the school bus earlier in the day. I asked the pretty brown girl withsix braids blooming out of her head if she screamed. I don’t know how to scream, she said. A woman has to know how to scream, I told her. Her mother nodded. The father is still in Algiers. I asked if they’d heard the Mayor’s announcement early yesterday that Algiers would be open on Monday. Oh, thank you, thank god.

A Red Cross worker came over to our huddle. The boy who wouldn’t stop touching the girl would be put on a different bus. He and his family are still in the shelter. What is your name again, she asked the mother. I told you my name so many times, she gritted creole.

A three year old girl with cavitied teeth and a runny nose took my hand. Kamani. Her mother was folding and refolding her clothes. Her thirteen-year-old sister taught me a game of cards with me calledPitty Pat. The family is from Jefferson Parish. Twenty of their neighbors had paid a Red Cross person to drive a bus over to the parish. They left her and her three kids behind. I asked what happened, were they late, was there no room? I don’t know, I justwant to go home. She cried so easy. Like curtains gathered back to view a storm. Kamani is by her mother’s leg, rubbing it with no words. This girl looks into me and I give her some of my soul willingly, all the while she is rubbing her mother’s leg. They have been here for two weeks.

I leave with Kamani a pretty yellow luggage tag shaped like a chick. Andrew had gifted it to me before I left. I tell her to write her name in the lines, and her address, and attach it to her things now, so when she goes home it can look official.

Next to this family is another one. Next to that one is another one. Next to this one is that one.

There are pregnant women in here. One, from Honduras, is due in a week. Her belly is pressing against her shirt as if to breathe. She has been here since August 31. My sister is pregnant, I tell her. How many months? One. She says the baby is the size of a rice in the sonogram. We laugh. People are so relieved to laugh, it is painful.

Mrs. and Mr. Brown never thought they would ever be in a shelter. He is 82 years old. She gently warns him to not say her age, then says she is a few years behind him. Black don’t crack and brown don’tfrown, I say to them. This laugh is a surprise. I was born and reared in New Orleans, she says. I left my car parked in the street, I thought I’d be back. Her home of thirty-seven years is in Mid-City. I never thought I’d ever be in a shelter.

Trina is scrubbing her white Nike sneakers, her hair half braided, her lip-gloss thick, when I ask her if I can sit down. She finally tracked down her two children last week. Girl, I am fine, now. Around her are diapers and bottles, which she brought with herthinking her kids would be close by. They are in North Carolina with her mother, and she is fine now.

There is every age here. Every hunger. There is no privacy. The showers are outside in tents and they are no more than 5 minutes long, from walking in with your clothes on, to walking out into the street. There are monitors who shout down the seconds so no one takes longer than the allotted time. There are three or four people in there at a time.

There is a cough in the shelter I have never heard before. It escapes the mouths of children as if the earth is shifting inside of them.

Willis is dressed fly. Of course he is from Brooklyn. Of course he got game and wants to pick me up. Then he begins to talk about the flood. Then he begins to say, very carefully, know what I mean,there is something more than storm that killed folk. Know what I mean. We could see water so high right here in one section, know what I mean, and right there, where the other income folk live, knowwhat I mean, it was dry as nothing.
Know what I mean?

Everyone I spoke to believes the levies were not destroyed by the storm.

No one I spoke to had heard any of the Mayor’s comments about the reconstruction of the city. No one within the shelter was watching the President’s news conference. Outside, where folks smoke andbreathe, a few gathered around the TVs the TV people had set up. They laughed when he talked about Jazz Funerals and New Orleans culture.

Cher
is 32 years old and her husband wants to move them to Dallas, where he can get a job. She has two children and they need stability, she said. It makes sense. I don’t know how anyone could leave New Orleans, I told her. Then her face and heart opened. I don’t want to go, she whispered. Girl, I know. My people are Palestinians, I told her. Once you leave, you won’t be allowed back. She knows. She knows.

The rest of the stories will have to be told in poems. The rest of the voices will have to speak to me over and again in my sleep. I will fold and refold these visions in my mind until I can place them in a corner where they will not be forgotten. Right now, I see nothing else.

After the streets of New Orleans and the aisles of the shelter, I feel as if I have never danced. As if I have never been touched. As if I will never be touched again. If I am ever touched again, who will be able to secure this levy? Who will catch this flood? What will grow from this water?

4) Article from NO and the shelters:

Disasters
by Jordan Flaherty

New Orleans was not devastated by a hurricane. From my travels around New Orleans and surrounding areas, its clear that very little damage was done to my city by hurricane Katrina.

Bay St. Louis, Biloxi, Gulfport and other Gulf cities have suffered extensive hurricane-related damage. However, the damage to New Orleans came from brutal negligence – a lack of planning and a stunningly slow response, created by a federal government that didn’t care about the people of New Orleans, and still doesn’t. Academic Cornel West has called it Hurricane Povertina. Poet Suheir Hammad has referred to the “survivors of the rescue,” others have referred to the displaced as “victims of hurricane FEMA,” or simply “Michael Brown’s victims.” The houses of New orleans were not hit by 35 foot tall waves or 200 mile winds. On the day after the hurricane, most of the city was in good shape, and many of us still in the city felt that New Orleans had once again come through battered and bruised but all right. Then, over the next few days, the levee broke and water rushed into the city, and relief rescue and repair efforts were far too little, far too late.
But the worst damage is what is being done now, this confluence of forces barraging New Orleans and its Diaspora, what some local organizers have referredto as the Disaster Industrial Complex. This is the perfect storm created by an orgy of greed and opportunism engaged in by the jackals of disasterprofiteering. The list of those who are gaining from our loss is large, and it includes everyone from the heavily armed thugs of Wackenhut Security and Blackwater USA to the often well-meaning but ineffective bureaucrats of Red Cross and FEMA, to the Scientology missionaries crowding the shelters, tojournalists and disaster-gazers taking up a chunk of available housing, to the major multinationals such as Halliburton, working in concert with rich elites from uptown New Orleans seeking partners with which to exploit this tragedy.

These are the institutions and individuals poised to profit from this disaster, while the people of New Orleans face nothing but further dislocation anddisempowerment.

New Orleans-based organizer Andrea Garland told me about the callous treatment she’s seen in the shelters of the Covington, Louisiana area. “The Red Cross has made at least 800 million dollars from fundraising, but people in this shelter can’t get soap and are showering under a hose? Is that right?”

I spoke last night to journalist and organizer Rosa Clemente about the harrowing sights she’s seen in shelters from Baton Rouge to Houston. Aside from the aforementioned team of Scientology missionaries, she also saw a national guard soldier point a gun at a five year old, as well as being briefly placed under arrest herself. She spoke of stores around the area of the shelters that have signs saying that shelter residents are not welcome, and she said that people in the shelters are completely cut off from news about the outside world. “There are three tvs for three thousand people. We asked everyone we spoke with in the shelter what they thought about Kanye West’s remarks, and none of them had heardof it!”

Whether its in the shelters or in the streets of New Orleans, this may go down as the most militarized “relief” effort in history. The Chicago police are camped out on a bar on Bourbon Street. Wackenhut security convoys are riding in and out of town. Israeli security patrol Audubon Place Uptown. White vigilante gangs patrol the West Bank, with tacit permission of local authorities. National Guard and Blackwater are on patrol throughout the city, along with DEA, INS, State police, New Orleans police, NYPD, and countless other agencies.

As I write this, I’m sitting at the River Shelter in Baton Rouge, surrounded by National Guard, with a Virginia “Police Command Center” parked in front of me and a Scientologist Mission Center behind me, with news vans parked around, looking for comments on Bush’s latest speech.

A couple days ago I was in a car accident in uptown New Orleans, at the corner of Magazine and Nashville. The driver of the other car was a police officer. Within minutes, there were perhaps fifty police/military/security officers on the scene, and the driver of our car, an independent journalist still wounded and in shock from the accident, was arrested and led off in handcuffs. They told him, “you hit a cop in New Orleans. You’re going to leave town in the trunk of a car.” He was taken to the local Greyhound Station, which is functioning as a temporary city prison, and he was held for 22 hours. (He was released thanks to the efforts of various defense lawyers and media activists).

This militarization of New Orleans stands in stark contradiction to the people’s efforts at reconstruction. The Common Ground Collective, in the Algiers area of New Orleans, has built a community health center and food distribution network serving, according to organizer Malik Rahim’s estimate, about 16,000 people in New Orleans Parish and surrounding areas such as Plaquemines and Jefferson Parishes. “Have the police helped us?” asked one local organizer, “no, they’ve stood in our way at every turn.”

The community traditions of New Orleans have generally existed outside the police and white power structure of the city. For example, Mardi Gras Indians, one of the central cultural traditions of what’s known as Black Mardi Gras, have always faced police repression. Earlier this year, as the Indians were parading on St. Joseph’s Night, scores of officers descended on the scene and disruptedthe event, scaring the children present and arresting several of the performers.

Several weeks later, at a city council hearing on the incident, Tootie Montana, the chief of chiefs of the Mardi Gras Indians, spoke. At 82 years old, Tootiehas been a Mardi Gras Indian Chief for five decades. He captivated the assembled crowd with details of a long history of police repression, tied into racial discrimination, beginning with a police crackdown at his very first Mardi Gras. Tootie ended his speech with the words, “this has to stop.” Those wouldbe his last words. Tootie Monatana stepped back from the microphone and collapsed to the floor. He was pronounced dead of a heart attack shortly afterwards.
His funeral was a moving combination of cultural celebration and political demonstration. Thousands and thousands of people came out, dressed in allmanner of costume, to commemorate the life of this brave fighter for freedom. Longtime community activist Jerome Smith fired up the crowd, saying “This is about a life that has passed, but it is also about the struggle against institutionalized racism in our city.” The link between New Orleans culture,especially the culture of Black Mardi Gras, and liberation was clear.

The white
Mardi Gras Krewes of Rex and Momus are seen as the unofficial, backroom leadership of the city A central moment of Mardi Gras is when the Kings of Rex and Momus greet each other. According to The Wall Street Journal, it is the leadership of these Krewe’s that is currently living uptown, with a heliport and Israeli security team, planning their vision of the corporate reconstruction of the city.

Today I received a call from Royce Osborne, a local filmmaker who made the New Orleans classic film All On A Mardi Gras Day. Royce is also a communityactivist and one of the Mardi Gras Skeletons, another Black Mardi Gras tradition. Royce told me he’s aching to come back, and looking forward to MardiGras 2006. “If we see the Indians out on the streets in the next Mardi Gras, then I’ll know there’s hope for New Orleans,” he said.

5) Here’s a nice analysis of what it’s going to take to rebuild and reconfigure NO’s flood protection system:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5285286,00.html

Protecting New Orleans to Cost Billions
Saturday September 17, 2005 6:31 PM
By MATT CRENSON
AP National Writer
All it takes is cash and time.

Given enough money, engineers agree that they couldeventually build a system of levees and other floodcontrol structures sufficient to protect New Orleansfrom another Katrina or even a stronger hurricane. Butit would cost billions, and the work might not becompleted for up to 30 years.

The question is, and always has been, how much thefederal government is willing to pay for thatprotection.
“New Orleans is what it is because the federalgovernment made it that way,” said Robert Hartwig,chief economist at the Insurance InformationInstitute. “And what it is today – underwater.”

Much of New Orleans, especially the neighborhoods thatwere most severely flooded by Hurricane Katrina, wouldnot be inhabitable at all without the ramparts thathave been constructed around the city over the past 40years. After Hurricane Betsy destroyed much of NewOrleans in 1965, Congress authorized a massiveconstruction project to ensure that such a storm wouldnever threaten the city again.

The project began by raising the levees along LakePontchartrain on the city’s north side, and linkingthem to the Mississippi River levees to form the“bowl” that encloses New Orleans. Over the years,Congress also approved levees to protect suburbs southand east of the city.

At 13 to 18 feet high those levees are high enough tohandle another Betsy, but not a Katrina, a Category 4hurricane.

“We tend to build for the last storm,” said CraigColten, a professor of geography and anthropology atLouisiana State University.

It isn’t that nobody thought a storm more powerfulthan Betsy would ever strike New Orleans. The ArmyCorps of Engineers had looked into the prospect ofbuilding the city’s levees up to Category 5protection. But levee construction projects proceedover decades, and the last one isn’t even close tofinished. Some of the follow-up projects to theoriginal 1965 effort, added during the 1980s and ’90s,aren’t scheduled for completion until 2018.

“The whole thing takes a long, long time,” Coltensaid.

Now that Katrina has supplanted Betsy as the CrescentCity’s most recent catastrophic storm, the governmentis likely to embark on a new round of flood controlconstruction. This time, experts say, the goal islikely to be Category 5 protection, achieved through adiversified approach that includes not just higherlevees but storm gates and the abandonment of somelow-lying areas.

“City and parish officials in New Orleans and stateofficials in Louisiana will have a large part in theengineering decisions to come, and the Army Corps ofEngineers will work at their side to make the floodprotection system stronger than it has ever been,”President Bush said Thursday evening.

Bringing just the area of New Orleans along the LakePontchartrain shoreline up to Category 4 or 5protection would cost $2.5 billion to $3 billion,according to the Army Corps of Engineers’ latestestimates.

For comparison, the National Flood Insurance Programreceived approval this week to borrow $3.5 billion forthe settlement of Hurricane Katrina claims. And thelosses to the program could go higher than that, saidEd Pasterick, a senior adviser in the FederalEmergency Management Agency’s mitigation division.

Bringing the whole city up to Category 5 protectionwould take about 30 years, Army Corps of Engineersproject manager Al Naomi estimated before HurricaneKatrina. Parts of the project could be expedited, butit will be years before all of New Orleans isprotected against the strongest storms.

Katrina may also generate the support needed to goahead with Coast 2050, a plan to restore some of themarshes and swamps along the Louisiana coast that havedisappeared since the 1930s. Those coastal wetlandshelp decrease the destructiveness of an incominghurricane by slowing down, and thus spreading out, thestorm surge it pushes ashore.

The cost of the Coast 2050 Project would be more thanimproving the levees – about $14 billion over 30years, depending on how much of it was implemented.

“There are lots of ways of protecting the city,”said Joannes Westerink, a civil engineer at theUniversity of Notre Dame who builds computersimulations of hurricane storm surges for New Orleansand other parts of the U.S. coast.

Some experts recommend putting flood gates in thechannels that funnel water toward the city,specifically in the Mississippi River itself and inthe Rigolets, a narrow passage that connects LakePontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico.

The gates would be left open under normal conditions,allowing water and ship traffic to pass unhindered. Inthe event of an approaching hurricane they would beclosed to keep the storm surge from getting into LakePontchartrain or moving up the river.

London has a system of such gates in the Thames River.In the Netherlands, an extensive system of dams andgates protects the population from storm surges.

Within New Orleans itself, experts recommend improvingthe pumps that are used to remove rainwater from thecity. Because the levees around New Orleans create abelow-sea level bowl, every drop of rain that fallsinside the barrier has to either evaporate or bepumped out.

There’s no way that pumps could keep New Orleans dryin a Katrina-scale flood. But if they were elevatedand had their own power generation, Colten said, thepumps might be able to pump the city dry in daysrather than weeks.

It might also be possible to elevate someneighborhoods above flood level. Civil engineer HenryPetroski of Duke University has even suggested raisingthe entire city. The city of Galveston, Texas, usedthat approach after a hurricane washed over it in1900, killing as many as 8,000 people.

Individual houses could be elevated as well. Manyhomes in New Orleans are already jacked up off theground for flood protection, but since the 1950s themajority of them have been built directly on concreteslabs.
And it would be just as helpful to go down as up. NewOrleans could create drainage basins inside the leveewalls to collect floodwater that would otherwise flowinto the lowest-lying neighborhoods.

Finally, some have suggested restoring some of thecity’s most vulnerable areas to the marshlands theyonce were. Neighborhoods that are up to 13 feet belowsea level today got that way in part because they werebuilt on marsh soils that compacted after beingdrained. The longer those areas are kept dry, thelower they will sink and the more flood-prone theywill become.

Generally, the lowest parts of New Orleans lie in abelt just behind the high ground of the LakePontchartrain shoreline that stretches from the NinthWard in the east to Jefferson Parish north of Louis
Armstrong International Airport.

“The lowest of the low areas probably shouldn’t beredeveloped,” Colten said.

There is plenty of time for the vocal debate that isbound to accompany such proposals. The Army Corps ofEngineers estimates it will be next year before theBig Easy’s flood protection is back up even to whereit was before the storm hit.

“Certainly we’re not going to be able to restore thelevees back to their original protection before theend of hurricane season,” said Col. Duane Gapinski,the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers taskforce responsible for pumping New Orleans dry.

That leaves vast swaths of the city vulnerable to evena relatively weak tropical storm. But as long as 80percent of New Orleans remains damaged or destroyed byKatrina, another hurricane would add more insult thaninjury.

6) Bush lit up NO. This isn’t really surprising, it’s the way it’s done…:

www.dailykos.com
Lights in New Orleans.
For Bush.
by kos
Fri Sep 16th, 2005 at 09:24:17 PDT

Brian Williams:

I am duty-bound to report the talk of the New Orleanswarehouse district last night: there was rejoicing(well, there would have been without the curfew, butthe few people I saw on the streets were excited) whenthe power came back on for blocks on end. KevinTibbles was positively jubilant on the live updateedition of Nightly News that we fed to the West Coast.The mini-mart, long ago cleaned out by looters, wasnonetheless bathed in light, including the empty,roped-off gas pumps. The motorcade route through thedistrict was partially lit no more than 30 minutesbefore POTUS drove through. And yet last night, nomore than an hour after the President departed, thelights went out. The entire area was plunged intototal darkness again, to audible groans. It’s enoughto make some of the folks here who witnessed it…jump to certain conclusions.

7) And now, from the Alabama Policy Institute:

The Storm After The Storm
By Gary Palmer

With estimates now in the range of well over $100 billion for damage from Hurricane Katrina, Americans should get ready for the storm after the storm.

In the wake of Katrina, the country is sure to face a surge of bad ideas ranging from tax increase proposals to a wave of health and environmental lawsuits aimed at petrochemical companies to an overall further expansion of the federal government. But one storm that is already forming is taking aim at property insurance companies.

In the fine tradition of class action plaintiff attorneys, Mississippi plaintiff lawyer Dickie Scruggs has suggested that insurance companies should be forced to pay for damages not covered by their policies. Scruggs says he will urge Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood to force insurance companies to pay for rebuilding homes and businesses along the Mississippi Gulf Coast even if the owners did not have flood coverage in their insurance policies.

This may be a cynical view, but it appears that Scruggs and the plaintiff attorney cartel are trying to use the State of Mississippi for launching class action lawsuits similar to the class actions filed against tobacco companies. But in this case the lawsuits would be against insurance companies on behalf of people that did not have flood coverage in their homeowners policy.

There are some losses that property and casualty insurance companies have discovered they simply cannot insure against, such as acts of war, earthquakes, or flooding. In regard to flooding, the typical homeowners policy states clearly that the policy does not cover losses related to water damage defined as flood, surface water, waves, tidal water, overflow of a body of water, or spray from any of these, all whether driven by wind or not.

Obviously, this language makes it clear that flooding is not covered regardless of how or under what circumstances it occurs. Yet plaintiff lawyers are already coaching potential clients on what to say. In fact, one Mississippi plaintiff lawyer had a group of senior citizens shout back to him the phrase, “Wind driven storm surge.”

It should be noted that insurance companies do not actually provide flood insurance. The coverage is provided by a federal program, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Insurance companies make relatively little on flood insurance because they essentially function in an administrative and sales role collecting the premiums for the NFIP from consumers that want flood coverage.

The NFIP provides a maximum of $250,000 coverage for structures and $100,000 for contents. To help alleviate the impact of an unprecedented number of claims filed with the NFIP, the U.S. House of Representatives has authorized increasing NFIP’s borrowing authority by $3.5 billion to help cover the payments. Given that NFIP only collects about $1.85 billion per year in premiums, that won’t be nearly enough to cover insured flood claims. The American taxpayers will have to make up the difference.
According to Ed Pasterick, a FEMA senior advisor, the insured value of flooded homes and businesses in New Orleans is over $30 billion. And that is just for covered claims. In New Orleans it is estimated that 150,000 residences were flooded, but only about 40 percent had flood insurance coverage. Consequently, the uncovered claims could reach $50 billion in New Orleans alone.

As mentioned above, it appears that the plaintiff attorneys circling above the carnage of Katrina are posed to launch a massive wave of lawsuits against the insurance companies. Since it is a federal agency, they cannot sue the NFIP. And even if they could, there is no big money for them in doing so. The big payoff will come from looting the insurance industry, all under the mantra of “forcing the rich insurance companies to do what is right.”

What people need to know is that when the insurance companies are forced to pay, everybody that has or wants insurance will be forced to pay. Whether you are rich or poor, live in a mansion or a mobile home, if you want homeowner’s insurance it will cost you more and you will likely have fewer companies to select from. And depending on where you live, you may not be able to get insurance at all.

A number of insurance companies will likely go bankrupt if they are forced to pay for uninsured flood damage out of company assets. Besides causing a significant increase in insurance costs for the rest of the country, bankrupting insurance companies will result in thousands of people losing their jobs. In addition, property insurance would be almost impossible to get in coastal regions of the United States. And as the insurance companies attempt to recover from lawsuit imposed losses, premiums will go up regardless of where you live.
Every insurance company should honor its obligation to pay damages covered under their policies. And it appears that most of the insurance companies are going beyond what most reasonable people would expect them to do. But that will not be enough for plaintiff attorneys. For them, Katrina could be their wind of fortune, for the rest of us that need insurance for our homes and businesses, the lawsuits could be the storm after the storm.

Gary Palmer is president of the Alabama Policy Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit research and education organization dedicated to the preservation of free markets, limited government and strong families, which are indispensable to a prosperous society.

September 15, 2005

Note: This column is a copyrighted feature distributed free of charge by the Alabama Policy Institute. For information or comments contact: Gary Palmer, Alabama Policy Institute, 402 Office Park Drive, Suite 300, Birmingham, Alabama 35223, (205) 870-9900, e-mail
garyp@alabamapolicy.org<mailto:garyp@al
abamapolicy.org> . To subscribe to this column, please go towww.alabamapolicyinstitute.org/subscribe<http://www.alabamapolicyinstitute.org/subscribe> . To unsubscribe, go to www.alabamapolicyinstitute.org/unsubscribe<http://www.alabamapolicyinstitute.org/unsubscribe> .

8) Wonkette on Bush’s speech:

http://www.wonkette.com/politics/liveblogging/index.php#liveblogging-the-new-orleans-presidential-address-125901

9) Saab Guy and Katrina donations. This is a great story (read from bottom-up to get the chronology right):

http://saabbumper.blogspot.com/

10) Ouch:

From the WWL website:

Bum Phillips, best known for his days coaching the Houston Oilers but also the coach of the Saints from 1981-85, spoke to the Saints on Thursday. “I had to come up here and tell them how much that game against Carolina impressed me, though there ain’t no one out there that remembers the guy who’s telling them,” Phillips said….

11) Quips for the day:

www.dailykos.com
Cheers and Jeers:
Rum and Coke FRIDAY!
by Bill in Portland Maine
Fri Sep 16th, 2005 at 06:00:46 PDT
From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…

Will Durst posts daily quips over at The Progressivemagazine that are just plain snarky…

“Bush is to leadership what prairie brambles are tomobile surgery rooms.”

“Intelligent Design is just creationism with aluminumsiding on it.”

“You could say the new Iraqi Constitution is going tobe a bit short on rights for women. You could also saythe Arctic in January is brisk.”

“Bush says he doesn’t want to play the “Blame Game.”Makes sense. Never heard of a chicken who wanted toplay the “Extra Crispy” game.”

“The good news is, closed circuit videos in and aroundNew Orleans have allowed us to identify the looters:Chevron, Shell, and ExxonMobil.”

“Senator Rick Santorum thinks there should be tougherpenalties on people who decide to ride Hurricanes out.I guess he means worse than drowning.”

“As soon as New Orleans gets back to normal, I plan onvolunteering to go down there and help drink theireconomy back on its feet.”

I’ll meet you there. In the meantime, gang, have alovely last-weekend-of-summer weekend. Cheers andJeers turns autumn colors in There’s Moreville…[Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]

12) Walk for the animals:

On October 1st, 2005, I will participate in a nationwide “Walk for Farm Animals” which supports the care for and treatment of farm animals–cows, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, hogs, and pigs–at Farm Sanctuary, an organization founded in 1986 to address the conditions affecting factory farmed animals.

I, myself, became personally involved in farm animal issues when I rescued Hollander, a part commercial bred rooster, on Eastern Parkway, a major thoroughfare in Brooklyn. I was headed to the metro when I saw him struggling in a cardboard box that had fallen off of a truck destined for one of the many slaughterhouses in Brooklyn. A lot of telephone calls, effort, and care for Hollander from myself, Farm Sanctuary fosters in Brooklyn and Animal Care and Control in Brooklyn resulted in him finding a home at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. If you would like to see Hollander, I have attached a couple of pictures of my little feathered beau.

We all know of the dire conditions that humans and domesticated animals have been subjected to by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. However, very little attention has been directed to the farm animals in Mississippi, in particular, that were affected by waterspouts that destroyed closed holding areas for the broiler chickens, i.e. chickens bred for human consumption. Farm Sanctuary along with HSUS and Animal Place responded to the need to rescue the chickens and have already transported 725 of them to the refuge in Glen Watkins, New York. Just to give you a sense of the farming industries and affected farm animals in the Gulf Coast: according to the latest agricultural census, “Louisiana and Mississippi together annually slaughter over a million pigs, a half million cattle and nearly one billion chickens raised for both meat and eggs.” [www.hsus.org]

This year’s “Walk for Farm Animals” not only tackles the issues of factory farming but does so in a most compelling way by focusing on the farm animals affected by Hurricane Katrina. Money donated will be used to cover the expenses for these animals.

Here are some informative website addresses about the “Walk” and the rescued chickens:

1. A report on Farm Sanctuary’s efforts to rescue and rehabilitate the chickens from Mississippi:

http://www.farmsanctuary.org/adopt/rescue_hurricane.htm
http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/animal_protection_organizations_rescue_more_than_1000_chickens_in_wake_of_hurricane_katrina.html

2. Information on the “Walk for Farm Animals” including a sponsor form.

https://secure.vegsource.com/%7Efarmsanc/join/donate_walker.htm

I am walking for Hollander, for those chickens from Mississippi and to raise awareness about factory farming in this country. If you would like to sponsor me, you can do so by giving me cash or a check made out to “Farm Sanctuary”, or on line at the above listed website.

Thank you for your support.
Best regards,Carole

Bush just spoke in Jackson Square — or at least whatever poltergeist or alien bodysnatched the fellow formerly known as George W. In this speech, Bush’s bodysnatcher promised just about everything a local would have wanted him to promise to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. If I understood it correctly, Bush’s bodysnatcher also promised local lead on recovery efforts, support for worker’s assistance, support for home ownership through initiatives like Habitat for Humanity, and a complete review of the federal emergency reaction. Outside of the standard pandering to religious interests, it was a great speech. I’m also not sure about the militarization of the problem which he proposed, but I’d rather have the military here saving people rather than over there killing and being killed. On the whole, I couldn’t have asked for more, although I’m very curious to see how both the speech and the reality age in the coming months and years. For now, let’s hope Bush’s bodysnatcher means it. If this bankrupts DC, at least it will have gone to rebuilding a region of our own rather than destroying a region of another.

Before Bush’s speech, Ted Koppel and Nightline did an amazing special on Katrina. If anyone recorded it (and Bush’s speech), I’d love to have a copy — or a video link to it. It’s one for the archives:

1) New Orleans’ emergency plan:

www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid;=26

2) A personal appeal / account:

THAT PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR…Sunday, August 28, 2005:

We (Paul Newfield and family) evacuated Metairie in two vehicles on Sunday, August 28, 2005, heading EAST on I-10. At about 13:00, the I-10 traffic was creeping along in New Orleans East. Vehicle #1 was in the vicinity of Read Boulevard / Bullard Road or thereabouts, and Vehicle #2 was about a half hour behind. On our right the New Orleans East neighborhood seemed almost deserted, with very few cars about (Everyone was on the Interstate).

Then, on the service road to our right (the side away from the lake), we in Vehicle #1 saw an older black person (man? woman?) in a motorized wheelchair, riding on the service road back back in the direction of New Orleans. It was only a passing glimpse, but I remember thinking, “Gee, I hope he/she will be alright.” From that brief glimpse, I had the sensethat the person was in full control of his/her destiny, that he/she knew where he/she was going. I suspect that this person might have been in aninstitution around the neighborhood.

A bit later, Vehicle #2 passed the same area, and they also saw the same person in the wheelchair, still heading back toward New Orleans.

Now, here it is, two weeks later. Hurricane Katrina has devastated New Orleans, especially in the East, and I am wondering if that unnamed person was able to get out, and if he/she has survived. If anyone knows, please let me know. If anyone in New Orleans East knows/knew that wheelchair person, I would like to know more.

Prayers continue. Feedback is welcomed.

Paul Newfieldskip@thebrasscannon.com

3) A letter to the Times-Picayune about rebuilding NO:

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE

Now is the opportunity for great changes to take place in the development of a better urban environment for our city. There is no doubt that New Orleans and the surrounding areas can and should be rebuilt.
But before any reconstruction begins, a comprehensive, sustainable strategy for reconstruction and developments needs to be in place that acknowledges the distinction of our neighborhoods while providing an alternative to the pockets of poverty that have hindered any real changes in our city for decades.
The numerous challenges that we are facing require a coalition of planners, policy-makers, architects, artists, former mayors of progressive cities (Stephen Goldsmith of Indianapolis and Vera Katz of Portland are two that come to mind), developers, environmentalists, engineers and landscape architects to study the social, cultural and physical terrain of one of the most unique cities in our country.

Current federal government initiatives are only set up to provide short-term solutions to housing and basic needs, but New Orleans needs a plan for our future.

First and foremost, the major areas of concern are the environmental controls to prevent a repeat of the type of natural disaster that has taken place from Katrina. These issues include the reconstruction of the surrounding levees to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, the installation of a new surge protection gate between the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Pontchartrain and the recreation of the barrier islands. Also, coastal erosion must be addressed.

Since we are facing the very real possibility that most of the houses between Claiborne Avenue and Lake Pontchartrain, in the Lower 9th Ward, eastern New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish are beyond saving, how will these homes and businesses be replaced? Suburban models or blocks of multifamily housing complex are not the answer. The ideal of an energy-efficient city that encourages walking, provides housing and shoppingclose to work and an expansion of the successful streetcar system would be ideal.

We do not have to look far for an example; the Vieux Carre pattern of life offers a wonderful and successful alternative. This model allowsfor a more humane density that encompasses living and working areas in order to decrease the need for automobiles. The school system could be reorganized to create smaller schools within walking distance of students’ homes. This would provide more effective educational models where truly no child is left behind.

Most of the city has years of planning and implementation before any reconstruction or new development can take place, but the rehabitation of the 20 percent of the city least affected by Katrina must begin as soon as possible. Those of us in those areas can help to clean up and put things back together, beginning the task of planning for an enhanced community for everyone to come back to.

This is either going to be an amazing opportunity to create a new model for a diverse, modern and socially conscious city – or New Orleans will cease to exist.

In order to start a dialogue on this, we are asking Mayor Nagin to create a series of town hall meetings to bring together our citizens and begin a series of discussions that will lead to the planning and the development of our future.

Wayne Troyer, architect, Tulane University
Teresa Cole, chairwoman, Newcomb College Art Department
New Orleans Now in Baton Rouge

4) A posting on New Orleans preservation efforts to come:

ksaunders@historiccharleston.org

> 09/15/05 10:51 AM

Everyone – Obviously the human tragedies surroundingHurricane Katrina should be and are the first priorities of giving. I just wanted to make apitch for donating $ to help save the historicbuildings and neighborhoods of New Orleans. They are imperiled not only because of the physical damageof the wind, the flooding, subsequent pollution in thewater….. but also because in our rush to get back to normal its many times easier to demolish that which could and should be saved. We’ve heardthat the French Quarter is OK…..well – there are lots more historic neighborhoods in the city thanjust the ones you may have visited as a tourist. There is information below. There is a website and also — my work – Historic Charleston Foundation is taking donations by mail on behalf of Preservation Resource Center N. O. since we have an address and they don’t right now. Please consider helping out. Katherine A. Saunders Associate Director of Preservation Historic Charleston Foundation 40 Eas
t Bay Street Charleston, SC 29401 843.723.3646 _____

From: Poston, Jonathan Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2005 2:05 PMTo: HCF ListSubject: FW: More News from New Orleans —–Original Message—–From: Heather MacIntosh

[mailto:HMacIntosh@preservationaction.org] Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 5:14 PMTo: Rhonda SincavageSubject:

More News from New Orleans

Dear Preservation Action Members — The latest from Preservation Action Board member PattyGay, Executive Director of the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans… RE: Donating to the Preservation Resource Center ofNew Orleans, an organization that has been on the ground for 30 years revitalizing, rebuilding and restoring New Orleans historic neighborhoods. It is the mission of the Preservation Resource Center of NewOrleans to maintain and augment the city’s unique character that is known and loved around the world. Our staff is hard at work in exile and we need your help.

How to help: visit: http://www.preserveneworleans.com to donate online or mail donations to the Historic Charleston Foundation, made out to the Preservation Resource Center, Preservation Disaster Relief Fund.
The address is 40 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401.

Contact: Patricia Gay – 337-784-9893, <mailto:prcnola@yahoo.com> and mfitznola@aol.com

Bulldozing might be expedient, but we’re talking aboutpeople’s homes and communities, corner stores, diners, and churches. We’re talking in many cases about houses that have stood over 100 years andneighborhoods that have been home to five or six generations. And we’re talking about what makes our city different from every place else and what makes visitors want to come here: in other words, our livelihood.

REPORT FROM NEW ORLEANS by Patricia Gay, Executive Director, PreservationResource Center _____ The tragedy of lost lives and displaced citizens ofNew Orleans will continue to be paramount in these horrific weeks, months, perhaps, years ahead of us. But New Orleans will come back and will once again bea wonderful community to live in, work in and visit. Cities and towns throughout history have survived severe flooding, ravishing fires, earthquakes, and tornadoes and have been rebuilt. We will, too. New Orleanians are irrepressibly in love with our city and won’t rest until it is restored and rebuilt. Our organization, the Preservation Resource Center,has worked hand in hand with neighborhood groups since 1974 to revitalize and restore New Orleans.After Katrina, our charge is even stronger. We can report that many of the oldest areas of NewOrleans closest to the river — from Bywater downriver of the French Quarter to St. Charles Avenuein Uptown and Carrollton — are intact. Some historic areas north of the French Quarter are also on higher ground and have not incurred the severe and tragic flooding. Nonetheless, areas closer to the lake and downriver of the Industrial Canal, including Preservation Resource Center’s target area in the historic Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood of Holy Cross, have not fared well in this disaster. As the water recedes, much will be salvageable. Wherebuildings have been damaged, we will repair them. Where we have lost buildings, we will rebuild with structures that reflect the New Orleans that isknown and loved around the world. This is a time to learn from the buildings that have survived natural disasters. Over the Preservation Resource Center’s history, we have renovated houses that have been deemed teardowns by everyone else. We have brought back neighborhoods where lenders were afraid to go. We are ready.

There are solutions. We are communicating with theNational Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Action, the Historic CharlestonFoundation and our state and local governments onideas to provide incentives for restoring homes and neighborhoods. These in turn will attract additional private investment and stimulate the ripple effect that we depend upon to bring the neighborhoods back. Our staff and board are developing plans to work with neighborhoods to assist their restoration and rebuilding efforts. Much remains of our city. Much can and must be done toutilize the wealth of human, material and cultural resources of our city to generate recovery and economic activity as soon as possible. It has alreadybegun.

We need your help.

5) A posting about New Orleans historical archives and public libraries:

http://herbie.ischool.utexas.edu/ssacares/repositoryinfo.php

SSA is Society of Southern Archivists

“Wayne Everard/Irene Wainwright News from New Orleans Public Library. Wayne Everard and Irene Wainwright, along with another NOPL staffer, were able to get to the building yesterday. We are very pleased (and utterly astonished) to report that the news is good. There was NO WATER in our basement archives, with the exception of a small puddle near the sump pumps that we believe may have been sewerage backup rather than flood water. The archives and the first basement above it, were DRY. The library building itself suffered minor damage to one area — our first floor computer lab — where two windows blew in. The damage, however, appears to have been confined to that one room. There were also a few other leaks in the building, but, again, extremely minor, considering.

We will send a fuller report (and we also have photographs of the area around the building, about 4 blocks from the Dome) soon. Thank everyone for their thoughts and concern. The NOPL system has taken a blow (about half of our branches are probably under water) but the fact that the Main Library has come through relatively unscathed is good fortune beyond our wildest dreams, given the earlier reports that we were receiving.

2005-09-09 09:19:42 “

2. from a blog quoting the Asst Archivist of NOPL: “In an email to a librarian’s newsgroup, NOLA Public Library archivist Irene Wainwright says: New Orleans Public Library is delighted to be able to announce that the New Orleans City Archives, which we hold, is relatively safe. Although the majority of our records (as well as the 19th and early 20th century records of the Orleans Parish civil and criminal courts) are housed in the basement of the Main Library, some 18 feet below sea level, the basement remained essentially dry.

Wayne Everard , our archivist, and I were able to get access to the building yesterday, along with another NOPL staff member and a representative of Munters. We discovered that the basement sustained NO FLOODING, although there is a very small amount of water in one area, possibly caused by sewer backup. This water caused no direct damage to records themselves. The Main Library itself (across the plaza from city hall, about 4 blocks from the Dome) came through almost unscathed.

Several windows blew out in the area of our Technology Center causing quite a bit of damage there, but the damage is confined to that closed in room. There is also evidence of very minimal roof leakage on the first floor — most of it missing the books.

On the whole, however, the Main Library is in excellent shape. Earlier reports that vandals had entered the building are incorrect. Our branch run van was looted and we believe another van was stolen from the parking lot, but it is clear that no one got into the building, either to vandalize or to shelter there.

The NOPL system itself has been hit hard — probably about half of our 11 branch libraries are under water. But these we can (and will) rebuild. The fact that the archives have survived leaves us almost delerious with relief.

We are working now to arrange for Munters to stabilize the Main Library building until we can all return and begin the rebuilding process. We posted this news earlier to the ssacares sit
e, where we will post additional information as it becomes available as well as photographs we took of the Library and the surrounding area.
Thank you all for your expressions of concern and offers of assistance. We are unbelievably lucky, and I think I now believe in miracles….

Irene Wainwright Assistant Archivist, Louisiana Division / City Archives,
New Orleans Public Library”

3. Photos on the SSA website:
http://herbie.ischool.utexas.edu/ssacares/photos.php

6) Hmm — tax cuts for the poor? Who’da thunk?:

www.dailykos.com

Dems Propose Tax Refunds for Katrina Victims

by DavidNYC Wed Sep 14th, 2005 at 16:43:10 PDT

While the Republicans are busy trying to find a way topass their abhorrent bill to repeal the estate tax,Democrats on Capitol Hill are actually trying topropose some serious – and necessary – tax relief forthe victims of Hurricane Katrina. Congressman RahmEmanuel, the chair of the DCCC, and Sen. Barack Obama(both of Illinois), are sponsoring the “HurricaneKatrina Accelerated Tax Refund Act”:

This bill would immediately accelerate the EarnedIncome Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, andapplicable education incentives. By taking thesesteps, we can deliver resources on a fast-track basisto families that have worked hard, paid taxes andearned these tax benefits, all the while stimulatinglocal economies. These Americans who have lost so muchshould receive their refunds now rather than later.There is precedent for fast-tracking tax refundsduring times of crisis. As you know, in the wake ofthe tragic events of September 11, 2001, Congresspassed legislation to fast-track Child Tax Creditrefunds.

Surely those displaced by Katrina deserve no less thanthose affected by the horrible tragedy of September11th. As Obama put it:

“For families living paycheck to paycheck, a taxrefund isn’t just a welcome surprise at the end of theyear but is money they count on to make ends meet. Thefamilies displaced by Hurricane Katrina need theirrefunds now more than ever, and their government hasan obligation to do everything it can to help them getback on their feet.”

After FEMA totally FEMA-ed everything, the least thefederal government can do is make sure another federalagency (the IRS) does right by the victims of Katrina.Of course, this is only one piece of a much largerproject that we need to undertake in order to providefor those affected by this tragedy, but at least it’sone good starting point.

(Hat tip to Jesse Lee.)

P.S. As Goldfish notes in the comments, if this getsto the floor, the Republicans might well wind upvoting against tax cuts. Maybe they have the stomachto vote against independent investigative commissions.But tax cuts? I’d like to see them try.

7) Meanwhile, another legislator shows his stripes:

www.dailykos.com

Sensenbrenner to Katrina Victims:

Drop Dead, Redux by DavidNYC
Wed Sep 14th, 2005 at 18:46:59 PDT
House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James

Sensenbrenner was one of just eleven heartless HouseRepublicans to vote against last week’s $50 billionemergency aid package for Katrina relief. Today, heproves that the “F.” really does stand for”Fuckstick”:

The chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committeesaid on Tuesday he had no intention of reopening asweeping bankruptcy law passed by Congress earlierthis year, despite proposals to exempt HurricaneKatrina victims from some of its provisions.

The new, more stringent bankruptcy law will not harmpeople left “down and out” by the storm, WisconsinRepublican Rep. James Sensenbrenner said.

He said he would not hold a hearing in his committeeon a bill by the panel’s ranking Democrat, MichiganRep. John Conyers, and 31 other Democrats who want toexempt Hurricane Katrina victims from parts of the newbankruptcy law. A chairman’s decision not to hold ahearing usually prevents a House bill from advancing.
Obviously, Katrina victims need to take personalresponsibility for the fact that they chose to live inareas which might get flattened by a hurricane. (Thisis actually a genuine wingnut talking point, if youcan bear to believe it.)

Meanwhile, though, big companies – particularly theairlines – are using the corporate bankruptcy code(which wasn’t amended unfavorably, unlike the consumerprovisions) to dump their responsibilities withoutconsequences. Of course, some of their biggestobligations include pension funds, which creates anespecially perverse situation: When a big companyfiles for bankruptcy and defaults on its pensionfunds, it makes it more likely that its employees willin turn one day have to file for bankruptcy. And atthat point, of course, they (the employees) are hosed.

That, of course, is the world that the GOP and F.James are happiest with.

8) More FEMA reporting, this time from the Village Voice:

Lifeless Body Removed from FEMA HQ

http://villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/archive/001812.php

Brown’s stench was detected long before Katrina, but it was ignored

The Bush regime has apparently knocked us senseless. Most of the country ignored a highly publicized scandal last year in Florida that should have cost Mike Brown his FEMA job before Hurricane Katrina hit.
Now, as the bloated corpses of more than 40 elderly people were finally being taken out of a New Orleans hospital that had been abandoned by authorities during the hapless initial federal response to the disaster, Brown has finally resigned.

Brown should have been evacuated from FEMA headquarters long before now. And it’s not as though we didn’t know what occurred after Hurricane Frances hit South Florida during last year’s Labor Day weekend.
The Sun-Sentinel wound up doing a major exposé, “Cashing In on Disaster,” revealing that FEMA needlessly poured money into the key battleground state during the presidential campaign. There were calls from major Florida newspapers months ago for Brown’s immediate resignation…..

9) Grandmother, 73, held as sausage looter:

A 73-year-old church deaconess, never before in trouble with the law, now sleeps among hardened criminals. Her bail is a stiff $50,000. Her offense? Allegedly stealing $63.50 in goods from a looted deli the day after Katrina struck.

http://g.msn.com/0MN2ET7/2?http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9356608&&CM;=EmailThis&CE;=1

10) Another St. Bernard story:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5280366,00.html

Along Bayou Road, Family Survives Flood

Thursday September 15, 2005 3:01 PM
By DAVID CRARY
AP National Writer

CHALMETTE, La. (AP) – Sitting near a neighbor’soutdoor grill with his wife, in-laws and his dog,Jimmy Mims looked like a man at peace. Two weeksearlier, though, all five were tossing on floodwatersin a small fishing boat – not sure whether they wouldsurvive as the only folks along their stretch of BayouRoad who stayed through Hurricane Katrina.

Even now, after the waters have receded and the mudslowly dries, their mostly rural community about 20miles east of New Orleans remains deserted except forthem and a few stray, hungry pigs from a neighbor’sfarm who stop by to eat dog food.

“It’s share and share alike,” said Mims’mother-in-law, Irene Hutchinson.

The Mims used to live in a mobile home on a nearbylot, which they correctly feared would be destroyed bythe hurricane. They tried to ride out the storm in asmall, wo
od-frame house, but it was swept off itsfoundation and swirled around in surging water untilit lodged against a willow tree.

The family was able to climb aboard a 15-foot fishingboat that had been tied to the tree. They spent thenext nine frightening hours afloat before reaching aneighbor’s two-story house and breaking through anupstairs window into the still-dry second floor.

With the permission of the neighbor – who hadevacuated to Tennessee – the family has been living inthe house ever since, cooking meals on a grill in thecarport.

For the first 10 days, Bayou Road was closed – theonly people they saw were search parties that sailedby in boats or hovered overhead in helicopters. Theyhad no other contact, by phone or otherwise, with theoutside world.

Only once, several days after Katrina, was the familypressured to leave – by a local fire official.

“They said we wouldn’t see anyone else come out tohelp us for a year,” Mims said. “They were trying toscare us.”

Otherwise, infrequent visitors have been helpful – anemergency team from California drove by one day afterthe road reopened and asked what the family needed.They returned the next day with the exact wish list -bags of ice, cigarettes and huge jugs of water soMims’ wife Roxanne could bathe for the first timesince the storm.

Why didn’t they evacuate along with virtually all theothers in their community?

“No money,” said Mims. “And I knew they wouldn’tlet me take my dog. Besides, we never thought thewater would come in here. It looked like the tsunami.It looked like it would never stop.”

For Mims, the only serious concern now is replacinghis trailer – he hopes federal aid will be available.

The Hutchinsons lived nearby in a wooden home thatstayed intact despite extensive flood damage. Sittingin the neighbors’ carport, Irene Hutchinson smiledwhen asked if she would remain on Bayou Road despitethe cleanup ahead.

“Oh yes,” she said, gesturing to her grimy house.“That’s my home. It stayed here for a reason.”

11) Good thing we’ve got those incorruptible Federalbureaucrats spending the money instead of usoh-so-corrupt locals:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5280345,00.html

Govt. Credit Cards for Katrina Draw Fire

Thursday September 15, 2005 3:01 PM
By HOPE YEN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) – Lawmakers and watchdog groups worrythat allowing federal employees to charge up to$250,000 on their government-issued credit cards forHurricane Katrina-related expenses will lead to arepeat of past abuses.

Some of the cards in the past were used to pay forprostitutes, gambling activity, even breast implants,government audits have shown.

“People are concerned this is a risk,” said GregKutz, managing director of special investigations atthe General Accountability Office, which conductsaudits at the request of Congress.

About 250,000 federal employees have government creditcards, which typically have a purchase limit of$2,500. At the request of the Bush administration,Congress increased the credit line to $250,000 as partof a massive Katrina recovery bill approved last week.The aim is to make it easier to speed aid to victims.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley,R-Iowa, said the “outrageous increase” was“slipped” into the bill. He is seeking to insertlanguage in a Katrina health bill that would reducethe limit in most cases to $50,000.

Responding to initial criticism, the White Houseissued new guidelines this week saying agencies mustdesignate in writing which of their staff will receivethe new spending privileges. Purchases of more than$50,000 must be preapproved by a senior manager.

“Substantial financial controls already exist but weare currently looking at what additional protectionsmight be useful. If in working with Congress,agencies, and state and local leaders it is determinedthat additional safeguards are required, then we’llput them in place,” Alex Conant, spokesman for theOffice of Management and Budget, said Wednesday.

Critics say the additional oversight is needed becausethe cards offer special opportunities for abuse.
Purchases are billed directly to the government,making it difficult to recover losses from waywardfederal employees intent on fraud because of the timelag from the purchase date to subsequent billing.

Cronyism also is a danger, as officials have moreleeway under the higher limit to purchase moreexpensive supplies from politically connectedcompanies without the benefit of open bidding andcompetition. Even if they’re detected, time-strappedagency directors often don’t pursue disciplinaryaction, according to audit reports.

In recent years, several GAO audits found hundreds ofthousands of dollars of improper expenditures at thePentagon and other agencies, from purchases of remotecontrol helicopters and airline tickets to Palm Pilotsand $2,500 flat-panel computer monitors. Someone evenbought a dog.

Navy personnel also in 2002 used separate governmenttravel cards to hire prostitutes at brothels, gambleand attend New York Yankees and Los Angeles Lakersgames. One civil employee ran up nearly $35,000 inpersonal expenses over two years, including breastenlargement surgery for his girlfriend.

The GAO has noted improvements in agency oversightsince then, including reducing the number ofgovernment cards from more than 500,000 to 250,000 tolimit the potential for fraud from lower-levelgovernment employees. The Pentagon also has said itinstalled software to help track when potentiallysuspect purchases are made.

But as recently as last year, the GAO cited continuingoversight problems at the Veterans HealthAdministration and said it had no way of knowing -without conducting specific audits – whetherimprovements at other agencies are actually in effectand working.

The concerns prompted Grassley, as well as SenateHomeland Security Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins,R-Maine, and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the topDemocrat on that committee, last week to urgecongressional leaders to officially lower the cap to$50,000 to ensure full compliance.

Collins has also signaled separately she mightconsider creating a special inspector general tomonitor spending and no-bid contracts.

“Imagine the fraud we could see,” said DanielleBrian, executive director of the watchdog groupProject on Government Oversight, noting that recentabuses involved cards with much smaller purchaselimits of $2,500.

“For bigger purchases involved in the rebuildingeffort, that should involve competition and seriousplanning. Instead we have far too many people with fartoo much access to money without any organization oreffective oversight,” she

12) And now for something from the Neanderthal lobby:

Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 00:07:52 -0500

Finally got the power back. No damage, just mother nature fixin all those trees you nature lovers LUV TO LUV but don’t like payin money to keep trimmed. (I’ve offered 3 times to remove two trees you could read a newspaper through, but “noooo,” the owner said, “I LUVVV my trees.”)

Soooo, how’s that tree workin out for you now that it’s in your HOUSE, you imbecile!

Watchin our Gov lookin like a deer in the headlights askin y’all ta praaaaaaaay was better than SNL reruns. Cretin needs to be in a home, and to leave governance to those who can.

PLEASE GUYS:

Before you start throwin ANY money our way…there isn’t a stingy bone in my body, but understand this. LA’s gov’t has known this was going to be THE scenario for 20 years. They KNEW those levies would NEVER HOLD. They formulated an ACCEPTABLE casualty level of 25K so they’re ahead of their estimates by a country mile.

When we got our
HOMELAND SECURITY money from DC, much of it went into the pocket of the Saints owner, FOUR HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE MILLION, just to keep his sorry wad team in New Orleans….and they promised to build him a new dome in the next 5 years!

I promise you if Bush gives money to the state GOV’T it will go into their pockets, pet local projects, and PORK. I GUARRANTEE it.

So please think hard before emptyin your pockets. Give it a month to see which agencies are spendin what, where, and ask them what they have done, and plan to do with your hard earned money!

As for ‘REBUILDIN’ thuh great city of New Orleans?

Uhhhh…why ask American tax payers to rebuild New Orleans on the same sight, BELOW SEA LEVEL, SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE GULF OF MEXICO AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST RIVERS IN THE WORLD?

As for some of those “refugees”

Remember the images of 9/11? THOUSANDS WALKED ALL THE WAY FROM MANHATTAN TO JERSEY, INJURED, COVERED WITH SOOT, HELPIN EACH OTHER, NO WATER, NO FOOD, NO NOTHIN. THEY GOT OUT! THEY DIDN’T SIT ON THEIR ASSS AND DEMAND RESCUE. THEY DIDN’T LOOT GUN STORES, SET FIRES, AND SHOOT AT RESCUE WORKERS TRYIN TO HELP THEM!

And the BLACK CAUCUS?

Please note that while they’re all over TV blaming everyone from Bush down, NOT ONE BLACK LEADER, NOT ONE BLACK ORGANIZATION, HAS DONE ONE DAMMMM THING FOR THEIR PEOPLE. NOT ONE BUS WAS SENT, NOT ONE TRUCK, NOT ONE CHOPPER. THEY AREN’T EVEN ON THE GROUND THERE! ALL THEY DO IS COME ON TV FROM THE AIR CONDITION COMFORT OF THEIR OFFICES, ODDLY ENOUGH, NOT IN NEW ORLEANS, AND WHINE THAT BUSH IS ONLY HELPING WHITE FOLKS!

HORSEHOCKEY! You know what? MANDATORY evac means LEAVE NOW OR DIE.

Those who chose to “ride it out” have NO right to expect America to move heaven and earth and empty the national treasury to save their butts when they refused to lift one finger to save themselves!

Anyone with a TV (and trust me the only thing in larger supply than guns in the projects is satellite dishes) could SEE that whether that 350 mile wide monster hit Florida or Texas, New Orleans was going down?

Why did they sit in their 50 year old houses waitin to get hammered by 135 mile an hour winds when they could have gone to one of dozens of emergency shelters opened the moment Bush declared a state of emergency, and get evac’ed out?

Look at all those flooded school buses! Why didn’t they roll? Why weren’t all the city buses filled with folks who had no other means to get out?

OOOOoooooooooo noooooo, Mr. Bill. Canal street’s under water. Uh, just a wag here, but maybe that’s WHY they named it CANAL STREET? What did they EXPECT it to do?

As for those who did get out?

Baton Rouge has now officially DOUBLED in population and it will be years, YEARS, before goods and services needed to supply them can be built. People here are already getting mugged at gas stations, yanked out of cars in parkin lots, houses broken into, and cars jacked!

I worked at one of the local shelters for a couple of days BUT NO MORE! I SERVED DINNER THE LAST NIGHT I WORKED TO A 21 YEAR OLD, ABLE BODIED MAN WHO’D BEEN IN THE SHELTER FOR TWO DAYS. That’s 48 hours worth of sleep, showers, and 3 meals a day.

When I asked if he’d hand a plate of food to an elderly woman in a wheel chair behind him, he LOOKED AT ME AND said, “I AIN’T YO NIGGER!

3rd generation “entitlement” mentality is what you’re seein in downtown New Orleans.

Wake up call #1

These folks ARE headed to YOUR towns. That’s the next step. They aren’t gonna be able to stay in shelters for longer than 30 days. And I would remind you Louisiana has the largest population of morbid obesity, heart disease, type II Diabetes, and HIV patients IN THE COUNTRY!

Big Charity was the ONLY TREATMENT CENTER FOR THESE FOLKS, AND 2 YEARS AGO THE FED GOV’T ISSUED AN UNFUNDED MANDATE FOR FREE MEDS FOR ALL OF THEM!

Good luck, with that one, guys. Big Charity’s full of gators and snakes up to the 4th floor. And before it got hit it was falling down on its foundations. Say buh-bye Big Charity, and hello state income tax.

Before this is over we’re going to HAVE to create a WPA style program to employ the majority of these folks, ideally rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

I see a great opportunity for unemployed workers all over this country.

Engineers especially. New Orleans simply cannot be allowed to be rebuilt the same way. Even if they GET the water out it’s totally undermined all the building foundations.

Time for solution on the scale of Galveston.

Wake up call #2

The oil crunch…it’s only started. Those of you who drive SUVs and HUMMERS might want to reconsider. I’m not kidding. The Gulf Coast produces, exports, and/or ships 15-25% of this nation’s oil, and 75% of that industry, from rigs to refineries, is now residing in Atlantis south!

Wake up call #3

Time to face the fact that if you build a house in a disaster area, you can only expect so much sympathy before tax payers get SICK TO DEATH of shellin out money so you can rebuild in the same spot.

We need to designate 100 miles of Gulf coast as a restricted, strictly commercial zone with building codes equal to or greater than those in California.

In a one on one with mother nature, we don’t have a chance in hellll of takin a punch, much less throwin one.
We simply cannot continue to ignore the danger of building in forests, along fault lines, perched on the sides of volcanoes, or at the water’s edge. Not without some mighty INVENTIVE engineering and MANDATORY building codes.

If the pictures comin out of NO don’t wake up this country, then it’s DOA. It took such a catastrophe to snap Holland to it’s senses. But then the Dutch HAVE SENSE. It remains to be seen whether we do.
PREDICTION

It’s gonna be easier for all concerned to sit around pointing the finger of blame at each other rather than face the hard fact that our cities are rotting, our infrastructure is crumbling, oil dependence is a luxury we can’t afford, and many or our citizens are 3rd generation entitlement junkies.

Time to git tough or die. I don’t care which. I’M SICK OF PAYIN FOR STUPIDITY AND DENIAL.

13) And now from the Jesus lobby:

Max Lacado, on Hurricane Katrina

Who would have thought we would ever hear this phrase spoken on a radio news report in America: “Today, about 25,000 refugees were moved from the Superdome in New Orleans to the Astrodome in Houston.”

For days, we’ve watched the tragedy continue to unfold in Mississippi and Louisiana and, if you are like me, you’ve wrestled with feelings of shock and disbelief…feelings that, over the last five years, have become all too familiar. We were barely into the new millennium when we saw towers falling in New York City and planes crashing into the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania farmland. We saw bombs over Baghdad and witnessed the ancient land of Abraham become a war zone for his ancestors. You’d think we had seen enough, but then came the tsunami–a roaring wave that sucked life and innocence out to sea.

And now the fruits of Katrina. A city sitting in twenty feet of water. Citizens hacking their way onto roofs and helicopters hovering over neighborhoods. Optimistic rescuers, opportunistic looters, grateful people, resentful people–we have seen it all.

And many have seen it up close. Katrina came to San Antonio in the form of 12,500 evacuees [INCLUDING THE SAINTS…]. Many of you are meeting them, feeding them, writing checks, and manning shifts. And you, as much as any, have reason to wonder…What is going on here? 9/11, Iraq, tsunami, Katrina. And I didn’t mention nor intend to minimize Hurricanes Dennis and Ivan and Emily.

Jesus criticized the leaders of his day for focusing on the weather and ignoring the signals: “You find it easy enough to forecast the
weather–why can’t you read the signs of the times?” Matthew 16:2-3 (MSG).

What are we to learn from all of this? Is God sending us a message? I think so. And, I think we’d be wise to pay attention. There are some spiritual lessons that I think God would want us to learn through this tragedy. The first lesson we see is…

I. The Nature of Possessions: Temporary

As you’ve listened to evacuees and survivors, have you noticed their words? No one laments a lost plasma television or submerged SUV. No one runs through the streets yelling, “My cordless drill is missing” or “My golf clubs have washed away.” If they mourn, it is for people lost. If they rejoice, it is for people found. Could Jesus be reminding us that people matter more than possessions? In a land where we have more malls than high schools, more debt than credit, more clothes to wear than we can wear, could Christ be saying: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15)?

We see an entire riverboat casino washed up three blocks and placed on top of a house in a neighborhood.
You see demolished $40,000 cars that will never be driven again, hidden in debris. And in the background of our minds we hear the quiet echoes of Jesus saying, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

Raging hurricanes and broken levees have a way of prying our fingers off the stuff we love. What was once most precious now means little; what we once ignored is now of eternal significance. A friend and I attended a worship service at Antioch Baptist Church last Sunday night. Several African American Church leaders had organized an assembly to pray for the evacuees that have ended up in San Antonio. Many of them sat on the front rows…dressed in all the clothing they owned: t-shirts, jeans. Their faces were weary from the week. But when the music started and the worship began, they came to their feet and sang with tears in their eyes.

They were rich. Are you that rich? Were all your possession washed away, could you still worship? Would you still worship? If not, you are holding things too tightly: “Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage–to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19 MSG).

Through Katrina, Christ tells us: stuff doesn’t matter; people do.

II. The Nature of People: Sinners and Saints

We see the most incredible servants and stories of selflessness and sacrifice. We see people of the projects rescuing their neighbors we see civil servants risking their lives for people they’ve never seen. My wife Denalyn and I toured a shelter supervised by one of our neighbors here in San Antonio. We met a family of some twenty cousins and siblings.

One six-year-old girl told Denalyn about the helicopter man who plucked her off a third story porch and lifted her to safety. That child will never know who that man is. He’ll never seek any applause. He saved her life…all in a day’s work. We saw humanity at its best. And we saw humanity at its worst. Looting. Fighting. We heard stories of rapes and robberies.

Someone said, “The heavens declare the glory of God but the streets declare the sinfulness of man.” The video footage in New Orleans has confirmed the truthfulness of that quote. Can you imagine not being able to sleep in the Superdome for fear that someone might try to rape your daughter if she went to the restroom in the middle of the night?

We are people of both dignity and depravity. The hurricane blew back more than roofs; it blew the mask off the nature of mankind. The main problem in the world is not Mother Nature, but human nature. Strip away the police barricades, blow down the fences, and the real self is revealed. We are barbaric to the core.
We were born with a me-first mentality. You don’t have to teach your kids to argue. They don’t have to be trained to demand their way. You don’t have to show them how to stomp their feet and pout, it is their nature…indeed it is all of our nature to do so. “All of us have strayed like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own” (Isaiah 53:6).

God’s chosen word for our fallen condition has three letters- s-I-n. Sin celebrates the letter in the middle. “I”. Left to our own devices, we lead a godless, out of control life of “…doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it” (Ephesians 2:3 MSG).

You don’t have to go to New Orleans to see the chaos. Because of sin, the husband ignores his wife, grown men seduce the young. The young proposition the old. When you do what you want and I do what I want, humanity and civility implodes.

And when the Katrinas of life blow in, our true nature is revealed and our deepest need is unveiled: a need deeper than food, more permanent than firm levees. We need, not a new system, but a new nature. We need to be changed from the inside out.

Which takes us to the third message of Katrina…

III. The Nature of God’s Grace: Inside Out

Much discussion revolves around the future of New Orleans. Will the city be restored? Repaired? How long will it take? Who will pay for it? One thing is for certain: someone has to clean her up. No one is suggesting otherwise. Everyone knows, someone has to go in and clean up the mess. That is what God offers to do with us. He comes into sin-flooded lives and washes away the old. Paul reflected on his conversion and he wrote: “He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Our sins stand no chance against the fire hoses of God’s grace.

But he does more than cleanse us; he rebuilds us. In the form of his Holy Spirit, God moves in and starts a complete renovation project. “God can do anything, you know–far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” (Ephesians 3:20 MSG).

And what we can only dream of doing with New Orleans, God has done with soul after soul, and he will do so with you, if you let him.

The most disturbing stories from the last week are of those who refused to be rescued. Those who spent their final hours trapped in attics and rooms regretting the choice they’d made. They could have been saved. They could have gotten out… but they chose to stay. Many paid a permanent price.

You don’t have to pay that price. What rescuers did for people on the Gulf Coast, God will do for you. He has entered your world. He has dropped a rope into your sin-swamped life. He will rescue, you simply need to do what that little girl did, let him lift you out.

I mentioned my visit to Antioch Baptist Church last Sunday night. A local minister, Pastor L. A. Williams gave a message on this one verse: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord…” (Gen. 6:8). The minister helped us see all the things Noah could not find because of the flood. He could not find his neighborhood. He could not find his house. He could not find the comforts of home or the people down the street–there was much he could not find. But what he could find made all the difference. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah found grace in the eyes of God. If you have everything and no grace, you have nothing. If you have nothing but grace, you have everything.

Have you found grace? If not, I urge you to do what that little girl told us she did. When the rescuer appeared on her porch, she grabbed him, closed her eyes, and held on. That’s all you need to do. And if you never have, a
nd would like to, I urge you to reach for the hand of your rescuer, Jesus Christ.

Your Redeemer lives, too. This hurricane was his tool to get your attention.

Trust in Him while you still can.

Max Lucado, (c) 2005
Max Parker Attorney Webb, Stokes & Sparks
P.O. Box 1271
San Angelo, Texas 76902
325:653-6866

14) T-P op-ed, on body retrieval:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_15.html#079872

Katrina’s dead deserve utmost respect

By Stephanie Grace

I’m trying to picture Alcede Jackson in my mind.

Until a couple of weeks ago, he lived on my street, just about three blocks down. I drove by his house every day on my way to work. I’m trying to remember which house. Did he used to sit on the front porch and watch people pass? Did he wave, and did I wave back? I hope so.

I never met Mr. Alcede, as I imagine he must have been called, but I know a few things about him. From public records, it looks like he had a wife named Violet; that he was at least 79; and that, before he moved to the 4700 block of Laurel Street, he lived around the corner on Bordeaux.

And I know for a fact that he had a front porch, because I’ve seen pictures of his body there, wrapped in a plastic bag and covered in a blue blanket, just as it was for nearly two weeks after Hurricane Katrina blew through town.

Without the benefit of a computer database, the person who laid him out – a Baptist chaplain who had stopped by to check in on the elderly couple, according to press reports – couldn’t even say when Mr. Alcede’s life had begun. But he knew exactly when it ended.

“Alcede Jackson,” the hand-written sign in the window said. “B _____, D Aug. 31, 2005. Rest In Peace In The Loving Arms of Jesus.”

Our street largely ducked Katrina’s wrath. But the storm must have been too much for him. Or maybe it was just his time. We’ll probably never know.

What we do know is that his horrible, long wait is a scar on our neighborhood, and our city.

Even though they lost a loved one, Mr. Alcede’s relatives are luckier than some. Thanks to the efforts of that chaplain, and the happenstance of dying in a dry neighborhood heavily traveled by reporters, his relatives do not have to wonder about his fate, and they will be able to give him a proper burial at some point. Newspaper readers all over the world know at least a sliver of his story, and mourn him.

Of the many images from Katrina, perhaps the most haunting are signs like the one on Alcede Jackson’s window, fighting against the chaos for dignity in death. They practically scream out their message: that this is a person, not a body. That the storm’s victims matter – each and every one.

It’s the same impulse that led neighbors to construct a makeshift grave for Vera Smith on Magazine and Jackson, with the spray-painted plea: “Here lies Vera. God Help Us.” It’s what prompted people stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to pin notes to relatives who didn’t make it and who would be left behind in abandoned wheelchairs, telling anyone who bothered to look that this person had a name, and people who cared enough to write it down.

It’s why I jotted down as much information as possible about my friend’s father – where he worked, what his sons do for a living – after I went to check on him a week after the storm, and a kindly cop who showed up to help found him dead of an apparent heart attack.

Alcede Jackson, Vera Smith and my friend’s father died on the city’s highest ground along the Mississippi River, not in Lakeview, eastern New Orleans or St. Bernard. There were people around to bear witness. How many others died anonymously, their bodies so disfigured by floodwaters that even their loved ones wouldn’t recognize them?

There’s been some recent squabbling between the state and federal government over the slow pace of body retrieval, but nobody wants to see more finger-pointing. You just have to think about the signs, the hand-scribbled notes, to know what’s at stake.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the painstaking task of identifying the victims was a top priority, and it was handled with the utmost respect.

Like them, the people who died in the New Orleans area had neighbors, friends and loved ones. They deserve more than bureaucracy. They deserve all the closure the government can muster.

Stephanie Grace is a Times-Picayune staff writer.

15) Late show humor, some of which touches upon Katrina:

http://www.newsmax.com/liners.shtml

16) New Orleanians on a “Family Vacation”:

Greetings from Noccalula Falls, Gadsden AL! I have loaded Max and some cheap new camping gear into my stalwart forest green Accord, and we are blazing, well plodding really, the well-worn trails of white trash RVers through the vacation wonderlands of the mid-south (SEE CAVE CITY!) Yeah, that is one big, dark hole (in the ground, you filthy perverts. I’ll have you know that Mammoth Cave National Park is a World Heritage site, so keep your nasty innuendoes to yourselves). It has been an adventure of many firsts for Max –first real S’mores (as opposed to s’mores flavored food products like gogurt stix or something), first visit to a cave, first stitches (3-to the right knee. Fun, fun.) If you are concerned, my darlings, for the sanity of a middle aged 9th ward Bon Vivant on a solo flight through hillbilly heaven juggling all her material goods, a six year old, and a dome tent–you are wise. Nah, I’m so competent it’s scarey. Starved for conversation, but otherwise powering on. Back in St. Charles by Monday. Will send update and observations then.
Shelley

17) West End ravaged. Are you surprised? Parking meters started to kill West End years ago, then another storm finished it off when Fitzgerald’s got hit:

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_15.html#079872

West End still standing, but barely
Few restaurants and homes left untouched
By Michelle HunterStaff writer

The West End — a New Orleans dining and drinking playground for decades –may now be the worst end.
Bruning’s, a historic bar where generations of customers downed raw oysters, and the porch at Jaeger’s, where crawfish and cold beer accompanied sunsets over Lake Pontchartrain, now exist as rotting wood piled 20 feet high on the opposite side of the 17th Street Canal near the site of Sid-Mar’s of Bucktown, also laid to waste by Hurricane Katrina. Pilings that once supported restaurants and bars are nothing more than seagull perches.

“The old Bruning’s house had been there for a hundred years, and now it’s gone,” said Louis Cochran, 72, who bicycled over to Bucktown with friend Mark Adolph, 49, to check on their boats in the nearby marinas.
The only way into West End for civilians these days is by foot or by bike, across the pedestrian bridge over the canal, and that can be precarious, for Katrina’s wind and storm surge peeled away some of the bridge’s hand railings.

Cochran and Adolph carefully navigated the dinner plates, flatware and broken wine glasses in the West End parking lot that was coated by cracking mud. At nearby Coconut Beach, the once-pristine white sand of the 17-net volleyball complex is now a muddy gray minefield of twisted metal siding, glass and roof material.

The Municipal Marina Yacht Harbor and the boathouses that line its waters fared better, but not by much. Boats and cars are lodged against oak trees along North Road
way. Cinderblocks and red bricks from the public bathroom near the fishing dock are sprinkled across the roadway along with crab traps that washed ashore from the lake, their prisoners still baking in the sun.

Mike and Gloria Branford, both 50, have visited the area several times since the middle of last week, checking on Boathouse No. 84, their home for almost two years.

None of the boathouses escaped damage, but some are worse off than others. Owners who made recent renovations will have less to repair, Mike Branford said.

Many of the structures have collapsed, or their walls are blown away. At the living room of a friend’s home, Gloria Branford pointed out where the floor dropped away, creating a pool of insulation and broken boards.
“On the first day, I was emotionally destroyed,” she said. “I couldn’t talk without crying.”

Remarkably the bars inside many of the boathouses seem intact, their liquor bottles unbroken, which could be seen in the houses missing their exterior walls.

“There’s something about liquor that doesn’t knock over that easy,” Mike Branford said.

At the Branfords’ boathouse on Breakwater Drive, water swept through the downstairs area, taking with it the wallboards and some personal belongings. But the damage seemed minimal compared to the houses on either side, each seemingly smashed by a wrecking ball.

Mike Branford, a former carpenter turned auto-body mechanic, said he designed his house with storms in mind. Still, the devastation around the marina, the West End and elsewhere in New Orleans is not lost on the couple. They remember the West End when New Orleans residents flocked to restaurants and clubs such as The Bounty, The Port Hole and Augie’s Delago. The area stagnated for a while, but it seemed to begun a mini-renaissance in recent years with the arrival of The Dock, a restaurant and bar that used live music to attract a hipper crowd.

Just as the Branfords have gradually become more adamant in the past two weeks about rebuilding, they also have hope that life will return throughout West End. They envision an alternative to the French Quarter, with boardwalks, hotels and other attractions that play up the beauty of the lake.

“This could be a blessing. It has potential,” Mike Branford said.

He stood on the front deck of his boathouse, gazing at the lake as if willing the destruction around him to fade away.

“You just can’t look sideways or look back,” he said.