CNN Pearlington Article

Pearlington tries to recover. Why are there dangerous levels of formaldehyde in FEMA trailers? Only one was tested, but I bet they are all like that. Heres a link to the latest article at CNN

Blogger on Air America

I was just driving home and who did I hear on Air America but Loki of Humid City. Pretty cool to hear bloggers on the air, read about them in the papers, see their conference on the list of commemorative events. Even cooler to be one more drop in the bucket in cyberspace.

Katrina: Day 0

Landfall day was not very eventful for me.

I got up, went to work. I had this idea I could listen to streaming radio on the internet to find out what was going on with Katrina. But, all the stations were off the air. That didn’t seem good. Yahoo Headline News had nothing of use. I couldn’t watch TV as I was at work. I finally found streaming WWL-TV, which had just relocated to LSU for their broadcasts. I was pleased to find the coverage but the announcers had nothing to say. They seemed to find the lack of dire reports from the field to be good news, and honestly did not seem to realize the lack of any reports might be the sign of a problem.

They aggravated me by calling the French Quarter the lowest point in the city. My husband called me up in late afternoon and said he had looked at the news briefly and heard the roof was peeling off the Superdome. I was shaken by that as I knew there were many people inside and imagined the Superdome coming down like the WTC had. I was also frustrated by the lack of content of the news thus far. It was now late in the day and I went home to finally get glued onto CNN.

Katrina Blog Project

Pearlington Project now an official non-profit

Here's the latest word from Angela.

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your continued interest in the people of Pearlington, Mississippi one year after the worst disaster in US history literally wiped their community off the map. As you know and due to media attention, volunteers have done much to bring resources to this rural hamlet. And, yet, as I have written previously, in the absence of a plan and without coordination, families still fall through the cracks. And, that is why I have taken the next step with my work in Pearlington. After a year of connecting many of you directly with families and individuals in Pearlington for sponsorhsip, I feel I have done as much as I can as one person. The deadline for occupancy of a FEMA emergency housing camper will hit in a short 6 months from now; and, so many in Pearlington still have no form of permanent housing. While we can all hope that FEMA will do the right thing and extend the deadline, it is as CNN's Anderson Cooper has often stated, "Hope is not a plan."

He is right. Therefore, I formulated my own plan and incorporated my work into The Pearlington Project Katrina Foundation, Inc. The Pearlington Project Katrina Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the funding of permanent housing for those in Pearlington, MS who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina. As a nonprofit corporation, ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE AND PAYABLE TO THE PEARLINGTON PROJECT KATRINA FOUNDATION, INC. (For those of you who have followed my work this past year, you know this is a significant change in status.) Experienced, volunteer house builder Rich Taylor of Poughkeepsie, NY is standing ready as Team Leader on our initial builds. We have volunteers ready to raise their hammers just as soon as enough funds are raised. My goal is to get families with children and the elderly housed in advance of that Feb. 28,'07 FEMA deadline. I firmly believe this is doable because of you and because of those whom you know. Support for the Foundation is already growing. NY Times best-selling author and National Book Award Finalist Dorothy Allison has joined our Board of Directors along with a talented and diverse group of professionals. We are honored to have Ms. Allison as part of this team.

Local and national publicity is growing as well. For those of you in the Hudson Valley region of NY state, tomorrow (August 29th), The Poughkeepsie Journal will run an article about the work in Pearlington this past year and the Foundation. Rose Arce, Senior Producer at CNN has written a wonderful article on the same topic for CNN.COM. It is posted at http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/28/arce.pearlington/index.html. People are already emailing me about Rose's story. There are not enough words to thank Rose Arce and CNN for their unwavering support this past year and for continuing to tell this story. On that note, CNN again journeyed to Pearlington last week and filmed the 4th segment on Denise Swanson and her children at the 1-year post-Katrina mark. The segment will air at some point this week on "American Morning" with Soledad O'Brien. "American Morning" airs from 6:00 AM - 10:00 EST daily. Unfortunately, due to a very tight progamming schedule this week, I am not yet certain when the segment will air. As soon as I know, I will send another email.

So, once again, I thank you for all you have done to help the people of Pearlington through undoubtedly, the most difficult year of their lives. Progress has been made; however, I must ask you not to turn away for the work is not done. I know that, with your help, we can finish the job and literally bring the people of Pearlington the rest of the way home. Please see below for contact and donation information. And, please stay tuned for information on future fundraisers to be held in New York.

Continuing in Peace and Justice until the job is done,

Angela Cole
President
The Pearlington Project Katrina Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 127
Rhinebeck, NY 12572

Website: www.pearlingtonproject.org
Email: angela@pearlingtonproject.org

Is the Dunce in Chief an Alien?

First off a nerd alert. The following post draws heavily on the revival of Dr Who, the BBC sci fi series many of you will remember from the 60s, 70s and 80s. One of the new adventures set me thinking about the various disasters that have beset the US. I believe the new episodes are currently running on the SciFi channel. It is worth noting that this series aired in the UK before Katrina and other recent revelations about Bush's sense of humour came to light.

What set me thinking was a particular episode in which the British Government pulled out the classified plan as to what to do in case of alien contact. This may be outlandish, but you'd think a government, whether British or American would have a plan for things like a major hurricane (eg Katrina) or a terrorist attack (eg 9/11). Yet it is apparent that no such plan existed--or at least executed--in either 9/11 or Katrina. In one the Dunce in Chief read My Pet Goat for 7 minutes (I'm assuming this book doesn't have the plan hidden in its pages), and for several days following Katrina.

So this is where it gets interesting. In Dr Who, the Government plan was not instituted (sound familiar). This was because the Slitheens (aliens from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius) had already killed the Prime Minister and were masquerading as the heads of the government and army, squeezing themselves in rubber people skins that looked like the people they were imitating. The process of disguising themselves caused them to fart a tremendous amount, which they naturally found hilarious. Finally, the Slitheens master plan was to destroy life on earth and sell it on the intergalactic black market for its natural resources. So let's summarise:

Slitheen: Don't respond to crisis
Dunce in Chief: Doesn't respond to crisis (9/11; Katrina)

Slitheen: Attempts to start World War III
Dunce in Chief: Started war in Iraq

Slitheen: Focused on raping Earth for natural resources
Dunce in Chief: Focused on raping Earth for natural resources

Slitheen: Find fart jokes hilarious
Dunce in Chief: Finds fart jokes hilarious

The similarities are truly scary. Is Bush really a member of the Slitheen family. It would explain so much. Don't be surprised of you see Bush unzip his forehead sometime soon and an alien monster emerge from inside.

Remembering Katrina: Day K-1

The day before Katrina made landfall, a Sunday in ’05. I was worried and excited, reminiscing about the good ole days where I got out of school for flooding every now and then. But from my remote location in New Jersey I was unable to go check that the doors and windows were securely shut on my French Quarter courtyard condo in the “slaves quarters”. I wondered if I had left any potential projectiles on my balcony and hoped the neighbors would confiscate them as they have once or twice before in similar circumstances. I think I may have sent an email asking someone to check, and telling the neighbors to be careful if they were not evacuating. As I suspected they would not. At this point the mandatory evacuation was in full swing and had been all weekend.

Due to contraflow traffic patterns my dad in Baton Rouge was unable to come loosen the ropes on his small sailboat docked in New Orleans East, as he usually does. He also was unable to drive over to Biloxi to attempt to secure his half-a-block-from the beach house, although there wasn’t much to be done there unless you wanted to actually board up the windows. Generally he doesn’t bother although there is always some debate about whether or not that was foolish.

My mother in Baton Rouge was occupied with trying to cajole a handful of relatives and friends in New Orleans area to evacuate to her place. There were not too many people to worry about as most relatives have left the city or passed away. The remaining ones were reluctant but in the end my uncle and a childhood friend of my mom’s did arrive as the storm approached.

I didn’t want to have to go to work the next day but there was no real reason not to. I watched CNN with great anticipation and finally went to sleep that evening as usual. It’s strange to be having a normal day when a hurricane is about to blow through your and your family’s property. Katrina worry level: high. Total actual useful preparations for Katrina: none.

Katrina Blog Project

Neighbourhoods Still Deserted

The New York Times has run some excellent articles on the Katrina aftermath this week.

These include articles on the forthcoming failure of the school system. The city apparently claims that more students have returned to school the system can't cope. I don't understand why they were taken by surprise; Nagin is constantly hyping the fact that so many people have returned.

Today's article discussed the fact that as many as 40% have not returned at all, while many of the rest are on the brink. Unless the tourist and convention trade don't return by the end of the year, many will go under. This is a little later than we predicted earlier this year, but it is disturbing nevertheless. This data seems somewhat at odds with a report that came out later in the day that suggested sales tax is at 75% of the Katrina level. This report obviously pays a much rosier picture than things really are; this does noone any good. Paying sales tax to contractors to gut your house doesn't mean the base economy of the city is vibrant.

The third article I found of particular interest underpins the problems in New Orleans as a whole. They reviewed the rebuilding efforts in various neighbourhoods. The article, while acknowledging the current status is somewhat disturbing, painted an optimistic picture. However, their graphics were more reminiscent of what you see when you travel around New Orleans. The Times showed the status of homes across a few blocks of Lakeview, Broadmoor and New Orleans East. While this was not the whole neighbourhood, they are likely reminiscent. Below is my analysis of the data they provided:

Lakeview

Torn down 15%
No progress 40%
Gutted 35%
Renovation 9%
Resident 2%
Trailer 9%

Broadmoor

Torn down 0%
No progress 29%
Gutted 42%
Renovation 9%
Resident 20%
Trailer 48%

New Orleans East

Torn down 1%
No progress 2%
Gutted 73%
Renovation 13%
Resident 10%
Trailer 18%

In summary, one year after Katrina rebuilding is not occuring in 91% of Lakeview, 81% of Broadmoor, and 77% of New Orleans East. This is not encouraging. Many people I'm sure are waiting for their cheques from the government, but how many will be ready, willing and able to move forward. We still need a plan. Nagin has gotten into hot water again this week for criticising progress at Ground Zero in New York 5 years after 9/11. While he may be, in many ways right, there is an important difference here: very few people live at Ground Zero. Rebuilding in New York is a matter of pride, rather than necessity. Nagin and the city planners need to develop a sense of urgency yesterday, or these struggling neighbourhoods will be forced to give up and die. We can't let that happen.

Requiem Part III and IV: More Grief, and Levees

New Orleanians had their possessions or their lives taken away. The evacuees woke up in Texas, Atlanta, Utah, Oklahoma. Why? Because of the massive incompetence, carelessness, and "system in name only" built by the US Corps of Engineers. Because the wetland buffer has been cut into ribbons by the oil companies. Because we are a bunch of dumb asses who vote fools into power to lead us.

Requiem Part II: Making me mad all over again.

Bodies. Bodies everywhere. This is the footage they said they couldn't show us. This is the real tragedy, the breakdown of our civilization, the ripping apart of New Orleans. Five days later. We'll be a great city again one day but we will never forget what has happened here.

Rising Tide Conference

I don't know if there is any point to my plugging the Rising Tide Conference this weekend as surely my readers already know about it. But I have to talk about it as I love the logo and managed to add it to the site and am so proud of the New Orleans bloggers that this event is really going to happen. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend and meet everyone. A variety of family and work obligations and child care complications have made the month of August a jigsaw puzzle that just couldn't fit a trip to New Orleans. If only it hadn't been my grandmother's 90th birthday this year I think I would have managed it. Or if I hadn't had to spend so much time fumigating my house for fleas this year. The tickets were cheap, surprisingly so, it was the time that was the issue.

Good luck and have a beer for me at the cash bar.

Stacy Head Town Hall

FYI. I don't know how I got on Stacy Head's mailing list - but she has impressed me with her efforts versus the other relatively invisible councilmembers. She is holding a Town Hall tomorrow.

What: Councilwoman Stacy Head's Town Hall meeting

When: Wed., August 23rd, 6-7:30 pm

Where: Sophie Wright School, 1426 Napoleon Ave.

Who: Councilwoman Stacy Head will be joined by the following :

Colonel Terry Ebbert of the Homeland Security & Public Safety office

The quality of life officers from the 2nd and 6th District Police Stations

Veronica White of the Sanitation Department

Representatives from the Councilmembers at-Large offices

Sandra Gunner, Director of Intergovernmental Relations and Community Affairs

A Requiem Part I

I have only watched Part I of Spike’s Requiem and was pleased with what I saw. After all the discussion I have heard about Spike including the conspiracy theory of deliberate breach of the levees in his movie, and of the alleged black bias of the movie, I was afraid I would be disappointed. I was afraid it would be too out-there and lack mainstream credibility. After seeing the movie I thought it was explained quite clearly how the conspiracy theory originated, due to the Hurricane Betsy experience, and the actual observation of what sounded like an explosion. I agree with Jr. Rodriguez that the people who heard an explosion probably heard the barge crashing into and breaking through the levee in the 9th Ward. The fellow whose mother died in the wheelchair at the convention center was heartbreaking, especially since we were following his story for quite a while before we realized where it was going.

I did find it somewhat emotionally overwhelming and needed to go to bed rather than stay up for Part II. I look forward to seeing the rest of it and also to following the reactions on-line of fellow viewers. I hope he really turns the knife on Bush in the rest of the series.

Pearlington Update

Heres another update from Angela at the Pearlington Project. I was not aware that FEMA was cutting off trailer occupancy 18 months after the event - in February 2007. I'm sure that's an issue we will hear more about in the future. Watch out for the Pearlington Update on CNN on August 29th and thanks to Soledad O'Brien for her committment to following the progress in Pearlington.

Dear Friends,

For the past year, so many of you have journeyed with me to the tiny, rural hamlet of Pearlington, Mississippi. Together, we have witnessed the abject suffering of our own people forgotten by those with the power to change their plight. And, so, together we have done what we could do. While many of you could not travel to Pearlington with me, you made certain that when I made the trip, I was fully supplied with food, clothing, and gift cards. There are not words strong enough to convey the deep gratitude of the people of Pearlington for the tangible evidence of your caring. And, there are not words strong enough to convey my deep gratitude for your thoughts and prayers. I am returning to be with the people of Pearlington on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. And, thankfully, once again CNN is returning with me. While the media attention has brought relief workers to the area, in the absence of a plan, there are gaping holes relative to who-gets-what. Some have houses now; but, most still do not. There are those whose ruined houses have yet to be demolished, let alone removed. And, at the end of February 2007, a mere 6 months from now, FEMA will come to reclaim the only shelter these people have. For, according to their rules, one can only occupy a FEMA trailer for 18 months , a time period that begins not on the day you actually take-up occupancy in the trailer, but on the day of the disaster. So, even though the vast majority of citizens in Pearlington slept on the ground in soggy tents for some 6 months after Hurricane Katrina, according to the rules of FEMA, occupancy started on August 29, 2006. The names and faces you have come to know over this past year, Mamma Sams; Toby, Yvette, Brittany, and Michael; Denise, Lisa, Destin, Darrien, and Carrie; Mr. Ike a 2-war veteran; and so many others are facing yet another devastating loss if we do not act. And, that is why I have made the decision to take the work of The Pearlington Project to the next level. I have been invited to join Soledad O'Brien during her live coverage of the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on August 29th. On her show, American Morning and following the airing of the next Pearlington segment, I will announce the next steps for The Pearlington Project and the new ways in which any citizen can be involved. While American Morning normally airs from 6:00 to 10:00 AM EST, there may be an extended edition on the 29th. Of course, the show's programming is dependent upon news events; but, as of now, the next Pearlington segment followed by a live interview is planned. When I know a timeframe for the segment, I will send another email. (If anyone would like to be removed from this email list, please let me know and I will do so.) I hope you will watch CNN on the morning of the 29th. While so much of this past year has been a journey of justice for the forgotten people of Pearlington, it has also been one of hope, a hope that I can not let go until, together, we have truly done all we can to restore dignity and community to those who deserve no less. Continuing in Peace and Justice, Angela J. Cole, MPH, RN

The New Front on the War in Terror

The Dunce in Chief suggested today that Lebanon was the new front in the war on terror. If Lebanon is a new front in the war on terror, we have a problem. We have failed to shut down the front on terror in Afghanistan, and have created one in Iraq. And that doesn't count the actual war on terror--the one we fight at home (or in Europe) regardless of the fight at the now multiple over theres. We can't afford any more fronts.

Fighting a war on one front is difficult and we have failed. Fighting it on two, is very difficult and we have failed spectacularly. We can not hope to succeed on a third front. We can't afford to fight this war on any more fronts.

This rhetoric is of course just another way to stoke the State of Fear to distract us from his pathetic leadership on everything from Katrina to foreign policy and the economy.

State of Fear

I'm really confused by the politcal punditry that has gone on since the Brits broke up the latest terror plot. Almost everyone has suggested this will translate into a boost for the Dunce in Chief and the Republicans. True, this has distracted the populace from the carnage with real people dying in Lebanon and Iraq. But doesn't this just demonstrate what a poor job we are doing in preventing terrorism. Below are just a few of the reasons that demonstrate that the government is mishandling the war on terror.

1. We're fighting them over there, so we don't have to fight them over here. Clearly this isn't working. Five years after September 11, while no plot has succeeded in the US, they are still being planned and many of our allies have suffered tragic losses.

2. Prior to the invasion of Iraq, Muslims in England weren't queueing up for 80 virgins. With this plot and the London bombings, it is clear that this group has become radicalised, perhaps not surprisingly. The Poodle in Chief, by following Bush into Iraq has left this group feeling stateless in their own country. Which brings me to perhaps the most important point.

3. The war in Iraq is creating more and more jihadists every day. "Death to America" is more than a battle cry. They mean it. Instead of snuffing out the terrorism problem when we had the chance, Bush has poured gasoline (quite literally) on the flame by invading Iraq. This is a problem of his own making. I was all for the war in Afghanistan. The governement there was protecting and collaborating with al Qaeda; so was a just target. But we didn't follow through and let the quarry get away.

4. When the arrest of the latest plotters was announced, what did Bush do? He went to a fundraiser, just like he did when Katrina hit New Orleans. He still doesn't get it.

5. In an attempt to show Bush has been engaged in this plot for sometime, the publicists made it be known that he has been following this for sometime. So riddle me this. If we have known about this plot so long, why did we wait until all the conspirators had been arrested to ban liquids on planes? Furthermore, if we'd known about it, how come we didn't have a plan for changing the procedures for air security. I'd feel much safer if we changed our procedures when these evildoers were at large. Given that these people were arrested when the plot was supposedly about to go down, what if there was another terror cell working independently somewhere in the US--that we didn't know about--that was going to blow up planes flying East on the same day. This again shows a lack of imagination on the part of Chertoff the Jerkoff and the Dunce in Chief when it comes to National Security.

The fact that this kind of plot can still get this far should mean people feel less safe than after 9/11. I know I do. Doesn't that mean that the Dunce in Chief is failing in the war on terror?

Rising Tide Conference

The Rising Tide conference revised schedule should be released late today. At least 2 panel discussions and several web-oriented sessions seem firm and the location at the New Orleans Yacht Club is finalized. A volunteer workday has been established on Sunday. Check it out.

Wot No Posts?

Regular visitors to Confederacy of Dunces will have noticed little activity of late. This is because there really hasn't been much to comment on from our remote location in NJ. It seems there has been no progress towards any resolution of any significant issue in New Orleans. Almost a year after Katrina, Nagin has failed to provide any leadership towards the future. Hard decisions need to be made. The city cannot provide services to every neighborhood in the future; not every resident can afford to rebuild, essentially dooming some areas to failure. These are fundamental decisions that face urban planners in New Orleans. As soon as the mayor realises he can't make everyone happy, the quicker at least some people will be able to move on with their lives.

Big Oil Responsibility

In light of the oil companies continuing to rake in billions of dollars in profits, two pieces of news will take on added significance this month. Firstly, BP has allowed a pipeline in Alaska to corrode to the point that 16 miles of it will need to be replaced and--more importantly will be closed for several months. What are the oil companies doing with all that money? (And what are the implications of this news for drilling in AMWAR?)

Secondly, the US government will be signing over drilling rights to large swathes of the Gulf of Mexico to the oil companies for a pittance. This is a similar agreement to that that led to drilling in Alaska. While it is clear that prospecting for gas and oil is an expensive business requiring significant investment, the US should negotiate to get a percentage in royalties. This is how Saudi Arabia and the other OPEC countries get to be so rich. These are our natural resources that the government is giving away. From a national security perspective, even if the oil companies don't pay royalties, shouldn't we expect them to at least maintain the infrastructure that allows them to sell it. The irony is that this failure profits the same oil companies that can't sell the product because the increase in oil prices will offset any losses. What are the oil companies doing with all that money?

Governor Blanco has threatened not to sign off on the Gulf of Mexico deal. I'd love to see her do it, so Louisiana gets its fair share of the resources off of its coast. This seems equitable since the government abandoned the state after Katrina. Why should we hand over our resources to the oil companies when the government can't manage to offer even the most minimal help in our hour of need? Unfortunately, I doubt Blanco has the guts to withold her assent.