Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind . . .And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry.Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded with patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader, and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar. --- William Shakespeare … [Read more...]

The Katrina disaster presages dire times. The status quo will drastically alter life in the coming decades. It needs the attention of an astute citizenry and a responsive, able leadership. Consider our suicide economics. As if five years of steadily growing cutbacks to programs in environment, poverty reduction, welfare, and healthcare were not enough, the 2006 budget deliberated prior to Katrina contained $35 billion in further reductions. Billions in tax cuts for the wealthiest build brass at corporate offices instead of supporting much needed public investments ie. levee systems and emergency response networks. For the poor, that paltry check from Uncle Sam in effect adds up to significant cuts in health coverage and social security. … [Read more...]

If you are reading this then you know someone who was tremendously affected by our government’s stunning ineptitude, at all levels, across party lines.Think beyond the spin of mainstream media. Let your legislators know how you feel about this catastrophe, and begin your letter with a statement that you are a constituent. One vote is a valuable asset to your elected officials, especially in the projected overhaul of the political landscape. With midterm congressional elections coming up in 2006 your letters will not go unread. And we all have a stake in this.The following websites list contact information for our elected House Representatives, our elected Senators, and our President. It’s time to inspire our policy makers towards … [Read more...]

I understand many are still reeling and recovering from a direct hit of this past week's events. I understand media fatigue. I understand the need to start the recovery period. But I refuse to believe that complacency, which has graced the path of every bungle of the past five years, will follow this phenomenal failure of government. We the American people are more intelligent than that. We have to wake up and smell the rot that is fast enveloping our country, long before Katrina hit, long before conditions allowed the the White House to be put up for sale. "This is the Law and Order, Terror and Morality government, and it cannot save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water."Listen to or read the transcript of a searing … [Read more...]

Read Anne Rice's NYTimes OP-ED Do You Know What It Means To Lose New Orleans? … [Read more...]

This is the summation of failures by a country and administration's policy history/movement that americans have been and are allowing, splattered all over the facets of this disaster. It isn't about New Orleans anymore. Bigger questions exist. It is disgusting that it comes to this.All aboard the USS Clueless. Let's see how that bone-headed freak we all stuck in the white house digs out of this one. Where's carl rove?? … [Read more...]

A hurricane hit was not a surprise.What astounds me is the deplorable coordination of response by authorities. WHY is the mayor of New Orleans sending an SOS via CNN??? And why is our president gushing assurances about our oil prices before issuing military directives??? Lootings, gang activities, attacks-- this is textbook doomsday script in the wake of disaster, given conditions where authority is not promptly established. WHY is this allowed to happen in the wealthiest nation on earth, when a breach in the New Orleans levy system tops the list of worst-case scenarios???This event highlights how thinly stretched our resources are, by misappropriation of priorities to neo-colonialism. Nature and weather forecasting technology gave us ample … [Read more...]

New Orleans is now plagued by one catastrophe after another. Repair efforts on the levee breaches, particularly at the 17th Street Canal in Bucktown, have failed and Lake Pontchartrain is draining steadily into the city. Floodwaters are coming into the oak-canopied St Charles corridor. Water main lines are breaking. Martial law is in effect. There is complete anarchy.The best place for updates is streaming radio on WWL 870AM. Unofficial neighborhood-by-neighborhood assessments, if available, are on NOLA and WWL-TV.My heart goes out to y'all. God bless. … [Read more...]