Apocalypse hits the paycheck heads.

Wednesday August 31, 2005 05:04

by pretending to be an american

New Orleans is under water, they're talking about evacuating the refugee centre in the stadium and car lots, the drinking water supply is gone.

Maybe there's a million homeless, the dead will be in hundreds, the next storm is brewing in the carribean, the oil wells are closed, the crops of the mississippi valley are destroyed.

People are stealing tvs from the mall.

President Bush took time out from his vacations in Texas to fly to the Californian naval base of Coronado. Its sounds like a spanish place, and they founded it, name means "crowned".

There, Bush the crowned told his audience of the war on Iraq, and how the USA will not flinch an inch. He made a direct link to last Friday's anniversary, the 60th anniversary of the Japanese surrender to Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

The general who oversaw the writing of the japanese constitution and finally was relieved of duty for exceeding orders and planning to nuke Korea and China.

Bush told his audience of navy and marines that the bombing at Pearl Harbor in 1941 that brought the US into war with Japan and Germany is the same as Sept. 11, 2001- the terrorist attack that led to today's war on terror.

"Once again, war came to our shores with a surprise attack that killed thousands in cold blood," Bush said. "Once again, we face determined enemies who follow a ruthless ideology that despises everything America stands for. Once again, America and our allies are waging a global campaign with forces deployed on virtually every continent. And once again, we will not rest until victory is America's and our freedom is secure."

"The Japanese constitution would guarantee the universal freedoms that are the foundation of all genuine democracies, while, at the same time, reflecting the unique traditions and needs of the Japanese people," Bush said, adding that it "set Japan on the path to a free society."

MacArthur's constitution was accepted by Japan after the first and second and only use of nuclear weapons on civilians.

Bush congratulated the lawmakers of the green zone Baghdad :

"The document they have produced protects fundamental human freedoms, including freedom for women, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of conscience, and freedom of expression," Bush said. "This constitution is the result of democratic debate and compromise, and the Iraqi citizens can be proud of what they have accomplished."

Meanwhile, people are leaving New Orleans, talking to the network news, "it looks like downtown Baghdad", "this is like nuclear war".

The post houricane health expert is praying another storm doesn't come soon. "florida got 5 in a row last year".

Fox TV's helicopter finds one house, in the devastation with a US flag on the roof.

Bush standing on the dias, on the altar of war, with the USS aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan as his backdrop said that Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman "understood that the sacrifices of Allied forces would mean nothing unless we used our victory to help the Japanese people transform their nation from tyranny to freedom."

"There were many doubters," Bush said, a clear reference to his critics, the infidels who doubt his vision.

"American and Japanese experts claimed that the Japanese weren't ready for democracy."

The president of the USA had been scheduled to stay on holidays till Friday, but after his war speech told waiting journalists he'd be going to Washington tomorrow.

His off topic comments also adressed his plans for Medicare.

""Medicare was paying for heart surgery, but not a dime for the drugs that could prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the first place," said Bush, who was making his 15th visit to California as president.

Bush acknowledged the concerns of senior advocates who worry that people will be intimidated by the complexity of the new program and the application process.

Bush said the four-page application is quite simple. Besides, he said,

"it's big print."

He reminded his listeners of the honor thy parent commandment :-
"You need to do your duty as a son or a daughter and get this information to your mom or your dad," Bush said. "That's what you need to do. You need to make sure that you help investigate what's possible and not miss a really good opportunity."

"We have got a lot of work to do," Bush said, referring to the damage wrought by the hurricane along Gulf Coast areas.

Earlier he had found the time to be sensitive to the Act of God, the breath of God who insurers estimate can only be covered by 25billion$ worth of cover.

"This morning, our hearts and prayers are with our fellow citizens along the Gulf Coast,"

"We know that many are anxious to return to their homes. It's not possible at this moment."

Instead, he asked all in the affected areas to do as state and local authorities say.

"The federal, state and local governments are working together side-by-side to help people get back on their feet," he said.

"The good folks in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama and other affected areas are going to need the help and compassion and prayers of our fellow citizens," Bush said.

The president asked individual Americans to get involved with the relief effort, suggesting anyone who wishes to help could call 1-800-HELPNOW, log on to the Red Cross Web site at http://www.redcross.org or get in touch with the
Salvation Army.

The Army that Saves.

save preference

Comments (18 of 18)

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"the lord giveth & the lord taketh away"

by long haired.

Wed Aug 31, 2005 21:04

the USA has two things on its mind at the moment -
1) how to stop those looters in New Orleans.
2) can a new oil refinery be built this side of 2010?

I'll be honest with you, I'm a looting type.
I have reason to believe my looting nature and know-how is written down somewhere.
We could ask new orleans indymedia idf they were looting types as well, but they are unsurprisingly not really up to the minute.
Looting is what keep a million homeless alive. if you are interested in looting, know its dangerous, you get shot for looting, but know its best done in groups. You could cast an eye back to Argentina when the banks collapsed. Or Brazil when the power collapsed. Or bolivia. But this time its different. Because its americans, citizens of the most powerful nation on earth who are stealing food. Now don't get judgemental, and don't go stocking up on survivalist food rations just yet. But be mindful that we are far into a global climate change, and in a lifetime a lot of areas of the planet that previously supported civilised life complete with telegraph poles and golf courses are going to lose their property value.

next topic.

Teh largest single economc effect of Katrina after the homelessness and joblessness of about one million people, is the destruction of a large percentage of this winter's grain supply for the USA. Think about that. Its biblical.But the US media are asking their congressmen and senators about Oil and energy instead. Now some think that Katrina might have been reducde or stoppde at the sea if the wetlands had been better cared for. But instead the 5th largest port in the world and the largest Oil refinery in the USA was built there. The force of nature has stopped the oil refinery built over 25 years ago from working now, and now the emergency oil stores have to be used.
Its qutie simple, the USA has a lot of oil, we all know that. & the USA controls a lot more oil, we've noticed that. But before oil can be used by us as anything more than lubrication it has to be refined.
Which is where Venezuela and Ecuador come in. They refine the oil, coz its a dirty business and you don't want that on your doorstep. (c/f the last ecuador article)

The oil reserves of the USA are stored in the same way that the EU stores oil and gas. As you'll have learnt from the Ecuador article, "killing people for Oil" both NAFTA and the EU are now supposed to be buying oil and gas for the winter fuel needs. Because its supposed to be cheap. They then store it in salt caverns. Really quite dinky. You drill two holes into the cavern and pump water in one and out the other comes brine. You use the brine to put on roads in winter, have you ever wondered why road salt is so throwaway? Its a byproduct of Oil and Gas storage. When no brine comes out of the cavern it is "empty" and then you can store Oil, Gas or as they do in Texas really nasty horrible chemicals we want to forget about.
This a very profitable, and a seasonal trade which is measured in billions.
You see?

Looting is a sign that th system is still working. People are still rich and planned ahead. Now for a moment think about those countries and all those people who don't get on the news. the gulf states of the USA are not the only ones that get hit every year now by these "record breaking storms". A lot of those people like their "richer" now looting counterparts in the States want to move.
Or at least be off the island during the storm seasons. Maybe get a second home, up north where it snows and the salt makes it safe.

I've been looking forward to brigning you through the flaws of geology some day.
And now that the US republicans are about to press ahead with "alaska" as a result of Katrina, its coming to the day.
:-)

God Bless the Looters.+
I pray they're generous with their community.
I honestly believe Bush is an evil man.
not just stupid. but quite simply evil.
for hs is preparing a world of tomorrow which is uninhabitable for the majority.

Facts

by i am jesus

Thu Sep 01, 2005 14:47

1) New orleans and the effected areas of 3 states are protected by a flood barrier system as they vary from 2 metres to 5 metres below sea level.
2) the funding for essential repairs on those barriers was diverted by the Federal Government to the Iraq war.
3) there have been one million accountas "evacuated" that includes many thousands who just walked down the interstate.
4) there are more than 2 million people without power.
5) Fox tv is asking when will the power be back on to help people get cash from the cash machines buy supplies and build themselves and not wait for the feds.
6) the evacuation from the superdome has been stopped, the chinook was shot at this morning, this is the first time in history since the civil war that US armed forces have been targets in their homeland.
7) there are estimates of 300,000 people remaining in the city where the few police and national gaurd are confiscating weapons and there are reports of gun fire being exchanged.
___________________________________
Conjecture:-
New Orleans, Lousianna and Mississippi have seen in the last 100 hours a complete breakdown of federal support systems, the last effect of disregard and underinvestment.
Its now "guns on the street" the very poor can't get out. the federal government under Bush did not plan ahead, cut the funding, and now is not coping with the disaster.
People are being killed on the streets, which are now a cesspool of spilled oil and water.
The refinery is gone, the USA though grateful for Venezuelan and Saudi oil, can't refine the gift. Malaria, Diptheria and other waterborne or flood associated diseases are likely.

Postulation:-

"it will be ok.
American will be stronger for this.
new communities will flourish."
G.W. Bush. "the man in charge".

New Orleans police ordered to stop saving lives and start saving property

by Terry

Thu Sep 01, 2005 17:04

The capitalists have figured it's time to stop this nonescence of saving ordinary people's lives. There's property to be protected.

According to the report here (URL below), the media now are totally exaggerating the looting of just a few and turning this into the main focus.

It seems they don't want to help pay out for the cost of any damage to ordinary people and the way to prevent public opinion and sympathy from applying pressure to do so, is to demonise all these victims of the disaster.

Extract from report below:
Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said she would order National Guardsmen redeployed to stop looters as soon as federal emergency personnel were on scene to take over evacuations and rescues. “We will restore law and order,” the Democratic governor declared. “What angers me the most is that disasters like this often bring out the worst in people. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior.”

The media focus on the looting escalated throughout Wednesday, with the cable television networks, in particular, broadcasting and rebroadcasting the same footage of looters, mainly young black people, emerging from flood-damaged stores, goods in hand.

There is a definite social significance to such coverage, which grossly distorts the reality of the worst natural disaster in American history. It demonstrates that under the profit system, private property counts for far more than human life.

The sensationalized press coverage has an obvious political purpose: to demonize the victims of Hurricane Katrina and whip up the basest sentiments, including racism. In this way, the media helps justify the policy already decided on by the American ruling class and the Bush administration—to carry out only the most perfunctory recovery efforts and leave the vast majority of working class victims of the catastrophe to fend for themselves.

It is noteworthy that only 12 hours before he ordered the police mobilization, Mayor Nagin brusquely rejected a question about looting from Matt Lauer, host of NBC’s Today program, telling him the media was grossly exaggerating the significance of a relative handful of people taking television sets and other electronic goods. The bulk of the “theft,” he pointed out, was desperate people taking food, bottled water and clothing to meet their immediate needs.

I admit I have lost contact with the zone*

by i am jesus on drugs

Thu Sep 01, 2005 17:28

New Orleans founded in 1718 was home to many ethnic groups. But the television is only picking up black faces.
Nicknamed the "city care forgot" here's the only independent TV station:-
"the only 24-hour, full power Christian Family television station in the New Orleans area, reaching over 630,000 cable and non-cable households in parishes throughout southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi." indeed.
http://www.whno.com/ Bless 'Em+

here's the city council:-

"the city of NO"
could rename it "no city"
http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx
You know, all the shadenfreude aside, and the redirected federal funds, and the civil war conditions in whats left of the city, this might play out well (as President Bush hinted). The enemies of America have observed the complete destruction of one of its oldest cities. The breath of God hath spoken.

Former NO citizens are being advised not to return till all the looters are shot or have died of horrible diseases. This could take some time.

Pentagon hawks are suggesting that New Orleans now is suitable for chemical, biological and other forms of experimental war exercises.

Hollywood producers are interested in any footage of the superbowl roof tiles being stripped for future alien attack movies.

The constitutional rights of Louisiana's and Mississippi's citizens to bear arms is being broken by the police force and national guard.

Yankee forces drafted in by the Federal Government in the name of the One World Government are only rescuing people from houses flying the stars and stripes.

Dixie Arise!

This was the emergency plan -
"Everyone along the northern Gulf of Mexico needs to take this hurricane very seriously and put action plans into play now."

Bush was on holidays : preparing his Pearl Harbour speech. The decision not to release the strategic oil reserves ensured the continuing high value of Oil, which most of his and his friends' personal fortunes are based on. No decision was made before the storm hit, to offer 5 million people minimum supplies of vaccines, morphine, search and find, food, drinking water. In contrast Japan today as every year had its annual natural disaster drill, they know what can happen, they never cut corners, they have the supplies.

http://www.lsp.org/emergency.html#road
it didn't work. it fell at the first hurdle of community participation. You can't phone in traffic problems on your cellphone if there are no antennae left.-

it is 32º C 90ºF in New Orleans.
The federal government has 100 hours after the disaster allocated helicopters and boats to evacuate roof top survivors.

Not a single roof top survivor has been filmed with 100 hours water supply or food.

The sewage has leaked into the water flooding the city mixing with the oil from the refinery.

THE REFINERY WAS NOT CLOSED OR CLEARED IN TIME.

This is the test, the patriotic test, the homeland security test of Bush, of the Republican party, of the Federal Government.

Jesus is watching+

*[ I had only one sat-phone number for dixie.
& last night I gingerly tried the number. its very expensive. My one contact for over 100 million southern US citizens got out before the storm hit and is now in washington state or "cascadia" as they call it, talking revolution with the mountain types. as we all know, that revolution won't be televised. Say your prayers for those left behind.]

any urban area of one million citizens

by i am sweating cold turkey jesus

Thu Sep 01, 2005 19:25

in the western world, with the noticable exception of Salt Lake City, Utah can count on _at least_ 12,000 properly fixated officialy statistical problematic hard core drug users!

These people need your tv and don't go to church.

Any of you would be looter sympathisers a smoker?
Any marlboro men in the room?
What about the morning cup of coffee?
Anyone got a crack cocaine habit?
Any drinkers? diabetics?

Any old people or "those without cars" people who didn't follow the advice to leave which came through when the storm was still at sea, and "at landfall" only strong gales were reported and didn't fit in at the bus queue?

You don't have a car.
You don't leave.
Jesus told you drive.
thats why there are so many bumber stickers.
You can't read?
no place on the ark.

People of Ireland know this-

on a the standard international life boat is found two packets of cheap cigarettes and no less than 15 ampules of morphine and a quantity of condoms (never exceeding 50) to last for an estimated 120 days.

A lot of people are going to die in the next days. & they could have survived with a little planning and resources. Jesus notices that.

70% of the estimated Veneuzalen community have not been accounted for in the refugees according to their state.

None of the migrant states with large populations

by hungry jesus in an open 40 square mile sewer

Thu Sep 01, 2005 19:37

thought to be in New Orleans have accounted for more than 30% of their citizens who lived in the city, and worked at the things that migrants do.

It is statistically impossible that these people were all heroin/cocaine/tobacco smoking /liquor drinking /reprobates whose car is afloat.

they are POOR.

If you don't find this report funny.
then get on the telephone to the US embassy now, and demand that all possible assistance is made available to the disaster area NOW. It is not acceptable that a state which loses one helicopter a month in a war zone, stops evacuations because of a news report. the USA has armoured helicopters.
the USA is actually one of the few states on the planet that has the resources to get everyone out. Not just those in the superbowl.
The state of Israel evacuated more ethiopians during a famine and war in the same time scale.

Don't allow anyone to believe "its anarchy!"

No it isn't.

its titanic disregard for the consequences of a natural disaster on the poorest and weakest of society. Has the Irish state said anything about Irish residents? legal or illegal? Or were there none there? statistically impossible. Jesus will think much better of you, if you recognise that those who died in the storm are only the first of a huge figure that can be averted.

God Judge you Bush & Bush & Rice & Rumsfeld & all the other un-named.

by angry jesus using the fuck word.

Thu Sep 01, 2005 22:02

a reminder :

"The good folks in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama and other affected areas are going to need the help and compassion and prayers of our fellow citizens," Bush said.

Well who can judge a good citizen from a bad citizen?

Lets be honest, there are dangerous places to live. London, Washington, NYC could be hit by a nuke. LA, San francisco, could be destroyed by the Great Quake. Stromboli, got a volcano. Arizona they bury you in the sand if you cheat at blackjack.

Now since Pompeii whoever constitutes the authorities in "italy" worries about volcanoes.
You live near Stromboli, you know about it, they get you out. No-one can save you from cheating at blackjack. But all the other major cities have the best most protective emergency response systems to help people in the case of nuclear, chemical, biological, triffid or martian attack.

If you live in Washington or NYC, you know that Mr Chertoff (pronounced shirt-off) will do his best to help you if Al Qaeda ever detonate the nuke.

Tonight, whilst the US government tells the world of "zero tolerance" uncounted people will die. Now they're not dying on suburban roofs. Because they didn't live there. But you don't see that on TV.

You are as everyone in Europe a consumer of US network television reports on what is happening _now_ in real time. & it isn't real.

If the US can't get those people out, or more importantly food drinking water and medical supplies in - then it has failed.

the true beginning of the End of Story.

Latin American media the language of the majority of poor migrants to New Orleans has almost as one, declared "the US government doesn't want to save us".

Today they sent 24,000 more soldiers.
as Fox noted, the security guards and two workers in the art gallery are hanging in, they said to rescue workers "we're not leaving, we know what happened in bagdhad".

Oh.

Baghdad art gallery was raided and the contents stolen several hours before the US soldiers were officially on the scene. They were invading the country illegaly. You might remember it. Some of us wrote letters.
We can not directly blame Bush for Katrina.
But we need to let all our peers in imc groups in the "occupied territories" know, from Champange Urbana to NYC that Bush and the billionaire interests his parody of christian fundamentalism serves, really have no problem with allowing thier own citizens to die. Network tv will make it look like it was their fault.

"its a desperate SOS folks"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4206620.stm

Big Elephant In The Room: CNN News Anchor:

by one paycheck from poverty head

Thu Sep 01, 2005 22:28

"The thing that's most glaring in all of this is that the conditions continue to deteriorate for people who are victims and the efforts to do something about it don't seem to be anywhere in sight. [...]
The questions that we ask in The Situation Room every day are posted on the website two or three hours before we go on the air and people who read the website often begin to respond to the questions before the show actually starts. The question for this hour is whether the government is doing a good job in handling the situation.
I gotta tell you something, we got five or six hundred letters before the show actually went on the air, and no one - no one - is saying the government is doing a good job in handling one of the most atrocious and embarrassing and far-reaching and calamatous things that has come along in this country in my lifetime. I'm 62. I remember the riots in Watts, I remember the earthquake in San Francisco, I remember a lot of things. I have never, ever, seen anything as bungled and as poorly handled as this situation in New Orleans. Where the hell is the water for these people? Why can't sandwiches be dropped to those people in the Superdome. What is going on? This is Thursday! This storm happened 5 days ago. This is a disgrace. And don't think the world isn't watching. This is the government that the taxpayers are paying for, and it's fallen right flat on its face as far as I can see, in the way it's handled this thing.
We're going to talk about something else before the show's over, too. And that's the big elephant in the room. The race and economic class of most of the victims, which the media hasn't discussed much at all, but we will a bit later."

Looter? Fallujah? London? New Orleans?

by eeekkkkk

Fri Sep 02, 2005 01:39

how do you win a "war on terror" . .. .

Fri Sep 02, 2005 02:09

"how do you win a "war on terror" when a few thugs with guns keep you from rescuing thousands and thousands of US citizens?"

Fidel Castro led Cuba in a minutes silence

by jesus on a christian rooftop but not in a catholic slum

Fri Sep 02, 2005 15:04

"to express the firm solidarity with the peoples of New Orleans".
they offered cash.

Brazil stood in silence.
they offered cash.

Chavez can't keep silent. He's offered more cash, and just had to say it-
"they can't evacuate?"

Argentina stood in silence and offered cash.

Mexico "we are with you".

One by one the left wing governments in all their forms of the south american continent and Gulf area stand in silence.
+

El Pais topped the Spanish print and tv media with a damning editorial, the money to stop this disaster was sent to Iraq, a war which should never have occured, but was allowed to occur due to lack of planning and foresight. The human side of this disaster is social. THE POOR WERE LEFT BEHIND.

The Telegraph of England obviously reflecting on the "could it happen here?" questions of the Thames Barrier, the Nuclear threat :-

"An elderly woman lay dead in her wheelchair, covered by a blanket, and another body lay beside her wrapped in a sheet. "I don't treat my dog like that," 47-year-old Daniel Edwards said as he pointed at the woman in the wheelchair. "I buried my dog."
___________________________________

For the of Jesus, I tell you, the worst terrorist attack in the history of the USA occured during the Bush regime and led the world to war. & the worst natural disaster in the history of the USA has just started under the Bush regime.

the 5th largest port in the World, and the main refinery of the USA was always a target of the enemies of america. Fidel Castro's soviet ICBM were meant to take it out.
After all the documentaries and dollars, all the propaganda, the disaster for the 5th largest port came. & Jesus saved the suburbs.

I have long thought but never wrote, that Bush will be, might be, may be, could be assasinated. For many reasons. Jesus alone knows.

I am Jesus. I save. I invest. I get out. I make war on Iraq. I curse Communists. +

missing word.

by for the _____ of jesus.

Fri Sep 02, 2005 15:26

what is it?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1561561,00.html
they've started their war exercises.

Bush has just finished his globally broadcast PR stunt.

by dead jesus floating in the water

Fri Sep 02, 2005 18:04

In front of the cameras, he has received a briefing from the Republican party governors of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

"now is the time for nieghbors to love each other as they want to be loved".
Jesus.

"where things are going wrong we'll fix them"
Jesus.

"where things are going right we'll duplicate them"
Jesus.

"i am very proud of the coast guard"
Jesus.

"these folks need leaders"
Jesus.

"every life is precious"
Jesus.

The short meeting saw a standard briefing which one would think would happen in any other country in the government HQ on the day of an emergency, or if that country is rich enough to have a "airforce 1" on board.
But no, this is the Bush regime of Jesus, and it needed to be said complete with congratulations and applause for the global tv.

Meanwhile, the mayor of New Orleans has asked "who can we rely on? only God knows!"

Bush & Jesus have changed the schedule of the visit to the disaster zone which occured earlier this week, when he was talking Hiroshima. Its still knocking around in his head ; "what folks need to understand is that whole Gulf coast looks like its been hit by the worst weapon imaginable"

Meanwhile the mayor of NO wants you to know, that he aint got the promised soliders, and heck, why is the nations largest port not bringing in boats and ships to take out the people?
Aren't they mostly concentrated at the riverside?
Aren't the dead bodies floating in the filth on the front today's New York Times and Washington Post?

Bush says that these are the first dark days, but where there is chaos there will "arise a great new Gulf coast" he smiles at his buddy the governor of Louisianna, "you'll have a new house and Im going to sit on the porch".

Bush plays the faux-pas dixie as always, his mouth snarling as if he's going to spit out that tobacco, his arms hanging uselessly at his side the clear sign of the bullet proof vest he needs to wear even in the military hanger of "Mobile" amongst pals.

Spanish and French and German and need I say? North african TV play the video of the woman 2 days ago now, crying "I don't want to die like this".

one hospital ship and 4 other US navy vessels are still outside of New Orleans.
No boat efforts entering. the Sheraton hotel is on fire, the chemical depots have exploded.

"the people of this country expect law and order, there will be zero tolerance" Bush just had to get in again. Jesus told him to.
They move off as a group to hake hands of helicopter pilots in the hanger. "Gee, I'm proud to meet you Mr President". For a moment Jesus leaves the tv and sits onthe sofa next to me and whispers in the malign way Jesus often does-
"why aren't those helicopters in the air?"

What can I say ? What can I think?

"get behind me Jesus".

thank you Jesus.

by haniel

Sat Sep 03, 2005 14:29

we must now move as a network to proper appraisal of the conditions. and asking more difficult questions.
where did the prisoners go?
how many died in the shelters?
what has been learnt?

(((my end to this thread)))

none

by anon

Sat Sep 03, 2005 15:09

"It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay.
Nobody locally is happy that the levees can't be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us."

--Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, June 8, 2004

yep. sirree.

by Haniel, Kafziel, Azriel & Aniel - "you got to walk. walk walk and you survive"

Sat Sep 03, 2005 15:50

Haliburton supplies started leaving jus before congress voted half of the insured value of the disaster area. Ready to eat meals and a lot of Nestle water. Soon enough there will be burgerkings for the kids to "restore spirits and morale".

Both New Orleans and Heuston superbowls have been organised using the "barrio system" anyone familiar with anarcho-protest camps or organisation will understand how that works. The results were quick, for the first night since Katrina there were no deaths/murders/rapes reported in the New Orleans shelter.

Is it not odd, dear Jesus, that as we come to the 11th of September and its anniversaries we see Americans herded into a stadium?

We know nothing about what occured to the prisoners in the many prisons hit by the disaster. Those in the hospitals were more important.

We also now know that 68% of New Orleans is afro-american and the afro-american caucus are adamant there was a racial ethnic dimension to the lack of support.
They are right. Many of the poorest didn't have their papers to be transferred or get through the beurocracy and stayed on "scared".

We also now know that most of "our imc network" did their best and splendidly so.
Everyone has a part to play. From Bush and Jesus to us on the street. We know that the culture of america didn't help itself. That once the "state" and its perceived protections collapsed, people seemed incapable of helping themselves in a the proper way. Comparisons with many other states globally and even european states after disasters could be made. THe dykes of Holland broke and they seemed to fair better.

Politics will continue. American culture has declared "a war on natural disasters" now.
This will sadly mean yet more insularity and more disregard for human life elsewhere.
2 states where the average incomes are less than Ireland or the UK but marginally more than the EU 25 state average are destroyed and with that "global markets" effected. It seems strange that we are sending aid, which will arrive in 15 days to the most powerful country in the world. But at end we are doing case for case less for America than we did for Portugal's fires. & behind it is the knowledge that their impending energy crises will effect us all within a year.

There are lessons to be learnt.
Here beginneth the lessons.
Passeth the survival tips.
+

Poor : Lame. Blind. Old. Infirm. Weak. Young. &...? who else???? ah yes "Prisoners".

by iosaf

Mon Sep 05, 2005 12:06

I've just found the first mention of Louisiana State's prison population, what happened to them in the last week, can only be imagined.
Louisiana is one of the three US states with the highest ratio of prisoners to civilian in the world. (763prisoners for every 100,000 citizens). In a 1997 houricane the prisoners at Louisiana state were the last to be evacuated and spent their time laying sandbags at their local levy and were under 2 metres of water. Mild conditions compared to this week

Here's a report on conditions written by a law professor, and aimed at lawyers :-

"I know your hearts, in particular, are for lawyers. Think of this... 5,000 - 6,000 lawyers (1/3 of the lawyers in Louisiana) have lost their offices, their libraries, their computers with all information thereon, their client files - possibly their clients, as one attorney who e-mailed me noted. As I mentioned before, they are scattered from Florida to Arizona and have nothing to return to. Their children's schools are gone and, optimistically, the school systems in 8 parishes/counties won't be re-opened until after December. They must re-locate their lives.

Our state supreme court is under some water - with all appellate files and evidence folders/boxes along with it. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals building is under some water - with the same effect. Right now there may only be 3-4 feet of standing water but, if you think about it, most files are kept in the basements or lower floors of courthouses. What effect will that have on the lives of citizens and lawyers throughout this state and this area of the country? And on the law? The city and district courts in as many as 8 parishes/counties are under water, as well as 3 of our circuit courts - with evidence/files at each of them ruined. The law enforcement offices in those areas are under water - again, with evidence ruined. 6,000 prisoners in 2 prisons and one juvenile facility are having to be securely relocated. We already have over-crowding at most Louisiana prisons and juvenile facilities. What effect will this have? And what happens when the evidence in their cases has been destroyed? Will the guilty be released upon the communities? Will the innocent not be able to prove their innocence?

Our state bar offices are under water. Our state disciplinary offices are under water - again with evidence ruined. Our state disciplinary offices are located on Veteran's Blvd. in Metairie. Those of you who have been watching the news, they continue to show Veteran's Blvd. It's the shot with the destroyed Target store and shopping center under water and that looks like a long canal. Our Committee on Bar Admissions is located there and would have been housing the bar exams which have been turned in from the recent July bar exam (this is one time I'll pray the examiners were late in turning them in - we were set to meet in 2 weeks to go over the results). Will all of those new graduates have to retake the bar exam? Two of the 4 law schools in Louisiana are located in New Orleans (Loyola and Tulane - the 2 private ones that students have already paid about $8,000+ for this semester to attend). Another 1,000+ lawyers-to-be whose lives have been detoured. I've contacted professors at both schools but they can't reach anyone at those schools and don't know the amount of damage they've taken. Certainly, at least, this semester is over. I'm trying to reach the Chancellor's at Southern and LSU here in Baton Rouge to see if there's anything we can do to take in the students and/or the professors. I think I mentioned before, students from out of state have beens stranded at at least 2 of the other universities in New Orleans - they're moving up floor after floor as the water rises. Our local news station received a call from some medical students at Tulane Medical Center who were now on the 5th floor of the dormitories as the water had risen. One of them had had a heart attack and they had no medical supplies and couldn't reach anyone - 911 was busy, local law enforcement couldn't be reached, they were going through the phone book and reached a news station 90 miles away!! It took the station almost 45 minutes to finally find someone with FEMA to try to get in to them!! And, then, there are the clients whose files are lost, whose cases are stymied. Their lives, too, are derailed. Of course, the vast majority live in the area and that's the least of their worries. But, the New Orleans firms also have a large national and international client base. For example, I received an e-mail from one attorney friend who I work with on some crucial domestic violence (spousal and child) cases around the nation - those clients could be seriously impacted by the loss, even temporarily, of their attorney - and he can't get to them and is having difficulty contacting the many courts around the nation where his cases are pending. Large corporate clients may have their files blowing in the wind where the high rise buildings had windows blown out.

I woke up this morning to the picture of Veteran's Blvd which made me think of my students who just took the bar. My thoughts wandered from there to the effect on the Disciplinary Offices. Then my thoughts continued on. I'm sure I'm still missing a big part of the future picture. It's just devastating. Can you imagine something of this dimension in your state?"

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good article on uk imc.

by repost

Sat Sep 10, 2005 16:53

http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/09/322939.html
by Lyn H. Lofland , Research Professor
Department of Sociology University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue
Davis, California 95616 USA oooooooo!!!!!
he's got an "ology"- grant. read his thoughts at link-
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/09/322939.html

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