Richard Dreyfuss talks to Nora “Red Meat” O’Donnell about his documentary, America Betrayed, about Hurricane Katrina and the abandonment of the victims.
Dreyfuss: I don’t think the Europeans have any confidence in our government. I think that the last eight years has destroyed two hundred years of respect and dedication. And I think we have been the point of meaning and admiration in the world for very specific reasons, and George Bush trashed it. O’Donnell: So, you don’t think that John McCain would be able to manage this government well, would have a different response than George Bush to a Hurricane Katrina? Dreyfuss: I think the Republican party is corrupt through and through. And even the republicans like Buckley before he died said ‘we should lose this election, go into the wilderness, and get cleansed’, and I believe that’s true. I think that they have been in office too long. I think that they are too adept at thievery, at moving the Constitution into places it never meant to go. I think that they have an extraordinary ability to divide rather than unite. And I think that I’m tired of being called a traitor, because I like my flag and I support the troops.

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Finally! Something I can agree with McCain on.

It was Aug. 29, McCain’s 69th birthday, and on the tarmac, Bush presented his old political rival with a cake. The two posed, holding the cake up for cameras, and within seconds, went their separate ways. The cake, melting in the 110-degree Arizona heat, was left behind, uneaten.

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By Jeff Franks
Reuters

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Former Sen. John Edwards said at a Hurricane Katrina conference he would propose what he called “Brownie’s Law” requiring that qualified people, not political hacks, lead key federal agencies.

Edwards, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, drew laughter when he spoke on Monday of the proposal at the “Hope and Recovery Summit” ahead of the two-year anniversary of the storm on Wednesday.

“It’s an absolute travesty to have people who are essentially political hacks in a very responsible position,” he told the audience at the University of New Orleans.

“Brownie” refers to Michael Brown, who was head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency when Katrina struck the United States on August 29, 2005. He was criticized as being a political appointee unprepared to lead FEMA when a floundering government effort stranded thousands for days in flooded New Orleans.

He resigned shortly after President George W. Bush, who appointed him to the post, told him publicly, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job” as chaos reigned in the devastated city.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee and Duncan Hunter also spoke at Monday’s summit. All candidates for the two major parties were invited, but only these four could attend, a summit spokeswoman said.

Clinton, Edward’s Democratic rival, blasted the Bush administration’s response to Katrina, saying the government has not done enough to help New Orleans recover from the storm that killed more than 1,400 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

read more HERE

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Katrina started the initial devastation. The Bush administration seems hell-bent on continuing it. Payback for not voting republican all those years is such a bitch!

Report: Little progress on Katrina contracts

In some cases, Bush administration backtracked on pledge to rectify errors

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has shown little progress - and in some cases backtracked - on its pledge to do a better job in awarding contracts to small, Gulf Coast businesses for Hurricane Katrina work, a congressional analysis shows.

The review of federal contracts from five government agencies, conducted by the House Small Business Committee, is the latest to document missteps in the award of billions of dollars of lucrative government work since the 2005 storm.
[...]

The committee’s review found that small businesses in Louisiana had an overall net loss of $8.9 million in contracting dollars since April, when the agencies reaffirmed their commitment to give smaller companies a share of the work. The loss was due in part to a decision at the Homeland Security Department to modify several existing agreements instead of awarding significant new contracts.

In addition, the review found the five agencies - Homeland Security, General Services Administration, Defense, Veterans Affairs and Small Business Administration - had claimed falsely that 259 contracts were awarded to small businesses when in fact they went to large companies or ineligible recipients. That created the false impression that more than $95 million in contracts was awarded to small companies, when they actually went elsewhere.

MSNBC.com

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From Boston.com:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –A U.S. attorney on Wednesday declined a federal judge’s request to prosecute a prominent Mississippi attorney on allegations of criminal contempt in a Hurricane Katrina insurance dispute.

U.S. Attorney Alice Martin said in the letter to U.S. District Judge William M. Acker Jr. that he chose not to prosecute Richard F. Scruggs and his firm “following a serious and thorough review of the facts.”

In his June 15 request, Acker said he would appoint another attorney to handle the prosecution if Martin declined the court’s request. His office did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday.

Acker ruled in June that Scruggs willfully violated a Dec. 8 preliminary injunction that required him to deliver all documents about State Farm Insurance Co. that two whistleblowers secretly copied. Sisters Cori and Kerri Rigsby were heavily involved in processing claims for State Farm, and said they duplicated the documents to back up their allegations the company wrongly denied claims after Katrina.

Acker said that instead of complying, Scruggs sent the documents to the Mississippi attorney general’s office “for the calculated purpose of ensuring noncompliance with or avoidance” of the injunction.

A spokeswoman for Martin’s office, Jill Ellis, said the U.S. attorney had no further comment beyond the letter.

Scruggs, a highly successful plaintiffs’ lawyer who is the brother-in-law of U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., is suing State Farm on behalf of hundreds of Mississippi residents.

His son and law partner in Oxford, Miss., Zach Scruggs, said that Martin’s letter “says all that needs to be said about this matter, and it would be inappropriate for us to say anything else at this time.”

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How law firms are failing New Orleans

By Lisa Lerer
from Slate magazine

Law firms are the cavalry of the legal world. Disaster strikes, and the firms, with their thousands of lawyers and millions of dollars, ride into town to clean up the mess.

But what happens when the cavalry doesn’t show?

That’s the situation in New Orleans, where almost two years after Katrina, the criminal-defense system is still in a state of emergency. Public defense was never the city’s strength: When the levees broke, there were about 7,000 criminal defendants waiting to see a state-appointed lawyer. Immediately after the storm, the city jailed roughly 5,000 of them, many on shaky legal grounds. Most remained locked up for over a year before speaking with a lawyer. The public defender’s office is slowly working through the backlog, but is still overwhelmed. It’s a situation public defenders bitterly call “Gitmo on the Bayou.”

In response to the crisis, more than 2,700 law students traveled to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, on trips a bit reminiscent of the famous civil rights freedom rides. The students do just about everything but appear in court, including interviewing defendants and collecting evidence. Public defenders from different parts of the country took sabbaticals from their day jobs to come down as well. But however welcome, this is as effective as washing the bathroom floor with a toothbrush, say New Orleans public defenders. Eventually, you’ll clean up the mess, but a mop could take care of the problem a whole lot faster. The law firms are far stronger and richer than anyone else in the legal world. Why aren’t they helping the Bayou’s criminal-defense bar recover?

read more at SLATE MAGAZINE

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from Earth Times.org

WASHINGTON, June 4 The U.S. Army should create 10 National Guard task forces to respond quickly to domestic emergencies, a RAND Corp. report recommended Monday.

“We believe the best way to improve the Army’s response to domestic disasters is to empower the National Guard for a regional focus,” said Lynn Davis, lead author of the report from RAND, a non-profit research group. “The experience of Hurricane Katrina also demonstrates that new strategies are needed to prepare Army forces for all types for domestic emergencies.” As envisioned by the RAND report, each 900-member task force would be able to reach a disaster site in its multi’state region within 18 hours.

“There was plenty of warning before Katrina and the nation’s response fell short for those stranded in the New Orleans Superdome and convention center, and in homes across Mississippi and Louisiana,” Davis said. “There may be no warning before future domestic emergencies, particularly those that may be caused by terrorists.” The report also recommends giving the National Guard the federal mission of conducting homeland security activities.

The report was prepared for the Army.

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Billions of taxpayer dollars for an illegal, immoral Iraqi war. Many more billions of taxpayer dollars lost during this war, with no honest attempt at recovering it. All of this, to “protect Americans”… as New Orleanians continue to perish.

Debate rages over whether Katrina is still killing

Trauma from storm has boosted death rate among victims, officials say

“There is no doubt in my mind that Katrina is still killing our residents,” New Orleans coroner Dr. Frank Minyard says.

NEW ORLEANS - The bodies are no longer being dragged from houses and buildings toppled by Hurricane Katrina, but nearly two years later many in the medical community think the storm is still killing.

Storm survivors are dying from the effects of both psychological and physical stress, from the dust and mold still in dwellings to financial problems to fear of crime, health experts and officials say.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Katrina is still killing our residents,” Orleans Parish coroner Dr. Frank Minyard said this week.

“People with pre-existing conditions that are made worse by the stress of living here after the storm. Old people who are just giving up. People who are killing themselves because they feel they can’t go on,” Minyard said.
[...]

Dr. Raoult Ratard, the state epidemiologist, said “the only slight increase” in deaths was in the first three months of 2006 in Orleans Parish.

But New Orleans medical officials say that jump, from 11.3 per 1,000 deaths to 14.3 per 1,000, - a leap of more than 25 percent - was anything but slight. Moreover, the report doesn’t take into account evacuees who died while away from the city and were returned for burial.

“Our death rate was already high, that’s huge,” said Dr. Kevin Stephens Sr., director of the New Orleans Health Department.

Full article at MSNBC.com

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By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS - The bodies are no longer being dragged from houses and buildings toppled by Hurricane Katrina, but nearly two years later many in the medical community think the storm is still killing.

Storm survivors are dying from the effects of both psychological and physical stress, from the dust and mold still in dwellings to financial problems to fear of crime, health experts and officials say.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Katrina is still killing our residents,” Orleans Parish coroner Dr. Frank Minyard (pictured at left) said this week.

“People with pre-existing conditions that are made worse by the stress of living here after the storm. Old people who are just giving up. People who are killing themselves because they feel they can’t go on,” Minyard said.

Some say an in-depth federal analysis is needed, despite a new state report that found no significant increase in deaths in the New Orleans area from January 2006 through June 2006. The state Department of Health and Hospitals is still compiling figures for the last six months of 2006.

Dr. Raoult Ratard, the state epidemiologist, said “the only slight increase” in deaths was in the first three months of 2006 in Orleans Parish.

But New Orleans medical officials say that jump, from 11.3 per 1,000 deaths to 14.3 per 1,000, - a leap of more than 25 percent - was anything but slight. Moreover, the report doesn’t take into account evacuees who died while away from the city and were returned for burial.

“Our death rate was already high, that’s huge,” said Dr. Kevin Stephens Sr., director of the New Orleans Health Department.

Some New Orleans doctors questioned the accuracy of the population figures used to determine the death rate, saying they might have been too high. DHH secretary Dr. Fred Cerise said he was comfortable with the population data, which he said came from the Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

read more at YAHOO! NEWS

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from YAHOO! NEWS

BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana’s grant program to help people rebuild homes damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita is estimated to be as much as $5 billion short as the six-month Atlantic storm season began Friday.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco says the federal government should pay for the entire program, called “Road Home,” but pressure is mounting for the state to cover up to $1 billion of the shortfall if it wants to receive more federal aid.

State Legislative Auditor Steve Theriot estimated the deficit at $5 billion in a report released Thursday, $2.1 billion over previous estimates. Theriot assumed the Road Home would not receive a transfer of $1.14 billion in federal grant money the state slated for homeowners but is now the subject of disputes with federal officials. The state audit also assumes a higher average award than in previous estimates.

Blanco’s proposed budget does not include a dime for the program, despite more than $2 billion in surplus and unobligated state money available. The state House passed a budget similar to Blanco’s on Thursday after rejecting requests from New Orleans lawmakers to put money into the Road Home.

U.S. Rep. William Jefferson of New Orleans said Congress is angry about how Louisiana has handled the money it has already received, particularly a $200 million grant to the city’s utility, Entergy New Orleans, and its $750 million contract with ICF International Inc., the private firm hired to run Road Home.

read more at YAHOO! NEWS

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If you think that title is kinda pushing the limit, then wait till you see what the President has to say! Quick, think back and try to remember all the promises made during all his photo ops. Now take a look at what he says now. Remember, think Jackson Square!

Imagine going out to dinner with a friend who offers to pick up the tab. But when the $50 bill comes, he throws $40 on the table and says the tip is included.

That’s how Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office describes President Bush’s refusal to waive the requirement for Louisiana to pay a 10 percent match on any federal disaster relief money received for recovery projects. The waiver would amount to $750 million to $1 billion of additional relief money for Louisiana, said Landrieu, D-New Orleans.

The Robert T. Stafford Act requires state and local governments to match 25 percent of any federal disaster money received, such as Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance projects associated with hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The federal cost share for permanent work in Louisiana has been adjusted from 75 percent to 90 percent.

Okay, so some might think that the match is fair. So what if it was waved for some, and they did not have the volume of destruction that was done here? Well look no further than 9/11. It was done then, but Bush doesn-t think that the very same thing that over stepped the federal government’s ability, is beyond our control. He couldn-t do what was right for one storm, much less three major storms in one summer! Now people on the right have it in their minds that people should do it on their own. I have this to say to them: Remember the gas prices after Katrina, and remember that real clear. What crippled the feds, brought the nation to gas prices that soared almost over night.

Now Bush would not get this kind of rebuke, if he would not have made so many photo ops with a promise. With the war in Iraq, Katrina and Rita are forgotten to most. I myself, support closing off our pipelines to jolt the memory of the nation. Buying time till the office is thrown on the back of someone else, and then blaming them for all the failures of Bush, is not going to work.

The House and Senate are ironing out differences between respective Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bills passed before Easter. Both contain emergency relief packages for Louisiana wiping out the Gulf Coast’s 10 percent match and funding the Iraq War and global anti-terrorism campaigns.

Bush has promised to veto a Gulf Coast package, which totals $2.38 billion out of $121 billion in the Senate and includes the 10 percent waiver.

The White House maintains $1 billion was provided for the 10 percent match in the $10.4 billion in community development block grants already awarded to Louisiana. Bush also vows to veto any new funding or legislative attempt to waive the 10 percent match.

Read more at DEMOCRATIC DAILY

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By the by, just a reminder the Gulf Coast is still a mess…..and here we are, going into another hurricane season that forecasters are saying is sure to be an active one. Why don’t we hear more about this in congress??? Why? Why? Why? Why not bring our troops home and concentrate on rebuilding our own Gulf Coast, and working on our own infastructure?

(AP) Allstate Insurance Co. must pay a Louisiana man who lost his home to Hurricane Katrina more than $2.8 million in damages and penalties, a federal jury decided Monday in a case that hinged largely on whether it was wind or storm surge that wiped out his house.

Allstate spokeswoman Kate Hollcraft said the company will appeal.

“Allstate is shocked with the jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff. Allstate believes it acted in good faith throughout the entire claims process with the Weiss family,” she said.

The jury found Allstate - which claimed most of the damage was due to storm surge, an event not covered in its policy - did not pay Robert Weiss enough money to cover wind damage to his home. The verdict included a $1.5 million penalty for the company’s failure to pay the claim quickly enough.

More at CBSNews

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President Bush has reneged on his promises to Katrina’s victims. Shamefully, the president has chosen the interests of bureaucracy over those of American towns on the brink of failure.

Over a year and a half later, there are 64,000 people still sleeping in trailers in Louisiana and far too many communities without schools, hospitals and other basics. These are unacceptable failures. At least part of the problem is a law that requires states to contribute 10 percent of the cost of most federally financed reconstruction projects. Mr. Bush waived that requirement after the Sept. 11 attacks (as his father did after Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki) but he refuses to do so for the Gulf Coast.

Read the entire Opinion piece from the New York Times

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Levees.org, a nonprofit flood-control advocacy group, kicked off a national television advertising campaign on Tuesday featuring activist actor and comedian Harry Shearer asking, “Don’t we all deserve levees that work?”

The campaign aims to explain to other communities protected by levees that they could experience a catastrophic flood like New Orleans experienced during Hurricane Katrina.

“Too many people don’t understand that what happened here was a case of engineering failures and poor decision-making, and too many people don’t understand that what happened here could happen there as well,” said Sandy Rosenthal, the organization’s executive director.

She said the spots are part of her organization’s larger campaign to hold accountable those responsible for preventing flooding. It’s also part of an effort to expand Levees.org membership into other states where levees may be in similar states of disrepair.

The 30’second and 15’second spots point out that the Army Corps of Engineers recently informed communities in 28 states that they had found serious flaws in more than 120 levee sections.

A more extensive five-year study of the adequacy of levee designs nationwide is expected to begin later this year.

“Are you as safe as you think you are?” Shearer asks, as a picture of him standing on a levee fades

to a photograph of a flooded New Orleans house with a car propped askew on a telephone pole. “What happened here in New Orleans could happen anywhere … to you.”
More at Nola.com

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The non-response to Katrina, and the fact that the Gulf coast still sits in shambles, to me…..is the worst thing this administration has done, or not done. We are arguing about whether to stop funding a useless war, yet no one is arguing about rebuilding our own Gulf coast. It’s totally unbelievable to me.

Senator Joseph Lieberman ☼, chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, recently did a 180 and said that he will not hold investigations into the disastrous Bush administration(non-)response to Hurricane Katrina. He said, “We don’t want to play A-gotcha’ anymore” and that “looking back… would be a waste of Congress’ time.”

In an attempt to explain the inexplicable Lieberman’s spokeswoman Leslie Philips offered this somewhat bizarre statement: “The senator believes a more productive use of his time and that of his staff is to… ensure that a response to a future catastrophe is better.”

Huh? Isn’t that the whole point of examining the mistakes that were made and why they occurred? To make sure that we get it right the next time?

In fact, Phillips’ statement was reminiscent of something Lieberman wrote in May, 2006 in support of the very investigations he is now dismissing: “Only through a thorough and comprehensive investigation of what went wrong [can] we be assured that the government will know what steps are necessary to get it right the next time.” Lieberman also decried “a conscious strategy of slow-walking our investigation in the hope that we would run out of time to follow the investigation’s natural progression to where it leads.” He accused the White House of ordering witnesses not to respond to questions, and the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security of failing to cooperate as well.

Read more at the Nation

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