Katrina Memorial

Is this the best way to spend $3.5 million in New Orleans?

The simple answer is NO.

NEW ORLEANS -- Tucked inside a $14.4 billion blueprint for the rebuilding of New Orleans is a proposal for a Hurricane Katrina monument on a grand, "Homeric" scale, like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The idea is to honor Katrina's victims and the spirit of New Orleans, and create a tourist attraction.

But with many sections of the city still in shambles and only about half the population back 21 months after the hurricane, some question the need for a $3.5 million memorial, even if it is paid for mostly with private money, as proposed.

...The rebuilding plan is making its way through city approval processes. While the memorial is a far lower priority than upgrading drainage and reconstructing neighborhoods over the next decade, it is still listed among the top projects.

Troy Henry, project manager for the Unified New Orleans Plan, said planners believe — and the local arts community seems to agree — that a memorial would create a place where people could reflect on Katrina.

"It's something that's with us everyday, the remnants of it anyway, and I think it's affected so many people, not only the city and its fiber — its architectural and structural fiber — but also the fabric of the people living here," said Mary Len Costa, director of public art for the Arts Council of New Orleans.

A memorial to commemorate the victims of Katrina and honor the strength and determination of the survivors would be appropriate.

There's no question about it.

However, it's nuts for millions of dollars to be spent on a memorial when so much rebuilding still needs to be done in New Orleans.

There's plenty of time (forever) to create a memorial. The more pressing need at the moment is rebuilding homes, schools, hospitals, and other facilities destroyed by Katrina.

It took nearly 60 YEARS after World War II ended for a memorial to be constructed in Washington, D.C., recognizing the service and sacrifice of the millions of Americans who fought and the hundreds of thousands who died.

If it took that incredibly long to honor the World War II generation, surely a Katrina memorial can wait.

Building a monument in New Orleans has to be considered low on the priority list.

And whether or not funds for a Katrina memorial would come from private donations isn't the point.

Any funds raised at this time, with storm victims still living in trailers and without permanent housing, would be better spent on rebuilding.

Ask those still homeless by the hurricane if they think that money should go toward a memorial at this stage.

Now isn't the time for $3.5 million to be directed toward a "tourist attraction," not when so many people have yet to put their lives back together.

HURRICANE KATRINA DEATH TOLL

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- A doctor has offered to perform free abortions on hurricane evacuees, saying it may be too dangerous for them to wait until they return home.

Despite protests from abortion opponents, Little Rock Family Planning clinic director Dr. Jerry Edwards said he has already performed six free abortions. The clinic usually charges between $525 and $600 for a first-trimester abortion.

"If we didn't provide it now, they would get it later — a late-term abortion that would give greater risk to the mother's health," Edwards told KTHV-TV in Little Rock.

Edwards, who runs the only abortion clinic in central Arkansas, was unavailable for further comment Tuesday, a clinic employee told The Associated Press.

Rose Mimms, executive director of Arkansas Right to Life, said Edwards is risking further traumatizing women who have already lost their material belongings. "This just adds to the devastation these women already have in their lives," she said.

But Marvin Schwartz, spokesman for Arkansas-Oklahoma Planned Parenthood, said Edwards is providing women with a needed service.

"The timing of the abortion procedure is, of course, extremely critical. The earlier in the pregnancy, the less critical it is," he said.

My question is:

Will the murders of these unborn children be included in the official tally of the Hurricane Katrina death toll?

More Heartbreak in the Gulf

Sept. 23: Rescuers investigate the scene where a bus exploded in Wilmer, Texas.

DALLAS, Texas -- A fire in a chartered bus filled with elderly Hurricane Rita evacuees, including some who used oxygen, killed 24 people and injuring at least one near Dallas Friday.

Authorities said the bus apparently caught fire due to a mechanical problem, and that oxygen tanks then started exploding on gridlocked Interstate 45. Dallas County Sheriff's Sgt. Don Peritz said the brakes may have been on fire, leading to the explosion.

Peritz said deputies couldn't get everyone off the flaming bus. The bus was carrying 38 residents and six employees of the Brighton Gardens nursing home in Bellaire to Plano, according to Sunrise Senior Living, the McLean, Va., company that owns the center.

They had been on the road since Thursday.

Peritz said the driver survived. "It's my understanding he went back on the bus several times to try to evacuate people," he said.

Nine burn victims, between the ages 78 and 101, were sent to Parkland Hospital, where all except one were believed to be OK with only minor burns. One woman suffered severe smoke inhalation and was in critical condition Friday morning.

Three women and one man were sent to Baylor Medical Center, where they are listed in fair condition.


Sept. 22: Winds, tides from Hurricane Rita flow from the Industrial Canal in New Orleans.



Sept. 23: Water is shown rushing through a broken levee in New Orleans.



A lone dog runs down a flooded North Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans, Friday, Sept. 23, 2005. Hurricane Rita has pushed water into deserted neighborhoods that had just dried out from the flooding done by hurricane Katrina.

HOUSTON, Texas -- As Texas officials warned residents to prepare for the worst as Hurricane Rita and her 125-mph winds prepare to come ashore, rainwater from the storm caused more flooding in New Orleans Friday just as the devastated city was drying up from Hurricane Katrina.

"Our worst fears came true. The levee will breach if we keep on the path we are on right now, which will fill the area that was flooded earlier," said Maj. Barry Guidry with the Georgia National Guard, noting that the water was rising about three inches a minute.

By Friday, Rita had veered slightly east Friday and was headed about 75 miles east of Houston as cars crammed with evacuees jammed major arteries leading away from the Texas coast. Around 2 p.m. EDT, it was dowgraded from a Category 4 storm to a Category 3. But there are still fears the hurricane could cripple the heart of the nation's petrochemical industry that calls Texas home.

"It's a great test for the people of our state," Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Friday. "But we're going to get through this ... Be calm, be strong, say a prayer for Texas."

In New Orleans, water spilled over a patched levee and was cascading into one of the city's lowest-lying neighborhoods. The National Guard said there are three significant breaches in the city.

Dozens of blocks in the Ninth Ward were under water as a waterfall at least 30 feet wide poured over and through a dike that had been used to patch breaks in the Industrial Canal levee. On the street that runs parallel to the canal, the water ran waist-deep and was rising fast.

All of this serves as a reminder of how fragile we are. We are so powerless, compared to the awesome forces of nature.

Tragedy after tragedy seems to be engulfing the Gulf.

Texas Governor Rick Perry said, "But we're going to get through this ... Be calm, be strong, say a prayer for Texas."

And say a prayer for the people of New Orleans, as their neighborhoods flood once again.

This first full day of autumn is beautiful where I am--sunny, clear crystal blue sky, and a light, cool breeze.

To everyone enjoying the splendor of this glorious September day and looking forward to the weekend, comfortable in their homes:

Remember how greatly some members of your American family are suffering and keep them in your prayers.

Do what you can to help them. They need you.

Best New Drama: Meet the Press

Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans


Chalk another one up for the New Media. Once again, the bloggers have exposed an inaccuracy in a story that the mainstream media failed to reveal.

As it turns out, Aaron Broussard’s emotional collapse on Meet the Press a couple of weeks ago belonged on NBC’s prime time entertainment schedule, not on one of its news programs.

WASHINGTON -- The Jefferson Parish president's emotional retelling of a mother's desperate calls from a New Orleans nursing home included details that conflict with the timeline of the tragedy.

The story, of a colleague's mother begging her son for rescue as flood waters rose after Hurricane Katrina, came to prominence on Sunday, Sept. 4, when Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans, was interviewed by Tim Russert on NBC's Meet the Press.

New details and interviews with the son whose mother died in the flood show that the tragedy unfolded from Saturday through Monday, Aug. 29 — not Monday through Friday, Sept. 2 as recounted by Broussard. The owners of the nursing home were indicted Tuesday for the deaths of more than 30 residents, which officials say occurred on Aug. 29.

In the course of the interview, in which Broussard was expressing frustration with the slow-footed response by the federal government to the hurricane, he related the personal story of a man whose mother had died in the flooding caused by Katrina. Broussard, who did not identify the man by name at the time, broke down in tears as he related the story. As the Meet the Press transcript shows, Russert paused the interview to allow Broussard to compose himself.

BROUSSARD: ... The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said, "Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?" And he said, "Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday." And she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night.

RUSSERT: Mr. President...

BROUSSARD: Nobody's coming to get us. Nobody's coming to get us. The secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For God sakes, shut up and send us somebody.

RUSSERT: Just take a pause, Mr. President. While you gather yourself in your very emotional times, I understand, let me go to Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi.

Since the broadcast of the interview, which elevated Broussard to national prominence, a number of bloggers have questioned the validity of Broussard’s story.

Subsequent reporting identified the man whom Broussard was referring to in the Meet the Press interview as Thomas Rodrigue, the Jefferson Parish emergency services director. Contacted on Friday by MSNBC.com, Rodrigue acknowledged that his 92-year-old mother and more than 30 other people died in the St. Rita nursing home. They had not been evacuated and the flood waters overtook the residence.

The chronology of the phone calls described by Broussard came under particular scrutiny by bloggers.

Rodrigue said he didn’t see or hear Broussard’s comments on Meet the Press. When told of the sequence of phone calls that Broussard described on Meet the Press, Rodrigue said “No, no, that’s not true.”

“I can’t tell you what he said that day, why he was confused, I’m assuming he was under a tremendous amount of pressure,” Rodrigue told MSNBC.

…Broussard could not be reached for comment Friday, but Jackie Bauer, a spokeswoman for Broussard who was present during the Meet the Press interview, said "it was a misunderstanding."

…When asked how Broussard could have gotten the details of his mother’s story so wrong, Rodrigue said, Broussard “was emotional, absolutely and he was from the time that he found out that, you know, that my mother had died and I was here doing what I’m required to do for the citizens for Jefferson Parish.”

Rodrigue said he hasn’t spoken with Broussard since the Meet the Press broadcast. “He’s been busy, I’ve been busy,” Rodrigue said. “I haven’t really had a chance to sit down and talk to him.”

Oops. It was all a misunderstanding.

Broussard’s dramatic breakdown was based on fiction.

Russert swallowed Broussard’s performance hook, line, and sinker.

I wonder how many viewers were moved by his story, and subsequently outraged at the federal government.

As revealed by the New Media, Broussard’s hysterics and Russert’s excitement over that riveting Meet the Press moment were proven to be misguided.

It’s not NBC’s fault for originally airing Broussard’s “confusion.” However, I do fault Russert and the network for failing to check out the timeline of Broussard’s story. Obviously, they didn’t doubt the man because they were too busy hyping the failure of the Bush administration. Broussard’s pack of lies fit their agenda so they went with it.

Think about it. The guy actually made up dialogue.

"Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?"

"Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday."

One thing we learned is that the president of Jefferson Parish has a very, VERY active imagination.

Broussard is quite the thespian.

MSNBC and NBC News must take responsibility for their shoddy reporting. I think Russert should provide his viewers with an explanation, telling them that Broussard’s story was a complete fabrication.

If NBC is interested in maintaining any degree of journalistic integrity, Russert and the network must come clean about Broussard’s inaccurate account. An acknowledgment of the “misunderstanding” on the MSNBC website is not enough.

MSNBC knew the truth about Broussard's manufactured account last Friday; yet no mention was made of the September 4 program's inaccuracies on last Sunday's Meet the Press. A simple clarification was in order. Russert chose not to address it.

I think it's pretty sleazy to brush the matter under the rug.

There is a bright side to all of this for NBC. They could submit Broussard’s performance to be considered for an Emmy. The network’s entertainment division does seem to be struggling. A talent like Broussard deserves some recognition.

It would provide a much-needed boost to NBC, the number four network.

Farrakhan and Shabazz: Propagators of Hate

Louis Farrakhan

Louis Farrakhan has received a lot of attention in recent days for his Hurricane Katrina conspiracy theory.

Farrakhan said:

"I heard from a very reliable source who saw a 25 foot deep crater under the levee breach. It may have been blown up to destroy the black part of town and keep the white part dry."

Yesterday, one of Farrakhan's followers was keeping the insanity alive. Malik Zulu Shabazz, national chairman of the New Black Panther Party (NBPP), was defending Farrakhan's remarks.


Malik Zulu Shabazz

In an interview with Sean Hannity, Shabazz said he believes that the U.S. government was behind the plot to blow a hole in the levee to flood black neighborhoods in New Orleans. Although he would not directly link President Bush to the plan by accusing the President of giving the order for the explosion, Shabazz insisted that it was an action by the U.S. government that caused the flooding devastation.

Conspiracy theories are nothing new to Farrakhan and Shabazz.

The Anti-Defamation League noted in 2001:

Several American Muslim clerics and the extreme anti-Semitic and racist New Black Panther Party (NBPP) blamed Jews and Israel for the September 11 terrorist attacks during a news conference at the National Press Club. The three-hour event on October 31, 2001 was televised live on C-SPAN2 to a national audience.

Malik Zulu Shabazz, national chairman of the NBPP, which co-sponsored the meeting with an apparent ad hoc coalition of some American Muslim organizations, described as "Muslims for Truth and Justice," called the United States and Israel, "The number one and two terrorists right now on the planet."

Shabazz, who has a long record of anti-Semitism, also said "Zionism is racism, Zionism is terrorism, Zionism is colonialism, Zionism is Imperialism, and support for Zionism is the root of why so many were killed on September 11.

"We have to make it plain that Zionists control America, lock, stock and barrel," Shabazz said. "The European Jews have America under control, lock stock and barrel, the media, foreign policy."

Amir Muhammad, national assistant to the NBPP, made reference to one myth about the attacks on the World Trade Center that claims that a number of Jews were forewarned of the disaster. "There are reports that as many as 3,000 to 5,000 so-called Jews did not go to that day, and we need to take a serious look at that," Muhammad said.

Other speakers echoed Shabazz's statements on the U.S. and Israel.

Given that these racists blamed the 9/11 attacks on Jews, given the fact that they continue to circulate anti-Semitic, conspiracy theories about 9/11, it's to be expected that Farrakhan and Shabazz would use the catastrophic natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina as a recruiting tool for their movement.

Caleb Corbin has an enlightening opinion piece online. It details the history of anti-Semitism in the U.S. and goes into the roles that Farrakhan and Shabazz have played in pursuing their insidious agenda of hate.

Corbin writes:

The shores of the United States have been a historical anomaly for the Jewish people. America is one of only a handful of nations on earth in which Jews have been accepted as equals, and accorded all of the rights, privileges and freedoms of her citizens.

...But despite America's pure foundations, the disease of anti-Semitism has surfaced from time to time throughout our history.

He cites a number of examples when anti-Semitism reared its ugly head in the past.

Corbin then discusses modern day problems. He sees militant Islam as a major culprit in spreading the anti-Semitic message.

Militant Islam is rapidly spreading its tentacles across America. One of the few Islamic moderates in this country, Muhammad Hisham Kabbani of the Islamic Supreme Council of America, estimated that "extremists" have taken over 80% of the mosques in the US. These extremists are working single-mindedly to turn America into an Islamic state, with the Koran as its foundation.

The campaign is being coordinated by both foreign and domestic elements. It is no coincidence that Libyan strongman Moammar Gaddafi pledged to Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, an American militant Black Islamic group, one billion dollars in aid and support. Also, the Saudis are bankrolling the construction and staffing of dozens of mosques throughout the US. These mosques are exclusively propagating the militant Wahabbi form of Islam, the very religion which inspired the 9/11 attacks.

The campaign is not limited to mosques. It also includes Islamic community centers, newspapers, schools, youth groups, political organizations, professional associations and business activities - all involved in recruiting, training, supporting and coordinating its members.

Substantial segments within the Black American community are converting to militant Islam or have fallen under its influence. This is creating a real and present danger to American Jews. In late August, Los Angeles police discovered a major terror plot by three Black Islamic Americans affiliated with the Jamat-E-Masjidul Islam mosque. A list was found in their possession containing the addresses of several Los Angeles synagogues and the Israeli consulate. Police speculate the men were part of a network planning to attack these targets during the upcoming Jewish High Holy Days.

One week later, possibly in response to the arrests, the Nation of Islam called for a "jihad" against the Los Angeles Police Department.

Gravely, militant Islam has entered into and is directing much of mainstream Black America. The Millions More March (MMM) on Washington DC, scheduled for October 14-16 of this year, was created by Farrakhan to further the Black militant's agenda. Farrakhan appointed Malik Zulu Shabazz, the virulent anti-Semitic leader of the New Black Panther Party, as co-organizer of the event. Among many other anti-Semitic diatribes, Shabazz claims it was the Jews who enslaved Blacks and brought them to America. He also asserts the "Zionists control America, lock, stock and barrel."

Farrakhan and Shabazz have successfully courted and enlisted several mainstream Black organizations and political groups in the MMM campaign, including the 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, NAACP, National Council of Negro Women, National Progressive Baptist Convention, National Urban Coalition, Black Entertainment Television, the African American Leadership Institute, Rainbow PUSH Coalition and dozens of others.

Why are these mainstream black groups on board with these propagators of hate?

Where are responsible black leaders?

If they are condemning the disgusting, reckless remarks of Farrakhan and Shabazz regarding the flooding of New Orleans, then I've missed it.

Are we to assume that the NAACP, the Congressional Black Caucus, Elijah Cummings, and Barack Obama are on the same page as Farrakhan and Shabazz?

Do they believe that the U.S. government blew a hole in the 17th Street levee to destroy black neighborhoods?

I'm not aware of any press conferences or TV appearances or press releases scheduled by black leaders to counter the race-baiting, damaging comments of Farrakhan and Shabazz.

Where's Oprah? Does the billionairess want to weigh in on the conspiracy theory? Does she buy into it?

Their silence on this is troubling to say the least.

They need to condemn Farrakhan and Shabazz, loudly and clearly and immediately.

There is no question that Farrakhan and Shabazz are working to divide America. Their activities have the potential to incite violence; yet I'm not aware of any prominent black leaders calling them out for their shameful tactics.

Does anyone else see the irony in the fact that, in terms of anti-Semitism, the "Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan" and the New Black Panther Party's leader Malik Zulu Shabazz are echoing the philosophy of the Ku Klux Klan?

Mary Landrieu: Public Enemy Number One

Since Katrina, Senator Mary Landrieu has become a national figure, thanks to her daffy comments.

WASHINGTON - (KRT) -- As the water began to rise in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina's roaring arrival, Sen. Mary Landrieu said it didn't take her long to realize the city's levees had been breached and a disaster was at hand.

"As a person who had worked on the levee system for 25 years, I knew what that meant," the Louisiana Democrat said Thursday. "It was just the most sinking feeling to know what was happening, even though television wasn't saying it."

Katrina devastated the city where her father had once been mayor and where she had been elected as the youngest woman member of the legislature before becoming a U.S. senator in 1996. It also vaulted this diminutive, plainspoken, assertive woman into the national spotlight as a critic of President Bush and the sluggish federal response to the hurricane.

...In the first week after the storm hit, Landrieu even had the audacity to say on national television that she would punch anyone, including the president of the United States, who criticized local sheriffs, police officers and firefighters trying to keep order in a chaotic city.

Though threatening the president is a crime, the Secret Service took it as a joke and the White House brushed off her remarks. In the Capitol on Thursday, she said these local officials were heroes, some had lost family members, and she meant every word.

"I do not take it back, I don't apologize for it. I said I would punch anybody, including the president," she said in her slight Cajun accent.

Mary Landrieu is dangerous--to herself.

In addition to disgracing Louisiana and the U.S. Senate, she has gone down a path that should destroy her political career.

Yesterday, she clarified her "punch the President" remark.

On ABC's This Week, September 4, Landrieu said, "If one person criticizes [our sheriffs], or says one more thing, including the president of the United States, he will hear from me - one more word about it after this show airs and I - I might likely have to punch him - literally."

When given the chance to apologize or at least back off a bit from her words, she refused.

Obviously, the Secret Service does not consider Landrieu to be a threat to the President's safety and rightly so.

Nonetheless, her refusal to rescind the remark shows that she has a tremendous amount of disrespect for President Bush and for the office of the U.S. Presidency and for the American people.

Shouldn't the press demand that the Democratic Party answer for Landrieu? Shouldn't the Dems be forced to distance themselves from her silly, but violent, threats?

After all, the Bush administration was held responsible for Pat Robertson's assassination recommendations, and he holds no elected office or position in the administration.

If Landrieu is looking for publicity, instead of hanging on to her verbal threats of physical violence, she should take action. She should camp out in a ditch in Crawford and wait for the President to go back to his ranch so she can punch him out.

Better yet, she could cut a deal with Don King and schedule a pay-per-view event.

A Time to Tear Down, and a Time to Build

President George W. Bush speaks during the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance Service at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Friday, Sept. 16, 2005.

Complete Transcript

(Excerpts)

THE PRESIDENT: On this Day of Prayer and Remembrance, our nation remains in the shadow of a storm that departed two weeks ago. We're humbled by the vast and indifferent might of nature, and feel small beside its power. We commend the departed to God. We mourn with those who mourn, and we ask for strength in the work ahead.

The destruction is immense, covering a city, a coastline, a region. Yet the hurt always comes down to one life, one family. We've seen the panic of loved ones separated from each other, the lonely pain of people whose earthly possessions were swept away, and the uncertainty of men and women and children driven away from the lives they knew. Many did not survive the fury of the storm. Many who did ask, why -- and wonder, what comes next.

In this hour of suffering, we're prayerful. In a wounded region, so many placed their faith in a God who hears and helps. And so many are bringing their grief to a Savior acquainted with grief. Our nation joins with them to pray for comfort and sorrow, for the reunion of separated families, and a holy rest for the ones who died.

Through prayer we look for ways to understand the arbitrary harm left by this storm, and the mystery of undeserved suffering. And in our search we're reminded that God's purposes are sometimes impossible to know here on Earth. Yet even as we're humbled by forces we cannot explain, we take comfort in the knowledge that no one is ever stranded beyond God's care. The Creator of wind and water is also the source of even a greater power -- a love that can redeem the worst tragedy, a love that is stronger than death.

... Americans of every race and religion were touched by this storm; yet some of the greatest hardship fell upon citizens already facing lives of struggle -- the elderly, the vulnerable, and the poor. And this poverty has roots in generations of segregation and discrimination that closed many doors of opportunity. As we clear away the debris of a hurricane, let us also clear away the legacy of inequality. Let us deliver new hope to communities that were suffering before the storm. As we rebuild homes and businesses, we will renew our promise as a land of equality and decency. And one day, Americans will look back at the response to Hurricane Katrina and say that our country grew not only in prosperity, but in character and justice.

On this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance, we pledge ourselves to the demanding work of revival, and renew the faith and hope that will carry that work to completion. In the worst of storms, and in the rush of flood waters, even the strongest faith can be tested. Yet the Scriptures assure us, "many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it."

So now we go forward, confident in the good heart of America, and trusting that even among the ruins, the love of God remains at work.

May God bless and keep the souls of the lost. May His love touch all those in need, and may He always watch over the United States of America. God bless.

Rejecting Prayer and Remembrance

RACHEL ZOLL of the Associated Press has managed to bash the President while covering the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance.

She writes:

Nearly three weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, President Bush has asked religious leaders around the country to join him in a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance on Friday for the storm's victims.

But once again, several pastors said, the government was a step behind.

While many houses of worship planned to participate, several others around the country said they had already held such services and would not join the president. Some said they were so angry over the government's sluggish response to blacks and poor people in New Orleans, who waited days for rescue, that they would not heed Bush's request.

"Not to be critical, but the president is a little late," said the Rev. Reginald Jackson, president of the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey.

The Rochester Islamic Center, a mosque in the southeastern Minnesota city, held three days of prayers and fundraising for Katrina victims last weekend, said Zaid Khalid, the center's president.

Rabbi David Kaufman of Temple B'nai Jeshurun in Des Moines, Iowa, said he has also been mentioning the evacuees at every Friday night service _ the start of the Jewish Sabbath.

The Rev. Enoch Fuzz, president of the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship, which represents about 100 Tennessee pastors, said his group planned nothing different for Friday, but was focusing on organizing more aid for victims.

"We need a prayer that's walking and not just talking," Fuzz said. "We need a prayer with legs right now."

Still, worship services have been especially important in the Gulf Coast and in communities that took in large numbers of evacuees, and many planned to join the national event Friday.

The religious leaders who chose to take the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance to cast stones at Bush are a disgrace. It certainly reflects poorly on them. In this case, they are not practicing what they most likely preach.

Zoll decided to lead off her article with eight paragraphs of negativity before writing anything about the services being held around the country.

Is this an appropriate way to cover a day set aside to mourn the victims of Hurricane Katrina?

Of course, it is not.

The only thing missing from Zoll's Associated Press piece was a photo of Bush sitting in the pew during the service at the National Cathedral, handing a note to Laura inquiring about a bathroom break.

Bush Has a Plan

Tonight, in an address to the nation, President Bush laid out his plan to rebuild the physical damage and to repair the emotional damage done by Hurricane Katrina.

Bush went on location to deliver his remarks. He spoke to the American people from New Orleans. Standing in Jackson Square in the French Quarter, Bush explained a number of concrete proposals to provide relief to the victims as the devastated area rebuilds.

The President didn't dance around the issues. In addition to his various programs and promises of aid, he discussed the problems with the government's initial response and the poverty that has permeated that portion of the country for generations.

I have to wonder how we will pay for all that he proposed; and I wonder how many of his promises will become reality. I'm sure there will be many battles over how to pay the bills. Also, I hope that the federal government carefully oversees all spending of federal relief dollars, particularly considering the corruption that is so deeply-rooted in Louisiana.

Putting those issues aside, for tonight at least, Bush delivered a message of hope, that the hurricane ravaged area will not only rebuild but will be better.

I think the President is taking this catastrophe and turning it into an opportunity to really help those previously trapped in the culture of poverty that flourishes in an entitlement society. Bush envisions home ownership and jobs taking the place of hand-outs.

The President wasn't afraid to take responsibility for the problems in rescue and relief efforts that occurred on the federal level.

He didn't highlight any of the unforgivable short-comings of Blanco and Nagin or point out the responsibility of states to be prepared for disasters, natural and man-made. Bush's speech was about going forward, not sniping about past mistakes or finger-pointing.

Clearly, the state and local governments in Louisiana failed miserably. Tonight, the President not only stepped in with federal funds, but also filled that shameful vacuum of leadership exhibited by Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin.

Transcript

(Excerpts)

When communities are rebuilt, they must be even better and stronger than before the storm. Within the Gulf region are some of the most beautiful and historic places in America. As all of us saw on television, there's also some deep, persistent poverty in this region, as well. That poverty has roots in a history of racial discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America. We have a duty to confront this poverty with bold action. So let us restore all that we have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy of inequality. When the streets are rebuilt, there should be many new businesses, including minority-owned businesses, along those streets. When the houses are rebuilt, more families should own, not rent, those houses. When the regional economy revives, local people should be prepared for the jobs being created.

Americans want the Gulf Coast not just to survive, but to thrive; not just to cope, but to overcome. We want evacuees to come home, for the best of reasons -- because they have a real chance at a better life in a place they love.

...Four years after the frightening experience of September the 11th, Americans have every right to expect a more effective response in a time of emergency. When the federal government fails to meet such an obligation, I, as President, am responsible for the problem, and for the solution. So I've ordered every Cabinet Secretary to participate in a comprehensive review of the government response to the hurricane. This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina. We're going to review every action and make necessary changes, so that we are better prepared for any challenge of nature, or act of evil men, that could threaten our people.

...In the life of this nation, we have often been reminded that nature is an awesome force, and that all life is fragile. We're the heirs of men and women who lived through those first terrible winters at Jamestown and Plymouth, who rebuilt Chicago after a great fire, and San Francisco after a great earthquake, who reclaimed the prairie from the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Every time, the people of this land have come back from fire, flood, and storm to build anew -- and to build better than what we had before. Americans have never left our destiny to the whims of nature -- and we will not start now.

These trials have also reminded us that we are often stronger than we know -- with the help of grace and one another. They remind us of a hope beyond all pain and death, a God who welcomes the lost to a house not made with hands. And they remind us that we're tied together in this life, in this nation -- and that the despair of any touches us all.

I know that when you sit on the steps of a porch where a home once stood, or sleep on a cot in a crowded shelter, it is hard to imagine a bright future. But that future will come. The streets of Biloxi and Gulfport will again be filled with lovely homes and the sound of children playing. The churches of Alabama will have their broken steeples mended and their congregations whole. And here in New Orleans, the street cars will once again rumble down St. Charles, and the passionate soul of a great city will return.


Bush is doing what needs to be done, plain and simple. There are no hidden agendas. He's not acting to help Laura launch a Senate campaign in 2008. I don't think he cares about his legacy. He's not a slave to self-aggrandizement like the previous president.

I sincerely believe this isn't about political posturing or polls. He's done campaigning. Bush's sole concern is doing what's best for the American people. That's it.

Louis Farrakhan and Pat Robertson

At a Charlotte, North Carolina, event to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Louis Farrakhan revealed the truth about the flooding in New Orleans.

It wasn't the result of a lack of federal funding to shore up the levees. It wasn't the evil Bush administration's failure to sign the Kyoto Protocol or to insist on mandatory CO2 caps.

FARRAKHAN SUGGESTS THAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION PLANTED BOMBS TO BLOW HOLES IN THE LEVEES IN ORDER TO TARGET POOR BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS FOR DESTRUCTION.

Captainsquartersblog.com quotes Farrakhan:

"I heard from a very reliable source who saw a 25 foot deep crater under the levee breach. It may have been blown up to destroy the black part of town and keep the white part dry."

Remember when the press and the Dems demanded that the White House distance itself from Pat Robertson's remarks about assassinating Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez?

Where is the press clamoring for the Democrats to apologize for Farrakhan's comments?

Jesse Jackson ran down to Venezuela to address its National Assembly and condemned the U.S. government for Robertson's idiotic statement.

He called for President Bush to give "a swift rejection" of Robertson's idea.

"It must be unequivocally clear that such a heinous act is not desirable nor designed nor planned. We must use power to reduce tensions, reduce the rhetoric of our threats," Jackson said.

Jackson went on, "It was such a repugnant, immoral, illegal statement."

Although I had a problem with Jesse Jackson issuing orders to the President, and particularly because he was on foreign soil at the time, I agreed with Jackson's condemnation of Robertson's comments.

I found Robertson's statement calling for the assassination of Hugo Chavez to be repugnant and immoral. However, I did not find it necessary for Bush to answer for the ramblings of Robertson.

But, since Jackson believes that the administration is responsible for the remarks of a private citizen, I would assume that Jackson also believes the Democrats should be held accountable for Farrakhan's offensive statements.

Surely, Jackson must see the need for the Democratic Party to be unequivocally clear in its rejection of Farrakhan's comments.

Democrats must be held responsible for what Farrakhan said. The press should demand that they explain where they stand on his suggestion that the U.S. government could be behind such a heinous act as intentionally blowing up the levees to damage black areas of New Orleans.

Do the Dems buy into Farrakhan's theory?

In Venezuela, Jackson said, "We must use power to reduce tensions."

OK, let's hear it.

Let's hear black leaders, in the public and private sectors, condemn Farrahkan for his theory that the Bush administration wanted to cause flooding to make blacks in New Orleans suffer.

Since Bush and Rumsfeld and the Republican Party had to apologize and distance themselves from Robertson, I think it's consistent to expect apologies from the Democrats for Farrakhan's hateful, race-baiting theory.

Jackson should follow his own advice when it comes to reducing tensions and get in front of a camera and condemn Farrahkan, unequivocally.

He should, but he won't.

William Jefferson's Abuse of Power

Rep. William Jefferson doesn't seem to understand his role as a public servant, an elected official. He put his selfish wants ahead of his constituents' needs.

ABC reports:

Amid the chaos and confusion that engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, a local congressman used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings — even while New Orleans residents were trying to get rescued from rooftops, ABC News has learned.

On Friday, Sept. 2 — five days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast — Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who represents New Orleans and is a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, was allowed through the military blockades set up around the city to reach the Superdome, where thousands of evacuees had been taken.

Military sources tells ABC News that Jefferson, an eight-term Democratic congressman, asked the National Guard that night to take him on a tour of the flooded portions of his congressional district. A 5-ton military truck and a half dozen military police were dispatched.

Lt. Col. Pete Schneider of the Louisiana National Guard tells ABC News that during the tour, Jefferson asked that the truck take him to his home on Marengo Street, in the affluent uptown neighborhood in his congressional district. According to Schneider, this was not part of Jefferson's initial request.

Jefferson defended the expedition, saying he set out to see how residents were coping at the Superdome and in his neighborhood. He also insisted that he did not ask the National Guard to transport him.

"I did not seek the use of military assets to help me get around my city," Jefferson told ABC News. "There was shooting going on. There was sniping going on. They thought I should be escorted by some military guards, both to the convention center the Superdome and uptown."

The water reached to the third step of Jefferson's house, a military source familiar with the incident told ABC News, and the vehicle pulled up onto Jefferson's front lawn so he wouldn't have to walk in the water. Jefferson went into the house alone, the source says, while the soldiers waited on the porch for about an hour.

Finally, according to the source, Jefferson emerged with a laptop computer, three suitcases, and a box about the size of a small refrigerator, which the enlisted men loaded up into the truck.

...Jefferson said the trip was entirely appropriate. It took only a few minutes to retrieve his belongings, he said, and the truck stayed at his house for an hour in part to assist neighbors.

"This wasn't about me going to my house. It was about me going to my district," he said.

NO, IT WASN'T.

IT WAS ALL ABOUT JEFFERSON.

While the truck was waiting for Jefferson, it got stuck in the mud. The Louisiana guard signaled a helicopter to help. When it arrived, a rescue diver was sent down. Jefferson refused to go up to the helicopter. The pilot sent the diver down once more, but Jefferson still wouldn't go.

The episode took forty-five minutes. The helicopter went on to rescue other people before low fuel required it to end its mission.

The Louisiana Guard then sent a second truck to rescue the first and deliver Jefferson and his belongings to the Superdome.

Jefferson claimed that the incident did not distract from rescue efforts.

Oh really?

How is that possible? Time spent taking him to his home was time spent not tending to people in need.

Clearly, Jefferson's use of his status as a congressman, exploiting resources that should have been used to assist stranded residents, was an abuse of power.

I wonder if Jefferson was among the African-American leaders that insisted racism was a factor in rescue and relief efforts.

The color of Jefferson's skin didn't keep him from using the services of the Louisiana Guard, along with two heavy trucks and a helicopter, so he could visit his home. Meanwhile, thousands were still stranded, desperate for assistance.

Hopefully, Jefferson's constituents will remember this episode on election day.

His incredible selfishness should not be rewarded.

I Want to Hear Some Jazz

Gerald Boulmay, general manager of Bandito's, a Mexican restaurant near the convention center district of New Orleans, sweeps bleach water on the floor behind the bar on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005. He and so many other businesses are hustling to get back open, now two weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck the city.


From the New York Times:

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 13 - An upbeat Mayor C. Ray Nagin announced on Tuesday that he hoped to reopen four neighborhoods, including the city's central business district and the French Quarter, to residents and business owners in the next few days.

"I have started to get into the mode of how do we reopen the city and how do we move it to the next level," Mr. Nagin said, appearing relaxed, even cracking jokes, while speaking to reporters in the French Quarter.

At the same time, he conceded that the city's financial problems were enormous. "The city is out of cash," he said. "We do not have the cash to make the payroll coming up."

Mr. Nagin said that city officials were trying hard to secure a line of credit. Many contractors who are helping the city clean up are working under the assumption that the city will get money to pay them.

The final go-ahead to reopen the city's central business district and the French Quarter, along with two residential neighborhoods - Algiers and Uptown - depends on an environmental report he said he expected to receive later in the day. He had been briefed on the report, on the quality of the air and water, he said, and things "looked good."

The four areas are now dry.

As for what residents will return to, Mr. Nagin cited progress on a number of fronts. City officials were working to get two hospitals - Touro Infirmary and Children's Hospital - running soon. The water is safe to drink in Algiers, and Mr. Nagin said he hoped drinkable water would be restored to the three other neighborhoods by the end of this week.

...264,000 of the 1.1 million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi who lost power after Hurricane Katrina were still without it. Most of those, Mr. Packer said, are in the metropolitan area.

He said he expected electricity would be restored to the central business district and the French Quarter in 10 days to two weeks. With more than 40 pumping stations online, water was now being drained at a significant rate from the city, Mr. Nagin said.

Teams will soon finish a door-to-door search of every home in the city, said Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army.

General Caldwell estimated that 3,000 people remained, in defiance of a mandatory evacuation order.

As for the long term, the mayor said he would establish a commission to plan major aspects of the city's restoration. "I'm tired of hearing these helicopters," he said. "I want to hear some jazz."

Amazing!

In just over two weeks after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, New Orleans is showing signs of rebirth. Progress is being made.

At a news conference on Monday, September, 5, Deputy Police Chief Warren Riley painted a very different picture. He said there was no reason for people to stay in New Orleans.

From CNN:

Deputy Police Chief Warren Riley said thousands of people were still in the city a week after Hurricane Katrina ripped across southeast Louisiana.

"We are working with them to try to convince them that there is no reason -- no jobs, no food -- no reason for them to stay," Riley said.

"We advise people that this city has been destroyed. It has been completely destroyed."

Thankfully, New Orleans was not "completely destroyed."

In fact, I'm shocked that areas of the city are coming back to life so soon.

I'm aware that the progress is minimal. I certainly don't mean to diminish the incredible suffering endured by the tens of thousands of people that have been displaced and have lost everything they owned.

Nevertheless, Mayor Nagin says parts of this "destroyed" city are already set to reopen.

According to USA Today, floodwaters still cover 40% of the city.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it hopes to pump all the floodwater out of New Orleans by Oct. 8.

...Meanwhile, the water that has accumulated on New Orleans' streets poses health risks to recovery workers and residents. Besides leaves and dirt, it now carries backed-up sewage, feces and bacteria from decomposing bodies, as well as toxic chemicals from small businesses such as dry cleaners whose storage tanks flooded.

...Even when it dries, the polluted stew will coat streets, parks and yards with a film of toxic chemicals and sewage. Cleansing the land of contamination could take months, maybe years.

"Are the schoolyards and people's yards going to be so contaminated that we're going to have to scrape them up? That's the big unknown right now," Pardue says. "It's not a very rosy picture, I'm afraid."


Members of the Arkansas National Guard, wearing protective suits, check on residents in Metairie Club Estates Metairie, La., Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005.

I see a disconnect here.

Which is it?

Is New Orleans a wasteland that needs to be bulldozed or will it be ready to accommodate a scaled-down celebration of Mardi Gras?

Pittsburgh's Post-Gazette reports:

Monday, with half the city still underwater, bodies yet to be found, and President Bush in town, Nagin took a minute in a radio interview to hype the 2006 Mardi Gras, which culminates on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28.

"It's going to be awesome. We'll be letting it all hang out," he said.

I'm confused.

"Cleansing the land of contamination could take months, maybe years."

Just how contaminated are the streets of New Orleans?

Apparently, not too contaminated to stop Mardi Gras.

A Depressing Sunday Morning

Sleep took precedence over Tim Russert's interview with Ray Nagin this morning, though I'm anxious to read the transcript. I'm wondering how tough Russert was on the New Orleans mayor.

I caught a bit of his interview with John M. Barry, author of Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America and, according to MTP's web page, "the man who repeatedly warned officials at all levels of government about the catastrophic effects of a major hurricane hitting New Orleans, Dr. Ivor van Heerden, Director of the Center for the Study of Public Health Impacts of Hurricanes and the Deputy Director of L.S.U.'s Hurricane Center."

From what I saw, Russert was wallowing in blaming the Bush administration. So what else is new?

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu had a busy Sunday morning.

She appeared on Face the Nation, where she was calm and composed. Because Bob Schieffer is her ally in the business of bashing Bush, there wasn't any confrontation.

However, Landrieu's appearance on Fox News Sunday was a different story.

She was in the studio with Chris Wallace and David Vitter was interviewed from Houston.

Vitter clarified his frequently quoted "F grade" statement by saying he was referring to the response of ALL levels of government. He definitely came off as a steady leader compared to the other senator from Louisiana.

Landrieu had a complete meltdown. I think after her segment she probably needed to be sedated.

When Wallace confronted her with the photo of all the flooded buses that weren't used by the state or local governments to evacuate citizens from New Orleans, she went nuts, Howard Dean-style.

Wallace tried to get her to be rational, but it was a losing battle.

He asked why the buses weren't used in an evacuation. She responded that they couldn't be used because they were under water. When Wallace tried to explain that the buses weren't flooded before the levees broke, she became even more combative, refusing to address Wallace's simple question.

Without a doubt, Landrieu's performance should make the Fox News Sunday highlight reel.

On ABC's This Week, George Stephanopoulos interviewed Barack Obama.

As I speculated last week, I believe he's being groomed to be Hillary Clinton's running mate for 2008. I'm certain of it.

I was flipping between FOX and ABC, so I didn't catch anywhere near all of the interview.

Brit Hume and Juan Williams were at each other's throats. It was hard to tear myself away from the spectacle. When I did turn to ABC, I found Obama to be evasive and completely incapable of giving a straight answer.

In regard to the federal government's response to Katrina, I did hear Obama say that the "administration has an empathy deficit."

Steph showed a clip of Dean's comments from his September 9 appearance on CNN, when Dean said:

"John Roberts' legal career has been about taking away every protection for young girls and women who want to participate in sports, for African-Americans and Hispanics, who want the equal same right to vote as everybody else, for taking away for women who believe they should determine what kind of health care they have, instead of having politicians do it.

"His entire legal career appears to be about making sure those folks don't have the same rights everybody else does. That's probably not the right thing to do two weeks after a disaster, where certain members of society clearly did not have the same protections that everybody else did because of their circumstances. Americans are fair people and they want a sense of justice. I know Judge Roberts loves the law. I'm not sure he loves the American people."

When Steph asked if Dean went too far, Obama danced around the question. Hillary would have been proud.

Did Steph press him to provide a direct answer? Are you kidding?

Obama wouldn't condemn Dean for his hateful and misleading comments. Cut through the smoke and mirrors, and you find that Mr. Moderate Obama is as far Left as Dean.

I know life doesn't stop because today is the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America.

Nonetheless, I wish the focus today could be on the victims and heroes of that Tuesday four years ago and on the freedom that we cherish. I found it depressing to watch all the political posturing and the Hurricane Katrina blame game continue to play out. I ache for the nation to unify and to pull through this crisis together.

Just two weeks after our country was hit by an enormous natural disaster, one that destroyed so much property and devastated so many, many lives, it's very disheartening to think about how divided we are.

To be sure, those days after 9/11, when we banded together, were an aberration.

Wasn't it a beautiful aberration?

Exploiters and Leaders

Washington, Sep. 10 (UPI) -- Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., drew a parallel between the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina.

In the Democratic Party's weekly radio address, the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the United States was unprepared for either tragedy.

Thompson's talk comes one day before the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on New York and Washington, and two weeks after Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast.

He said that now, like after Sept. 11, "we once again find ourselves asking, 'How could this have happened?'

"The answer is painful, but it must be acknowledged: we simply were unprepared."

Thompson said this year Republicans cut funding for first responders, and that the United States needs "a real citizen preparedness plan." He said the U.S. infrastructure -- including electrical grids, water supplies and dams -- must be adequately protected.

"If we are not prepared, we cannot respond properly," he said. "Sept. 11 showed us the need to prepare for terrorist attacks. Hurricane Katrina showed us that, whether natural or manmade, a disaster is a disaster. And just as important as prevention is in saving lives, so too is our response when tragedy strikes."

The Democrats don't hesitate to exploit others' pain. They feed off of it.

I question Thompson's judgment in invoking the nearly 3000 deaths of the 9/11 attacks to criticize Republicans for the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

His crass use of the fourth anniversary of 9/11 is distasteful to say the least.

Shouldn't the victims and heroes of 9/11 be remembered with love and honor this weekend rather than used as political props?

Yes.


President Bush's weekly address, on the other hand, acknowledges with appropriate dignity the lives that were shattered by the 9/11 terrorist attacks and those torn apart by Hurricane Katrina.

The contrast between the President's tone and Thompson's attitude is striking.

Transcript

(Excerpts)

On Sunday, our nation will observe the fourth anniversary of the September the 11th terrorist attacks. Every American has memories of that day that will never leave them. We remember the images of fire and terror at the Pentagon, in Pennsylvania, and in the heart of New York City.

We remember the ruthlessness of those who murdered the innocent and took joy in their suffering. We remember the courage of the police and firefighters and rescue personnel who rushed into burning buildings to save lives, knowing they might never emerge. And we remember the victims -- moms and dads, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives -- and the loved ones they left behind.

Four years later, Americans remember the fears and uncertainty and confusion of that terrible morning. But above all, we remember the resolve of our nation to defend our freedom, rebuild a wounded city, and care for our neighbors in need.

Today, America is confronting another disaster that has caused destruction and loss of life. This time the devastation resulted not from the malice of evil men, but from the fury of water and wind.

Hurricane Katrina flattened entire towns along our Gulf Coast, and left one of America's most storied cities under water. Tens of thousands have lost homes and loved ones and all their earthly possessions. The storm took countless lives and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee from their communities with no assurance of returning soon.

Once more our hearts ache for our fellow citizens, and many are left with questions about the future. Yet we are again being reminded that adversity brings out the best in the American spirit. In this time of great suffering, we have seen the courage and determination of rescue personnel who willingly risk their lives to save the lives of others. We have seen the spirit of America's armies of compassion who have rallied in response to this tragedy. Faith-based organizations and community groups and individual citizens across the country are caring for those affected by the storm, and comforting those whose loved ones are lost or missing. Across our country, Americans are generously opening their homes and hearts to their brothers and sisters in need.

...Our greatest resource in such times is the compassionate character of the American people, because even the most destructive storm cannot weaken the heart and soul of our nation. America will overcome this ordeal, and we will be stronger for it.

Even in the deepest darkness, we can see the light of hope, and the light shows us the way forward. We will honor the memory of those we have lost; we will comfort the victims of Katrina; and we will make the Gulf Coast more vibrant than ever.

In all that lies before us, may God watch over the United States of America.

Thompson's address reveals something about the Democrats that has become disturbingly obvious in the past two weeks.

In a time of crisis, the Dems play politics. They play for power.

Do they offer constructive, specific ideas to manage problems? No.

(I do not count their calls to fire Michael Brown and their demands for resignations at FEMA as "ideas.")

Their ideas are really not ideas at all.

The Dems bluster about Bush and Republican failings without offering any significant, specific alternatives. Their rhetoric is very vague, short on substance. They're quick to blame but slow to provide solutions. Can you hear John Kerry's voice echoing, "I have a plan"?

Creepy.

The hollowness of the Democrat response is why they are out of power. Moreover, the nation has witnessed the tragic results that years of Democrat corruption in Louisiana have created.

The incompetence shown by Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin and their inability to carry out emergency procedures effectively highlight the need for strong leadership at all levels of government.

Simply put, the exploitation of the victims of Hurricane Katrina by the power starved Dems continues to disgrace their party. When all is said and done, there is sure to be a backlash.

Political sniping by the Dems, which they started BEFORE the levees in New Orleans broke, added to the painfulness of the tragedy.

While Americans all over the country were responding with a remarkable degree of compassion, the Dem leadership was focusing on political strategy and engaged in a blame game.

As of September 9, Americans "contributed at least $670-million to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

"The pace of giving is unprecedented in American history. In the 10 days after the 2001 terrorist attacks, Americans donated $239-million to charitable causes, and in the nine days after the tsunamis hit, major American relief groups raised $163-million."

Thankfully, the American people understood what needed to be done and they acted to help their fellow citizens.

That's a beautiful reflection of our national spirit and the concern we have for each other.

It can be said that the Democrats did accomplish one thing over the last two weeks. They wrote the primer on how NOT to lead in a crisis.

Rudy Giuliani's book, Leadership, should be required reading for all Dem elected officials.

GIMME SHELTER

The Shelter from the Storm telethon monopolized the first hour of prime time tonight. The six broadcast networks presented the one-hour, commercial-free simulcast.

It was also carried live on ABC Family, Black Family Channel, Bravo, E!, Fox Reality, FSN Ohio, FSN South, FSN West, FX, G4 Media, Ovation, Oxygen, PAX, PBS, SOAPnet, TBS, Tennis Channel, Trio, TV Guide Channel, TV One, USA Network and WGN.

Internationally, the special was scheduled to be broadcast in at least 95 countries on programming services in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and virtually all of Asia and the Middle East.

Joel Gallen, the producer of the "America: A Tribute to Heroes" telethon, which raised funds after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in September 2001, was the executive producer for the special.

In a telephone conference on Thursday, Gallen said, "People know that politicizing will certainly not be a smart thing to do, as far as inspiring people to want to call in and rally around this cause. It is not a concern."

He said there would be a normal time delay to allow for bleeping obscenities.

Obviously, the intent of the simulcast was to raise funds for the Red Cross and the Salvation Army's Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, not push a political agenda.

Unfortunately, Chris Rock was looking to stir things up just a bit, seizing the opportunity to make the event about himself.

He started his segment with this:

"George Bush hates midgets."

Rock clearly wanted to put the spotlight on himself rather than the victims. He wanted to make a headline.

It was a cheap, sleazy move.

Jack Black talked about channeling all the anger people felt last week, over the suffering that the victims were forced to endure, into contributions.

His statement wasn't overtly political, but it was a little edgy. He chose to speak about the negative rather than keep the focus solely on doing something positive. Too bad.

Kanye West performed "Jesus Walks."

Whatever.

The behavior of these spoiled, self-absorbed celebrities is sometimes more than I can bear.

Morgan Freeman was all class. He made an impassioned statement about healing.

If only all of the concert's participants could have been more like him.

A Change in the Lineup

WASHINGTON (AP)-- Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, The Associated Press has learned.

Brown is being sent back to Washington from Baton Rouge, where he was the primary official overseeing the federal government's response to the disaster, according to two federal officials who declined to be identified before the announcement.

Does this have something to do with the allegations of Brown padding his resume?

Regardless, I think it's a smart move.

The administration should not spend time defending Brown. The relief efforts are too important to allow this distraction to continue.

If he's a scapegoat, so be it.

If Brown is being victimized by the Left, that will come out when the various investigations and commissions analyze the federal, state, and local governments' response to Hurricane Katrina.

If Brown is vindicated, good for him.

If not, it's the right decision for him to be removed from managing relief efforts.

Right now, nothing should stand in the way of handling the crisis in the Gulf.

Boo Hoo

In a review of last night's NFL kickoff pre-game show, Steve Morse of the Boston Globe writes:

West did one tune, "Heard 'Em Say." Yet it was disconcerting to hear his name booed loudly by Patriots fans who evidently didn't appreciate his nationally televised comment the other night on a Hurricane Katrina benefit that President Bush "doesn't care about black people." The boos were thunderous and lasted for much of his number.

Disconcerting?

In my opinion, that booing wasn't nearly as disconcerting as West's rant on NBC's Concert for Hurricane Relief last Friday.

If it's acceptable for West to exploit a telethon to raise funds for hurricane victims as a forum for him to express his political beliefs, it is certainly acceptable for football fans to exercise their right of free speech and express their opinion of West.

What goes around comes around.

I love it when that happens!

Katrina as Dem Political Fund-Raiser

This is one of the most sickening and most blatant examples yet of Democrats exploiting Hurricane Katrina for political purposes. This time they aren't just trying to score points; they're trying to score cash.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new Democratic effort to whip up indignation about the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina also tried to raise money for Democratic candidates.

Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat and the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, issued an appeal Thursday urging people to sign an online petition to fire the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency over his handling of the Katrina response.

After an inquiry from the Associated Press, the DSCC quickly pulled down the page and said they would donate to charity any money raised by the anti-FEMA petition.

When recipients clicked on a link to the petition, the top center of the screen _ above the call to "Fire the FEMA director" _ had asked for a donation to the DSCC.

Other DSCC Web pages have the same appeal for contributions, but several do not.

Since Katrina, Democrats have charged Republicans badly botched the response, and some have called for the firing of FEMA chief Michael Brown.

In recent days, Republicans hit back by accusing Democrats of trying to use the human tragedy for political gain. The letter, the GOP said Thursday, was proof.

"It's a disgrace to exploit Hurricane Katrina to raise political funds," said Brian Nick, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

"They should halt this activity because it's way over the line," he said.

DSCC spokesman Phil Singer said: "While the content of the letter is totally valid, it should have never been linked to a Web site that asks people to contribute to political campaigns. We regret it, have removed the letter from our site and will donate any contributions raised as a result of this petition to the Red Cross."

The letter is the latest sign that more than a week after Hurricane Katrina struck, the political fight over what went wrong in the response continues to grow.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has called for an independent commission to probe government failures before and after Katrina, while House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called Bush "oblivious, in denial, dangerous" in his approach to relief efforts.

Rep. Thomas Reynolds, head of the House Republicans' fund-raising efforts, described Democratic criticism as "reprehensible," saying "this is a tragedy, not an opportunity."

Rep. Reynolds is right. The devastation left by Hurricane Katrina is a tragedy, not an opportunity. The rabid far Left don't see it that way. To them, everything is viewed as an opportunity.

The Democrats' strategy, under mad Dr. Howard Dean, is to exploit tragedies for their political gain. The Dems and their liberal media mouthpieces and the MoveOn/Democracy for America/True Majority axis of extremists all jump at the chance to use others' misery for their benefit.

Excluding that brief period of bipartisanship following 9/11, the behavior of the Democrats in the last three and a half years sank lower and turned uglier than I ever thought possible.

The sick minds of Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee decided an online petition against Michael Brown would be a great time to do a little fund-raising.

After being called on the activity by the AP, which is shocking in itself, DSCC spokesman Phil Singer said it was regrettable that a letter calling for Brown's head was linked to a plea for cash for Dem candidates.

Had AP not inquired about the appropriateness of the Dems' use of the Katrina tragedy to solicit funds, you know that money-making scheme would still be chugging away. I seriously doubt Singer's claim that all contributions raised from their repugnant appeal will be donated to the Red Cross.

Right. The check is in the mail.

While abhorrent, Schumer's scheme doesn't surprise me at all. This sort of thing is what I've come to expect from the Dems.

Whether it's the deaths of soldiers in Iraq or bad economic reports or the tragedy of a natural disaster, what's bad for news for America is pounced on as good news for the shameless, politically opportunistic Dems.

Dangerous Environmentalists

I believe we are obligated to protect the environment. I think we have a duty to care for it. We must be mindful of the earth that we are passing on to our children and their children and their children.

I do everything in my power to conserve. Wastefulness drives me crazy. I truly consider it sinful to abuse our planet.

But--

That does not mean I believe that we should have a "hands off" policy, with zero tolerance toward development. Common sense must be used to find a balance between making wise decisions in regard to the environment and our quality of life.

Michael Tremoglie wrote a very enlightening piece for FrontPageMagazine.

New Orleans: A Green Genocide

As radical environmentalists continue to blame the ferocity of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation on President Bush’s ecological policies, a mainstream Louisiana media outlet inadvertently disclosed a shocking fact: Environmentalist activists were responsible for spiking a plan that may have saved New Orleans. Decades ago, the Green Left – pursuing its agenda of valuing wetlands and topographical “diversity” over human life – sued to prevent the Army Corps of Engineers from building floodgates that would have prevented significant flooding that resulted from Hurricane Katrina.

In the 1970s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity Hurricane Barrier Project planned to build fortifications at two strategic locations, which would keep massive storms on the Gulf of Mexico from causing Lake Pontchartrain to flood the city. An article in the May 28, 2005, New Orleans Times-Picayune stated, “Under the original plan, floodgate-type structures would have been built at the Rigolets and Chef Menteur passes to block storm surges from moving from the Gulf into Lake Pontchartrain.”

“The floodgates would have blocked the flow of water from the Gulf of Mexico, through Lake Borgne, through the Rigolets [and Chef Mentuer] into Lake Pontchartrain,” declared Professor Gregory Stone, the James P. Morgan Distinguished Professor and Director of the Coastal Studies Institute of Louisiana State University. “This would likely have reduced storm surge coming from the Gulf and into the Lake Pontchartrain,” Professor Stone told Michael P. Tremoglie during an interview on September 6. The professor concluded, “[T]hese floodgates would have alleviated the flooding of New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina.”

The New Orleans Army Corps of Engineers and Professor Stone were not the only people cognizant of the consequences that could and did result because of the environmental activists. While speaking with Sean Hannity on his radio show on Labor Day, former Louisiana Congressman and Speaker of the House Bob Livingston also referred to environmentalists whose litigation prevented hurricane prevention projects.

In other words, unlike other programs – including the ones leftists like Sid Blumenthal excoriated the president for not funding – these constructions might have prevented the loss of life experienced in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Why was this project aborted? As the Times-Picayune wrote, “Those plans were abandoned after environmental advocates successfully sued to stop the projects as too damaging to the wetlands and the lake's eco-system.” Specifically, in 1977, a state environmentalist group known as Save Our Wetlands (SOWL) sued to have it stopped. SOWL stated the proposed Rigolets and Chef Menteur floodgates of the Lake Pontchartrain Hurricane Prevention Project would have a negative effect on the area surrounding Lake Pontchartrain. Further, SOWL’s recollection of this case demonstrates they considered this move the first step in a perfidious design to drain Lake Pontchartrain entirely and open the area to dreaded capitalist investment.

On December 30, 1977, U.S. District Judge Charles Schwartz Jr. issued an injunction against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Pontchartrain hurricane protection project, demanding the engineers draw up a second environmental impact statement, three years after the corps submitted the first one. In one of the most ironic pronouncements of all time, Judge Schwartz wrote, “it is the opinion of the Court that plaintiffs herein have demonstrated that they, and in fact all persons in this area, will be irreparably harmed if the barrier project based upon the August, 1974 FEIS [federal environmental impact statement] is allowed to continue.”

...Despite the mayor’s apparent incompetence, these floodgates environmental activists sued to prevent from being constructed may have kept a flood from consuming the city to the extent it did in the first place. The current programs aimed at reinforcing existing levees but would only prove effective against a level three hurricane; they were not adequate for a level five storm like Katrina. Moreover, they did not fortify the specific areas the government sought to protect, to keep Lake Pontchartrain from flooding the entire city, which everyone knew posed a danger to a city below sea level. In other words, this plan would have saved thousands of lives and kept one of the nation’s greatest cities from lying in ruins for a decade.

At a minimum, such a plan would have staved off a significant portion of the disaster that’s unfolded before our eyes.

Worse yet, the environmentalists’ ultimate decision to reinforce existing levees may have actually further harmed the Big Easy. There is at least one expert who claims the New Orleans levees made no difference – in fact, they contributed to the problem. Deputy Director of the LSU Hurricane Center and Director of the Center for the Study Public Health Impacts by Hurricanes Ivor van Heerden said, “The levees ‘have literally starved our wetlands to death’ by directing all of that precious silt out into the Gulf of Mexico.”

Tremoglie's revelation is stunning in that it shows how destructive radical environmentalist policies can be. These far Left extremists claim to be in the business of protecting, not destroying. Tragically, their success in pushing their agenda may have resulted in thousands of deaths.

Now, flashback to a week ago Tuesday, when Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was bloviating on the Huffington Post. Then, it was widely assumed that New Orleans had dodged the worst of Katrina's destruction. None of the massive damage and death caused by the flooding in New Orleans had occurred.

However, at the time of Kennedy's post, he knew that Mississippi had taken a direct hit from Katrina. Nonetheless, in the wake of that devastation, Kennedy gleefully blamed Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and the policies of the Bush administration for causing Hurricane Katrina. He disgracefully showed no compassion whatsoever for the victims in Mississippi.

Kennedy argued that the Kyoto Protocol could have spared the Gulf Coast. He chastised Barbour for calling mandatory CO2 caps "eco-extremism." In effect, Kennedy blamed Bush and Barbour for creating Katrina.

Well, I have no problem blaming environmentalists, like Kennedy, for putting lives at risk in the name of "protecting" the environment.

Tremoglie's article exposes the disastrous reality of the "eco-extremism" that Kennedy and those of his Leftist radical ilk promote.

Kennedy said, "Katrina is giving our nation a glimpse of the climate chaos we are bequeathing our children."

It may be more appropriate to say that Katrina is giving our nation a glimpse of the death and destruction caused by the policies of radical environmentalists.

National Day of Prayer and Remembrance

President Bush has designated September 16 as a day of prayer and remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

That's a week from tomorrow.

Why is Bush acting so slowly?

What's his problem? Is he oblivious? Is he in denial?

Can't the world's sole superpower schedule a day of prayer and remembrance sooner?

Could it be because Bush hates black people?

Expect some sort of criticism to come from the radical far Left extremists. Even Bush's declaration for a national observance of the tragedy won't be exempt from their ranting.

Regardless of how ridiculous they sound, it seems the rabid Bush-haters just can't help themselves.