THE GULF CATASTROPHE
August 31, 2005
LOOTING NEW ORLEANS AND AMERICA'S POVERTY CRISIS
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, BlackNews.com Columnist
Two things happened in one day that tell much about the abysmal failure of the Bush administration to get a handle on poverty in America. The first was the tragic and disgraceful shots of hordes of New Orleans residents scurrying down the city's Hurricane ravaged streets with their arms loaded with food, clothes, appliances, and in some cases guns, that they looted from stores and shops.
That same day, the Census Bureau released a report that found that the number of poor Americans has leaped even higher since Bush took office in 2000. While criminal gangs who always take advantage of chaos and misery to snatch and grab whatever they can, did much of the looting, many desperately poor, mostly black residents, saw a chance to grab items that they can't afford. They also did their share of the looting. That makes it no less reprehensible, but it's no surprise.
New Orleans has one of the highest poverty rates of any of America's big cities. According to a report by Total Community Action, a New Orleans public advocacy group, nearly one out of three New Orleans residents live below the poverty level, the majority of who are black. A spokesperson for the United Negro College Fund noted that the city's poor live in some of the most dilapidated, and deteriorated housing in the nation.
But New Orleans is not an aberration. Nationally, according to Census figures, blacks remain at the bottom of the economic totem pole. They have the lowest media income of any group. Bush's war and economic policies don't help matters. His tax cuts redistributed billions to the rich and corporations. The Iraq war has drained billions from cash starved job training, health and education programs. Increased American dependence on Saudi Oil has driven gas and oil prices skyward. Corporate downsizing, outsourcing, and industrial flight have further fueled America's poverty crisis. All of this happened on Bush's watch.
The 2 million new jobs in 2004 Bush touts as proof that his economic policies work have been mostly smoke and mirrors number counting. The bulk of these jobs are low pay jobs, with minimum benefits, and little job security in retail and service industries. A big portion of the nearly 40 million Americans that live below the official poverty line fill these jobs. They're the lucky ones. They have jobs. Many young blacks, such as those that ransacked stores in New Orleans, don't.
The poverty crisis has slammed them the hardest of all. Even during the Clinton era economic boom, the unemployment rate for young black males was double, and in some parts of the country, triple that of white males. During the past couple of years, state and federal cutbacks in job training and skills programs, the brutal competition for low and semi skilled service and retail jobs from immigrants, and the refusal of many employers to hire those with criminal records have further hammered black communities and added to the Great Depression era high unemployment numbers among young blacks.
The tale of poverty is more evident in the nearly one million blacks behind bars, the HIV/AIDS rampage in black communities, the sea of black homeless persons, and the raging drug and gang violence that rips apart many black communities.
Then there are the children. One third of America's poor are children. Worse, the Children's Defense Fund found that nearly 1 million black children live not in poverty, but in extreme poverty. That's the greatest number of black children trapped in dire poverty in nearly a quarter century.
Bush officials claim the poverty numbers do not surprise them. They contend that past trends show that poverty peaks and then declines a year after the jump in new job growth. But the poverty numbers have steadily risen for not one, but all five years of his administration. There has been no sign of a turnaround. For that to happen, Bush would have to reverse his tax and war spending policies, and commit massive funds to job, training and education programs, and provide tax incentives for businesses to train and hire the poor. That would take an active national lobbying effort by Congressional Democrats, civil rights, and anti-poverty groups. That's not likely either. The poor are too nameless, faceless, and vast in numbers to target with a sustained lobbying campaign.
While the NAACP hammers Bush on the war, and his domestic policies, poverty has not been their top priority. The fight for affirmative action, economic parity, professional advancement and busing replaced battling poverty, reducing unemployment, securing quality education, promoting self-help and gaining greater political empowerment as the goals of all African-Americans.
That effectively left the one out of four blacks that wallow below the official poverty level out in the cold. The looting in New Orleans, though deplorable, put an ugly public face on a crisis that Bush administration policies have made worse. The millions in America that grow poorer, more desperate, and greater in number, are bitter testament to that.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a columnist for BlackNews.com, an author and political analyst.
September 1, 2005
TOM JOYNER, BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM ESTABLISH RELIEF FUND FOR FAMILIES, FRIENDS ASSISTING HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS
Dallas, TX (BlackNews.com) - Tom Joyner, the top ranked nationally syndicated radio personality and entrepreneur, announced today the creation of the BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund. The organization, formed in association with his online community BlackAmericaWeb.com, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and parent company REACH Media, will assist people who are helping those displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
"Hurricane Katrina hit the heart and soul of Black America, says Joyner, whose four-hour, drive-time radio show is aired on 115 markets reaching 8 million listeners. This is our Tsunami and we want to take care of those people who now may have family or friends who are going to be in their homes for an extended period of time. We know its hard and we want to make it a little easier on everybody."
The BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund will accept donations to provide relief in the form of gift cards to support families who are housing those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The Fund will support individual families who have opened their homes to displaced families and loved ones to supplement their households as relief efforts continue. Relief assistance will be given directly to the families who need assistance.
Taking a grassroots approach, the relief fund will partner with local churches throughout affected regions. The churches will serve as effective conduits in both identifying and assisting households in need. In addition to localized efforts, the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show has suspended the popular "TJMS Cash Call" contest and will donate the contest money directly to relief efforts. This action alone donates more than $75,000 to the fund. Motivational speaker and personality, Tavis Smiley, Tom Joyner Morning Show personalities Sybil Wilkes and J Anthony Brown have each pledged $1,000 this morning.
For more information about how the BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund will provide relief to families helping families, you can go to BlackAmericaWeb.com and register for more information.
Additional information will be released today via email to BlackAmericaWeb.com members and at www.blackamericaweb.com/relief
The BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund will accept donations at www.blackamericaweb.com and by mail at:
BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund
PO Box 803209
Dallas, TX 75240
For those in need of assistance, BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund assistance request form can be downloaded at www.blackamericaweb.com/relief
All relief requests must be submitted by the church or partner organization administrator. Companies, sponsors and potential partners interested in providing matching funds or resources are encouraged to contact Katrina Witherspoon, President & CEO of the BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund at 972-371-5850. You can also call Toll Free - 888-866-1741 to get the information on how to make a donation and how to receive relief assistance.
About REACH Media Inc.
REACH Media, founded by radio personality, philanthropist and entrepreneur Tom Joyner, is a multi-media company formed in January 2003 as the parent company of all of The Tom Joyner Morning Show and several other businesses that will target African-Americans through radio, television, event production and the internet. Its website, BlackAmericaWeb.com (www.blackamericaweb.com), which has more than 850,000 members, is a virtual town square for visitors to get daily news, play games, search for jobs and listen to the Morning Show online.
REACH Media also produces the Tom Joyner Family Reunion @ Walt Disney World Resorts (www.blackamericaweb.com/family), a three-day Labor Day Weekend event, featuring top-name performers, comedians, seminars and access to the theme parks and the Tom Joyner Show, a nationally syndicated television show that will reach 70% of the general market and 85% of the African-American audience across the United States.
About BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund - Helping Families Help Families
The BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund is seeking qualification as a Section 501 (c)3 non-profit organization formed to operate as a charitable service to benefit individuals and families determined to be victims of publicly declared disasters. The BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund is expected to receive temporary tax exemption status to immediately expedite its ability to begin soliciting and distributing donations to benefit those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
September 1, 2005
CAN LOOTING BE JUSTIFIED?
By Dante Lee, BlackNews.com Columnist
Many are quick to criticize the thousands of individuals who are looting in New Orleans and other areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. However, the million dollar question is: Are they stealing to survive or to profit? I would say both.
Stealing food and drinks is absolutely necessary for survival to people who are stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing - literally. With the weather at about 95 degrees plus humidity, many will die if they don't invade abandoned stores and search for something to eat or drink. Because none of these stores are open for business, even if you had money - you couldn't legally pay for the products.
The media agrees with this and claims that food and such is okay to steal, but anything else is unlawful. Many disagree. What about baby diapers, toilet tissue, soap, shoes, and dry clothes? Aren't these items just as critical to survival as food and drinks?
What does one do in this situation? Should they wait a few more days for rescue?
Won't most of these items perish anyways? These stores are abandoned, and will remain closed for months. Does it really matter whether or not people take the items?
The biggest criticism stems from the incredible footage of people stealing TVs and DVD players. This I would agree to be unlawful. But is it really?
Ever heard of the word "hysteria"? Do you know what it really means? It means a drastic situation where everyone behaves with excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic. People are in a severe panic mode, not just because they could die, but because they have no money or no access to it.
Banks in the area are closed, and will remain closed for months. ATM machines do not work. Credit cards are useless because phone lines are needed for the transactions. A person waiting to receive a check in the mail, can forget it - because the postal system is down.
Perhaps people are stealing DVD players and TVs to sell them for money - money they don't have and won't be getting for a long time. Would a person be stealing these things to take back to a home that is destroyed with no power?
I can't say I agree with looting, but I also can't say I wouldn't be doing the same thing if I were in a similar situation.
Dante Lee is a columnist for BlackNews.com
September 1, 2005
AFRICAN-AMERICANS URGED TO CONTRIBUTE TO HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF
Long Beach, CA (BlackNews.com) - Recent footage of the gulf coast
resembles what one would expect to see in a third world country. There
are countless individuals, mostly Blacks, stranded in the middle of nowhere
with no shelter, no food, and no clean water.
The situation is so catastrophic that many have been waiting for days to be
rescued. Thousands of dead bodies are floating everywhere, contamination
is widespread, and looters are forced to steal from abandoned stores.
Many African-Americans wonder what they can do, and the answer is simple:
1) Donate money to Red Cross (www.redcross.org) or any other trustworthy
charity; and/or
2) Volunteer to help by contacting the USA Freedom Corps
(www.usafreedomcorps.gov)
Black leaders are encouraged to urge federal officials to do everything
they can to rescue victims. So far, officials have received criticism for being
slow to deploy enough supplies and troops. President Bush is getting heat
because he waited two whole days after the hurricane struck before he decided
to return from his vacation.
Reportedly, nearly 1/3 of the troops that are on-hand have been designated to
focus entirely on capturing looters. Many criticize this decision, saying that
these troops need to help rescue the thousands of stranded victims that will
soon die of hunger and thirst.
Many say that the food in these stores will rot anyways, so looters may as
well take advantage of it. Others say that people are starving and have no other
option to resort to.
Dante Lee of BlackNews.com, comments, "As for the stealing of TVs and DVD
players, I would agree that this is inexcusable. However, food and drinks are
critical to their survival."
Lee continues, "But these aren't the only necessities in life - What about baby
diapers, toilet tissue, shoes, dry clothes? People have to do what they can
to survive."
In addition to donating to charities and volunteering time and energy,
African-Americans are encouraged in the near future to donate to some of
the Black-owned businesses/organizations that have been affected.
Here are just a few:
BLACK BUSINESSES
Black Collegian Magazine
140 Carondelet St
New Orleans, LA 70130
www.imdiversity.com
Juneteenth.com
6751 Dorchester Street
New Orleans, LA 70126
BLACK COLLEGES
Dillard University
2601 Gentilly Boulevard
New Orleans, LA 70122
www.dillard.edu
Xavier University
3812 Pine Street
New Orleans, LA 70125
www.xula.edu
Southern University at New Orleans
6400 Press Drive
New Orleans, LA 70126
www.suno.edu
BLACK NEWSPAPERS
Louisiana Weekly
P.O. Box 8628
New Orleans, LA 70182
www.louisianaweekly.com
The New Orleans Tribune
2317 Esplanade Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70119
www.neworleanstribune.com
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
Backstreet Cultural Museum
1116 St. Claude Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
www.backstreetculturalmuseum.com
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.
1205 N. Rampart Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
www.nojhf.org
Black Arts National Diaspora
4008 Odin Street
New Orleans, LA 70126
Urban League of Greater New Orleans
2322 Canal StreetLong Beach, CA (BlackNews.com) - Recent footage of the gulf coast resembles what one would expect to see in a third world country. There are countless individuals, mostly Blacks, stranded in the middle of nowhere with no shelter, no food, and no clean water.
The situation is so catastrophic that many have been waiting for days to be rescued. Thousands of dead bodies are floating everywhere, contamination is widespread, and looters are forced to steal from abandoned stores.
Many African-Americans wonder what they can do, and the answer is simple:
1) Donate money to Red Cross (www.redcross.org) or any other trustworthy charity; and/or
2) Volunteer to help by contacting the USA Freedom Corps (www.usafreedomcorps.gov)
Black leaders are encouraged to urge federal officials to do everything they can to rescue victims. So far, officials have received criticism for being slow to deploy enough supplies and troops. President Bush is getting heat because he waited two whole days after the hurricane struck before he decided to return from his vacation.
Reportedly, nearly 1/3 of the troops that are on-hand have been designated to focus entirely on capturing looters. Many criticize this decision, saying that these troops need to help rescue the thousands of stranded victims that will soon die of hunger and thirst.
Many say that the food in these stores will rot anyways, so looters may as well take advantage of it. Others say that people are starving and have no other option to resort to.
Dante Lee of BlackNews.com, comments, "As for the stealing of TVs and DVD players, I would agree that this is inexcusable. However, food and drinks are critical to their survival."
Lee continues, "But these aren't the only necessities in life - What about baby diapers, toilet tissue, shoes, dry clothes? People have to do what they can to survive."
In addition to donating to charities and volunteering time and energy, African-Americans are encouraged in the near future to donate to some of the Black-owned businesses/organizations that have been affected. Here are just a few:
BLACK BUSINESSES
Black Collegian Magazine
140 Carondelet St
New Orleans, LA 70130
www.imdiversity.com
Juneteenth.com
6751 Dorchester Street
New Orleans, LA 70126
BLACK COLLEGES
Dillard University
2601 Gentilly Boulevard
New Orleans, LA 70122
www.dillard.edu
Xavier University
3812 Pine Street
New Orleans, LA 70125
www.xula.edu
Southern University at New Orleans
6400 Press Drive
New Orleans, LA 70126
www.suno.edu
BLACK NEWSPAPERS
Louisiana Weekly
P.O. Box 8628
New Orleans, LA 70182
www.louisianaweekly.com
The New Orleans Tribune
2317 Esplanade Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70119
www.neworleanstribune.com
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
Backstreet Cultural Museum
1116 St. Claude Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
www.backstreetculturalmuseum.com
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.
1205 N. Rampart Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
www.nojhf.org
Black Arts National Diaspora
4008 Odin Street
New Orleans, LA 70126
Urban League of Greater New Orleans
2322 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70119
New Orleans, LA 70119
September 1, 2005
Executive Committee Communications
Hurricane Katrina
In response to the loss of life and property caused by the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina, Johnson & Johnson is working closely with disaster relief organizations to meet the immediate needs for personal care and medical products, and to understand what additional support will be needed in the days and weeks ahead.
Thankfully, we have had no reports of deaths or injuries among Johnson & Johnson employees who live and work in the states that were hit hardest by the hurricane. We are aware of several employees whose families have been uprooted and properties damaged. Naturally, they will have our support.
As an initial response, Johnson & Johnson has donated approximately $250,000 worth of essential disaster relief products including 2,000 personal care kits and two Disaster Relief Modules to MAP International. MAP International is a Georgia based- relief agency that is working closely with the American Red Cross to distribute relief supplies to the region.
We have also arranged to match employee and retiree donations to the American Red Cross. If you wish to contribute financially to the American Red Cross' Disaster Relief Fund and have those contributions matched one-to-one by Johnson & Johnson, you can do so by credit card by clicking this link: https://www.redcross.org/donate/MMRedir.ASP?CID=HUR-JandJ.
Alternatively, you may contribute by check to the following address:
American Red Cross
2025 E Street, NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
If contributing via check, it is important to note that the donation is a "Johnson & Johnson Employee Contribution" on the memo line to ensure that the gift is matched by Johnson & Johnson.
Johnson & Johnson is continuing to monitor the situation and work with the American Red Cross, MAP International, and other relief organizations to better understand the additional ways the Company can aid the relief effort.
Alfred T. Mays
Worldwide Vice President,
Corporate Contributions and Community Relations
September 1, 2005
BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES SUFFER IMMENSELY FROM HURRICANE KATRINA
Many HBCU students may have to lose an entire semester or more.
Long Beach, CA (BlackNews.com) - Historically-Black colleges and universities are constantly faced with challenges that can include state funding issues, inadequate housing, poor student-teacher ratios, and even violence. However, the most recent challenge is none other than Hurricane Katrina.
The deadly natural disaster has affected several HBCUs in the gulf coast area including Dilliard University, Xavier University and Southern University in New Orleans, and Tougaloo College in Mississippi. Campuses are damaged, students are stranded, and the school year may not start this year at all.
Fortunately, several organizations are stepping up to the plate to offer some relief. One of these is The United Negro College Fund (www.uncf.org), which has initiated a special online relief fund that people can donate to.
Dr. Michael Lomax of the UNCF, comments, "We need longtime supporters and new friends as well to help us raise the funds our schools will need to begin the long and costly rebuilding process."
In addition, the National Association of Equal Opportunity In Higher Education (www.nafeo.org) has launched a program seeking to coordinate with other universities to provide alternatives for students enrolled at affected HBCUs.
Many wonder though, whether this will be enough to avoid having Black students lose an entire semester or more.
HBCUconnect.com, the largest online destination for HBCU students and alumni, plans to encourage their thousands of members to do what they can to help. William Moss comments, "We are creating a dedicated section on the web site (www.hbcuconnect.com) that will feature exclusive news, forums, and advice on how to help these HBCUs. We also plan to setup an online fund that people can donate to."
Many say that the key to helping these HBCUs is to donate money and to create an awareness about the situation. Likely, Tom Joyner, Oprah Winfrey, and other celebrity graduates of Black colleges, will launch initiatives of their own.
Dante Lee, CEO of BlackNews.com, comments, "Anyone who has media power should urge their audience to help. Every graduate of an HBCU, including myself, must take action."
In addition to Black colleges, many black businesses and black families have been destroyed. To help these, interested ones can donate to Red Cross (www.redcross.org) or can volunteer by contacting USA Freedom Corps (www.usafreedomcorps.gov)
September 1, 2005
BLACK LOOTERS, WHITE FINDERS - IS THE MEDIA RACIALLY-BIASED ABOUT HURRICANE KATRINA?
Long Beach, CA (BlackNews.com) - It's no question that there is massive looting going on in the gulf coast area by white and black Americans. People of all colors are doing what they can to survive.
But why is the mainstream media saying that the Black people are looting supplies, and that the white people are finding supplies?
A recent report from DiversityInc.com found one picture by an AFP/Getty Images photographer and another by The Associated Press (AP) - and each had a different caption when published.
The AFP/Getty photo shows two white people with food, with the caption that they were "finding" bread and soda from a grocery store. However, the AP photo shows a black person with some food, with the caption saying he had just finished "looting" a grocery store.
Dante Lee of BlackNews.com, comments, "I've seen this variation several times, and it certainly reveals that the mainstream media is indeed racially-biased."
Pat Means of Turning Point Magazine, says, "The media must be careful in its labeling of people who are simply trying to survive. The media can not practice racism, when everyone is doing the same thing."
Others agree that the media is definitely targeting African-Americans to make them look worse than they already do.
Here's an interesting comic strip by Keith Knight that brings truth to the situation:
Comic Courtesy of BlackNews.com
September 2, 2005
PLAYING THE KATRINA RACE CARD
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, BlackNews.com Columnist
Five days before Hurricane Katrina struck, 100 persons gathered at a local Catholic Church in Eastern New Orleans. They were there to talk about the city's astronomically high rate of poverty that had increasingly become a national embarrassment. This was not a gathering of academics, local and state officials, and business leaders. They were community residents, welfare recipients, ex-offenders, and anti-poverty activists. Most of them were black.
Many of them did not have cars and had to take buses to get to the meeting. That wasn't unusual. Nearly one out of three New Orleans residents don't have cars. The participants had a deep sense that they were in a race against time to do something to combat the looming poverty crisis. The poverty rate for young and old in New Orleans was double and triple the national average. Nearly 100,000 households were eligible for federal Earned Income Tax Credit but had failed to take advantage of it. Nearly 60,000 children were eligible for a health care program for low-income families but were not enrolled in. The city's poor had grown more numerous and desperate than ever.
The times over the years that I have visited friends that live in neighborhoods away from the glitter of Bourbon Street, the French Quarter and other tourist spots, I was struck by the dire poverty, the legions of panhandlers, and homeless persons on the streets, the large number of abandoned, run down buildings, and the pock marked, unkempt streets and sidewalks in poorer neighborhoods. New Orleans was indeed the classic tale of two cities, one showy, middle-class and white, and the other poor, downtrodden, and largely low-income blacks. It was a city that didn't wait for a disaster to happen. The city's grinding poverty and neglect had already wreaked that disaster on thousands.
Katrina only added to the misery. What happened next was predictable. Federal bumbling, bungling, and cash shortages turned relief efforts into a nightmare. That virtually guaranteed that some blacks out of criminal greed and others out of sheer desperation and panic would take to the streets in an orgy of looting and mayhem. It was equally predictable how some state and federal officials, and some in the media would respond. They instantly branded the looters, animals, thugs, and even less charitably cockroaches.
Though it wasn't said directly, some state officials inferred that soldiers should shoot to kill to restore order. That would turn New Orleans into a war zone, and the ones that as often happens in any war that are hurt the most are innocents who have nothing to do with the criminal violence. And that is the overwhelming majority of New Orleans poor. It would further embed the image of New Orleans blacks as lawless, out of control, and undeserving of any sympathy and support.
It was even more predictable that some black leaders would wag the blame finger at Bush and city officials and accuse them of racism in not responding fast enough to the crisis. Certainly city and state officials must take some heat for the chronic neglect of the New Orleans poor. And Bush must take heat for the severe cutbacks that crippled FEMA's ability to speedily manage, coordinate and fully fund disaster efforts. Bush's singular obsession with the war on terrorism has also resulted in the radical shift of millions in money and personnel from disaster relief to Homeland Security. That shift in priorities further hampers federal efforts to deal with disaster relief.
The heavy handed rush to openly or subtly to paint the tragedy of New Orleans as yet another terrible example of the black-white divide in America does a horrible disservice to the poor and needy that are suffering. Admittedly a majority of them are black, but many of the victims are white too. This stirs fear, anger, and latent racism in many whites. It stirs the same fear anger, and racial antipathies among many blacks.
The comments on some black web sites pulse with wild speculation that the continual TV shots of blacks running wild in the streets are orchestrated to insure that as little as possible will be done to aid New Orleans blacks. That kind of talk smacks of defeatism. If one screams racism and deliberate neglect, and when it happens scream even louder, I told you so, it becomes a grim self-fulfilling prophecy.
The poor of New Orleans need massive aid, long term relief, and the continued goodwill and sympathy of the nation to put their lives back together. They also need a sustained public effort to lobby the Bush administration to drastically up the ante on the paltry and embarrassingly low $10 billion that he's pledged for Katrina disaster relief. That's less than it costs to bankroll two months of the Iraq war. Sadly, turning the monumental tragedy in New Orleans into racial one-upmanship, piles one tragedy on top of another.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a columnist for BlackNews.com, an author and political analyst.
September 2, 2005
Hurricane Katrina PSA From the Universal Motown Group
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September 2, 2005
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS
A distraught mayor over his city
Long Beach, CA - BlackNews.com has partnered with WWL Radio to feature an exclusive interview from Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans.
Nagin, who is African-American, is furious with President Bush and with the governor of Louisiana. He says they are too busy doing press conferences, and not saving lives.
To listen to the interview, visit:
www.BlackNews.com/interview
September 2, 2005
Executive Committee Communications
Message From Bill Weldon
Update on Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts
I know I speak for all of us in expressing my deep personal anguish over the scenes of death, destruction and despair in New Orleans and the other Gulf Coast communities in the United States ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29 has left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and tens of thousands in need of urgent humanitarian aid. The images of helpless mothers and children; the frail elderly and the incapacitated are heart wrenching. The news from this morning is particularly grim, as law enforcement and disaster relief agencies continue to work non-stop under extremely difficult conditions to try to alleviate the suffering of so many people in the region.
The immediate needs remain enormous and varied. Initially, Johnson & Johnson responded to calls for what was needed most -- personal care and hygiene products and traditional disaster relief supplies including pain treatments and wound care products.
Today, after consultation with the relief agencies, Johnson & Johnson is providing an initial cash donation of $5 million that will be used for both the immediate and long-term needs of the many families and communities devastated by this event. This donation is being divided between multiple relief and charitable organizations. A list of these organizations, and a brief synopsis of what they plan to provide is included below.
I'm proud to say that people throughout our family of companies have risen to the challenge, and are contributing to the American Red Cross. As you know, the Company is matching your donations.
I know that many of you would also like to know how you can personally help with this national emergency. To that end, we are working closely with the American Red Cross to identify opportunities for employees in the United States to volunteer their time, energy and talents. We hope to have more information about volunteerism opportunities in the near future.
Although many of our efforts to this point are focused on addressing urgent needs, Johnson & Johnson will remain committed to supporting stabilization and the long-term rebuilding efforts throughout the affected area. In the coming days and weeks we will continue to work with the many relief agencies to better understand the additional ways the Company can aid the relief effort.
The thoughts and prayers of everyone in the Johnson & Johnson family of companies are with the victims, survivors and loved ones of those affected by this disaster.
Bill Weldon
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Organizations Providing Immediate Relief
American Red Cross - Providing food, shelter and emergency assistance to affected families; coordinating rescue efforts
National Assoc. of Community Health Centers - Significant strain on resources is predicted
America's Second Harvest - Supports food bank programs in the region
Habitat for Humanity - Repair damage to existing Habitat homes and embark on rebuilding projects based on patterns of home destruction
MAP International - Supplying health and hygiene products
AmeriCares - Supplying health and hygiene products
Rosalynn Carter Institute - Serving care giving organizations in the region
Salvatorian Mission Warehouse - Assembly and distribution of personal care kits
Organizations Providing Intermediate to Long-term Assistance
National Head Start Assoc - Financial support to affected facilities as they resume operations
Natl. School Nurse Assn. - Support for the nurses role in psycho-social support
Historic Preservation Trusts of Mississippi and Louisana - Restoration & rehabilitation of historic sites
Trust for Public Land - Environmental damage assessment and remediation
September 2, 2005
Update on Hurricane Katrina and CP&N Employees Affected
As we continue to learn more about the terrible devastation created by Hurricane Katrina, our hearts naturally go out to all those who have been affected, including our colleagues who live and work along the Gulf Coast.
Currently, about 40 CP&N employees have been directly impacted by the Hurricane and its aftermath. Fortunately, our understanding today is that they and their families escaped injury. We are reaching out to them to offer resources to get them through these difficult times.
As a reminder, Johnson & Johnson is working closely with a number of disaster relief groups to do all we can to meet the needs for personal care and medical products for those affected throughout the region and to understand and then mobilize additional support in the weeks and possibly months ahead. In times of great need, we know how our employees have rallied to help and we will continue to do so. Johnson & Johnson will match employee and retiree donations to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund on a dollar-for-dollar basis, monies that will speed the distribution of relief supplies.
If you wish to contribute to the Fund and take advantage of this match, you can do so by charging donations to your credit card. If contributing via check, please note that the donation is a "Johnson & Johnson Employee Contribution" on the memo line to ensure that the gift is matched by Johnson & Johnson. To contribute, click on this link: https://www.redcross.org/donate/MMRedir.ASP?CID=HUR-JandJ.
Alternatively, you may contribute by check to the following address:
American Red Cross
2025 E Street, NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
Debbie Linders, WorkLife Manager for our organization, is working to coordinate assistance efforts to the affected CP&N employees. We will continue to provide updates and support to those affected and in greatest need.
Vikki Walker
Vice President, Human Resources
Consumer Pharmaceuticals and Nutritionals
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House Democratic Leadership Letter September 2, 2005 Rep. H. William DeWeese, Democratic Leader Rep. Mike Veon, Democratic Whip
Remembering those in Katrina's wake
This week, House Democrats offer our condolences to those living in the southern part of the country who experienced the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. While it may seem unreal to many, the fact of the matter is, the pictures we are seeing on TV and in the newspaper are definitely real and not in some other third-world nation but in our country. Much like that which was experienced in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, the full effects of this natural disaster will not be known for months, but meantime we can and should do whatever is possible to aid the recovery efforts.
We laud Gov. Ed Rendell for offering assistance from the Keystone State and we are certain that these efforts and those from across the country and throughout the world will be a tremendous help to Louisiana, Mississippi and the entire Gulf Coast in their time of need.
For more info on what Pennsylvania is doing to help and other related questions, click here.
Never forget the meaning of Labor Day
For some, Labor Day weekend is merely a sign of the end of summer vacation and what is often forgotten is that the federal holiday was created to recognize the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country. We encourage everyone to pause for a few moments from their cookouts and parties to remember the labor movement and its positive effects on the history of the United States.
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TPMCafe: Politics, Ideas and Lots of Caffeine
Hurricane Protection Budget Cuts Exact a Big Price
From: Politics
As far as I know the whole article is currently not available anywhere online -- at least I couldn't find it on google. So below we're making available excerpts of the piece so our readers can find out more details.
Aug 30, 2005 -- 09:24:51 PM EST
For the first time in 37 years, federal budget cuts have all but stopped major work on the New Orleans area's east bank hurricane levees, a complex network of concrete walls, metal gates and giant earthen berms that won't be finished for at least another decade.
"I guess people look around and think there's a complete system in place, that we're just out here trying to put icing on the cake," said Mervin Morehiser, who manages the "Lake Pontchartrain and vicinity" levee project for the Army Corps of Engineers. "And we aren't saying that the sky is falling, but people should know that this is a work in progress, and there's more important work yet to do before there is a complete system in place."
"I can't tell you exactly what that could mean this hurricane season if we get a major storm," Naomi said. "It would depend on the path and speed of the storm, the angle that it hits us.
"But I can tell you that we would be better off if the levees were raised, . . . and I think it's important and only fair that those people who live behind the levee know the status of these projects."
The Bush administration's proposed fiscal 2005 budget includes only $3.9 million for the east bank hurricane project. Congress likely will increase that amount, although last year it bumped up the administration's $3 million proposal only to $5.5 million.
"I needed $11 million this year, and I got $5.5 million," Naomi said. "I need $22.5 million next year to do everything that needs doing, and the first $4.5 million of that will go to pay four contractors who couldn't get paid this year."
The challenge now, said emergency management chiefs Walter Maestri in Jefferson Parish and Terry Tullier in New Orleans, is for southeast Louisiana somehow to persuade those who control federal spending that protection from major storms and flooding are matters of homeland security.
"It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay," Maestri said. "Nobody locally is happy that the levees can't be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us."
Levee-raising is only part of the flood-related work that has stopped since the federal government began reducing Corps of Engineers appropriations in 2001, as more money was diverted to homeland security, the fight against terrorism and the war in Iraq.
September 3, 2005
Event at The Attic Bar
This event is put together by bass player George "Bubba" Scales and his wife Cathy Davis-Scales.
Kanye West Rips President Bush On Live Television
Kanye West criticized U.S. President George Bush & the government's
reaction to Hurricane Katrina last night during "A Concert for Hurricane
Relief," a live benefit concert on NBC. West deviated from the pre-written
script. "It's been five days [waiting for help] because most of the people
are black," West said. NBC quickly cut away from West.
For the full story log on: http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=4791
Submissions for the Scion:NextUp emcee search have doubled this year and
DJ Premier, Green Lantern, and Sean Cane have reduced the field to 10
finalists. Now it is time for you to decide who wins the $50,000 marketing
deal. The deadline for votes is September 29, 2005. Visit
http://www.scionnextup.com for more details and to vote.
New Orleans..
http://www.atypical.net/mm/nagin.mp3
September 4, 2005
This message from my Broadway Connection. Although these events will be in New York, the planning and suggestions can be implemented anywhere. The New York folk had to develop a new attitude about survival after 911. The same applies here as well. Let's get busy!
Gisele "Gee" Caver
www.soundsinthekeyofgee.com
Greetings Community,
This has been a devastating time for us all. As we continue to pray and remember our brothers and sisters during this difficult time please know that B2: Productions & Black 2: Broadway will be requesting your help as we lend our support to the victims of this tragedy.
Like so many of you, we have been swamped with emails from friends, family and business associates who are planning events and looking to send assistance to victimes of Hurricane Katrina. Our network of producers are planning multiple benefits in the music industry and we feel it is equally important for the theater community to get involved as well. Broadway Veteran BJ Crosby is a native of New Orleans and was fortunate enough that her family was able to escape before Katrina struck. But like so many others she does not know the extent of the damage done to her and her family's home. She will be doing an event in October/November we will inform you of that event as more information becomes available.
As we begin planning an event please know that we will need all of your support. We will be calling on you all for suggestions and assistance. I have spoken with many of you this week who are anxious to get involved so please let us know how you would like to help asap. In the meantime, a big supporter of ours, Kevin Powell has an upcoming event/benefit that you can all be apart of. The information is as follows:
BENEFIT for New Orleans – Hosted by Kevin Powell
There is some great information here on other ways you can help and other resources that will reach victims directly.
Join KEVIN POWELL and his special guests as they present a BENEFIT for New Orleans
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2005
at CANAL ROOM
285 West Broadway, at Canal Street
downtown Manhattan in New York City
7PM-11PM
21 and over with ID,
Please RSVP to cher_harrison@yahoo.com
Admission is FREE but you MUST bring one or more of the following items for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. These items will be loaded onto a big truck in front of CANAL ROOM and driven directly to Claiborne County Health Center in Port Gibson, Mississippi, run by Dr. Demitri Marshall. It is one of the closest rescue and help centers in the New Orleans area and in a position to really get these items to people in need.
PLEASE make sure clothing and shoes and sneakers are new OR clean and in good condition....
Clothing for children and adults
Adult shoes and sneakers
Adult socks
Children's shoes and sneakers
Children socks
Bottles of water
Diapers
Baby wipes
Baby food
Baby aspirin
Aspirin
Vitamins
Toilet paper
Sanitary napkins
Portable radios with batteries
Plastic forks, knives, and spoons
Cotton balls
Cotton swabs
Hydrogen peroxide BUT NOT rubbing alcohol, because that is flammable
Band aids
Shaving cream
Male AND female razors
Blankets
Air mattresses
Sheets
Pillows and pillow cases
Gift cards for gas
Wal mart gift cards
Garbage bags
Cleaning supplies
Soap
Toothpaste and toothbrushes
Flashlights
Batteries
Candles
Books for children, including coloring books
Books for adults
Magazines
If you are placing donated items in a bag PLEASE LABEL.
For example, Children's shoes or Adult shoes, or Children's clothes or Adult clothes.
We will NOT be taking monetary donations. See information below on where you can send financial contributions.
CANAL ROOM ownership is generously donating the space but there will be a CASH BAR ALL NIGHT.
Guest deejays, musical performers, and corporate sponsors to be announced shortly.
Monetary donations can be sent to these outlets, which we have confirmed are REALLY delivering services to folks in need........
BlackAmericaWeb.com
Relief Fund
PO Box 803209
Dallas, TX 75240
OR you can make an online donation by going to www.blackamericaweb.com/relief
This fund has been set up by nationally syndicated radio personality TOM JOYNER
NAACP Disaster Relief Efforts
The NAACP is setting up command centers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama as part of its disaster relief efforts. NAACP units across the nation have begun collecting resources that will be placed on trucks and sent directly into the disaster areas. Also, the NAACP has established a disaster relief fund to accept monetary donations to aid in the relief effort.
Checks can be sent to the NAACP payable to:
NAACP Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore, MD 21215
Donations can also be made online at www.naacp.org/disaster/contribute.php
FYI, the NAACP, founded in 1909, is America's oldest civil rights organization
www.teamrescueone.com
Set up by native New Orleans rapper Master P and his wife Sonya Miller
You can mail or ship non perishable items to these following locations, which we have confirmed are REALLY delivering services to folks in need....
Center for LIFE Outreach Center
121 Saint Landry Street
Lafayette, LA 70506
atten.: Minister Pamela Robinson
337-504-5374
Mohammad Mosque 65
2600 Plank Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70805
atten.: Minister Andrew Muhammad
225-923-1400
225-357-3079
Lewis Temple CME Church
272 Medgar Evers Street
Grambling, LA 71245
atten.: Rev. Dr. Ricky Helton
318-247-3793
St. Luke Community United Methodist Church
c/o Hurricane Katrina Victims
5710 East R.L. Thornton Freeway
Dallas, TX 75223
atten.: Pastor Tom Waitschies
214-821-2970
S.H.A.P.E. Community Center
3815 Live Oak
Houston, Texas 77004
atten.: Deloyd Parker
713-521-0641
Alternative media outlets where you can get a more accurate and balanced presentation of the New Orleans catastrophe....
www.diversityinc.com
www.alternet.org
www.blackelectorate.com
www.npr.org
www.daveyd.com
www.slate.com
www.bet.com
www.allhiphop.com
www.democracynow.org
www.blackamericaweb.com
PLEASE VISIT all these websites.
Five things you can do to help immediately
1. Duplicate what we are doing elsewhere in New York City, in your city or town, on your college campus, at your church, synagogue, mosque, or other religious institution, via your fraternity or sorority, or via your local civic or social
organization.
2. Cut and paste the information in this eblast about
Items needed by survivors of the New Orleans catastrophe
Monetary donations
Where you can ship non perishable items
Alternative media outlets
Five things you can do to help immediately
and share this information, as a ONE SHEET, with folks near and far, via email, or as a hand out at your event, religious institution, and with your civic or social organization.
3. Voice your opinion to local and national media, and to elected officials, via letter, email, op ed article, or phonecall, regarding the coverage of the New Orleans catastrophe, as well as to the federal government's on going handling of the situation.
4. Ask the hotel you frequent, such as the Marriott or Holiday Inn, to give your hotel points to an individual or family in need of a stay for a night, a few nights, or longer, depending on how many points you have. Be sure to get confirmation that your points have been applied in that way. Encourage others to do the same. Also inquire if your airline frequent flyer mileage can be used
for hotel stays as well. Finally, either offer to pay for hotel rooms, or encourage others to do so, including your place of employment or worship or
your organization.
5. Dare to care about other human beings, no matter their race, gender, class, sexual orientation, religion, geography, culture, clothing, hairstyle, or
accent or language. Like September 11th, the New Orleans catastrophe is a harsh reminder that all life is precious, as is each day we have on this earth.
AND REMEMBER that our attention and response to the New Orleans catastrophe needs to happen in three stages...DISASTER, RECOVERY, and REBUILDING. We need you for all three stages.
Media inquiries for BENEFIT for New Orleans....
APRIL SILVER,
Akila Worksongs
718-756-8501 or pr.media@akilaworksongs.com
Canal Room
285 West Broadway, at Canal Street downtown Manhattan, New York, NY
Thursday, September 8, 7PM-11PM
September 5, 2005
Kanye West Rips President Bush On Live Television
Kanye West criticized U.S. President George Bush & the government's
reaction to Hurricane Katrina last night during "A Concert for Hurricane
Relief," a live benefit concert on NBC. West deviated from the pre-written script. "It's been five days [waiting for help] because most of the people are black," West said. NBC quickly cut away from West.
For the full story log on: http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=4791
Submissions for the Scion:NextUp emcee search have doubled this year and DJ Premier, Green Lantern, and Sean Cane have reduced the field to 10 finalists. Now it is time for you to decide who wins the $50,000 marketing deal. The deadline for votes is September 29, 2005. Visit http://www.scionnextup.com for more details and to vote.
This information comes courtesy of The Sledge Group
Construction company hiring 1000 people to help with hurricane clean up.
$10/hr, 80-90 hrs weekly, food, lodging, transportation to area.
Start immediately, could go on for 1-2 yrs. Anyone interested can call directly to LVI Svcs, 713-991-0480, 10500 Telephone Rd.
The following information comes courtesy of Gisele Caver. Check her out at: www.soundsinthekeyofgee.com
September 6, 2005
New Orleans Musicians Clinic
Message from Wendy Oxenhorn Executive Director at the Jazz Foundation of America
Two Organizations helping the musicians in New Orleans:
We are directing folks to the New Orleans Musicians Clinic (NOMC) which has the
names and addresses of so many musicians in New Orleans, and are working now to
find them and find temporary housing for them in schools, etc.
But let us remember...
... it will be the Jazz Foundation who will be called upon to provide
money to the musicians for first month rents and security deposits on new
instruments replaced.
Two great organizations to donate to:
New Orleans Musicians Clinic (NOMC)
This is a fantastic hands on organization who has the names and
addresses of so many great musicians because they have them all coming to
their FREE health clinic all these years and now, they are the ones who
are tracking down the local musicians and finding them shelter.
They can be contacted at musiciank@swlahec.com
They are the New Orleans Musicians Clinic and know the whereabouts of
the local musicians down there.
Contact: Kathy Richard directly at 337 989-0001
Send donations to:
NOMC Emergency Fund
funds will be distributed by:
SW LA Area Health Education Center Foundation, Inc.
103 Independence Blvd.
Lafayette, LA 70506
desk: 337-989-0001
fax: 337-989-1401
email: finance@swlahec.com
http://www.swlahec.com/
The New Orleans Musicians Clinic is determined to keep Louisiana Music
Alive! It is our beacon to soothe our souls. We want to relocate our New
Orleans musicians into the Lafayette/ Acadiana community where they can
remain a life force! But most of them have lost everything... we must
help them rebuild their lives.
They can't access any of their NOMC accounts. They desperately need
money to fund these efforts.
Jazz Foundation of America:
We will be addressing the longer term needs of these jazz and blues
artists who will have just lost everything.
We will be raising funds and distributing money for the musicians to
get a new apartment or room for rent: by giving a first month's rent,
possibly more, for them to start over, a place to live. (This is what we
normally do on a daily basis for musicians across the country who become
sick and can't pay their rent, we also keep food on the table and get
employment to hundreds of elderly musicians through our Jazz in the
Schools program. Our operations normally assist 35 musicians a week.)
As well, we will be attempting to help New Orleans musicians by
replacing the thing that matters most and the only way they can ever
work again: their instruments.
To those who lost their instruments, like drummers and bassists who
could not carry their heavy equipment, and guitarist with their amps, we
will be making an effort to work with manufacturers and music stores to
replace those instruments for as many as we possibly can.
Remember, New Orleans was only "New Orleans" because of the
musicians...
Send donations to:
Jazz Foundation of America
322 West 48th Street 6th floor
NYC 10036
Director: Wendy Oxenhorn
Phone: 212-245-3999 Ext. 21
email contact: Joyce@jazzfoundation.org
website: www.jazzfoundation.org http://www.jazzfoundation.org/
To make an online CREDIT CARD DONATION OR PLEDGE:
go to: http://www.jazzfoundation.org/index2.html
and click bottom right corner of page where it says "instant pledge"
Thank you, from our hearts.
September 6, 2005
How Will You Help Katrina Vicitms?; Black Bank Gets $2M Infusion
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Black-owned Bank Gets $2M Cash Infusion
Citizens Savings Bank & Trust Co., the oldest continuously operating African American-owned bank in the U.S., received a boost in lending power last week as Stewart Information Services Corp., a real estate company, announced that it would deposit $2 million with the bank. Learn how the deposit from this real estate company aims to boost the number of minority homeowners across the country.
Read more
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How Will You Help Katrina Victims?
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Reshaping The Telecom Landscape
The next innovation in broadband Internet access has just turned an interesting corner. Some telecommunications industry insiders have been pointing to 2005 as the year when broadband over power line (BPL) technology finally makes that critical surge as a viable “third pipe” alternative to cable and DSL. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether the technology can hold its own compared to the familiar forces of cable and DSL. But with federal-level support and some advances in hardware systems, BPL has a fighting chance.
Talking Technology sponsored by IBM
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W Hotel Lexington in New York on Sept. 15, 2005
Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 20, 2005
The Jackie Robinson Foundation JP Morgan Chase Golf Classic
3 West 35th St., 11th Floor
New York, NY 10028
212-290-8600
www.jackierobinson.org
September 12, 2005
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YourCareerFair.net
P.O. BOX 43504
Atlanta, Ga 30336
404-758-3733 Office
http://yourcareerfair.net
September 14, 2005
Atlanta, GA
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World Reaction to New Orleans
How Could This Be Happening in the United States?
By Kevin Sullivan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, September 4, 2005; A12
LONDON, Sept. 3 -- People around the world cannot believe what they're
seeing.
From Argentina to Zimbabwe, front-page photos of the dead and desperate in
New Orleans, almost all of them poor and black, have sickened them and
shaken assumptions about American might. How can this be happening, they
ask, in a nation whose wealth and power seem almost supernatural in so
many struggling corners of the world?
Pick the comparison: New Orleans looks like Haiti, or Baghdad, or Sudan,
Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. The images of all the rubble and corpses and
empty-eyed survivors remind people of those places, not the United States.
"Third World America," declared the headline in the Daily Mail in London
on Saturday. "Law and order is gone, gunmen roam at will, raping and
looting, and as people die of heat and thirst, bodies lie rotting in the
street. Until now, such a hellish vista could only be imagined in a Third
World disaster zone. But this was America yesterday."
International reaction has shifted in many cases from shock, sympathy and
generosity to a growing criticism of the Bush administration's response to
the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina. In nations often divided by dueling
sentiments of admiration and distaste for the United States, many people
see at best incompetence and at worst racism in the chaos gripping much of
the Gulf Coast. Many analysts said President Bush's focus on Iraq had left
the United States without resources to handle natural disasters, and many
said Hurricane Katrina's fury mocked Bush's opposition to international
efforts to confront global warming, which some experts say contributes to
the severity of such storms.
More than 50 countries and a number of international organizations have
offered aid and technical assistance. In Washington, the State Department
has not accepted the help, but said it was analyzing needs. Some nations
have made contributions directly to the American Red Cross.
South African President Thabo Mbeki said those affected "remain in the
hearts and prayers of the people of South Africa." French President
Jacques Chirac, one of Europe's most outspoken critics of Bush, dispatched
a handwritten note to the White House expressing his "deep distress."
French, Italian, German, Russian and Chinese officials have offered
millions of dollars in aid.
The leaders of Cuba and Venezuela, both at odds with the United States,
pledged support. Cuban President Fidel Castro offered to send 1,100
doctors, each carrying emergency medical supplies amounting to tons of
relief aid. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offered to send fuel,
humanitarian aid and relief workers to the disaster area. Venezuela is one
of the largest suppliers of oil to the United States.
In a remarkable role reversal, some of the world's poorest developing
nations are offering help. El Salvador offered to send soldiers to help
restore order, and offers of aid have come from Bosnia, Kosovo and
Belarus. The former Soviet republic of Georgia has donated $50,000 to the
Red Cross, and beleaguered Sri Lanka, which has received $133 million in
tsunami relief from the United States, has donated $25,000 to the Red
Cross. In Beijing, Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa),
just back from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, said officials there
went out of their way to express their sympathy.
Beyond the goodwill, much of the reaction has been harshly critical of the
U.S. response and of Bush, who remains unpopular in many places outside
the United States, largely over the war in Iraq. The Independent newspaper
in London carried front-page headlines on Saturday that read, "Where was
the President in his country's hour of need? And why has it taken him five
days to go to New Orleans?" The paper also asked, "How can the US take
Iraq, a country of 25 million people, in three weeks but fail to rescue
25,000 of its own citizens from a sports arena in a big American city?"
One Iraqi newspaper reported about the hurricane without editorial
comment. The Arab news network al-Jazeera showed footage of relief aid and
reported on Bush sending troops to the area. Iraqis are aware of pressure
in the United States for soldiers to return home.
For the French, who feel greater historical, cultural, linguistic and
emotional ties to New Orleans than perhaps any other American city, the
daily front-page images have been gut-wrenching. "The rage of the
forgotten" declared the headline of Saturday's editions of Liberation
newspaper beside a photograph of a young woman on her knees, screaming in
despair. Saturday's lead editorial in Le Figaro questioned how the U.S.
military could have been so quick to arrive in South Asia for the tsunami,
yet "wasn't able to do the same within its own borders."
Israel's most watched television news program, Channel 2 news, on Friday
broadcast extensive footage from New Orleans showing uncovered corpses
with commentary saying that no one was tending to the dead. The program
also aired a video clip of Bush searching for words, before saying he was
dissatisfied with the government's response. The newscaster's narration
suggested the Bush administration had placed a higher priority on ensuring
a steady flow of gasoline than on saving lives.
On Chinese Web sites, which have covered the disaster closely, several
postings contrasted the Chinese army's relief role in recent floods and
earthquakes with the U.S. response in New Orleans. "Hundreds of thousands
of . . . soldiers were sent to those places to help local residents, and
they really did a good job," one posting said. "But the United States, a
superpower, only sent several thousand soldiers to help. What a shame!"
In other countries, commentators have linked Katrina to the dangers of
global warming, and Bush's opposition to the Kyoto protocol on climate
change. "This horror is the worst possible way of realizing how important
climate change is," Marcelo Cantelmi wrote in an Aug. 31 editorial in the
Clarin newspaper in Buenos Aires. German Environment Minister Juergen
Trittin wrote in an article this week that Katrina should be a wake-up
call to the Bush administration to change its policies on global warming.
Others said the looting and chaos in New Orleans reflected a culture of
violence in the United States. The English-language Times of India on
Saturday published a quote from Sajeewa Chinthaka, a 36-year-old from Sri
Lanka, where the tsunami killed more than 30,000: "It's disgusting. Not a
single tourist caught in the tsunami was mugged. We can easily see where
the civilized part of the world's population is."
The issue of race underlies much of the global dismay over the situation
in New Orleans. The United States is seen as a land of opportunity for
some, with less for people of color. Every year, hundreds of thousands of
Mexicans sneak into the United States for work, while in Mexico, human
rights groups blast the treatment of Hispanics in the United States.
African refugees flee war and famine and find new lives in the United
States, but they also find a society where minorities are
disproportionately the poorest.
The issue has resonated in East African countries such as Uganda, Tanzania
and Kenya, where newspaper columnists and radio personalities have blasted
the U.S. government for its slow aid to victims. Among the victims are a
"disproportionately high number of visibly impoverished blacks," wrote
Ambrose Murgunga on Saturday in Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper.
In Pakistan, the English-language newspaper the Nation wrote in an
editorial Saturday that the U.S. government "for three days sat smugly
apathetic to the people's plight," noting that the largely black victims
highlighted "the inequality of wealth that continues to mark the U.S.
racial divide till this day."
In Turkey, columnist Sami Kohen wrote in Friday's Milliyet newspaper the
looting "showed 'the other face' of USA. It became clear that the number
of poor and unemployed people is seriously high and their problems had
been ignored."
In the Daily Mail of London on Saturday, columnist Anthony Holden said his
affection for the United States had always been tempered by its "me-first"
attitude. He said the largely poor and black victims of Hurricane Katrina
showed that while prosperity had come to some American blacks and other
minorities, many more had been left behind.
"Rarely," he wrote, "has such lurid evidence of the darker side of the
American dream been so brutally exposed."
Correspondents John Lancaster in New Delhi, Scott Wilson in Jerusalem,
Craig Timberg in Johannesburg, Monte Reel in Buenos Aires, Molly Moore in
Paris, Emily Wax in Nairobi, Anthony Faiola in Tokyo, Edward Cody and
Philip P. Pan in Beijing, Ellen Nakashima and Alan Sipress in Jakarta,
Indonesia, Peter Finn in Moscow, N.C. Aizenman in Islamabad, Pakistan,
Craig Whitlock in Berlin, Karl Vick in Istanbul, staff writer Mary Beth
Sheridan in Washington and special correspondent Omar Fekeiki in Baghdad
contributed to this report.
September 6, 2005
This has been forwarded to me by Gisele Caver of www.songsinthekeyofgee.com
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September 7, 2005
Stranded Pets in New Orleans Facing Starvation
People evacuating New Orleans left thousands of pets behind. Animal
advocates are trying to save some of the dogs, cats and other animals.
By OSCAR CORRAL
Miami Herald, 9/5/05
NEW ORLEANS - The howls and yelps and barks that pierce the eerie silence
of the New Orleans night torture James Lalande as he stirs in his bed.
The abandoned pets are the reason Lalande can't sleep, and the reason he
won't leave his city.
New Orleans residents abandoned thousands of pets in their hasty retreat,
leaving many to fend for themselves in the ghostly streets, with others
locked in houses and apartments or tied up in yards, according to local
animal specialists.
All over the city, animals face a horrible fate. The locked-up pets are
starving. In the famed New Orleans aquarium, more than a third of the
4,000 fish have died because there's no power to pump oxygen into the
tanks. In the zoo, a skeleton staff of 12 is struggling to feed and get
water to 1,400 hungry and thirsty animals with limited emergency
provisions.
''It's just overwhelming,'' said Laura Maloney, the executive director of
the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. ``There
are countless thousands of abandoned pets in the city. And hundreds and
hundreds are stuck inside their homes.''
Maloney said she had been flooded with calls from residents who left pets
in their homes. Many people were forced to abandon their pets because they
weren't allowed to take them on the evacuation buses.
VOLUNTEERS BREAK IN
For the past few days, about 10 volunteers have been going to addresses
where people have left animals and are breaking in to save them, Maloney
said.
''Mostly, they get in by breaking windows or getting on a second-floor
balcony,'' she said.
Not everyone in New Orleans left pets behind. Lalande, like many city
residents, refuses to evacuate without his dog, Charlie, and his cats,
Miranda and Babettes.
''I've never cried in my life, but the saddest thing in the world is when
all night long you hear dogs crying; big dogs, little dogs, medium dogs,''
said Lalande, 62. ``People left thinking they'd be gone two or three days,
but now they can't come back and their pets are starving. Tomorrow, I'm
breaking in and feeding dogs.''
Stray pets have formed packs and are roaming the abandoned city,
scavenging for whatever food they can get.
Deidre Rick, 24, took in one of them. Rick, a bartender at Johnny White's
Sports Bar, found a pit bull at her bar doorstep on Bourbon Street after
the hurricane. She named the dog Katrina.
''Somebody abandoned him, so I decided to take him in, but I don't want to
leave him now,'' she said. ``We've got a bunch of dog food that we got
from looters.''
Ron Forman, the chief executive officer of Audubon Nature Institute, said
his animal attractions were in bad shape, especially the city's aquarium,
where they've lost more than 500 fish and two otters. Two other endangered
mammals, California sea otters, are struggling to live.
''They're big furry animals with big eyes,'' said Forman, whose 18-hour
workday Saturday was interrupted for three hours when he got stuck in an
elevator at the Hyatt hotel as emergency generators lost power. ``We're
going to evacuate them in helicopters.''
The zoo fared better. Although the Jaguar Jungle attraction looks like a
scene out of the film Jurassic Park, with fallen palms, eucalyptus and
willow trees blocking the path, the animals mostly survived and are
secure. One of the huge alligators is missing, however, and some birds
died.
But the Siamang monkeys, Francis and Crown, still hoot at a visitor, and
Jean the elephant makes a special trip out of her cave for leaves from
fallen oak branches.
ZOO CONTINGENCY PLAN
Dan Maloney, the zoo's curator and husband of Laura Maloney, said the zoo
revamped its contingency plan for hurricane preparation in the early 1990s
under the advice of Miami's Metrozoo, which sustained major damage after
Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Maloney's new plan secured generators to keep
food refrigerated for the animals, for example.
Maloney said that although the zoo animals were traumatized by the
hurricane, they would recover quickly, faster than the humans would.
But he said that without the dedication of his exhausted staff, they
wouldn't survive for long.
''Unlike the people,'' Maloney said, ``the animals don't have a choice to
leave, so we stay with them.''
Black Non-Profit Helps Katrina Victims
JUNIOR ACADEMIES, INC. REACHES OUT TO COMMUNITIES FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
TO ESTABLISH SCHOOLS AND PROVIDE JOBS FOR HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS
Atlanta, GA (BlackNews.com) - Junior Academies, Inc. (JAI), is the only African American non profit 501(c)3 educational organization founded for the sole purpose of establishing equitable schools for communities where families are dissatisfied with failing school systems.
JAI is reaching out to local officials to support them in the leading and organizing of temporary schools, daycares and jobs for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
"We have to stop sitting around waiting for the government to rescue us," expressed Melodee