These poor people: A 2-year-old girl slept in a pool of urine. Crack vials littered a restroom. Blood stained the walls next to vending machines smashed by teenagers. The Louisiana Superdome, once a mighty testament to architecture and ingenuity, became the biggest storm shelter in New Orleans the day before Katrina’s arrival Monday. About 16,000 people eventually settled in. By … Read More
Katrina-propa-Gate
Perhaps responding to the criticism that Bush has been largely AWOL on Katrina, even though hundreds if not thousands of Americans have died, the White House has now put up its "hurricane relief" page, which you can see here. Right now, the photo on the page shows Bush engaging in (according to the caption) a "video teleconference with federal and … Read More
Opportunity Cost For Iraq
Via Corrente: Philly’s own Will Bunch follows the money (via the man in the grey turtleneck here) Yes, if you follow the money it turns out Bush took the money that should have been spent on New Orleans levees and pissed it away in Iraq. In fact, the very levee that burst, 17th Street, was a victim of Bush cutbacks: … Read More
The Apocalypse
Well, let’s see. The death toll from Katrina is rising. Snakes, gators and corpses are floating around in New Orleans, making the second evacuation difficult. Attempts to fix the breaks in the New Orleans levees have failed. There are whitecaps on Canal Street. Prisoners stranded in a New Orleans prison have rioted, taking a deputy, his wife and their four … Read More
Oy
According to Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon, there’s an email making the rounds. It carries the picture below and the following text: The image of the hurricane above with its eye already ashore at 12:32 PM Monday, August 29 looks like a fetus (unborn human baby) facing to the left (west) in the womb, in the early weeks of gestation (approx. … Read More
Where’s Bush?
FEMA is calling Katrina the worst disaster to hit America . . . ever. Parts of New Orleans are on fire, even though most of the city is underwater. There are fears that the entire city could turn into a "toxic lake", as the flood waters continue to pour in. Over sixty people are known dead (so far) in Mississippi. … Read More
Dodged A Bullet? Not So Much.
Looks like things are not going so well for New Orleans. A two-block section of the levee apparently gave way last night. Reports suggest that 80% of the city is flooded. Of course, I’m sure there’s plenty of Louisiana National Guardmen to help out, right? As southern Louisiana wades its way out of its terror and destruction, they will find … Read More
Katrina Blogging
WDSU (New Orleans) has a blog with good up-to-the-minute coverage. Wikipedia has good coverage round-up and background, although it is not as up-to-the-minute (and beware the troll attacks). Obviously, my decision to have a Katrina slideshow is affecting loading time of the sidebar, but I will maintain it throughout much of the day. UPDATE 11:17 a.m. EDT: Katrina downgraded to … Read More
Katrina Is Really Really Bad – Part II
From the NOAA: MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS…PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL…LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL. PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW … Read More
Katrina Is Really Really Bad
Look. We know that all hurricanes are bad. And we know that category 5 hurricanes are really bad. But something like this hitting New Orleans is perhaps the worst. New Orleans lies below sea level, and is protected by levees. It’s basically a large bowl, and even in normal weather, water has to be pumped out of the basin. And … Read More
Iraqis Cannot Agree On Constitution?
The Associated Press is reporting: Parliament announced it had no plans to gather Thursday night and no date for a future session, signaling Iraqi factions were failing to agree on a new constitution before a self-imposed midnight target. It’s the "no date for a future session" part that is alarming. It’s one thing if they are negotiating, haggling, horse-trading, or … Read More
Supreme Court Rules On Valerie Plame Journalists
The Supreme Court ruled today that journalists cannot avoid grand jury subpeonae asking them to reveal their sources (or, put another way, that journalists can face jail time for failing to reveal their sources in response to a grand jury subpoena). This puts the plaintiffs, Time magazine’s Matthew Cooper and The New York Times’ Judith Miller, in a precarious position. … Read More
Supreme Court Rules On Ten Commandments
BREAKING NEWS: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Ten Commandment displays are not permissible in courthouses. Well, that’s what the headlines are screaming at the moment. The devil, as they say, is in the details. For example, is the Decalogue permissible if it is part of a larger display about the origins of law? UPDATE No. 1: Decision was 5-4, … Read More