"Another Hurricane, Another City"
Now her name is Rita, a lovely name, but this Rita is anything but lovely.
Within a matter of weeks, again the Gulf Coast is the target, but this time the Texas Gulf Coast
appears to be the bull's eye of Rita's arrow.
Unlike when Katrina devastated the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama portions
of the Gulf Coast, this time help is more organized and being put into place before the arrival
of not-so-lovely Rita. What should have been done a few weeks ago is now being done as it should.
A few weeks ago we said that it was not the time to point fingers of blame
but to help our people in whatever way possible. With the advent of Rita we say this is not
the time for those in the various agencies and levels of government to be full of themselves
because they are finally doing their job as they should have earlier. They should put egos aside
and get the job done. Their expertise will be needed within 48 hours.
Rather than point fingers of blame, we applaud one agency that did the job
to the best of their ability a few weeks ago. While they are the smallest of the military branches,
and while they are not necessarily trained to rescue people from rooftops, the United States
Coast Guard took matters into their own hands and acted appropriately.
To people on rooftops, those CG orange helicopters must have appeared to be
"orange angels".
Within 48 hours, another city will be the target. Will it be Houston-Galveston
or Port Arthur, TX or Lake Charles, LA? The only one who knows is the not-so-lovely Rita.
To those who make their homes on the Gulf Coast, know that no matter what
you come back to, just as in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, "We the people" will be there
to help in whatever way possible. We know that the Coast Guard will be there with their "orange angels",
hopefully this time to deliver supplies rather than to rescue people from rooftops. We are one.
THE SMALL TOWNS
The not-so-lovely Rita arrived on our southern shores this past weekend. Her path changed.
She didn't arrive in the populated centers of Houston or New Orleans, but she did arrive in places
that are dots on the map.
Rita arrived between New Orleans and Houston in a parish called Cameron. The parish population
is 10,000 or so at the best guess. The only thing left in the Parish of Cameron is the water tower
that so many North American towns have to signify their place on the map.
In places like Cameron and other Louisiana parishes and Texas counties, small towns, not recognized,
and without organization as we in the big cities know, what do they do and what do we do to help them?
Houston citizens in their cars left the fourth largest city on a freeway where their government
did not open up all four lanes of an eight-lane freeway as outbound. Those who govern Houston did not
use the rails that serve their city.
Thus we understand the peoples' frustration and decision to turn back and go home. Roughly 2.8 million
people took a chance, went home and got extremely lucky.
The Parish people weren't so lucky. Where the not-so-lovely Rita decided to land was in the small
towns of Louisiana and eastern Texas. Rita made herself known to those in the towns that are dots on
the map. The memory of her landing will remain for years.
Big cities and small towns on this continent have one thing in common. We're North American people
and we must take care of us.
While we choose not to point fingers, we ask one question. "What about those in the small towns,
those dots on the map who now have virtually nothing to call home?" What will be done? Small towns
must not be ignored.
While Katrina played "Broadway", Rita played "Peoria" and made herself known in the small towns.
We expect the small towns to be assisted just as any other North American place of living.
We expect lessons to be learned from New Orleans and not to see the small towns ignored simply
because they are dots on the map.
Oddly enough, the only thing that stands in the Parish of Cameron is the courthouse.
Nothing else is left but the seat of government. A good sign.
We'll stand by and pray that anything that's left of the Parish of Cameron, including cattle
drinking bad water, dogs and cats deserted and any people who are there will be saved.
Perhaps in our next installment, we'll take our right to point fingers. We'll see. While
we're not God almighty, we stand by our right to speak.
"Hurricane Aftermath"
According to the media, New Orleans and the Gulf Coast now rank around fourth
place when the evening news is presented nationwide. People are beginning to go home no matter
what they will find. They've been asked to "come home" by their "Lord" mayor. Is New Orleans
ready to receive its people?
Let's take a step back. Weeks after the storm, we heard that the extreme
horror in the New Orleans SuperDome did not exist at all. We don't know, we weren't there.
We do know that in this country, anyone who enters a public gathering place
is subject to search, courtesy of the threat of terrorism.
We know that many of the citizens of New Orleans who could not or chose not to
leave, arrived at a SuperDome that was not threatened by water and had electricity. Security
measures were in place but not used. Had they been used, any weapons brought to the facility's
doors would have been confiscated. At least we think that would have been the case but we weren't there.
We also don't know the details of those who were assigned to cover the entrances.
From what we understand, apparently people walked in without being searched.
There is no excuse for such stupidity, especially when the SuperDome was not threatened by flooding
waters at the time and especially with the treat of terrorism that hangs over our country as those in
New York City were again made aware of this week.
Was it ignorance, lack of organization, poor planning, no planning, desperation
by a government who had to do something or what? Only those who control New Orleans and the State of
Louisiana know.
The SuperDome was not stocked with what was needed to house and service the
thousands who sought its shelter for an unknown period of time. Emergency generators were not in
place to provide electricity when the power went out as was expected.
If such things as rape and murder allegedly took place in the SuperDome,
where were the New Orleans cops and their government? They said they were unable to rescue
people from rooftops at the time. If that was the case, where were they if such things were
happening in the SuperDome? How can they claim that they had no power to protect their citizens
who at the time were on "higher ground"? Knowing at the time that they could not rescue people from
their homes, why was there no significant police presence at and in the SuperDome?
The media appears to buy the "numbers game" that was presented by the politicians
of two stripes. We do not.
We question why the mayor of the city and the chief of police of the city openly
presented those alleged untruths regarding the SuperDome and with such emotion. We question their
suggestion of having no communication with the SuperDome. How could they know what was happening if
they didn't have communication with those inside the facility?
We don't know, we weren't there, but we ask. Whether or not it was about people
on rooftops or people in the SuperDome, to us it sounds like a prison mentality was in place from the
top to the bottom in the government of the City of New Orleans and in the government of the State of
Louisiana. And to us, the sitting government in Washington did not exercise what is expected by the
people of our country.
If, and we say IF, New Orleans officials were that desperate and unprepared and
resulted to reporting rumors, why didn't they just say that they were reporting rumors and couldn't
confirm such rumors?
If and we say IF such a prison mentality existed among those in government,
didn't they know that we'd all see it in the end? We are, after all, an open society. We know.
There are no secrets and if secrets exist in an open society, they come to light in the end. We know.
We also question why the chief of police in New Orleans decided to resign.
Did he no longer have control of the 85% of his police department that did not run away?
Did his remaining 85% take a vote of no confidence? We wonder. Is there more to be revealed? We'll see.
"THE CADILLACS"
Yes, "The Cadillacs", the great symbol of America in the South. We learned as you
that during this crisis, "Cadillacs" were commandeered from a showroom to replace police vehicles that
were said to have been under water. Of all vehicles available, why only Cadillacs?
If a police department is in charge of itself, why would it allow its vehicles to
fall prey to flooding, knowing the direction of incoming flood waters? In all fairness, perhaps some
of it was unavoidable. But in all fairness, we wonder what happened to "The "Cadlillacs" and who are
now enjoying that piece of American luxury. Does the absence of "The Cadillacs" have anything to do
with the 15% of the New Orleans Police Department that went AWOL. We don't know.
All things considered, will the mayor be next to step down? That would not
surprise us. In the meantime, we have a question for the mayor and the police chief. "Sirs, where
are "The Cadillacs"?
THE CONTROL FACTOR
We see what we consider to be the "control factor" that was/is in place in
New Orleans and the State of Louisiana.
We see a mayor, who with all good intentions, would not give up control of his
city to his State, because if he did, he would have put his state's governor in control of the city
that he was elected to govern. He did not do that as perhaps he should have. But then again, look at
the governor of Louisiana.
She did not act as efficiently as her neighboring governor in Mississippi did.
She would not give up control because if she did, she would have had to give up control to Washington
and neither she nor the mayor of New Orleans would have that. In the end, it's all about control and
we know who suffered. The people suffered.
Somewhere, someone and perhaps many are not telling the truth. We find it extremely
difficult to understand that even though people were at risk from floods, why the New Orleans and
Louisiana governments apparently did not act in the appropriate manner.
Again, was it ignorance, lack of organization, poor planning, no planning,
desperation by a government who had to do "something" or what?
One of our questions is a simple one. Are those who govern New Orleans and
Louisiana that desperate to retain control? If they are, do they have what it takes to lead the
physical rebuilding of their part of the Gulf Coast?
While we do not support the sitting government in Washington in many areas,
we also do not support anyone who cannot or will not put aside control when the lives of North
American people hang in the balance, regardless of where the fingers of blame eventually point.
The obvious thing now is to hear from those who actually experienced "life in
the SuperDome". The obvious thing is to locate the 15% of the New Orleans Police Department that
went AWOL and find out why. The obvious thing is to speak with those on lower levels of the
Louisiana and New Orleans governments and get their "take" unless their "take" is the official
"State Version Approved For Publication". The obvious thing is to find those who commandeered
"The Cadillacs" and learn why "The Cadillacs" have not been returned to the proper owner.
We said we would not point fingers of blame. To date, we have not but as we
said earlier, while we are not God almighty we stand by our right to speak and to ask questions.
To date we've seen the local government officials point fingers at Washington
and FEMA in particular. To date, we've seen Washington and FEMA go into defense mode. Read on.
MOBILE HOMES AND FEMA CITY, FL
FEMA's response to the need for emergency housing was to make available mobile
homes to those in need. The problem was that the mobile homes were miles away in northern Louisiana
and no move was made to deliver them until some in New Orleans and other areas took matters into their
own hands and went north to retrieve the mobile homes. Only then did FEMA act and in turtle speed at
that.
That being noted, have you heard of a town called FEMA City, FL? Bet you haven't.
Neither had we until the story about the mobile homes broke. Apparently in the aftermath of Hurricane
Charlie that struck Florida last year, FEMA delivered a few thousand mobile homes to a location for
many in need of housing. The location took on the name FEMA City, FL.
There is little police protection for those currently residing in FEMA City.
Thus the citizens are now subject to crime, violence, drugs and prostitution. When citizens formed a
neighborhood watch program to protect themselves, they were threatened by the thugs who control this
patch of nowhere. Yes it's real and it exists right there in Jeb Bush country.
Now here's the interesting part of the FEMA City, FL story. People there were
told that they could stay in the mobile homes for 18 months, after which, they would have to move on.
The 18-month period ends in February 2006. Does this mean that when February rolls around we will have
thousands more homeless people who will become homeless through no fault of their own?
Is this what those in Louisiana who accept mobile homes from FEMA have to look
forward to? We hope not. However, it wouldn't surprise us considering the lack of action from those
on the federal level who knew early on that a storm of devastating proportions had a major North
American city in its crosshairs and did not plan appropriately. As we reported earlier, The
United States Coast Guard is exempt from this as they were the only agency to respond appropriately.
There is much to uncover before fingers of blame can be pointed in one direction.
From what we see, there may be many directions in which to point fingers. We think that eventually,
pointing fingers is a distinct possibility if not a distinct probability.
Until that time, we continue to ask questions, make observations and wait to see
what unfolds next.
HURRICANE SEASON
The hurricane season “officially” ended a few days ago even though Hurricane
Epsilon is churning in the Atlantic headed towards the Azores.
The year 2005 is the record-breaking year for named hurricanes and it’s a year
that will long be remembered, especially by those on the Gulf Coast.
That being said, we ask how are the people on the Gulf Coast doing? We really
don’t need to ask, we know. We see that not much has changed at all. We see the citizens of New
Orleans becoming angry with their government and justifiably so. Their government has done little
to help them, just as the government in Washington has done little to “make things happen”.
Because of the lack of action, or should we say “inaction” by those in power on
the various levels of local, state and federal government, it’s no wonder that some of the citizenry
of New Orleans have threatened to take matters into their own hands.
While we don’t believe that insurrection is the best way to go, we certainly
understand the people’s frustrations. We see the people of New Orleans speaking out as we Americans
do and speaking to a mayor that obviously doesn’t have what it takes to be the leader of his city.
We see a governor who does not have what it takes to be the leader of the State
of Louisiana. However, if you saw her message during the Grambling vs. Southern University game that
was televised nationally last week, you would think that all is well in the Bayou State..
The world knows differently. Now what happens?
In our opinion, the first thing for the people of New Orleans and Louisiana to
do is to mark the date of elections on their calendars and throw the bastards out. The city
government failed to get the job done. The governor acts as a diva and she’s not Diana Ross.
The two senators and the congress people from Louisiana are silent except for the usual lip service.
Change begins within. To the people of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana,
we say, “don’t be afraid, clean house and throw the bastards out”.
To those in Washington we say, “do your job, you know what to do, you are not
doing what must be done”. You in Washington are so good at helping others throughout the world and
we agree with that. But you are extremely poor at helping our own.
What can we do? We will continue to be there as the people of New Orleans and Louisiana were here
after September 11, 2001. We are one.
In our earlier installments, we said that we would not point fingers until it
was time to do so. It’s time to do just that. We point fingers at the elected ones (not all of course)
in New Orleans, the State of Louisiana and those in Washington, DC. We point fingers at the federal
agencies who do not do their jobs as “We The People” require them to do. We all know who they are.
The only exception is the US Coast Guard who didn’t wait for “orders” but acted as human beings must
act in times of crisis.
Unlike the media, we at the Liberal Party of New York will continue to monitor
the situation. We will also monitor what happens to those in Feema City, FL, those people who were
displaced last year by Hurricane Charlie. They are the ones who in early 2006 will lose the mobile
homes provided by FEEMA. They are the citizens who live in Jeb Bush Country. What will happen to them?
Stay tuned to us. We at the Liberal Party of New York speak openly and freely.
Unlike others, we are not afraid to report the truth.
Richard Sedlisky
Vice Chairman
| 
