Congress and the War

"I cannot support an Iraq policy that makes our enemies stronger and our own country weaker, and that is why I will not support staying the course the President has set."
--Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc.

Lost in the media attention to Tom DeLay's indictment yesterday was a powerful speech on the floor of the Senate by Russ Feingold, calling again for a commitment from the President for a timetable for troop withdrawal. Feingold is to be commended for keeping a focus on this issue, while the rest of his party mills around trying to figure out something to do to define itself. The text of Feingold's speech was reprinted on the Counterpunch website, along with a scathing commentary on the lackluster war activity of other Congressional Democrats.
-G

Judy’s Out of Jail

After getting permission to testify from her source, Times reporter Judith Miller is finally out of prison after 86 days. This reporter spent three months defending her right to have anonymous sources. She will appear before a grand jury today. Her source was Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney’s chief of staff.

In case you haven’t been paying attention to the biggest scandal to hit the Bush administration, Miller was jailed in July when she refused to testify about her source for news stories about “Plamegate.” Time Mag rolled over on their source, getting Cooper off the hook. The magazine was highly criticized and many say they will have a heard time getting insider stories after this. Miller however, went to prison.

Until this past summer, President Bush said leakers in the Plame probe would be fired. But in July after it was revealed that top aide Karl Rove and Libby had been involved in the leaks, Bush said “if someone committed a crime,” he would be fired. So far the President has not followed through on his promise, and Rove still roams the White House, probably looking for ways to resurrect Bush’s standing in the polls. What will Miller say to the Grand Jury about who leaked Valerie Plame’s name to her? Stay tuned, kids. This could get real good.

Here’s the CNN story.

Protest Coverage

Here’s the bare bones: the crowd was estimated at 150,000–200,000. Cindy Sheehan, Joan Baez, Jesse Jackson. The crowd marched from the Ellipse around Washington and back. Several from Knoxville were there. Please post a comments, stories, and links below if you have photos posted from the trip. Set up a free account at www.Flickr.com to post pics. Here’s an overview of media stories.

International Coverage
Canada: Spirited Washington anti-war rally
Britain: In pictures: Washington protests
BBC: more pictures
China Daily: Tens of thousands protest Iraq policy in Washington (Reuters)

American National Coverage
Washington Post: Antiwar Protests Commence in Washington
SF Chronicle: Thousands protest the Iraq war…
UPI: Thousands protest Iraq war in DC
MSNBC: Tens of thousands rally (pics)
Washington Post: In D.C., a Diverse Mix Rouses War Protest

American Regional Coverage
Johns Hopkins: Homewood hosts anti-war activists
Pheonix: Hundreds protest Iraq war
Veterans for Peace: Thousands in Washington Protest Iraq Policy
Common Dreams: End This War
UGA Newspaper: Students to protest…rallies in Athens
Stevens Point, WI: Wisconsin residents head to Washington

What Now for the Peace Movement?

The turnout in DC was better than expected, perhaps more than 100,000. My friend Patrick and about a half-dozen friends went up to join in the rally, and thought the event was well-organized and well-attended. Liza Featherstone, blogging for the Nation, praised the event for staying on message and including a wide variety of constituency groups. Patrick, on the other hand, felt that a strong majority of the activists were over 50, and that more effort to involve students should have been made.

I went down to Nashville and hooked up with about 200 other folks for a rally at Riverfront Park (no photos available yet). I thought the turnout there was a little disappointing. Nashville ought to be able to command a larger crowd. I commend the Nashville Peace and Justice Coalition for organizing the event, but more advance work with the media and online promotion might have garnered a bigger crowd. There was a cameraman from the local Fox affiliate, but no sign of coverage on the station's website the next day (the lead story was the death of one of the stars from the Little Rascals television show).

We had some good discussion on the website about the essence of our message and how to appeal to middle-of-the-road folks with this event. Only time will tell what real impact was made. Still, even if we didn't change a single person's mind, there is something to be said for simply standing up and being counted, witnessing for what we believe in.

Nevertheless, the work needs to go on. We need some good discussion on what should come next. What specific steps should we take the keep the momentum going forward? I welcome the feedback of our readers and friends.
-G

Rally Notes

Click photo for more pics.

Wahoo! We had about 200 enthusiastic people speaking out for peace yesterday in front of West Town Mall. We had a big positive response from the public with horn honking and thumbs up. We got some load hecklers too, put no counter-protesters. I got twenty “opt out” forms filled out by parents who want to keep their children from being recruited for the military. Thanks to all who came out and said “Bring Them Home.”

The best thing that happened yesterday was that Andy Lieurance joined us in our rally. He lost his son Victoire on September 22, and he is speaking out against the war. He is a retired Navy Veteran who has changed his mind about the war. I felt fortunate to have met him.

The biggest disappointment was our response to two military guys who came out to shout at us. One guy, a marine, had just returned from Iraq and had lost 16 buddies there. They had some good point and deserved to be listened to, even if we don’t agree. in stead some of us chose to shout back and raise the level of anger and misunderstanding.

I haven’t had a chance to check the web yet for information on the Washington march, but I got a call from Paul Berney who was on the Mall in D.C. while we were in front of the mall in K-town. He was excited to be part of our local contingent in Washington. There were about 200 other events nationwide according to United for Peace and Justice.

Afterward I was a guest on Mark Harmon’s radio show “Left Turn,” along with a retired Villanova professor. We talked about democracy in the Philippines and about the Iraq war.

Tips for future protests:

• Talk to police and mall security in advance.
  
• Keep signs simple. “Stop The War” is perfect.
  
• Avoid shouting back at hecklers.
  
• Avoid costumes, signs, and flags that show disrespect.
  
• Understand how to be outspoken but peaceful.
  
• Plan a post-event chat over coffee.
  
• Take more pictures!
  
• Get more clipboards. Where did ours end up? — T

Let’s Talk Peace on Left Turn Radio

I’ve been asked to appear on the radio after our rally tomorrow. Mark Harmon hosts Left Turn, a liberal talk radio show on Knoxville’s WNOX,. The station is at 100.3 on the FM dial, and Mark’s show is from 2 to 3 pm Saturdays.

Mark interviewed Cindy Sheehan before she was in Crawford, and he came to our candlelight vigil at Volunteer Landing.

I hope you’ll all listen and call in to talk about bringing the troops home and getting this country heading in the right direction. — T

Tomorrow You Can Make a Difference!

Tomorrow you can stand up with your friends and neighbors. Tomorrow you can help a soldier. Tomorrow you can get this nation back on track by saying “Bring Them Home.” Tomorrow morning at 11:30, hundreds of Knoxvillians will gather at West Town Mall. Hundreds of thousands more will march on Washington. Let’s carry signs. Let’s support legislation. We’ll sign petitions. And we will make a difference.

Make your plans to join us. Whether you have a sign or not, whether you’ve ever protested anything or not, whether you have other Saturday plans or not — come make your voice heard.

You will see ministers and teachers there. You will see city leaders there. You will see friends and neighbors there. Knoxvillians will stand up on Saturday and say “Bring Them Home.”

See you at the mall! — T

Articulating our Position

I am grateful for all of those who are working tirelessly this week to prepare for peace events this Saturday in Washington, DC, in Nashville, in Knoxville and around the nation. I am also grateful for thoughtful progressives who have challenged us to carefully articulate why we believe that protest and a withdrawal of troops is the best way to respond to the war in Iraq.

I think first and foremost we want to send a strong message that the war was wrong in the first place. It was based on lies and deceit about the existence of weapons of mass destruction, the threat that Iraq posed to the U.S. and the link between Saddam Hussein and Al Queda. The Bush administration continues to perpetuate these lies by using Orwellian phrases like "war on terror," meant to reinforce the idea that we are fighting those who attacked us on September 11. We severely damaged our credibility in the world and our capacity for working with other nations by stepping outside of normal international processes to initiate and prosecute the war in Iraq. We spent money that we desperately needed for tracking down the real terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere, and that we clearly needed to bolster U.S. infrastructure (like in New Orleans) and emergency preparedness nationwide.

Clearly, Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, but unilateral war to remove a dictator who poses no threat to the United States is bad, bad policy. There are not enough American lives let alone the American will to invade and conquer every country with a dictator. And we continue to prop up other dictatorial governments around the world when it serves our interests in other ways. So perpetuating democracy was clearly not the goal of this war.

More Americans are ready to hear this message, and so by organizing a large, nation-wide, newsworthy demonstration, we can raise awareness and drive home this point: we never should have been in Iraq in the first place. It's a moral failure of our government.

I appreciate the argument that now that we've created this mess, we owe it to Iraq to stay until the situation is stabilized. To this concern, I offer the following:

• The old adage that "two wrongs don't make a right" applies here. This whole endeavor was not worth one drop of American, British or Iraqi blood (or anybody else's). To continue to prosecute a war that was wrong in the first place perpetuates the error.
• Politically speaking, an immediate pull-out won't fly. That's why legislation like the Homeward Bound Act calls for simply setting a timetable for withdrawal, perhaps at the end of next year.
• Committing to coming home may actually deflate some of the Iraqi insurgency, because it will send the message that we do not actually have imperial ambitions in the Middle East.
• Committing to coming home will put more pressure on the interim Iraqi government to come up with a viable, inclusive constitution as quickly as possible.
• Committing to coming home will strengthen our standing in the world and the respect and cooperation we get from other nations.

In the end, committing to coming home is the right thing to do. It gives Iraq the best chance for actually creating a stable government (our presence will continue to drive anti-American sentiment and anti-democractic activity). In the worse case scenario, if the country fractures into Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite states, there will at least be a greater degree of autonomy than before our invasion, and the country's situation will be no worse than it was under Saddam Hussein.

I appreciate the challenge to articulate the goals and purpose of this weekend's protest. We need to be thoughtful and strategic in the way we communicate our vision of peace and justice. Let's think carefully, speak clearly, and take to the streets.

-G

Five Days to Make a Difference!

In just five days, Americans will stand up and say “Bring Them Home.” Hundreds of Knoxvillians will gather at West Town Mall. Hundreds of thousands more will march on Washington. Let’s carry signs. Let’s support legislation. Let’s sign petitions. Let’s make a difference.

We’ll tell our leaders what they should already know: that the war in Iraq is hurting our disaster preparedness, bankrupting our nation financially, and ruining us morally. That the response to Katrina was days late and millions of dollars short because our attention was on Iraq.

After watching us invade a nation that was not a threat, after witnessing the killing of 25,000 Iraqis, 1900 Americans, and 44 brave Tennesseans, after seeing children left without fathers, and after seeing the hope for Iraqi democracy devolve toward civil war, we must do something to stop this military, financial, and spiritual disaster.

Come join us this Saturday. I’d like to ask each of you to do six things before then:

1. Make plans to be at West Town Mall this Saturday at 11:30.
2. Invite ten friends.
3. Print out and post ten flyers. Click here to print them.
4. Make a professional sign with us on Thursday. Click here to make a reservation.
5. Volunteer to carry a clipboard for peace. Click here to sign up.
6. Buy a button, tote bag, or t-shirt here to show everyone how you feel.

Already I have gotten emails from a Knoxville city councilman, from folks in Chatanooga, and from dozens of Knoxvillians who will stand up on Saturday and say “Bring Them Home.” I hope you will join us!-T

Carry a Clipboard for Peace

We want to gather signatures at the Knoxville's Bring Them Home Rally Saturday in Knoxville for peace legislation, and to allow parents to keep their kids safe from military recruiters. We already have volunteers coordinating events, speaking to the media, making signs, and posting flyers.

We will provide clipboards, printouts, and pens. We need 5 polite, friendly efficient people to make the rounds and get those signatures!

If you can carry a clipboard, please click on "comments" below this blog entry and leave your name, or reply to this email.

Mr. Galloway Goes to Washington

One of the coolest political moments in recent memory occured last May when British parliamentarian George Galloway testified before Congress on the "oil-for-food" issue and verbally annihilated the Bush administration and the American government for its imperialist invasion of Iraq. Galloway is now on a national tour promoting his book, Mr. Galloway Goes to Washington, and will be one of the keynote speakers at this weekend's anti-war rally in DC.

This week is critical for the peace movement. Please make plans to attend the DC rally, the Knoxville Bring the Troops Home rally, or another in your area.
-G

Welfare Dependency & Katrina's Aftermath

"New Orleans could be reconstructed by and for the very people most victimized by the flood. Schools and hospitals that were falling apart before could finally have adequate resources; the rebuilding could create thousands of local jobs and provide massive skills training in decent paying industries. Rather than handing over the reconstruction to the same corrupt elite that failed the city so spectacularly, the effort could be led by groups like Douglass Community Coalition. Before the hurricane this remarkable assembly of parents, teachers, students and artists was trying to reconstruct the city from the ravages of poverty by transforming Frederick Douglass Senior High School into a model of community learning. They have already done the painstaking work of building consensus around education reform. Now that the funds are flowing, shouldn't they have the tools to rebuild every ailing public school in the city?"
--Naomi Klein, "Let the People Rebuild New Orleans."

CBS News' Sunday Morning program had a very well-balanced look at the issue of poverty this morning. Hurricane Katrina has cast the spotlight on a topic that has nearly been forgotten, even though the numbers of Americans living below the federal poverty level has increased annually for four years running.

I appreciated some of the arguments against simply pouring more money into entitlement programs. I guess one of the things that makes me a moderate is that I believe that welfare programs have by and large led to a multi-generational dependency on the government, rather than the real empowerment. Naomi Klein's recent article for the Nation advocated a different approach: actually involving the poor people of New Orleans in the rebuilding process. "[T]he evacuees must be at the center of all decision-making," Klein writes, and she provides historical examples both from New Orleans and from the effort to rebuild Mexico City after the 1985 earthquake.

"The idea could take hold in the United States, and it must," Klein writes. "Because there is only one thing that can compensate the victims of this most human of natural disasters, and that is what has been denied them throughout: power. "
-G

John Edwards 2008?

"We believe in giving voice to those who have no voice. That's what the Democratic Party is supposed to be about."
--John Edwards

Okay, so I'm seriously jumping the gun here. Progressives need to focus on two major issues right now. The time is ripe for the anti-war movement to turn the tide and rally public opinion and get Congress to commit to a date for a pull-out from Iraq. Secondly, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has exposed American poverty for what it is to comfortable folks who thought we didn't really have those problems anymore, and now maybe we can do something about it.

And, we need to focus on the 2006 mid-term Congressional elections, where rising anti-war and anti-poverty sentiments might make a difference and break the Republicans' rule.

Still...it's hard to avoid the allure of the Big Dance, even with it being three years away. And John Edwards, my personal pick for the nomination in 2004, is saying all the right things while he quietly positions himself for a run. His theme of "two Americas" resonated with those who remember what the Democratic party used to be about. Bluenecks identify with Edwards immediately, and history teaches us that the electorate easily follows a Southern progressive. Since FDR, every single Dem elected president with the exception of John Kennedy was a Southerner (if you count Harry Truman's Missouri as the South, which I do).

And for Pete's sake, let's please drop all this Hillary business!

Look, I know Edwards isn't the perfect candidate. His biggest liability right now was his support for the invasion of Iraq. But the Nation's John Nichols finds some hope on this issue, too, as Edward's wife Elizabeth wrote a passionate letter in support of Cindy Sheehan's vigil this summer. Anyway, I welcome comments and discussion on this issue, and if you're ready to carry the Edwards banner in 2008, you can go ahead and get your t-shirts and bumperstickers here (and while you're at it pick up some Bluenecks gear, too).
-G

The Corporation

I want to encourage everyone to go out and rent the documentary "The Corporation" based on the book The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan. I was absolutely enthralled watching this two-hour-plus exploration of the way in which corporations have become the dominant institution in our lives.

The movie is a bit overly-polemic at times, and repetitive, and I'm sure free market purists would scream that it doesn't show all the positive things that corporations have brought to our lives, but I thought that overall, the film was thoughtful. The filmmakers are not espousing Marxism and the abolition of corporations (they are too realistic for that). Many of the people interviewed, including anti-corporate activists, acknowledge that the corporation is probably here to stay, but we can expect it to function as a decent citizen in our communities and the world.

A companion DVD includes more in-depth interviews with dozens of folks featured in the film. Among those who especially fascinated me were Naomi Klein, the "Gen-X' columnist for the Nation, whose book No Logo explores the total human cost of globalized capitalism and alternatives to the current system, and Ray Anderson, CEO for the carpet company Interface, who describes his conversion to a sustainable corporate ethic.

The website for the film provides lots of resources for grassroots activism and next steps for those who are concerned about reigning in the power of corporations over our lives.
-G

End of the Bush Era

"[President Bush's] policies are failing, his approach to leadership is detached and self-indulgent, his way of politics has produced a divided, angry and dysfunctional public square. We dare not go on like this."
--E.J. Dionne, Washington Post

You've all got to read E.J. Dionne's kick-ass column from today's paper.
-G

Unionizing in Morristown

A group of 700 mostly Mexican chicken processing plant workers in Morristown, Tennessee has made the news in New York City. They won the right to unionize as part of a new movement to organize minorities.

The United Food and Commercial Workers won its union vote at the Koch Foods plant last week. They will represent workers like Antonia Lopez Paz, who cut up chickens at a rate of 42 per minute for $7.77 an hour or less without bathroom breaks. When boxes on a chute in the plant broke Delores Smith’s glasses, she was told the company would pay less than 20% of the replacement cost.

United Food and Commercial Workers joined the Teamsters and Service Employees International Unions that split with the AFL-CIO this summer known as “Change To Win”. Backed by the muscle of the Teamsters, this new movement seeks to revive the dying labor movement in America and especially in the anti-labor South with aggressive organizing.

Workers and organizers visited area church, including my own Church of the Savior here in Knoxville. Members wrote letters of support to the union and even planned to attend a union rally, though forced overtime by Koch required a rescheduling of the event.

Read more about this bold new unionizing effort here, and the Koch Foods workers here. — T

Bring Them Home T-shirts

Download flyers here.
Sign up for a protest signmaking workshop here.

Get yourbuttons, t-shirts, and tote bags online with the BRING THEM HOME logo. Buy them soon enough to get them shipped. But, since they have no date, so they will get your pro-peace message out even after the rally.

They're 100% cotton and 100% peace. All I am saaaayin', is give this t-shirt a chance.

Bring Them Home Signs

Buy "Bring Them Home" t-shirts and buttons here.
Download flyers here.

Are you planning to attend our big "Bring Them Home" Rally
and you don't have a good sign to carry? I have just the thing...

Protest Sign Workshop
Tuesday, Sept 20, 4-6 p.m. (register by Monday at noon)
or Thursday, Sept 22, 4-6 p.m. (register by Wedneday at noon)
Space is limited. Reserve a spot by emailing signsATesper.com Use the subject line "Protest Sign Workshop."

Professional signmaker Patty Smith will host a workshop for folks planning to come to the Sept. 24 "Bring Them Home" Rally. This workshop is free and sign materials are provided.

You can make a sign with the rally's slogan "Bring Them Home," or Patty can help you make another sign with a short, punchy phrase. Other ideas include "Biloxi Not Baghdad," and "We Need the Guard at Home."

Bring Them Home Flyers

Download flyer here.
Buy "Bring Them Home" t-shirts and buttons here.
Sign up for a protest signmaking workshop here.

Our upcoming BRING THEM HOME RALLY on Saturday, Sept. 24 in front of West Town Mall promises to draw hundreds of Knoxvillians. I'm already getting lots of email. At this point I need each of you to help out by printing and distributing the attached flyer.

We have no budget, but most of you have access to a printer. Crank out as many copies as you can and get them up all over town. Telephone poles in busy pedestrian spots, community bulletin boards, and your car window. Park where people can see it!

Please post comments below after you have put up flyers!

Thanks,

Todd Duren
Media Coordinator,
"Bring Them Home" Rally

Secrecy and Security

On this anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Americans are asking themselves serious questions about whether we are more secure than we were four years ago, and what real security really means. In addition to being prepared for terrorist incidents, real security ought to mean that we are stronger as a nation in our commitment to the liberties, freedoms and open government that make this country great in the first place.

Unfortunately, one of the greatest casualities of our so-called "war on terror" has actually been an erosion of open government and individual liberty. Jackie Northam, reporting on NPR's "Morning Edition" last week, did a couple of stories that explored these issues in depth. On Thursday she reported on how government employees classified nearly 15 million documents last year, more than four times the number in 2001, at a cost of about $7 billion. On Friday she explored practice of the government invoking the "state secrets" privilege to squash court cases and open records inquiries.

The best way we can honor the memory of those who gave their lives on September 11, 2001, is to advocate for real national security, which means, in part, an open and honest government.
-G

Knoxville Bring Them Home Rally

BRING THEM HOME RALLY
Saturday, Sept 24, 11:30 a.m.
West Town Mall, Knoxville, TN

Buy Bring Them Home t-shirts and buttons here.
Download flyers here.
Sign up for a protest signmaking workshop here.

People in towns and cities across the nation are raising their voices on this national day of action. Come out and help Knoxville do the same. In less than two weeks Knoxville can make a statement about the dishonesty that lead us into the war in Iraq, the bungled planning that has kept us there, and the domestic crisis that requires that we bring soldiers home. Come out and help us make that statement.

Come join hundreds of Knoxvillians to ask:
• Why are our soldiers dying in Iraq without better armor?
• Where are the Iraqi nuclear weapons we were told exist?
• What is the Iraqi connection with 9/11 we were told about?
• Where is the Iraqi democracy we were promised?
• Where are the weapons of mass destruction we heard about?
• Where is the National Guard to help with hurricane Katrina?

Families of soldiers serving their country deserve answers from our president and our leaders. Learn what you can do to be heard in Washington and to help bring the troops home!

Register for the Rally!
If you have not done so, please click on "comments" below to let us know you are coming to the big rally and march. Priority will be given to registered participants.

What's a Liberal?

A relative who recently checked out Bluenecks at my urging, responded to the website by saying he thought the blog was “too liberal” (by which I think he meant “too radical”) and that it would turn off moderates whom we would like to appeal to. I appreciated the feedback, and it made me reflect on why Todd and I started the blog in the first place. In sum, I think we were motivated in three ways:

• To provide some witness, however meager, against the war in Iraq; regardless of whether we changed anybody’s mind, we felt a need to do something, even if it was just to say, “I want to be on record as being against this thing!”
• To rally other like-minded individuals, especially the endangered species of the Blueneck (an educated Southerner who is politically progressive), to discuss the issues of the war and politics in general and how we might collectively push the broader political discussion in our direction.
• Finally, and more as an afterthought, to appeal to moderate thinkers who are not committed politically one way or the other to support our cause, or to change the hearts and minds of those who disagree with us.

I think we’ve done a good job so far with the first two goals; on the third issue, perhaps we ought to be more mindful of how we present ourselves. As a passionate voter, I have a tendency to sometimes demonize the other side unnecessarily. The irony in my relative’s comment, however, is that I actually consider myself a moderate. In a future post, I’ll explore what I mean by this, but suffice it to say for now that I don’t believe I’m an extremist, and that in fact I think it is the current presidential administration and Congress that is out of step with the majority of American voters. Perhaps relative to their right-wing agenda, I do indeed appear to be a liberal.

I’ll write more on this later. For now, let me just say that we welcome a vigorous discussion on this blog, and anyone who wants to share their thoughts, whether they agree with us or not, is encouraged to post comments and give us feedback.

So there, I’ve issued the invitation: liberals, moderates and conservatives (whatever those words mean), let us have it!
-G

Biloxi or Baghdad?

“This is a national emergency. This is a national disgrace.

“This is not a FEMA operation. I haven’t seen a single FEMA guy. We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can’t bail out the city of New Orleans.”
— Terry Ebbert, New Orleans homeland security adviser

“Get off your asses and do something!”
— New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin

By now we’ve all seen hours of coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Clearly we are dealing with a huge natural disater. What began as a tragedy on a par with 9/11 has worsened exponentially. The refugees, the looting, the walking wounded, the corpses—I don’t need to tell you. But, the disaster within the disaster has been the poor Federal response to Katrina due to shameful incompetence, shocking arrogance and serious funding cuts to pay for the war.

Shameful Incompetence
The first and most obvious question: How can an evacuation be mandatory with no mass transit made availble? There are busses, ferries, streetcars, and Amtrak trains in New Orleans. Why were they not used? The second obvious question: an empty city has to be protected from looting and lawlessness. Why wasn’t the National Guard called in right away? Perhaps because Louisiana National Guard is currently serving in Iraq.

Shocking Arrogance
The public responses from the Bush Administration has been terrible on an emotional level. Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff has implied that poor people brought this on themselves by not getting out of town. FEMA Director Michael Brown said he was unaware of the tens of thousands at the convention centre until Thursday, despite the fact they had been advising people for days to gather there. President Bush joked about New Orleans being a party town from his college days. Even the conservative Manchester Union Leader in New Hampshire slammed Bush’s poor response, writing that “A better leader would have flown straight to the disaster zone....”

By Thursday New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was in tears. “Get off your asses and do something!” he pleaded in an interview. Even Ted Koppel was exasperated by the bungled efforts. He told Homeland Security head Michael Chertoff, “Here we are essentially five days after the storm hit and you’re talking about what’s going to happen in the next couple of days.... You didn’t make preparations for what was going to happen in the event that [a category four storm hit]. Why didn’t you?”

Serious Funding Cuts
Perhaps the most damning evidence of poor leadership from the White House is the funding diverted from New Orleans last summer for the war in Iraq. In June 2004, Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, said that money for levee repair had been moved for Homeland Security and the war in Iraq.

In 2001, FEMA reported that a hurricane hitting New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. But the Bush administration cut funding for New Orleans flood control by 44% to pay for the Iraq war. Emergency managers in New Orleans had been warned that the levee system could break in a major hurricane. And yet this week Bush told Diane Sawyer, “I don’t think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees.”

The simple fact of the matter is that with a staggering national deficit run up by the Republicans, it is not possible to run a war and have enough money for natural disasters. We have to choose between Biloxi and Baghdad. — T

Katrina and Questions about the Government

We have all watched the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina with awe and horror. Liberal bloggers have banded together to help our red state neighbors recover from the disaster, with the goal of raising one million dollars for relief. Bluenecks support this effort and encourage you to consider a contribution.

I have been a bit uncomfortable with the fierce criticism of the federal government for its slow response to the hurricane. After all, this was a natural disaster of unfathomable size. But the truth is, governmental policies may have contributed to the problem. David Corn documents how our energy policies, declining federal support for flood control, and especially the war in Iraq, may play a role. By some estimates, as many as one third of Louisiana's national guard are stationed oversees, unable to assist in their primary mission of providing security and support in times of disaster and civil unrest.

Now is the time for helping our neighbors. But these questions must eventually be asked--and answered.
-G