"When the Levees Broke"

I just finished watching Spike Lee’s most recent master work When the Levees Broke on HBO. He did a wonderful job of letting the people, the images, and the music tell the tragic story of Katrina and its continuing aftermath. His eclectic mix of people from all walks of life speaks to all of us and for all of us.

"The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government."

- Thomas Jefferson

While Federal, State, and Local officials continue to blame each other for the lack of a coordinated, professional approach to providing help where it was needed most during the Katrina disaster, homeowners in the Gulf must start paying their mortgages or the foreclosure processes will begin.

Think about it; if your city got hit by a natural disaster or terrorist attack, what would happen to you? Assuming you get out, you may be lucky and get a government assisted apartment for a couple months, where do you go from there?

Do you have credit card debt? Imagine losing everything to a natural disaster or terrorist attack and not being allowed to declare bankruptcy? The new bankruptcy laws are what American citizens get from those presently in power.
Remebering Katrina’s Victims

"I heard from my aunt last night that my cousin Denise made it out of New Orleans; she's at her brother's in Baton Rouge. From what she told me: her mother, a licensed practical nurse, was called in to work on Sunday night at Memorial Hospital (historically known as Baptist Hospital to those of us from N.O.).

Denise decided to stay with her mother, her niece and grandniece (who is 2 years old); she figured they'd be safe at the hospital. They went to Baptist, and had to wait hours to be assigned a room to sleep in;
"Make sure you tell everybody that they left us there to die!"

The following report forwarded from noguns provides an unfiltered account of the formal and informal responses to Katrina. Thank God for the kindness of strangers!

Dear Friends,
This first-hand report from New Orleans is an eye-opener. You'll never see this on the national media.

"Love is not that which reveals to us the beauty of another; it is that which reveals to us the deepest beauty within ourselves."
-- Bob Foster, 2002

[Original Message]
Date: 9/6/2005 9:59:49 PM
Subject: want to know what happened in N.O.? First By the Floods, then By Martial Law - Trapped in New Orleans By LARRY BRADSHAW and LORRIE BETH SLONSKY

Two days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the Walgreen’s store at the corner of Royal and Iberville Streets in the city's historic French Quarter remained locked. The dairy display case was clearly visible through the widows. It was now 48 hours without electricity, running water, plumbing, and the milk, yogurt, and cheeses were beginning to spoil in the 90-degree heat. The owners and managers had locked up the food, water, pampers and prescriptions, and fled the city.
Katrina - A First Person Account

Friday, September 09, 2005 2:54 AM
Subject: The Hurricane's Aftermath -
A Firsthand Account

"I just got off the phone with my ex-boyfriend, Terrell, who lives in Biloxi and who is currently between Jackson and Biloxi. I cannot imagine the horror that he is experiencing. He wished that he could show us what is really going on so, for him, I will try to share with you what he says is happening. I have no idea what to do to help, but maybe you can think of ways.
Homeland Insecurity in Mississippi

Almost one year later and much of New Orleans still bears the scars of Katrina. Now is a fitting time to remember the thousands of lives that have been forever changed by this national travesty.
Memories of Katrina on Her 1st Anniversary