Humid City Collumn for Powers and Morrison

Well the apocalypse seems to the outside world to be a year gone by. To those of us in the Forbidden Zone however it is still going on. I have been trying to come up with something worthy of the one year mark and have failed. I know we are not okay, I know we are on our own. So here instead are the heartfelt words of my younger sister, who had just returned from years living in Birmingham, Al when Katrina arrived to crash the party.

Please accept this simple letter and try to see not just New Orleans and its surrounding areas, but also home as seen through a native's eyes. And now my sister's words:

"Wow, one year ago today the world stood still, or turned upside down, or just plain drowned. At least that's what happened in my neck of the woods. It took days to hear back from family in regards to their where abouts and safety. Many of my friends I didn't know how they were for almost 3 months. And I was the lucky one. Katrina forever changed life in south Louisiana, along with the rest of the gulf coast. I will never forget the endless sounds of choppers overhead, the processions of ambulances and military vehicles down I-10. The mandatory curfews and the loss of all night gas stations and wal-marts. just things we take for granted. It was so surreal. I saw law enforcement vehicles from as far a California and Chicago. And then the masking taped numbers on the back of the ambulance doors. So They can keep track of them. I have picture of Ambulance 01 and another of ambulance 3hundred something. Yes there were that many ambulances, plus. Baton Rouge doubled over night. The city was not prepared to take on all of the evacuees. And never on such a permanent basis.

So now one year later things have changed some. Baton Rouge traffic is a complete nightmare So many people have stayed here after the storm. Everywhere you look people are wearing Fleur di lis (the iconic symbol of New Orleans). What's strange are the things you take for granted. Like a simple trip to the shopping mall for most New Orleanians has become a trip an hour north to the Mall of Louisiana. Business is booming there. I would say at least a 3rd of my clientele are from the crescent city on weekends. They tell me there is no place to shop down there. So many things are not open and may never reopen. If a restaurant in NOLA is up and running at normal pre-Katrina hours it probably still has limited menu items because of the supply structure. My mom's next door neighbory was forced to trade in her new SUV for a 13 year old car and her house is up for sale because she was a mortgage broker for south LA, and her bank went out of buisness do to Katrina and she lost most of er clientele because of the sotrm. The things that make NOLA home are still far from being returned to normal. No street cars traverse the grand avenues of St. Charles. And the children and adults of this community live in a state of angst when any talk of inclement weather or possible tropical activity is started. NOLA is still hurting, some places look like the did pre-K and others still resemble an atomic bomb blast. And then there are the echo's of the empty streets, the empty houses and neighborhoods.

With all my heart I want to return to my home town now more than ever. It's not something that would make since to you. But the song says it all. Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans. And I do. I do so very very much. It's in my blood. And to thin 6 short days pre-K I finally convinced my husband to move to LA with the intent of making New Orleans saddens me. I see so many familiar places when they show the gulf coast. I see big gaping wounds to the landscape and it brings tears to my eyes. So many things that made my city special have been forever changed and so has her image. The media, the mayor and our Governor are at fault for that. If people could only see NOLA through the eyes of a native they would truly understand why she must never be allowed to die.

So New Orleans needs your thoughts and prayers. As does the rest of the gulf coast. This country was a mere pittance before the Louisiana purchase. New Orleans is almost 300 years old and is rich in culture and history. It is the birth place of jazz, the cocktail, beignets and the home of creole and Cajun food. We are are not trash and shouldn't be thrown away like we are indispensable. No one ever ever told Miami not rebuild after Andrew. And they get hit almost every year by a storm.

Well, tonight my friends in Miami are in my prayers as another storm appears to be knocking on their doorstep.

Well, goodnight
Best of wishes
From this NOLA girl"

--George "Loki" Williams is a Political News Columnist for
PowersAndMorrison.com, he can be reached at:
humidcity@gmail.com
http://www.powersandmorrison.com/Blogs-MainPages/Blogs-Loki.html

New Orleans Is Just Fine

[Aug. 11th, 2006|08:06 am]

The other day I was corresponding with another writer in Germany via email. When I made a comment about rubble in the streets he was shocked. "We haven't heard anything about New Orleans since right after the disaster. Everyone here thought things were back to normal," was his reply. Needless to say, this upset me greatly. What upsets me even more is that it is a viewpoint shared quite often by my own countrymen here in the beknighted US of A.

Today's column will not be my own words, instead it is a copy of an email forwarded to me by another local New Orleans blogger, a letter that gives a window into the reality behind the "French Quarter is Okay," idea that most people have from the mainstream media coverage. The following is from a local business in the single most intact area of the city. It is a few weeks old now and is still accurate. I present it completely unedited and as I originally received it. The business name is kept anonymous at the request of the author.

"Yes, we are desperately hanging on... Running onlyabout 20% of pre-
thing. We believe and everyone we speak with believes that we have a
service business absolutely vital to the quarter and surrounding
area. We have lost use of our bank account and credit cards because
we couldn't keep up. Our credit is destroyed. Our landlord has
reduced our lease payment by 28% for June, July, august, and
September, but we can't even make that. I have to call him tomorrow
to tell him we still don't have our august rent. We haven't been able
to pay payroll since march. We've not been able to pay our [much
larger] electric bills [Entergy] since were opened. We now owe them
almost $4,000. Our smaller staff feels that with what we do -
bringing crucial technology services, parts and training to the
residents and visitors of the quarter - it would be criminal if we
were forced to close. Our friends, neighbors, and visitors are
begging us daily not to close.

We first opened in January 2004 and paid the bills from the first
day. For the first time in the French Quarter one could buy a
keyboard or a mouse without having to drive to Metairie, or ordering
online - if they could even get online. We help people connect with
the world every single day, from all over the world.

I re-opened on October 3rd, when the stench in the quarter was at its
worst and so very few places were open, and gave free internet access
and telephone service to anyone who needed it for weeks until the
landlord insisted on being paid rent. Dozens located loved-ones and
pets all over the country using our services during that time. It was
enough to make you weep. A state trooper from New Jersey broke down
crying as he sent an email to his wife describing what he'd seen -
the diplomas and marriage certificates floating in muck, prom
dresses, toys, everything one can imagine, including lives... All
destroyed.

I lost my own home. not due to flood, but because the landlord hired
a group of non-local laborers to go in and get the reeking freezer
and fish tanks out of there. They stole whatever they wanted, which
was just about everything. I think they left me with 3 t-shirts and
some dishes. I slept on the floor of the store with my three cats
[who I had evacuated to Texas with me] until Christmas eve, when a
customer turned friend whose family would not let his 80 year-old
self return to new Orleans, opened his condominium to me.

I operated the shop by myself until late November. While 'living' in
the store, on November 16th, I had a stroke while I slept. Customers
got to me and got me to medical help. Thank god for their care and
for the tents of the 'spirit of charity hospital' [at the convention
center at the time], and for Touro infirmary. Mostly recovered now,
but with effects [and medical bills] I'm told I'll suffer the rest of
my life. I need carotid artery surgery if I want to live. No chance
of affording insurance. No help available from any level of
government, the medical business offices tell me as they call wanting
payment. My prescriptions run about $1,200 a month. I can only afford
to get those filled that medical people tell me I must take to stay
alive. 3 out of 22 I believe. Local medical people have helped to get
two of those donated by the pharmaceutical companies because they are
vital to live.

On our block [the 800 block of Chartres, between st Anne and
Dumaine], 'le Madeline's' has never reopened and just recently
vacated - a huge-huge setback for the quarter. Same with 'three dog
bakery' on royal street. The 'librairie bookshop' is barely staying
alive, as is the now mostly closed 'violet's' and it's 2 sister
stores on the square. It's been published that they're surviving off
their credit cards and hope to hang on until things improve [does
anyone have any idea when that will be?]. Harry Anderson's [of
TV's 'night court' fame] 'sideshow' tried to make it and couldn't.
they've now sold the building, which was also their home. Harry has
also been forced to close 'Oswald's' the speakeasy and his comedy
club which was at esplanade and Decatur. He's lost his money and more
importantly, his dream. He loved new Orleans. He and his wife,
Elizabeth, are leaving for Asheville, north Carolina at the end of
September. He's also vacated the space he rented for his magic shop
in the old'wing lee laundry' at 830 Chartres.

Continuing on, 'in theory' a men's clothing shop next to the wing lee
never reopened and has had to vacate. 'the padded cell' has been
trying for months to open in that space and cannot, due to lack of
funds and resources. The 'idea factory' gave up and has closed until
September 1st. I'll be stunned if he reopens based on our discussions
and the decline we're all experiencing. 'bel et bon', on the other
side of us is never open. We are the only shop open in the two blocks
on our side of the street.

The uniform store that was fully-stocked and poised to open on the
weekend of the thing, never did open andthe space sits vacant at
Madison and Chartres.

French Quarter Realty tells me they are only doing about 20% of pre-
thing sales. Seems 20% has taken the place of what was 35% when all
the first-responders were here to help. Neither number allows any of
us 'mom and pop's' to survive.

'Arthur's', once on royal and Dumaine did well immediately after
reopening, moved to canal place, and failed within 60 days. 'the
Bienville shop' on the other side of the square did all of $1,500 in
sales from reopening through January 1st. They are now closed. The
coffee shop just down from him never reopened and vacated.

The pontalba café on the square, once with scores of tables filled
all day, never has more than a few tables to serve now. Same with
peré Antoine's at royal and st Anne. The 'alpine' never has anyone in
there anymore. 'Chartres house' too, is always empty. The fancy
restaurants I hear are doing well. Anything less than 'big name' or
fancy, are barely surviving, if they are open at all.

When I was able I'd walk from block to block in the quarter to see
how business was surviving. Immediately following jazz fest, 48[!]
businesses closed their doors forever. I expect many more will be
forced to close before September 1st arrives. There are no lines at
banks. You can get right to a teller.

We have lost our central a/c [$3,500], 5 printers and 6 computer
systems since reopening due to power fluctuations, which are not
covered by insurance. We can't afford toner for our copier and
haven't been able to sell copies to our customers for months. We
can't replace inventory. What we do here at our shop is my own dream
and that of those wonderful saints who work with me; to bring today's
technology to our French quarter neighbors and visitors. I will do
everything in my power to continue, but we cannot survive on less
than $50 a day in sales. We know that comp-usa could come in, stuff
the place with parts and inventory and do far more than we, but they
couldn't love their customers or provide the caring service that we
do.

We want to start giving much needed, much in demand classes - that
would bring in much needed revenue. We need about $3,000 in equipment
and material to start. We don't have it and don't know where we could
get it.

We believe in the French Quarter. We are dedicated to what we do.
It's all about heart. We have it and we believe our existence this
long throughout what we've all been through has proven it. We won't
pull theplug, but very soon BellSouth will turn off our phones,
Entergy will turn off our lights, or some other creditor or the
landlord will pull it for us. we need help. We need it now. Please...

Thank you for sharing with the Governor."

We Are NOT Okay, we are fighting for our very survival here and the sad fact of the matter is that our countrymen are unaware of it. There are many of us who are in even worse situations, as I said at the beginning this missive comes from the most intact part of our city.

As we approach the one year mark it is hard to maintain optimism. It seems as though the biblical Job would be right at home in the New New Orleans. If we cannot force our governmental bodies to act for the common good, as is their mandate, then we have truly lost that which makes America great. We do not want handouts, contrary to the voices of the far right. We want action taken to fulfill the responsibilities of promoting the general welfare and ensuring domestic tranquility. We are working and fighting for our homes, families and traditions. We are fighting for survival.

1 comment|post comment

This Is A Test - Aug 7, '06

[Aug. 7th, 2006|11:37 pm]

[

Tags

fraud, new_orleans, nola, unified_new_orleans_plan, unop

]

This is a test of the Democracy Broadcast System.
This is only a test.
If there were real democratic process in New orleans you would be told what to vote.

The UNified New Orleans plan is the group that the state is looking to in order to decide how to spend the federal funding we have fought tooth and nail for. They are soliciting community input, or making a show of doing so, via their website.

Now the website, and the means of polling this vital data, are highly supect due to a lack of accountability and tracking that would make Bush proud. allow me to quote one of the New Orleans bloggers on the subject:

alan Guttierez - Blogometer- All you need in order to vote to choose your planner on the the UNOP web site is a valid email address. This means that anyone with an email address can vote in this process. They do not have to be a resident of New Orleans.

How will we be able to verify that a given email address belongs to a particular neighborhood and district, let alone to New Orleans? (Answer, you can't.) How will we be able to independently verify the results? (Answer, it's too late.)

For some people it's easy to create as many email addresses as they would like. They can vote as many times as they would like.

Yet for many citizens of New Orleans, obtaining an email address, or getting access to a computer is now a major challenge.

The UNOP has managed to develop a polling system that is trivially easy to fool, while at the same time extremely exclusive and difficult to use.

Any reasonable technology professional would be honest about how unscientific online polls are. They should only be used for entertainment purposes. (This process could hardly be considered entertaining.)

If all of our efforts in this democratic process are to be captured in what amounts to a web site's guest book, I have no problem with that. But please, stop calling this a "democratic process". Let's let this be the final insult to democracy.

There is now an ongoing campaign to demonstrate and document the irregularities presented by this highly questionable process. The following link will bring you not only to insructions for how to vote repeatedly in the process (please document it if you do and let us know) but also a very lively and detailed discussion of the situation.

Our very survival is on the lines and this is the way the voice of the people will be heard? Enough is enough.

please stop by, read, comment, get informed. The people of the US have proven their greatness of heart over the past year while our elected officials have done the opposite. I implore you, continue to care!

,a href="http://humidcity.com/2006/08/07/election-fraud/">This link</a> will take you to the detailed post on my own site.
This link will take you to the central thread.

Fear and Loathing in New Orleans

[Aug. 2nd, 2006|11:35 am]

[

Tags

corps_of_engineers, gulf_coast, katrina, levee, new_orleans, rising_tide

]

Almost a year. Time flies when you're not having fun.

As Tropical Storm Chris gains force in the Gulf shivers of fear run through the New Orlans returnees. Like the biblical Job we are beset by an endless series of trials and tribulations. FEMA, Nagin, Katrina Fatigue, and devastation take their ever increasing toll on a daily basis while we look to the weather satellites with wary eyes.

You see, Hurricane Season began on June 1st but the storms do not usually start showing up until around now. Now is the summer of our discontent. Now is the time when all the stress and fear and heartsickness forces its way to the surface and creates chaos. Everywhere in the US seems to be struggling with heat waves, heat waves that are on a par with a nice sunny day here. Think about the heat in New Orleans. Think about the way that it affects people and their temperments. Now consider the violence that has recently been trumpeted across the mainstream media, especially the shooting on St Charles Ave. (our largest and most historic street)

We are a people abandoned and on edge. For every dipshit you read about squandering his FEMA money on strippers there are a dozen families that are in dire straights. Yes, people have been supplied with trailers (many of them anyway), but trailers are not rated to survive even low amplitude Storm winds. Trailers are often unoccupied because electricity was not set up for them. Ever try to fit a family of 5 into a trailer that has about two small rooms of space and no privacy? Consider it.

"They (New Orleanians) just keep asking for handouts," is a common refrain. And one that would actually hold more weight if it had been Katrina that did us in. It was not. Pure and simple fact is that the Army Corps of Engineers have admitted publicly that they were at fault. That relic of the 1950's "enigineering as God," mentaily that holds no wieght in a world that operates through complex systems and chaos math. It was an Act of Man, not of God.

The entire Gulf Coast has been dealt a blow of epic magnitude. There are areas of Mississippi that have been swept clean of entire townships (Read my fellow columnist Herb Phelps on Powers and Morrison for news from the ground there). It is a tragic situation. The big difference is that New Orleans survived the Storm intact. It was the next day, when the Levees built by the ACoE failed that the city filled with water and tragedy. Unbeknownst to the average American these are actually two different disasters. They are both horrible and heartbreaking to behold, but they are seperate issues.

The fact that we are constantly bombarded by the dispariging statements of the extreme right is a massively disheartening thing for a people trying to put things back together IN SPITE OF the governing bodies that are supposed to hold up their end of the social contract and do so. We do not want or need any more of these "voices of reason." What we need are practicalities. Wetlands restoration is at the top of the list.

Mother Nature has a longer and better track record than the Corps. The antiquted approach of forcing things, a hallmark of the current administration, will no longer work. Our wetlands have been vanishing at an astounding rate (acres per day) for years, and primarily due to Corps projects like the MRGO. These are the coastal barrier against storm surges like the ones that nearly wiped us out last year. They must be restored.

In an effort to foster the sharing of information and resources about this I and a number of other New Orleans based bloggers are organizing a conference called Rising Tide. It will be a forum for sharing information and resources on Katrina and her aftermath, as well as an opportunity to dispel some of the myths that have entered the equation since her landfall. More details can be found at http://humidcity.com/2006/07/23/dear-bloggers/

-George "Loki" Williams is a Political News Columnist and New Orleans Correspondant for
PowersAndMorrison.com, he can be reached at:
humidcity@gmail.com
http://www.TransmissionsFromTheHumidCity.PowersAndMorrison.com

Independence Day- Day 310 Post K

[Jul. 4th, 2006|10:32 am]

[	Current Location	\|	Uptown New Orleans	]
[	music	\|	Twilight Zone Marathon on SciFi Channel	]

In honor of Independence Day, 2006 I would like to offer up a selection of voices from New Orleans. The voices of people lucky enough to be back in New Orleans and twice blessed by actually having access to the internet. But first, my own two cents. Liberal and conservative alike have been forced to adopt an attitude of Sinn Fein in the wake of our abandonment after the levees failed. No matter the blind adherence to party lines that has become the norm, the harsh realities of life in the Forbidden Zone quickly dispel any perceived ideological bias. It all comes down to very simple issues. 1)The people in power did not do their jobs. 2)In our time of need as a people we are abandoned by our supposed representatives and left to rot.

It is a common feeling that we are a people without a voice in these post flood days, and democracy is supposed to be all about the voice of the people. We Are Not OK, and the reasons for that are especially painful on this day of national pride. How hard it is to cookout amidst the rubble, celebrating freedom. Wave to the nice HumVee full of National Guard!

So without further ado I would like to share some Independance Day comments from across the New Orleans Scene. Lets start with Da Po Blog, where my own feelings are echoed most succinctly.

July 4th for the rest of America. But not in this part of the world. Down here, Independence Day is August 29th.

Only, on August 29th, 2005, we didn’t declare independence from our country, our country declared independence from us.

When the federally built levees broke before they were overtopped and the flood waters came in, somehow it wasn’t America’s problem. It was our problem.
http://dapoblog.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_dapoblog_archive.html

Hmmm. Total abandonment of the social contract, eh? Having watched from afar as the levees broke and then the total lack of action on the part of the Powers That Be, I would have to give that one a big yes. To wit, Dangle 24/7's memo:

MEMO

TO: New Orleans Television Stations, South Louisiana Newspapers & FEMA

From: Me

Unless you are talking about Mississippi or Jefferson and St. Tammany Parish, please quit saying Katrina debris removal.

If there is debris to be collected in Orleans, St.Bernard and Plaqumines Parish, it is Corps of Engineers’ Debris Removal, not Katrina Debris Removal.

There should be no discussion as to whom is responsible for the entire cost.

Dangle24-7

http://soulofneworleans.blogspot.com/2006/06/get-it-right-damn-it_28.html

Ashley Morris, who gave us the SinnFein meme, weighs in:

I have made quite clear to the people here that I consider myself not an American, but a New Orleanian. They appreciate that, and they express shock in the evident abandonment of America's greatest city by its adminstration. One of the questions I've been asked frequently is "what is happening to all that oil in Iraq"? The only response I have is for them to ask Dick Cheney.

http://ashleymorris.typepad.com/ashley_morris_the_blog/2006/07/dateline_vienna.html

I think you can begin to see the general tenor of things here. As we await the first hurricane, and it will come, we realize that should another Big One (tm) hit we can count on NO help from outside. We are truly alone. My father fought for this country as did my grandfather and my finacee's grandfather, did they do so in order to see their families ignored in time of need? As a result I find this Independence Day a sad one, in so many ways a travesty. The Gulf Coast was nearly obliterated by Katrina, the next day we were inundated by floodwater caused by the criminal malfeasance of the Army Corps of Engineers. Two seperate disasters all to commonly considered one and the same.

What about another voice from NOLA? Minor Wisdom brings us an extensive array of appropriate quotes, the first few of which I will present here:

"Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose." Kris Kristofferson.

While I like this quotation, the ones below the fold are, I think, more challenging and thought provoking. Happy Independence Day. And remember, "Freedom means never having to say you're Tory." R. Ward.

"Pervading nationalism imposes its dominion on man today in many different forms and with an aggressiveness that spares no one.... The challenge that is already with us is the temptation to accept as true freedom what in reality is only a new form of slavery." Pope John Paul II.

"Every time we turn our heads the other way when we see the law flouted—when we tolerate what we know to be wrong—when we close our eyes and ears to the corrupt because we are too busy, or too frightened—when we fail to speak up and speak out—we strike a blow against freedom and decency and justice." Robert F. Kennedy.

http://raymondpward.typepad.com/rainman2/2005/07/freedom.html

And here we have the voice of a military veteran chiming in. GentillyGirl reminds us all of a historical tidbit and then pursues it nicely in her full post:

It’s the Fourth of July weekend, a celebration of the Founding of this nation called the United States. Almost 203 years ago, our land, my ancestors’ land, was sold to the U.S. We did not get a say in this. Jefferson didn’t want the entire area… he wanted New Orleans. The price of the entire parcel of land changed his and Madison’s minds.

http://gentillygirl.com/2006/07/01/speaking-frankly/

People Get Ready, another one worth frequent visits also has a few choice and accurate words:

Out of the disaster that Hurricane Katrina wrought on our city, while the federal government miserably failed to come to the aid of those in need, we discovered that our government's actions didn't reflect the values of a nation of people who truly cared about us.

Nevertheless, we continue the to grapple, physically and emotionally, with the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, feeling like we have to grovel for every penny we're owed -- yes, owed -- while hundreds of billions are put on the China tab to pay for an unpopular war and for tax cuts to the superwealthy who invest their proceeds in China, not here at home.

http://peoplegetready.blogspot.com/2006/07/will-new-orleans-still-be-here-on-july.html

We love our country, our city and our neighbors. We love all of those who extended a helping hand in our time of need. We do not love or trust those in power now, for they have forsaken us. Speaking for myself, and I believe for many people here, I love my country but hate my government. These power mad ideologues need to be reminded that they are our employees. I cannot believe that the current situation represents the true will of the people, for I have met the people and they generally seem horrified by the straights we are in. Govenment is supposed to enact the will of the people.

I am a New Orleanian first, and a profoundly ashamed American second. This should never have been allowed on American Soil!

Allow me to leave you with some easy listening, NPR's annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. I wish I had thought of doing voicecasts of the Bill of Rights for today, but alas, inspiration comes to late. I'll try to remember next year.

-Loki July 4, 2006

The Forbidden Zone

[Jun. 19th, 2006|06:12 pm]