Back Inside New Orleans

Back Inside New Orleans Jordan Flaherty Counterpunch, September 14th 2005 What actually happened in New Orleans these past two weeks? We need to sort through the rumors and distortions. Perhaps we need our version of South Africa’s Truth And Reconciliation Commission. Some way to sort through the many narratives and …

Some Firms Hired in Katrina’s Wake Have Checkered Pasts

Some Firms Hired in Katrina’s Wake Have Checkered Pasts Yochi J. Dreazen The Wall Street Journal, September 20th 2005 GoldStar EMS was on the ropes earlier this year, beset by legal problems. The Texas ambulance provider’s offices had been raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of a …

Bechtel, Fluor Will Help Erect Emergency Facilities;

Bechtel, Fluor Will Help Erect Emergency Facilities; Bush Suspends Wage Rules Yochi J. Dreazen Wall Street Journal, September 9th 2005 WASHINGTON — Accelerating efforts to rebuild the storm-ravaged Gulf of Mexico region, the Bush administration hired five private contractors — including some active in rebuilding Iraq — and took the …

Rescue Came From the Grassroots

Rescue Came From the Grassroots The People, Not FEMA, Saved Themselves Bruce Dixon Black Commentator, September 22nd 2005 From her Atlanta home, former Gulf Coast resident Latosha Brown and a few friends watched the man-made catastrophe unfold in the wake Hurricane Katrina.  “We kept expecting to see the National Guard, …

From Slave Ships to the Superdome in New Orleans

From Slave Ships to the Superdome in New Orleans Carl Dix Revolution #13 September 4th 2005 New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. People trapped amidst squalor and chaos in the official shelters. People facing death from starvation and disease on the streets. Most of the people trapped in …

The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein The Nation, April 19 2005 Last summer, in the lull of the August media doze, the Bush Administration’s doctrine of preventive w ar took a major leap forward. On August 5, 2004, the White House created the Office of the Coordinator for …

Met by Despair, Not Violence

Met by Despair, Not Violence As they begin to patrol the chaotic city, troops are surprised by what they don’t find. Scott Gold Los Angeles Times, September 3rd 2005 NEW ORLEANS – Forty-four troops pressed together in their truck, swaying as one at every bump and turn like reeds in …