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Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans

By Jeralyn, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 11:00:15 AM EST
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Martial law has been imposed in New Orleans:

New Orleans CBS affiliate WWL-TV is reporting that martial law has been declared in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish after levee breaks caused major flooding in the city Tuesday morning, sending waves of water through the downtown and French Quarter. Mayor Ray Nagin is estimating that 80% of the city has been flooded. WWL-TV provides continuing updates on its Katrina Blog.

12:02 PM ET - WWL-TV says that a break in 17th Street Canal Levee is 200 feet wide and water from it is gradually inundating the city.

12:16 PM ET - WWL-TV reports that martial law is now in effect in Plaquemines Parish southwest of New Orleans, where 60% of homes are said to be flooded; persons found on the streets there will be arrested. WWL-TV is broadcasting live video via KHOU in Houston. Some looting has begun in New Orleans, according to AP.

[hat tip Patriot Daily] More on martial law here.

Earlier:

A levee in New Orleans has given way and the Red Cross says it is launching the largest relief effort in its history. The water is rising much higher today than during yesterday's storm.

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    • Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans | 34 comments (34 topical)
    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 11:13:41 AM EST
    What is martial law - is that another way of saying curfews are in effect.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#2)
    by DawesFred60 on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 11:13:58 AM EST
    Don't tell me its because all the poor want to eat today, where is all the food going that bush said he was going to send?..stop showing some poor black mother taking some food for her little ones, start showning bush taking your money in mass taxs dollars for the war that will never end.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 11:28:36 AM EST
    Martial law means the military is in control of the government. You have virtually no civil rights. No habeas corpus, etc. This means the Lousianna National Guard is in control of the city, until such time as the flooding, etc. is under control. Usually the governor of the state makes the determination of martial law.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#4)
    by Patrick on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 11:30:56 AM EST
    Probably a legitimate use of such powers.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 11:32:46 AM EST
    Looting? Must be that untidy freedom.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#6)
    by DawesFred60 on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 11:46:06 AM EST
    by the way the looting only started after no one would open the doors and start business as usual, this is fun to watch. I only hope no one starts to shot on any side!..but if you don't get what you need the people have the right to take it by force. any way you can. after all that is what our government has always done and is doing now, it's business as usual in the land of freedom. dishonest government makes a dishonest people or a poor people with nothing.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 11:54:26 AM EST
    Sounds like a legit use of martial law to me. I might not like the idea of it, but in situations like this it is preferable to lawlessness which can add even more damage. As long as it is lifted in a timely fashion it shouldn't be to bad.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#8)
    by scarshapedstar on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 11:56:00 AM EST
    On the nola.com forums there is a report that Homeland Security is holding back media reports on how bad the loss of life really is.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 12:53:30 PM EST
    Why do people think martial law is a good thing? It's like those people who say that giving up liberty for temporary security, sadly you get and deserve neither. Martial law also means shoot on site! Does that sound reasonable?

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#10)
    by DawesFred60 on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 12:55:19 PM EST
    How big of him, "who rules", maybe he can call someone? like a big business to make some-more money on the backs of the little guys and girls? like in iraq? and think of all the new prisons that will be built to keep all the mothers and kids who are now looting for food and water. by the way fox has the best coverage on this mass, the fact is gas is going way up and is that why bush didn't say a thing?..after all you got to make a dollar don't you? or is that freedom for the few? but not you!

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 01:00:27 PM EST
    Re scarshapedstar's comments, if you want to know why Homeland Security might be holding back such reports then read this, which says that Bush wanted to cut funding needed to protect New Orleans from the type of disaster now underway: http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/002331.html Unfrickingbelievable.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 01:13:41 PM EST
    Ok...martial law is the right thing in this case. The police need to be out there saving lives and aiding in helping out anyone they can. We need as many people doing that as possible. Letting the LA nat'l guard in to help out just adds more able bodied ppl to the relief effort. I was in northwestern LA yesterday and if that's any indication of how bad NO is, I can only imagine how bad the damage must be.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 01:23:40 PM EST
    For those above who don't know what martial law is, go here. I agree that in this disater, it is warranted. Oh, and this does not mean shoot on site.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 01:28:27 PM EST
    I seriously doubt the LA national guard will be shooting on site. They'll probably be running around on fan boats and looters will just stay away from them. Besides, you cant run too fast in the water and there's not that much left to loot from the way it sounds. I think they're just going to be patrolling as much to find ppl who need help as to find looters.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#15)
    by DawesFred60 on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 02:35:39 PM EST
    Thank you anonymons, but god help the poor guys and girls in LA, And the natonal guard but also read romdinstler post.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 06:33:59 PM EST
    Notice how in the video of looting, especially in the video of inside the big box store, there is not one white person or mexican stealing. I am aware that they are probably only getting food and necessary supplies but they were told to leave or go to the superdome. They chose to stay. Let them suffer the consequences. How much of our tax money is being spent on protecting the people left behind when they were told to GET OUT.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 30, 2005 at 06:36:08 PM EST
    Shut New Orleans down, remove everyone from the city. Open the levees, flood the entire town, fix the levee, pump the water back into the lake, and start over.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 06:36:53 AM EST
    Looting a wide screen TV where there is no electricity is called stealing. Looting a store for water and non perishible food is called survival. Randy: Indeed, White and Hispanic people were also caught on film looting by FOX, MSNBC and the Weather Channel. Try giving desperate people a break. This is a huge catastrophe and you wouldn't want to trade places with these people for all the oil in Bush's preserves.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#19)
    by Patrick on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 07:16:06 AM EST
    Looting a store for water and non perishible food is called survival.
    Hard to eat that big screen TV, and tires, and other household appliances. Those are the items being looted. What were they expecting to get from the children's hospital?

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#20)
    by Tony on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 08:42:55 AM EST
    I agree with those calling it as it is - looting electronics and non-essestials items are criminal acts. Period. I don't care what color your skin is, whether those goods would be destroyed or not, or what the govenment/businesses are or are not doing. One doesn't need a big screen TV to survive. Get an education, get a job, get a life.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#21)
    by SeeEmDee on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 09:22:01 AM EST
    The infrastructure down there is a total wreck. Given that most city's infrastructures are based upon whatever was first built - read, 'primitive' - and added upon, the core systems are usually barely tenable. From all indications so far, there is no infrastructure worth mentioning, the city is rapidly becoming untenable. If' N'Orlins' is going to be rebuilt, it may literally have to start from scratch. Martial law will prove to be as effective in maintaining order as using crystals for cancer; the people, themselves will have to step up and maintain order. And the likelihood of that seems rather small. (And yes, I've been a rescue worker in a search-and rescue unit that has had to dig out his share of flooded towns, but they were way smaller than The Big Easy; I don't envy those poor guys down there at all.)

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 10:41:18 AM EST
    Given that the police and other government workers have been shown on TV looting...

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#23)
    by Che's Lounge on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 11:01:06 AM EST
    Tony, Get a clue.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#24)
    by Patrick on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 11:12:38 AM EST
    Che apparently supports theft for personal gain. Go figure, no surprises there.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 11:13:08 AM EST
    Snicker, Got a link for that? I mean that would be big news.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 11:25:35 PM EST
    Hi, I'm a New Orleans Refugee living with friends one hour away in Baton Rouge. The stories of what is happening in the city will send a chill down your spine. The looting has now reached biblical proportions. People who are still there are hiding in closets after 5 until the sun comes up. Gangs of crackheads are roaming the streets with guns in stolen city vehicles robbing, raping, and killing. This is not alarmist information. This is happening for real! I am here. I have friends who have escaped. There are some who are taking things for survival, but it now has degraded into pure insanity. The Mayor has decided to stop the search and rescue, and all police and volunteers are going to put a stop to this. I am A Lefty, but this must end. [violence recommendation deleted] Drugs addicts without drugs are more dangerous than anyone ever imagined. There is constant gunfire 24 hrs a day from stolen Wal-Mart Guns and Ammo. We are in trouble even here in Baton Rouge where many of these thugs have managed to make it to in stolen vehicles. This is not hype! Please pass the word that this is Happening. We need military here now! Don't bog this down with politics.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#27)
    by Aaron on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 11:26:27 PM EST
    It would appear from reports that what Basswh*re describes is indeed happening. With the diminished resources of the National Guard with most of them deployed in Iraq, it seems inevitable that regular army military troops will have to be deployed within US borders, or this lawlessness will surely spread. God help us all.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 11:32:27 PM EST
    We need military here now!
    I called the Pentagon with your urgent request and got this reply... "Sorry, but the military is busy protecting your freedom halfway around the world at this time. And to give you a timetable on their return will only embolden the terrorists. Have a good day." Click... Dialtone.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#29)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Wed Aug 31, 2005 at 11:33:43 PM EST
    Hey Patrick...get on your horse and head down there and arrest those crackheads. America is counting on you.

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#30)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Thu Sep 01, 2005 at 12:59:35 AM EST
    Yeah forget about rescuing dying people, let's round up the folks stealing sneakers. C'mon Patrick, where are you?

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#32)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Sep 01, 2005 at 09:04:59 AM EST
    http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Hannity-Colmes-Looting.wmv even the cops are trying to survive =)

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#34)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Sep 01, 2005 at 04:03:17 PM EST
    For those who say "they chose to stay" - you're ignorant. I work hard, but I can't afford a car. If the hurricane happened in my city, I'd be stuck there too. Many of the people stuck there are old, elderly, sick, and poor and had NO WAY to get out. Why don't you ask why so many of us work hard and give half our tax dollars to the military, but the military then can't rescue people because it's all deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting for Bush and his friend's oil? Read in the Washington Post about how FEMA has been DESTROYED by 'Homeland security' taking all our public resources to fight the non-existent threat of "terrorists under every bed". What a tragedy: [link deleted, not in html format] It's shameful that the wealthiest most militarized country on earth can't even prevent or respond to this kind of emergency. Read how this could have been prevented - "The Neglected Levees of New Orleans: A Victim of Iraq War Spending":

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#35)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:07 PM EST
    AS FOR THE MORALITY OF LOOTING? IT PALES IN COMPARISON TO THE MORALITY OF LEAVING AMERICA'S CITIZENS AND VISITING TOURISTS IN A SEEMINGLY "THIRD WORLD" PREDICAMENT! THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ABANDONMENT OF THESE PEOPLE. ALL OF OUR PEOPLE!!!!!! WE ARE ALL, COMMONLY, THE PRODUCT OF ONE CREATOR!!!!!

    Re: Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans (none / 0) (#36)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:11 PM EST
    I'm just waiting for one of the major newspapers to come out with the headline "My Dixie Wrecked!"

    Katrina: Martial Law Imposed in New Orleans | 34 comments (34 topical)