by Last Night in Little Rock

The U.K. Independent Online has an article today Cover-up: toxic waters 'will make New Orleans unsafe for a decade' contending that U.S. government officials know it, and they just aren't saying it.

This photolog of 197 photos from August 28 until September 6, all with diary type descriptions, is one of the best I've seen. Judging from the comments, many others feel the same way.

It's published in Der Spiegel, and composed by a man named Alvaro who worked at the Chateau Sonesta hotel. The photos give a better sense of the evolution of the damage and of what the streets really looked like before and after the flooding than most MSM photos. There's no dead bodies, close-ups of victims or politics - it's really about New Orleans. The personalized descriptions of the photos and their chronological order really made me feel like I was there. I highly recommend it.

Update: Digby also has high praise and thoughts on this photoblog, and puts some of the photos in context.

Dave Koppel, Second Amendment expert, explains why the confiscation of firearms in New Orleans is both illegal and foolish.

The power of "regulating and controlling" is not the same as the power of "prohibiting and controlling." The emergency statute actually draws this distinction in its language, which refers to "prohibiting" price-gouging, sale of alcohol, and curfew violations, but only to "regulating and controlling" firearms. Accordingly, the police superintendent's order "prohibiting" firearms possession is beyond his lawful authority. It is an illegal order.

Last week, we saw an awful truth in New Orleans: A disaster can bring out predators ready to loot, rampage, and pillage the moment that they have the opportunity. Now we are seeing another awful truth: There is no shortage of police officers and National Guardsmen who will obey illegal orders to threaten peaceful citizens at gunpoint and confiscate their firearms.

The New York Times has an exhaustive article on Government foul-ups in the Katrina castastrophe. The lead-in:

An initial examination of Katrina's aftermath demonstrates the extent to which the federal government failed to face domestic threats as a unified, seamless force.

Left Coaster sums up the article and notes::

Bush told the Governor on Friday, four days after the crisis began, that he would send in more National Guard forces, but only if Governor Blanco transferred control to him. After seeing the Feds botch their job the entire week, Blanco would be justified in being hesitant to hand Bush the keys to her car, let alone handing him control over her state’s affected areas, at a time when the Feds couldn’t even deliver upon their basic responsibilities.

The Times also has new article on how Mike Brown came to be relieved of Katrina duties.

This should be another public relations disaster for the Bush Administration - playing favorites with Katrina contracts:

Companies with ties to the Bush White House and the former head of FEMA are clinching some of the administration's first disaster relief and reconstruction contracts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

At least two major corporate clients of lobbyist Joe Allbaugh, President Bush's former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have already been tapped to start recovery work along the battered Gulf Coast.

This White House thinks it's untouchable. As TChris pointed out earlier today, Bush's poll numbers continue to drop. Sooner or later, the American public is going to say "enough."

I'm watching React Now, MTV's hurricane relief concert now. Bon Jovi is on (I could watch his face for hours), Sheryl Crow was just on. Coldplay too. Jon Stewart is one of the hosts. Tune in and give. If you're not by a tv, you can watch it on the computer.

Fast moving show, Bono's on now.

Once again, those with a criminal history are treated like second class citizens. Utah is conducting criminal background checks on evacuees.

No one has been expelled yet, and Utah says the evacuees have been exemplary in their conduct. Still, this is troubling.

Update: As Mike Ditto points out in comments below, Colorado also is doing background checks. But I'll give them a bit of a pass for this statment:

"The community does not have to be concerned," said Chief Jones. "We think people are safe because all of these evacuees have served their sentences.

by TChris

This is why some were unable to leave New Orleans:

Police agencies to the south of New Orleans were so fearful of the crowds trying to leave the city after Hurricane Katrina that they sealed a crucial bridge over the Mississippi River and turned back hundreds of desperate evacuees, two paramedics who were in the crowd said.

Officers reportedly shot over the heads of people who resisted their command to turn back. According to four witnesses, an officer told 200 evacuees to leave their encampment, then confiscated their food and water.

"The police kept saying, 'We don't want another Superdome,' and 'This isn't New Orleans,' " said Larry Bradshaw, a San Francisco paramedic who was among those fleeing.

by Last Night in Little Rock

The NY Times reports today that police officers from neighboring states and from around the nation have taken leave at home and come to NOLA with cars and equipment from their departments to aid NOLA Police in restoring order: Duty Binds Officers Who Have Come to Help After Storm.

by Last Night in Little Rock

Maureen Dowd's op ed piece in the NY Times today is priceless: "Neigh to Cronies." She weighs in, too, on trusting the Federal Emergency Mismanagement Agency, which used to be an important position, to utterly experienceless cronies.

by Last Night in Little Rock

The man who shouted to VP Cheney live on the CNN and MSNBC interviews (Fox follows Cheney's every word. Where were they?) "Go f**k yourself, Mr. Cheney" is an ER physician named Dr. Ben Marble as noted here. He lost his home, too. What was Cheney's security's response to free speech? They found him at his half destroyed home and handcuffed him.

Marble's story is recounted on the above link. A friend videotaped it all, including the damage to Marble's house, and the DVD is for sale on eBay to help Marble rebuild his life. Price at this moment: $1935. The author of the linked article bid on it himself.

by Last Night in Little Rock

Ever the lovable jokester, Rep. Tom ("The Hammer") DeLay (R-TX,22) visited (i.e., made a photo op trip) evacuees in Houston. As noted on Domeblog of the Houston Chronicle and picked on Raw Story he talked with two young boys:

While on the tour with top administration officials from Washington, including U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao and U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, DeLay stopped to chat with three young boys resting on cots.

The congressman likened their stay to being at camp and asked, "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?"

They nodded yes, but looked perplexed.

This is another example of Rep. DeLay's commpassion for his fellow man in time of crisis which proves his leadership.