- The 'Big Easy' [New Orleans] is fast becoming inundated
with the waters from Lake Ponchetrain, which is on the eastern side of
the community. The Mississippi is on the western side of New Orleans. The
city sits approximately 8 ft below sea level, which has the population
caught in the middle. The bowl [happening now] is filling with water and
everyone's caught in the middle.
-
- Back in the 60s the Army Corp of Engineers constructed
levees around New Orleans to hold smaller floods out of the bowl. The levees
holding back Lake Ponchetrain have been breached, with water pouring into
the city at 75 feet an hour. Everything living in the surrounding swamps
is being carried into this area including' alligators, moccasin snakes,
and every other critter. All the sanitation plants are under water, and
of course, this material is floating free in the community. The petrochemicals
that are produced up and down the Mississippi rive are floating into this
bowl. This is fast becoming the biggest toxic waste dump in the world.
-
- Along with New Orleans the coast of Mississippi has been
obliterated with 90% of Biloxi gone. Governor Haley Barbour compared the
scenes he saw from a fly over with Hiroshima. When asked if he's spoken
to his friend the President, Haley replied, "Why sure, and he's chomping
at the bit to be here". Hardly, since ironically, with the reference
to Hiroshima, the President, to inflate the ever important poll readings,
was celebrating the 60th anniversary of Victory over Japan at the Naval
Air Station in Coronado, California.
-
- Frankly, I was thinking, as I observed the massive destruction
taking place, to more up to date scenes. Having no remembrance [except
by photographs] of Hiroshima, I was put in mind of the recent total destruction
of the city of Fallijuah in Iraq, by man-made weapons of napalm-Daisy
Cutters and cluster bombs. There too, [on foreign news-not here] the people
were shown being herded from pillar to post, searched, without food, water,
or a home to return to. I fear, that the terrorism that the President tells
us is 'being fought over there, so we don't have to fight it here', is
upon us, according to news reports stating that, "this catastrophe
is of "Biblical proportions".
-
- Reports, late last night, from area hospitals were heart
wrenching. Wearied doctors and nurses were moving patients to higher floors.
A doctor named John, his voice showing utter frustration said, "The
hospital [Charity Hospital] is all dark. We have no electricity, and no
water. We were supposed to be evacuated but so far we've heard nothing.
The water has surrounded us and staff are using manual methods to ventilate
patients." Nurses/doctors at Tulane were siphoning off gas from their
cars to keep the few portable generators they had going.
-
- I could imagine what was happening in these hospitals,
as I was in training at a Catholic hospital, in Connecticut, during the
big black out on the east coast, during the sixties. The back up generators
didn't kick in-the place was pitch black. I remember rushing to the operating
room with a flashlight to find a Cesarean operation taking place. I went
into the chapel and took the huge candelabras off the altar,to light the
way out for visitors. Citizens in town, hearing of our plight, rushed to
the hospital in their cars-and turned their headlights on high beam! Thankfully
for us the place wasn't being flooded! It is in times like this, be it
the black out of the 60s, or this horror scene in New Orleans, that you
see the heroics of ordinary people, that never make the headlines. Thus
far, we've seen the Salvation Army, the Coast Guard rescuing thousands
and the National Guard out in front. So much for color coded fear strips
[high red in the Gulf States] and billions, for this and that, supposed
defense and crisis intervention! It seems to me, that we've got ourselves
the usual administrative bungling; with everyone asking, "Who's on
first?" Lot's of talk and strategy, but no action, while people are
dying. I do hope, that whatever political persuasion or party that people
have stupidly bought into, that they pay strict attention to the fact,
that given a crisis [no matter the party in office] as a citizen you're
basically on your own. Without resources you'll be stuck and held hostage
to whomever is in charge which may be nobody.
-
- Communications are out between fire, police and rescue
personnel. Cell phones aren't working, the water systems are gone, bodies
are floating down the streets from recent deaths, and from the above ground
graveyards in this part of the country. The alligators and various poisonous
snakes and animal life, including sharks, are competing with their human
counterparts for life! Meantime we have the newscasters focusing on the
looting taking place as this Biblical event unfolds. Poor people, hungry
people, fearful people, with your usual gang of thieves thrown in do dishonest
things in times of a meltdown. Who cares what the hell they take-it's
not like this junk from China or foodstuff is going to be marked down next
week! People have short memories. Who can forget the riots in California,
after the Rodney King fiasco, when cameras caught Reginald Denny being
pulled from his truck, and beaten with a concrete block? Massive looting
went on, with the police unwilling to enter in to help store owners, trying
to protect their property. And more recently, we've all witnessed the looting
in Baghdad, of ancient artifacts, museums, and stores. Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld told us that "Democracy is a messy business". Thankfully
the Ministry of Oil was fully secured and protected.
-
- It has never ceased to amaze me, that news cameras will
chase someone down the street about an extra book of food stamps, or in
this case, looting in a toxic cesspool, but remain silent over real money.
Be it the 500 billion rip off of the Savings and Loans thieves, Enron,
bailing out various corporations with billions, the 8.5 billion disappeared,
when Bremmer left Iraq, the billions more going up in smoke over there,
or the real looting going on now, with the oil hucksters, raising prices
before the first trash lid blew off in the French Quarter! There's looting,
and then there's looting; it's all a matter of perspective. Hey, "Democracy
is a messy business".
-
- All in all, we're told that a total of approximately
1.3 million people will be dispossessed and dislocated by this Biblical
scenario. I was thinking that this would be comparable to emptying out
the total population of my state, New Hampshire. There's NO more important
story this day for multiple reasons, which many have paid little heed to-but
they soon will! Reports are that the water keeps on arising. I couldn't
help but think of the Johnny Cash song: Five Feet High and Rising
-
- How high's the water, mama'
- Five feet high and risin'
-
- Well, the hives are gone,
- I've lost my bees
- The chickens are sleepin'
- In the willow trees
- Cow's in the water up past her knees,
- Five feet high and risin'
-
- We can make to the road in a homemade boat
- That's the only thing we got left that'll float
- It's already over all the wheat and the oats,
- Five feet high and risin'
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