Riehl World View

New Orleans: Obama Cares, Just Not So Much

Given that Barack Obama is said to already be having issues with traditional black democrats due to his, actually more recent, African roots, two little items stitched together in a story out of New Orleans might not do much to help his cause:

Obama also said he wants to know if the health needs of the city are being met, and whether waste and fraud reported in government contracts has been eliminated.

Obama's first visit to New Orleans after Katrina was in July 2006. His latest stop here comes here about a month after Edwards formally launched his presidential campaign by helping rebuild one of the tens of thousands of homes damaged by the Aug. 29, 2005, storm.

My first entry in the Hurricane Katrina category was on August 26 as the town was preparing for the storm. My last entry was just a month ago when some police officers were charged with murder.

If you do a word search through the category, Obama's name is nowhere to be found. The only mention of Edwards is when he recently announced. But search for Bush and it comes up maybe a hundred times - including all the bashing of course.

Maybe Kanye West should write a new song ... Obama and Edwards don't care about black people ... until the primary comes around.

N.O. Cops Charged With Murder

There were conflicting reports when this story broke during Hurricane Katrina coverage.

UPDATE: There are contradicting versions about this story, AP is reporting that the men shot dead were not looters but contractors.

One witness came forward and alleged that at least one mentally disabled individual was shot in the back. An autopsy confirmed that and now a Grand Jury foreman is tossing around the word cover-up and the District Attorney is talking about people being shot down like rabid dogs.

The grand jury issued the charges after hearing weeks of testimony. The foreman of the panel, Lee Madare, declined to comment in detail as he left the courthouse but asked a reporter, "Do you understand the word cover-up?"

"We cannot allow our police officers to shoot and kill our citizens without justification like rabid dogs," District Attorney Eddie Jordan said.

Most have probably seen the video of New Orleans cops looting. Over 13% of the New Orleans police force have been disciplined post-Katrina. The Mayor in the Democrat stronghold was re-elected. John Edwards announced for President in New Orleans today and appears to have made no comment on the matter.

The incoming congressional Dems want to investigate the Bush administration's handling of Katrina. What are the odds they'll find time to ask Ray Nagin why a good portion of his police force seems to have failed so miserably, up to and possibly including committing murder?

The indictments were the latest blow to the reputation of the beleaguered police department. More than 200 officers on the 1,500-member force were disciplined for various offenses after the storm, including failure to show up for work.

Ray Nagin - I'm Shocked

Shocked, I tell you, just shocked.

Mr. Chocolate strikes again. What an idiot. Honestly, is there anyone within earshot of a radio or TV that didn't hear that the levees could fail in the run up to Latrina??

Northern Alabama Blogger

If you are, or are aware of a northern Alabama blogger who has done postings on the Katrina recovery effort, please shoot me an email. I have a MSM media contact with whom I'd like to put you in touch. Thanks.

Katrina Cash Flow Issue

Is the Congressional Black Caucus sitting on Katrina funds? And if so, why?

Calling Kanye West

What was that you were saying?

(CNSNews.com) - Statistics released by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals suggest that fewer than half of the victims of Hurricane Katrina were black, and that whites died at the highest rate of all races in New Orleans.

Liberals in the aftermath of the storm were quick to allege that the Bush administration delayed its response to the catastrophe because most of the victims were black.

Damu Smith, founder of the National Black Environmental Justice Network, in September said that the federal government "ignored us, they forgot about us ... because we look like we look."

New Orleans Levee Board Leader Out

You'd think he might have realized people were watching.

NEW ORLEANS - The head of the Orleans Levee Board has quit amid questions about no-bid contracts to his relatives in the days after Hurricane Katrina.

The final days of board president Jim Huey's tenure also had been marred by his collection of nearly $100,000 in back pay several weeks before the storm. Huey had led the board for nine years.

When The Levee Breaks

Again? This is troubling.

The levee manager is not too hopeful about the future. He says St. Bernard’s rebuilt levee system will be better than it was before Katrina for the next few years.

Then, Bob Turner predicts that the soft marshy soil that supports the levees will subside again, leaving a less than perfect barrier - a levee that even at full strength, will be no match for any hurricane like Katrina.

video here.

Pet Lovers Corner - Unfortunately

I'm afraid this isn't a warm fuzzy post. Actually, it's rather disturbing and several images are very graphic. A reader sent in a link to a Live Journal site with images of several dogs which were said to have been shot while housed in a Middle school post Katrina.

I didn't know what to make of it, so I Googled and did find a supporting news story here.

But there's also another rather bizarre twist. If you go to the live journal page and scroll down to the fifth image, there's a sex toy sitting on the landing of the middle school. WTF? I'd like to see some amateur sleuth figure that one out. I sure can't.

Talk About Insensitive

Someone accused me of being insensitive for laughing at this fellow's story. I'm witholding comment on this genuine AP headline for now.

Retarded Hurricane Victims From Louisiana Find a Refuge in East Texas