Air America Phoenix - Katrina

SaveAirAmericaPhoenix.com

2006-03-06T10:14:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SaveAirAmericaPhoenix.com ............

Press Release .....

OnSecondThought Announces
SaveAirAmericaPhoenix.com
Phoenix, AZ - Mar 06, 2006 On March 1, 2006 our Air America Phoenix station was bought by a Christian Broadcasting company who immediately took us off the air. This was a “dark” day for progressive talk radio in America. You have flooded us with emails pleading to get Air America back on the radio and asking how you can help. We have heard your cries and we can get us back on the air by April 3, 2006 !

The former staff of Air America Phoenix has negotiated a deal to resurrect operations at a new home effective April 3, 2006 but we need your help! We must immediately raise money to cover our operating expenses out of the gate. Our goal of $500,000 will guarantee us a home for years to come.

Purchase Pixels for Lifetime Advertising
Each person or business who donates can have their business logo or personal message permanently displayed on our new web site, www.gotStation.com, that will commemorate you, the true patriots who rallied to our cause. This is like “buying a brick” and having your name and message inscribed on it. Instead our “building” is the web page and the “bricks” are the pixels.
Please feel free to send a check or money order in any amount to: On Second Thought LLC 28248 N Tatum Blvd B1,#605 Cave Creek, AZ 85331 If you are tech savvy and would like to upload your business logo or content directly through our website and click Buy Pixels!

Learn more...

About Mike Newcomb
Dr. Mike Newcomb is known in the media as a progressive political commentator. He is a regular contributor to the Arizona Republic newspaper, and the charismatic host of the smash hit liberal radio talk show"The Mike Newcomb Show" Mike is also a medical doctor who specializes in caring for the elderly and impoverished. He has a strong belief in the value of human health and dignity, and often treats his patients in the comfort and convenience of their own homes.

Website: http://www.mikenewcomb.net
About Save Air America Phoenix

We can do this! If the Christian broadcasters can raise money from their flock to buy airtime then so can we. As they say in the movie “Network”, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

Website: http://www.saveairamericaphoenix.com

OnSecondThought
Mike Newcomb
email: mike@onsecondthought.net
phone: 1-877-548-5144 Air America Phoenix
Jeff Farias
email: jfarias@aaphx.com
phone: 1-602-577-3837

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Purpose of this blog

2005-10-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

No more talk, no more blame. This is for people to help!

This Man Almost Died Because of Bush's FEMA

2005-09-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

And he has a name -- Edgar Hollingsworth.

Remember it.

Mr. Hollingsworth is 74 years old, and although he was found by California National Guardsmen at death's door inside his house in the flooded Broadmoor section of New Orleans, the wonderful news is that he is expected to live.
But he would almost certainly be dead, if troopers hadn't violated the orders they received from FEMA.

Here's some of the amazing and infuriating story from the Orange County Register (registration required). (You can read some more excerpts and some commentary here):

NEW ORLEANS – This was just another body in the growing number of bodies that they encounter every day.

A human foot arching at an odd angle was visible through the front window of a locked and dark home.

The National Guard team of searchers was about to call in a "DB," or dead body, at 1927 Lopez St. in the Broadmoor district when Lt. Frederick Fell decided to investigate.

In the past few days, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has ordered searchers not to break into homes. They are supposed to look in through a window and knock on the door. If no one cries out for help, they are supposed to move on. If they see a body, they are supposed to log the address and move on.

The morticians will remove the deceased later.

But Fell broke the rules and ordered his men to bash open the door, launching a series of events that would save a man's life and revitalize California Task Force 5 from Orange County. In the past two days, the 80-member task force had identified seven dead bodies in the same neighborhood, and they had rescued no one.

But Tuesday, 16 days after Hurricane Katrina smacked this aging community in the face, an unconscious and emaciated man identified as Edgar Hollingsworth, 74, was rescued. The man is expected to survive.

We can't say enough about these Guardsman and their life-or-death decision. Here's what they found in the house:

Hollingsworth had been lying naked on his blue-green couch. It was unclear if he had eaten or drunk anything for several days. He was not surrounded by food or water containers. His house was still in disarray from the storm. A chair had landed on top of the kitchen table. Medical vials with the name Lillian Hollingsworth were lying on an easy chair on the other side of the room.
A pit-bull puppy was also pulled from the house. It appeared to be healthy and was transported to the hospital along with Edgar Hollingsworth.

And you have to wonder how many more men these troops would have saved, were it not for FEMA's ineptitude.

Read this:

The rescue pumped up the spirits of Task Force 5, which has been mostly marking the locations of bodies for the last week. Earlier, they had been frustrated when FEMA delayed their deployment for four days, housing them in the Hyatt Regency in Dallas.

They were frustrated further when they were given the FEMA order that they weren't allowed to force their way into houses to search them. They hope Hollingsworth's rescue will coax FEMA to rethink its directive.

Think about that the next time some right-wing schlock-radio host tries to spin all the blame away from FEMA and away from Bush and back onto the mayor and the governor.
And when George W. Bush says that he accepts full responsibility for what happened, don't forget this picture and that this is exactly what he and his clueless political hacks at FEMA are responsible for: The near lethal starvation over 16 agonizing days of a 74-year man in New Orleans.

God bless the California National Guard, and God bless Edgar Hollingsworth. We suspect the Almighty already has other plans for the people at FEMA.

Buddy Spell in New Orleans

2005-09-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

This is a transcript of a phone conversation Buddy Spell had with Brendan Clancy as Buddy was driving through New Orleans...be prepared to be shocked.

Just got off the phone with Buddy. He still doesn't have internet access so he's asking me to post this.

Buddy Spell was driving around New Orleans with Armond Richardson, Official Photographer for the Louisiana Activists Network. I could here Armond, Shiek is his nickname, directing Buddy around obstacles while he drove. The reason they went in was to pick up a Readers Digest Photographer that had an accident with a Policeman. Even though it appears to be both of the drivers faults they decided to lock up The Photographer. At 5 pm Buddy was going to grab him from the authorities. They took photos of the accident scene on their way down to prove their point.

Union Terminal has been turned into a jail. They were cruising through some of the areas supposedly hit with massive looting and could only see one small drug store that appeared to be broken into but since many of the most expensive items were left one would assume that someone desperately needed medicine.

"Watcher" and "Train 7" your homes are fine! He has photos to prove it.

They allowed a cop car to pass them. Buddy says all he sees are cops and fireman. Not a single citizen.

They head into the Iberville Projects are in the Treme District. Military Police are everywhere dressed in Black. A red X marks the homes with bodies in them and there are a lot of Red X Marks. They pass a water Depth finder taped to lightpole at about 5 1/2feet up. It stinks to high heaven, they can tell wehn bodies are near.

They stop to take a look at Dookie Chase's a fine Soulfood Restaurant and cannot see any major damage. They turn and start driving the wrong way down Oleans Ave because debris blocks the correct lanes. Shopping carts are everywhere, this is where many people waited for days to be rescued, over by the interstate. In the Central Business Districts the Infrastructure is fine. They pass Carborne Towers (not sure if that's the correct name as the phone started to break up) it was rumored that 200 starving children were in there.

Buddy sees very little sign of rampant looting, he sees stomr damage to high rise windows and calls into question everything that was reported by the MSM. He laughs a bit as they see a 22 ft speed boat with a 200 horse power engine is sitting on the StreetCar tracks in the middle of the business district. He sees abondonned semi trucks, and cannot get used to the smell.

The phone connection breaks up and I am hoping he'll call back later on. Photos of all this should be available as soon as Buddy or Shiek can find a way to upload.

Back on the phone...

Just called again.

He covered about 3/4's of the city in his running around today and said he saw a total of 4 "shops", gas stations and convenient stores that appeared to be broken into. Of course this was most likely done by moms that were tired of watching their kids die in front of them because their Federal Government was not even attempting to get assistance in to them and of course there was no place to shop.

He said expensive stores with expensive objects were left untouched. Again and again he'd pass rolex watches gleaming in the sun, countered of course by the smell of rotting cropses in the streets.

No Flooding Uptown whatsoever, 90 percent of those places could be moved back into today. There is still water in LakeWoods South so that is uninhabotable. But from St. Charles to the river is fine. Streets are clear.

Naomi Klein from The Nation is one of Buddy's house guests and she said that 2 black people she interviewed both said they survived first the Storm, then the Looters, then the White Vigilantes, most of whom spoke with a Texas accent and basically had the Authority to go Hunting Black people with no accountability.

At that point a BlackHawk helicopter flew over head and Buddy's Voice rose in disgust...."You tell me Brendan, what the hell do they need a BlackHawk in New Orleans for?! What are they gonna shoot with that!"

I mentioned that Blackwater Security forces were being deputized by the Governor. He said some few choice words about that crew. And said people at the Bus Station/Jail were starting to look his way. He repeated the statement only louder. Realizing that New Orleans is about to undergo some sort of bizarre federal mutation of some sort he said, I gotta get the hell outta here....I can't take it.

Brendan for Buddy Spell in New Orleans yesterday.

BREAKING NEWS FROM CNN

2005-09-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

President Bush says he takes responsibility for the federal government's failures in responding to Hurricane Katrina. Details soon.

Bush Vacation

2005-09-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

How Reliable Is Brown's Resume?

2005-09-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

Posted Thursday, Sep. 08, 2005
When President Bush nominated Michael Brown to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2003, Brown's boss at the time, Joe Allbaugh, declared, "the President couldn't have chosen a better man to help...prepare and protect the nation." But how well was he prepared for the job? Since Hurricane Katrina, the FEMA director has come under heavy criticism for his performance and scrutiny of his background. Now, an investigation by TIME has found discrepancies in his online legal profile and official bio, including a description of Brown released by the White House at the time of his nomination in 2001 to the job as deputy chief of FEMA. (Brown became Director of FEMA, succeeding Allbaugh, in 2003.)

Before joining FEMA, his only previous stint in emergency management, according to his bio posted on FEMA's website, was "serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight." The White House press release from 2001 stated that Brown worked for the city of Edmond, Okla., from 1975 to 1978 "overseeing the emergency services division." In fact, according to Claudia Deakins, head of public relations for the city of Edmond, Brown was an "assistant to the city manager" from 1977 to 1980, not a manager himself, and had no authority over other employees. "The assistant is more like an intern," she told TIME. "Department heads did not report to him." Brown did do a good job at his humble position, however, according to his boss. "Yes. Mike Brown worked for me. He was my administrative assistant. He was a student at Central State University," recalls former city manager Bill Dashner. "Mike used to handle a lot of details. Every now and again I'd ask him to write me a speech. He was very loyal. He was always on time. He always had on a suit and a starched white shirt."

In response, Nicol Andrews, deputy strategic director in FEMA's office of public affairs, insists that while Brown began as an intern, he became an "assistant city manager" with a distinguished record of service. "According to Mike Brown," she says, "a large portion [of the points raised by TIME] is very inaccurate."

Brown's lack of experience in emergency management isn't the only apparent bit of padding on his resume, which raises questions about how rigorously the White House vetted him before putting him in charge of FEMA. Under the "honors and awards" section of his profile at FindLaw.com — which is information on the legal website provided by lawyers or their offices—he lists "Outstanding Political Science Professor, Central State University". However, Brown "wasn't a professor here, he was only a student here," says Charles Johnson, News Bureau Director in the University Relations office at the University of Central Oklahoma (formerly named Central State University). "He may have been an adjunct instructor," says Johnson, but that title is very different from that of "professor." Carl Reherman, a former political science professor at the University through the '70s and '80s, says that Brown "was not on the faculty." As for the honor of "Outstanding Political Science Professor," Johnson says, "I spoke with the department chair yesterday and he's not aware of it." Johnson could not confirm that Brown made the Dean's list or was an "Outstanding Political Science Senior," as is stated on his online profile.

Speaking for Brown, Andrews says that Brown has never claimed to be a political science professor, in spite of what his profile in FindLaw indicates. "He was named the outstanding political science senior at Central State, and was an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City School of Law."

Under the heading of "Professional Associations and Memberships" on FindLaw, Brown states that from 1983 to the present he has been director of the Oklahoma Christian Home, a nursing home in Edmond. But an administrator with the Home, told TIME that Brown is "not a person that anyone here is familiar with." She says there was a board of directors until a couple of years ago, but she couldn't find anyone who recalled him being on it. According to FEMA's Andrews, Brown said "he's never claimed to be the director of the home. He was on the board of directors, or governors of the nursing home." However, a veteran employee at the center since 1981 says Brown "was never director here, was never on the board of directors, was never executive director. He was never here in any capacity. I never heard his name mentioned here."

The FindLaw profile for Brown was amended on Thursday to remove a reference to his tenure at the International Arabian Horse Association, which has become a contested point.

Brown's FindLaw profile lists a wide range of areas of legal practice, from estate planning to family law to sports. However, one former colleague does not remember Brown's work as sterling. Stephen Jones, a prominent Oklahoma lawyer who was lead defense attorney on the Timothy McVeigh case, was Brown's boss for two-and-a-half years in the early '80s. "He did mainly transactional work, not litigation," says Jones. "There was a feeling that he was not serious and somewhat shallow." Jones says when his law firm split, Brown was one of two staffers who was let go.

— With reporting by Jeremy Caplan, Carolina A. Miranda/New York; Nathan Thornburgh/Baton Rouge; Levi Clark/Edmond; Massimo Calabresi and Mark Thompson/Washington

If I Screamed It, Would You Hear Me?

2005-09-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

From my dear friend and fellow Louisianian Christy Cole:

Not too long ago I wrote an article entitled 'Preaching to the Choir.' in which I discussed the political abandonment of the deep south. When I wrote it, I was blissfully unaware of exactly how right I was. Or how it would bring death so close in plentiful amounts.

As a resident of Louisiana I would like to tell you about what you have lost. I would like you to see it, as I saw it.

New Orleans. Or, as they say if you’re from here, "Nuuuw 'Awwwlins'. So famous, most think her our capital city. Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana, but New Orleans was our crown jewel. World wide she was known for her parties, her history, her engineering feats, her defiance of nature itself. And on top of it all was a culture unlike any place on earth. A place where history is beloved and alive.

So very, very ALIVE.

Like most Americans I have never had a vacation, but I did find myself once in New Orleans. It changed my heart, from the first moment I saw it. The skyline in itself was not terribly distinctive but quaint in certain ways. Most of Louisiana is so lush the horizons are usually shortened and blunted by it. Not so there in that coastal city. But since it was under sea level you had the bizarre feeling of having to glance upwards to find the horizon. It is actually a visual oddity you had to adjust to. You get a sense of the true power of man and nature colliding. And man winning.

The rich historical homes and streets of the Garden District were the most pleasurable sight on earth. Louisiana architecture is as unique as the rest of her and those fine homes were so beautiful I found myself day dreaming of the people that must live and work in them. I thought of the history they had witnessed. I also went into the workers' districts, and houses so bright and cheerful also made me dream of those people as well in vibrant colors. I saw poetry in their anonymous, friendly faces. Even the cemeteries are world famous and as gorgeous as you ever hope to find death.

New Orleans, a place so beautiful even the cemeteries are lovely.

Quite unexpectedly I wound up in the French Quarter at nine am on a day so clear it was a true honor to be alive. Even though I’m not a drinker, and even though it was VERY early, I decided to get drunk. It took all of one strong drink at Pat O'Briens. I drank my very first Long Island Iced Tea there. What a blast. The historical scenes of 'Interview with a Vampire' with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, they filmed from right there in that historic building. Being giddy with whatever the hell they put in those 'Teas' I stood not just where stars like Cruise and Pitt stood, but I stood in a place where much history had unfolded.

In all of Louisiana two very separate histories exist... In New Orleans, those two histories actually became one. What a sight it was to behold. Caribbean, French, African, English, Indian, Roman, Yankee, Dutch, German, Cajun and ALL American through and through.
I believed they called it 'The Big Easy' because it was so effortless to fall in love with her and her people.

I had my one tea bender and went wandering in the streets where a homeless man in a full king’s costume, crown and all, rushed across the street and proposed marriage to me on the spot. He actually quoted Shakespeare while asking. (Alas, I declined...although the classic verses were fantastic.) Before a spectacle could arise I went on further into the heart of New Orleans.

I passed art shops, museums, and five star restaurants. I found voodoo shops, cathedrals, and gentle courtyards. And constantly as I walked I heard music. Jazz spilled into the streets like flowers blooming from one block to another. I found transvestite strip clubs, and out of nowhere a mini parade almost ran me down. I found one of the seven death masks of Napoleon and the very same table and chair that General Hickory used when planning a final humiliation for the bloody British. So what if the war was actually already over.

We didn't know it.

Legend has it, Hickory used alligators for cannons when the real ones melted. A very inventive use for a reptile, I must say.

And everywhere you went, there were the people who are also like no others on earth. They are the bearers of the weight of the two histories. And in truth, without them, it would have been just a place.

The people of New Orleans ARE the music. They ARE the history. They ARE the food, the flavor, the variety of what they built for us all. They are what is most special about a bunch of buildings on the coast. As long as we have them, we have the soul of New Orleans living and breathing amongst us.

They are the soul of what is now a ghost.

And they were left behind to die. There is simply no other way to put it.

My nation has shamed me before. When I think of all the innocent Iraqis that died for lies, I weep bitter angry tears. I have stepped up and lent my voice to those screaming STOP IT STOP IT. But things have changed now. Talking has run its course. I am no longer in possession of the hope it would take to dare believe it would make a difference. Shame is overshadowed by rage. Rage like the ocean that is overcoming one of Americas most beloved cities.
I tried, I tried so hard to get people’s attention on the south politically. Many did respond, because I think people not from here have an inherent curiosity about the deep south. Many did respond in thoughtful debate and inclusion. In some cases I admit I FORCED the conversation in people’s faces. I had to. I always sensed I was running out of time.

I scolded, I taunted. I told them they had abandoned us. Some of them resented it very much. Who was a southerner to dare question the way things are or could be...? I stood in troubled shock as I heard people say the most awful things about us as a people. I saw and heard it said we were not even people, much less humans who deserved mercy. I only very recently realized why the resentment ran so deep.

It was not because we are rude or ignorant that you forgot us. It was not because we love guns, God or fat sheriffs. No, it is not any of that.

You turned away from us politically because you did not want to see yourselves reflected in our eyes. You wanted to believe you were above history. Looking hard at us reflected back a hypocrisy so bright it was like the sun, and you had to turn away or be blinded by the sorrow of unfufilled promise.

Our broken dreams were your unwanted legacy. You forced yourself to believe we no longer dreamed at all.

When we invaded Iraq we gave them 'fair' elections. The Yankees gave us those same 'fair' elections and the south has been a rigged game for over 100 years. You wanted to believe it was 'down there', not 'right here' affecting you. You saw it coming everytime you glanced this way. 'Down there' became someplace REMOVED from you. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.
And then God Himself unleashed the storm we have all feared.

The winds of time changes everything.

I have heard some strange reasons why people think God hit Louisiana with Katrina. I personally am afraid in my heart, it is the reckoning for 100 years of voter fraud. Had the will of the people been done, those levees would have held. Those levees were an engineering marvel. The Pride of New Orleans. Literally. The people who are New Orleans would not have let their pride falter.

Their lives depended on it. Literally.

Had the will of the nation backed them up, the levees would not have been abandoned as surely as her people were. Literally left to die in the very heart of America.

In my memory New Orleans will always be a bright, shining city by the sea. A city whose people defied the ocean every damn day. This one time they lost. After all that is what happens to people abandoned, they become lost. The ones who preyed upon the vulnerabilities of those wandering the streets of New Orleans, should AT LEAST be dealt with as harshly as the looters.
Do not let them twist history. New Orleans survived Katrina. She SURVIVED that nasty bitch. It was the levees breaking that has left people living like animals and dying on the streets.

Those levees were not an act of God.

They were an act of man.

One million people are homeless. SOMEONE is to blame for this.

SOMEONE WILL take the blame. We will FORCE FEED IT to them if need be. This will not stand. There is only so much decent people can take. And from now on when the hurricane victims who are overrunning my town ask me, 'Where can I go?', I am going to tell them to go sleep in the only other home I own with plenty of free space: The White House. God as my witness, one way or another, it will become a useful structure again. And you can bet your whole empire that the victims of Katrina will not abandon it to apathy. They need it to shelter their hungry children.

Unlike current residents they would actually be GRATEFUL to be there.

Christy Cole is a writer, a patriot and a true American spirit.

Louisiana Ambassadors Say Hello

2005-09-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

The following was written by a columnist Chris Rose who works for the Times Picayune in New Orleans. His usual beat is entertainment. I can't think of a better way to explain the feelings that I have.

Dear America,

I suppose we should introduce ourselves: We're South Louisiana.

We have arrived on your doorstep on short notice and we apologize for that, but we never were much forwaiting around for invitations. We're not much on formalities like that.

And we might be staying around your town for a while, enrolling in your schools and looking for jobs, so we wanted to tell you a few things about us. We know you didn't ask for this and neither did we, so we're just going to have to make the best of it.

First of all, we thank you. For your money, yourwater, your food, your prayers, your boats and buses and the men and women of your National Guards, fire departments, hospitals and everyone else who has come to our rescue.

We're a fiercely proud and independent people, and we don't cotton much to outside interference, but we're not ashamed to accept help when we need it. And right now, we need it.
Just don't get carried away. For instance, once we get around to fishing again, don't try to tell us what kind of lures work best in your waters.

We're not going to listen. We're stubborn that way.

You probably already know that we talk funny andlisten to strange music and eat things you'd probably hire an exterminator to get out of your yard.

We dance even if there's no radio. We drink atfunerals. We talk too much and laugh too loud and live too large and, frankly, we're suspicious of others who don't.

But we'll try not to judge you while we're in your town.

Everybody loves their home, we know that. But we love South Louisiana with a ferocity that borders on the pathological. Sometimes we bury our dead in LSU sweatshirts.

Often we don't make sense. You may wonder why, for instance - if we could only carry one small bag of belongings with us on our journey to your state - why in God's name did we bring a pair of shrimp boots?

We can't really explain that. It is what it is.

You've probably heard that many of us stayed behind. As bad as it is, many of us cannot fathom a life outside of our border, out in that place we call Elsewhere.

The only way you could understand that is if you have been there, and so many of you have. So you realize that when you strip away all the craziness and bars and parades and music and architecture and all that hooey, really, the best thing about where we come from is us.
We are what made this place a national treasure. We're good people. And don't be afraid to ask us how to pronounce our names. It happens all the time.

When you meet us now and you look into our eyes, you will see the saddest story ever told. Our hearts are broken into a thousand pieces.

But don't pity us. We're gonna make it. We're resilient. After all, we've been rooting for theSaints for 35 years. That's got to count forsomething.

OK, maybe something else you should know is that we make jokes at inappropriate times.

But what the hell.

And one more thing: In our part of the country, we're used to having visitors. It's our way of life.
So when all this is over and we move back home, we will repay to you the hospitality and generosity of spirit you offer to us in this season of our despair.

That is our promise.

That is our faith.

N.O.P.D. - Braving Everything to Restore Order

2005-09-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

I have heard from my brother and two sisters still in New Orleans. They are well and helping the police as they can.

They and the police officers they have been feeding, doing laundry for and generally being there for psychologically are not only devastated but outraged.

My siblings were taking care of one of the policemen who committed suicide.

He was so distraught over the sheer number of people who had taken up arms against civillians, the police and the aid workers...and his guilt over having to shoot and kill so many citizens was overwhelming. When I mentioned the Bush Administration's spin that the local authorities had failed...my brother lost it.

To Paraphrase without the profanity:

"I dare anyone to try to smear the names of these brave men and women who have done the impossible without support from our government! Many have made it back to their homes only to find their wives and children dead and yet they are still there in New Orleans going out every night and doing what the National Guard refuses to do. "

"As late as Friday, the National Guard would not go into the worst areas and forced the police to go have the fire fights and drag out the bodies of the deceased while the Guard remained at their safe post near the Convention Center." My brother said the police are afraid when the actual body count from shootings is realized it will be a loss of human life beyond imagining.

This is why no autopsies are being performed on the deceased.

"Jefferson Parish Sherrif, Harry Lee said FEMA cut the phone lines to disrupt their rescue efforts and he had to have his own people reconnect them and place armed guards to prevent FEMA from attempting it again. "

This is the truth of the Bush Agenda. This is straight from the Police and Sherrifs on the ground in New Orleans.

When communications are restored and the truth gets out to the world BUSH IS TOAST!

Genocide is not going to go over well with the American people or the world.

Bless these brave distraught souls who have remained with the New Orleans Police Department for standing their ground and protecting the lives of the innocent civillians and rescue workers even though their lives have been shattered, we owe them a debt of gratitude I am afraid we will never be able to repay.

Direct Relief for America

2005-09-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Right now in Austin we are trying to organize a benefit concert to raise money and collect supplies to provide DIRECT RELIEF from the American people to the survivors of hurricane Katrina.

My suspicions have been confirmed...New Orleans and the wonderful people who have created the city's great culture of life are destroyed...scattered...divided...leaderless...but there is still great hope.

The American people have stood together while our federal government would not and could not. America and our democracy are after all comprised of us...all of us...Americans. We the people have come to the aid of our suffering brethren, and local New Orleans officials have done what they could with local resources...it is the Federal government and the Bush Administration who have failed the people of New Orleans and the surrounding area and our safety and security as a Nation.

In New Orleans...we know how to take care of our own but we were stopped by FEMA and Homeland Security.

It is now up to Americans regardless of race, creed, or political orientation to take a stand...to heal the devisive wounds of prejudice, hatred and bigotry and to reach out to our fellow Americans who are in dire need.

It takes a people to nurture and restore a wounded nation...not a government.

New Orleans will be rebuilt...in all of her former majesty and magic...charm and culture. As the sun will rise upon our beautiful city once again, so shall we restore our democracy to a government of the people, by the people and for the people and assure such incompetent leadership never darkens our shores again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Road Warriors

Dot and I have just returned from a successful run to Covington...things are improving greatly there since we arrived Sunday morning after driving all night. Dot collected clothes, water, diapers and baby formula from the Dallas area. In Austin, Kellie, Karen and Aimee from the Continental Club, Tina, manager of the Hotel San Jose, and I collected water, baby food, baby wipes, paper towels, TOWELS are a great commodity as are blankets and other supplies. Friends wired money for the truck and gas and KGSR in Austin announced where people could go to drop off goods or donations for relief going DIRECTLY to the people of Covington and those that did not have goods donated money for fuel.

The devistation is unphathomable. One hundred fifty foot pine trees toppled like tooth-picks onto houses, cars, across roads...snapped at the trunk or simply blown over by Katrina's winds. Almost every home and building have sustained damage...many with huge trees draped across the roofs. When we arrived at 9:30 am Sunday, there was no power...5 days after Katrina. The lines for gasoline were at least a mile long and power and telecommunication lines were laying over houses, cars and roads.

We had to guess where Annie and Buddy's house was...many street signs, as you can imagine, were missing and wires draped from broken poles to the ground where they were still connected to large transformers.

There is gasoline now in Covington but it is being rationed to $10 of gas per person which at $3 a gallon is not squat.

The Red Cross refused almost all of our supplies. They took some baby formula and diapers. As we stood dumbfounded by the lack of interest in the pallette of water we intended to unload for them, along with the other supplies, we were told to go to one of two other Red Cross shelters in Covington. None wanted the clothes.

The Vets for Peace were there and Gordon told us they would take the water and baby food and supplies in an attempt to distribute them to the community. As we were unloading, two ladies approached with small children. After getting formula and diapers from us, one asked that we go to the neighborhoods and try to knock on doors. There are many sick or infirmed or elderly who are either scared or too sick or trapped in their homes to get help.

We were told a Baptist Church in the area may be accepting clothes...so we followed a Sherrif's deputy to the church and were able to unload all of the clothes and shoes to a grateful group of volunteers.

Many who were at Camp Casey II may have seen and heard James McMurtry, James would like to have a benefit which will be held this week to raise money and goods for Direct Relief for America.

James, Jackie, Tim, and Kris went into New Orleans on Sunday and again on Monday and have incredible video, photographs and touching stories as they were able to rescue three people and a dog and get them all to the National Guard for airlift.

This is an ongoing problem and will require months of these kinds of efforts to supply fresh water and goods to the Gulf Coast...the aid agencies just will NOT be able to handle it on their own. One container kitchen was able to feed 1000 people on Sunday...there are 8500-10,000 in Covington alone. Slidell and Bogalousa were hit very hard and the people of Bougalousa have no government and are running out of food and have very little water.

Thank you all for your generousity, compassion and the hope and inspiration you give to all of us.

Peace, Love and Compassion,

Ian

Images from today's donation drive

2005-09-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

As of 10:00 am

Salvation Army needs your HELP!

2005-09-05T06:35:00.000-07:00

HURRICANE KATRINA
By mid-day Monday, September 5, the Salvation Army will be ready to accept donations of goods (housewares, clothing, furniture, etc.)to aid those evacuated from the Gulf Coast. As soon as the location is ready, it will be listed here. Please check back.
Officials urge Arizonans who wish to help with the Hurricane Katrina recovery to donate money to the following:Red Cross at 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-435-7669) Salvation Army donations – 602-302-8888
Citizens can continue to register donations on the Donations Database Hotline at 1-877-240-9735 or e-mail at pubinq@azdema.gov

DIRE NEED AT COLISEUM - Phoenix AZ

2005-09-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

ATTENTION LISTENERS

There is some dire need out at the coliseum. All items must be new, with tags still attached (this is mandatory, for Red Cross safety reasons):

Socks of all sizes
Women’s and children’s underwear
Women’s sports bras
Oversized children’s clothing
Baby blankets
Diapers of all sizes
Closed-toed shoes for children and women

We will be collecting these things at our studios starting 6am MONDAY

We are located at 2800 North 44th Street #100; Phoenix, AZ 85008

As requested by our listeners we have provided a blog for people to communicate and share how they can offer help to the victims of Katrina and the on going problems in the gulf. Please see http://aapkatrina.blogspot.com.

Evacuees Arriving in Phoenix! Your Help is Needed

2005-09-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

Local members of Progressive Democrats of America www.pdamerica.org, CodePink www.codepinkphx.org, Arizona Alliance for Peaceful Justice www.azpeace.org and MoveOn www.Moveon.org are working with the governor's office to support the arrival of at least 1,000 evacuees to the valley on Sept 4 and 5. We are asking you to help us with the endeavor. There are several critical needs and here is how you can help:

If you can help collect, transport and distribute the water, please contact Joanne Ivancich right away at 480-242-7737.

To volunteer to join one of our welcome teams call Joanne at 480-242-7737 or email her at coach4you@aol.com.

1. Offer housing. There is also a critical need for housing. There are several ways to do this. Perhaps you could contact your church or some businesses and ask them how many families they can help. (We actually know of one local business who offered to adopt 10 families, get them housing etc. and give each family $10k!)

Or, if you want to offer space in your home send an email to pubinq@asdema.gov. Be sure to be specific about what you can do. They are expecting at least 1,000 people and the governor's office would like to have something set for at least 500 people before they get here.

2. Be a volunteer. If you have any service you can volunteer, go to www.az211.gov and send an email specifying the service you can offer.

Let's step up, Arizona, and show the evacuees that Arizonans are willing to offer support to neighbors in need!

Cooperative Local Leadership from:

Progressive Democrats of America www.pdamerica.org

Code Pink Phoenix www.codepinkphx.org

Arizona Alliance for Peaceful Justice www.azpeace.org

MoveOn www.MoveOn.org

The Love Train

2005-09-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

Last post before heading out...

Hey All,

Despite unexpected delays...

Dot is headed to Austin with half of a truck (moving truck) of supplies, medicine, and clothes.
We will pick up the load (and whole pallet of water)and clothes and formula and baby accesories being overwhelmingly donated by the Austin community...and those abroad...I was wired over $1500 in donations just today.

Though our politics do not agree...I must say this...

GOD I LOVE TEXANS!!!

And a few Americans who shall remain nameless unless they should choose to out themselves...mums the word.

(side note Bush is from Connecticut)

KGSR radio has been broadcasting the message all afternoon and people keep coming by just wanting to help.

This is almost as good as Camp Casey!

We heard that in Covington there were five babies born last night...life indeed goes on.

The Red Cross is finally there and the Vets for Peace have set up a triage center and distribution camp for all the supplies so graciously donated.

The Train keeps a rollin' all night long!

And so do Dot and Ian!

Peace, Love and Compassion...

Ian =]

A message from Air America Radio

2005-09-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

Air America Public Voicemail
1-866-217-6255

Air America Radio's Public Voicemail is a way for disconnected people to communicate in the wake of Katrina.

Here's how it works:

Call the toll-free number above, enter your everyday phone number, and then record a message. Other people who know your everyday phone number (even if it doesn't work anymore) can call Emergency Voicemail, enter the phone number they associate with you, and hear your message.

You can also search for messages left by people whose phone numbers you know.
Air America Radio will leave Public Voicemail in service for as long as this crisis continues. You can call it whenever you are trying to locate someone, or if you are trying to be found.

Obviously, for this to work, people need to know about it so please forward the number to as many people as you can. You can find out more about Katrina and the affected areas at www.airamericaradio.com.

Air America Radio brings you Emergency VoiceMail in conjunction with VoodooVox.

Also, if you’re looking for a way to help personally, MoveOn.org Civic Action, formerly known as MoveOn.org, launched a new web site yesterday, http://hurricanehousing.org/ asking its 3.3 million members and the public to post any available housing for the thousands of people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. The organization will directly connect evacuees with volunteer hosts, and also provide the housing information to the Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Calling All Able Bodied Citizens

2005-09-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release: Sept. 2, 2005
Contact: loveisinyourmind@yahoo.com

Where did the food go? What about the Medical supplies? How about all the water that was never sucked up in the 109 degree heat of Camp Casey? It got loaded up by the team and members of the Veterans For Peace Chapter 116,Mendocino County, www.vfproadtrips.org and hauled out with Annie and BuddySpell of the Louisiana Activist Network, Commanding the way to as close as Camp Casey could get to the catastrophe in Louisiana. Albert signed on the tour in Austin and we we were joined by Alex and Ella of Minnesota who spent a lot of time at Camp Casey the past month.

We are here, CAMP CASEY is alive, the food is cooking, and we are handingout supplies to the citizens of the community.

We need help.

Louisiana Activist Network and the VFP Chapter 116 are the only ones here inCovington.

We are in the Same Camp, Different Ditch, 96 degrees today.

The ditch is at:Reverend Peter Atkins Park in Covington. Corner of 28th and Tyler in Covington. LouisianaWhere we can take mail: 124 E 14th Street, Covington, LA 70433The Mendocino, CA Chapter (#116) of Veterans for Peace ( www.vfproadtrips.org) has joined the Louisiana Activist Network on the corner of Tyler and 28thStreet in Covington, LA where we have opened up a soup kitchen and medicalstation in a public park.

THERE IS NO GOVERNMENT HERE! THE LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD IS NOT HERE. ONLY WE ARE HERE AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS COMMUNITY ARE IN DISTRESS.

We need, immediately, the following:

WATER, WATER, WATER
ice chests with ice
baby supplies (diapers, formula, ointments)
low fat powdered milk
canned foods
fresh fruit
gasoline
additional generators
shelter
flash lights
portable toilets

We, the veterans and activists of Camp Casey are here to stay.Financial donations are useless under these circumstances.

This is anarchy.

We need basic supplies ASAP!

GEORGE BUSH HAS LET THESE PEOPLE DOWN! IT'S UP TO YOU AND US!

REVEREND PETER ATKINS PARKCORNER OF 28TH AND TYLERCOVINGTON, LAQ

Highly Rated Charities

2005-09-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

Dit-Dot said...: For those bloggers/readers that can afford to make a financial contribution, below are links for some highly rated charities assisting in the hurricane relief effort recommended by the one and only admirable hero for the environment, Robert Kennedy, Jr., NRDC's senior attorney:

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/content.view/catid/68/cpid/310.htm

http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/animal_environ/

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin

2005-09-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Disaster Relief Unemployment for Survivors

2005-09-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

FOR ALL SURVIVORS WHO HAVE BEEN RELOCATED TO TEXAS:

The government has set up a Disaster Relief Fund for unemployment benefits.

Houston will be to registering claimants, but Austin and other major cities will do so as well.

It will at least give them some income until they get back on their feet.

Here are some additional numbers to help:
512-477-0999
800-935-9815
800-939-6631

Additionally Dit-Dot said...

Here are a few other excellent resources:

John Conyers has links on his website for emergency contacts, providing assistance/volunteering, missing persons database, etc.

http://www.house.gov/conyers/

AND from AFSCME:

New Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund
Can Help Cardholders Impacted By Hurricane Katrina
Union members living in areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina who participate in Union Plus programs now have one less financial worry.

The new Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund is available to help cardholders who are facing financial hardship due to Hurricane Katrina. Union cardholders are eligible to apply for a Disaster Relief Fund grant ranging from $500 to $2,000. THE MONEY DOES NOT HAVE TO BE REPAID.

Other special assistance for cardholders includes lower rates, fee waivers and other help.

Free credit counseling through the Union Plus Credit Counseling Program is also available.

To qualify for a Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund grant, the union member must:

Have been a victim of a natural disaster.
Have experienced a significant income loss or financial hardship.
Have been a Union Plus Credit Card holder for at least 12 months and have opened the account prior to the date of the natural disaster.
Document his or her circumstances and income loss.
To apply for a Disaster Relief Fund grant, cardholders can call the Credit Card Disaster Relief Helpline at 1-877-761-5028 to speak directly with a specially trained representative.

Disaster victims who participate in the Union Plus Loan, Auto Insurance and Mortgage programs may be eligible to receive payment extensions or other special help from the program providers.

Assistance plans vary by program provider. To find out more, disaster victims who participate in any of the following Union Plus programs should call these toll-free numbers:

Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund: 1-877-761-5028
Union Plus Loan Program: 1-800-343-7097
Union Plus Mortgage: 1-800-848-6466
Union Plus Auto Insurance: 1-800-294-9496
Union Plus Credit Counseling: 1-877-833-1745

The Tragically Hip - New Orleans is Sinking

2005-09-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

Martin Savage MSNBC

2005-09-02T13:49:00.001-07:00

Kopel & Michael Brown

2005-09-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Cafferty (August 1st) Bush not Helping

2005-09-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Anderson Cooper gives it to Landrieu

2005-09-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Katrina Information

2005-09-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

How can you make a difference to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the U.S. Gulf Coast earlier this week? Send money, says Michael D. Brown, U.S. Undersecretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response.

Whatever you do, he adds, please don't travel to affected areas of your own accord.

"Cash donations are especially helpful to victims," Brown said in a Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) press release. "They allow volunteer agencies to issue cash vouchers to victims so they can meet their needs. Cash donations also allow agencies to avoid the labor-intensive need to store, sort, pack and distribute donated goods. Donated money prevents, too, the prohibitive cost of air or sea transportation that donated goods require."

"We're grateful for the outpouring of support already," Brown said. "But it's important that volunteer response is coordinated by the professionals who can direct volunteers with the appropriate skills to the hardest-hit areas where they are needed most. Self-dispatched volunteers and especially sightseers can put themselves and others in harm's way and hamper rescue efforts."