Monday, August 28, 2006

New Orleans Yartzeit

yartzeit candles2

A year ago this week a city died.

Now cities, unlike people, can return to life; and there are signs that this will happen to New Orleans.

But we must still mourn the dead.

And we should remember that while it was the storm that struck the blow, it was our government that left it half-dead by the side of the road -- saw it and passed by on the other side; and it was our government that had so weakened its defenses that a storm could take it from us.

For the dead: rest in peace.

For the living: Remember:

New Orleans Yartzeit2

Other reports, analyses, remembrances, reflections, eulogies:

Greg Palast did an astonishing report on Democracy Now! about the "planning" done for New Orleans evacuation. It is, as a former city councilman says in the report "the kind of negligence for which an individual would be indicted, prosecuted, tried, convicted, and spend their life in jail. Negligence that killed people, lots of people." (The link above is to audio & transcript of part one; audio & transcript of part two is here.)
Shakespeare's Sister has a post with a huge number of links; and another post here.
Publius thinks about how "In America, everyone is outraged for fifteen minutes."
Teresa Nielsen Hayden on what hasn't been done in the past year.
Frank Rich on Bush's return to the scene of his crime, and Paul Krugman on the broken promises of the past year.
Via Majikthise, Think Progress and Uggabugga both have Katrina timelines.

(I may add others as I come across them.)

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