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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ms.
Pall.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>It is refreshing to hear a voice of reason
in times like these. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Having retired from the Army, the results
of Hurricane Katrina reflect what we in the Army referred to as piss poor prior
planning.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Why doesn’t FEMA have contingency
plans for such an emergency? <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>The Salvation Army seemed better prepared
than our own federal government when they (the Salvation Army) established
temporary storage facilities in what was the heart of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Beloxi</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Mississippi</st1:State></st1:place>
by Tuesday morning.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Thanks again, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Tom Hansen<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>"If not us, who?<br>
If not now, when?"<br>
<br>
- Unknown<br>
</span></font><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>
<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Linda Pall<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, September 01, 2005
5:35 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> vision2020@moscow.com<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [Vision2020] Fw: Molly
Ivins--Why New Orleans is in deep water</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Dear Visionaries:</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>About <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:place></st1:City>
and the hurricane: I think we should open our homes and I have asked Mayor
Comstock and City Supervisor Gary Riedner to open the discussion of how we
might be of the most use. I think our natural 'sister city' in this would be <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Baton Rouge</st1:place></st1:City>, home of
LSU... and I was touched with President White's offer of aid as well. I have to
say that my friendship with many mayors and council members from southern <st1:State
w:st="on">Louisiana</st1:State>, <st1:State w:st="on">Mississippi</st1:State>
and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alabama</st1:place></st1:State>
makes me think of people I am concerned for as I write. There's not a whole lot
left of some of these places whose council members and mayors have been great
partners of the City of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:City>
in the National League of Cities. I hope we can do something meaningful and
soon.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I also was e-mailed this earlier today and I offer it for
your consideration and thought.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>All the best,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Linda Pall</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Moscow</span></font></st1:place></st1:City><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> City
Council</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Why <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:place></st1:City> is in deep water<br>
<br>
Molly Ivins, Creators Syndicate<br>
Published September 1, 2005<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div id=watermark>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>AUSTIN</span></font></st1:City><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Texas</st1:State> -- Like many of you who love <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:place></st1:City>, I find myself taking short
mental walks there today, turning a familiar corner, glimpsing a favorite
scene, square or vista. And worrying about the beloved friends and the city,
and how they are now.<br>
<br>
To use a fine Southern word, it's tacky to start playing the blame game before
the dead are even counted. It is not too soon, however, to make a point that
needs to be hammered home again and again, and that is that government policies
have real consequences in people's lives.<br>
<br>
This is not "just politics" or blaming for political advantage. This
is about the real consequences of what governments do and do not do about their
responsibilities. And about who winds up paying the price for those policies.<br>
<br>
This is a column for everyone in the path of Hurricane Katrina who ever said,
"I'm sorry, I'm just not interested in politics," or, "There's
nothing I can do about it," or, "Eh, they're all crooks anyway."<br>
<br>
Nothing to do with me, nothing to do with my life, nothing I can do about any
of it. Look around you this morning. I suppose the National Rifle Association
would argue, "Government policies don't kill people, hurricanes kill
people." Actually, hurricanes plus government policies kill people.<br>
<br>
One of the main reasons <st1:City w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:City> is so
vulnerable to hurricanes is the gradual disappearance of the wetlands on the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Gulf</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
that once stood as a natural buffer between the city and storms coming in from
the water. The disappearance of those wetlands does not have the name of a
political party or a particular administration attached to it. No one wants to
play, "The Democrats did it," or, "It's all Reagan's
fault." Many environmentalists will tell you more than a century's
interference with the natural flow of the <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Mississippi</st1:place></st1:State> is the root cause of the
problem, cutting off the movement of alluvial soil to the river's delta.<br>
<br>
But in addition to long-range consequences of long-term policies like letting
the Corps of Engineers try to build a better river than God, there are real
short-term consequences, as well. It is a fact that the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Clinton</st1:place></st1:City> administration set some tough
policies on wetlands, and it is a fact that the Bush administration repealed
those policies--ordering federal agencies to stop protecting as many as 20
million acres of wetlands.<br>
<br>
Last year, four environmental groups cooperated on a joint report showing the
Bush administration's policies had allowed developers to drain thousands of
acres of wetlands.<br>
<br>
Does this mean we should blame President Bush for the fact that <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:place></st1:City> is
underwater? No, but it means we can blame Bush when a Category 3 or Category 2
hurricane puts <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:place></st1:City>
under. At this point, it is a matter of making a bad situation worse, of
failing to observe the First Rule of Holes (when you're in one, stop digging).<br>
<br>
Had a storm the size of Katrina just had the grace to hold off for a while,
it's quite likely no one would even remember what the Bush administration did
two months ago. The national press corps has the attention span of a gnat, and
trying to get anyone in <st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State> to remember
longer than a year ago is like asking them what happened in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Iznik</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Turkey</st1:country-region></st1:place>,
in A.D. 325.<br>
<br>
Just plain political bad luck that, in June, Bush took his little ax and
chopped $71.2 million from the budget of the New Orleans Corps of Engineers, a
44 percent reduction. As was reported in New Orleans CityBusiness at the time,
that meant "major hurricane and flood projects will not be awarded to
local engineering firms. Also, a study to determine ways to protect the region
from a Category 5 hurricane has been shelved for now."<br>
<br>
The commander of the corps' <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New
Orleans</st1:place></st1:City> district also immediately instituted a hiring
freeze and canceled the annual corps picnic.<br>
<br>
Our friends at the Center for American Progress note the Office of Technology
Assessment used to produce forward-thinking plans such as "Floods: A
National Policy Concern" and "A Framework for Flood Hazards
Management." Unfortunately, the office was targeted by Newt Gingrich and
the Republican right, and gutted years ago.<br>
<br>
In fact, there is now a governmentwide movement away from basing policy on
science, expertise and professionalism, and in favor of choices based on
ideology. If you're wondering what the ideological position on flood management
might be, look at the pictures of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New
Orleans</st1:place></st1:City>--it seems to consist of gutting the programs
that do anything.<br>
<br>
Unfortunately, the war in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>
is directly related to the devastation left by the hurricane. About 35 percent
of <st1:State w:st="on">Louisiana</st1:State>'s National Guard is now serving
in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
where four out of every 10 soldiers are guardsmen. Recruiting for the Guard is
also down significantly because people are afraid of being sent to <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> if they
join, leaving the Guard even more short-handed.<br>
<br>
The Louisiana National Guard also notes that dozens of its high-water vehicles,
Humvees, refuelers and generators have also been sent abroad. (I hate to be
picky, but why do they need high-water vehicles in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>?)<br>
<br>
This, in turn, goes back to the original policy decision to go into <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> without
enough soldiers and the subsequent failure to admit that mistake and to rectify
it by instituting a draft.<br>
<br>
The levees of <st1:City w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:City>, two of which are now
broken and flooding the city, were also victims of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> war spending. Walter Maestri,
emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, said on June 8, 2004, "It
appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle
homeland security and the war in Iraq."<br>
<br>
This, friends, is why we need to pay attention to government policies, not
political personalities, and to know whereon we vote. It is about our lives.<br>
<br>
----------<br>
<br>
Molly Ivins is a syndicated columnist based in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State>. E-mail: info@creators.com <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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