# Rebuilding New Orleans, but only for rich white fok



## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

September 9, 2005 -- Dallas meeting plans reconstruction of New Orleans without poor African Americans. According to well-informed New Orleans sources, New Orleans' wealthiest families, including those who are direct descendants of the French who settled New Orleans (not the Acadians [Cajuns] who were poor refugees from British tyranny in Nova Scotia) are meeting in Dallas today with Bush administration officials, New Orleans city officials, wealthy Texas oilmen, and bankers to plan for the reconstruction of New Orleans. These wealthy New Orleans residents live in the gated community of Audobon Place, a section of the city near the Garden District replete with personal helipads that still has running water and sewage and was only slightly affected by hurricane Katrina. It is now reportedly being patrolled by private Israeli security forces. Yesterday's Wall Street Journal ran a piece with more details on this story.

Rep. Richard Baker (R-LA): "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did."

The Dallas meeting focused on rebuilding and re-zoning New Orleans without the "criminal element," a code word for the city's poor African American community.

These New Orleans residents have been scattered across the United States and are now under the control of FEMA. There is an understanding by the wealthy New Orleans elite that the poor will never be able to return. The Journal reported that the person who chaired the Dallas meeting was Jimmy Riess, one of the wealthy New Orleans elite who also served as Mayor Ray Nagin's Chairman of the Regional Transit Authority, which is in charge of the city's buses, trolleys, and trains. New Orleans sources report that public transportation was purposely not used to evacuate the poor New Orleans residents as a means to depopulate the poorer and more flood-prone sections of the city. In fact, after the properties in New Orleans poorer communities are razed many of the deed records of the poor and middle class contained in government offices and title companies of Orleans Parish and neighboring Jefferson Parish may end up being casualties of the flood. As one New Orleans source put it, "people will not have proof they ever owned anything." As for renters and residents of public housing, they will be prevented from returning to their native city, according to New Orleans sources. Louisiana's Republican House member Richard Baker, a strong Bush ally, may have tipped his hand about the future plans for New Orleans when he told a group of lobbyists, "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did."

Guess Who Is Planning the Rebuilding of New Orleans?

The French-American elite of New Orleans are among the city's "rich and famous." They run the Mardi Gras "crews" (Krews) or clubs, secret hereditary societies that sponsor the annual pre-Lenten festival. Many also run large oil companies and are long time supporters of the Bush family and their associated oil and gas cartels.


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

Did you expect anything less in Amerika?


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

MS, got a source for that? The quote from Baker should be a front-page headline somewhere... 

M


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

CubaMark said:


> MS, got a source for that? The quote from Baker should be a front-page headline somewhere...
> 
> M


Two shaky House incumbents, Democrat Melancon and Republican Boustany, hope response to hurricane rallies voters behind them. House Republican campaign chief Reynolds touts chance to market conservative social-policy solutions; Rep. Baker of Baton Rouge is overheard telling lobbyists: "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did."
Baker explains later he didn't intend flippancy but has long wanted to improve low-income housing.

http://blog.dccc.org/mt/archives/003475.html


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

*The Bush Cronies keep raking it in...*

Gee, Halliburton. What a surprise...

*Firms with Bush ties snag Katrina deals*
Sat Sep 10,11:03 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Companies with ties to the Bush White House and the former head of FEMA are clinching some of the administration's first disaster relief and reconstruction contracts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

At least two major corporate clients of lobbyist Joe Allbaugh, President George W. Bush's former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have already been tapped to start recovery work along the battered Gulf Coast.

One is Shaw Group Inc. and the other is Halliburton Co. subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root. Vice President Dick Cheney is a former head of Halliburton.

Bechtel National Inc., a unit of San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp., has also been selected by FEMA to provide short-term housing for people displaced by the hurricane. Bush named Bechtel's CEO to his Export Council and put the former CEO of Bechtel Energy in charge of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Experts say it has been common practice in both Republican and Democratic administrations for policy makers to take lobbying jobs once they leave office, and many of the same companies seeking contracts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have already received billions of dollars for work in Iraq.

Halliburton alone has earned more than $9 billion. Pentagon audits released by Democrats in June showed $1.03 billion in "questioned" costs and $422 million in "unsupported" costs for Halliburton's work in Iraq.

But the web of Bush administration connections is attracting renewed attention from watchdog groups in the post-Katrina reconstruction rush. Congress has already appropriated more than $60 billion in emergency funding as a down payment on recovery efforts projected to cost well over $100 billion.

"The government has got to stop stacking senior positions with people who are repeatedly cashing in on the public trust in order to further private commercial interests," said Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight.

TWO BUSH APPOINTEES AT HALLIBURTON

Allbaugh formally registered as a lobbyist for Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root in February.

In lobbying disclosure forms filed with the Senate, Allbaugh said his goal was to "educate the congressional and executive branch on defense, disaster relief and homeland security issues affecting Kellogg Brown and Root."

Melissa Norcross, a Halliburton spokeswoman, said Allbaugh has not, since he was hired, "consulted on any specific contracts that the company is considering pursuing, nor has he been tasked by the company with any lobbying responsibilities."

Allbaugh is also a friend of Michael Brown, director of FEMA who was removed as head of Katrina disaster relief and sent back to Washington amid allegations he had padded his resume.

A few months after Allbaugh was hired by Halliburton, the company retained another high-level Bush appointee, Kirk Van Tine.

Van Tine registered as a lobbyist for Halliburton six months after resigning as deputy transportation secretary, a position he held from December 2003 to December 2004.

On Friday, Kellogg Brown & Root received $29.8 million in Pentagon contracts to begin rebuilding Navy bases in Louisiana and Mississippi. Norcross said the work was covered under a contract that the company negotiated before Allbaugh was hired.

Halliburton continues to be a source of income for Cheney, who served as its chief executive officer from 1995 until 2000 when he joined the Republican ticket for the White House. According to tax filings released in April, Cheney's income included $194,852 in deferred pay from the company, which has also won billion-dollar government contracts in Iraq.

Cheney's office said the amount of deferred compensation is fixed and is not affected by Halliburton's current economic performance or earnings.

Allbaugh's other major client, Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group, has updated its Web site to say: "Hurricane Recovery Projects -- Apply Here!"

Shaw said on Thursday it has received a $100 million emergency FEMA contract for housing management and construction. Shaw also clinched a $100 million order on Friday from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Shaw Group spokesman Chris Sammons said Allbaugh was providing the company with "general consulting on business matters," and would not say whether he played a direct role in any of the Katrina deals. "We don't comment on specific consulting activities," he said.

Source:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050910...OE3aDyWwvIE;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NGRzMjRtBHNlYwMxNjk5


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

CubaMark said:


> MS, got a source for that? The quote from Baker should be a front-page headline somewhere...
> 
> M


article = http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/

quote can be googled in several places


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## Cameo (Aug 3, 2004)

That is really sad. Thank God that we live in Canada.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

*"live in Canada???"*......a few indigenes might give you an earful about THAT. We have our own skeletons.


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

What a bunch of bunk. The source of the article is nothing more than a political website with lots of opinions. If you read the article carefully, you'll notice it's a lot of opinion and speculation with only the occasional hint of anything factual.

Anybody who takes the Wayne Madsen report as gospel needs their head checked.


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## Cameo (Aug 3, 2004)

Everyplace has it's own skeltons I am sure. I am still thankful to live here.


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

guytoronto said:


> What a bunch of bunk. The source of the article is nothing more than a political website with lots of opinions.


The quote comes from the Wall Street Journal online. 
MacSpectrum and I posted the same link as you need a subscription to view the WSJ online.


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## miguelsanchez (Feb 1, 2005)

here's a link to the previous story, from the real estate journal, a division of the wsj:

http://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/regionalnews/20050909-cooper.html

also from the sunday times:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,23889-1772101,00.html

need any more? try news.google.ca 

as for the veracity of the quote, it's here, #13:

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/currentevents/a/katrinaquotes_2.htm

have a great day,

miguel


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

Sunday Times and Wall Street Journal

just what kind of 'rag tag' newspapers are you using for "sources?"


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## miguelsanchez (Feb 1, 2005)

<sigh>...under the circumstances, it's the best i could do...i'll try to do better next time, ok?


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

At least those publications present the material in a more professional manner. www.waynemadsenreport.com comes across as very biased.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

President Bush says that although rebuilding the Gulf Coast will be expensive, he is "confident we can handle it and our other priorities." He says the government will "have to cut unnecessary spending" and should not raise taxes. Reconstruction costs are estimated to be at least $200 billion.

They are starting this savings in the schools. Since ketchup was considered a vegetable in federally-funded school lunch programs, new additional "vegetables" shall also be added so as to provide school children with a "balanced meal" at lunch. Potato chips will substitute for some of the other "starch foods", such as corn, peas beans. Instead of real carrots, an oil-based product will be used, which, when hardened, looks just like a carrot. A mock form of "Fruit Loops" shall be used to replace real fruit. For a dessert, styrofoam in the shape of a scoop of ice cream will be used, topped off with bits of recycled tires as mock chocolate chips. Edible oil mock "whipped cream" will top off this mid-day "treat". As a recess treat, the Federal Government is going to "dig" into its reserves. There were some Halloween treats set aside for children.........back when Eisenhower was president. These shall be distributed to all children every day until the supply runs out...............which should be in 2017.

So, the children of America are doing their part to help pay for the rebuilding of New Orleans..............which, just by coincidence, has gone to various subsidiaries of Halliburton. God bless the American sense of fair play and equality.


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## Mugatu (Mar 31, 2005)

Only three more years of Emporer Bush left... as least I hope so.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Mugatu, you have not been keeping up with the latest news re Bush and Amendment XXII, which was ratified Feb. 27, 1951, and which limit the number of terms a president may serve. It states that :

Section 1

"No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once."

Therein lies the "glitch". Bush is claiming that he was not really elected in 2000, and that it was the Supreme Court that "selected" him, rather than the electorate "electing" him. He also contends that because he has not really "acted" presidential, but rather, acted in a "dictatorial" manner, the other case is not germane to his situation. Thus, he might consider running again.............or merely cancelling the Elections of 2008 "Until further notice, or until the security situation improves." 

Be afraid..............be VERY afraid.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

According to CNN.com -- "Veteran federal disaster workers say they warned their bosses that Hurricane Katrina would create an epic disaster in the Gulf Coast. But their bosses, political appointees with almost no emergency management experience, didn't seem to share the sense of urgency, a Federal Emergency Management Agency one veteran says."


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## Beej (Sep 10, 2005)

Dr.G. said:


> According to CNN.com -- "Veteran federal disaster workers say they warned their bosses that Hurricane Katrina would create an epic disaster in the Gulf Coast. But their bosses, political appointees with almost no emergency management experience, didn't seem to share the sense of urgency, a Federal Emergency Management Agency one veteran says."


 This gets more and more worrying. Our Federal government isn't exactly a 'No Patronage Appointments' zone. I get the feeling we would be royally screwed if anything of a similar magnitude happened here. 

Time to move back to the Prairies...no earthquakes or hurricanes just bitter, bitter cold.


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## MacNutt (Jan 16, 2002)

MacDoc said:


> *"live in Canada???"*......a few indigenes might give you an earful about THAT. We have our own skeletons.


I hate to agree with macdoc on anything like this....But I just have to on this particular subject.

Every society has it's impoverished groups. Some might be identified in a general way by some marker like skin colour or ethnic background or language abilities.

Right or wrong...fair or not...this is simply the way it is right now.

And sometimes these sequestered groups harbour great talent. But they are locked into a small area...either by fear of the unknown...or because of social pressures. From within and from without.

And, BTW, I should point out to everyone here that I have spent some considerable time in New Orleans. I went there every weekend for the six months that I spent at oilfield tech school in Houston Texas (I had a buddy at school who was from there). I was there for three different "Fat Tuesdays". And lots of times in between, when I worked the swamp jobs in places like Houma and Boutte. I love Louisiana.

And I've been there many times since. I've seen the good and the bad of the place.

It always struck me that there were a lot of people there, of many different skin colours (white included), who simply couldn't be shaken loose from the place because of it's innate charm.

Even if it would do them a world of good to get out and look at the rest of the world for a change.

Wellll...now they've been forcibly shaken loose. And transported to a whole nother world.

Might be a good thing. For them and for all the rest of us, when all is said and done. Some amazing talent was being locked up tight in New Orleans. 

Now it's been relocated and set loose on the rest of North America. Who knows what this might bring for the future.

Personally...I'm bettin that it's a "positive" when all is said and done. For all of us.

Just my thoughts on this.


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

quoteth by macnutt;


> Might be a good thing. For them and for all the rest of us, when all is said and done. Some amazing talent was being locked up tight in New Orleans.
> 
> Now it's been relocated and set loose on the rest of North America. Who knows what this might bring for the future.
> 
> Personally...I'm bettin that it's a "positive" when all is said and done. For all of us.


re-location and non-return of New Orelans residents is a "good thing?"
you're colder than martha stewart without her gucci fur on a cold January day in Minnesota (yeah, yeah, I know Martha wouldn't be caught dead in Minnesota)


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

According to CNN.com: WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Since the president prefers not to raise taxes to finance Hurricane Katrina recovery, three senators suggested Sunday that Congress cut spending, delay a Medicare prescription benefit and forego a tax cut for the rich. 

Senate Democrat Joe Biden from Delaware suggested sacrificing a cut in estate taxes, and Republicans Lindsey Graham and John Kyl put political "pork" in the budgetary cross hairs. 

Biden siad that "... We're either going to share the cost with everyone, including the wealthiest among us by foregoing the tax cuts for the wealthiest, or we're going to put all the burden on the middle class.... We don't have to go forward with further tax cuts for the wealthy. There's a $70 billion tax cut in this particular budget. Permanently eliminating the estate-tax cut is a trillion dollars over the next 10 years. Maybe we have to forgo those for the time being."

____________________________________________________________________

The religious-right has its priorities for Bush to fulfill, as do the corporations. However, there are wealthy Bush supports who would call for his impeachment should this "estate tax" elimination, which would cost $100 billion a year, is not passed by Congress and signed by the president. The two-year savings would pay for the rebuilding of NO, with another two-year saving feeding every hungry person in America, with another three-year saving providing a home and a job for every American in need, with the final three-year saving going to helping the elderly and sick with real health and medical care. After all, one trillion dollars goes a long way in the "right hands"...............be they they the vast majority of people in the US, or the richest 1% of the population. 

I wonder if Bush will lie awake at nights wondering which side of this issue he supports??? We shall see.


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