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Looking into the future the Pelican feeding its young from a self-induced wound in its own breast (as depicted, mysteriously, on the state flag of Louisiana) is accepted as an appropriate symbol of both self-sacrifice and rebirth. Through his selfless efforts, man is raised from the slavery of ignorance to the condition of freedom conferred by wisdom. Given the current state of affairs in Louisiana, one hopes that the understanding of the Pelican as a symbol shall point the way towards a new consciousness of ourselves as a whole, and lead us to face our futures with strength, grace, wisdom and faith, to learn from our mistakes and carry our successes and zest for living to future generations.

One Year Later And So Far Behind: Remember Katrina! Drive Out the Bush Regime!

September 1, 2006

What a difference a year makes-or not. Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region one year ago. We were outraged to see Black people stranded on roof tops. Without the adequate supply of food and water, they were herded like animals into the convention center and the Superdome. Treated like criminals with shoot-to-kill orders placed on them, and displaced from their homes, thousands were killed by the effect of the storm or at the hands of officials sent in to restore order.

And now, one year later, not much has changed. Instead of being stranded on roof tops, the majority of Black people displaced are stranded in cities, spread across the country and unable to return home. Evacuees are treated like animals in their new cities by police officers who are following the mantra put forward by government officials, and regurgitated by the mainstream media that in various cities where Katrina survivors have been displaced, the rise in crime has been caused by New Orleans' evacuees.

It is an outrage that residents in various housing projects are not allowed a Right to Return. Their homes, still standing and fixable, are surrounded by fences and barbed wire. It is outrageous that residents, staying in FEMA issued trailers, are not allowed to talk to the press without a FEMA official with them. It is outrageous that there are bodies that are still being found in abandoned homes, that there are people who are still missing, and the Find Family Assistance Center is shutting down regardless of that fact.

The biggest outrage is the treatment of the poor and Black people of New Orleans by this government. HUD secretary, Alphonse Jackson, said that, "New Orleans is not going to be as black as it was for a long time, if ever again." Then you have Louisiana Congressman Richard Baker saying, "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did." As well as Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, commander of the Louisiana National Guard's Joint Task Force, saying that, "This place is going to look like Little Somalia. This will be a combat operation to get this city under control." Take these quotes and add them to the actions of Sec. Of State, Condoleezza Rice, who shopped for shoes in New York, and George Bush, who stayed on vacation and played guitar with a country singer while thousands died. This is not government ineptitude, it is the beginning of genocide, colored with racism and excused by religion.

Thus, we cannot allow the criminal response of the Bush regime to be swept under the rug of time. They knew that the levees would not stand a hurricane of Katrina's proportions yet did nothing about it. No evacuation plans were made and certainly no plans to deal with the aftermath. The response to hurricane Katrina is just one part of the whole program that Bush is trying to implement into society and on October 5th, we are bringing it to a halt. We must let the country, the world and the Bush regime know that this is unacceptable. One year later, the correct response to the Bush regime's criminal response to hurricane Katrina would be to drive it out of power.

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