Project Katrina

Kind of amazing it took this long to occur, but at least it did:

Admitting a cover-up of shocking breadth, a former New Orleans police supervisor pleaded guilty to a federal obstruction charge on Wednesday, confessing that he participated in a conspiracy to justify the shooting of six unarmed people after Hurricane Katrina that was hatched not long after police stopped firing their weapons.

The guilty plea of Lt. Michael Lohman, who retired from the department earlier this month, contains explosive details of the alleged cover-up and ramps up the legal pressure on police officers involved in the shooting and subsequent investigation. It’s unclear when Lohman’s cooperation with federal authorities began, but he presumably is prepared to testify against the officers he says helped him lie about the circumstances of a shooting he immediately deemed a “bad shoot.”

Now it is time to get after the cops that shot, in cold blood, the six unarmed individuals attempting to walk across the Danziger Bridge in search of water.

With the Super Bowl being played this weekend it means that everybody that is remotely famous is required to pick a winner. Well former FEMA head Michael Brown has picked the Colts to win. That’s really not like him, to abandon New Orleans like that.

Well this is just a wonderful thing to say by current Education Secretary Arne Duncan:

I’ve spent a lot of time in New Orleans and this is a tough thing to say but I’m going to be really honest. The best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina. That education system was a disaster. And it took Hurricane Katrina to wake up the community to say that we have to do better. And the progress that it made in four years since the hurricane, is unbelievable.

It seems now folks in both the Bush and Obama administration seem to think Katrina was in some way a net benefit for New Orleans. Kind of stunning.

Well it is about time and now it’s official. A Federal district judge, Stanwood Duval,  has ruled that The United States Army Corps of Engineers was liable for the damages inflicted on at least three plaintiffs by its failure to mitigate the damage its construction and operation of the MR-GO channel caused to the wetlands and, ultimately to the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish on August 29, 2005.

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that Louisiana justice of the peace Keith Bardwell has refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple because he believes that such marriages don’t usually last very long:

“I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house,” Bardwell said. “My main concern is for the children.”

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

“I don’t do interracial marriages because I don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves,” Bardwell said. “In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer.”

If he does an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.

“I try to treat everyone equally,” he said.

Like the folks in Louisiana haven’t been through enough already without bullshit like this.

In an interview with The Hill newspaper last week, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) boasted that “the best vote” he ever cast while in Congress was to deny $52 billion in aid to Hurricane Katrina victims. Yesterday, the Times-Picayune called King’s comments “heartless” and “appalling,” especially because he is from “a state that’s also vulnerable to flooding:”

Greater New Orleans suffered catastrophic destruction not only because of a powerful storm but because the flood protection system built by the federal government failed.

While some lawmakers from other parts of the country showed a lack of concern and understanding after Katrina—even questioning the wisdom of rebuilding our community—it’s hard to understand how a lawmaker from Iowa, a state that’s also vulnerable to flooding, could be unwilling to help.

Even now, officials in Des Moines are complaining about a slow and inadequate response to their flood recovery—including the lament that FEMA is underestimating the amount of money needed to replace public buildings. That’s something that South Louisianians can understand, and in fact, we feel for Iowans.

Unfortunately, when it counted, Rep. King didn’t feel for us.

Yesterday, the White House held a conference call between Vice President Joe Biden and governors of each state. The purpose of the call was to “exhort the states to collect and submit quarterly numbers of jobs created and saved by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act by the deadline of Oct. 10.” Forty-nine state governors or their representatives joined the call. The one person who couldn’t seem to find the time? Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R). From the pool report:

The invite was sent to 55 states and territories; if the governor could not join the call, a Lt. Governor, Chief of Staff or ARRA designee called in. There was one no-show state: Louisiana. Three no-show territories: Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa.

Biden has been aggressively reaching out to U.S. mayors and governors to help them use stimulus funds as effectively as possible.

However, Jindal has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Recovery Act—at the same time he goes around the state and takes credit for the federal dollars he was handing out. In July, Jindal declared the legislation a “stimulus that has not stimulated.” Yet he had no problems with handing out giant checks with his name on them … that contained millions of dollars of Recovery Act funds for job training programs, housing assistance programs, homelessness prevention programs, police training, criminal justice technology upgrades, and community development block grants. You’d just think somebody, like maybe even Jindal himself, would be able to find the time.

I don’t have a lot of praise myself for Obama’s early efforts, but it would seem the Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal has more then a few nice things to say:

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama pledged to right the wrongs he said bogged down efforts to rebuild the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Seven months into the job, he’s earning high praise from some unlikely places.

Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., says Obama’s team has brought a more practical and flexible approach. Many local officials offer similar reviews. Even Doug O’Dell, former President George W. Bush’s recovery coordinator, says the Obama administration’s “new vision” appears to be turning things around.

Not too long ago, Jindal said in a telephone interview, Louisiana governors didn’t have “very many positive things” to say about the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But Jindal said he had a lot of respect for the current FEMA chief, Craig Fugate, and his team. “There is a sense of momentum and a desire to get things done,” the governor said.