K+10 minus one week

Here we are, one week from the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the Federal Flood ("Katrina" for short). Like most of my friends who lived here and through Katrina, I don't want to relive those days so I've been actively avoiding watching TV. I know it's not healthy to stuff the emotions down so I'll just deal with them as they come. I have been reading some articles and one that really spoke to me was this one by Robert Mann. I've enjoyed his OpEd pieces he writes for the T-P and hadn't realized he worked for Gov. Blanco at that time. I knew watching the reports by the big networks on New Orleans and Katrina that they were full of shit and making shit up, and he confirms that.

I worked for the governor of Louisiana during Katrina. Here are 5 things I learned. 
by Robert Mann on August 20, 2015

The Gambit has an interview with the former Governor and it's sad how politicized the rescue became.

Katrina at 10: An interview with former Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco
The former governor talks about Hurricane Katrina and the politics of Louisiana recovery
By Walter Peirce

The lies that were spread immediately following the have mostly been proved wrong, but most people will remember what they heard on the TV. I remember ranting in my emails and my blogs posts to friends to not watch CNN or FOX news. I encourages them to visit NOLA.com and get news from a local source. I follow my own advice today. When a disaster hits a distant city, I go to the local media outlets to get the facts, not the sensationalized conjecture and speculation. Here's a wonderful video that overlays the chatter of the media reporting on Katrina with footage of the city today. It was put togther by several very talented men, graphic design Tom Varisco (to whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude for taking the time to meet with a newly graduated art student looking for a graphic design job in New Orleans) and photographer Jackson Hill (who I had the pleasure of working closely on a number of projects).


High Water Mark from Tom Varisco on Vimeo.

Ups and Downs

Another JazzFest has come and gone. I only went two days this year - the first Saturday and Thursday. The Thursday has always been my favorite day. "Locals Day" much smaller crowds, no lines for anything.

Saturday we saw: Bonerama, Papa Grows Funk, Big Sam's Funky Nation,Terence Blanchard, Treme Brass Band, Dr. Michael White. We saw the first half of Simon and Garfunkle but were somewhat dissapointed so we scooted over to the Blues tent to catch the second half of Tab Benoit's set. He was tearing it up! We also saw the parade " Kirk Joseph & the Sousaphone Symphony Parade honoring Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen" with 15 tubas!

Thursday the weather was perfect. I saw Dumpstafunk, Sunpie Barnes, Steve Martin w/ Steep Canyon Rangers (yes that Steve Martin), Soul Rebles, 101 Runners and Elvis Costello. The day was more laid back in all ways.

Soul Rebels - the nice thing about Thursday you can get up closer to the stages.

We were up front for Dumpstafunk. This is looking back at the crowd.

The down was the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and the oil leak (leak? geyser is more like it) that followed. 11 men lost their lives, hundreds of fishermen will lose their livelihood and thousands of marine animals and bird are suffering not to mention the damage to the coastlines and beaches of 4 states. And BP is hemmoraging money for the clean up. As of this time still waiting to hear why this happen. Here in New Orleans people are eating and buying up seafood for the very real fear it will be in short supply for years, which of course will drive up the cost. It remains to be seen how this will affect shipping in the ports of New Orleans and Mobile and the price of gas.

Another Up - New Orleans has a new mayor! Mayor Mitch Landrieu was sworn in to day. Can I get an amen?! I'm more excited about the departure of Ray Nagin but I do hope Landrieu can turn things around and actually get things done and be accountable. It's pretty easy for him to look better and accomplish more than Nagin.

Anticipation....

Superbowl kick-off is less than 24 hours away now and I can hardly stand it! I've been doing weekend chores all day because nothing productive will get done tomorrow. I voted this morning and tonight will watch the returns. Will Mitch Landrieu pull off a landslide without a run-off? Hey, the Saints are in the Superbowl ANYTHING is possible. Elections here are crazy (like everything else). The primaries are open and there were 11 names on the ballot:

Mayor City of New Orleans 1 18 Jonah Bascle No Party
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 19 'Manny' Chevrolet-Bruno Other
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 20 Robert 'Rob' Couhig Republican
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 21 John Georges Democrat
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 22 Troy Henry Democrat
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 23 'Jerry' Jacobs No Party
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 25 Thomas A. Lambert Republican
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 26 Mitchell 'Mitch' Landrieu Democrat
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 28 James Perry Democrat
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 29 Nadine Ramsey Democrat
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 30 Norbert P. Rome No Party

Also on the ballot were spots for city council, various judges and coroner. Who elects their coroner??? The challenger to the incumbent ran this ad.

I can't even think straight anymore. My head is a buzz. All I can say is WHO DAT!

I live in the congressional district that was represented by William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson - the congressman the FBI found $90K cash in his freezer. He got re-elected once since then, but this past fall he was finally voted out. While my district, and most of New Orleans, is full of Democrats, we elected Cao who is a Republican. Today's T-P has an article "Cao may be one of few to break Republican ranks on stimulus" (link)

Though hailed a party hero by Republican leaders in Congress after his upset defeat of Democratic incumbent William Jefferson, Cao would be a party renegade on the biggest vote since he arrived in Washington.

I voted for Cao as well as I voted against Jefferson and had Cao been up against someone other than Jefferson he might not have won. It's refreshing to hear a politician say:

"I'm voting along what my conscience dictates and the needs of the 2nd Congressional District dictate, even if I were to be the only member of the GOP to vote for the stimulus package, " he said.

It's good to see he also has a sense of humor:

Scalise, the assistant Republican whip, laughed when asked whether it was his responsibility to keep Cao in line, adding that a few Republican defections are to be expected.

Joked Cao, "Steve Scalise doesn't know kung fu. I know kung fu. He can't whip me."

But can someone explain to me what the heck "the hard-core, rock-ribbed Republican districts" means?

UPDATE
Cao voted no. It passed anyway but time will tell how it plays out. I like Adrastos' comment "Still, it would have been nice if Mr. Cao had tried but we got used to having an empty suit in the House during Dollar Bill's decline..." which is all too true. And I also like he "Kung Fu Fighting" video clip. "Those cats were fast as lightning." Sweet.

Today has been one of those days when I really love my neighborhood. G and I walked over to the elementary school to cast our votes in today’s election (Congressional seat). We ran into some neighbors from around the corner we hadn’t seen in a while and caught up with them. We then walked up to Magazine Street. We were right by Katy Beh Contemporary Jewelry so we popped in to say hi to Katy. G needed to go to Harry’s Ace Hardware so we walked by there. I continued on because I needed to stop at Breaux Mart to buy some veggies for the soup I wanted to make. Along the way I stopped in Buffalo Exchange and bought a sweater. Walking back from the grocery, I stopped in a relatively new store “Francesca’s.” I’m pleased to report that it is not your typical overpriced ladies boutique that only carries size 0 and 2. The sales clerks were friendly and I got some really cute gifts for some people and a new top pour moi. Much like San Fran and NYC, two of my fav cities, you can actually walk to places you want to go. We also have a drug store, Martin Wine Cellar, some great restaurants, bars, coffee houses and a bunch of other shops. Only thing missing is a great bakery and cheese shop. Technically I could walk to St. James and La Boulangerie‎, but it’s a bit more of a hike. The new Border’s opened up and that’s close by too, but I think I’ll make the trip to Octavia Books instead. Remember: buy local for your holiday gift giving and every day!

From my in-box- re: Letten

Hey all – I know I’ve been in touch with some of you concerning Jim Letten. We have started a letter writing campaign encouraging our leaders to keep Mr. Letten in New Orleans as he is about the only one who has been able to actually start cleaning up the political and criminal mess here. We’ve stressed to everyone that it doesn’t matter how you voted last week – the bottom line is the vital importance that Letten remain in office. Many of you have sent emails to both Senators Landrieu and Vitter and their response has been encouraging.

However, we got more information last night from another insider who has alerted us that even though we are voicing very loudly our desire to keep Letten, it’s not looking positive. Sadly, the political games may trump what is best for NOLA. Our inside contact has suggested we now bombard Rep. Karen Carter Peterson with letters in support of Letten – saying the more she hears from her constituents, the better.

I have enclosed her contact information and would encourage everyone to send an email -- then fax it. I’ve also included her legislative aide’s name and phone number and a call may not hurt as this will stress our desire to keep Letten in office so he can continue his work in NOLA. For those who have not written, I’ve enclosed all other contacts that we are approaching. If you feel as strongly about keeping Letten here, please send a message to all folks below and pass this email on to everyone you know. This fight is too important and we need our voices heard.

Rep. Karen Carter Peterson
email is larep093@legis.state.la.us
phone is (504)568-8346, fax is (504)568-8405
Her legislative aide is LeBraun Robinson

Mary Landrieu
724 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-1803
Phone: 202-224-5824
Fax: 202-224-9735
http://landrieu.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

David Vitter
516 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-1804
Phone: 202-224-4623
Fax: 202-228-5061
http://vitter.senate.gov/?module=webformIQV1

Amendments on Oct 4 ballot

From: Michael Cowan
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2008 7:31 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: A decisive vote

Dear Common Good leaders,

In just over one week, New Orleans voters will have the opportunity to cast what may be the most important vote in the history of local government. That vote will not be to elect a candidate but rather to change decisively the way two important institutions—City Hall and NOPD—function. On the October 4th ballot will be an amendment to the city charter that will protect the newly established Office of the Inspector General from political interference by future mayors and city councils, whose decisions the inspector general will be monitoring. The amendment will also establish an independent monitor for the NOPD, who will report to the inspector general.

We need an independent inspector general because most citizens and business owners, and many state and national elected officials, perceive New Orleans city government as wasteful and contaminated by patronage and corruption. Unless this perception is changed, local residents and business owners, as well as potential public and private outside investors, will continue to be reluctant to bet on the future of New Orleans. The future of the city hinges on those investments.

We need an independent police monitor now because trust between the police department and residents of some New Orleans’ neighborhoods is so low that many people will not report crime or testify against criminals because they feel that they have been treated disrespectfully or brutally by police officers, while others feel that the police are not doing enough to protect them. Our crime problem cannot be effectively addressed without trust between citizens and police. An independent monitor’s office is a nationally recognized way of rebuilding that trust.

Members of the city council are appearing with Inspector General Robert Cerasoli on the following dates to speak briefly with citizens about this important vote and answer your questions. Please invite your members and associates to attend one.

Council member Mr. Fielkow, 9/23, 6:00 p.m., Touro Synagogue, 4238 St. Charles Avenue
Council member Carter, 9/24, 6:30 p.m., St. Jude Community Center, 411 N. Rampart
Council member Head, 9/27, 10:00 a.m., 2020 Jackson Avenue
Council member Midura, 9/29, 6:30 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church, 3700 Canal Street

The Common Good network of institutions has worked with council member Shelley Midura and other elected officials for the establishment of an inspector general’s office for almost three years, and actively supported the efforts of council member James Carter to establish the independent police monitor for the past year. On October 4th, the citizens of New Orleans can provide these two critical offices with the maximum independence possible under city, state and federal law.

Please do all that you can to encourage local voters to seize this rare opportunity to make New Orleans a city that operates fairly and effectively for all her citizens.

For the common good,
Michael Cowan
Loyola University

Makes my head hurt.

I'm exhausted. From a long football season, from holidays... and it ain't stopping anytime soon. As one of my friends put it:

The holidays keep coming and I'm too stupid to stop!

I love it! I may put that on a t-shirt.

I know you are all just dying to hear about my hiking trip to Natchez. But that will just have to wait. If you read today's paper you know there was a letter from Hizzor C. Ray in the Metro section:

We selected 17 target areas throughout the city to begin our recovery implementation. Several high-profile projects are already under way, such as the opening of the Freret Market, planning for the future of Circle Foods, demolition of the former New Orleans East Plaza, redevelopment activities at I-10 and Carrollton Avenue, and several miles of street work completed to date, with many more miles planned for repair and improvement in 2008.

Now, I know the people who started and run the Freret Market; we help them with their marketing. That market exists not because of anything Nagin or Blakey did. They tagged their name to it, which probably help the market get some initial good press. But it was the group of citizens who wanted to help lift their neighborhood up and revitalize the Freret Street area who deserve all the credit. Gee, that sounds a lot like everything Post-K in New Orleans doesn't it? I know the Freret Market would have happened even if Freret wasn't one of the 17 target areas. It makes me wonder what else is the Office of Recovery Management is taking credit for.

I'm sure I'm not the only one here suffering from post-election hangover. Before I was a homeowner, I paid very little attention to local politics. But since now I have put down roots, I feel it's important to educate myself on the candidates and the issues and cast an informed vote. It can be overwhelming, especially when you have 10+ candidate running for one seat in Louisiana's open primaries.

I just finished reading Clancey Dubos' article "It never ends" where he talks about how "there's never a recession in Louisiana politics" and all the upcoming special elections on top of regular elections. Pshew! It wore me out. Since I'm registered "Independent" I pay a only a slight margin of attention to the on-going presidential candidates. I vote in every presidential election, but I don't feel like my vote holds as much weight as in local elections.

Slowly the election signs on the neutral grounds are starting to dissappear. I actually saw someone from Cheryl Gray's camp (he was wearing a Cheryl Grey t-shirt) picking up her signs on Louisiana Ave at St. Charles. Jalila's signs seems to the be the one mostly left around. According to an article in the T-P it's not clear what the law is in regards to the signs. I had decided if the signs were still up yesterday after work, I'd take it upon myself to clean them up on LA Ave. I also wanted the metal stands the signs sit on for another project. Low and behold when I drove home down LA Ave. someone had taken the plastic (coroplast in the biz) signs and left the metal stands! In a matter of 15 minutes, covering 3 blocks I had 35 stands. They sell for $.75 each and works out to $26.25 before tax. Sweet!

I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. And leave you with this gem; Nola.com has a "Turkey of the Year" where they encourage people to upload their candidate.

G and I have been busy (G more so than me) working with a committee to put together a forum for the candidates running for the City Council At-Large seat, vacant after Oliver Thomas resigned. We had a pretty good turn out, especially for a rainy day and considering how hard it is to navigate Loyola's campus. One candidate who never confirmed, showed up, which required some scrambling, and Kimberly Williamson Butler was 28 minutes late! I enjoyed Adrastos' commentary on the event.

I wish I had gotten a better picture of the candidates. Cox Communication is supposed to air the forum and I think video is also supposed to appear on NOLA.com. I saw a FOX8 camera guy, but can't find anything on their website.

The group that put on the forum started with the City Council District B seat race a few years ago. It was great they way a group of concerned citizens, faced with 6 candidates no one knew anything about, pulled their knowledge and resources together. It feels good to be doing something positive and also learning more about candidates.

Tuesday, we present a forum for the candidates running for State Senate District 5.
Date: Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Time: 7:00-9:00pm
Location: SJ Green Charter Middle School, 2319 Valence St.
Candidates: Cheryl Gray, Jalila Jefferson-Bullock, David Williams, Irma Dixon

I think I can safely proclaim summer has begun in New Orleans. It started, was it Thursday or Friday? Up to that point I could still drive around with the car windows down and we hadn't turned on the AC in our house yet. This weekend has been blazing hot and no cooling rains. Last summer, people were still in panic mode, especially with the first hurricane season since Katrina bearing down. This summer, people are fed up with the slow pace of recovery, corrupt politicians and insurance companies and quality of life issues. Trash, littering and recycling have been hot topics lately. Lots of ink spent covering these topics in the T-P. Chris Rose is back in fine form and sums up some people's feelings:

We may feel powerless in our battles with the faceless bureaucracies of the Corps of Engineers and FEMA and Allstate and the Road Homeless and the drive-by shooters and Bill Jefferson and everyone else who would screw us over, but when affronted by a potato chip let loosed in an uncivil fashion, then we feel like maybe that's a battle we can win. (read whole article)

I think you do have to be crazy to live here. Bill Jefferson... indicted... everyone asked "how did he get re-elected?" How indeed. The murder rate keeps growing and historically it increases with the heat. And there may be litter related shootings soon. June 1 the media was waving the "hurricane season has started" red flag, but it only lasted a few days. I think people didn't pay attention. We all know things don't get bad until August and we all had already made our disaster kits last summer.

On a positive note... Saturday Greg turns 40! Greg not one to make a big deal about his birthday, but the big 4-0 is cause for celebration. He's been making steady progress on the bedroom renovation (too hot to work outside). The cats are happy and healthy - I still haven't replaced my digital camera. My garden is growing out of control and it's a challenge to keep everything watered. For the past few months, Sunday was grill out night but not tonight. The grill will be lonely until October when the heat breaks.