I am grateful for the geographical (navigational?) advice provided by the previous writer. Indeed, "this" (and by that I refer to the tone and content of the previous message) is America. Exhibit A. However, THIS is international -- one hopes cosmopolitan -- cyberspace. Here I hope we are trying to pool knowledge and experience from the whole of humanity and apply it to the tragic circumstances that have affected the people of the Gulf Coast (and, I might add, nearly simultaneously, some 7,000 people isolated by floods in Sierra Leone, others in Romania, Germany, Switzerland, and only very recently many hundreds of thousands in greater Mumbai, India, where more than 1,000 died in monsoon flooding).
The previous writer believes that mayors of cities are responsible for the policies that affect the life and well being of people in those urban settlements.
The urban predicament in the U.S. and elsewhere is that mayors, city councils, and other officials and professional managers have to face increasingly complex tasks with less and less money. This predicament may not have been discussed in the "political science text book" one previous contributor to this discussion seems to have read. It has, on the other hand, been widely discussed by the World Bank, UNESCO, etc. At the root of this problem is political imbalance between national and local government power that has not yet been successfully addressed by various approaches to decentralization.
I address it myself in recent work published by Tufts University (see the urban chapter of http://nutrition.tufts.edu/pdf/research/famine/ambiguity_and_change.pdf ).
Specifically in relation to New Orleans, its fiscal crisis is well known. In addition, federal policy impinges in numerous ways. Sidney Blumenthal has an excellent piece in the Guardian about the lack of support from the federal government for studies and projects that would have reinforced the levees were supposed to protect New Orleans. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1561356,00.html .
Blumenthal also documents changes by the Bush administration in rules governing how wetlands may be protected against development, and he asserts that this has also led to the elimination of much natural protection from the storm surge.
The controversy over funding for Army Corps of Engineer work on the levee system in New Orleans was discussed today in a long article in the New York Times ("Intricate Flood Protection Long a Focus of Dispute" by Andrew Revkin and Christopher Drew, 1 September, 2005, p. A14). The authors quote the senior project manager for the Corps.
If it were not a violation of the norms of collegial discussion on the internet ("netiquette"), I would suggest that the previous contributor to this discussion, "go read a newspaper."
Ben Wisner
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-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sep 1, 2005 9:29 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Poverty, looters, the real looters
Ben, this is America. The mayor is first in charge, followed by the governor. Go read a political science book. Where is the mayor? Hopefully looking for a new job. .
-----Original Message-----
From: Ben Wisner <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sep 1, 2005 4:50 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Poverty, looters, the real looters
Terry Cannon makes an excellent point about the Bush, Homeland Security Inc., et al. diversion of resources.
A statistical detail you all might find useful in teaching and agit prop: The most recent census in New Orleans found 112,000 households without their own cars. After hurricane Ivan last year, authorities did a table top planning exercise for a hypothetical "worst case" hurricane" they named "Pam." They assumed a storm surge that topped the levees. As of Katrina's land fall, however, in the follow up to that exercise, it seems no one had figured out what to do with these 112,000 households without transportation (low income, elderly, and disabled).
The conditions in the Superdome are truly horrific and violate international standards for shelter provision (see www.sphereproject.org ). Shifting people to another sports arena (Astrodome in Houston) is surreal. It is certainly not a solution to the shelter problem. Keeping people in such a facility for more than a few days is unconscionable. One official in New Orleans has told a reporter that he thinks the city should declare independence and request international aid. Indeed, it looks like the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Program, not to mention MSF would do a much better job a organizing shelter.
Meanwhile Bush is only appealing for donations to the America Red Cross, actually giving their phone number in his televised press conference. Smaller, local organizations such as the Louisiana Interfaith Council need support. They are capable not only of response but campaigning on the social justice and human rights issues that underlie the vulnerability of those 112,000 low income households (and others) in the first place.
Ben Wisner
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-----Original Message-----
From: Terry Cannon <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sep 1, 2005 5:27 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Hurricane Katrina
Dear All,
Lots of interesting material and ideas flowing from you, very useful. I am
just off to watch newsnight and record the footage for teaching, so this is
a quicky.
Two short points: the significance of poverty as a factor in preventing
many people from evacuating themselves and the position within this group
especially of the elderly and disabled.
Secondly, the demonising of looters that is going on. The main looter in
this is Bush and his supporters, who diverted the money for flood
prevention to homeland security and Iraq. This is a crucial propaganda
point to keep making. there is chapter and verse today in a very good
article in the Guardian today (by john vidal) on the diversion of funds
from flood preparedness, and on warnings given a year ago that without
further defences there would be a disaster.
Today TV correspondent in Biloxi was clearly shocked at the lack of any
relief giong on. There are reports of army trucks driving by hungry people
and ignoring them. He said it was worse than African disasters he has covered.
Re the looters, I am sure many are not necessarily pleasant people, but
what we are observing is a class struggle, of the dispossessed seizing on a
pathetic opportunity to claim something in the midst of the mayhem. One man
seen by a reporter had just taken many packs of cigarettes from a gas
station, and had a broad smile all over his face. Just how ground down he
must be to be thrilled at 50 dollars worth of cigarettes in a situation
when he was poor before, but now has no food or home...
Best wishes
Terry
At 15:29 01/09/2005, you wrote:
>Dear colleagues,
>
>Maureen Fordham and I would like to capture some of the rich discussion
>surrounding hurricane Katrina that is taking place on list servs. As you
>may know, since 2001 RADIX has been a public electronic resource for
>discussion of contextual, deep background, and also neglected
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