Dear 15,000;

Rob passed on more messages from readers of this newsletter that he thought needed to be said.

–Abby

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From: Jasmine Date: Sun Sep 4, 2005 8:36:22 PM US/Pacific To: Rob Nilsson <rnilsson@robnilsson.com> Subject: FW: Bay Area Evacuee Housing?

Hi Rob,

I noticed your Katrina messages to your list so I’m forwarding this from a friend of mine… She got out of New Orleans to Baton Rouge in the nick of time, with nothing more than clothes for one day, I believe. Dawn and her family are now contemplating moving back to the Bay Area, where she lived (and did wonderful work as a filmmaker and editor) for many years…

Perhaps someone on your list could help with housing, or has relevant contacts?

Thanks, Jasmine

—— Forwarded Message From: Dawn Date: Sat, 03 Sep 2005 02:21:52 -0500

Subject: Bay Area Evacuee Housing?

Hello Friends-

I’m sorry about all the emails today.

As great as the people of BR have been to us, we are beginning to think about our next move in a month or so and one option we’re seriously is relocating the entire family ( Me, Lucie, my mom, sister, and her two children) to the San Francisco Bay Area for a while if we can find affordable housing. So if any of you know of places available or belong to a church or synagogue or organization where someone might be able to provide long term housing for any or all of us, we would be deeply grateful.

Unfortunately, we have probably lost much of our home equity here and our financial means will be modest compared to Bay Area market prices.

—— End of Forwarded Message

If you can help, email me, Abby, at tvelf@yahoo.com and I’ll get your info to Jasmine and Dawn.

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NO Times- Picayune Editorial: An open letter to the President Dear Mr. President:

We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our devastated city and the Gulf Coast and said, “What is not working, we’re going to make it right.”

Please forgive us if we wait to see proof of your promise before believing you. But we have good reason for our skepticism.

Bienville built New Orleans where he built it for one main reason: It’s accessible. The city between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain was easy to reach in 1718.

How much easier it is to access in 2005 now that there are interstates and bridges, airports and helipads, cruise ships, barges, buses and diesel-powered trucks.

Despite the city’s multiple points of entry, our nation’s bureaucrats spent days after last week’s hurricane wringing their hands, lamenting the fact that they could neither rescue the city’s stranded victims nor bring them food, water and medical supplies.

Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection. On Thursday morning, that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor trailers headed into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city.

Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown New Orleans streets. Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid Thursday, and his efforts were the focus of a “Today” show story Friday morning.

Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people whose job it is to quickly bring in aid were absent. Those who should have been deploying troops were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to reach.

We’re angry, Mr. President, and we’ll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That’s to the government’s shame.

Mayor Ray Nagin did the right thing Sunday when he allowed those with no other alternative to seek shelter from the storm inside the Louisiana Superdome. We still don’t know what the death toll is, but one thing is certain: Had the Superdome not been opened, the city’s death toll would have been higher. The toll may even have been exponentially higher.

It was clear to us by late morning Monday that many people inside the Superdome would not be returning home. It should have been clear to our government, Mr. President. So why weren’t they evacuated out of the city immediately? We learned seven years ago, when Hurricane Georges threatened, that the Dome isn’t suitable as a long-term shelter. So what did state and national officials think would happen to tens of thousands of people trapped inside with no air conditioning, overflowing toilets and dwindling amounts of food, water and other essentials?

State Rep. Karen Carter was right Friday when she said the city didn’t have but two urgent needs: “Buses! And gas!” Every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially.

In a nationally televised interview Thursday night, he said his agency hadn’t known until that day that thousands of storm victims were stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. He gave another nationally televised interview the next morning and said, “We’ve provided food to the people at the Convention Center so that they’ve gotten at least one, if not two meals, every single day.”

Lies don’t get more bald-faced than that, Mr. President.

Yet, when you met with Mr. Brown Friday morning, you told him, “You’re doing a heck of a job.”

That’s unbelievable.

There were thousands of people at the Convention Center because the riverfront is high ground. The fact that so many people had reached there on foot is proof that rescue vehicles could have gotten there, too.

We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We’re no less important than those from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued.

No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn’t be reached.

Mr. President, we sincerely hope you fulfill your promise to make our beloved communities work right once again.

When you do, we will be the first to applaud.

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From: Cooksey-Talbott Date: Mon Sep 5, 2005 12:25:24 AM US/Pacific Subject: More on NOLA

Hi All,

I am still shell shocked by the events of last week.

I dug into my archives of historical photos and found 20 rolls of film I shot in New Orleans in the late 70’s/Early 80’s. I have digitized them into proofs and published a gallery.

They have a little dust but hey… they are contact proofs.

http://www.cookseytalbottgallery.com/Images/InProgress/NewOrleans/

Browse through this gallery then listen to what the good folks of Louisiana have to say about what has been happening, or should I say not happening, for the past week.

Here are a bunch of audio/video clips that are either ignored or edited to death by the MSM.

Mayor Nagin lays it out in simple terms…

http://a901.g.akamai.net/7/901/13186/v002/airamerica.download.akamai.com/13186/aarplace/media/Nagin.mp3

Mary Landreau speaks about the response…

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/This-Week-Landrieu-puch-Bush.mov

Aaron Broussard tells the truth… until it leaves him in tears…

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Meet-the-Press-Broussard.mov

Bob Sheiffer speaks on survival of the richest… Maybe we need to “just start over” with our government…

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Face-the-Nation-Sheiffer-blasts-Katrina-response.wmv

Chertof needs to be fired along with Mike Brown.

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Meet-the-Press-Chertoff-Blasted.wmv

Bush fails to push paper to make the relief effort start…

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/5/11528/01729

This is scratching the surface of the crime that DHS has committed by consistantly turning away aid ranging from a 5 mile long convoy of swamp hunters and their boats from Layfayette to rescue teams from Chicago. There are so many reports of aid being turned back at the cordon that it is just frightening.

What is going on here ?

Peace, Love and Hippie Beads

Cooksey �