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June 19, 2008 at 10:28:30
Promoted to Headline (H2) on 6/19/08: |
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Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) is at one end of the flooding Mississippi River and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) is at the other. Both are Democrats and both do not see eye to eye on Bush’s call for more oil drilling in our coastal waters. Harkin issued a press release today with the header, “Drilling is part of the energy problem, not the solution.”
Harkin charged that since over half of the 20 million barrels of oil consumed in the US is imported, offshore drilling would do little to mitigate the energy crisis which is resulting in $4 per gallon at the gas pumps.
“Offshore drilling is not an immediate solution,” Harkin said in a press release. “And if we are going to talk about solutions that have an intermediate prospect, then investing in biofuels and other renewable energy holds more promise.”
Perhaps.
But consider that much of the Midwest grain crop has been ruined. The USAD predicts that corn inventories will drop to the lowest in 24 years—this after there has already been huge strain put on global food markets because of increased biofuel production.
Corn and soybeans are trading close to record highs. Wheat and rice prices are also rising.
Financial impacts will be staggering. Estimates are incomplete, but at least 38,000 have been displaced from their homes in Iowa.
Senator Harkin has these images on his website.
Downstream on the Mississippi Delta, people seem confused about Senator Mary Landrieu. The Senator is doing a yeoman's job explaining the budget cuts that led to levee failures in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She has stood solidly behind the citizens of the Midwest and blames a decline in dollars for infrastructure for the tragedies in New Orleans and now the breadbasket.
Yes, it has been three years since the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina wrecked New Orleans. Grassroots organizations, such as levees.org are solidly behind Landrieu’s 8/29 investigation. However, Landrieu just backed offshore drilling. In an election year, she is under pressure to do so, given the revenue that would come to Louisiana which is the only state that had not directly benefited from offshore drilling to date. She issued a statement to OEN yesterday about the drilling; saying a portion of Louisiana's revenue would go for wetlands restoration.
Speaking through an aid, Landrieu said she recognized that “its [oil] production has had an impact on Louisiana’s wetland erosion. We see it fitting therefore, that the restoration of this coastline be funded through our continued commitment to the nation’s energy security."
Landrieu has to walk a fine line on this issue.
There is absolutely no doubt that the floodwaters of Katrina would have been mitigated if the protective coastal wetland had not been compromised and or destroyed by the oil companies.
War Funding and Human Suffering
Now Iraq has entered the picture in more ways than siphoning dollars from infrastructure maintenance of the levee system. Congress is trying to cut $73 million in housing aid for disabled Katrina victims from a bill that provides $350 million for Iraq refugees. The irony is not lost on Landrieu.
‘‘Nearly three years since the storms, permanent supportive housing vouchers are needed more than ever to help get our most vulnerable population — the elderly and disabled — into safe, affordable homes,’’ Landrieu said in a recent statement.
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Meanwhile Katrina’s homeless are now camped under the I-10 bridge instead of on top of it, as they were during the flooding. Yes, homeless are still under the I-10.
None of this bodes well for the towns and cities up and down the Mississippi River, considering this wrangling is going on three years post Katrina. Will New Orleans provide a template for the aftermath of the Midwest floods? Time will tell. Will the 38,000 displaced from Iowa have homes when they return?
Danger in Comparisons
There is a huge danger in trying to compare the human suffering incurred during the epic Mid West floods and what happened after Katrina. The images from Iowa certainly invoke memories of Katrina, and citizens from New Orleans have stepped up to the plate by participating in the Midwest relief efforts.
Videos of “law enforcement” thugs in Iowa that have cropped up on YOUTUBE bring back painful memories of the Danziger Bridge and Blackwater in the French Quarter. In fact, Louisiana’s Governor and possible VP on the McCain ticket, Bobby Jindal, recently ordered the National Guard to remain in New Orleans. The police force is sill understaffed and the guard is riding in city police cars.
The New Orleans population has not yet rebounded with a total estimate of 308,000 returnees, down from 454,000, according to a press release issued by consultants at GCR & Associates. Areas most impacted by the floodwaters have shown the lowest rate of repopulation. Will the same happen in the Midwest?
Meanwhile, the question has been raised downstream about the danger the waters pose to Louisiana.
The water level in Baton Rouge is currently at 28.6 feet and is expected to peak at 31.5 feet. The protection system is designed to withstand 48 feet of water. New Orleans is at 10.4 feet, 1.5 feet lower than when the Bonnet Care Spillway was opened in April. It is expected that the spillway system will work as it has in the past. In fact, the Mississippi levee system did hold during Katrina—it was the floodwater protection levees, also maintained by the Corps, which failed.
Residents report that as of a week ago the Corps-termed “little wet spot” on the 17th Street Canal was a trickle of water, and that new mortar was crumbling on the structure.
The mainstream press is finally getting the picture that over development upstream, which has forced more runoff and taller levees, is a big part of the problem. You can’t blame Mother Nature for this one. The Wall Street Journal had a decent article on the debate today.
The attached video was placed on a popular New Orleans blogspot in sympathy for the Midwest flood victims. How’s Your House, by Ian Hunter accompanies footage of the flood devastation wrought by Katrina. New Orleans understands and remembers.
The New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund (www.NOMRF.org) offers Ian Hunter, Dr. John, the Kaiser Chiefs, Edwin McCain, Maia Sharp, James Andrews and Joe Topping. 100% of the proceeds will help the grass roots New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund. Video courtesy of Grewvia, song courtesy of Yep Roc Records.
Georgianne Nienaber is an investigative environmental and political writer. She lives in rural northern Minnesota, New Orleans and South Florida. Her articles have appeared in The Society of Professional Journalists' Online (more...)
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
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| 17 comments |
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How about that aid for flooding victims
being tacked onto the war supplemental funding bill that Congress is working on passing right now? The flood victims get aid if we continue funding an illegal war and occupation. I wonder if any "conscientious objectors" will come out of the woodwork and declare that they refuse to accept money that was granted to them in the same bill that continues a criminal war of aggression. by Kevin Gosztola (302 articles, 146 quicklinks, 81 diaries, 1082 comments [77 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 11:27:23 AM  (0+)
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Reply: You have got to be kidding
What are they smoking down at Columbia College these days? Please tell me you are kidding. You mean that this woman is a war supporter if she accepts aid? Ay yi yi! Whatever hapened to sweet home Chicago...home of Saul Bellow? What are they teaching you? You children need help and I mean right now. Bad weed? I hope you are kidding, because that comment..well it just does not hold water. Blame the victims. Yes, let's do that. by Georgianne Nienaber (154 articles, 47 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 350 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 11:49:20 AM (0+)
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Reply: Whoa...I'll Clarify
I don't realistically expect those hit hard to turn down the money. Would I? Probably not. I do wonder if anybody hit that had a Leftist mindset and was fed-up with the administration would take the high ground at a time when our government refuses to uphold the Constitution and impeach. I just wonder if, as Amy Goodman says, anyone would want to stand up to the madness in that way. I'm not suggesting those who accept aid should be crucified. No. by Kevin Gosztola (302 articles, 146 quicklinks, 81 diaries, 1082 comments [77 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 12:21:30 PM (0+)
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Reply: Kevin, take a breath....
Tacking on aid for the flood victims to the continuing funding of the war is the well known tactic used so often to appease both sides. It is sad but true that there is literally little or no hope that our government can respond in any other than this way. You know this all too well. Ideally and sadly again, I can see that there could be someone(s), there always is, that would no doubt claim the implied evil of two counter human issues offered here, but I would caution us to remember that in this ridiculous world, when we make such a distinction, we come awfully close to forgetting totally that it could easily be you and I in that picture. I dislike the absurdity of it. I dislike even more the lack of empathy from which the argument is made. So no one wins? I 'm not o.k. with that. peace by mikel paul (14 articles, 1 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 570 comments [13 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 4:03:05 PM (0+)
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Kevin,
while I understand the moral and ethical questions you are attempting to raise, in truth, it is naive. First and foremost, for all human beings, is survival. If people who have suffered, lost everything, must accept funds in order to care for and protect their families - shelter, food, clothing - then sadly there is no other path, war funding or not. We have to make choices in this life and family survival is first and foremost for most people. Those who will step away from their responsibilities to care for those they love and must protect, are either saints or sinners -- naturally, depending on how one looks at it. Life just isn't that easy, that black or white -- that cut and dry. I think none of us know what it is like to face these tough choices when suddenly made victim of circumstance and suffering -- especially where children, elderly or infirm are concerned. by Jan Baumgartner (60 articles, 148 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 311 comments [12 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 2:06:43 PM (0+)
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Reply: Jan
As usual, Jan said it much better than I. Kevin, you are a good writer with much promise. I don't know anything about your background, but have you ever spent any time living in the Third World? I feel it should be a requirement for anyone writing about our global connections---and make no mistake--these are global issues you raise. by Georgianne Nienaber (154 articles, 47 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 350 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 2:12:37 PM (0+)
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Reply: I took a trip to South Africa
I've seen poverty. And I understand that whatever aid you can get, you accept. I never suggested people should refuse aid. I just postulated or imagined a "what if?" scenario. This may sound arrogant but if imagining scenarios is naive, I wish to be naive until I die. I'm not about to accept this world cut and dry. That's just me. by Kevin Gosztola (302 articles, 146 quicklinks, 81 diaries, 1082 comments [77 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 3:42:22 PM (0+)
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Some of these issues are discussed in my article...
The 9/11 Truth Movement, by CB Brooklyn (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 465 comments [18 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 8:43:24 PM (0+)
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GUNS AND BUTTER
For every dollar going into the war there should be aid for americans and infrastructure repair contract money. If we need more then we should add money for honest hand counted elections. And money to give to every child for special education and medical care. If Bush vetoes it, then let him! These f#&ks will have their war, but let them tax the shitty top ten percent by ten percent. by Wolfie (9 articles, 0 quicklinks, 33 diaries, 1208 comments) on Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 9:19:14 PM (0+)
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Reply: "It's the WAR Economy, Stupid!"
My favorite new Bumpah-stickah. by Bia Winter (6 articles, 2 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 762 comments [119 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 20, 2008 at 12:22:16 PM (0+)
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Bush
No child left a dime by Georgianne Nienaber (154 articles, 47 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 350 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 9:45:56 PM (0+)
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more to the floods than meets the eye.......
The weather is not only to blame for the Mississippi flooding, but the fact that The Fort Peck Dam in Montana which holds back the Missouri river, gates are open allowing millions of gallons of water to flow down the Missouri and into the Mississippi. Now one would think that with all the rain in the mid west, the damn would be closed and the reservoir would be allowed to build it's levels back up. This is not the case. Why are they flooding the Mississippi, are they setting up another disaster to divert our attention. Someone really needs to check this out. by Lori Kurtz (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Friday, Jun 20, 2008 at 12:47:13 AM (0+)
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Reply: I called
I called engineering at Fort Peck this morning and the engineer said that they are not releasing water either from the spillway or the flood tunnels. If anyone has any information to the contrary, please email me at this site by Georgianne Nienaber (154 articles, 47 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 350 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 20, 2008 at 10:04:13 AM (0+)
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Would that Congress could say no to war
There is no way that a government intent on funding a war to the tune of $165 billion this term is going to have the money to take care of anyone at home. A friend of mine in Cedar Rapids, whose business had no flood insurance, was offered that insurance for $30-50,000 per year. And now FEMA is offering them loans at 6%. Can you imagine? There they are drying envelopes in order to get the information on customers they need and having to relocate a 3-generation old business and FEMA is saying you could not afford insurance and you can rebuild at this rate and there is no other help for now in sight. Yet, off the Congress goes promising more money to fund this war. They vote to go along. Then the president says more offshore drilling when he knows and everyone else knows that is no solution because a) it takes a long time to get those wells producing and b) there is no equipment to be had for at least 5 years to do this kind of work and c) the price of such equipment is now prohibitively expensive. Can anyone find our way out of the rabbit hole before the next rainstorm and yes, we need to find out why the locks are being opened and what this will mean this summer to food prices, care for the hungry and homeless. Already the food banks are having record shortages. by Deborah Emin (26 articles, 1 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 95 comments) on Friday, Jun 20, 2008 at 7:19:59 AM (0+)
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Dumb Blonde from Louisianna!
Landreau is the same one who, with Harry Reid, voted against the measure last week to take away Big Oil's tax breaks and tax their "Windfall" Profits! by Bia Winter (6 articles, 2 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 762 comments [119 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 20, 2008 at 12:16:35 PM (0+)
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Reply: Whew!
For a moment there I thought you were referring to me. But, since I do not know the true color of the Senator's hair, perhaps you do mean me? If you have the ability to fill readers in on how the Senator's voting record will impact an 8/29 investigation, please take the time to write an article and do so. We blondes can only handle so many tasks at once. by Georgianne Nienaber (154 articles, 47 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 350 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 20, 2008 at 12:38:22 PM (0+)
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Just like wster, people fall to their own level
but we hope they use their heads. Survival requires the essentials of food, shelter and enough clothing to combat the weather. In summer, we can start with food. As Deborah wrote, food banks were already stressed. And the fact that this catastrophe hit the nation's breadbasket makes food all that more scarce. Much as I would like to sit here and rake political muck, I must put that aside. It's the free pantry in our Towers I think about. This morning, as I had my feet cared for, the lady I know well wanted to know about politics. I said everything could wait for a better understanding of how things would be after the election. Thanksgiving would be looming. She asked a lot of questions about how we do here in this building of 100 plus. She said she and her husband have good jobs and 4 children and with the price of groceries it's paycheck to paycheck. She belongs to a newly organized church and they are looking for things to do in the community. She took the name of our manager and will ask her fellow parishioners if they would like to get involved. I was going to write a little essay about people helping people, but probably the word gets out better by just commenting among ourselves. That's how I view OEN--people helping people. So now I will figure out what to put on the grocery list for tomorrow's trip to the grocery. Best wishes to all. by Margaret Bassett (45 articles, 2910 quicklinks, 43 diaries, 1857 comments [100 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 20, 2008 at 4:14:15 PM (0+)
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