Governor faults White House over rebuilding

[struggle4progress]

By: Michael Depp

Sun Oct 30, 2005 11:49 AM ET

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Reuters) - Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, flanked by veteran Democratic activists and a union leader, criticized the Bush administration on Saturday for allowing hurricane rebuilding contracts to go to out-of-state firms and low-wage workers.

Speaking to a rally of about 1,000 union members and activists from the steps of the state Capitol, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton also charged the White House with using the crisis to remake the state's political map by discouraging the return of displaced blacks.

Jackson urged residents of the overwhelmingly black Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans to return.

"Somebody is accountable," he said. "Don't give up. You have the right to return, the right to reclaim and the right to reconstruct." <snip>

http://www.maconareaonline.com/news.asp?id=12403

[MissWaverly]

1. recommend for the greatest page

I was just talking about this today, SOMEONE must be held accoutable.

[texpatriot2004]

2. Very good article. Glad to hear this is being said. n.t

[ninkasi]

3. We can't let Bush cronies

destroy the beautiful city of New Orleans. It has always been unique among American cities, and we enjoyed the food, the music, Mardi Gras, Bourbon St., the French Quarter...we can't abandon it to the same corporate greed that is destroying the rest of America.

The government watched as a city and it's people died, and DID NOTHING!!!! Oh, they ate cake, and played guitar, and shopped for shoes, but they not only didn't send help, they TURNED HELP AWAY. Do they seriously believe that New Orleans would be the same without it's black residents? So much that was great about New Orleans was the gift of it's black citizens.

Another crime by the Bush junta. Another city, like Falluja, ruined. The methods are different, but the results are the same.

[MasonJar]

4. From the very beginning New Orleans was unique among Amer-

can cities. It was cosmopolitan when nowhere else was because of the many different cultural influences predominant there. Creoles, Creoles of Color, Spanish, French, Caribbeans and many etcs all drawn together there with their blues and their jazz music arising from the frred Delta slaves and the brass bands and the European music and the gospel songs and the calypso and etcs. Even after the Jim Crow laws were enacted in the rest of the South, N.O. remained true to its nature until forced to renege on its own character, a character which re-emerged as soon as it could. The unAmerican culture of greed is trying to destroy N.O, and if it suceeds, it will destroy this magnificent place of wonder. It is New Orleans' disparity of culture which gives it charm and appeal. It is truly a city that is as America should be...cosmopolitan and free of hate.

[Eugene]

5. kick

:kick: and recommended