If you want a ugly comparison the 1927 Mississippi River flood is it.

[JanMichael]

Racism, death, herding people, mostly Black, around like cattle. Of course poor Whites took it hard too, but as usual not quite as bad. Rich White folks made off like bandits, they are bandits by the way, and the small affluent (In relation to the times and place) Black folks followed the rich White folks to the bank. Everybody ELSE was fucked.

This is it.

We're an ugly country with an ugly history and it just never seems to stop.

Welcome to hell.

BTW Tthis book is supposed to be a great retelling of the event.

[jus_the_facts]

1. Welcome to New Orleans...Homeland Security 2005.....

[enid602]

2. '27

The only difference is that we did not have the national disaster preparedness bureaucracy back in '27. We do now but chose not to use it.

[DinahMoeHum]

3. Did you read Greg Palast's latest.?

Link:
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=453&row=0

(snip)
In 1927, the Democratic Party had died and was awaiting burial. As depression approached, the coma-Dems, like Franklin Roosevelt, called for balancing the budget.

Then, as the waters rose, one politician finally said, roughly, "Screw this! They're lying! The President's lying! The rich fat cats that are drowning you will do it again and again and again. They lead you into imperialist wars for profit, they take away your schools and your hope and when you complain, they blame Blacks and Jews and immigrants. Then they push your kids under. I say, Kick'm in the ass and take your rightful share!"

Huey Long laid out a plan: a progressive income tax, real money for education, public works to rebuild Louisiana and America, an end to wars for empire, and an end to financial oligarchy. The waters receded, the anger did not, and Huey "Kingfish" Long was elected Governor of Louisiana in 1928.

At the time, Louisiana schools were free, but not the textbooks. Governor Long taxed Big Oil to pay for the books. Rockefeller's oil companies refused pay the textbook tax, so Long ordered the National Guard to seize Standard Oil's fields in the Delta.
Huey Long was called a "demagogue" and a "dictator." Of course. Because it was Huey Long who established the concept that a government of the people must protect the people, school, house, and feed them and give every man or woman a job who needs one.
(snip)

much more...


:kick:

[JanMichael]

5. I am now, thanks!

[The River]

4. Actions Taken During The 1927 Flood

are partly responsible for the extent of the damage now:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mississippi_Flood_of_1927

"As the flood approached New Orleans, Louisiana 30 tons of dynamite were set off on the levee at Caernarvon, Louisiana and sent 250,000 ft³/s (7,000 m³/s) of water pouring through. This prevented New Orleans from experiencing serious damage but destroyed much of the marsh below the city. As it turned out, the destruction of the Caernarvon levee was unnecessary; several major levee breaks well upstream of New Orleans, including one the day after the dynamiting, made it impossible for flood waters to seriously threaten the city."

"By August 1927 the flood subsided. During the disaster 700,000 people were displaced, including 330,000 African-Americans who were moved to 154 relief camps. Many African-Americans were detained and forced to labor at gunpoint during flood relief efforts. The aftermath of the flood was one factor in the Great Migration of African-Americans to northern cities.....

Is history repeating itelf?

on edit: link