[Peace-discuss] Politics of disaster

[Matt Reichel]

I am currently finishing my summer holiday in Chicago, visiting family and 
friends: among them, my girlfriend who had just moved to New Orleans to 
begin her studies at loyola university - NO.
She had lived there for all of 3 nights, before being awakened by an 
emergency plea from university adminstrators to "get out of town." Anyone 
who could not procure a flight or drive out with family members were bussed 
by the university to Baton Rouge on Saturday.

Thanks to her white middle class privilege, she was able to fly the friendly 
skies that afternoon non- stop from New Orleans to Chicago O'Hare 
International AIrport, and is now safe and sound here in the midwest.

Due to this connection to the storm, we have felt compelled to watch the 
shotty corporate press coverage of the events, just to be updated on how 
things are developing.
ABsolutely sickening how these bastards have used the occasion of a natural 
disaster to wage their usual race and class war to their own glorious 
benefit!!
CNN, Fox News et al have portrayed those left behind as the "stupid" who 
"didn't heed government warnings about the storm." While those attempting to 
procure any necessities possible from destroyed and burnt out stores are 
termed "looters," unless, of course, they happen to be white, in which case 
they are "desperate."


Politically, the storm has made overwhelmingly evident the classist and 
racist nature of the American press, American policymakers, and the society 
writ large.


Thus far, Chris Floyd offers the best take on these developments in my mind:
http://www.counterpunch.org/floyd09012005.html

Though, Dr. Cockburn packs a punch as well:
http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn08312005.html

cheers,
matt r


>From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at uiuc.edu>
>To: Peace Discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
>CC: cge at shout.net
>Subject: [Peace-discuss] Politics of disaster
>Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 15:55:58 -0500
>
>
>The musings of Mitchel Cohen, a pre-Cobb leader of Green Party...
>
>They are sending 5,000 additional national guard troops over
>the next 3 days into New Orleans but still refuse to provide
>fresh drinking water and food. In reality, what they will be
>doing is forcibly remove any residents who don't want to leave
>their living quarters, families, pets (such as those thousands
>in drier areas like our friend Les Evenchick in the French
>Quarter). The media spin will be in full play on how the
>military will be "rescuing" these people. The most important
>thing they need right now is drinking water and food, not removal.
>
>Is this the new version of urban renewal? We need to
>investigate which companies will be "rebuilding" and what are
>the plans. Were these plans to "develop" the poor areas of New
>Orleans in existence BEFORE the hurricane, just as PNAC's
>plans were in place before 9-11 hit New York City and before
>the US invaded Iraq?
>
>I am looking at the 2004 presidential election results from
>Louisiana, which Bush won overwhelmingly 57%-42%. Bush won
>every county EXCEPT Orleans, which voted a landslide for Kerry:
>
>	Bush 1,102,169   57%
>	Kerry  820,299   42%
>	Nader    7,032	1%
>
>I then checked the County of Orleans in which Kerry received
>152,610 (78%) to Bush's 42,847  (22%).
>
>Cleans out the only major anti-Bush area in the State pretty
>effectively, wouldn't you say?
>
>I wonder if this is part of a national strategy, to allow (and
>help along either directly or through negligence) horrible
>things to happen to the main anti-Bush areas?
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