Cowen and Fielkow to National Press Club: Katrina exposed flaws in federal levees

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

City Council President Arnie Fielkow takes questions at a Press conference hosted by Levees.org in May 2008

City Council President Arnie Fielkow takes questions at a Press conference hosted by Levees.org in May 2008

When we heard New Orleans City Council President Arnie Fielkow and Tulane President Scott Cowen had traveled to Washington DC this week to speak to the National Press Club, we were dying of curiosity to find out that they said.

After all, Fielkow had just sponsored a resolution in New Orleans (written by Levees.org) urging all local media to stop using Katrina ‘shorthand’; that is, to stop saying that a ‘natural disaster’ flooded the city.

We just got the language of the presentation and we are pleased.

Fielkow and Cowen had five central points to make and the first, the very first was Katrina exposed flaws – crumbling federally-built levees…

Levees.org is pleased because the exposure by Katrina of poorly built levees – and how the Army Corps of Engineers was responsible for them – is probably the MOST important yet LEAST understood fact about the tragedy of the metro New Orleans flooding.

New Orleans thanks you Council President Fielkow and Tulane President Cowen.

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Dear Rep Ed Legg: New Orleans has mainly a culture of hospitality, not corruption

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

The water line is visible on this home in the Lakeview neighborhood in New Orleans

The water line is visible on this home in the Lakeview neighborhood in New Orleans

Ed Legg (D-Kennebunk) an elected official from the State of Maine was in New Orleans two weeks ago and decided that all of us are corrupt including federal Judge Stanwood Duval.

In a piece released today he opined that

“the front pages of the respected local newspaper, The Times-Picayune, were filled regularly with tales of criminal, negligent and indicted endeavors engaged in by officials at every level of government in Louisiana.”

Rep Legg lumped Judge Duval in with the rest of us dysfunctional bums because of the judge’s recent landmark decision faulting the Army Crops of Engineers for its negligent maintenance of a shipping channel east of the city.

Legg concludes that

“Maine is fortunate to have people who usually exemplify principle and integrity in their government service. Our newspaper headlines rarely reflect the mind-boggling culture of corruption that appears daily in the Times-Picayune….”

Keep in mind this is an elected official. And we, a gracious hospitable people were probably very nice to Rep Legg while he was here in New Orleans.

Want to do something? You might send this news post to your family and friends in Maine.

Click here for the opinion piece.

Click here for Ed Legg’s website.

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Pam Dashiell, advocate and friend passes

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

I am greatly saddened to share the news that Pam Dashiell, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Lower 9th Ward for Sustainable Engagement and Development passed away yesterday morning.

This is a loss for Ms. Dashiell’s family, her neighborhood, the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and for the United States of America.

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