[A-List] Statement: Troops Out Now Coalition: S10 Emergency Strategy Meeting NYC

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In this email:

1) The Hurricane and Bush's Criminal Negligence:

Bush Slashed Flood Protection * Bush sent emergency
personnel and equipment to Iraq* Bush's role in global
warming * Oil Profiteering * Bush failed to develop an
evacuation plan * No emergency relief program, even now


2) Emergency September 10 Strategy Meeting in NYC- organized
by the Troops_Out Now_Coalition:

We need a mass movement to demand money for people's needs
in the Gulf States, not for war and occupation


===============================================================================

STATEMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ACTION CENTER


With every hour that passes, we see and hear new stories of
the horror and devastation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
What makes these images more shocking is the realization
that much of the death and destruction could have been
prevented.

Almost all of the death and destruction arising from the
hurricane is the direct result of criminal neglect by the
Bush Administration. This crisis was predicted in numerous
reports and news articles and little, if anything, was done.

While natural disasters are beyond our control, the
preparation for expected and predicted disasters is
something that we can control. Natural disasters do not have
to be catastrophes if plans are made in advance to protect
people and their homes, but these plans were not made.

We cannot discuss the effects of this catastrophe without
noting that those who have suffered most are people of
color. Seventy percent of New Orleans' residents are Black,
as are a major part of the population of the surrounding
area affected by the hurricane. The fact that absolutely no
preparations were made for their evacuation, that no thought
was given to meeting their basic emergency needs in the wake
of the storm, and that even now they have been abandoned and
ignored by the government, lays bare the racism at the core
of U.S. society and at the heart of the policies of George
W. Bush. The criminal negligence displayed by all levels of
government preceding and during this crisis sends a clear
message that, to those in power, the lives of poor people,
especially poor Black people, are of absolutely no concern.

President Bush has diverted funds that were needed to
prepare for this type of natural disaster to fund a war of
conquest in Iraq. He did this despite being warned of the
potential for danger by FEMA (the Federal Emergency
Management Agency) as early as 2001. The Houston Chronicle
reported on Dec. 1, 2001: "New Orleans is sinking. And its
main buffer from a hurricane, the protective Mississippi
River delta, is quickly eroding away, leaving the historic
city perilously close to disaster. ...So vulnerable, in
fact, that earlier this year the Federal Emergency
Management Agency ranked the potential damage to New Orleans
as among the three likeliest, most catastrophic disasters
facing this country."

The Bush Administration knew of the danger and they knew how
to prepare for it. But they chose to do little or nothing
- -- they actually slashed funding for preventative and
emergency measures, leaving the people of the region
helpless to deal with the inevitable disaster. Now, with
the destruction of New Orleans and numerous surrounding
communities, tens of thousands of people are without food,
water, or electricity. Thousands of homes are destroyed and
the death toll continues to climb.

This is a disaster of unprecedented proportion. It is poor
and working people, particularly people of color, who are
suffering the most from this disaster.


NO PREPARATION

It was clear from watching the disaster unfold that no real
plans had been made for evacuating the region, even though
everyone, including Federal authorities and meteorologists,
knew that a hurricane of enormous magnitude was descending
on the area.

For the elderly, the handicapped, the poor, there was no
provision for evacuation or shelter. It was "everyone for
themselves," and those who didn't have the ability to flee
or the means to finance their own evacuation were left to
perish. There were no arrangements for more than 100,000
people in New Orleans - 20 % of the population and
overwhelmingly the poorest part of the population. Those
with out cars, credit cards, and hotel reservations had few
alternatives but to stay home and face the coming deluge.
The death toll continues to mount, and it becomes more and
more apparent how little the government is concerned for
human life, particularly the lives of poor and working
people.

There were many obvious things that could have and should
have been done if the government were concerned about the
lives of the people. Trains, airlines, buses, and other
transportation could have been put to use evacuating people.
Convention centers, hotels, and college dormitories
throughout the region could have been used for shelter. The
government uses eminent domain to take working people's
property for the benefit of corporate developers; this would
have been an excellent opportunity to use eminent domain in
a way that actually benefits people.

Because there was no plan for evacuation, more than 20,000
people were herded into the Superdome without adequate food,
shelter, water, or medical care for days. The New York
Times said, "By Wednesday, the stench was staggering. Heaps
of rotting garbage in bulging white plastic bags baked under
a blazing Louisiana sun on the main entry plaza, choking new
arrivals as they made their way into the stadium after being
plucked off rooftops and balconies. The odor billowing from
toilets was even fouler. Trash spilled across corridors and
aisles, slippery with smelly mud and scraps of food."

Videos of the situation (see below) show just how desperate
the situation is -- people are without food, water, and
medicine. Bodies are piling up on the streets. The
people have been absolutely abandoned by the government.

Only massive immediate Federal intervention can relieve the
situation. The government has access to stockpiles of food
and medicines and it has cargo planes and helicopters to
deliver them. Yet the Administration has chosen not to act
while people are dying.


SLASHING EMERGENCY PREPARATIONS
TO FUND WAR AND TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY

Knowing that a hurricane of this strength was eventually
inevitable, the Bush Administration slashed the budget of
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the area by $71.2
million. This cut eliminated hurricane and flood protection
projects as well as a study to determine ways to protect the
region from a Category 5 hurricane. This cut was part of
the Bush policy of slashing essential programs to pay for a
tax cut for the wealthy and for the occupation of Iraq.

Comparing the cuts of more than $71 million for flood
protection to the $1.7 billion taken from the people of
Louisiana for the war in Iraq yields one more example of how
the Bush policy of endless war endangers the population
here.

The Aug. 30 Editor and Publisher revealed that $250 million
in crucial projects planned by the Army Corps of Engineers
in the delta for shoring up levees and building pumping
stations could not be carried out. "The Corps never tried to
hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in
Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same
time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain.

"The 2004 hurricane season was the worst in decades. In
spite of that, the federal government came back this spring
with the steepest reduction in hurricane and flood-control
funding for New Orleans in history."


EMERGENCY SPECIALISTS AND EQUIPMENT SENT TO IRAQ

The National Guard, who would normally be deployed to aid in
evacuation and disaster relief, is unable to respond
adequately because 40% of the Mississippi National Guard 35%
of the Louisiana National Guard is in Iraq. So is much of
their equipment, including dozens of high water vehicles,
humvees, refuelers and generators that are essential to
dealing with this type of emergency.

According to the Washington Post, "With thousands of their
citizen-soldiers away fighting in Iraq, states hit hard by
Hurricane Katrina scrambled to muster forces for rescue and
security missions yesterday -- calling up Army bands and
water-purification teams, among other units, and requesting
help from distant states and the active-duty military."

Many of the members of the National Guard are also emergency
medical technicians and firefighters. They should be at home
helping their neighbors recover from this disaster, not in
Iraq maintaining an illegal occupation.


CONTEMPT FOR ENVIRONMENT EXACERBATES DISASTER

The flooding is exacerbated by the elimination of wetlands,
which provide a natural buffer. The Bush Administration has
removed Federal protection from as much as 20 million acres
of wetlands.

The Bush Administration has demonstrated utter disregard for
human life and contempt for international law by refusing to
abide by the 1997 Kyoto accord, a treaty signed by the
United States and 54 other nations. The agreement is
designed to limit emissions that cause global warming.

Sir David King, the British Government's chief scientific
adviser, says that global warming may be responsible for the
devastation reaped by Hurricane Katrina. "The increased
intensity of hurricanes is associated with global warming.
We have known since 1987 the intensity of hurricanes is
related to surface sea temperature and we know that, over
the last 15 to 20 years, surface sea temperatures in these
regions have increased by half a degree centigrade. So it is
easy to conclude that the increased intensity of hurricanes
is associated with global warming."


LOSS OF LIFE IS AVOIDABLE -- CUBA A U.N. MODEL

The massive loss of life in Louisiana and Mississippi was
avoidable, if those making decisions were interested in
funding emergency measures rather than spending money on war
and occupation. Cuba lies directly in the path of many
hurricanes, and yet the loss of life is usually minimal,
because the government has systems in place to aid orderly
evacuations, provide emergency shelter, and look after the
elderly, the handicapped, and the poor.

In 2001, when Hurricane Michelle, a level-4 storm, hit with
sustained 125-mile- per-hour winds and widespread floods,
more than 700,000 people were evacuated. Only five Cubans
lost their lives in the storm.

In September 2004, Cuba endured Ivan, the fifth-largest
hurricane ever to hit the Caribbean, with sustained winds of
124 miles per hour. Cuba evacuated almost 2 million
people--more than 15 percent of the total population. One
hundred thousand people were evacuated within the first
three hours. An incredible 78 percent of those evacuated
were welcomed into other people's homes. Children at
boarding schools were moved. Animals and birds were moved.
No one was killed. The UN declared this to be a model of
disaster preparation.

Cuba, a country blockaded and isolated by the U.S. for 45
years has been able to evacuate millions of people in an
orderly fashion without loss of life. Natural disasters do
not have to be catastrophes.


OIL PROFITEERING

Beyond the horrific loss of life and homes in the region,
working people everywhere will suffer as the pay more than
$3.00 per gallon for gas, as oil companies rake in record
profits. In some places, gas has reached as much as $5.00
per gallon.

Releasing oil from the Strategic Oil Reserves could easily
offset the loss of oil refineries in the region. Nearly 700
million barrels of oil are stored in underground salt
caverns along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. This
reserve was established to cushion oil markets during energy
disruptions or other emergencies, and sitting on the oil
rather than releasing it only keeps the price of gas high
and ensures greater profits for the oil companies.

While George W. Bush and his friends at the Big Oil
companies are growing rich from escalating oil prices, while
working people, who are already suffering from the economic
policies of the Bush Administration, have to spend more of
their shrinking paychecks to pay for gas to get to work and
school.


VENEZUELA OFFERS TO HELP WHILE WASHINGTON REFUSES TO ACT

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has demonstrated more
concern for working and poor people in the U.S. than George
Bush has. Chavez has announced that Venezuela will be
offering poor people discounted gas through its Citgo chain.

He has also offered to send more than $1 million in oil,
food, and and equipment to the region. In addition, the
Venezuelan government is offering two mobile hospital units,
each capable of assisting 150 people, 120 specialists in
rescue operations, 10 water purifying plants, 18 electricity
generators of 850 KW each, 20 tons of bottled water, and 50
tons of canned food.

A senior U.S. State Department official said he was not
aware of the Venezuelan offer, and then dismissed it as
"counterproductive."


THE REAL LOOTING: BUSH ADMINISTRATION STEALS FROM WORKING
PEOPLE TO FUND WAR AND CORPORATE GREED

Rather than focusing on criminal neglect by the Federal and
State governments, the corporate media is reporting that the
real danger is looting. In an attempt to shift blame from
the policies of the Bush Administration, the news networks
are demonizing the victims. In a blatant appeal to racism,
those being portrayed as "looters" on the news are without
exception black males.

Tens of thousands of poor people have been stranded by a
policy of neglect. Many are without food, fresh water, baby
formula, and medicine, and the government has refused to
provide even basic relief.

The real looters are not the hungry people taking what they
need from an abandoned corporate superstore. The real crime
is that they were left in this situation by a government
that puts war and corporate profits ahead of human needs.

The Bush regime has looted billions of dollars of the
people's money, slashing programs that provide basic
necessities and robbing from agencies that are tasked with
preparing for natural disasters in order to fund a war of
conquest against the people of Iraq. There are dangerous
looters, but they are Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, not the
poor people of New Orleans trying to feed their families.
It is clear that the Bush Administration is increasingly
putting the entire population of the country in growing
danger by relentlessly slashing every social program,
infrastructure maintenance program, and environmental
protection program.


MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS NOT WAR!

It is the Bush Administration, and the Big Corporations it
serves, who are directly responsible for the disaster, and
they, not the working people of the region, should be
responsible for rebuilding and providing relief.

In a speech on Wednesday, President Bush said, "our hearts
and prayers are with our fellow citizens along the Gulf
Coast who have suffered so much from Hurricane Katrina." But
the people of the region need food, clothing, shelter, and
jobs, not hearts and prayers.

He grinned as he said, "Recovery will take years," but
offered no plan to assist in that rebuilding. The people of
the area need, and are entitled to, more than empty rhetoric
and vacant smiles. The crisis demands a massive national
mobilization to meet emergency needs and facilitate
rebuilding efforts. The disaster is beyond the scope of
local authorities or private charities to handle; the
Federal government must devote its ample resources, which
are now being used to wage war, to provide immediate and
long-term relief.


WE CALL ON THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO:

* Stop funding war and occupation. Use the money instead to
fund emergency relief and rebuilding.

* Erase the debts incurred by working people who had to pay
for gas and emergency shelter because of the government's
refusal to plan for evacuation.

* Provide emergency unemployment relief to the tens of
thousands who have lost their jobs because of the
devastation.

* Immediately exercise eminent domain to use all available
space to provide emergency and long-term shelter to those
left homeless.

* Provide a massive jobs program at union wages for
rebuilding. Millions of unemployed workers could be hired
to help construct housing, schools, and other public
facilities.

* Food, water, clothing, medical supplies, and other
necessities should be immediately commandeered for the
emergency from agribusiness, supermarket chains, and
pharmaceutical companies. Government food storage supplies
in warehouses throughout the country should be made
available immediately.


Watch a video from the Convention Center in New Orleans:
"Desperate Struggle" http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9156612
click on "Launch" under Free Video

===============================================================================

September 10 Emergency Strategy Meeting
organized by the Troops_Out_Now_Coalition

Lang Center at the New School University
55 W. 13th St. in Manhattan
(between 5th & 6th Ave.)
1:30 - 6:00 pm

Now, more than ever, it is clear that we need a massive
people's movement to stop the Bush agenda of endless war and
cuts in vital services. Join us on September 10, from 1:30
to 6:00 pm for a National Strategy Meeting to help build a
movement to Bring the Troops Home Now and demand "Money for
the Gulf States, not for War!"

Topics will include:

  * Hurricane Katrina : A campaign for emergency action.
    Help plan national actions to demand Money for Hurricane
    Relief, Not for War!
  * Mobilizing for the September 24 National March on
    Washington DC
  * Counter-Recruiting Campaign
  * The Millions More Movement
  * Dec. 1-3 National Boycott to Shut Down the War

Donate to help organize against endless war.




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