Hi. Details of several California marches are at the bottom. Ed
Markets, Climate And Katrina By Joseph Stiglitz http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050919/markets_climate_and_katrina.php TomPaine.com September 19, 2005 Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate in economics, is professor of economics at Columbia University and was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to President Clinton and chief economist and senior vice-president at the World Bank. His most recent book is The Roaring Nineties: A New History of the World's Most Prosperous Decade. The world has been horrified at America's response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath in New Orleans. Four years after the terrorist attacks of September 2001, and with billions of dollars allegedly spent on 'preparedness' for another emergency, America has shown the world that it was not prepared-even for an event that came with ample warning. The difference between the tsunami in Asia last December and what is coming to be called the black tsunami in America-because it brought so much devastation to the poor, mostly black, people of Louisiana-is striking. The Asian disaster showed the ability of those affected to overcome long-standing rifts, as Aceh rebels put down their arms in common cause with the rest of Indonesia. By contrast, the disaster in New Orleans-and elsewhere along America's Gulf Coast-exposed and aggravated such rifts. The Bush administration's response to the hurricane confirmed the suspicion among blacks that, while they might send their boys to fight America's wars, they had not only been left behind in America's prosperity, but that there was neither understanding nor concern when they needed it most. An evacuation was ordered, but no means to do so were provided for the poor. When help came, it was, as one New York Times columnist noted, like the Titanic: The rich and powerful got out first. I was in Thailand right after the tsunami, and I saw that country's impressive response. The Thais flew consular and embassy officials to the affected areas, aware of the sense of helplessness among those stranded far from home. America kept foreign officials from coming to the aid of their nationals in New Orleans-embarrassed, perhaps, at what they would see. Even the richest country in the world has limited resources. If it gives tax cuts to the rich, it will have less to spend on repairing levees; if it deploys the National Guard and reserves to fight a hopeless war in Iraq, there will be fewer resources at home to cope with a domestic crisis. Choices must be made, and choices matter. Shortsighted politicians like Bush often skimp on long-term investments in favor of short-term advantage. He recently signed a lavish infrastructure bill that included, among other payoffs to political supporters, an infamous bridge to nowhere in Alaska. Money that could have been used to save thousands of lives was spent to win votes. Seldom do the 'chickens come home to roost' as quickly as they have in recent years-an ill-conceived war, attempted on the cheap, has not brought peace to the Middle East. Now America has had to pay the price for ignoring loud warnings about the weakened levees of New Orleans. Clearly, nothing could have spared New Orleans completely from Katrina's impact, but the devastation could certainly have been lessened. Markets, for all their virtues, often do not work well in a crisis. Indeed, the market mechanism is often revolting to behold in emergencies. The market did not respond to the need for evacuation by sending in huge convoys of buses to get people out; in some places, it did respond by tripling hotel prices in neighboring areas, which, while reflecting the marked change in supply and demand, is reviled as price gouging. Such behavior is so odious because it brings little allocative benefit-no significant increase in supply in the short run-and carries a huge distributive cost, as those with resources take advantage of those without. The Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen has emphasized that most famines are associated not with a shortage of food, but the failure to get food to the people who need it, largely because they lack purchasing power. America, the richest country in the world, clearly had the resources to evacuate New Orleans. Bush simply forgot the poor-the tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands, who simply did not have the resources to pay for their own evacuation. When you're poor, you don't have a credit card, and most of the stranded were especially strapped for funds because it was the end of the month. But even if they had had the money, it is not obvious that markets would have responded quickly enough to provide the needed supply; in times of crisis, they often simply don't. That's one of the reasons why the military does not use a price system to allocate resources. Last January, after the tsunami, in response to widespread calls for an early warning system, I observed that the world had been given an early warning on global warming. The rest of the world has begun to take heed, but Bush, having ignored warnings about Al Qaeda's plans prior to 9/11, and having not only ignored the warnings about New Orleans levees, but actually gutted funding to shore them, has not led America to do likewise. Scientists increasingly believe that global warming will be accompanied by larger climatic disturbances. Recent evidence is at least consistent with that hypothesis. Perhaps Bush had hoped that the consequences of global warming would be felt long after he left office-and would be felt more by poor, low- lying, tropical countries like Bangladesh than by a rich country astride the temperate zones. Yet there is perhaps a silver lining in the clouds over New Orleans. Perhaps America, and especially Bush, will be persuaded to join the rest of the world in the fight against poverty and to protect our planet's environment. In facing and planning for disasters, whether natural or man-made, we must do more than hope and pray for the best. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2005. *** Chicago Sun-Times - Sept. 13, 2005 http://www.suntimes.com/output/jesse/cst-edt-jesse13.html Op Ed Hurricane Looting Not Over Yet by Jesse Jackson The victims have been dispersed to states across the country. Many still sleep on cots in arenas, desperately trying to locate family members separated in the furies of Katrina. They are struggling with a staggering psychological toll - destruction of homes, loss of jobs, suffering, abandonment, displacement to a new city, prospects unclear, the past literally under water. But while the victims are simply trying to get their bearings, the barracudas are circling. Naomi Klein, who witnessed this in Iraq, calls it "disaster capitalism." Congress has appropriated $62 billion already. Hundreds of billions more will be spent on reclaiming the Gulf Coast, rebuilding and relocation. The feeding frenzy has begun. Already Halliburton is on hand with a no-bid contract for reconstruction. Fluor, Bechtel, the Shaw Group - Republican-linked firms - are lining up for contracts. Lobbyists like Joe Allbaugh, close friend of George Bush, and James Lee Witt, close friend of Bill Clinton - both former heads of the Federal Emergency Management Agency - are advising corporate clients to get teams on the scene. Normal rules of contracting and competition are being waived in the emergency. Big bucks are on the table. It is a time to be wired politically. The ideologues are in the hunt, too. Newt Gingrich is circulating memos calling for turning the region into a massive enterprise zone, slashing corporate taxes, reducing regulations. The oil lobby is pushing for drilling in Alaska and off the shores of the United States. Right wing activist Grover Norquist calls for cutting taxes on the wealthy even more to stimulate the economy. Arizona Republican Rep. Jeff Flak suggests conservatives use the crisis to try out their favorite ideas - vouchers for education and health care. President Bush characteristically issued an executive order effectively lowering the wages of reconstruction workers - and hiking the profits of their companies. He wiped out the requirement to pay prevailing wages in the disaster region, apparently thinking that $9 an hour for construction workers was too high a price to pay. The government can save money, no doubt, by exploiting illegal immigrant labor. The New Orleans business establishment has already created a headquarters in Baton Rouge. They want to reopen the French Quarter, which didn't suffer much flooding in 90 days. They are planning to lobby for one of the 2008 presidential nominating conventions - although it is hard to imagine that Republicans would want to remind folks of the administration's monumental failure. They're talking about capturing the next available Super Bowl. Business optimism and energy are vital for rebuilding New Orleans. Big dreams and big schemes are essential to the human spirit that will bring the Gulf Coast back. But those who were abandoned in the Superdome are looking at another manmade catastrophe. Dispersed in 40 states, Katrina's victims are struggling to get by, as companies pick up contracts and others get the jobs. If New Orleans is rebuilt as an enterprise zone, private investors will wait for the government to clean up the mess and then build luxury condos to replace affordable housing. They'll turn New Orleans into a theme park, with its former residents unable to afford to come back. We shouldn't let disaster capitalists make a killing while those who suffered the greatest devastation are left out of the mix. We need a serious plan to rebuild vital infrastructure, to make New Orleans sustainable, to develop affordable housing and mass transit, to rebuild schools. Tax breaks and enterprise zones will end up building floating casinos and luxury condos. We need public investment, linked to a Civilian Construction and Conservation Corps that gives priority to housing, hiring, training and putting to work the poor people who lost. The Bush administration's inaction and indifference after Katrina hit abandoned the poor and added to their suffering. It would be tragic now if action by the Republican Congress and the Bush administration added to the misery. These people already have had their past swept away by Katrina's furies. We should ensure that their future is not erased by right wing ideologues rewarding disaster capitalists and excluding those who suffered the most from the deal. *** Spread the word.... These are a list of many of the antiwar protests taking place up and down California this weekend, if you can't make it to the anticipated 100,000 person march on Washington DC on Saturday. To get more details go to http://www.unitedforpeace.org and/or http://www.internationalanswer.org/. Anaheim, California March for Peace to the Happiest Place on Earth! 9/24/05 Saturday, September 24th 2005 11 a.m. March for Peace to the Happiest Place on Earth! Saturday, September 24 • 11am >From Stoddard Park in Anaheim to the corner of Harbor and Katella in front of the Happiest Place on Earth! March Against the War in Iraq! IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL.... Send the message that it's GOOFY to go to war: Bring family and friends to participate in this world-wide day of peaceful protest against the war on Iraq! Saturday, September 24th, 11 AM Meet at Stoddard Park -- Katella & 9th St., Anaheim for more info: (714) 637-8313 Visit our website---http://www.ocpeace.org to download flyers Directions: http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=katella+and+9th+street&csz=anaheim&country=us&new=1&name=&qty= Downtown Oakland, California WHAT IS THE NOBLE CAUSE OF WAR FOR EMPIRE? Friday, September 23rd 2005 4PM 4pm: Speak Out & Performances Chevron Gas Station 5pm: March, Demonstrate and Nonviolent Direct Action Armed Forces Recruiting Center --- Los Angeles, California Stop the War in Iraq Saturday, September 24th 2005 12:00 PM This is part of a national demonstration to end the war in Iraq. Join Huge March and Rally in L.A. >From Iraq to New Orleans Fund People's Needs, Not the War Machine! STOP THE WAR IN IRAQ, JOIN MARCH & RALLY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th MARCH: 12 NOON at Olympic & Broadway, Downtown LA RALLY: 1:30 PM at the Federal Building, Los Angeles & Temple Call ANSWER for more information: 323-464-1636 Co-Sponsors: L.A. County Federation of Labor, Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines, Coalition for World Peace, Committee for Justice to Defend the LA 8, Free Palestine Alliance, Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos, Gabriella Network, Global Resistance Network, Global Women's Strike, Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, International Socialist Organization, Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, KMB - Pro-People Youth, Korean Americans for Peace, Latino Movement USA, Muslim Students Association-West, National Council of Arab Americans, National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, National Lawyers Guild, Office of the Americas, Palestinian American Women’s Association, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Peace and Freedom Party, South Asian Network, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), U.S. Labor Against War, Youth & Student A.N.S.W.E.R. --- Palm Springs, California Rally Saturday, September 24th 2005 Noon Please join your fellow Coachella Valley citizens and patriots in standing out and sending a message. Please bring creative signs, Peace flags, etc... This will be a 100% lawful and peaceful event. Salinas, California Peace demonstration Saturday, September 24th 2005 10:00 Bringing signs and standing up for peace. Joining with Cindy and all others in a call for change!! San Diego, California San Diego - Oceanside Anti-War Rally Saturday, September 24th 2005 11:30 AM San Diego Joins Worldwide Call for Action: END THE WAR ON IRAQ. GET ON THE PEACE TRAIN - 11:45 AM NCCPJ and friends will be filling the last car of the Coaster! Catch the train at any stop on our way to Santa Fe Station, San Diego. PEACE MARCH - 1:00 PM NCCPJ will carry the Traveling Iraq War Memorial Banner from the Santa Fe Train Station to Balboa Park where we will converge with other feeder marches.PEACE RALLY - 2:00 PM 6th & Laurel, Balboa Park San Francisco, California Defund the War, Defend our Communities Monday, September 26th 2005 Noon As part of National Days of Action Against the War in Iraq, UFPJ-Bay Area will hold a day of action at the San Francisco Federal Building, holding Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi accountable for for the continued occupation. End the War on Iraq and Bring the Troops Home Now Saturday, September 24th 2005 10:30 am Join UFPJ-Bay Area in the median strip at 18th and Dolores to stand with the panels of the war dead during the morning rally. Then march with your member group and banners or carry a panel with a friend. The memorial panels "Iraqi Names Soldiers Faces: The Human Cost of War" is an honor to stand with and carry. Move and be moved with us and everyone coming together on Saturday. Santa Barbara, California March for Peace, Justice and Freedom Saturday, September 24th 2005 12 Noon JOIN YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS FOR A STREET MARCH FOLLOWED BY A RALLY, PART OF A NATIONWIDE DAY OF PROTEST. Ventura, California Stop the War on Iraq - No More Carnage! Saturday, September 24th 2005 1:00 pm Rally begins at 1:00 pm in downtown Ventura at Mission Park with a Chumash smudging ceremony; the march itself begins at 1:30ish down Main Street to Fir Street, returning to Mission Park where the rally will continue until 4:00. Dynamic speakers, music, drum circle, ending with a white dove release. Bring signs, flags, banners, drums, guitars, trumpets(?!?) pots, pans, any noise maker you can think up - be creative! Let 'em know we're angry, let 'em know we're sick of it, let 'em know where paying attention!!! Let 'em know we're standing up to take our country back and give Iraq theirs! ### Demonstration in Washington, DC - Sept 24, 2005 INFO: Bus Drop Off, Parking, Maps, Tabling, Contingents, Housing & More! Click on link below to obtain essential information for the September 24th rally and demonstration in Washington, DC. Courtesy of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition. http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=6793 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Help tsunami villages rebuild at GlobalGiving. 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