Ben DeSoto/Houston Chronicle Jesse Jackson, center, U.S. Rep. Al Green left, and U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee hold a press conference before touring the Astrodome.
Posted on 09/05/2005 2:04:37 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Ben DeSoto/Houston Chronicle Jesse Jackson, center, U.S. Rep. Al Green left, and U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee hold a press conference before touring the Astrodome.
Joining two of Houston's most prominent black legislators in slamming the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said today that evacuees shouldn't be shipped to distant states and shouldn't be referred to as "refugees."
Jackson said he appreciated the willingness of states as far away as Utah and Minnesota to take in evacuees but suggested such plans take them too far from their families and the homes that must be rebuilt.
"It's a long ways from home," he said. "It's a long way from where they have lived, where they were acculturated."
If evacuees are living thousands of miles away, he said, they can't be in on the jobs and economic opportunities that will arise as their communities are rebuilt. He proposed using military bases in Louisiana, such as the mothballed England Air Force Base in Alexandria. Evacuees could live in dorms and tent cities.
Jackson said evacuees from the Gulf Coast are not refugees, a word he believes suggests subhumans or criminals.
"It is racist to call American citizens refugees,'' he said.
After touring the Reliant Astrodome today, Jackson blamed the federal government for many of the problems evacuees now face. The government should have assisted New Orleans with evacuation efforts before the storm struck and has been far to slow in its wake to rescue those left in the city and provide aid, he said.
"As the waters subside, the death toll could be astronomical, of frightening dimensions, because we've been so slow to act," Jackson said
U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, D-Houston and U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency left New Orleans unprotected.
"This was a test case, and we failed," Jackson Lee said.
Jackson also lambasted the Louisiana office of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, saying it should have let the Red Cross into New Orleans immediately after the hurricane passed one week ago.
Homeland security officials told the Red Cross not to enter the city because they were trying to get residents out, not encourage them to stay, because most of the city was still under water, and because armed gangs of looters were in the streets.
Marsha Evans, president of the American Red Cross, said today the agency was ready to go in. Its volunteers understood the danger and were willing to do their jobs, she said.
"The decision not to let them in was not sound," Jackson said. "The danger was exaggerated."
The federal government has been taking criticism from all quarters in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune, in an open letter, called upon Bush to fire every official at FEMA.
"We're angry, Mr. President,'' the newspaper said in an open letter.
If criticism of the federal government has been sharp, Jackson and other political leaders were happy to praise the efforts of Houston and the state of Texas, where one quarter of a million of Louisiana's refugees have landed.
"I'm so proud of Houston," Jackson Lee said. "This city has done a wonderful job."
Prediction: The new housing codes are going to require that any new houses be built above sea level.
Welcome to English class, Rev-rund Jack-sonn. Please take a seat.
The first word we will study today is "refuge." It means a place of sanctuary, where one is safe from harm. If a person, regardless of their race or color, seeks refuge, they are a "refugee."
Now, Rev-rund Jack-sonn, I know it's a little hard for you to absorb that all at once, so we'll take a break. Class will resume in thirty minutes.
I can try and comprehend the speed of his decision on this matter however I may go into meltdown trying to keep up, in real time, with his decision process.
No offense taken. My only connection with sugah is dark chocolate and it's personal. LOL! That'll hold you for a while.
EGP, you cannot imagine how I vilify that man because I don't want to get banned.
Yeah, and also it takes them too far from the ward-heelers, corruption and "We love you on election day, get on the bus, bro" mentality that has kept entire generations in the projects and in poverty.
NO will change and even Jackson sees that he has lost at least one territory for race pimping.
Human beings adjust to living conditions with basic needs met. Perhaps some of those people will see the light at the end of the tunnel, no thanks to Jackson and the rest.
n : an exile who flees for safety
The above is from dictionary.com; maybe Jesse is using a different dictionary?
Nothing rhymes with refugee. Jesse is most effective with rhetorice like... "We need condemnation, donation and reparations. But now I need to take a vacation with my mistress who is asian."
Perhaps, after all Hong Kong's airport is built on "man made" earth. (although it is sinking 1-2 ft a year.) something is going to be done to try and prevent future occurrences that Katrina has shown to be a possibility.
If it is to be a requirement to build above sea level or not, New Orleans will not be moved. Come the 28th of February, 2006, Martigra will maintain it's consistent annual showing IMO and whether or not New Orleans is above sea level or not, it will exist in (at least) semi-normality by the end of February.
Like minds....
NO is going to be in a transition period for a long time after this. The Feds will have to step in to provide insurance until the levee is rebuilt to CAT 5 standards. It's never going to be the same there, this changed everything. Jezze can cry all he wants about bringing people back but unless they can afford it, it's not going to happen.
Know what ticks me off the most? Is having to bite my tongue over that lying, disgusting, thieving, expletive slime!
You don't count. ; )
NO is gone.
The Feds can do whatever they want. The Insurance companies will have the final say and they ain't gonna put a dime into rebuilding in place.
Thank God.
Let that cesspool rejoin the Gulf and the Lake.
Yep, I'd say she ought to have been able to send bus fare...
Sheila's not done a darn thing except chase cameras all day!
Just because Jackson was acquitted and returned to Neverland doesn't mean we need to seek out his opinion on this and everything else...
1) Save yourself the heartache for health reasons.
2) When Jesse comes to mind with his racist rhetoric, think "Condi".
3) Know that his ilk are destitute and striving for gaining prominence already lost.
4) Understand that he is desperate in his endeavors to regain prominence so he can extort money to regain his previous status for he has been smitten by knowledgeable and informed constituents.(thanks to the likes of FR)
5) Last but not least, understand that soon his name will be forgotten, offspring in Congress or not.
You could be well paid as a "Jesse" adviser JL.(I know your not)
Again, note it on your calender, February 28.
Celebrations WILL go on and life in NO will not be objectionable at that time.
Oh and a personal note, my life in my town will never be the same tomorrow as it was yesterday.
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