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This is an excellent, insightful article [further excerpted below]:

Blaming others and refusing to take responsibility for our development led to our [New Orleans] being surpassed, first by Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, and then by Birmingham, Austin and Memphis. How long will it take us to fall behind Gainesville, Pascagoula and Macon?
Self-pity destroys confidence and ambition. The rebuilding of New Orleans demands that we have a realistically optimistic attitude and confidence in our ability to restore the greatness of our city. Focusing on what was lost makes it difficult for us to have the strength to rebuild.
God has blessed New Orleans. He has blessed us with the gifts we need to come back strong. He has blessed us with the opportunity to make the changes that will restore that greatness. Let us remove those attitudes that keep us helpless, focused on the past and comfortably mediocre.
Before we condemn our elected leaders for their mistakes, let us look to ourselves, and change our thinking, our passivity and our way of blaming.
. . . . . . .
The Rev. Anthony McGinn, S.J., is principal of Jesuit High School in New Orleans.

The Jesuits have a long history of providing superior education within a faith based framework. They teach their students to think logically, to reason, to know themselves and, "encourage a life long openness to keep growing". The young men who come out of Jesuit High School in New Orleans are generally self-aware, self-disciplined and well prepared for higher education.

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I haven't seen more impertinent, rambling, insulting, tripe on a single page in a long time. It only affirms in my mind why I wont be returning to Lakeview.

What about justice, Reverend? What about holding those responsible for this cataclysm accountable for their actions? What about building confidence in those who would rebuild, that they wont be in exactly the same situation next year, or the year after that, by giving justice to those who have lost friends, family and property, because of the ruthless greed of little men. I guess that would be too radical a concept for the Reverend. Might upset the powers that be and rattle too may cages in the congregation.

What New Orleans needs now is more men with the courage to stand up against the corruption that caused this disaster. And less men like the Reverend preaching guilt sermons to the choir.

Those with the wherewithal to rebuild have already done so elsewhere. They are not coming back. I love it where I am now. And I have no intention of returning. At least not until all of those responsible for this disaster have been punished for what they have done.

Perhaps the Reverend can use this lecture again next year, when the 17th street canal levee breaks on the other side and utterly destroys Jefferson parish as well. I wonder if the reverend will feel any responsibility for that or any shame for having soft soaped the real problems.

I am so glad to be out of that city and away from the cowardly attitudes of men like this Reverend. He is indicative of the problems that have existed there for a long time, and not part of the solution. The solution will require bold, courageous men who are willing to fight the status quo tooth and nail.

The turn out of absentee voters in the next election will be a good indication whether New Orleans will ever be coming back.

When your home has been flooded, it is a good time to clean house.

Here's where Ray Nagin got the "Chocolate City" moniker from. It is a song from the Parliaments from the seventies.

"Chocolate City"

Uh, what's happening CC? They still call it the White House But that's a temporary condition, too. Can you dig it, CC? To each his reach And if I don't cop, it ain't mine to have But I'll be reachin' for ya 'Cause I love ya, CC. Right on. There's a lot of chocolate cities, around We've got Newark, we've got Gary Somebody told me we got L.A. And we're working on Atlanta But you're the capital, CC Gainin' on ya! Get down Gainin' on ya! Movin' in and on ya Gainin' on ya! Can't you feel my breath, heh Gainin' on ya! All up around your neck, heh heh Hey, CC! They say your jivin' game, it can't be changed But on the positive side, You're my piece of the rock And I love you, CC. Can you dig it? Hey, uh, we didn't get our forty acres and a mule But we did get you, CC, heh, yeah Gainin' on ya Movin' in and around ya God bless CC and its vanilla suburbs Gainin' on ya! Gainin' on ya! Gainin' on ya! (heh!) Gainin' on ya! Gainin' on ya! What's happening, blood? Gainin' on ya! Gainin' on ya! Gainin' on ya! Yeah! What's happening, black? Brother black, blood even Yeah-ahh, just funnin' Gettin' down Ah, blood to blood Ah, players to ladies The last percentage count was eighty You don't need the bullet when you got the ballot Are you up for the downstroke, CC? Chocolate city Are you with me out there? And when they come to march on ya Tell 'em to make sure they got their James Brown pass And don't be surprised if Ali is in the White House Reverend Ike, Secretary of the Treasure Richard Pryor, Minister of Education Stevie Wonder, Secretary of FINE arts And Miss Aretha Franklin, the First Lady Are you out there, CC? A chocolate city is no dream It's my piece of the rock and I dig you, CC God bless Chocolate City and its (gainin' on ya!) vanilla suburbs Can y'all get to that? Gainin' on ya! Gainin' on ya! Easin' in Gainin' on ya! In yo' stuff Gainin' on ya! Huh, can't get enough Gainin' on ya! Gainin' on ya! Be mo' funk, be mo' funk Gainin' on ya! Can we funk you too Gainin' on ya! Right on, chocolate city! Yeah, get deep Real deep Heh Be mo' funk Mmmph, heh Get deep Bad Unh, heh Just got New York, I'm told