This is what I've been looking for! I have clothes to donate and I wanted to make sure it goes to the Hurricane victims.

Thanks for posting this.

Picayune is about an hour from Slidell, LA and around the same from Gulfport/Biloxi. I empathize truly with the citizens of NO and I am overly concerned because I have family there but what about Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, Waveland, D'Iberville, Hattiesburg, Wiggins, etc.? Jackson?:mad: :(

All week Good Morning America has been focusing on Mississippi, but I'm sure its because Robin Roberts (one of the anchors) is from Pass Christian so I know she wasn't haven't that mess (overlooking for hometown where her parents/family live).

But I hear ya though. One entire Mississippi town (Waveland) is gone.

That Lt. General Honore is no joke. He needed to be there a long time ago.

:(

....Other survivors recounted horrific cases of sexual assault and murder.

Sitting with her daughter and other relatives, Trolkyn Joseph, 37, said men had wandered the cavernous convention centre in recent nights raping and murdering children.

She said she found a dead 14-year-old girl at 5am this morning, four hours after the young girl went missing from her parents inside the convention centre.

"She was raped for four hours until she was dead," Joseph said through tears. "Another child, a seven-year-old boy, was found raped and murdered in the kitchen freezer last night."

Several others interviewed by Reuters told similar stories of the abuse and murder of children, but they could not be independently verified.

Many complained bitterly about why they received so little for so many days, and they had harsh words for Bush.

"I really don't know what to say about President Bush," said Richard Dunbar, 60, a Vietnam veteran. "He showed no lack of haste when he wanted to go to Iraq, but for his own people right here in Louisiana, we get only lip service."

One young man said he was not looking forward to another night in the convention centre and wondered when conditions would improve. "It's been like a jail in there," he said. "We've got murderers, rapists, killers, thieves. We've got it all."



Entire story:

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...html?from=top5

I apologize in advance for the long post...could not post link..
 

Kanye West Rips Bush During NBC Concert By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer
Sat Sep 3, 6:08 AM ET



It began, fittingly enough, with jazz from New Orleans natives Harry Connick Jr. and Wynton Marsalis. But "A Concert for Hurricane Relief," a heartfelt and dignified benefit aired on NBC and other networks Friday night, took an unexpected turn thanks to the outspoken rapper Kanye West.

Appearing two-thirds through the program, he claimed "George Bush doesn't care about black people" and said America is set up "to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible."

The show, simulcast from New York on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and Pax, was aired live to the East Coast, enabling the Grammy-winning rapper's outburst to go out uncensored.

There was a several-second tape delay, but the person in charge "was instructed to listen for a curse word, and didn't realize (West) had gone off-script," said NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks.

West's comment about the president was cut from NBC's West Coast airing, which showed three hours later on tape.

The host was NBC News' Matt Lauer, who invited viewers to contribute to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by phone or on the Web. Some 18 presenters performed musical numbers or gave information on the tragedy's huge scope.

Louisiana native Tim McGraw teared up as he told Lauer, "I know the citizens that weren't affected by this directly are gonna stand up and do good things for people." He sang two songs, then became the first of the evening's stars to sign a Gibson Les Paul Special guitar to be auditioned online.

Faith Hill, a Mississippi native, sang "There Will Come a Time," with the inspiring lyrics, "The darkness will be gone, the weak shall be strong. Hold on to your faith."

New Orleans son Aaron Neville performed Randy Newman's soulful "Louisiana 1927" with the memorable chorus, "they're trying to wash us away, they're trying to wash us away."

New York governor George Pataki presented the Red Cross with a check for $2.5 million and promised, "This great state will do far more."

"In terms of property damage," said actress Hilary Swank, "the estimate is at least $26 billion in insured losses and perhaps twice that in uninsured losses over a 90,000-square-mile area — approximately the size of Kansas."

Other speakers included Lindsay Lohan, Eric LaSalle, Glenn Close, Richard Gere, John Goodman and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Comedian Mike Myers was paired with West for a 90-second segment that began with Myers speaking of Katrina's devastation. Then, to Myers' evident surprise, West began a rant by saying, "I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says they're looting. See a white family, it says they're looking for food."

While allowing that "the Red Cross is doing everything they can," West — who delivered an emotional outburst at the American Music Awards after he was snubbed for an award — declared that government authorities are intentionally dragging their feet on aid to the Gulf Coast. Without getting specific, he added, "They've given them permission to go down and shoot us."

After he stated, "George Bush doesn't care about black people," the camera cut away to comedian Chris Tucker.

Concluding the hour a few minutes later, Lauer noted that "emotions in this country right now are running very high. Sometimes that emotion is translated into inspiration, sometimes into criticism. We've heard some of that tonight. But it's still part of the American way of life."

Then the entire ensemble performed "When the Saints Go Marching In."

In a statement, NBC said, "Kanye West departed from the scripted comments that were prepared for him, and his opinions in no way represent the views of the networks.

"It would be most unfortunate," the statement continued, "if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person's opinion."

Friday's program was the first of several TV benefits planned through next weekend.

NBC and the five other major commercial broadcast networks, along with PBS, plan to unite next Friday for a special. The same night, BET will air a benefit. And on Saturday, Sept. 10, the MTV networks will air a special.

Honeykiss--

I sort of agree with you...

There is plenty of time to play the blame game and the finger pointing game.

What needs to be done in the affected areas is to get folks into safer, CLEAN AND SANITARY CONDITIONS before we make the once Hurricane Katrina, then massive flooding and now standing water turn into something that ACTUALLY DOES turn this country into a 3rd world one--with horrific disease setting in, namely, cholera, dissentary, yellow fever, west nile and other crazy kinna stuff that isn't suppose to happen in the Untied States.

However, that was well under FEMA's control and I do not understand what was up with the hold-up and I have several choice four letter words I would like to use as well as questions that need to addressed.

I have also read in my local newspaper that the even the Venezueleans want to help, but our government said no...

I am definitely praying for those who are searching for family and for those who are still in the NO, MS, and other areas searching for help.

I am SOOOO disappointed with the response of the government. This is OUR nation suffering. Why is it taking so long to get an action plan together? Why did the national guard arrive with more ammunition than food? Why are people still in the Astrodom with unsanitary conditions? It has been a long time. I cannot imagine being in those conditions for one day and these US CITIZENS have been there for much longer. I just can't understand why. The citizens are ready and wililng to help. The money, food, concern is all here. So, get them out of there!! So many lives are being lost unnecessarily. The sick and elderly do not deserve the treatment they are getting. How do we expect these children to ever get over the images they are seeing in the Astrodome? I just can't believe they are allowing this to continue.

Re: I apologize in advance for the long post...could not post link..
 

I saw this clip online earlier today. The uncomfortable looks on Mike Myers face and the way Chris Tucker was caught offguard when the camera cut to him: PRICELESS!!! I was ROTFL. Leave it up to Kanye to say whateva is on his mind. :D

May Peace and Blessings be upon All....
 

Sorors and Friends,

I and my son have been praying. Here in Nashville they will be setting up a refugee camp to donate clothes money etc. I and my son are donating clothing and money. I feel greater sense of accomplishment in giving directly instead of the red cross.



AKAD291, I will do all I can to help in my power to ask others also. Vandy here and TSU and Belmont are taking in students to continue studies here for all that want to come. MY prayers are blanked to all of your family, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens effected. I just keep praying for the babies and the elderly! Keep us posted. Because I know the news is not telling us everything! So close yet so far.....removed. :(

Oh! Speak Up Campaign

Please take a moment of your time to fill out the requested information. If the site is down at the moment, please try again. A dollar is donated for each person who completes the form! It's simply your name, address, zip code, and email address! It'll only take a moment and it'll go a long ways!

(Presented by Oh! Television Network)

Get Your Bush Does Not Care About Black People T-Shirt

All proceeds benefit the Hurricane Katrina relief fund!

Im not sure if this has been posted already, but this is a huge databank to help relatives and friends link up with missing or unaccounted for people.

http://im-ok.org/

Celion Dion Speaks

http://www.cnn.com/video/player/play...eline.dion.cnn

Re: Re: NO Mayor is sick of Bush
 

This is about to get real ugly. According to this Wash. Post story, the Bush administration asked Louisiana's Gov. Blanco to allow for the federalization of the evacuation process the Friday before Katrina hit (Monday). Of course, other fed officials have said local evacuation was never their responsibility so who do you believe at this point.

Still the apparent delay in the federal response, in comparison to hurricanes Ivan and Andrew, et al. is suspect

http://www.washingtonpost/com/wp-dyn...090301680.html

^^^^^
I don't know Tony. Sounds like they're covering their tracks. And if they did ask, I don't think the Mayor would have gone off on a tangent the way he did. He sounded like someone that has gone thru every possible avenue to get help, but couldn't. Maybe there's a gap in communication between the Mayor and the Governor....:confused:

I agree, though. I think after all of this is said & done - it will get ugly - but kept quiet. Dubya's probably already thinking of subtle ways to get revenge (look at Sadaam).

Hmmmm......wanna place a bet on how long it will take for Kanye West to get audited, or have some strange fact uncovered??? :o

ETA:
On another note - when will she ever learn?

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...m/katrina_dc_7

...Most of Katrina's victims were black and poor, and some black leaders have said the federal government would have moved much more quickly if rich, white people were suffering.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rejected the claim on a tour of Mobile, Alabama. "Nobody, especially the president, would have left people unattended on the basis of race."

But it looked different from the disaster zone.

I'm sure you're right, Tickled, but before too long there will be serious questions (probably quietly originating in DC) about what evacuation procedures NO/Louisiana previously had in place. (Lou Dobbs was hot on this line of questioning the other night on CNN.)

Also on Meet the Press Sunday, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former RNC National chairman, was saying how much better and more targeted the federal response had been in his state, alluding, at least IMO, that Louisiana may not have had all their stuff together. Not being there, I'll defer to any Mississipians on the truth/falsity of Barbour's comments but if you're looking for political cover, this may have been the start of it.

...sad to say but it may just be best to discount veracity by at least 20% anytime you see a politician's lips moving. especially if blame is being assessed.

I know for a fact that former Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster asked the Bush administration for assistance ($$$) in building a bigger and better levee for N.O. But was told that it wasn't a major concern. Clearly the administration doesn't value history or N.O. The same thing happened in 1927. It is not our fault that Bienville and Iberville built the city the way it is. How can you say a city that brings in billons of $$$ or is rich in history/culture is not important enough to build a bigger levee. We can spend a S---- load of money to help other countries out but when it comes to the improvement of my home state its not a major concern? As far as the Gov. of LA not doing her part oh trust me she did. What the White House doesn't catch CNN so he couldn't see what was going on...oh wait I forgot he was in Waco raising money for Iraq (it was all over the news here in Houston). Let me shut up before I catch a treason charge. :mad:

!
 

Please!! I live above the Mason-Dixon line and I am pissed right along with you. I am not a sensitive person at all but I have sat in front of my t.v. and cried out of frustration. I can truly say that once again, as a black person, I am embarrassed to be an American.

I will purchase my "GB don't care about Black People T-Shirt" and the "We want your blood for oil" t-shirt...Oh the ignorance and arrogance from Bush, Rumsfield, Cheney and the rest of them is crazy. And I swear, if Donald Rumsfield opens his mouth, I will scream.......:mad:

So it looks like we both are going to be in trouble.

GOD IS GOOD!
 

I FOUND MY FAMILY!!!

Through the power of prayer and the limited cell phone connections that we were able to establish, I found most of my family!!! My dad is still missing, but hopefully, he will contact me soon. I'm not really tripping about him because I know that he can survive and may just be pulling his typical routine of not calling, so I'm not stressed. I've found everyone else.

Let me just say that my aunt and two cousins have been sleeping outside since TUESDAY at the Convention Center. We just got in from picking them up in San Antonio (an 8 hour drive to B.R., so I am BEAT), so I can't go into detail right now. Let me just say that it was a HORRIBLE experience for them... Wait until I have time to tell the stories I have heard so far. Bush and everyone else that is responsible are going straight to HELL for what all those people went through out there.

THANK YOU to EVERYONE that was praying for me and my family!!! PRAYER WORKS!!!!! :D :D :D

Soror I am so glad to hear about your family. God is good!!!

That's great news Redefined Diva!!
I wanted to stay and watch GMA's Town Hall Meeting this morning. :(

Oprah will do a 2 part show today and tomorrow from the Houston Astrodome.

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/coming/tows_coming.jhtml

Re: GOD IS GOOD!
 

Yay! I'm so happy for you & your family! :)

OMG - Oprah just went in the dome! At first they weren't going to let her in. She wouldn't back down, and finally, she had to wear a mask. She said the floor was full of urine. And ya'll, the place was pitch DARK!

Anyone that survived that is truly strong!

ETA: "going to". Also - I cried like a baby when that man grabbed that guys neck when he said he would take the dog and give it safe refuge.

^^^

I saw that too and I was amazed on what was going on. It was so sad.:( :( And the way those people gathered to Oprah at the Astrodome was incredible.

2D and Refined, I'm glad that ya'll are safe and that your families are safe as well!! :D :D

I'm watching Oprah now and this is just so dayum sad and aggravating and frustrating to watch.

Re: GOD IS GOOD!
 

I got goose bumps reading your post, I am so happy that you have found your family!!!

My hormones are raging right now and I cried watching Oprah from start to finish. I can't continue watching our people die and being treated like this....I just can't.
:mad:

...another way to help
 

Black America Web's Relief Fund:
(as just announced on Tom Joyner)


Black America Web's Relief Fund
PO Box 803209
Dallas, Texas, 75380

It has been set up as a 501-C3, so all contributions are tax deductible.

I feel exactly the same way...RAGE!:mad: My heart is just broken over this:(

Re: ...another way to help
 

Tom has also earmarked 1 million for HBCU students who attended Dillard, Xavier and Southern of New Orleans. Each student gets $1000.

Re: GOD IS GOOD!
 

Praise God, I am so happy to hear that RD!!

Michael Moore is apparently working with Cindy Sheehan, the mother who set up camp in front of the Devil's vacation home.
Here's an e-mail I received today:

Friends,

There is much to be said and done about the manmade annihilation of New Orleans, caused NOT by a hurricane but by the very specific decisions made by the Bush administration in the past four and a half years. Do not listen to anyone who says we can discuss all this later. No, we can't. Our country is in an immediate state of vulnerability. More hurricanes, wars, and other disasters are on the way, and a lazy bunch of self-satisfied lunatics are still running the show.

So, in the next few days, I will write to you about what must be done about Bush and Co.

But today I want you to join with me in bypassing the colossally inept and incompetent Bush administration and get help DIRECTLY to the people of the New Orleans area -- right now.

A lot of you have written me to ask what you can do. Many don't know who to trust. Many want to do more than write a check. You are right to think that writing checks to relief agencies will not get water and aid to people in the next 48 hours. Checks will be needed later and can be written later.

I have a way, though, for each and every one of us to do something today that can affect people's lives TODAY.

For the past few days I've been working with a group that, I guarantee you, will get direct aid to the people who need it most.

Cindy Sheehan, the brave woman who dared to challenge Mr. Bush at his summer home, has now sent her Camp Casey from in front of Bush's ranch to the outskirts of New Orleans. The Veterans for Peace have taken all the equipment and staff of volunteers and set up camp in Covington, Louisiana, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. They are accepting materials and personally distributing them to those in need.

This is where we come in. We need to ship supplies to them immediately. Today they need the following:

Paper plates, paper towels, toilet paper, baby diapers, baby wipes, baby formula, Pedialyte, baby items in general, powder, lotion, handy wipes, sterile gloves, electrolytes, LARGE cans of veggies, school supplies, and anything else to lift people's spirits.

You can ship these items by following the instructions on VFPRoadTrips.org. Or you can deliver them there in person. The roads to Covington are open. Here's how to get there. You can drop them off or you can stay and participate (if you stay, you'll be camping so bring your own tent and gear and mosquito spray).

If you can't ship these items or go there in person, then go to VFPRoadTrips.org and make an immediate donation through PayPal. Camp Casey-Covington will have immediate access to this cash and can buy the items themselves from stores that are open in Louisiana (all donations to Veterans for Peace, are tax deductible).

Each day I will post up-to-the minute information as to what is needed and the progress Camp Casey is making. Please visit MichaelMoore.com often and do what you can to help.

Many other groups are also doing good work. MoveOn.org has set up a system for people to offer rooms in their homes to the survivors.

There is no time to waste. People are suffering and dying. Each of us can do something. There is no other alternative.

Thank you in advance for your help. Tomorrow, we will take care of the other work we need to do about the ideologically hamstrung incompetents in charge.

Yours,
Michael Moore
Mike@MichaelMoore.com
MichaelMoore.com

I cried from beginning to end also. It was so sad to see the elderly just waiting to die. I cried when the man with the broken hand said he'd rather lose his hand than not be with his children. It was unthinkable that citizens of our wealthy nation would have to live in those conditions. It heart was hurting so bad. What will be the mental condition of the children who have seen dead bodies lying around and people killed and injured? This is just so sad and I don't know how our country can leave people like that for so long.

FINALLY!!!
 

This is GREAT NEWS, IMO:

Fed Gov't Gives Each Adult Victim a $2000 debit card!

ETA: I know that this may not be enough for a lot of families, but it does at least give some families a financial boost to begin to start over. :(

Re: GOD IS GOOD!
 

I am so glad that you were able to find your family!!! I've been praying for you to do just that!!!

sidebar/

There is a small village in the middle of Texas that has lost its idiot...

/end sidebar

I visited my residence today. I am happy to report that the ONLY damage I had was a broken window in my bathroom! :D The broken glass landed in my tub. (I'm on the 3rd floor. I'm not too worried about looting. If you are willing to climb alllll the way up to that window to ATTEMPT to get my stuff...YOU.DESERVE.IT!)

I must say, the breeze did help us deal with the stinch from the spoiled contents in the refrigerator and freezer much easier! :o

Thank You, Lord!

It is bittersweet because many (family and friends/sorors/strangers) are not as fortunate! :(

That's fantastic news!!! I thought you still lived there.

Re: FINALLY!!!
 

It's only being done in Dallas and Houston. Most of the aid appropriate for us has not been received. The funds the Red Cross has for victims is only available in Georgia and Texas. (I can understand why many minority based orgs are not giving money to the RC.) The RC wants to give you food, shelter, clothes, but no money! :confused: FEMA has all of these funds, it's advertised in the paper, then you go to those locations listed and they do not have anything available. :confused:


$2000 isn't anything (I'll take it). Those agencies have billions and billions of dollars. As a tax payer who never receives ANY assistance/handouts, I want whatever is given...plus some!