[Dialogue] Big Business Sees A Chance For Ethnic and Class Cleansing

Fri Apr 21 16:31:50 EDT 2006

Thanks Carlos.  It is helpful to get local news like yours, since so  
much of what comes across "the media" is either biased or slipshod.

Like Harry, many of us are turning to blogs and other news services.   
Besides Alernet and Information Clearing House at http:// 
www.informationclearinghouse.info/, a new one that's been trying to  
get going is Real News, now at http://www.iwtnews.com/home

An interesting take on Iran is a report by Eric Margolis that you can  
get at http://www.iwtnews.com/videoplayer/Eric_Margolis2

Another website that has some input you don't get on the usual media,  
though sometimes things that turn up there make it to the major media  
later is http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/

I'd be interested in the blogs, etc. that we're using to get the news  
and insight on what is going on around the world.

I'm also concerned that Congress is caving into the big telephone and  
cable companies which is setting the stage for their control of the  
internet.  Those interested may want to go to http:// 
action.freepress.net/campaign/savethenet/i7x638k4rjnx8jd? and send an  
email to their congress person.

–george holcombe

On Apr 21, 2006, at 2:53 PM, Carlos Zervigon wrote:

> Harry
>
>
>
> I read this article and while many things are accurate, it is a  
> radical over simplification of the situation.
>
> 1. There are not the neatly divided two camps. There is a whole  
> spectrum of differences as to how and with what timeline to rebuild  
> New Orleans. Racism and classism are alive and well and Ron Foreman  
> is one of the candidates that represents the least lunatic fringe  
> of that group. Mayor Nagin did get a lot of support from the uptown  
> aristocracy in his first run but early on started a campaign to  
> address the racial divide. In my estimation his major downfall has  
> been the lack of coalition building skills and arrogance toward  
> civil servants. The so called back up candidate of “Big  
> Business” (New Orleans almost has no big business merely a snooty  
> noblesse oblige aristocracy which in many cases resembles Tennessee  
> Williams characters) Mitch Landrieu who we are backing and is the  
> only candidate that is polling significant percentages  in the  
> Anglo (my choice of words) and African American communities. A  
> number of us in the Hispanic community are also working for him.  
> The more conservative candidates are trying to smear him as anti- 
> business. He has been endorsed by the Louisiana Weekly, (An African  
> American newspaper that take a back seat to no one in taking on the  
> race and class divide), City Business (a general business  
> publication) and Gambit (a liberal, artsy entertainment weekly). He  
> is a consensus builder and has a good social conscience.
>
> 2. The footprint issue of how to deal with the rebuilding also is  
> all over the universe and there are real issues of service delivery  
> with a radically reduced tax base which can be dealt with by timing  
> and there are many models which call for taking advantage of the  
> situation and intentionally creating diverse mixed income  
> communities. The urban land institute report got very little  
> support across the spectrum. Are there people who want to  
> ethnically and class cleanse?  Absolutely! Will they prevail? I for  
> one do not think so. Do we stand to loose a significant number of  
> the oppressed poor? I believe we will certainly loose some and that  
> bothers me as a Democrat. I believe the amount of money that flows  
> out of Washington will probably be a reflection of Republican  
> strategy to change election results. However, at the end of the day  
> New Orleans will be chocolate with a hefty infusion of Hispanics  
> that will stay after the recovery construction efforts.
>
> 3. The holding of the election now, while many residents still live  
> out of state is not a simple example of exclusion. I was in favor  
> of remote voting including out of state locations but the  
> legislature which tends to be conservative did not create that  
> scenario. The fact that there have been challenges, law suits, and  
> a lot of publicity over this issue has made up for a lot of this by  
> creating multiple ways for voters out of state to vote, an intense  
> campaign by the civil rights community to get out the evacuee vote  
> and a consciousness of the importance to exercise the hard earned  
> right to vote form the civil rights movement. To postpone elections  
> much longer denies the opportunity of holding office holders  
> accountable for their response during this horrific crisis. Many of  
> my African American colleagues want to see Nagin replaced and are  
> not for postponement. Many important decisions from the public and  
> private sector are on hold until the real players are clear  
> particularly the Mayor and the City Council.
>
> 4. I do agree that America is loosing interest. Our political  
> delegation on both sides of the aisle is saying that other members  
> of Congress are telling them that they do not want to hear another  
> thing about Katrina. As I said before, I hope this network applies  
> appropriate pressure to keep adequate funding for a long term  
> project for the worst disaster in American history since the  
> virtual elimination of Native Americans.
>
> 5. Finally, we are not unique in all of the ugly things that  
> emerged from the Superdome, the Convention Center and the dismal  
> response. We are merely a reality check mirror for what is true  
> across our society. A lot of us here intend to do all we can to see  
> to it that we seize the opportunity to become a model for how to  
> create true community. Feel free to join us at times in this  
> effort. Those of you who transitioned into doing well while doing  
> good, come play in our city. We are ready to receive you and show  
> you a good time. Jazz fest is a week away and the livelihood of  
> many of those who are back depends on a good turnout then and a  
> revival of our tourist and convention industry while we work for a  
> more diverse and better paying economy.
>
>
>
> Thanks again Harry for your endless helpful issue spam.
>
>
>
> Carlos R. Zervigon, PMP
>
> Zervigon International, Ltd.
>
> 817 Antonine St.
>
> New Orleans, LA  70115  USA
>
> 504 894-9868 Mobile: 504 908-0762
>
> carlos at zervigon.com
>
> http://www.zervigon.com
>
>
>
> From: dialogue-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:dialogue- 
> bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Harry Wainwright
> Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 12:27 PM
> To: 'Colleague Dialogue'
> Subject: [Dialogue] Big Business Sees A Chance For Ethnic and Class  
> Cleansing
>
>
>
> Colleagues,
>
>
>
> In order to see
>
>
>
> Published on Thursday, April 20, 2006 by the Guardian / UK
>
> Big Business Sees A Chance For Ethnic and Class Cleansing
> Black and poor residents are excluded from the city elections and  
> they're still finding bodies, but America has lost interest
>
> by Gary Younge
>
>
>
> Please go to http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0420-21.htm
>
>
>
> Peace,
>
> Harry
>
>
>
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