FEMA directs Katrina aid to Pat Robertson's charity

from somebody on Gerry's email list, 04.09.2005 21:15

Professor Gerry Cavanaugh writes letters-to-editors of many newspapers regularly. He is very busy amongst our activist community, has been for years, and daily he sends along emails to his email list. Many, many emails every single day. I once asked Gerry if he read them all, kinda being a smarty pants when i asked, but the good professor let me know that he does in fact read them.

Here is one of Gerry's forwarded emails, one that we all should read!
"another outrage for your list"

From: Renate Bridenthal
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2005 17:08:35 -0400
To:  gjcav@jeffnet.org
Subject: FEMA directs Katrina aid to Pat Robertson's charity

Gerry, here's another outrage for your list. This came to me from a friend. I'm appalled enough to send it on. -Renate

another outrage for your list

FEMA has released to the media and on its Web site a list of suggested charities to help the storm's hundreds of thousands of victims. The Red Cross is first on the list. The Rev. Pat Robertson's "Operation Blessing" is third on the list . This is the televangelist who suggested assassinating Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez. He's so close to this administration, you can't see light between them.

Excerpt from FEMA website  http://www.fema.gov/press/2005/katrinadonations.shtm

Help the Victims of Hurricane Katrina
Volunteers should not report directly to the affected areas unless directed by a voluntary agency. Self-dispatched volunteers can put themselves and others in harm's way and hamper rescue efforts. Voluntary organizations are seeking cash donations to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina in Gulf Coast states.

Organizations Accepting Donations and Volunteers
Donate Cash
American Red Cross
1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English,
1-800-257-7575 Spanish;

America's Second Harvest
1-800-344-8070

Operation Blessing
1-800-436-6348

Humane Society of the United States
1-888-259-5431

UJA Federation of New York
212 836-1880

United Jewish Communities
1-877-277-2477

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Open Letter to Bush from the Times Picayune 05.09.2005 - 08:18 The following message comes from Granny D Haddock: Dear Friends, I have attached the main editorial from today's New Orleans newspaper, the Times Picayune. In it, they call for the resignation of all FEMA officials. Isn't the debacle in New Orleans, and what it implies for the security of our nation, not a bigger issue facing Congress than the "business as usual" confirmation of Mr. Bush's appointments? Shouldn't we demand that a full Congressional investigation be commenced before any other such business is conducted? Many of you are connected with various political action groups. Perhaps some of them could move fast enough to do some good in this moment. Sincerely, Doris "Granny D" Haddock For a pdf of this mail editorial:  http://www.nola.com/hurricane/katrina/pdf/090405/a15.pdf Open Letter to Bush from the Times Picayune Sun Sep 4th, 2005 at 12:24:33 PDT The Times-Picayune Letter: We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our devastated city and the Gulf Coast and said, "What is not working, we're going to make it right." Please forgive us if we wait to see proof of your promise before believing you. But we have good reason for our skepticism. Bienville built New Orleans where he built it for one main reason: It's accessible. The city between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain was easy to reach in 1718. How much easier it is to access in 2005 now that there are interstates and bridges, airports and helipads, cruise ships, barges, buses and diesel-powered trucks. Despite the city's multiple points of entry, our nation's bureaucrats spent days after last week's hurricane wringing their hands, lamenting the fact that they could neither rescue the city's stranded victims nor bring them food, water and medical supplies. Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection. On Thursday morning, that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor trailers headed into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city. Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown New Orleans streets. Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid Thursday, and his efforts were the focus of a "Today" show story Friday morning. Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people whose job it is to quickly bring in aid were absent. Those who should have been deploying troops were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to reach. We're angry, Mr. President, and we'll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That's to the government's shame. Mayor Ray Nagin did the right thing Sunday when he allowed those with no other alternative to seek shelter from the storm inside the Louisiana Superdome. We still don't know what the death toll is, but one thing is certain: Had the Superdome not been opened, the city's death toll would have been higher. The toll may even have been exponentially higher. It was clear to us by late morning Monday that many people inside the Superdome would not be returning home. It should have been clear to our government, Mr. President. So why weren't they evacuated out of the city immediately? We learned seven years ago, when Hurricane Georges threatened, that the Dome isn't suitable as a long-term shelter. So what did state and national officials think would happen to tens of thousands of people trapped inside with no air conditioning, overflowing toilets and dwindling amounts of food, water and other essentials? State Rep. Karen Carter was right Friday when she said the city didn't have but two urgent needs: "Buses! And gas!" Every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially. In a nationally televised interview Thursday night, he said his agency hadn't known until that day that thousands of storm victims were stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. He gave another nationally televised interview the next morning and said, "We've provided food to the people at the Convention Center so that they've gotten at least one, if not two meals, every single day." Lies don't get more bald-faced than that, Mr. President. Yet, when you met with Mr. Brown Friday morning, you told him, "You're doing a heck of a job." That's unbelievable. There were thousands of people at the Convention Center because the riverfront is high ground. The fact that so many people had reached there on foot is proof that rescue vehicles could have gotten there, too. We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We're no less important than those from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued. No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn't be reached. Mr. President, we sincerely hope you fulfill your promise to make our beloved communities work right once again. When you do, we will be the first to applaud. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- forwarded by "Granny D">