One Year Along: freehopeandchange.com

It was maybe March of this year that I first said to someone who asked what I thought of the then-new President that he was in the process of making two major, perhaps historic, mistakes: pretending that Afghanistan had patiently waited for seven years while the United States dithered with Iraq and pretending that the only man-made disaster New Orleans had suffered was at the hands of Bush's FEMA.  Now, some months later, regrettably, that verdict stands. 

The President put his thumb in New Orleans' eye, calling the federally-caused flooding a "natural disaster" in his first, delayed Presidential visit to the still-recovering city.  And his early leak (or was it Biden's leak?) that ending the latest attempt by an outside big power to remake Afghanistan was off the table sent the unmistakable signal that fear of being called "soft" by Republican chicken hawks was pushing Obama's policy towards an historic blunder that would dwarf the Iraq adventure.

Right now, the US Army Corps of Engineers is making choices that may be setting in stone, and mud, the next New Orleans disaster.  Right now, the high-level White House meetings are deciding how many American troops will be sacrificed so the administration can't be accused of "losing Afghanistan" before the 2012 election. 

Would any of us have expected this one year ago?  But don't blame politics; we experience the same disparity between the sales pitch and the actual product every day, don't we?  Or haven't you signed up for your "free" credit report from freecreditreport.com?

So, one year after the election, what do you think Candidate Obama would think of President Obama? Tweet your response (our Twitter hashtag is #OneYearLater), or post it in the comments section.

 

Follow Harry Shearer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/letwits

Comments

[luziannagirl]

Look, all you people who don't "get" any of this Katrina/New Orleans/Rebuild stuff:

1) The site of this city is simply too economically and strategically important to the nation to seriously consider abandoning. It ain't gonna happen, so forget about it.

2) The city could exist without the first levee, IF all structures were elevated on marine pilings or float platforms at least above Katrina level. There could be car park structures in all neighborhoods, and pets would only be allowed for those who agreed to either take them indoors in case of hurricanes, or evacuate with them. As they do on Grand Isle, storm surges would wash into the city and out again fairly quickly with manageable property loss and with a prepared public, virtually no loss of life.

3) All we need is for the Feds is to either build the damn levees right, or not build them at all so we can do what we need to do to keep living on the site.

4) Building us inferior levees and pretending they're adequate is guaranteed to produce another Katrina-like (or worse) catastrophe. Developers and individuals WILL build low and weak behind those levees, and in a few years people will forget all about Katrina until those structures also become death traps to an entirely new generation of the unsuspecting.

[KIVPossum]

Certainly N.O. is an important city and must be rebuilt. Also that the levees should be vastly improved and protect the area better.

At the same time I think the taxpayers should demand that certain parts be abandoned. Protect the city well, but admit some areas are not worth the effort. Let the city expand onto higher ground. Otherwise it will happen again and again.

Some areas are just not suitable for development - barrier islands, some coastal areas, flood prone areas.

[Bienville]

I suppose that by labeling New Orleans a "flood-prone area" you're familiar with the previous occasions of flooding here. For those less-infomed than you, please detail the previous floods of New Orleans.

I'll help you a little bit. When you look for River floods, don't start any time after 1879, because between now and then, you won't find any. When you look for hurricane floods of any part of the City, start working backwards at 1965, because that was the last time a hurricane flooded any part of the City. If you want to find the last time 2005-type flooding occured, you'll be looking for a long time.

[KIVPossum]

Since basic literacy seems to be your weak suit, did I say call out N.O. as flood prone, or did I mention flood prone areas along with other 'exposed' areas. As a matter of fact I was thinking about some of the areas we have rebuilt and rebuilt along the Ohio River.

[RepugsOut08]

I was reading another progressive blog, that was complaining about how Obama seems to be paying more attention to coddling his opposition than his base. Whether true or not, perception is everything.
When I compared it to Obama defenders believing he'll arrive like the cavalry to save health care reform at the last minute, after spending all his capital on Olympia Snowe's one vote, I thought of this...

Here Comes The Cavalry

Gen. Custer: (Dodging a tomahawk whizzing by his head) "DC promised me 10 months ago, that a new Gen. named O'Bana, would be helping us fight! He's had plenty of time to get here. Sgt. Duffy! Go up to the top of that ridge, and see if you can see him coming!"

Sgt. Duffy: (Pulling an arrow from his hat) "Yessir!"

30 minutes later, an out of breath Sgt. Duffy returns.

Gen. Custer: "Well, Duffy, did you see Gen. O'Bana coming?"

Sgt. Duffy: "Yessir! And he's got tons of riders on horseback followin' him!"

Gen. Custer: "We're saved, Duffy! The cavalry has arrived!"

Sgt. Duffy: "Well, not exactly, sir. You see, those riders on horseback.­..."

Gen. Custer: "Yes yes, man! Go on!"

Sgt. Duffy: "More Indians, sir."

[luziannagirl]

Sorry, folks. The Advocate apparently didn't pick the story up for their online version (yet another flaw in depending solely on internet news sources). Try reading a shorter version of the AP article here:

http://www.star-telegram.com/461/story/1732797-p2.html

Amazingly enough, I checked Nola.com and this piece wasn't on it. At least, it wasn't prominently featured. Why it's not front and center, I don't know. There is nothing more important to New Orleanians than levees.

At some point, I guess even for those in the most grave danger, daily life just takes over.

[backhandpath]

Right. This article is on no less than 50 different outlets because Cain Burdeaux tows the Line.
He used to be a pretty good "Louisiana" themed writer, but over the past year has gone nearly completely over to Corps PR type articles. And btw he is from New Zealand, not that that matters.
AP in general and this journalist in particular have a Real Problem with shoveling the Katrina Shorthand on saying the Storm flooded New Orleans, and laying off any mention of the Corps of Engineers complicity. Actually I find it egregious.
This 1Billion used to be $500 Million, and may still be after the Corps gets a hold on the funding and can shift it around. But this journalist won't go there, ask any of those questions, or provide any of that context. Grrrrr.
That dog won't hunt.
Of course, as Harry reported back in August I think, we still have inoperable hydraulic pumps on our outfall canals, the ones which flooded 80% of the city. Those canals will keep their old bad flood walls that the Corps built wrong in the first place.
But Cain Burdeaux has nothing but cotton candy and peanuts fo'da Corps.
Jeez Louie!
But hey, luziannagi­rl...7-0 Baby!

[luziannagirl]

Harry is 100% correct that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is right now making choices that may be "setting in stone and mud" the next New Orleans disaster. Or, at least, he's in agreement with international levee expert and University of California at Berkeley civil engineering professor Robert Bea.

According to an AP article in today's Advocate, Bea called the brand new USACE billion-dollar West Bank Protection System "an example of the Corps' flawed levee building policies, designed to handle a 100-year storm rather than shelter the area for many centuries like the dikes in the Netherland­s." Bea went on to give advice to West Bank developers and homeowners: "Build high and build strong because the level of protection is not sufficient to build low and weak".

Unlike the heavily flooded East Bank of New Orleans, the area did not lose any of its population after Katrina because it mostly stayed dry---due largely to the storm's trajectory. The article notes that building requirements for the area will get more lax after the system is finished, but that doesn't seem to faze the USACE.

Read the entire piece by Cain Burdeau, "Corps starts on billion-dollar system" at www.2theadvocate.com.

[RepugsOut08]

Thanks for the link, luziannagirl.
The sad and ironic thing is, that people will continue to come to Harry's blogs complaining that they don't want their hard-earned tax dollars wasted in New Orleans, when not fighting to build these flood protection systems correctly, is the definition of wasting their tax dollars.
Every silly scheme posted on these blogs, from moving NO north, to buying everyone's property and razing the city, would be ridiculously more expensive than simply building the friggin' system correctly!
Quitcherbitchin, taxpayers, and cough up the lousy carton of soda amount it will probably set you back, to save this iconic, historic city and MAJOR PORT! Sheesh!

[CSE]

Robert Bea is a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UC Berkley.

I am not so sure he is recognized as an international levee expert nor considers himself as such - although I am glad he stepped forward to chastise the USACE in their efforts.

http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~bea/about.html

[Bienville]

Robert Bea was a principal contributor the the Independent Levee Investigation Team report in 2006. Google "ILIT Berkeley" to see that report.

[mackbolan]

my original idea of giving everyone in nola a 100,000 dollars to move out for 5 years while private contractors razed and raised the city so this type of thing would not happen again keeps looking better everyday..­.compared to the money obama is spending on failed institutions it would have been a bargain...­.and until you agree to do something about that half of your city that is below sea level don't look for taxpayers to bail you out.....

[backhandpath]

Sillymack, over half the city is Above sea level, check the LIDAR.
Anyway, by "failed institutions" do you mean the 2nd busiest port in the nation?
By "failed institutions" do you mean our country's basic needs for Oil and Natural Gas?
By "failed institutions" do you mean 30% of this country's sea food?
By "failed institutions" do you, god-forbid, mean our 7-0 New Orleans Saints???
Who'dat? 7-0 Baby!!!!

[mackbolan]

i meant the banks and wall street...n­ot big on comprehension are you....

[RepugsOut08]

Sorry, but until tax payers cease to be responsible for rebuilding those FEDERAL levees, they're going to have to foot the bill.
And since we are ALL responsible by FEDERAL law to pay for rebuilding those levees with our hard-earned tax dollars, don't you think we'd all be money ahead as tax payers, to see to it that those levees are properly built? I do. That's not a particularly "original idea," but it's a very fiscally responsible one, don't cha think?

[backhandpath]

Especially when you consider that over half of the country (54.83% ) lives in counties with levees. http://levees.org/2009/09/30/new-data-sheds-light-on-georgia-flooding/
Yeah, the Corps is everywhere you wanna be.

[Harry Shearer - Huffpost Blogger]

Check out the elevation of river ports around the world. Oddly enough, it tends to be at or below sea level. Make them all move, I say.

[backhandpath]

Aw man, that one always kills me.
The first time I heard that I was listening to Garland Robinette (local Radio Herollero) on a portable radio while watching the huge ships come and go. Some thug called in from "up north" and said New Orleans should just be abandonded.
Across the River we watched the ship yards, the ones that just delivered our latest warship, the USS New York with the World Trade Center Steel in its bow. Most of those ship builders lost their own homes in the flood, and returned anyway to live on the yard, to Finish That Ship. Many of their older relatives built the landing craft that liberated Europe. Right here in New Orleans. Really.
And this pig thought we should abandon New Orleans.
Tell that to the Port Authority that just invested a Godzillion Dollars upgrading.
Tell that to the New York City Fire Department.
They'd love to tell you to go to hell.

We were doing that thing on the River, you know, so we just busted out laughing so hard! I mean, thank you very much, where the Hell do you put Ports???
Hahahahaha thanks Harry.

[mackbolan]

non-respon­sive.....

[Bienville]

We paid you for levees that didn't work.

Give our money back and get lost.

[RepugsOut08]

What a "change" a year can bring. This time last year, Harry, I was assuring you that Obama would have "shovel ready" New Orleans, at the top of his stimulus package list.
I believed Obama would see the folly of staying in Afghanistan, history's military meat grinder, and form an international crime task force to deal with terrorism instead.
And don't even get me started on the broken commitment to health care reform.
"Cha cha changes."
Obama believers assure us, that Obama will come to HCR's rescue at the last minute. Sort of like the cavalry. Sorry folks. That's just a little too Hollywood for me.
Bush had a horrible agenda, but did anyone doubt his commitment to it? If you did, you never watched the evening news during the months-lon­g-WMD-thre­atening runup to the Iraq war.
If Obama had been half as determined in delivering his HCR message to the American public, we'd have Medicare for All by now.
The people of New Orleans deserve to have those FEDERAL flood protection systems built correctly. They've waited long enough.
Soldiers and their families need to have these misguided wars ended. They've waited long enough.
Americans deserve to have health care treated as a right, the way it has been for decades in every civilized nation in the world. They've waited long enough.
We don't want a last minute cavalry charging hero. We need a leader with convictions, dedicated to fighting for those convictions on a daily basis.

[JoAnn Livanos]

You’re are a proud son of the grand dam, New Orleans & your comments are consistently more civil than I’m able to muster. I won’t restate your luminary observations about the engineering failures of the Corps of Engineers.

Unfortunately, post August 29, 2005, some of our countrymen insist on opening their mouths & dispelling any doubt of their ignorance.

The city they pontificate shouldn’t exist: has sacrificed her natural barrier by allowing international companies cast a net of pipelines offshore into the gulf & back to those mental midgets' SUV gas tanks & homes; supplies a disproportionate percentage of oil & natural gas to her sister states in the United States.

The lemmings that recite the manure they were fed & eagerly digested should pay $15.00 or $20.00+ a liter of gasoline for their SUVs. Their absent moral compass & empathy render them myopic to the restored New Orleans’ natural resources national security benefits. Those visionaries should rely 100% on the politics of the shifting sands of the middle East oil cartel.

We will collectively continue to: advance unreasonable expectations that a major United States city be restored 4+ years post the failings of the Corps of Engineers; object to the Corps recklessly wasting hard earned tax dollars by fashioning the next man made catastrophic failure; and autonomously restore a city whose geography, upon cost benefit analysis, is well worth her rich natural assets.

[brindle]

It was about March for me as well. Different triggers -- Wall Street bailout and catching myself yelling at Axelrod on Sunday morning TV talking about how Obama had "agonized" over his decision to "look forward" instead of obey the Constitution and treaty obligations. I never thought he would be liberal enough, but I am stunned by how corporatist and apparently in love with the DC status quo he is.

[ydrittmann]

Third mistake, begging Republicans for votes to look bipartisan.

[kimk3]

I spent all my comment energy earlier responding to Plouffe's absolute spin response to Arianna's piece. Ultimately, if I had known O was going to s*** on Howard Dean and hire Rahm Emanuel to run this country, I would never have voted for him.

[Ken Nemeth]

As a former 20 year Democrat-t­urned-Repu­blican last year who voted for McCain, I took my lumps and thought that Obama would immediately use his overwhelming Democratic seat advantages in the House and Senate to ram through a progressive agenda. I was terrified as that was why I switched sides.
Wow, was I wrong. But I guess I should not have been surprised - the Democrats have been snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory for the last 20 years. Candidly, I have no idea what Obama is doing - he's upsetting the Right and the Left. How does one do that?

[ydrittmann]

Thank you for voting for Sarah Palin.

[RepugsOut08]

Wow! You were "terrified" of a "progressive agenda," but comfortable with Palin a heartbeat away from the Presidency? Interesting.

[mackbolan]

i am just as scared of pelosi getting the job....

[SHEL333]

Usually I find myself agreeing with Mr. Shearer's views. I wish this was one time I didn't, but, sadly I have to say that Harry got it right...ye­t again. Other's have expressed similar thoughts. I just hope that along the way, the White House sees, reads, and snaps out of it.

[ChristianWright]

Dang, I was fooled again. I remember '92 and populist Bill Clinton riding the crest of a big ole wave right into the White House, but I was soon to discover a new abbreviation: DLC. For a moment I thought it was the second coming of JFK. Well, here we are again. We vote to for someone who not only campaigns well, but MUST know the truth, and someone who can't possibly sell out that truth. Someone who acknowledges the elephant in the room (no pun intended). Emmanuel. Summers. Geitner. Harry, I love the energy, the look, the feel, that craziness of New Orleans, the humidity. And no passport needed. Keep up the fight.

[sparky73]

Harry:
Again you are voice a reason but the message will fall on deaf ears. The more I read posters on this website, the more I believe they are just sheep blindly being lead into the abyss. All they see is red and blue. Red=Bad, Blue=Good. They will not change and in the meantime ignore very real issues that need to be addressed. But they don't care.... They voted for the cool guy from the TV shows and commercials.