Belafonte & Glover Speak Out on Katrina
http://www.alternet.org/story/25862

Editor's Note: The following are texts of speeches delivered by Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte at the Higher Ground Hurricane Relief benefit concert, an all-star jazz concert Live at Lincoln Center on Sept. 17.

Danny Glover:

John Coltrane once said, "The main thing a musician would like to do, is to give a picture to the listener of the many wonderful things he knows of and senses in the universe." When Miles Davis asked him why he played so long, Coltrane answered, "It took that long to get it all in."

New Orleans is the site of so many "wonderful things" -- the city being a great crossroads of diverse peoples, languages, architectures, cuisines, and rhythms through the centuries.

But it has also been the site of shameful things -- slavery, exploitation and neglect.

It is a tribute to jazz musicians that they sought to "get it all in." The music itself -- vital, transformative, seductive, subversive and often improvised -- provided the record that tied each generation to the next. Out of suffering and hardship, we have heard time and again jazz artists rediscover possibility. Such is the power of imagination. And hence, the critical importance of this evening's effort.

When the hurricane struck the Gulf and the floodwaters rose and tore through New Orleans, plunging its remaining population into a carnival of misery, it did not turn the region into a Third World country, as it has been disparagingly implied in the media; it revealed one. It revealed the disaster within the disaster; grueling poverty rose to the surface like a bruise to our skin.

But the storm not only revealed the poverty of those most vulnerable, those left behind. It also revealed the poverty of skewed priorities that put the shoulder of technology to the wheel of death rather than life, creating killing machines that are now called "smart" and surveillance systems that, in the words of the great Guyanese poet Martin Carter, "are watching you sleep and aiming at your dreams."

Mother Nature revealed the poverty of a mindset that narrowly views security as a military issue; that is blind to the role of culture in sustaining the mental health and social wellness of people, which is also the basis for economic productivity; blind to the role of culture in education, through which we are prepared for our responsibilities in a democracy; and hostile to the role of culture in the search for truth.

Hurricane Katrina revealed, more than anything else, a poverty of imagination.

Harry Belafonte:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "True compassion is more than throwing a coin to a beggar. It demands of our humanity that if we live in a society that produces beggars, we are morally commanded to restructure that society."

Let us challenge what we have been told was inevitable: Katrina was not "unforeseeable"; the loss of life and suffering was not "unavoidable." It was the result of a political authority that subcontracts its responsibility to the private sector and abdicates responsibility altogether when it comes to housing, health care, education and even evacuation.

As New Orleans rebuilds, let us also ensure that reconstruction does not result in further victimization. Let us support the efforts of those people in the Delta who have stated that they will not go quietly into the night, scattering across this country to become homeless shadows in countless other cities while federal relief funds are funneled into rebuilding casinos, hotels and chemical plants. Let us ensure that those victimized by this tragedy will be empowered to actively participate in the reclaiming, rebuilding and improvement of their communities.

The gift of music is to bring people together, to create not only a shared identity, but to embrace a shared humanity. To truly know ourselves is to realize how we are connected to each other.

Many people this evening have described the beauty, the Creole and spice, the gumbo that is New Orleans; the African roots, blues, gospel and many other musical traditions that have come together to create that uniquely American art form: jazz.

And the meaning of jazz, is life. Whether we receive it as a blend of many notes reflecting diverse traditions, or as John Coltrane might have it: as one note, played in endless variations.

Let us commit ourselves to the service of life.

Glover and Belafonte are representatives of the Vanguard Public Foundation, which has established a People's Hurricane Relief Fund.

* * * * *

WAS KANYE RIGHT?

AFTER KATRINA

Danny Glover

GLOVER:

More than anything else, Hurricane Katrina revealed a poverty of imagination.

 

 

OPPORTUNITY FOR SPIRIT

 

REMEMBERING TULSA

MSNBC Article on Belafonte

Belafonte on Bush

Belafonte on Terrorism

Harry Belafonte

BELAFONTE

"The loss of life and suffering was not "unavoidable." It was the result of a political authority that subcontracts its responsibility to the private sector and abdicates responsibility altogether when it comes to housing, health care, education and even evacuation

BUT. . .

The Bourbons uptown would have a conniption if a Section 8 tenant moved in next door. It will certainly be interesting.

GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS WITH WONDERS TO PERFORM!

AFTER KATRINA

www.fyicomminc.com

 

 

GOV'T DID NOT FAIL IT'S MISSION IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINA

FEMA Succeeded Well in the Wake of Katrina The mission of FEMA is to facilitate the New World Order - http://www.freedom-force.org/

Analysis by G. Edward Griffin
September 16, 2005

There has been widespread criticism of the response of US officials to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. The tone of these complaints is that the authorities failed to do their job quickly enough. Some commentators have said this is a racial issue, claiming that the government would have acted more promptly if the majority of victims had been white instead of black. Others have said it was an issue of the rich against the poor, the oil companies against the consumers, the land developers and contractors seeking to force people out of the city so they can rebuild without interference at taxpayers' expense. Democrats have said the problem is that Republicans were in control, and Republicans are indifferent to the plight of the common man.

In news coverage of this tragedy, the most significant events often were buried beneath a blanket of heart-wrenching stories of personal survival, scenes of awesome destruction, reports of looting, and interviews with experts. However, the key to understanding can be found in the following list of news headlines, most of which did not make it into mainstream coverage. These reports make it clear that the government did not fail to respond in a timely fashion. The problem was that it did respond - but in such a way as to actually hinder rescue operations. There were too many instances for this to be merely a mistake or a bureaucratic snafu. There is a clear pattern here that cannot be denied. Why this should be so will be discussed in a moment, but first, here is the amazing record.

  • FEMA tells first responders not to respond until told to do so. FEMA News 2005 Aug 29
  • FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations. FEMA News 2005 Aug 29
  • Offer of helicopters for rescue work is rejected. Narcosphere 2005 Sept 1
  • FEMA blocks 500 Florida airboat pilots from rescue work. Sun Sentinel 2005 Sept 2
  • FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck. Chicago Tribune 2005 Sept 2
  • FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans. Tri Valley Central 2005 Sept 2
  • FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid. Daily Kos 2005 Sept 3
  • Homeland Security won't let Red Cross deliver food. Post Gazette 2005 Sept 3
  • FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital onboard. Chicago Tribune 2005 Sept 4
  • FEMA cuts local emergency communications phone lines. Meet the Press 2005 Sept 4
  • FEMA turns away experienced firefighters. Daily Kos 2005 Sept 5
  • FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks. NY Times 2005 Sept 5
  • FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel. NY Times 2005 Sept 5
  • Navy pilots who rescued victims are reprimanded. NY Times 2005 Sept 7
  • US government turns back German plane with 15 tons of aid. Star Tribune 2005 Sept 10
  • FEMA declines volunteer firemen for rescue operations. Uses them to distribute public relations pamphlets. Salt Lake Tribune 2005 Sept 12
  • Read the articles http://tinyurl.com/97nvg

So what is going on here? Were agents of the federal government trying to kill American citizens? Were they trying to obtain the maximum death toll and the highest level of human suffering? It would seem that way at first, but I would like to suggest that this incredible behavior stems from something else - something equally unsettling.

The primary job of the military, FEMA, and Homeland Security is not to protect the American people in times of emergency but to protect the government in times of emergency and keep it functioning. Their primary assignment is, not to rescue people, but to control them. Their directive is to relocate families and businesses, confiscate property, commandeer goods, direct labor and services, and establish martial law. The reason FEMA and Homeland security failed to carry out an effective rescue operation is that this was not their primary mission, and the reason they blocked others from doing so is that any operations not controlled by the central authority are contrary to their directives. Their objective was to bring the entire area under the control of the federal government - and this they succeeded in doing very well. They did not fail in New Orleans. They were a huge success. Once this simple fact is understood, everything that happened in the wake of Katrina becomes understandable and logical.

If there are new terrorist attacks against the United States or Great Britain (or any other country), what we witnessed in New Orleans may have been a glimpse into the future of what was once a civilized world.

Freedom Force International

 

The primary job of the military, FEMA, and Homeland Security is not to protect the American people in times of emergency but to protect the government in times of emergency and keep it functioning.

AFTER KATRINA

Why Some People Didn't Leave New Orleans

You have heard that some New Orleans Blacks were shooting at the helicopters that were trying to rescue them and you couldn't understand why. This video explains everything. Be prepared for a moving and emotional experience from a very strong black woman. It is disappointing to see how the media can misrepresent what really happened and blame the victims. I don't usually ask my friends to send any emails to others, but in this case please send this video to as many people as you know that love truth and courage.

This tragic story must be told so that people will know why some people didn't leave New Orleans, what they had to do to save themselves and others, and why some were shooting at the rescue vehicles.

COMPELLING VIDEO!

 

AFTER KATRINA

Did you work as a volunteer to help Katrina Victims? Submit your story

 

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