Yahoo ‘helped jail China writer’

Internet giant Yahoo has been accused of supplying information to China which led to the jailing of a journalist for “divulging state secrets”.
Reporters Without Borders said Yahoo’s Hong Kong arm helped China link Shi Tao’s e-mail account and computer to a message containing the information.

The media watchdog accused Yahoo of becoming a “police informant” in order to further its business ambitions.

Yahoo’s response?

A Yahoo spokeswoman said it had to operate within each country’s laws.

“Just like any other global company, Yahoo must ensure that its local country sites must operate within the laws, regulations and customs of the country in which they are based,” said Mary Osako.

If thats hard to follow, try this: We’ll sell out people and principles for the right to sell our product to a large market.

Read what world reaction has been to our handling of Katrina. It ain’t pretty. The above quote is from Turkey, btw.

As specific orders began arriving to the firefighters in Atlanta, a team of 50 Monday morning quickly was ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew’s first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas.

Read on. If you dare.

The Deadly Bigotry of Low Expectations?

Matt Welch

All along Hurricane Katrina’s Evacuation Belt, in cities from Houston to Baton Rouge to Leesville, Louisiana, the exact same rumors are spreading faster than red ants at a picnic. The refugees from the United States’ worst-ever natural disaster, it is repeatedly said, are bringing with them the worst of New Orleans’ now-notorious lawlessness: looting, armed carjacking, and even the rape of children.

The only problem–none of the reports were true. “The police, for example, confiscated a single knife from a refugee in one Baton Rouge shelter,” Witt reported. “There were no riots in Baton Rouge. There were no armed hordes.” Yet the panic was enough for Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden to impose a curfew on the city’s largest shelter, and to warn darkly about “New Orleans thugs.”

FEMA chief sent help only when storm ended

By TED BRIDIS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. disaster official waited hours after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast before he proposed to his boss sending at least 1,000 Homeland Security workers into the region to support rescuers, internal documents show.

Part of the mission, according to the documents obtained by The Associated Press, was to “convey a positive image” about the government’s response for victims.

Guess they didn’t want to get wet, or something.

I have a new editorial up on Ink 19.

Read We Are On Our Own.

The following New Orleans area musicans have been accounted for, thank heavens:

Pete Alba, Jeff Albert, Steve Allen, Kevin Allman, Mark Anderson, Theresa Andersson, James “Satchmo of the Ghetto” Andrews, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Johnny Angel, Steve Armstrong, Astral Project, Victor Atkins.

Christine Balfa, Marcia Ball, Lucien Barbarin, Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, Mike Barras, Rebecca Barry, Dave Bartholomew, Harold Battiste, Jamal Battiste, Russell Batiste, Suzette Becker, Al Belletto (and Linda), Doug Belote, Tab Benoit, Better Than Ezra, Terrance Blanchard, Eddie Bo (plus sister Veronica and his band), Bonerama, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, John Boutte (Florida), Lillian Boutte (England; her N.O. family is safe), Tanya Boutte, Tricia “Sista Teedy” Boutte, Alonzo Bowens, Jesse Boyd, Hal Braden, Mark Braud, Juanita Brooks, Mark Brooks, Russ Broussard, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Jody Brown, Maurice Brown (in Chicago), George and Nina Buck, Henry Butler (in Monroe).

Grayson Capps, Big Al Carson, Ricki Castrillo, Brian “Breeze” Cayo! le, Topsy Chapman, Alex Chilton, Evan Christopher, Jon Cleary, Annie Clements, Earl Conway, Brian Coogan, Juanita Tolbert Cooper, Cowboy Mouth, Susan Cowsill, Davell Crawford, Jack Cruz.

Tony Dagradi, Dash Rip Rock, Jeremy Davenport, Theryl “Houseman” DeClouet, Allen Dejan, Nora Dejoie, Roger Dickerson (in San Antone, then New Mexico), Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Dixie Cups (alive but lost everything), Big Chief Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias, Michael Domenici, Fats Domino, Michael Doucet and all of BeauSoleil, Dr. John.

Snooks Eaglin (and family of 12, now homeless), Lars Edegran, Nancy Edwards.

Charlie Fardela, Lionel Ferbos, Jack Fine (of the Palmetto Bug Stompers), Rob Florence and family, Pat Flory, John Fohl, Andy Forrest, Gina Forsyth, Pete Fountain, Derrick Freeman, Jonathan Freilich (N.O. Klezmer All-Stars), Bob French, Gerald French, Peter Fuller, funky Meters.

Galactic, Lauren Gaudin (New Orleans Magazine), Katri! na Geenen (WWOZ DJ), Cheryl Gerber & Marc McGrain (local music pho tographers), Banu Gibson, Victor Goines, Steve Goodson, Tim Green, John “Papa” Gros (and the whole Papa Grows Funk band), Roland Guerin.

James Hall, Tony Hall, Jeff Hannusch (“Almost Slim”, OffBeat music journalist), Ben Harris, Corey Harris, Grant Harris, Leigh “Little Queenie” Harris, Donald Harrison Jr., Bill Hart, Jeff Hebert, Duke Heighter, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Corey Henry, Ryan Hiller, Andi Hoffman, Peter Holsapple, The Hot Club of New Orleans, Bill Huntington.

Mike Ieya, The Iguanas, Burke Ingraffia.

David James, Bunchy Johnson, Benny Jones Sr., Connie Jones, Leroy Jones, Kidd Jordan and family, Marlon Jordan, Kirk Joseph.

Antoinette K-Doe (supposedly okay), Luther Kent, Craig Klein, Erik Klerks, Chris Kohn, Lew Kreinberg, Joe Krown.

Julia LaShea, Joseph Lastie, Tim Laughlin, Washboard Chaz Leary, Herman Lebeaux, Matt Leder, Bryan Lee, Matt Lemmler, David Leonard & Roselyn Lionheart (David & Roselyn), Herman Leonard, Lil! ‘ Rascals Brass Band, Lil’ Stooges Brass Band, Eric Lindell, A.J. Loria, Simon Lott, Ingrid Lucia, Jeremy Lyons.

Ronald Markham, Ellis Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Dolores Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Steve Masakowski, Irvin Mayfield, Tom McDermott, Alberto Medina, Humberto “Pupi” Menez (and aunt Caridad Delatorre), Charlie Miller, David Mooney, Charles Louie Moore, Deacon John Moore (although band members unknown), Bill Morgan, Tom Morgan, Chris Mule.

Kenny Neal, The Neville Brothers (Aaron, Art, Charles, Cyril), Charmaine Neville, Ivan Neville, Carlo Nuccio (post-storm okay, post-flood unknown).

Kevin O’Day, Nancy Ochsenschlager, Anders Osborne.

Stevenson Palfi, Earl Palmer, Panorama Jazz Band, Jason Patterson Joshua Paxton, Michael Pearce, Ed Petersen, Loren Pickford & finacee Sheila Bauer, Dave Pirner, Renard Poche, Pocketfoxx, George Porter Jr., Dirk Powell, Shannon Powell and family, Preservation Hall (high and dry,! and most musicians and staff have checked in).

The Radiators, Omar Ramirez, Jan V. Ramsey & most of OffBeat Magazine staff), Rebirth Brass Band (all members), Trevor Richards, Sammy Rimington, Marcus Roberts, Coco Robicheaux, Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters, John Rodli (N.O. Jazz Vipers), Biff Rose, Brent Rose, Wanda Rouzan, Dixie Rubin, Kermit Ruffins, Dorian Rush.

Scott Saltzman, Mark Samuels (Pres., Basin Street Records), Will Samuels (Basin Street Records), Ben Sandmel, Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone, Marc and Ann Savoy and family, Alexandra Scott, Briain Seeger, Mem Shannon and the Membership, Derek Shezbie, Larry Sieberth, James Singleton, Johnny Sketch, Michael Skinkus, Jon Smith, Leslie Smith, Robert Snow (N.O. Jazz Vipers), Steamboat Willie, Sally Stevens, Brian Stoltz, Marc Stone, Bill Summers, Supagroup, Ken Swartz.

Irma Thomas, Tom Thompson, Michael Tisserand (editor of the Gambit and zydeco historian) and family, David Torkanowsky, Allen Toussaint, Rick Trolsen, Willie Turbinton.

Don Vapp! ie (Milly too, presumably), Johnny Vidacovich, Milton Villarrubia.

Rob Wagner, Mark Walton, Walter “Wolfman” Washington”, Raymond Webber, Melissa Weber, Kim Weiser, Mike West, Where New Orleans Magazine and its entire staff, Catherine White, Matthew White, Dr. Michael White, Cornell Williams, Jamelle Williams, Big Sammy Williams, Marva Wright.

Linnzi Zaorski.

That every scrap of outrage had been used up, from the long years of watching these subhumans in action, they have to go and top themselves…

From the loins that spawned our American Idiot:

“What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overhwlemed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle)–this is working very well for them.”

Barbara Bush, on NPR.

There will be plenty of time in the future to debate who did or didn’t do what about Katrina. Bush and his minions have already begun the spin, getting caught in a big lie right off the bat, but that won’t keep the wingnuts from calling it the fault of the victims, as usual.

Oh yeah, guess who got a $500 million contract to “clean up” New Orleans? Yup. Our buddies at Halliburton. Sure moved fast on that, at least.

From Reuters, on Bush’s “Good Morning America” interview this AM:

He defended the federal government’s response so far to the growing crisis amid urgent pleas for help from stranded victims. He said the breach of the levees that led to the submerging of much of New Orleans had not been anticipated.

Ok, since any person with a television who watched the number 1 cable station in America (The weather channel) or any local newscast knew, as of early this weekend, that the levees were in danger of collapse. It was known for decades, in fact.

This either means one of the following:

1: He misspoke.

2: He’s an idiot.

3: He’s lying to cover his ass.

You make the call. Me, I’m thinking a combination of 2+3.

I’ve stated this recently, and it bears repeating. The first democrat who appears on CNN in Louisiana and actually helps, will be our next president, for good or ill. And they should run ads (after a decent period, of course…) with Condi Rice’s “No one could have foreseen terrorists flying planes into buildings” and Bush’s “No one anticipated the levees breaking” over and over, and then point to programs in place to deal with terrorists and natural disasters the last time we had a dem in the White House. Programs that were gutted or ignored by our current regime.

Just a thought. And loathe as I am to promote the democratic party- or more accurately, the other side of our single party coin- but we’ve gone as far down the road of “Compassionate Conservatism” that I think this nation can withstand.

Not to make a dire situation even darker, but in an attempt to salvage something positive out of the terrible disaster that is Katrina, it might be instructive to take a look at what has occured, how it was handled, and how it might have been lessened.

First, was this unexpected:

[In early 2001] the Federal Emergency Management Agency ranked the potential damage to New Orleans as among the three likeliest, most castastrophic disasters facing this country. The other two? A massive earthquake in San Francisco, and, almost prophetically, a terrorist attack on New York City.

Already we have seen articles and accusations flying about what the government didn’t do, or didn’t fund, in the years prior to Katrina. I imagine that in the months and years ahead, we will learn much more about diverted resources and broken promises, but now is not the time for that.

What is needed now? Leadership. What do we get? A president who “cuts short his vacation by 2 days!” (as it was breathlessly announced by a stooge on MSNBC yesterday afternoon). Then we get Bush’s speech from the Rose Garden. Now I have deliberately not watched him speak in years- my blood pressure can’t handle it- but for some reason I watched yesterday. I hate to make wild accusations that I have no way of confirming, but based on my life experience and observations I had while working as a roadie, when a person rambles in disjointed sentences, grinds his jaw, constantly licks his lips and squints while trying to speak? That person is on drugs. And frankly, if I were Bush, I’d be medicated to the moon as well. But if I were one of Bush’s handlers, I’d never let him in front of a live camera again. The speech was a mismash of blather, with a laundry list of material heading to the Gulf, as if Bush was answering playground taunts of malfesance with “Oh yeah? Shows you- I sent 5.2 million MRE’s to the area. Top that!” It was distressing to watch.

Ok, enough about that. What this horrible storm has shown us, very starkly, is that we are no more prepared for a national emergency now than before 9/11- in fact, probably less so. National Guardsmen, who are historically in place to assist in natural disasters, are tending to an unnatural disaster in Iraq. Resources earmarked for the repair and improvement of our infastructure have been diverted to Homeland Security “needs”. And the Homeland Security department? Well, they ain’t helping either.

I don’t want to admit it, but for the first time since 9/11, I’m getting a bit scared. Katrina should have been a perfect demostration of our ability as a nation to ultilize resources and handle a disaster- the sort of thing our government has been drilling into our heads non-stop since 9.12.01 will happen again- and when put to the test, it’s too little, too late.