* Making Tracks on the Line That Time Forgot Talking Points Memo posts some ultra-kool photos of the excavation of the Second Avenue subway tunnel under the East Side of Manhattan that is due to open for business in December 2016—only about a century after the need for an additional East Side subway line was first […]
Levees Not War
Here We Go Again
Once again, politicians demanding austerity for the American public are leading us—and other people’s children—into war “Just providing arms is not enough.” —John McCain * This should be the mother of all cakewalks. The Obama administration has announced that the U.S. will begin arming certain groups of Syrian rebels because the Bashar al-Assad regime has […]
In Honor of Medgar Evers and Res Publica
Conservatives’ rejection of all things “public” as “white flight” “The gifts of God . . . should be enjoyed by all citizens in Mississippi.” —Medgar Evers (1925–1963) * Fifty years ago today, Medgar Wylie Evers was killed in his driveway in Jackson, Mississippi, after returning from an NAACP meeting at a nearby church. Evers, a graduate […]
Easy Listenin’ to ‘The Eve of Destruction’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QslV5asj_yM * From “The Eve of Destruction” Lyrics by P. F. Sloan / Sung by Barry McGuire (recorded July 1965) The eastern world it is exploding Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’ You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’ You don’t believe in war but whats that gun you’re totin’? . . . . Think […]
Gambit’s Cotton among 19 Injured in Mother’s Day Shooting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEBl5luhRWs * Shot in a Mother’s Day second-line parade in Seventh Ward One of nineteen people injured by gunfire from three shooters in a Mother’s Day parade on Sunday was Gambit correspondent Deborah Cotton. Also injured were at least two small children. Three other people suffered more serious wounds, though no fatalities have been reported […]
Happy 295th Birthday, New Orleans!
* Bonne fête à La Nouvelle-Orléans! Un joyeux anniversaire! Now entering its 296th year, the city of New Orleans was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, on May 7, 1718. The map above shows the city as it appeared about 1721, when the settlement of La Nouvelle-Orléans, on the high ground along the edge of […]
Syria Seen as a Backdoor to War with Iran
It’s a matter of public record that this war with Iraq is largely the brainchild of a group of neoconservative intellectuals, who view it as a pilot project. In August a British official close to the Bush team told Newsweek: “Everyone wants to go to Baghdad. Real men want to go to Tehran.” In February […]
From OMB to OMG: Waking Up to Obama’s FY14 Budget
Is This What We Voted for in 2008, 2012? We will have more to say in the coming days about the president’s 2014 budget—there’s so much to, uh, appreciate—but here’s a start. The graphics above and below, from the National Priorities Project, based upon the Office of Management and Budget, show the proportion of discretionary spending […]
‘Elysian Fields’ Weekend in New Orleans April 5–7
* After long workin’ in the fertile fields of Elysium, a fruitful harvest. The novel ELYSIAN FIELDS, published this month by Mid-City Books, will be officially launched in the city that gave it birth with a party at Mimi’s in the Marigny on Friday, April 5, from 6:00...
Workin’ in the Fertile Fields of Elysium
* Dear Readers of Levees Not War: We want to apologize to those of you who have checked in lately and wondered about the infrequency of new posts—and to those who may have had trouble accessing the site. The technical, server problems have been remedied. And, on a...
The Life You Save May Be Your Own Child’s
* We see the efforts needed to reduce the slaughter of innocents (of all ages) as comprising three elements: gun control; expanded psychological services; and pressure on Hollywood and video game makers to dial down the ultraviolence. Not only do the citizens of the...
Happy Thanksgiving to You: Much to Be Grateful For
Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you and your friends and family have much to be thankful for this year, and that you’re able to spend the day with people you love. We wish you a festive gathering over a Thanksgiving dinner with good food and drink, and happy memories of...
Obama Wins More Time to Repair, Lead America Forward
Solid Victories for Progressive, Liberal Candidates, Reforms [ cross-posted at Daily Kos ] “The task of perfecting our union moves forward” “I have never been more hopeful about America. . . . I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that...
Election Hotline: In New York, Dialing Ohio
[ cross-posted at Daily Kos ] In our last installment of Fun with Volunteering, we told about taking a bus ride to Philadelphia. Last night and this morning, on the eve and the early hours of Election Day, we went to Obama for America–New York headquarters on Eighth...
The Strategy Behind “Voter Fraud”
Conservative “founding father” Paul Weyrich explains long lines in Ohio, Florida, etc. “Now many of our Christians have what I call the ‘goo-goo syndrome.’ Good government. They want everybody to vote. I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a...
Ask Not “Why Live There?”—Ask “How Can I Help?”
[ cross-posted at Daily Kos ] Please Give to Red Cross We just made a donation to the American Red Cross. We’re asking all our readers to please make a donation if you can. Click here or phone 1-800-HELPNOW or text “RedCross” to 90999. Even $5 or $10 can help buy...
When Seawater Occupies Wall Street
* A security guard walks through a flooded street in the financial district of Manhattan early on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Photo by Adrees Latif/Reuters. * Knee-deep thought of the day: When seawater occupies Wall Street, perhaps Nature itself is telling Big Business and...
Gov. Cuomo cites “dramatic change in weather patterns”
Sees Evidence of Climate Change, Need for Upgraded Infrastructure In his 11:30 a.m. briefing the day after Hurricane Sandy, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo made a clear reference to climate change, or global warming, about 30 minutes into his remarks: “Anyone who thinks...
Hurricane Watch in New York City
Extreme Weather Coming Soon to an Eastern Seaboard Near You * “We have a tropical hurricane merging, or folding in, with a mid-latitude weather system, one of those low pressure systems that track across the country. The two systems’ dynamics are very different and...
Fun in Philly: Getting Out the Vote, Door to Door
Volunteering Relieves Election Anxiety [cross-posted at Daily Kos] * Everyone knows the best cure for blues or worries is work. In the same way, the best antidote for election anxiety is volunteering and going door to door, making phone calls from a roomful of other...