Hey Everybody,
If you've been wanting to directly help hurricane victims in New Orleans, rather than blindly mailing a check, an answer has finally come. This is DIRECT help, no overhead BS, and a great PR opportunity. We're going to do this. I've heard from a LOT of frustrated friends that want to help, but not in vain. So maybe you will find this to be the answer you were looking for too. Lets show the country who's for real. Love & All Good Things, G
PS - Moveon.org has a great campaign, where if you have an open room, or bed, or even couch, you can hook up to house a hurrican victim for whatever length of time you're comfortable with.
Friends,
Today I want you to join with me in bypassing the colossally inept and incompetent Bush administration and get help DIRECTLY to the people of the New Orleans area -- right now.
A lot of you have written me to ask what you can do. Many don't know who to trust. Many want to do more than write a check. You are right to think that writing checks to relief agencies will not get water and aid to people in the next 48 hours. Checks will be needed later and can be written later. I have a way, though, for each and every one of us to do something today that can affect people's lives TODAY.
For the past few days I've been working with a group that, I guarantee you, will get direct aid to the people who need it most. Cindy Sheehan, the brave woman who dared to challenge Mr. Bush at his summer home, has now sent her Camp Casey from in front of Bush's ranch to the outskirts of New Orleans. The Veterans for Peace have taken all the equipment and staff of volunteers and set up camp in Covington, Louisiana, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. They are accepting materials and personally distributing them to those in need.
This is where we come in. We need to ship supplies to them immediately.
Today they need the following:
Paper plates, paper towels, toilet paper, baby diapers, baby wipes, baby
formula, Pedialyte, baby items in general, powder, lotion, handy wipes,
sterile gloves, electrolytes, LARGE cans of veggies, school supplies, and
anything else to lift people's spirits.
You can ship these items by following the instructions on
http://www.vfproadtrips.org. Or you can deliver them there in person. The
roads to Covington are open. Here's how to get there
Obsolete Mapquest link deleted. --Webmaster
You can drop them off or you can stay and participate (if you stay, you'll be camping so bring your own tent and gear and mosquito spray). If you can't ship these items or go there in person, then go to http://www.vfproadtrips.org and make an immediate donation through PayPal.
Camp Casey-Covington will have immediate access to this cash and can buy the items themselves from stores that are open in Louisiana (all donations to Veterans for Peace, are tax deductible).
Each day I will post up-to-the minute information as to what is needed and the progress Camp Casey is making. Please visit http://www.michaelmoore.com often and do what you can to help. Many other groups are also doing good work. MoveOn.org has set up a system for people to offer rooms http://www.hurricanehousing.org in their homes to the survivors. There is no time to waste. People are suffering and dying. Each of us can do something. There is no other alternative. Thank you in advance for your help. Tomorrow, we will take care of the other work we need to do about the ideologically hamstrung incompetents in charge.
Yours,
Michael Moore
Mike@MichaelMoore.com
MichaelMoore.com
Timeline:
Friday, Aug. 26: Gov. Kathleen Blanco declares a state of emergency in
Louisiana and requests troop assistance.
Saturday, Aug. 27: Gov. Blanco asks for federal state of emergency. A
federal emergency is declared giving federal officials the authority to get
involved.
Sunday, Aug. 28: Mayor Ray Nagin orders mandatory evacuation of New Orleans.
President Bush warned of Levee failure by National Hurricane Center.
National Weather Service predicts area will be "uninhabitable" after
Hurricane arrives. First reports of water toppling over the levee appear in
local paper.
Monday, Aug. 29: Levee breaches and New Orleans begins to fill with water,
Bush travels to Arizona and California to discuss Medicare. FEMA chief
finally responds to federal emergency, dispatching employees but giving them
two days to arrive on site.
Tuesday, Aug. 30: Mass looting reported, security shortage cited in New
Orleans. Pentagon says that local authorities have adequate National Guard
units to handle hurricane needs despite governor's earlier request. Bush
returns to Crawford for final day of vacation. TV coverage is
around-the-clock Hurricane news.
Wednesday, Aug. 31: Tens of thousands trapped in New Orleans
including at Convention Center and Superdome in "medieval"
conditions. President Bush finally returns to Washington to establish
a task force to coordinate federal response. Local authorities run out
of food and water supplies.
Thursday, Sept. 1: New Orleans descends into anarchy. New Orleans Mayor
issues a "Desperate SOS" to federal government. Bush claims nobody predicted
the breach of the levees despite multiple warnings and his earlier briefing.
Friday, Sept. 2: Karl Rove begins Bush administration campaign to blame
state and local officials-despite their repeated requests for help. Bush
stages a photo-op-diverting Coast Guard helicopters and crew to act as
backdrop for cameras. Levee repair work orchestrated for president's visit
and White House press corps.
Saturday, Sept. 3: Bush blames state and local officials. Senior
administration official (possibly Rove) caught in a lie claiming Gov. Blanco
had not declared a state of emergency or asked for help.
Monday, Sept. 5: New Orleans officials begin to collect their dead.
(Adapted from: Katrina Timeline, http://thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline/ ) Those are the facts. State and local officials BEGGED for help as people in their city suffered. The Bush administration didn't get the job done and when their failure became an embarrassment they attacked those asking for help.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Karl Rove and White House communications director Dan Bartlett "rolled out a plan...to contain the political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina." The core of the strategy is "to shift the blame away from the White House and toward officials of New Orleans and Louisiana."
This is the same pattern of smearing that the Bush political machine has used for a decade. John McCain and John Kerry had their war records smeared.
The CIA cover of Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife was blown after he criticized the Bush Iraq policy. Now, Hurricane victims are attacked when the Bush administration failed to do their duty to help them.