posted by Chris @ 10/10/2005 08:29:00 PM  
Immigrants Flood New Orleans in Search of Work

From the LA Times:

"NEW ORLEANS -- Most of the signs are handwritten and simply worded, such as "Workers Wanted" or "Need 50 Laborers Now!" Word has gotten out and each morning day laborers -- who come from Central America and Mexico by way of California, Texas and Arizona -- gather on street corners in the Kenner and Metairie neighborhoods on the western edge of the city. Lured by jobs paying $15 to $17 an hour, the Spanish-speaking day laborers have flooded into New Orleans to haul out debris, clear downed trees, put in drywall and perform other tasks as rebuilding takes hold in the city. Specialized roofers can make $300 a day. "

Meanwhile, Jesse Jackson is accusing the Bush Administration of using Hurricane Katrina to reshape Louisiana politics.

Columnist Molly Ivins is calling New Orleans Baghdad on the Bayou. In a recent column Molly writes: "Already, Homeland Security is flooding what's left of New Orleans with mercenaries from the same private security contractors flourishing in Iraq. The Nation reports companies like DynCorp, Intercon Security, American Security Group, Blackwater, Wackenhut and an Israeli company called Instinctive Shooting International are all in New Orleans. "Some, like Blackwater, are under federal contract. Others have been hired by the wealthy elite, like F. Patrick Quinn III, who brought in private security to guard his $3 million private estate and his luxury hotels, which are under consideration for a lucrative federal contract to house FEMA workers."

Contrary to recent media recounts, there really WAS a sniper firing at helicopters, according to the Clarion-Ledger:

"A man who allegedly fired a weapon at a rescue helicopter the day after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans has been indicted by a federal grand jury. Wendell Bailey, 20, of New Orleans was charged with firearms possession by a felon and firing upon a military aircraft, prosecutors said.Authorities said they found two revolvers and a box of ammunition under a mattress in his apartment. The charges carry up to 30 years in prison and $500,000 in fines."

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