Anyone who cares about responsible budgeting and the health of America’s rivers and wetlands should pay attention to a bill now before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The bill would shovel $17 billion at the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and other water-related projects — this at a time when President Bush is asking for major cuts in Medicaid and other important domestic programs. Among

From Pandagon’s Amanda Marcotte: Dear racist fucks who complained about looting: This is what your stupidity leads to. HOUSTON—Thousands of refugees of Hurricane Katrina were transported to the Astrodome in Houston this week. In an extreme act of looting, one group actually stole a bus to escape ravaged areas in Louisiana. About 100 people packed into the stolen bus. They were the first to enter the Houston Astrodome, but they

Breaking:  “Flood coverage takes devestating toll on Sheehan campaign”

With the help of a number of bloggers and readers, Michele Catalano has started the Kids for Katrina School Supply Drive. Please do go read about it and do what you can to help out.

In former times entire nations found the strength to rise to the occasion, ordinary people understood that survival depended on their shared common decency and respect for their fellow citizen. That, by co-operating and persevering, they might create coping mechanisms through pooling skills and resources, and to be sure, the majority of those trapped in New Orleans will have done just that. But, in former times, whole nations were not