The UNITY'12 Campaign is a call to civic action in Black communities across the country!

The National Coalition is the national convener of the Unity '12 Campaign, which is a unified, non-partisan, national civic engagement and voter empowerment campaign.

Unity '12 Campaign is a strategic collaboration between The National Coalition's Membership Organizations, State-Based Affiliates; and its National and State-Based Partners.

Unity '12 Campaign National Co-Conveners and Partners include: A. Philip Randolph Institute Education Fund, AFL-CIO, African Federation, Afro-Latino Forum, Black Youth Project, Common Cause, Cost of Freedom Project, Fair Elections Legal Network, Generational Alliance, Institute of Caribbean Studies, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Action Network, National Council of Negro Women, National Urban League, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, State Voices and others.

Take the pledge to vote in 2012 elections.

PLEDGE COMMITMENT:

• I pledge to educate myself to the best of my ability on the issues relevant to my community.
• I pledge to check the voter ID requirements in my state in advance and make sure I have sufficient identification to vote.
• I pledge to VERIFY with my local Board of Elections that my voter registration information is updated and my name is on the voting rolls
• I pledge to VERIFY my poll location by calling 1-866-OUR-VOTE
• I pledge to VOTE EARLY or on November 6th 2012!
• I pledge to take at least 2 friends with me to the polls to VOTE on November 6th
• I pledge to diligently monitor any election irregularities which may occur at my polling location and report them to 1-866-OUR-VOTE
• I pledge to text "Vote4Justice" to 69302 when I finish voting

In Louisiana, Tuesday, Oct. 9 is the last day to register to vote or change your voter registration information for the Nov. 6 election.

Early voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 23 and continues through Tuesday, Oct. 30 (with the exception of Sunday, Oct. 28. Early voting hours are from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. Early voting locations in Orleans Parish include: City Hall, 1300 Perdido St., 225 Morgan St., Rm. 105 in Algiers, and the voting machine warehouse at 8870 Chef Menteur Highway in New Orleans East.

For Jefferson Parish residents, early voting locations include the parish offices in Harahan at 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd., Rm. 502, 5001 West Bank Expressway, Suite C-2 in Marrero and 408 Minor St. in Kenner.

When you go to the polls to cast your vote in an election, be sure to take one your driver's license, state ID or some other generally recognized picture ID that contains your name and signature. Voters who have no picture ID may bring a utility bill, payroll check or government document that includes their name and address but they will have to sign an affidavit furnished by the Elections Division.

The right's oddly silent about a Supreme Court affirmative action challenge. Maybe because they use it all the time

By Ari Melber, Salon

In a political season packed with racial controversies, from food stamps to birth certificates, the attack on one of the nation's most significant racial opportunity programs has managed to fly below the radar. Until now.

The Supreme Court, which will hear arguments challenging the legality of affirmative action next Wednesday, is widely expected to strike down the policy as unconstitutional.

That would deliver a victory that Republicans have pursued for decades. So why aren't they talking about it?

Mitt Romney, the GOP's official, if embattled, leader, ruled the topic off-limits this year.

The Romney campaign refuses to address the issue at all, despite the looming court case. It recently rebuffed inquiries from the AP and Politico. (The Politico reporter said the campaign acknowledged his questions but refused to answer them.) Romney's record on the issue is mixed: As governor, he quietly eliminated a Massachusetts affirmative action program through a 2003 executive order, but later he reversed himself under pressure.

Romney's current hesitance mirrors his party. While Donald Trump once insinuated that Obama's admission to Columbia and Harvard should be a campaign issue, few mainstream Republicans have seized on affirmative action as a political attack, either as a policy contrast or as a personal smear against the president or other minority opponents. A few conservative pundits and activists are still agitating for a racialized October surprise, to be sure, but Romney and Republican leaders are steering clear. That reflects several factors - the political dynamics of trying to unseat the first black president and a recession election - but the main substantive reason for the GOP to avoid affirmative action is that the party now uses the policy all the time.

While conservatives mount their hard-line attacks in court, party leaders are scrambling to find and promote minorities, both to run for key offices and to serve in the highest levels of government. In a party where 9 out of 10 members are white, according to Pew surveys, that effort requires fast-tracking minorities over equally qualified white candidates. Today's Republican leaders have a tortured relationship to affirmative action - they tip the scale for diversity in electoral politics but blast college admissions officers who do the same thing.

A glance at the convention in Tampa provides a classic example.

Republicans gave coveted speaking slots - the kind that can catapult a local official to national notice - to newcomers like Mia Love, a black congressional candidate in Utah, and recently elected minorities such as Marco Rubio, Nikki Haley and Susana Martinez. Love, while undoubtedly an interesting figure, was plucked from an obscure perch as mayor of a newly created development city of just 17,000 people in northern Utah. She has never won a higher office and was advanced, in part, for diversity.

This is nothing new for the GOP.

Another keynote spot went to Condi Rice, who was, as she said in 1997, a "beneficiary" of affirmative action hiring at Stanford. Rice later joined a Republican cabinet under President George W. Bush that was the most diverse in the party's history. To find qualified black policymakers in a fairly white party, however, Bush also departed from the GOP's partisan bench. (Two of Bush's most prominent minority appointees, Rice and Colin Powell, were non-politicians drawn from institutions at the forefront of affirmative action recruitment, the military and higher education.)

Some liberal critics have attacked the GOP's promotion of visible minority candidates as some kind of disingenuous tokenism, given the party's rank and file membership. But that knee-jerk reaction misses a chance to declare a partial victory. After all, the disparity demonstrates how Republicans are using a type of affirmative action.

George W. Bush never admitted, of course, that he used diversity as a plus factor. His administration formally opposed affirmative action, even as his cabinet and the armed services reflected proactive diversity recruitment. Bush had the same problem as today's Republicans - gagged by right-wing rules for racial speech, they will not preach about what they obviously practice . . .

The party also endorsed the re-election of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden

NEW ORLEANS (October 8, 2012) - The Louisiana Democratic Party endorsed the re-election bid of Louisiana's Second District Congressman Cedric Richmond on Saturday.

Congressman Cedric Richmond was elected to represent Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives on November 2, 2010 after more than a decade of service in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Cedric serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Small Business. He also serves as an Assistant Whip to the House Democratic Whip.

A results-oriented public servant, Cedric is committed to fighting and winning for the Orleans and Jefferson Parishes of Louisiana. A lifelong native of New Orleans, he bore witness to 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the disastrous oil spill of 2010. As a result, one of Cedric's highest priorities is to rebuild Louisiana businesses and schools.

Since his arrival in Washington, Cedric has been hard at work on the issues important to Louisiana's families and the economy. During the first year of the 112th Congress, Cedric fought to preserve government investment in a strong economy as well as to make new investments in programs that will help grow our economy. He opposed harmful budget cuts to programs which hurt families, seniors, and communities. More specifically, he has taken a strong stance against any cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits. Cedric has also been working hard to keep our waterways open for business, our wetland restoration projects funded, and drilling permits reviewed in a thorough, efficient manner.

By Judd Legum, ThinkProgress | Report

TRURTHOUT (Sunday, 07 October 2012) - This morning on Meet The Press, Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs confronted Newt Gingrich on a fundamental inconsistency in Romney's description of his tax plan. During the primary debates, Romney insisted that everyone in America would get a 20% tax cut, including the 1%. But last week's during his debate with Obama, Romney insisted that his tax cut would not reduce taxes at all for wealthy Americans.

Gingrich acknowledged the clear inconsistency, saying "I think it's clear he changed." He described the change as "good politics."

Of course, while Romney's spin regarding his plan has changed, the plan itself has not. Independent experts have concluded that, even if Romney eliminated every tax deduction, it still wouldn't counterbalance his massive tax cuts for the wealthy.

His tax plan was one of 27 issues where Romney was less than honest during the debate. Romney's campaign also conceded he misstated the truth on green jobs.

House of Ruth 2nd Annual Rock The House

Auctioneer Camille Whitworth

• Wednesday, October 10, 2012
• 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. Live Auction

New Orleans, LA - Local artists headline entertainment for the 2nd Annual Rock The House fundraiser and auction at Rock 'n' Bowl. The fundraising event will feature live entertainment, great food, and the opportunity to showcase your company/organization's bowling talents. For art aficionados, we will also present a live auction of unique bowling pins decorated by some of the area's finest artists. These are sure to become collectors' items!

For over 25 years, the House of Ruth, Inc. has been providing services to homeless families in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Its mission is to provide homeless families with opportunities to regain independence through stable housing and employment.

For ticket information please visit our website at www.houseofruthnola.org

Film opens 23rd Annual New Orleans Film Festival 2012 October 11 @ The Joy Theatre

NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Film Festival has announced its opening and closing night films: On October 11, Lee Daniels' "The Paperboy" will open the festival, while both Ben Lewin's "The Sessions" and Ariel Vromen's "The Iceman" will close the event on October 18 in a double-feature. Film Fest patriots attending the opening of the 2012 NOFF will surly notice New Orleans' own Stephanie Jordan as she sings lead with a trio performing "That Man is Dangerous" in the movie, which may also be viewed on the movie's official trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2GMwWaDSr0.

"The Paperboy," starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Kevin Spacey, and Macy Gray, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. Filmed on location in Louisiana, the story revolves around a reporter who returns to his Florida hometown to investigate the case of a death row inmate. Daniels is is the producer of Monster's Ball and directed the film Precious, which received six Academy Awards nominations, including Best Director; the film won two of the awards.

Traditionally a jazz performer, this tune in more along the lines of R&B. Jordan's current show continues her signature trademark of singing jazz standards from the Big Band era. It includes highlights from her self-produced debut CD on her Vige Music label; "Stephanie Jordan Sings A Tribute to the Fabulous Lena Horne; Yesterday When I Was Young" whichhonors the legendary Grammy Award winner who starred in many films and whose one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music (1981), was hailed as her masterpiece.

This is Jordan second appearance on the big screen, in 1995 Jordan performed the title soundtrack "Season's Start" in the Tribecca Film release of Café Society staring Lara Flynn Boyle and Peter Gallagher.

New Orleans Film Society exec director Jolene Pinder states, "The more we can shine a spotlight on the incredible films being shot and produced here in Louisiana, the more opportunities we can create for our indigenous film community. There's no doubt this has been an exciting year for filmmaking in Louisiana. We feel these selections only prove our place as a major contributor to the film scene, both in the U.S. and abroad."

The 23rd annual New Orleans Film Festival! 2012 marks a banner year for the New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF). In April, MovieMaker Magazine named NOFF one of the "Top 25 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee." NOFF boasts of having received more submissions than ever before, a staggering 1,250 films from around the world (up 40% over 2011). This year's New Orleans Film Festival concept is meant to depict Louisiana as a new frontier on the cinema landscape, a land bursting at the seams with innovation, creativity and vision.

For a full schedule of NOFF 2012 events, please visit http://neworleansfilmsociety.org.

To Be Equal #40: Syndicated Weekly Column by National Urban League President & CEO Marc H. Morial

"The educational benefits that flow from diverse colleges and universities are no less apparent today than they were three decades ago when Justice Powell cast the deciding vote in Bakke, nine years ago when the Court decided Grutter, or five years ago, when it reaffirmed this Grutter principle . . . " NAACP Legal Defense Fund

OCTOBER 3, 2012 - On Wednesday, October 10, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that once again challenges the right of colleges and universities to consider race as a factor in ensuring that all students receive the educational benefits of diversity. In Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, Abigail Fisher, a white student who was denied admission to the University in 2008, argues that her race was the only reason she was not admitted.

The case will be closely watched by those of us in the civil rights community who understand that centuries of oppression and decades of exclusion that still linger today require remedies that only affirmative action can bring. It should be remembered that until 1950, African Americans were barred from attending the University of Texas Law School. In its 1950 Supreme Court victory, Sweatt v. Painter, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund made it possible for Heman Marion Sweatt to be the Law School's first black student. In its Fisher v. University of Texas Amicus Brief, the LDF states that "From 1997 through 2004, UT did not consider race in admissions. The impact was devastating." Despite the fact that 13% of Texas high school graduates were African American, "at no point between 1997 and 2004 did African American students comprise more than 4.5% of the entering year class, Nearly four out of every five UT undergraduate classes had zero or one African American students." Some progress has been made in recent years, but the numbers are still low and the University of Texas admits that it can and must do better. Debo Adegbile, LDF's Acting President and Director-Counsel said, "In Grutter the Supreme Court recognized the significant educational benefits of diversity - not just for students of color, but for all students. A diverse college experience better prepares students to participate in our Nation's civic life." The balance of the Court has shifted right since Grutter. But we are hopeful that the High Court will reaffirm the nation's highest values by continuing its support of diversity in our colleges and universities.

.

NEW ORLEANS - This is a multi-part series presented by the New Orleans Agenda on economic opportunities in the City of New Orleans. We begin our series with a presentation about the New Orleans Regional Business Park and the businesses that operate throughout the Park. These presentations will be sent out over the next few weeks; we hope you find them informative and useful.

The New Orleans Regional Business Park is uniquely positioned on 7,000 acres in Eastern New Orleans and is only minutes away for Interstate 10 and US High way 90. The New Orleans International Airport is within a half an hour from NORBP and The New Orleans Lakefront Airport, serving private, corporate and charter air travelers as well as cargo flights, is less than ten miles from NORBP. Water is directly served by the Intracoastal Waterway and makes NORBP the perfect industrial site with unlimited possibilities for Eastern New Orleans and the Greater New Orleans area.

About the New Orleans Regional Business Park

The New Orleans Regional Business Park was created by the State of Louisiana in conjunction with the City of New Orleans to attract new businesses and facilitate the expansion of existing businesses within a 7000 acre tract in Eastern New Orleans. The Business Park is home to major organizations such as NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility employing thousands in the aerospace industry, Folger's Coffee Company a premier coffee roasting facility, and Crescent Crown Distributing one of the top five largest beer distributors in the country. The businesses in the Park generate billions of dollars in annual sales, employ approximately eight thousand area and regional residents and pump substantial dollars into the tax base which covers supportive public services.

The New Orleans Regional Business Park has six class one rail roads operating in the Park. The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad provides outstanding interconnect rail services for rail clients in the New Orleans Region. The Business Park is well positioned for our growing regional and global markets.

Vision Statement: The New Orleans Business and Industrial District is a recognized, viable and growing regional economic center critical to the growth and prosperity of New Orleans and the River Region.

Mission Statement: The New Orleans Business and Industrial District will advocate and facilitate the acquisition, development and maintenance of critical infrastructure and resources necessary to support and nurture the growth of current businesses and the development of new businesses.

Project Organization: The New Orleans Regional Business Park, created in 1979 by the Louisiana legislature, is governed by Chapter 12A of Title 33 of the Louisiana Revised Statues of 1950, Sections 4701-4708 adopted by the Legislature of the State of Louisiana in the 1979 Regular Session. NORBP was created as a Industrial District, which through its board of commissioners, shall have the power to acquire, construct, improve, maintain projects and to provide additional municipal services within the district thus creating the world's largest Industrial Park.

Land is only minutes away for Interstate 10 and US High way 90. The New Orleans International Airport is within a half an hour from NORBP and The New Orleans Lakefront Airport, serving private, corporate and charter air travelers as well as cargo flights, is less than ten miles from NORBP. Water is directly served by the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), which forms its Southern Border and makes NORBP the perfect industrial site with unlimited possibilities for Eastern New Orleans and the Greater New Orleans area.

In gathering information for corporate decision makers, site location and facility planners typically conduct extensive research of regions and communities throughout the country. This research covers a large range of areas such as population base, available labor force, land availability, tax incentives, as well as a host of other factors relevant to the selection of a region as a site for investment in new or expanded operations.

The development of land via new business activity, be it small business or corporate development, creates a wonderful opportunity to create jobs and wealth generating opportunities for both the citizens of New Orleans East and the State of Louisiana. In order to create new development one must have the resources to inform the world of the exciting opportunities available in New Orleans East. While New Orleans is a thriving tourism entity, it is also a thriving metropolis with resources available both for International Trade and local business creativity.

The New Orleans Regional Business Park is an ideal place to do business. It is the economic engine that fosters business development, no matter the size of the entity. It has all the amenities needed, excellent location, skilled labor, and acres of land. The NORBP is a land of opportunity that provides the City of New Orleans, the citizens of New Orleans, and businesses both near and far, with unlimited possibilities.

NEW ORLEANS - The Sisters of the Holy Family will celebrate the 170th anniversary of their founding and the 200th anniversary of the birth of their foundress, Venerable Henriette Delille.

The celebration will begin with a symposium depicting the life, spirituality, genealogy and charism of Venerable Henriette Delille on Friday, November 16, 2012 from 5:00 - 7:00pm at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 1100 Chartres Street. The celebration will continue on Sunday, November 18, 2012 at 11:00 am with a Mass in honor of the 170th anniversary of the Sisters of the Holy Family and 200th anniversary of the birth of Venerable Henriette Delille at St. Louis Cathedral, 615 Pere Antoine Alley.

Henriette Delille was a free woman of color who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1812. She was a kind and compassionate person who had a deep love for God and a desire to live her life for God. She demonstrated her love for God by caring for the sick and elderly, providing food for the poor and homeless and instructing many in the teachings of the Catholic faith. Her name appears numerous times in the register of St. Louis Cathedral as a sponsor for many who were baptized. When she was 24 years old, she committed herself to God and wrote this simple prayer in her book of devotions which guided her life: "I believe in God. I hope in God. I love. I want to live and die for God." In spite of the resistance of the Church and State to the idea of a Black religious congregation, she founded the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1842. Henriette along with her companions Juliette Gaudin and Josephine Charles continued the ministry of educating the slaves, caring for the sick and elderly, and the marginalized of the society. On November 17, 1862 at the age of 50, Henriette died. Her obituary states:

Last Monday, there died one of those women whose obscure and retired life was nothing remarkable in the eyes of the world, but full of merit before God. Miss Henriette Delille had for long years consecrated herself totally to God without reservation to the instruction of the ignorant and principally to the slaves. . . . The crowd gathered for her funeral testified by its sorrow how keenly felt was the loss of her who for the love of Jesus Christ had made herself the humble servant of slaves.

Henriette has been recognized by the Church as a woman of heroic virtue and on March 27, 2011 she was proclaimed "Venerable" by Pope Benedict XVI. Henriette is the first United States native born African American whose cause has been accepted by Rome.

The Sisters of the Holy Family have continued her legacy of faith, love and service for 170 years.

NEW ORLEANS - The Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee (OPDEC) endorsed Judge Paul Bonin for re-election to Louisiana's 4th Circuit Court of Appeal. As the only candidate with judicial experience in this race, Judge Paul Bonin offers 20 years experience as a judge in Civil, Juvenile, Municipal, Traffic, and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal.

Judge Paul Bonin is also a dedicated law and criminal justice educator, assisting programs at Tulane Law School, Loyola College of Law, Southern University at New Orleans, Delgado Community College, Louisiana State Bar Association, and the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society. His leadership to the judiciary includes service as President of the Louisiana City Judges Association and Secretary-Treasurer of the Louisiana Conference of Court of Appeal Judges.

Other Democratic political organizations joining OPDEC in announcing their endorsement of Judge Paul Bonin's re-election are the Regular Democratic Organization, the Crescent City Democratic Association, and Mid-City Democrats.

NEW ORLEANS, LA - In order to help senior citizens become more adept with dealing with the ever changing digital age, the Southern University at New Orleans College of Business and Public Administration and its Department of Management Information Systems will be hosting a computer training seminar. The session is scheduled for Saturday, October 27, 2012 at the SUNO College of Business Building in Room 202, located at 6801 Press Drive. It will run from 9:00 - 10:30am.

"SUNO has always made it a part of its mission to be a partner with its community", said Dr. Yanjun Yu, an Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems who will be conducting the class. "General computer skills such as using the internet, utilizing email, and home budgeting are really useful for seniors and can improve the daily quality of their lives by allowing them to keep in touch with loved ones, access more entertainment options and to better manage their finances. We're excited to offer this class and hope that there is sufficient demand so we can do this again."

The class is limited to the first 25 seniors who wish to participate. Attendees must be 60 years of age or older to enroll. Contact Shelina Gethers for more information at (504)286-5141 or via email at sgethers@suno.edu.

Transportation arrangements accomodated by October 11th 2012.

Rodney & Etter, LLC features a roster of capable and energetic attorneys. The team of talented lawyers has litigated a wide variety of cases, while building a successful courtroom record. With over 25 years of combined legal experience, the attorneys of Rodney & Etter, LLC are a practiced and knowledgeable team, ready for the next challenge.

Rodney & Etter, LLC is a diverse law firm that is recognized by its peers as an extremely successful legal powerhouse in the areas of corporate litigation, class action defense and environmental torts. We work with our clients to ensure that juries understand the facts and implications of cases and decisions. Roy Rodney, managing partner, can be reached at rjr@rodneylaw.com.

A project of New America Media (NAM) and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, NOLA Beez culls daily and weekly articles and videos from New Orleans' ethnic media, translates them to English when necessary, and posts them online, creating and opening up new lines of communication among and between ethnic and immigrant

THE NEW ORLEANS TRIBUNE / Lovell Beaulieu

NEW ORLEANS - Ever since the deadly duo of FEMA director Mike Brown and former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff shamed themselves with their ineptitude and incompetence in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, southeast Louisiana civic and public officials and ordinary citizens have chomped at the bit seeking another natural disaster scapegoat.

George W. Bush was an easy target back then. He was the president of the United States who from a ranch in Crawford, Texas, watched people as they either were about to die or had already perished. Kathleen Blanco, the former Louisiana governor who cried during Katrina only to send thousands of people who voted for her crying over the Road Home program, was also easy pickings. Ditto for former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, whose temper tantrum at least got the federal government off its duff as Bush watched the mess unravel aboard Air Force One.

Exactly seven years to the day of Katrina's devastation brought on by the failure of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' levee system, another hurricane locked its vice on New Orleans. This one was called Isaac, and meteorologists, despite a warning about the slow-moving nature of the storm, continued to - intentionally or unintentionally - bring a false sense of security to the public by referring to it as a "Category 1" storm. This, despite the fact Isaac was packing 85 mph winds and was expected to dump water in its wake.

But where Katrina's wrath could clearly be placed at the feet of the federal government both before and after the storm, not to mention the Category 3 - 5 range it harbored throughout the duration, Hurricane Isaac would present a different set of challenges.

And though the most detailed inspection of Rice vita will not uncover the word "arrogant," that did not stop those who put him in their crosshairs from using the loaded term in reference to the utility executive. Could it be that Rice incurred their wrath because he did not scratch his head and shuffle his feet in the face of their criticism?

In defending the agency he leads, Rice was still far from insolent or uppity. His comments come off as more inclusive and confident, characteristics expected of any executive-level leader. (And surely, Entergy's board of directors would not want a CEO who is confused and unsure).

"We feel that our response to Hurricane Isaac was exemplary, thanks to a well-crafted plan and the hard work of Entergy employees and the thousands of out-of-state restoration workers who assisted us.We were able to restore service to 95 percent of customers who lost power due to Hurricane Isaac in just four and a half days," Rice said in a post-Isaac statement regarding Entergy's performance. "After every storm we undertake a thorough review of our results to look for ways that we can improve both our preparations and response," Rice said. "We are happy to work with the City Council to provide any information they seek about preparations and response. We are open and transparent with the Council and we welcome their review."

A precedent was set

The bulk of the city's electrical problems emanated from downed power lines. A significant portion of those downed lines were brought about by fallen trees and broken tree limbs and branches. Those trees included many of the city's stately and centuries-old oak trees. One example of the power of a tree slamming into a house on Gentilly Boulevard near North Broad, a scene where the tree went into the second story of a house and took the power lines with it. That same tree also uprooted the sidewalk in front the house.

The fact that work crews could only be brought in AFTER the winds died down never seemed to dawn on those raising the biggest ruckus.

The tree issue is critical, because it's obvious to many New Orleanians that many of the oak trees and others have died internally from years of neglect, termite infestation and the natural cycle of life. Many have seen their root systems break through concrete sidewalks similar to the one on Gentilly. And their branches and limbs, spread across the urban landscape like a greeter with open arms, serve as stark harbingers of the impending arrival of a bad storm. But even with such an ominous image, chopping down an oak tree in New Orleans is tantamount to trying to raze the Cabildo.

When Hurricane Betsy pulverized the city of New Orleans 40 years before Katrina finished the job, the city's utility and bus system were both operated by New Orleans Public Service, Inc., but rarely taken down publicly in the midst of a natural disaster. Back then, the face of NOPSI was still the high-powered White executives, mostly male and usually part of the Uptown aristocracy.

If there's a slice of historical contrast in what happened during Hurricane Isaac and the public reaction to the public utility that serviced a particular area, one need only go back almost a year to the day in the northeast part of the United States.

That's when Hurricane Irene pummeled almost the entire eastern seaboard, from North Carolina all the way to New Hampshire. Indeed, the attention of the nation turned to Brattlboro, Vt., a town in New England that was ravaged by the storm . . . .

Ronald Madison, age 40 / Limmie (Linda) Domango, age 67 / Rosemary C Weber, age 74 / Justin Benjamin Hall, age 25 / Ersia G. Henderson / Eliza Shorter, age 81 / Dwight A. Shorter, age 54 / Dorothy E. Signal, age 86 / Andrew "Drew" Cowart, age 53 / Raymond "Timmy" Wilson, age 63 / Loudy Blaise / Prentiss Miller / Joseph Ingraham / Be Be Prout / Tease Williamson / Bertrand Ragas / Sheila Harvey / Stokes Encalade / Doretha Riley / J. U. Riley / Clark Riley / Bunny Lee Henry / Louella Mack / Lawrence A. Dickerson, age 22 / Michael Turner / Lisa Henry / Gracie Williams / Ella Battle / Gugu Battle / John Lewis III / Marline A. Blackmore / Thelma Pinkey / Douglas Price, Jr / Lucy Boudreaux , age 85 / Jacqueline Dase, age 42 / Myra Dugue Bazanac, age 67 / Minister Lofton C. Johnson, age 60 / Julius Peter Carriere / Darlene Jenice Mason, age 43 / Myrtle Kroll Spears, age 94 / Ruby Broyard Beslin, age 94 / Michael "Big Mike" Johnson, age 54 / Harold A. Dede, Sr, age 93 / Emory Williams, age 70 / Eddie Anderson, age 70 / David Mutin, age 49 / Clara Barconey Hymes, age 96 / Vernon Anthony Green, age 58 / Evelyn Louise R. Dusuau / Alfred Joseph Butler Jr., age 69 / Rosetta "Rose" Morant Hubbard, age 67 / Frederick "Shep" Sheppard / Earnest Bunn, Sr., age 79 / Lydia Armstrong / Eugene J. "Coach" Shedrick / Kerry K. Hearns, age 54 / Harold Babbitt, age 52 / Marlon Lanaux, age 28 / Peter Lanaux, age 82 / Mervin Joseph Bachemin, Sr., age 71 / Maurine Hebert, 70's/ Mrs Melba Sylvain, 80's / Mr. Donald Adams, 70's /Mrs. Evelyn Comeaux, age 84 / Ethel Mae Robertson, age 84 / Thelma Jeff, age 89 / Rosa B King, age 95 / Evelyn Geissler Doran Burns, age 97 / Mrs. Jean W. Griffin, age 77 / Edward "Sheby" Kimbrough, age 70's / Mother Estelle Berryman James, age 87 / Charles Jones / Mrs. Swanier Jones / Mildred Hambrick Randolph / Laura Stevenson, age 70's / Anthony Atiim Jones, Sr., age 32 / George "Georgie" Poche, age 89 / Ronald G. Baptist, Sr., age 69 / Octavia T. H. Morrison, age 87 / Austin Leslie, age 71 / Irvin Mayfield, Sr. / Sister Francis, age 67 / Cecile Alexis / Joan Blackwell / Carolyn Blunt / Frank Elijah Caliste / Alfred J Gourrier, Sr., age 92 / Gregory Lucas, age 48 / Eustis Guillement, Sr., age 92 / Louise T. Lewis, age 75 / William S. Porter, age 73 /