From Reuters: Police and National Guard troops on Saturday closed down the two centers — the Superdome arena and the city’s convention center — but them penned them in outside in sweltering heat to keep them from trying to walk…

It is a result of a weak levee — one that was in mid-repair when the storm hit. And that levee, which has held back floodwaters for time beyond memory, collapsed for one simple reason: Bush refused to fix it…

I’d figured since Tuesday that impossible-to-stop fires would rage in NOLA, either due to arson, or exploding gas/oil, or whatever. Didn’t blog it because, well, it hadn’t happened yet. But now it has.

Our sub-blog, the Politics of Water, has continuing coverage on the serious, mind-boggling problem of toxic water in New Orleans, as well as info on the now-serious water issues in the entire Gulf region. Check it out.

This Wed., Sept. 7Washington, DC: 5 pm, White HouseLos Angeles: 6 pm, Westwood Federal Building, (Wilshire & Veteran) San Francisco: 5 pm, Powell & Market Sts.Seattle: 5 pm at Westlake (Pine near 4th) It is becoming clearer every day that…

At one point Friday, the evacuation was interrupted briefly when school buses rolled up so some 700 guests and employees from the Hyatt Hotel could move to the head of the evacuation line – much to the amazement of those…

This quite extraordinary essay is from AP. It will appear in thousands of newspapers and websites across the planet. AP has that kind of reach, more than any other news media. Seriously. For mainstream media to be saying this indicates the ruling…