Scouting for Reality in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Scout prime, now with first-draft, is doing an outstanding job of following the aftermath of, as well as the racial and political issues swirling around, the government's inept response to the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. She has established quite a reputation for her research and analysis in the aftermath of the hurricane, and many blog readers follow her stories to acquaint themselves with the details that the "so called liberal media" fails to report. Scout prime has been following the story closely from her home in Wisconsin, but she has not had an opportunity to visit New Orleans to post about her impressions.

To that end, several kind folks who post at Eschaton thought that maybe it'd be a good idea to pool our funds and send Scout to New Orleans, if Scout would agree to go. Fortunately, she said, "yes." So here we are, embarking upon a fund-raising effort to help send Scout to New Orleans so that we can read about her first hand perceptions of the hurricane. Scout is committed to gathering and reporting as much information as possible during this trip, and I know it will be a rewarding experience for those of us who have been following her posts on New Orleans. In an upcoming post on this blog, we'll be asking you what you'd like Scout to look into while she's in New Orleans, so stay tuned!

Thanks to lb0313, Scout has been offered a place to stay. Scout and lb0313 have determined that the best time for a visit is March 1 - 8, 2006, right after Mardi Gras. That's three weeks away. We figure we'll need about $ 1,000 to cover the cost of air fare, a rental car, gas for the automobile, and a modest food allowance. As stated above, lb0313 has generously offered a room, as well as use of laptop and Internet access. The break down of the expenses will be listed in an upcoming post.

Click on the "Make A Donation" link to the right, under my profile to contribute through Pay Pal, but if you would prefer to send a check directly to Scout Prime, that will be more than welcome, as well. You can contact me at moonbatmi@comcast.net or Scout directly at scoutp@charter.net for the address to where the check should be sent. In addition, if you have air miles that you'd be willing to donate for this worthy cause, please contact one of us! Donation of air miles will help to cut down the overall all cost of this fundraising effort by at least a few hundred dollars.

For accountability, we will update and share with you the money we receive on a daily basis, and we once we hit our goal (the goal will be lowered if air miles are donated), we will cease fund raising.

One last thing, this blog has been created for you, the people who are interested in and care about the tragedy that happened to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. When Scout visits New Orleans, this is the place where she will post about what she finds. So check back often during the week of March 1 - 8, 2006!

Thank you for your generosity and kindness.

A Note from Scout...

Here's a note from Scout regarding what she'd like to gain from the trip to New Orleans. Please feel free to offer your ideas concerning what you'd like to learn about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the "Comments" Section. Thank you.

I started writing about New Orleans, or NOLA (for short), soon after Hurricane Katrina struck. I’ve continued writing to the point that my blog resembles a Katrina blog ~ which was never my intention. But I have been drawn to the story again and again as it transcends compelling. What happens when a city is virtually destroyed? How do people cope? How do they rebuild? What does it even look like? Reports from NOLA news outlets give one an idea but it is only that…an idea. To begin to know what is happening requires going there. We hear reports of "utter stagnation" and procrastination regarding the rebuilding process. Yet there are also things happening in NOLA. Politicians continue in attempts to get the necessary aid for rebuilding. Some residents are organizing themselves to fight for their neighborhoods. Much of what is and what is not occurring goes either under-reported or not reported at all to Americans throughout the country. So this group of concerned blog readers have decided to send someone to NOLA to bring a first hand account. I feel fortunate to be that someone. Our goal is to deliver an account of the devastation and the process of rebuilding this once great city. We ask for your financial support but also invite you to become a stakeholder in this process by submitting questions you would like answered on NOLA. We hope this will be an opportunity to not only inform all of us but in a small way communicate the caring and concern that does exist for the people of NOLA. They only ask that they not be abandoned. I hope you’ll stand with them and support our effort to communicate their need in any small way you can. Thank You.