AddieStan

So the president once again used the tragedy of the September 11th terrorist attacks to justify every lie he's told to the American people, every transgression of the U.S. Constitution his administration has executed and unleashing of unspeakable violence on a nation of Arabs who had nobly endured the tyranny of the despot who ruled them, and the cruelty of policies intended to starve the despot out of office. Non, mes amis , your blogstress is not surprised by what she heard tonight from the Oval Office, but she finds herself nonetheless enraged. Vying for most audacious line in his speech is the president's quoting of Osama bin Laden 's description of al Qaeda's offense against the West as "World War III." Mr. Bush failed to mention the use more recent use of that description by one Newt Gingrich , the disgraced former Speaker of the House. Also in competition, however, is the president's appropriation of Gingrich's " clash of civilizations ...

As I write, President George W. Bush is addressing America on the subject of the attacks of September 11, 2001. He defined the enemy that committed those attacks as one that "hates freedom, rejects tolerance and despises all dissent." The same could be said of his own administration, no?

On this somber anniversary, your blogstress contemplates the ballyhooed clash of civilizations between the West and the Islamic world -- and concludes that the clash is real. Read it here , at The American Prospect Online .

The folks at Media Matters for America have apparently prevailed in their challenge to ABC's entertainment division for its politicization of the upcoming anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, prompting ABC to re-edit its docudrama, "The Path to 9/11," which depicts Clinton administration officials as dismissive of the threat posed by al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden . Media Matters also won the day with Scholastic Inc. , which produced and distributed accompanying classroom materials that were misleading and contained factual errors. Great work, folks! Now, can anybody explain why the reputation of 9-11 commissioner Tom Kean , who served as a consultant to the project, isn't marred by this? Obviously, coming so close to the November mid-term elections, the presentation would likely have, whether or not by design, the effect of shoring up the Republicans' fear-mongering message. Kean's son, Tom, Jr. , is challenging Democrat Robert Menendez for the U.S...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Even as the indefatiguable Brian Ross of ABC News broke a blockbuster story revealing the Bush administration's flexible standards for evil-doers in its so-called "War on Terror," the ABC entertainment division appears poised to enter the political fray on the side of the Bushies -- and against former President Bill Clinton and the Democrats -- in its dramatized depiction of the events that led up to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. That the docudrama, "The Path to 9/11," will air nationally less than two months before mid-term congressional elections in which national security issues will take center stage, shows the willingness of ABC honchos (note: ABC is owned by Disney) to throw in with the Republicans in a most blatant way. If you have any doubt, mes amis , consider the fact that while Bill Clinton was denied a review copy of the mini-series, Rush Limbaugh and a handful of other right-wing commentators were visited by ...

St. Jude as he stands in the New Orleans Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe near Congo Square On Rampart Street, just west of New Orleans's historic and sacred Congo Square , sits a sweet little Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe , the image of the Blessed Mother Mary said to have appeared to a Mexican Indian on Tepeyac hill, just northwest of what is now Mexico City, in 1531. She is often referred to as the patroness of the Americas. When Africans were brought as slaves to Louisiana in the early 1700s, they found it necessary to syncretize their native faith traditions with those of their European captors; it was the only way to keep their own traditions alive. This gumbo of West African and Roman Catholic practices gave birth to voudoun -- what we now call voodoo -- as well as the Brazilian tradition of candomblé , and the Latin American Santeria rituals. As an icon, Our Lady of Guadalupe has a distinctly Mexican Indian appearance, right down to the anatomi...

NEW ORLEANS, LA. -- On the line at McDonald's on Canal Street (it can't all be gumbo and jambalaya, y'all), your blogstress, wearing press tags, was approached by a woman in her 30s or 40s, who offered a piece of paper bearing the following message: What is Esther's Haven House? Esther's Haven House is a non-profit organization that provides emergency safe accomodations for battered women and children. These women are housed free of charge and given the tools to restore their lives. Temporary refuge, job placement assistance, security, access to healthcare, childcare assistance and referral to educational resources for children are all provided. Our ultimate goal is resettlement of the family in a new, safe environment. ALL FREE OF CHARGE. We help as many women as our resources allow. If you want to help us help these families, please make a donation today! Esther's Haven House • 1900 St. Claude Avenue For More Information Contact: Kiesha Keller 504-872-946...

NEW ORLEANS, LA. -- New Orleans legend Dr. John has a message for your blogstress's devotees, and for all Washington liberals. Check it out on TAPPED, the Weblog of The American Prospect Online .

NEW ORLEANS, LA. -- In the coming days, your blogstress will be posting audio she gathered in New Orleans. In the meantime, your Webwench's devotees can satisfy their aural needs with the debut segement of Radio Free AddieStan. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO RADIO FREE ADDIESTAN

NEW ORLEANS, LA. -- Reginald Halsey is a nice-looking, compact man of some 50 years, perhaps -- dark-skinned with greying hair, his two front teeth rimmed in gold. His bus driver's uniform is pressed just so. Your blogstress met Mr. Halsey on Monday, when he helmed the motor coach that followed a group of Democratic congressmen and congresswomen as they toured sites that offered clues to the state of things in the New Orleans area in the year that has passed since Hurricane Katrina had her way with the city. After we traveled through the Ninth Ward -- the site of the worst flooding during Katrina -- and St. Bernard Parish, we found ourselves stopped at a light on the London Avenue Canal. "This here canal," he said quietly, to no one in particular, "is the one that took my house." As we continued through his neighborhood in line with the bus full of congresspeople, Mr. Halsey became a tour guide of his own journey. We passed a number of boarded-up commercial ...

NEW ORLEANS, LA. -- The social clubs and brass bands of New Orleans today led a traditional jazz funeral march to mourn Katrina's dead and celebrate the rescue workers and first responders who answered the call of the storm. The march route began at the infamous convention center, the site of so much of Katrina's misery, to the Superdome, the site of more. Herewith some visuals from today's event:

NEW ORLEANS, LA -- Great piece today from Peter Whoriskey of the Washington Post , detailing the lack of resources making their way to the Gulf Coast for post-hurricane rebuilding: Fewer than 5 percent of the thousands of destroyed homes are being rebuilt, local officials said. Most of the affected homeowners in Mississippi and Louisiana have yet to see any of the billions in federal money approved to help them get back home. CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE PIECE.

In the Ninth Ward. 2006 © A.M. Stan NEW ORLEANS, LA. -- Today your blogstress took a little tour of New Orleans, courtesy of the Democratic Caucus and the Army Corps of Engineers. The tour was organized for members of Congress, who wanted to check in on the progress on post-Katrina rebuilding. In all honesty, except for a wonderful Habitat for Humanity project in the upper Ninth Ward called Musicians Village , the news is not good. Devastation still abounds. Democratic members of Congress at Musicians Village with Jim Pait (front), executive director of New Orleans Habitat for Humanity. 2006 © A.M. Stan In the lower Ninth Ward, which was the scene of the most death and destruction -- the television pictures of people on rooftops and corpses floating in the currents -- there is still no electricity. There is no sewage service. There is no any kind of service. And so, there are no people, because FEMA will not give you a trailer unless there is electricity and running water on ...

Radio Free AddieStan - Part 1 Introduction to debut show To listen now, just click the "play" button on the Hipcast bar. MP3 File Commentary by your blogstress on what the callous response to Hurricane Katrina said about our nation's regard for jazz Featuring music by the One Man Chris Stan Band and Adele Stan Introductory theme: "Intuite" by Pierre Bensusan On Katrina and Jazz (c) 2006 Adele M. Stan "Things Don't Seem the Same (Something Smells Texas-sized Funny)" (c) 2006 Chris Stan "Intuite" (c) 2000 Dadgad Music

photography: Robbie Caponetto for Cottage Living magazine Marianne Cusato's version of the Katrina Cottage is a dignified alternative to the FEMA trailer. For emergency housing, the 308-square-foot cottage is remarkably inviting with a traditional front porch, exposed rafter tails, and clever storage to maximize space. Text and photograph from Cottage Living magazine. Speaking of Hurricane Katrina, this feature in Cottage Living magazine reveals a tour de force in affordable housing: the Katrina cottage, a trailer-mounted little house that can be used as the core of a new, permanent abode. And get this: one of these starting-over homes costs no more than FEMA pays for one of those trailers it has sitting in yards controlled by the Bechtel Corporation, while former Gulf Coast residents remain scatted throughout the U.S. Alas, the federal government apparently wants no part of this sensible rebuilding effort, and so it is left to private entities to fund. Here's how you ca...

Forgive, mes amis , your poor blogstress, who has been so innundated with work that she has not been able to bestow her ususal shower of wit on her devotees. Foremost among your Webwench's preoccupations has been her prepartions for this weekend's journey to New Orleans, from whence she will report on the various activities commemorating the anniversary of the landing of Hurricane Katrina. With any luck, she will be posting audio material as well as her written stream of consciousness -- if her ailing computer permits. In the meantime, she welcomes your thoughts about the grander meaning of our nation's response to the Gulf Coast tragedy.

mp3 file You thought your blogstress was pulling your leg when she promised you a podcast, but herewith, dear reader, find a preview of Radio Free AddieStan, your Webwench's Web-based radio show in development. In its complete form -- to be launched in the coming week -- Radio Free AddieStan will feature political commentary, an interview with an artist, and an episodic radio play, "Coffee Nerves," written by Tim Caggiano and produced by Frank Gilligan of Beltway Sewer Productions. Here you will find, mes cheris , an artist segment from what will be our second show, featuring the incomparable J. Scales -- singer, songwriter, musican and poet. On her way to perform at the Serafemme Festival in West Hollywood, J. discusses her artistic process, and what it's like to move, as a performer, between the worlds of black and white, straight and gay, old school and hip-hop. The segment features J.'s music and poetry. Additional credits: Uh huh 2005 (c) J. Scales feat...

Your blogstress asks the forbearance of her devotees this morning as she struggles with the technology that will reportedly enable her to upload her podcast, Radio Free AddieStan, for your listening pleasure.

MSNBC is reporting that a British jet bound for Egypt has just made an emergency landing in Brindisi, Italy, because of fears of a bomb on board.

From reader Bill Schultz, your blogstress received this affirmation of her American Prospect Online essay, The Shylock Code , which examines the intent of Mel Gibson's defenders in their word-choices: So, uh, if Mel can build his own tabernacle , can't he build his own "12 Steps" program? "I am powerless over the 'Jews' and they have made my life unmanagable." I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Mel's Hell...Thanks for the good read. --Bill Schultz Topeka, Kansas (Where the new state motto is: "As BIGOTED as you think") The "tabernacle" to which Mr. Schultz refers is the Traditionalist Catholic chapel that Mr. Gibson has built near his home, so that he need not travel long distances to hear a Latin Mass. Here's Peter Boyer in a 2003 issue of The New Yorker : At home in California, Gibson worshipped until recently at a Traditionalist church some distance from their house in Malibu. Then he decided that he had the means, a...