If you were one of the tens of people concerned about Dan Rather after he left seeBS to “pursue other opportunities”, rejoice… he’s apparently returned to the airwaves.
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Opponents of the war in Iraq marched today in a clamorous day of protest, song and remembrance of the dead, some showing surprisingly diverse political views even as they spoke with one loud voice in wanting U.S. troops home.

Students rallied against the U.S. involvement in Iraq at a protest that drew a national crowd of 100,000 people to Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

Crowds opposed to the war in Iraq surged past the White House on Saturday, shouting “Peace now” in the largest anti-war protest in the U.S. capital since the invasion.

Vast numbers of protesters from around the country poured onto the lawns behind the White House on Saturday to demonstrate their opposition to the war in Iraq…

• Answer Coalition (A.N.S.W.E.R.) is a protest organization established by the International Action Center which has some overlap in its membership with the Workers World Party (a communist party in the United States).

• United for Peace and Justice (The organization, which primarily organizes large-scale protests, was founded by Leslie Cagan and others in October 2002, during the build-up to the U.S.’s 2003 invasion of Iraq. The direct precursor to UFPJ was “United We March!”, initiated by Global Exchange, the Green Party of the United States, and others, which organized the April 20th demonstration against the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.) At least, they’re honest when they say: “United for Peace and Justice is not just bringing huge numbers of people to Washington to protest the Iraq War …“

And here’s a sampling of messages from the “anti-Iraq-war” rally

• “From New Orleans to Iraq: Stop the war on the poor.”

• “Free the Cuban Five.”

• “We need to make a strong connection between Katrina and the Antiwar Movement on September 24.”

• “End Colonial Occupation: Iraq, Palestine, Haiti, Afghanistan and Everywhere”

• “Support the Palestinian People’s Right of Return”

• “Stop the Racist Anti-Immigrant, Anti-Labor Offensive”

• “U.S. Out of the Philippines“

So this wasn’t a “mandate of opposition to the Iraq war”. Sure, some protestors were there to protest the policies towards Iraq. But the attendance totals included those supporting Palestine, Mumia, the Cuban 5, Aristide, Labor issues, third world countries and more. They’re retreads from the 60s and 70s in their waning days of protest glory and opposition to hygeine. Even the Kossaks are unimpressed with the hodgepodge of extremist movements at these rallies (via Instapundit hat tip: Kevin).

When your protests are sponsored by communists, not focused on any single cause, consist of the same tired, anti-American rhetoric spewed for decades by the same anti-establishment hippies, and you can’t even keep the wholesale support of the staunchest of liberals… it sends more of a message than your bullhorns and loud speakers. It’s evident this isn’t about Bush or Iraq. It’s a continuation of anti-Americanism that prior generations have seen. And like those who’ve encountered it before… we’re laughing at you too.

Aides to Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D) helped shape the bill.

But the list of potential projects also includes a 50-year-old plan for a $750 million lock for the New Orleans Industrial Canal, a project rated the fifth-worst Corps boondoggle in the country by an alliance of taxpayer advocates and environmentalists. It also includes an effort to deepen the Port of Iberia for oil and gas tankers, a project that the Corps had concluded would provide only 30 cents of economic benefit for each dollar expended by taxpayers.

The 440-page bill also includes $50 billion in open-ended grants for storm-ravaged communities and $13 billion for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, along with mortgage assistance, health care, substance abuse treatment and other services for hurricane victims. It also includes hefty payments to hospitals, ports, banks, shipbuilders, fishermen and schools, as well as $8 million for alligator farms, $35 million for seafood industry marketing, and $25 million for a sugar-cane research laboratory that had not been completed before Katrina.

Vitter and Landrieu tapped John M. Barry — author of “Rising Tide,” the definitive history of the 1927 flood — to lead the working group on the Corps response to Katrina. Almost all the other members of the group were lobbyists from firms such as Patton Boggs, Adams & Reese, the Alpine Group, Dutko Worldwide, Van Scoyoc Associates, and a firm owned by former senator J. Bennett Johnston (D-La.). There was a lobbyist for the Port of New Orleans, a lobbyist for Verizon, and three lobbyists who were former aides to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska).

Internal notes from the working group obtained by The Washington Post suggest that hurricane protection was by no means its sole preoccupation. A list of “outstanding issues” from a Sept. 15 conference call mentioned the possibility of authorizing at least six unrelated navigation projects, and included questions such as “Are there other things we can do to boost our ports?” and — perhaps a joke — “How much can I bill my client?”

Someone get this crazy white b*tch off me!

Just called my neighbor who was smart enough to turn off the cell phone and leave an update on the outgoing message. As of 6:30am, our area had taken a light beating of rain and wind. Certainly nothing like what was expected. Power is out (like it is to almost a million residents around Houston) and there’s no telling when it will return.

All those nearly 3 million people who fled will now be heading back. Instead of the traffic fanning out from one place to many… the return trip will see millions heading back from many places into one area. (to say nothing of the fact that it’s when people get closer to home they’ll find gas stations without gas) It will be like the typical morning commute… time a gazillion.

The headline says Best-Laid Plans Weren’t Enough in Texas but the focus seems to deal more with government response and negatives than personal responsibility and positives… as usual.

It was envisioned as the anti-Katrina plan: Texas officials sketched a staggered, orderly evacuation plan for Hurricane Rita and urged people to get out days ahead of time.

The officials can plan for every conceivable contingency and there will always be something unforseen.

Skeptics wait until the last minute to leave.

“Orderly and lawful” doesn’t mean anything to some people.

Storms change direction and evacuation plans must be flexible and change at a moment’s notice.

Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Friday decision to order one-way flow came after the storm, originally on a track south of Houston, changed course and headed toward Houston instead.

Bottom line, alot of people are safer tonight because the process worked well enough for them.

State emergency management coordinator Jack Colley said 2.5 million to 2.7 million Texans had already been moved out of harm’s way…

Say what you want, but I personally experienced it… it was slow-going, but it worked. If it hadn’t… you probably wouldn’t be reading this right now. Think about it.

Despite the fact that Hurricane Katrina, dubbed the “the most destructive storm to hit the U.S.” decimated the gulf coast just hit two weeks ago and another “third most powerful storm” is arriving on the gulf coast again, there are still people refusing to evacuate. This isn’t about racism or treatment of the poor… this is about the not-so-bright. And this time there’s no question it’s not Bush’s fault.

Thanks again to the folks at the Allman and Smash in the Morning show. (Email me for the audio - 9MB). (Thanks, Nita Rene!)

First, let me preface this by saying I’m working on about 5 hours of sleep since Wednesday. There’s a strange aura around this place right now as we drift between the joy of finally arriving to our “safe” destination and the reality that is slowly setting in that our house sits directly in Rita’s path.

I’ve spoken with my neighbors who chose to ride the storm out. I am going to keep in touch with them as long as they have the means to communicate with me. At least I might have an assessment on my house before I head back.

Nature made me a victim; technology made me a reporter.

Cell phones were jammed all day. I spoke with friends and colleagues who ventured out on the road only to turn around and head home to ride out the storm. I’m saying an extra prayer for each and every one. I know on more than one occasion (but especially after finding ourselves only 60 miles from our house after 9 hours) I wondered if it would be better to bail out and head back home. But I just pushed forward.

Although we topped off the gas tank Wednesday, we quickly found out that our car was getting 15 gallons per mile. (yes, re-read that again if you didn’t get it the first time)

The day began with one of the most beaufitul sunrises I had ever seen. The day ended with an equally beautiful sunset. In between was one of the most stressful stretches of time I’ve ever experienced. Here’s how it unfolded…

We started at 6:30am and headed East on FM1960, hoping to avoid the major conjestion on HWY 59 and I-45. After smooth sailing for 20 minutes we hit the first parking lot. For the next several hours, we would only move a couple of miles at the most. At one point you could see bicycles and pedestrians passing us. That’s a great feeling.

At 9:30am we had made it to Liberty, a whopping 25 miles from home. On the radio was Pat Gray and Glenn Beck… and it wasn’t long before the whole car had tears flowing. (If you heard the show, you understand) This was also the moment we heard that Liberty would likely see the direct hit of the eye. Check the gas gauge, look at the tail lights, contemplate retreat.

As we drove down the backroads, most people were considerate and orderly. However, many cars would fly by on the shoulders and cut people off getting back into the line ahead. “Blocking” (straddling the driving lane and shoulder) became a sport. It’s amazing how good you get at it over the period of 15 hours. By 4:00pm we made it 32 more miles to Cleveland, TX.

From Cleveland, we went to Conroe to hop on I-45. This was the most tense stretch of the drive as we realized the gas tank was quickly draining and gas stations along the way were closed or out of gas. We found a gas station with a long line, signalling the presence of gas. People were justifiably frustrated and nerves were raw. After waiting about an hour, I pulled up to the tank. When it first seemed like my pump may be empty (it was just a temporary mechanical problem), the man at the next pump offered to fill up my car when his was topped off and I could just give him cash. Now THAT’S the Texas I’m proud to be a citizen of… and 5 minutes later saw one of the most beautiful sights of the day.

Luckily the contra lanes were open south of our entry point on I-45. I can’t emphasize how helpful those lanes were. Although it would be 8-9 more hours before we arrived in Dallas, it would’ve been worse without those. We had been told the contra lanes ended in Buffalo, but we found them open all the way to Ennis. Apparently the tragic bus explosion in the news this morning occured just moments after we passed through the area.

All over I-45, we saw hundreds and thousands of cars and people pulled off on the shoulders and medians - some had run out of gas, some had simply chosen those spots (mostly beneath underpasses) to “ride it out”. Every rest area we passed had TXDOT trucks offering gas to motorists. I couldn’t count the number of state workers helping those that were stranded. Rarely did you ever see anyone stuck alone on the roads. At one point, on the back roads, there was a group of people handing out ice water to passing motorists. Texans helping Texans.

This is an unprecedented evacuation. More than 2 million people were thought to be on the roads with us. There were bound to be problems, but it could’ve been much worse.

Now we sit and wait and watch. The storm is weakening and moving more East, but still projected to send 140 mph winds into our neighborhood. Sleep seems much needed but hard to come by. More to come…