The rate of homelessness has tripled in New Orleans since Katrina, and the actual numbers are probably far higher than the 15,000 reported. Homeless homeowners are living under the overpass at Canal and Claiborne in New Orleans, along with a host of New Orleans natives, and people from out of town looking for work. Another encampment has sprung up at Claiborne and Tulane Ave., in the shadow of the not shuttered Charity Hospital.

BTW, a homeless, tent encampment has sprung up recently in Los Angeles, spoken about in this Daily Kos diary. I believe that America is on the verge of an explosion in homelessness, both here in New Orleans and across the country.

We were prepared, Thursday, to challenge what we already knew would go down: the vote in the affirmative by the New Orleans City Council to demolish over 4000 units of critical, public and affordable housing in New Orleans. Our intent was to keep the meeting from happening, to prevent the vote, by peaceful, but loud, raucous protest. There was no intent to commit violence. Many of us were quite willing to be arrested. One of the principles decided on by public housing residents in this struggle is that it will be a non-violent struggle.

I'm reminded, I tell her, of the Bugs Bunny cartoon, where he is busy, furiously, digging underground, trying to tunnel his way to paradise, or a beach, or somewhere pleasant; I can't remember exactly.

He pops his head up, in the middle of the North Pole, and says something to the effect, "I must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque". It can feel like that sometimes. That one wrong turn and you wind up in a very cold environment.

Although the diarist did not name the author, I will. That piece was written by Daniel Widome, appeared on SFGate.com, and, in my view, attempted to smooth over any lingering doubts about Obama's foreign policy proposals.

For example, the column attempted to placate any fears over the saber rattling going on right now about al Qaeda in Pakistan. Several candidates have said they are willing to go into Pakistan with planes to bomb the hiding places of Bin Laden and al Qaeda.

The columnist attempted to cast Obama in a more enlightened light, because, while Obama has said he is willing to invade Pakistan with fighter planes to fight al Qaeda, he is not willing to use nuclear weapons in doing so.

I pose this question to the netroots: just how influential are we when our democracy can be pulled out from under our feet, at the same time that a huge group of progressive bloggers are holding a celebrated (in some quarters) conference replete with presidential candidates?

Just who is being played here?

It's also a diary rescue of fairleft's diary, "Hillary, I'll still occupy Iraq in 2017".

There was a time when I largely accepted our Democratic party leaders without critically examining their views. That time is gone.

When I forwarded fairleft's diary link to a friend of mine, rather than critically examining the links and information provided, he accused me of "trying to undermine the Democratic party's strongest leaders", who, he said, "are our best hope for a return to constitutional democracy and the rule of law".

I beg to disagree. We the people are our best hope for a return to constitutional democracy and the rule of law, not, as he would push, party loyalty. Pressures to impeach are largely coming from below, from we the people.

Further, our failure to critically examine the democratic candidates on foreign policy, including the Iraq war, will further endanger this fragile democracy, in my view

The order is entitled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq". I found this interesting article about the power of executive orders, and how, over the years, executive orders have been used to greatly increase the power of the executive branch, and diminsh the legislative branch of our government, Congress.

I am writing today about more than just that nasty executive order. I think Ms. Wokush's article is a valuable springboard to examine current trends that bear discussion, before we find ourselves in yet another war, or wars.

Away from the bright lights and high-minded rhetoric of the campaign trail, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has quietly worked with corporate lobbyists to help pass breaks worth $12 million.

In his speeches, Obama has lambasted lobbyists and moneyed interests who "have turned our government into a game only they can afford to play."  

"It's an entire culture in Washington -- some of it legal, some of it not," the Democratic hopeful told a New York crowd in June, rallying support for his ethics reform agenda.

But last year, at the request of a hired representative for an Australian-owned chemical corporation Nufarm, Obama introduced nine separate bills exempting the company from import fees on a range of chemical ingredients it uses in the manufacture of pesticides and herbicides. Nufarm's U.S. subsidiary is based in Illinois.

Nufarm wasn't the only beneficiary of Obama's efforts to reduce customs fees and duties. In early May of 2006, two Washington lobbyists registered to work on behalf of Astellas Pharma, a Japanese-owned drug company which also has offices in Illinois.

The development was home to over 1000 African American working class families prior to Katrina. It is still locked down with a chain link fence around it. The fight over public housing rages on in New Orleans.

Sheehan expertly drew the connection between the war, war spending, and the failure of our government to adequately address the needs of Katrina survivors, both immediately after the storm, and in the "recovery" since.

Sheehan returned to New Orleans two days ago and spoke at Duncan Plaza across from City Hall, where we have been meeting with and helping to feed several dozen homeless people. You see, the homeless population in New Orleans is at catastrophic levels since Katrina.

Sheehan spoke about the homeless veterans she has known, and noted not only that the homeless rate among veterans is higher than other populations, but that so is the suicide rate.

Why am I bringing this up? Because here we have a woman who has travelled the country, putting herself at risk of arrest, advocating for a speedy end to the war, and it is distressing to see what went down on Daily Kos yesterday.

In her own words:

The first conclusion is that I was the darling of the so-called left as long as I limited my protests to George Bush and the Republican Party. Of course, I was slandered and libeled by the right as a "tool" of the Democratic Party. This label was to marginalize me and my message. How could a woman have an original thought, or be working outside of our "two-party" system?

The bad news is that this bipartisan group, headed by trouble maker James Baker, is proposing a blood bath in Baghdad.

Riverbend beware: it may get much worse, before it ever gets better.

As the analysis points out, there are elements in the democratic and republican party, that include Bill and Hillary among others, that simply won't let go of dreams of empire in the Middle East.

American citizen beware. Empire will be bought and paid for with the lives of your sons and daughters, and the financial security and well being of this country.