Louisiana Voice

This popped up in my email in-box this morning. It’s quite thought-provoking so, I thought I’d pass it along.

One reason various institutions are crumbling and the people in charge of them so unpopular is that the material reality they defend is so different from their own professed values.

They claim to value the “rule of law” but only enforce some laws against some people some of the time.

They claim to value “public safety” but pursue policies that make most people less safe.

They claim to value liberty but jails hundreds of thousands of society’s poorest people solely because they lack access to cash.

They claim to value equality but ensures a small number of people control nearly every major decision.

They claim to value evidence but pursues policies that defy evidence.

They claim to value health but let us all be regularly poisoned and then destroy the opportunity for most people to get quality health care.

They claim to value merit but ensure that fealty to power is what gets rewarded in elite institutions.

As a result, establishment politicians, university presidents, and pundits are constantly speaking gibberish instead of being real with people. 

— Alec Karakatsanis, the Copaganda Newsletter, July 13,2025

Farm workers ‘hunted like animals’ in ICE raids: Trump’s legacy

(When the costs of fruits and vegetables skyrocket, this will be why.)

The area where I live has already been hit by widespread flooding, once in 1983 and again – and much more intense and damaging – in 2016. In the latter event, my own house took on 33 inches of water from the overflowing Amite River. I was one of the lucky ones; some homes were completely inundated up to roofs.

As the sheriff’s flotilla took us away from our flooded home, I actually saw coffins that had floated up from their graves. One resident at least kept his sense of humor. Along with the piles of destroyed furniture, carpeting and other property piled high at curbside, he erected a sign proclaiming his property to be the Yard of the Month.

Not so funny, though, is the stark reality that it can – and probably will – happen again. Climate change has assured us of that dismal fact.

Our home was paid for prior to the flood but I had taken out a small $30,000 mortgage for home improvements and our credit union, which held that mortgage, notified us that we needed to take out flood insurance or they would take it out for us at a cost of $2,000 per year. I checked carriers and the best price I could get for coverage of about $200,000 was the same $2,000 per year so I decided, what the heck, let the credit union take care of it. And they did.

Then the flood hit and I found out to my astonishment that the credit union had taken out coverage only on the amount of the mortgage: $30,000, leaving us holding the back for the balance of damage to my home, which ran to about $140,000. I was never told, by the way, that the flood insurance taken out by the credit union was only for the amount of the mortgage. And I certainly am at a loss to understand why $30,000 in coverage cost $2,000.

So now, we hear about two floods back-to-back. The first was the tragic flood in Kerr County, Texas that has destroyed so many lives. Then, just yesterday, came news of flash flooding in New Mexico, which took more lives. Today, there is a threat of even more flooding in the northeast states.

Somewhere, someone in a real position of authority must realize that these events aren’t random. And, contrary to the claims of wingnut Marjorie Taylor-Greene, it’s not Democrats or anyone else controlling the weather.

Added to the growing concerns of people living in the paths of tornadoes, hurricanes and flooding is the sobering fact that the Trump administration is cutting back on the very agencies whose job it is, or was, to keep us informed of the growing threats from weather events and to help us recover from them.

One member of the Louisiana congressional delegation has recognized this and is speaking out on the dangers posed by climate change and draconian cutbacks to NOAA, FEMA and NWS.

A hint: it’s not Republicans Bill Cassidy or John “Foghorn Leghorn” Kennedy, or Clay Higgins or Julia Letlow, or Mike Johnson or Steve Scalise. You can just forget getting any help from them. Ever.

It’s a Democrat and his name is Troy Carter, a name most living outside Louisiana’s 2^nd Congressional District won’t recognize and probably never heard – but they should. He seems to be one of only two (Dem. Cleo Fields might be another, but this isn’t about him, it’s about Carter) who actually give a damn about this state.

Carter would, in my humble opinion, make a damned good governor for the gret stet of Loozianer. But that’s not likely to happened in this state because of the color of his skin. That should not be a factor in today’s times, but unfortunately, it is. He has shone more integrity and real concern for his constituents than any Louisiana governor or member of Congress this century.

Carter, in the wake of the flooding, has released a statement that every other member of Congress – and Diaper Don, as well – should read and take to heart.

Here is his statement in full:

“As the U.S. Congressman for New Orleans—and as Co-Chair of the Congressional Disaster Recovery Caucus—I feel a deep and urgent responsibility to speak clearly.

 “The deadly flooding in Texas is a sobering reminder of what happens when preparation is ignored and prevention is undercut. Dozens of lives have been lost. Families are grieving. And across the Gulf South, communities are bracing for what could come next.

 “This devastation is not just about rising waters—it’s about failed leadership. Under the current administration, we’ve seen dangerous cuts to FEMA, NOAA, and the National Weather Service. Satellite systems that once gave us precious hours of warning have been dismantled. These are not harmless bureaucratic changes—they are life-threatening decisions.

 “And now, in the middle of hurricane season, my home state of Louisiana—and others like it—are more exposed than ever before.

 “It is unacceptable for President Trump to deflect responsibility while families suffer the consequences. We need accountability. We need action.

 “I respectfully call on President Trump and Secretary Noem to:

 Fully restore and strengthen funding for FEMA, NOAA, and the National Weather Service.

1. Reactivate and upgrade the satellite systems that provide early warning for hurricanes and floods.
2. Ensure federal disaster response agencies are fully staffed and mission-ready—before the next emergency strikes.

“This is not about partisanship—it’s about protection. It’s about preparation. And most of all, it’s about people.

 “As U.S. Congressman for Louisiana’s 2nd District and Co-Chair of the Congressional Disaster Recovery Caucus, I will continue to fight for the resources, technology, and readiness our communities need and deserve.”

As much as they will deny it, the devastating flood in central Texas is going to become a major political issue for Democrats as the mid-term congressional elections draw nearer.

Of course, the Republicans are clearly on the defensive in light of Trump’s cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS).

Of course, Trump’s kewpie doll press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, and other Republicans are loudly proclaiming that the flood should not become a political football. In a perfect world, of course, they’re correct.

But this is light years from being a perfect world and the Democrats, if they have and sense at all, will be frantically searching for a WILLIE STARK to become the face of the party.

Willie Stark, most readers know, is the central character in Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ALL THE KING’S MEN, based not-so-loosely on the career of legendary Huey Long.

In the book, Willie Stark is a minor politician with no real chance of breaking into the good ol’ boys’ political circle. But he complains loudly about a low bid to construct a school building. When a staircase in the school later collapses as a result of corruption, killing several children, he is suddenly catapulted into political relevance and goes on to build a powerful political machine of his own.

Macabre as that may sound (and it admittedly is tasteless and disgusting), the Democrats now have a viable political issue in the wake of the Texas flooding and the cuts to NOAA and NWS.

Tied to all that is the ominous and portentous fact that we are now well into another hurricane season.

How important are NOAA and NWS to residents along the Gulf Coast – as well as states along the Atlantic seaboard – for giving ample warning of the strength and projection of hurricanes so that people in the path of a storm might prepare adequately or even evacuate?

The answer in a single word is: VERY.

Without proper forecasts and warnings, cities and inhabitants could find themselves in the path of a killer hurricane with little advance notice. To underscore that potential threat, we have to look no further than June 27, 1957 when HURRICANE AUDREY slammed into the Louisiana coast, literally destroying Cameron Parish and claiming 400 lives.

That was because there was no system in existence at the time to give warnings of where and when Audrey might strike. Thus, no one was adequately prepared.

Going back half-a-century from Audrey, we have the UNNAMED HURRICANETE that pounded Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900. Obviously, at that time, there was zero warning and the 140 mph winds produced a 15.7-foot storm surge which resulted in the unfathomable deaths of 6,000 to 12,000 people and destroyed 3600 buildings.

So, realistically, the tragic flooding in Texas could be a prelude to more devastating weather events, including hurricanes of which residents of South Louisiana could all become targets.

Unless Democrats are as clueless as the servile, slavish Republicans, they must now be casting about for the next Willie Stark.