by the Way . . .

FEMA is now receiving management assistance from the New York class action lawyers and Louisiana Federal judge Stanwood R. Duval Jr. President Bush has not been to New Orleans for over two months, and when Laura visited there yesterday she encouraged evacuees to “try to settle where they are, and make the best of what they have right now.” It is unclear whether she meant for the hotel residents to be settle until January 7, the previous FEMA move out deadline, or February 7, the new deadline ordered by Stanwood ("Woody" to President Bush) Duval. For those who have not been keeping track, FEMA originally set December 1 as the cutoff date for government paid hotel rooms . After a fuss about the two week notice, the dates were revised to December 15 or January 7, depending upon what state you were staying in. However, FEMA had some difficulty with the question “why?”, so a week later evened it up to January 7 regardless of location.

In an interview Monday with NBC News, President Bush denied that racism had anything to do with the federal response. Many of the area residents are of French extraction, or “coonass” in the vernacular. For those that don’t get around much, the Encyclopedia of Cajun Culture notes the term is of uncertain origin, and of varying degrees of popularity among coonasses, adding that “Cajuns who dislike the term have been known to correct well-meaning outsiders who use the epithet.” You just don’t want that to happen.

Asked what on earth authorized him to adjust the deadline, the Clinton appointee noted the anxiety the vacillations had caused, including the “very real fear” of being without shelter on Christmas [that is a quote, he said Christmas, not “holidays”]. He said he based his authority on the law establishing FEMA, which requires the government to ease suffering and damage caused by natural disasters. In a possibly related development, Google reported that the most popular search last night was for the laws setting up the various federal agencies.

Howard O. Godnick, a partner in the firm that filed the action, said he would monitor the situation and go for another extension if necessary. To those unfamiliar with our legal system and wondering how long poor people can continue to count on the help of the Bar, you will be relieved to know that these cases are generally handled on a contingency basis, and the lawyer fee can be 25 to 33% of the amount recovered. FEMA is still working off its original grant from Congress of $62.3 billion, and more than half is still sitting in its account, waiting for a purpose. So something in the neighborhood of $20 billion could be purposed to secure legal assistance where necessary. That should put your mind at ease, even if you don’t like hotels.