What Score Would You Give 'Em?

Full disclosure: State Farm is my home insurer. When two trees fell on my (last) house during Katrina, I was assessed within a month, I was able to pay for the tree removal and the new roof and I even ended up with a little money left over. I, personally, am a very happy customer of theirs.

But from what I understand, a lot of other people are not.

To Wit:

Mississippi's insurance commissioner says a long-awaited review of State Farm's handling of insurance claims after Hurricane Katrina is nearly complete.

Commissioner Mike Chaney said Aug. 1 that he plans to release the department's market-conduct exam of State Farm in late August or early September.

The Bloomington, Illinois-based insurer received a draft of the report in early July and gave the insurance department its formal response on July 28.

Chaney says he can't disclose the exam's conclusions yet. But he says it found "some good'' and "some bad'' in how State Farm handled policyholder claims after the August 2005 hurricane.

Of course, with the recent revelations about Trent's alleged coaching of witnesses, Mississippians just may have a better fall in store then most major networks' prime time line-ups. Pass the nachos, will ya? This is about to get good.

419,000 gallons of oil spilled into Mississippi River

While we sleeping last night a large ecological disaster happened in the Mississippi river around New Orleans. Close to a half million gallons of oil were spilled into the Big River when a barge collided with a Liberian oil tanker. CNN has the story:

The spill is much smaller than the ones that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when the Coast Guard estimated that more than 7 million gallons of oil were dumped into the Mississippi and nearby waterways.

But Wilma Subra, a chemist who advises the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, said the oil could affect wildlife and work its way up the food chain into residents, many of whom fish for subsistence.

"This is a spill that occurred in a very urban area, and it can impact a very large number of people," she said.

The oil, widely used as marine fuel, is heavier than diesel but lighter than crude, and it is likely to stick to rocks, trees and wildlife, Stroh said.

Roger Wicker Picked Inaction Over Protecting Mississippi Consumers

As we’ve shown you here and here Roger Wicker seems determined to whitewash his record of failing the Coast. This is example #6 of how Roger Wicker failed our Gulf Coast and why for showing such lack of foresight he should not be allowed to serve as one of Mississippi’s United States Senators.

Roger Wicker actually voted against cracking down on price gouging on gasoline. Really.

In September 2005, Wicker voted against strengthening penalties against oil companies engaged in price gouging in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Roger Wicker is no “longtime friend of the Gulf Coast” as he claimed in his first ad.

If you’ve got a suggestion on why Roger Wicker is bad for Mississippi in general or bad for the Coast specifically please e-mail us at cottonmouthblog AT gmail DOT com or leave a comment.

Roger Wicker Opposed Accountability After Hurricane Katrina Decimated Mississippi's Gulf Coast

As we’ve shown you here and here Roger Wicker seems determined to whitewash his record of failing the Coast. This is example #5 of how Roger Wicker failed our Gulf Coast and why for showing such lack of foresight he should not be allowed to serve as one of Mississippi’s United States Senators.

Roger Wicker opposed starting an independent Katrina commission to find out what exactly went wrong so that we might be better prepared in the future.

In September 2005, Wicker voted against establishing an independent commission to study the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, similar to the 9/11 Commission.

Update: He did support a commission (as pointed out in the comments), but only one selected solely by Republicans. Therefore, he opposed an independent commission, like the 9/11 Commission that featured strong Democrats in addition to strong Republicans.

Roger Wicker is no “longtime friend of the Gulf Coast” as he claimed in his first ad.

If you’ve got a suggestion on why Roger Wicker is bad for Mississippi in general or bad for the Coast specifically please e-mail us at cottonmouthblog AT gmail DOT com or leave a comment.

The Politicization of Katrina by Karl Rove

The more and more I find out about the inner workings of the Bush administration, the more I want to see some jail terms handed out. Hat Tip to our friends at the Daily Kingfish for their post on this Monday.

There is a new book out titled "Machiavelli's Shadow: The Rise and Fall of Karl Rove". Salon has a nice article containing an excerpt from the book. You can read the Salon piece here: "How Karl Rove played politics while people drowned"

The first evidence of Rove's involvement in the Katrina disaster occurred on Tuesday afternoon. "Rove understood what a nightmare this was for the president," Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana says, "so he went into high gear on the spin thing they're so good at in the White House. Rove had David Vitter, the Republican senator from Louisiana. I was at a press conference and David Vitter walked up to the mike and said, 'I just got off the phone with Karl Rove.' I looked at the governor and she looked at me, like, 'Why is David Vitter on the phone with Karl Rove?' I mean, he could have been talking to generals, the president himself, but Rove is just a political hatchet man."

Remember this is Karl Rove who had an office IN THE WHITE HOUSE, a first (and please never again) for a political advisor. That fact alone provides a glimpse of how the Bush administration used Rove's abilities to politicize everything under the sun. Anything that happened became an opportunity to make Democrats look bad and republicans good. We have NEVER seen this level of politicization.

Instead of supplying relief to the city, Rove had devised a scheme whereby he could blame the failure of government to take action on someone besides Bush. "They looked around," Landrieu says, "and they found a Democratic governor and an African American Democratic mayor who had never held office before in his life before he was mayor of New Orleans -- someone they knew they could manipulate. Ray Nagin had never held public office and here he was the mayor of New Orleans and it was going underwater."

In short, Rove was going to blame Blanco for the failure of the response in Louisiana, and to do that he was going to use Nagin. He had already set the plan in motion on Tuesday with Nagin, who, even though he was a Democrat, was so close to the Republican Party that some members of the African American community in New Orleans called him "Ray Reagan." In 2000, Nagin had actually contributed $2,000 to Bush's campaign when he ran for president.

Rove knew of Nagin's ties to the Republican Party, so more than likely Nagin could be convinced to level his criticism at Blanco and to support Bush when he could. Here was Rove's strategy: Praise Haley Barbour, the Republican governor of Mississippi; praise Michael Brown and FEMA; blame Blanco, the Democrat. It was not a stretch for Nagin. He and Blanco so disliked each other that in Blanco's last race Nagin had endorsed her opponent.

While thousands of people were stranded in a flooded major U.S. city, all the White House could think about was how to use the catastrophe to their political gain, via Rovian tactics. This is the not the first time this has come up regarding Katrina. Back in January 2007, Michael Brown the former head of FEMA accused the White House of playing partisan politics.

"Unbeknownst to me, certain people in the White House were thinking, 'We had to federalize Louisiana because she's a white, female Democratic governor, and we have a chance to rub her nose in it,''' he said, without naming names. "'We can't do it to Haley (Barbour) because Haley's a white male Republican governor. And we can't do a thing to him. So we're just gonna federalize Louisiana.'''

Brown declined to say who in the White House had argued for federalizing the response only in Louisiana. He said that he'd later learned of the machinations through Blanco's office and from federal officials.

Blanco reacted sharply to Brown's remarks.

"This is exactly what we were living but could not bring ourselves to believe. Karl Rove was playing politics while our people were dying,'' Blanco said through a spokeswoman, referring to Bush's top political strategist. "The federal effort was delayed, and now the public knows why. It's disgusting.''

I truly believe we will see the day when Bush, Rove, and Cheney will have their day in court. We are seeing the groundwork being laid now with the McClellan book, the Iraq reports, etc...

Roger Wicker Voted Against Providing Shelter To People Left Homeless By Hurricanes

As we’ve shown you here and here Roger Wicker seems determined to whitewash his record of failing the Coast. This is example #3 of how Roger Wicker failed our Gulf Coast and why for showing such lack of foresight he should not be allowed to serve as one of Mississippi’s United States Senators.

Roger Wicker was the only member of the Mississippi delegation to vote against extending FEMA assistance.

In 2007, Wicker was the only member of the Mississippi House delegation to vote against an amendment to the Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act that would extend FEMA housing assistance for evacuees of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma until December 31, 2007 and provide tenant-based rental assistance upon termination of FEMA housing assistance.

Roger Wicker is no “longtime friend of the Gulf Coast” as he claimed in his first ad.

If you’ve got a suggestion on why Roger Wicker is bad for Mississippi in general or bad for the Coast specifically please e-mail us at cottonmouthblog AT gmail DOT com or leave a comment.

Roger Wicker Voted Against Loans To Help Katrina Victims Help Themselves

As we’ve shown you here and here Roger Wicker seems determined to whitewash his record of failing the Coast. This is example #2 of how Roger Wicker failed our Gulf Coast and why for showing such lack of foresight he should not be allowed to serve as one of Mississippi’s United States Senators.

Roger Wicker voted against low interest rates for small business loans for Katrina victims.

In March 2006, Wicker voted against an amendment to the FY06 supplemental appropriations act that would have extended small business loans at set interest rates for hurricane victims.

The amendment’s sponsor, Rep. Nydia Velazquez correctly argued,

“There is no rhyme or reason as to why, when Republicans have an opportunity to help these small businesses and homeowners, they instead make their lives even harder.”

Roger Wicker is no “longtime friend of the Gulf Coast” as he claimed in his first ad.

If you’ve got a suggestion on why Roger Wicker is bad for Mississippi in general or bad for the Coast specifically please e-mail us at cottonmouthblog AT gmail DOT com or leave a comment.

Roger Wicker Opposed Federal Relief Dollars For Levees and Coastal Restoration

As we’ve shown you here and here Roger Wicker seems determined to whitewash his record of failing the Coast. This is example #1 of how Roger Wicker failed our Gulf Coast and why for showing such lack of foresight he should not be allowed to serve as one of Mississippi’s United States Senators.

Roger Wicker was the only member of our Mississippi delegation to oppose $465 million for levees and coastal restoration after Katrina.

In March 2006, Wicker voted against Rep. Melancon’s amendment to increase emergency supplemental funding for the Army Corps of Engineers by $465 million. Of that, $35 million would go to general coastal restoration and hurricane protection and $430 million would go to levee armor. Rep. Pickering was one of 11 Republicans to vote for the funding, making Wicker the only member of the Mississippi delegation to vote No.

Roger Wicker is no “longtime friend of the Gulf Coast” as he claimed in his first ad.

If you’ve got a suggestion on why Roger Wicker is bad for Mississippi in general or bad for the Coast specifically please e-mail us at cottonmouthblog AT gmail DOT com or leave a comment.

Roger Wicker Continues To Attempt To Take Credit For Other's Work

Here is his second ad and like the first one this is only showing on the Coast where he is weakest:



"He fought for us after Katrina"

Yeah, right. He's admitted that he barely visited the Coast and only came with a bipartisan group of Congressmen on the invitation of Congressman Gene Taylor; someone who's actually been fighting for us in Washington.

In contrast Wicker's Democratic opponent Ronnie Musgrove was on the Coast dozens of times helping us rebuild without getting himself in the news.

In it Republican Biloxi Mayor AJ Holloway appears to explain what happened to Roger Wicker. 

If Wicker still needs to be told about bayou flooding then he obviously hasn't been paying enough attention.

Roger Wicker is spending a lot of campaign time and political money on the Coast because the facts don't mesh with the truth. He hasn't been a champion of the Coast and he isn't who the Coast needs in the decades of rebuilding ahead.

Bonus Clip of A.J. Holloway at the Hillary Clinton rally featuring Bill Clinton in Biloxi:

Republicans Are Scared: Wicker Running Ads > 5 Months Before Election In MS

Wicker barely ventured to South Mississippi before he decided he wanted to be a Senator.

He even admitted that he had rarely visited the coast, though as a congressman he was tasked with representing all of Mississippi.

Now he wants to take credit for the good work of Senator Lott and and Congressmen Taylor and Thompson in his first TV ad which I believe is only playing on the Coast where he is weak.

Roger Wicker has the benefit of the fundraising networks of the most powerful Republicans in the nation and the massive political machine that Haley has built.

I'll be happy to see when Musgrove's campaign gets firing on all cylinders, because it doesn't appear to be doing so yet.

The Stories That Fuel Steve Holland's Passion

The ground rule, they have told me, for writing a post on this blog is that I am not supposed to be writing about "why I am running for Congress." Tough rule. When you are a candidate for office, you want to make as many inroads as you can. But I will do the best I can.

I want to tell you two quick stories. I have always liked stories, but what Southerner doesn't. And I guess it is the reason that Mississippi has produced all the wonderful writers. One of these stories has a bad ending, the other one a better ending.

When Katrina hit, like so many thousands of others, I went down to view the devastation. And I went to check on an old friend. When I found him, his house was devastated and we sat back and surveyed everything. How to describe the devastation: the crumbling bricks, the downed trees, the buckled roads. For those of you who saw it first hand, you know what I am talking about.

As we were standing there, trying to make sense of things, trying to process the immensity of this natural disaster, I began to notice a smell. We thought that perhaps it was a small animal, and so we began scavenge through the brick and the rubble, moving around what we could, and then we made a terrible discovery: the corpse of a senior citizen, the neighbor of my friend. It was the coda to the terrible symphony that had played itself out during those terrible August days. So not only did my friend have to deal with the shock of losing his home, and his business, but his personal grief was compounded by this terrible discovery.

I tell you this little story as awful and gruesome as it is, to point out the reality of the utter despair and desolation that was visited upon the coast. Later, and in the immediate aftermath of Katrina, I was in a session of the House and we were visited by numerous representatives from the coast, almost all of them begging for help from the state government. A number of these folks were Republican in orientation and had for years supported a political philosophy of "starving the beast," of cutting government services. After listening to the pleas for help, I could no longer hold my tongue and I told them in as polite a way as I could that you could not starve the beast, and then when you need help expect the government to be able to function. That's why I fought for the Katrina benefits advocated by the Mississippi House of Representatives.

The other story involves a neighbor friend of mine, a mentally retarded man who was suffering from cancer. During the medicaid crisis, he was told by his doctor that he was going to cut off his chemotherapy. Let that sink in for just a moment. In these the United States of America, a mentally retarded man was gong to, in effect, be sentenced to death because, in effect, he was powerless, poor and mentally retarded. At that moment, in a fit of anger, I called the doctor's office and let it be known that this was not going to be happening. And if it did, there would be some kind of consequences. His chemo was not stopped.

I tell you these stories not so much to toot my own horn, because the fact is, any feeling human being would have responded similarly. I tell you these stories to point out the fact that there is a place for proper government intervention in society. That politics HAS consequences.

For 25 years now, the Republicans have attacked the government; they have starved the beast. As a result, we have a degrading infrastructure and the middle class has been losing out. And it has to stop. Sadly, the previous office holder of the First Congressional Seat has been part and parcel to this political philosophy.

It is worth remembering that for decades, the First Congressional Seat was held by Jamie Whitten. Jamie Whitten didn't try to starve the beast. He knew that there was a proper place for government and he believed in constituent service, making sure that the folks back home had a voice in Washington and that their needs were taken care of as much as possible.

That is what is shaping up in this election, the differing philosophies between the political parties. Because elections have consequences.

--Steve Holland

Steve Holland's Website

Outrage: Haley Barbour To Divert Hurricane Money To North Mississippi Road Construction

Barbour: Use storm money for Toyota, rainy day By NATALIE CHANDLER

"We still have people down there in FEMA (trailers)," said Rep. Frances Fredericks, D-Gulfport. "Why can't we take the money and make conditions better, or at least livable, for those it was intended to help?"

Sen. Debbie Dawkins, D-Pass Christian, said, "There is a perception on the Coast that the governor controls the money, and he is spending it in other places. Until (recovery needs) and Medicaid get addressed, I'm not going along with any half-baked ideas about road paving."

Latest Haley Barbour Outrage - Pine Belt Progressive

...it’s not about “taking responsibility” for oneself, it’s about the fact that the governor has put our recovery money into everything but rebuilding the housing that is needed for these people to move out of those trailers...

Go to the links. You need to read this.

Thank You John Edwards For Class And A Focus On Poverty And Recovery

John Edwards ended his campaign the same place he started it.

"to remind the country that we as citizens and as a government have a moral responsibility to each other and what we do together matters"

thecount said it very well in the comments:

Thank you John and Elizabeth Edwards for fighting the good fight. Thank you for speaking up for the poor. Thank you for pushing for universal health care. Thank you for keeping the discussion on these topics which are so important. I can't help but think he was doing the Lord's work. God bless him.

It is with his return to New Orleans that I go back to certain numbers:
There are 35,129 Mississippians are still living in FEMA housing and only $1.64 billion of that money had actually been spent re-building the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Does Gene Taylor Stand With Those Needing Housing Or With Industry And The Port?

Gene Taylor hasn't been shy in the past about his opinions on Mississippi Gulf Coast recovery issues.

(Y)ou can try to throw as much as you can on the backs of Louisianians, but I'm a witness as to what happened in Mississippi. You folks fell on your face. You get an F-minus in my book. Maybe the president made a very good move when he asked you to leave your job.

He also said in a television interview that there needed to be a national registry for sex offenders and insurance company executives.

The biggest issue recently has been the diversion of $600 million in housing funds to the port of Gulfport.

He has been quite open with his opinion on most recovery issues so far. What is his opinion here?

Does he stand with the people of the Coast who still need housing and need it at a price where they can afford it?

Let me know if he's made a public comment on it which I've missed. His is an important voice and his opinion is needed.

Help Save Designated Housing Money For Gulf Coast Housing

I hope a Gene O at A Sociable Loner won't mind be reproducing THIS important post here:


Help Color of Change push hurricane recovery into the national presidential debates with a few clicks of your mouse.

Join the Facebook Bring the Gulf Coast to the Debate Campaign.

The congressional hearing on the handling of housing funds mentioned in the AP article I linked to in this post would be held by the House Financial Services Committee or by its Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.

Rep. Barney Frank chairs the full committee. Rep. Maxine Waters chairs the subcommittee.

Contact them and ask them to schedule the hearing.

Rep. Frank: (202) 225-5931

Rep. Waters: (202) 225-2201; fax (202) 225-7854: e-mail form

Mississippi has no representatives on the committee. Contact Mississippi Representatives Gene Taylor and Bennie Thompson and ask them request that members of the committee hold the hearing.

Rep. Gene Taylor

e-mail form

Washington: (202) 225-5722; fax (202) 225-7074

Mississippians can find numbers for his local offices at the very bottom of this page.

Rep. Bennie Thompson

e-mail form (His local office numbers are on the right-hand side of this page).

Washington: (202) 225-5876; fax (202) 225-5898

Financial Services Committee members.

Subcommittee Members.

Change the untruthful story that the governor and his allies are telling about our Gulf Coast hurricane recovery by telling the truth in your own way.



It's an excellent post. Please use the links and contact folks. Coast citizens need your help.

Ronnie Musgrove Has Helped The Coast Before And After Hurricane Katrina

While He Was Governor:

1. Governor Ronnie Musgrove helped clean up our beaches. During his time as Governor, Musgrove continued the annual beach cleanup day and stressed the importance of keeping the coasts in good shape for our future generations.

2. Governor Ronnie Musgrove signed a bill to protect deer island. Ronnie Musgrove signed a bill that helped turn 499-acre Deer Island into a nature preserve. The bill authorized the purchase of the land for $16.8 million including $10 million in general obligation bonds, $2 million from the public land disputes on the Gulf Coast, $1 million in land acquisition funds and $3.8 million in a federal grant engineered by U.S. Senator Thad Cochran.

3. Governor Ronnie Musgrove often visited the Coast to gain insight from local business leaders and to build public support for his plans for progress. Ronnie Musgrove set up meetings on the Coast early in his term open to anyone and asked for questions on any topic.

4. Governor Ronnie Musgrove worked to improve quality of life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He helped to pass and signed major pay increases for teachers and worked with the legislature to further encourage business development including helping industry in Jackson County secure loans for major expansion.

After Hurricane Katrina:

1. Ronnie Musgrove came down from his home in north Mississippi dozens of times to assist in the relief and rebuilding efforts. Because he came as a private citizen and worked through existing organizations he did not seek out press or get any. He was on the Mississippi Gulf Coast working to help get us back on our feet after that horrific storm.

2. Ronnie Musgrove helped lead discussion among local business leaders on tax assistance from the federal government. In January 2006, Musgrove, along with other attorneys, held a breakfast discussion to educate about 100 business leaders, local elected officials, and tax specialists about the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act. The Gulf Opportunity Zone Act, which had been recently passed by Congress, was designed to help businesses recover after Katrina. Musgrove stated "The incentives for business are specific and on point. It is rich in encouraging Central and South Mississippi businesses to rehire, reinvest and redevelop."

3. On the first day of active campaigning he announced his support for Representative Gene Taylor's Multiple Peril Insurance Bill saying "I think it's necessary to have stability to have insurance and in so many instances the insurance companies aren't writing and for us to have the kind of multi-periled policy that the federal government can do is what the coast needs. And so, I would certainly be a big supporter of that.” He specifically addressed the issue in his speech to Mississippi Gulf Coast residents.

4. When asked in an interview why he chose a concrete slab he told them that "(he) thought that this site showed the contrast of the devastation of Katrina and yet with the steeple the hope of good things to come. And it’s because of the dedication and the hard work and the painful contributions of people all along the coast and some help from Jackson and Washington that we are moving forward. But I think it’s important to have a United State Senator who understands the problems of the coast but also knows the hopes of what can happen and what needs to happen with the help from Washington, and to me it would be a priority to help Gene Taylor and others to make sure we get the insurance, that we get the legislation, that’s needed from Congress to help the coast rebuild.”

Former Governor Ronnie Musgrove Has Been An Advocate For The Mississippi Gulf Coast

It is clear from his record that Ronnie Musgrove cares deeply about the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  

Musgrove helped protect the Coast as Governor and always spent time with Coast residents to better represent our needs (I'm from Ocean Springs).

Additionally, Musgrove supports the multi-perils insurance bill to help protect citizens and has been an attorney representing people who were denied insurance coverage.  

After Hurricane Katrina he worked to bring new tax incentives to the area and helped educate local businesspeople on how to use them.

Interim Senator Roger Wicker on the other hand has taken over $80,000 from insurance companies, including money from insurance agents after Hurricane Katrina.

Over the next few days I hope to bring you more on how Musgrove has been a friend and advocate of the Coast.

Unbalanced Mississippi Coastal Recovery On PBS

Bill Moyers' television show covered the Turkey Creek community, the Steps Coalition, and more in this video that can be viewed at the following link:

Recovery Gone Wrong?

New York TImes Reports On Mississippi's Spending On Coast Housing

The New York Times:

The nature of that program helps explain the unhappiness in some neighborhoods. It provided grants of up to $150,000 to homeowners who lived outside of the federally defined flood plain and so did not have flood insurance to cover their losses when their houses were swamped by the storm surge.

To be eligible, families had to have carried regular homeowners’ insurance, so that, as the governor said when he was selling the plan to Congress, “we’re not bailing out irresponsible people.”

But advocates for the poor said that requirement barred many of the least affluent, especially retirees and the disabled, who live on fixed incomes. “The fact is, people who have no money choose food and medicine, and not insurance,” said Ashley Tsongas, a policy adviser for the aid group Oxfam America. “That moral superiority doesn’t recognize the reality people face.”

Renters were also excluded from the program, as they were in Louisiana, and homeowners who had wind damage were also not covered. Some federal officials have said Louisiana’s decision to help cover wind losses is one reason its program almost ran out of money.

... But some community advocates are dubious, noting that before the storm only 10 percent of the port jobs went to low-income residents. They also think the cost per job will be too high.

And they note that the port’s own master plan envisions a new tourist and casino development. “It’s not all about bananas,” said Reilly Morse, a lawyer for the Mississippi Center for Justice.

Mr. Morse and many others who oppose the port plan say the state should first ensure that all the families now living in more than 10,000 government trailers have a permanent place to live, that rental housing gets built and that all homeowners can repair their houses.

“I don’t have any problem with economic development and expanding the port, but not at the cost of people,” said James W. Crowell, president of the N.A.A.C.P. branch in Biloxi, just down the beach from Gulfport.

The New York Times Article

We often rightfully complain that much of the media has forgotten us after the immediate interest after Hurricane Katrina. I'm glad they're paying at least some attention.

First insurance CEO comes to visit Lott

The Sun Herald:

"He's the only CEO of an insurance company who has been in my office since Katrina and I have hammered them regularly," said Lott, who sued State Farm after his Katrina claim was denied and has since settled his case. "If somebody was going after me the way I've been going after them, I would go to their office and say, 'Hey, let's talk,' but the CEOs of State Farm, Allstate, Nationwide - none of them have come to see me."

Wow. I assumed they already would have met. I guess it's easier to sit in their comfortable offices and refuse to face the folks they've wronged.