Hurricane Katrina, and the resulting humanitarian disaster, hit many Americans in the stomach. Daily images of the elderly and poor, desperately pleading for food and water, were a grim reminder of the ongoing structural problems of our society and our government's priorities. In the age of the 24-hour news cycle, Katrina's rage seems to have happened a year ago.
In light of this, I've compiled a mix (for posterity) featuring music inspired by and quotes from individuals on the devastation caused in the Gulf coast just two months ago.
The mix, clocking in at just under an hour, is available for download
here.
The playlist:
- Public Enemy 'Contract on the World Love Jam' [Instrumental] Fear of a Black Planet
- Legendary K.O. 'George Bush Don't Like Black People'
- Mos Def 'Dollar Day for New Orleans (Katrina Klap)'
- 9th Wonder + Pete Rock - 'Track 6' Class is in Session / Suheir Hammad 'On Refuge and Language'
- Ben Harper 'Black Rain'
- Mocean Worker 'NO, LA Ain't Right (Respect)'
- Josh Martinez 'Another Dollar Another Day' [Instrumental] The Stolen or Borrowed / Mumia Abu-Jamal 'Katrina's Rage'
- Jeru the Damaja 'Come Clean' [Instrumental] / Shepard Smith exerpt
- Short excerpt from Allen Ginsberg's 'America'
- Gil Scott-Heron 'The Train From Washington' Real Eyes
- Joe McDuphrey Experience 'Elegant Soul' / Chertoff, Olbermann excerpts
- MF Doom 'Coltsfoot Leak' Special Herbs Vols. 9 & 10 / various Katrina excerpts
- Souls of Mischief '93 Til Infinity' [Instrumental] / Michael Eric Dyson + Babbs Bush excerpts
- Abstract Rude 'Entshuldigung' Entshuldigung VLS
- Scratch Perverts ft. Dynamite MC, Mos Def, Black Thought + McKay 'Time' Come Get It
- Democracy/Despotism
[Feedback, suggestions, additional song requests all welcome.]
On a related note, The Hill reports that Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) has threatened to subpoena three Bush cabinet members and Harriet Miers to compel them to turn over White House documents related to the response to Katrina.
During a committee hearing yesterday, Davis decried the failure of White House officials to release e-mails and other communication records related to the hurricane and its aftermath. Davis set a hard deadline of Nov. 18 for all federal agencies to comply with his requests.
"If documents aren't produced by that date, I'm ready to proceed with subpoenas," Davis said.
...
The draft subpoenas produced by Melancon call for all documents "received, prepared or sent" before Aug. 23 related to a emergency-response procedures in the case of a hurricane striking the Gulf Coast, as well as all documents transmitted between Aug. 23 and Sept. 15 relating to Hurricane Katrina itself.
Members of the select committee have scrutinized the months and years before Katrina for signs of lax disaster preparation in the Department of Homeland Security, in particular the simulation exercise dubbed "Hurricane Pam" that predicted devastation in the case of a Category 5 hurricane striking New Orleans.