Gulf Coast cities hit hard by Hurricane Katrina four years ago stand to lose future federal funding, and possibly some political representation, as mostly lower-income residents stay away from the area, analysts say….

This has a huge impact on the area, including how Housing and Urban Development funds are distributed.

In the Gulf Coast region, where low-income housing has already been wiped out in favor of luxury condo development and higher-income rental fix-ups, this is yet another sign to folks who can least afford another blow that their kind may not be welcomed home.

Except it also may cost representation in the House for several Gulf Coast states and a huge chunk of federal funding lost:

Roughly 311,800 people now live in New Orleans, down from the 484,674 who lived there before the storms. City officials are so concerned about a potential undercount that starting next week a staffer will be devoted full time to local census issues, according to a city spokesman.

Wade Henderson, president and chief executive of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, which is leading the Gulf Coast coalition, said hurricane-affected communities there could lose up to $20,000 per person in federal funding.

As we look ahead, there is a lot yet to be done. And issues yet to be resolved. But lives go forward regardless, don’t they?

I want to pause and thank Scout for her work on these issues the last few years. Kudos for a job well done.

. . . the Obama administration is planning a major revival of high-impact civil rights enforcement against policies, in areas ranging from housing to hiring, where statistics show that minorities fare disproportionately poorly. . . .

Among the critics, Hans von Spakovsky, a former key Bush-era official at the division, has accused the Obama team of “nakedly political” maneuvers.

Having Hans Von Spakovsky accuse you of “nakedly political” maneuvers is like having David Duke call you a racist.

Given his crusade during the last election cycle to question absentee ballots?  

Or his failed bid for an FEC position after a host of issues with his prior politicizing behavior were exposed, including:

Try von Spakovsky sockpuppeting an article about voter suppression in violation of DOJ rules while he was still an employee there ostensibly working on civil rights issues.  Or how about participating in an effort to disenfranchise elderly Native American voters in Arizona on a technicality rather than working to find a way to support their right to vote. Or the entire gaming the system for The Math scheme at the DOJ. Or that a number of his subordinates at the DOJ wrote in to the Senate to say that von Spakovsky has neither the ethical underpinnings nor the commitment to voting integrity that should not be gamed for political purposes to be anywhere near the FEC. And there is so much more: see Digby and Adam at ePluribusMedia, for starters.

Seriously. “Nakedly political” maneuvers?  Von Spakovsky oughtta know. 

It is to laugh. A lot.

Especially since Von Spakovsky’s tenure at DOJ Civil Rights was rife with odious policy and politics, to the point that his co-workers wrote to the Senate opposing his FEC nod.  Who could possibly forget all that tap dancing before the Senate on politicization issues?

Wouldn’t it have been the least bit relevant for the reporter to let readers know that:

In Oct. 2007, Obama “derailed” a vote on Spakovsky’s nomination, which eventually led to Spakovsky’s withdrawal from his nomination. In an op-ed explaining his opposition, Obama wrote that Spakovsky had “amassed a record” of “putting partisan politics above upholding our civil rights.”

Shouldn’t that at least get a little exposure for readers to weigh? Along with his affiliation with the Heritage Foundation, as his post-FEC wingnut welfare gig?  And his several ethical lapses?

There are days when I despair of the current state of reportage. Today is one of those days.

UPDATE: Ooops, I neglected to say that it was Charlie Savage doing the reporting — and he’s usually really good. Which poses the question whether it was an editorial decision to pull out any background on Von Spakovsky and his role in the politicization under Bush, and, if so, why.

The President himself has said he doesn’t want to look backwards, but now he’s allowing his Attorney General to do just that.

Leaving aside the disturbing Pre-Crime connotations straight out of Phillip K. Dick’s Minority Report, Steele’s utter ignorance of how DOJ is supposed to properly function is stunning. Or it’s deliberately feigned obtuseness, I can’t decide.

Fortunately, the DOJ has internal guidelines and rules which, when followed, outline exactly how and why political interference with the adinistration of justice is frowned upon in legal circles.

For the why of this, we can refer back to an earlier era when the rule of law wasn’t cast out detritus on the GOP’s floor.

. . .there is a decided emphasis on DOJ leadership and prosecutors being the ones who determine whether an investigation or prosecution is warranted — and no one else.

The memo references Berger v. US, wherein SCOTUS laid out the primary obligation of government attorneys:

…they are representatives "not of an ordinary party to a controversy, but of a sovereignty whose obligation to govern impartially is as compelling as its obligation to govern at all; and whose interest, therefore, in criminal prosecution is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done.

Guidelines are then laid out [PDF] for communications with the President on particular prosecutions where the national policy interests are implicated. Such communications shall be initiated by the DOJ only where appropriate, and only to the extent that prosecutorial discretion considerations allow.

There are expressly written guidelines on communications with members of the WH staff, monitoring by supervisors, and details which types of communications are or are not appropriate.

Had Steele bothered to have anyone on his staff check, they’d have found that these guidelines [PDF] have been in effect since last spring. And that this has been internal DOJ policy since the 1940s, with the exception of…wait for it…the Bush years.

News flash to Steele — you don’t investigate until after a bad act has been alleged, but don’t let a little thing like probable cause stand in your way. I suggest reading beyond Dick Cheney’s talking points.

You could learn a few things just picking up the Federalist Papers — try Fed. 51 for starters.

Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit.

There is a very good reason the Founders were suspicious of concentrating power in any one branch. Because back then they knew balance and the rule of law was necessary to prevent corruption and overreach.

Why is it that we have to keep learning those lessons over and over again…

Imagine living in a society which valued its elders, instead of just using them as political pawns by scaring them half to death and then shoving them to the side. Imagine compassion and care, and a desire to make certain that the last years were filled with comfort. Imagine health care decisions made based on actual health care needs instead of just what was most profitable…

I’ve been meaning to get pictures of our trip to New Orleans up for ages, and just haven’t found the right moment to write about them. Until now. Seems a fitting tribute to the resilience and strength of the human spirit that we saw from so many in NOLA to post some pictures of how beautiful areas are, and how far things have come for so many who have been working

Can’t just wash it away…

Hurricane Katrina marked a real low point in human compassion and decency in this country on so many levels.

But it also brought out some of the best in so many people from all over the country — and the world. Neighbors helping each other cope with their horrible losses.

Having only recently watched “Walk the Line,” that somehow makes this all the more amusing.

Johnny Cash.

Miss Piggy.

Singing Jackson.

Classic stuff. Here’s a great older video of Cash with June Carter Cash (YouTube) at San Quentin. Seriously classic stuff.

Compare to the version with Muppets? Hilarious.

Enjoy.

The DOJ appointment of a special prosecutor has the Beltway press all aflutter. Why? Because it’s that thing they do:The art of the hissy fit lies in your ability to bring the entire media over to the fainting couch over even the most absurd allegations of impropriety and insensitivity.