Just got back from New Orleans...
- Thread starter shane
- Start date
Good Job!!! I am a bit worried about your faces and the other securitys ID's. Maybe move to the Bomb Shelter or someone do a blur on the photos.
On a lighter note you know those "Why I was absent from school" notes.(I guess they still use em), what do you think their teachers/principal are going to think about this?
What a family!!!!!!!
On a lighter note you know those "Why I was absent from school" notes.(I guess they still use em), what do you think their teachers/principal are going to think about this?What a family!!!!!!!
Rex Jackson
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Cool, I love a happy ending. 
Also, it was a priceless field run for our sons....
One they will always remember.
Also, it was a priceless field run for our sons....
One they will always remember.
SouthernMagnolia
Senior Member
Shane, as a citizen of New Orleans, I thank you and your sons for the bravery you displayed and for the humanitarian services you provided for those still trapped in our desolate city! You three men have my great admiration.
I'm very grateful, too, that you shared your story with us. I'm a resident of Algiers. It is the west bank side of New Orleans...we are New Orleans but Algiers is a nickname of sorts. According to the few reports I've been able to get, we are some of the lucky ones...the west bank didn't flood in most areas.
I'm wondering if you were taken to Our Lady Of Holy Cross College? It's on Woodland Highway and my home is just about 3/4 of a mile from there. I had heard that our area was a staging area for the police, firemen and other emergency workers.
I understand that our area received a lot of wind damage, but our biggest threat now is from the looters and arsonists. Nola.com had an article about a home 2 blocks from me being ransacked. I understand the people's needs to find food and water...I would do it , too, in a life-death situation. But the insane arson going on makes no sense...those involved in such acts are only making it harder for us to get back to a normal society.
God bless you and you and your sons, Shane!
Jan
I'm very grateful, too, that you shared your story with us. I'm a resident of Algiers. It is the west bank side of New Orleans...we are New Orleans but Algiers is a nickname of sorts. According to the few reports I've been able to get, we are some of the lucky ones...the west bank didn't flood in most areas.
I'm wondering if you were taken to Our Lady Of Holy Cross College? It's on Woodland Highway and my home is just about 3/4 of a mile from there. I had heard that our area was a staging area for the police, firemen and other emergency workers.
I understand that our area received a lot of wind damage, but our biggest threat now is from the looters and arsonists. Nola.com had an article about a home 2 blocks from me being ransacked. I understand the people's needs to find food and water...I would do it , too, in a life-death situation. But the insane arson going on makes no sense...those involved in such acts are only making it harder for us to get back to a normal society.
God bless you and you and your sons, Shane!
Jan
HeliumAvid
Too Tired to ReTire
Dang Shane & Sons You did US ALL Proud!!
It is nice to know there are still folks who care!!!
Thank you for your service!!!! Thanks for the post!
Helium
It is nice to know there are still folks who care!!!
Thank you for your service!!!! Thanks for the post!
Helium
Thanks for the bump Gayla, I missed it - gone for the weekend, as you may have thought!
Wow Shane, glad to hear everyone is OK. I'll bet the boys never forget this experience. Though it seemed as if they were playing hookey from school, this is one HISTORY LESSON they'll never forget!
tsk, tsk...
Wow Shane, glad to hear everyone is OK. I'll bet the boys never forget this experience. Though it seemed as if they were playing hookey from school, this is one HISTORY LESSON they'll never forget!
tsk, tsk...
outnumbered10
Sleep? What is that?
Shane,
I just had to add that I was also impressed! My oldest boys are that same age and they were impressed too. Well, I haven't shown the oldest yet because he's in Maine bear hunting- called me tonight to tell me he got a big one!
It is so surreal to see you all on the streets of the US with weapons. I told my dad about this post over a BBQ tonight and he wants me to send him the link.
You're a legend my friend!!
on10
I just had to add that I was also impressed! My oldest boys are that same age and they were impressed too. Well, I haven't shown the oldest yet because he's in Maine bear hunting- called me tonight to tell me he got a big one!
It is so surreal to see you all on the streets of the US with weapons. I told my dad about this post over a BBQ tonight and he wants me to send him the link.
You're a legend my friend!!
on10
TruthQuest
Life Student
My sentiments exactly. Couldn't have said it better.
Thank you everyone for your supportive comments, both my sons have really enjoyed seeing and reading them all here and are 'walking tall'!
Had to write this morning their excuse for missing two days of school last week, so I penned the following...
____________________
To Whom It May Concern:
Please excuse Eric & Logan Connor for their absence from school this past Thursday and Friday, the 1st and 2nd of September.
They both were needed to assist me, their father, in responding to an emergency rush request for a truckload of food, water and medicine to be delivered ASAP to stranded hotel occupants on Canal Street in New Orleans.
There was no time to find or hire any reliable and trusted truck packers or back-up drivers for the all night drive.
With little sleep and under great stress for three days they made it possible for these essential supplies to arrive in a timely fashion.
If any questions, please contact me.
Best Regards,
Shane Connor
ki4u.com
(830) 672-8734
______________________
BTW, after selling out our MRE inventory last week we were fortunate enough to find and secure another 13 truckloads (65,000 MRE Tray Packs) which are all now in the process of being transferred to FEMA and MEMA and heading to MS, and we had a little left over so that we are now partially re-stocked with MRE inventory here, too.
______________________
When we catch our breath here we'll work on getting some of the daylight and nightvision video camera tape converted over to web accessible format. Appreciate offers to do it for us, but I need to do some editing first before it's released. Will announce here when up & ready.
Again, thank you everyone for your kind words, it's been very much appreciated.
- Shane
Had to write this morning their excuse for missing two days of school last week, so I penned the following...
____________________
To Whom It May Concern:
Please excuse Eric & Logan Connor for their absence from school this past Thursday and Friday, the 1st and 2nd of September.
They both were needed to assist me, their father, in responding to an emergency rush request for a truckload of food, water and medicine to be delivered ASAP to stranded hotel occupants on Canal Street in New Orleans.
There was no time to find or hire any reliable and trusted truck packers or back-up drivers for the all night drive.
With little sleep and under great stress for three days they made it possible for these essential supplies to arrive in a timely fashion.
If any questions, please contact me.
Best Regards,
Shane Connor
ki4u.com
(830) 672-8734
______________________
BTW, after selling out our MRE inventory last week we were fortunate enough to find and secure another 13 truckloads (65,000 MRE Tray Packs) which are all now in the process of being transferred to FEMA and MEMA and heading to MS, and we had a little left over so that we are now partially re-stocked with MRE inventory here, too.
______________________
When we catch our breath here we'll work on getting some of the daylight and nightvision video camera tape converted over to web accessible format. Appreciate offers to do it for us, but I need to do some editing first before it's released. Will announce here when up & ready.
Again, thank you everyone for your kind words, it's been very much appreciated.
- Shane
To Whom It May Concern:
Please excuse Eric & Logan Connor for their absence from school this past Thursday and Friday, the 1st and 2nd of September.
They both were needed to assist me, their father, in responding to an emergency rush request for a truckload of food, water and medicine to be delivered ASAP to stranded hotel occupants on Canal Street in New Orleans.
There was no time to find or hire any reliable and trusted truck packers or back-up drivers for the all night drive.
With little sleep and under great stress for three days they made it possible for these essential supplies to arrive in a timely fashion.
If any questions, please contact me.
I wonder if they have got the guts to call you.
I'll bet you this will be a legend in your hometown soon.
Please excuse Eric & Logan Connor for their absence from school this past Thursday and Friday, the 1st and 2nd of September.
They both were needed to assist me, their father, in responding to an emergency rush request for a truckload of food, water and medicine to be delivered ASAP to stranded hotel occupants on Canal Street in New Orleans.
There was no time to find or hire any reliable and trusted truck packers or back-up drivers for the all night drive.
With little sleep and under great stress for three days they made it possible for these essential supplies to arrive in a timely fashion.
If any questions, please contact me.
I wonder if they have got the guts to call you.
I'll bet you this will be a legend in your hometown soon.
Thanks Shane (and sons), for doing that. And thanks for being a member of the TB community. We appreciate all you do for us....
Mountain Mike
Guitar Man
Wow, Shane!
Good work! What a spellbinding adventure! You should work up a version for publication. Great photos, too. This kind of REAL reporting is what is so lacking in the mainstream media.
Great job!
Mike
Good work! What a spellbinding adventure! You should work up a version for publication. Great photos, too. This kind of REAL reporting is what is so lacking in the mainstream media.
Great job!
Mike
Great Story and Great Job!Can't believe that this happened on the streets of USA. Have heard on the news reports that things were bad but you never know what they are saying for ratings vs what is truth. I know that we can believe you. Just shows that this board was right in thinking how quick society will brake down when push comes to shove. Glad you are all safe. Glowy
Christian for Israel
Knight of Jerusalem
so, did you ever get the video finished?
doctor_fungcool
TB Fanatic
You da man, Shane..........great pics, and a great article.
clem
Veteran Member
Did you stay in one of these places?
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Report: Katrina evacuees put in luxury hotels
USA TODAY
ADVERTISEMENT
The Federal Emergency Management Agency failed to set cost controls on hotel room rentals for Hurricane Katrina evacuees, an omission that led to "excessive" bills, a report says.
The agency was still paying up to $364 a night for some rooms on Dec. 7, more than three months after Katrina hit, says the report this week by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
The payments covered stays at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, a hotel that advertises an outdoor heated pool, and the InterContinental New Orleans, a luxury hotel that recovered and reopened after Katrina, the report shows.
The inspector general is examining whether unidentified hotels in Ontario, Calif.; Niles, Ill.; and Orlando, Fla., boosted normal rates for Katrina evacuees, the report adds.
The findings expand on the inspector general's disclosure last month that the emergency agency paid up to $438 a night to house Katrina evacuees in luxury hotels in New York City, Chicago, and Panama City, Fla.
The accommodations were among at least 773 rooms for which the emergency agency paid more than $147,935, or an average of $191 a night, the report says.
That represents a fraction of the estimated $560 million the agency spent on tens of thousands of rooms.
The agency rented the rooms through a contract with Corporate Lodging Consultants, which was required to "endeavor to ensure reasonable lodging rates."
The contract included a $60-a-night estimate per room.
But the deal "did not contain any incentives for the contractor to achieve these estimated costs or penalties for failing to achieve the estimated costs," the oversight report says.
Danielle Brian, executive director of the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight, concedes that the agency faced an unprecedented evacuation of a major city with no prospect of immediate return.
Still, he says, the agency acted "without common sense."
"There should be adequate carrots and sticks to make sure the government is paying Econo Lodge prices rather than Paris Hilton prices," says Keith Ashdown of Taxpayers for Common Sense, another watchdog group.
Agency spokeswoman Nicol Andrews says the costly rooms were in some cases the only option but were "the exception, not the rule."
"In a situation where hours can make a difference, FEMA cut through red tape to ensure everyone had a place to stay," she says.
Andrews adds that the average nightly price of hotel rooms was $60 during the recently ended program.
The report urges the agency to modify the contract to add cost incentives and penalties for rentals, and to review the hotel-selection process to prevent excessive costs.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/news/national/030806b1_GNS-KATRINA-HOTELS
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Report: Katrina evacuees put in luxury hotels
USA TODAY
ADVERTISEMENT
The Federal Emergency Management Agency failed to set cost controls on hotel room rentals for Hurricane Katrina evacuees, an omission that led to "excessive" bills, a report says.
The agency was still paying up to $364 a night for some rooms on Dec. 7, more than three months after Katrina hit, says the report this week by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
The payments covered stays at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, a hotel that advertises an outdoor heated pool, and the InterContinental New Orleans, a luxury hotel that recovered and reopened after Katrina, the report shows.
The inspector general is examining whether unidentified hotels in Ontario, Calif.; Niles, Ill.; and Orlando, Fla., boosted normal rates for Katrina evacuees, the report adds.
The findings expand on the inspector general's disclosure last month that the emergency agency paid up to $438 a night to house Katrina evacuees in luxury hotels in New York City, Chicago, and Panama City, Fla.
The accommodations were among at least 773 rooms for which the emergency agency paid more than $147,935, or an average of $191 a night, the report says.
That represents a fraction of the estimated $560 million the agency spent on tens of thousands of rooms.
The agency rented the rooms through a contract with Corporate Lodging Consultants, which was required to "endeavor to ensure reasonable lodging rates."
The contract included a $60-a-night estimate per room.
But the deal "did not contain any incentives for the contractor to achieve these estimated costs or penalties for failing to achieve the estimated costs," the oversight report says.
Danielle Brian, executive director of the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight, concedes that the agency faced an unprecedented evacuation of a major city with no prospect of immediate return.
Still, he says, the agency acted "without common sense."
"There should be adequate carrots and sticks to make sure the government is paying Econo Lodge prices rather than Paris Hilton prices," says Keith Ashdown of Taxpayers for Common Sense, another watchdog group.
Agency spokeswoman Nicol Andrews says the costly rooms were in some cases the only option but were "the exception, not the rule."
"In a situation where hours can make a difference, FEMA cut through red tape to ensure everyone had a place to stay," she says.
Andrews adds that the average nightly price of hotel rooms was $60 during the recently ended program.
The report urges the agency to modify the contract to add cost incentives and penalties for rentals, and to review the hotel-selection process to prevent excessive costs.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/news/national/030806b1_GNS-KATRINA-HOTELS
D
Dazed
Guest
Corporate Lodging Consultants gets a very small percentage AND a fee for each motel room they bill. They negotiate a price for the room with the motel/hotel and their fee is added on to the price that is billed to the customer.
There would be no incentive for them to reduce the price of the room, as that would decrease their fee.
I do business with CLC, and while they are a necessary evil for the motel industry, they are shark-like in their pursuit of profit.
There would be no incentive for them to reduce the price of the room, as that would decrease their fee.
I do business with CLC, and while they are a necessary evil for the motel industry, they are shark-like in their pursuit of profit.
teefleur
Veteran Member
Hey! Thanks for ressurecting this thread! First time I've seen it! (I was probably still in generator light and no internet when this was posted.)
Thank you Shane, for your efforts on behalf of New Orleans. Great photos to treasure along with an unforgettable experience for you and your boys...
Thank you Shane, for your efforts on behalf of New Orleans. Great photos to treasure along with an unforgettable experience for you and your boys...
jed turtle
a brother in the Lord
amazing report! can't believe i missed it. i was internet deprived during this period. thanks for bringing this thread back up.
I did, Christian for Israel, and had been sharing the DVD around some here, but will need to edit out further some of the Blackwater contract security folks in it before hosting/linking it up onto the internet. Got a fellow next week should be cleaning it up more for me.Christian for Israel said:
- Shane
Christian for Israel
Knight of Jerusalem
thanks bro, looking forward to seeing it.
Jumpy Frog
Browncoat sympathizer
Barry Natchitoches
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yeah, I bet you DO have to do some editing out of those Blackwater guys....
Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans
By Jeremy Scahill and Daniela Crespo
t r u t h o u t | Report
Saturday 10 September 2005
New Orleans - Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Some of the mercenaries say they have been "deputized" by the Louisiana governor; indeed some are wearing gold Louisiana state law enforcement badges on their chests and Blackwater photo identification cards on their arms. They say they are on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and have been given the authority to use lethal force. Several mercenaries we spoke with said they had served in Iraq on the personal security details of the former head of the US occupation, L. Paul Bremer and the former US ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte.
"This is a totally new thing to have guys like us working CONUS (Continental United States)," a heavily armed Blackwater mercenary told us as we stood on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. "We're much better equipped to deal with the situation in Iraq."
Blackwater mercenaries are some of the most feared professional killers in the world and they are accustomed to operating without worry of legal consequences. Their presence on the streets of New Orleans should be a cause for serious concern for the remaining residents of the city and raises alarming questions about why the government would allow men trained to kill with impunity in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to operate here. Some of the men now patrolling the streets of New Orleans returned from Iraq as recently as 2 weeks ago.
What is most disturbing is the claim of several Blackwater mercenaries we spoke with that they are here under contract from the federal and Louisiana state governments.
Blackwater is one of the leading private "security" firms servicing the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. It has several US government contracts and has provided security for many senior US diplomats, foreign dignitaries and corporations. The company rose to international prominence after 4 of its men were killed in Fallujah and two of their charred bodies were hung from a bridge in March 2004. Those killings sparked the massive US retaliation against the civilian population of Fallujah that resulted in scores of deaths and tens of thousands of refugees.
As the threat of forced evictions now looms in New Orleans and the city confiscates even legally registered weapons from civilians, the private mercenaries of Blackwater patrol the streets openly wielding M-16s and other assault weapons. This despite Police Commissioner Eddie Compass' claim that "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons."
Officially, Blackwater says its forces are in New Orleans to "join the Hurricane Relief Effort." A statement on the company's website, dated September 1, advertises airlift services, security services and crowd control. The company, according to news reports, has since begun taking private contracts to guard hotels, businesses and other properties. But what has not been publicly acknowledged is the claim, made to us by 2 Blackwater mercenaries, that they are actually engaged in general law enforcement activities including "securing neighborhoods" and "confronting criminals."
That raises a key question: under what authority are Blackwater's men operating? A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department, Russ Knocke, told the Washington Post he knows of no federal plans to hire Blackwater or other private security. "We believe we've got the right mix of personnel in law enforcement for the federal government to meet the demands of public safety." he said.
But in an hour-long conversation with several Blackwater mercenaries, we heard a different story. The men we spoke with said they are indeed on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and the Louisiana governor's office and that some of them are sleeping in camps organized by Homeland Security in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. One of them wore a gold Louisiana state law enforcement badge and said he had been "deputized" by the governor. They told us they not only had authority to make arrests but also to use lethal force. We encountered the Blackwater forces as we walked through the streets of the largely deserted French Quarter. We were talking with 2 New York Police officers when an unmarked car without license plates sped up next to us and stopped. Inside were 3 men, dressed in khaki uniforms, flak jackets and wielding automatic weapons. "Y'all know where the Blackwater guys are?" they asked. One of the police officers responded, "There are a bunch of them around here," and pointed down the road.
"Blackwater?" we asked. "The guys who are in Iraq?"
"Yeah," said the officer. "They're all over the place."
A short while later, as we continued down Bourbon Street, we ran into the men from the car. They wore Blackwater ID badges on their arms.
"When they told me New Orleans, I said, 'What country is that in?,'" said one of the Blackwater men. He was wearing his company ID around his neck in a carrying case with the phrase "Operation Iraqi Freedom" printed on it. After bragging about how he drives around Iraq in a "State Department issued level 5, explosion proof BMW," he said he was "just trying to get back to Kirkuk (in the north of Iraq) where the real action is." Later we overheard him on his cell phone complaining that Blackwater was only paying $350 a day plus per diem. That is much less than the men make serving in more dangerous conditions in Iraq. Two men we spoke with said they plan on returning to Iraq in October. But, as one mercenary said, they've been told they could be in New Orleans for up to 6 months. "This is a trend," he told us. "You're going to see a lot more guys like us in these situations."
If Blackwater's reputation and record in Iraq are any indication of the kind of "services" the company offers, the people of New Orleans have much to fear.
-----
Jeremy Scahill, a correspondent for the national radio and TV program Democracy Now!, and Daniela Crespo are in New Orleans. Visit www.democracynow.org for in-depth, independent, investigative reporting on Hurricane Katrina. Email: jeremy@democracynow.org.
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