Fyodor is not the only one who thinks Mayor Nagin of New Orleans is hearing the cries of the ghosts.

Officials failed to follow plan

Reporter Editor:
Anyone who wants to know what New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin should have done can read the city of New Orleans' excellent hurricane preparedness plan, which, if implemented by the mayor, would have saved the lives of almost everyone who tragically died. The plan can be found on the city's Web site: www.cityofno.com.

There is some very interesting stuff on the New Orleans site. Mr. C. Ray Nagin should resign now. It will look better when he goes to prison as a private citizen.

The plan correctly anticipates that approximately 100,000 residents would be unable or unwilling to leave. Therefore, as soon as a hurricane reaches Category 3, it is the mayor's exclusive responsibility to implement a forced evacuation no later than 72 hours in advance of landfall, well before any possible communications disruption. The plan states that all public transportation systems are to be used, and are to be assisted by city police.
Instead, Mayor Nagin did nothing. The buses sit neatly parked and idle, and the people were left to fend for themselves.

Such ineptitude is downright criminal. Both the mayor and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco have the blood of the dead on their hands, and no one in the mainstream media wants to touch this story. No one should have died had the mayor and the governor simply done their jobs. I am appalled and disgusted.

W. Anderson, Vacaville

Let us hope the good people of Louisiana take this tragic opportunity to clean out the professional politicians and poverty pimps who enslave them.