Looking into the future the Pelican feeding its young from a self-induced wound in its own breast (as depicted, mysteriously, on the state flag of Louisiana) is accepted as an appropriate symbol of both self-sacrifice and rebirth. Through his selfless efforts, man is raised from the slavery of ignorance to the condition of freedom conferred by wisdom. Given the current state of affairs in Louisiana, one hopes that the understanding of the Pelican as a symbol shall point the way towards a new consciousness of ourselves as a whole, and lead us to face our futures with strength, grace, wisdom and faith, to learn from our mistakes and carry our successes and zest for living to future generations.

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Gerald Gallinghouse Fat Fingers Inside 17th St. Canal Hurricane Barrier Lawsuit

As President of Orleans Levee Bd. in the 1960's,Gerald Gallinghouse played a leading roll in the development and settlement of the New Orleans Lakefront area. This area has been now totally flooded due to the 17th Street outfall drainage canal containment wall failure. At first, the Corps falsely states the canal's containment wall failure occurred because the Katrina storm surge topped the canal wall. Later this is discredited. Scientific documentation establishes the failure of the containment wall occurred because of faulty construction, namely the canal and its containment walls were built over weak peat moss, and not properly anchored.

Later information is established showing that falsified documents were used to lie, stating that the containment walls subsurface support structure went deeper than it actually did.

On a October 21, 2005 Press Release, SOWL stated the 17th Street outfall drainage canal containment walls were constructed by the contractor Pittman Construction operated by Al Pittman and Gerald Gallinghouse.

On Nov. 12, 2005 the La. State Attorney General Charles Foti, and New Orleans District Attorney Ed Jordan and U.S. Attorney General Jim Letten announce criminal investigations into the substandard construction of the 17th St. outfall drainage canal containment walls.

SOWL now continues with the Gerald Gallinghouse saga-flashback of 1977 when Gallinghouse attempted touse his political fat muscles to back down U.S. District Court Judge Charles Schwartz from issuing an injunction against a lying thieving ill advised faulty non protective flood Corps Barrier plan at the Chef Menteur Rigolets... After three days of testimony and hearing, Judge Charles Schwartz stated from the bench that Save Our Wetlands and St. Tammany Parish Police Jury had proven their case and ordered defendants to sit down and negotiate with plaintiffs a type of solution and compromise. Save Our Wetlands spent an entire day communicating with counsels for the defendants in attempting to obtain a compromised injunction on these barriers. This discussion lasted into the night.

At 10 p.m. all parties met in Judge Charles Schwartz chambers. Save Our Wetlands was ofthe impression that the defendants would agree to cease all of their operations on the construction of the Hurricane Barrier Project. In the chambers ofJudge Charles Schwartz were 12 people. The Judge satat the head of the table with an un lit cigar in his mouth. Also at the table was Colonel Early Rush and his entourage in full military regalia-also Gerald Gallinghouse, the U.S. Attorney- Gerald Gallinghouse ex-head of the Orleans Levee Board and a wheeler-dealer good 'ol boy Louisiana politico. Gerald Gallinghouse was appointed by Mafia backed Governor Jimmie Davis in 1960 as president of the Orleans Levee Board. When Gerald Gallinghouse was head of the Orleans Levee Board in the 1960's, he wheeled and dealed for the development of the New Orleans lake front area all the way to Robert E. Lee Blvd. This area has now been devastated by hurricane Katrina.

Therefore, Gerald Gallinghouse was and is a proponent of draining wetlands for housing developments in flood plains, and putting money into the pockets of politically connected developers. But get this, in the 1990's the 17th Street outfall drainage canal containment wall that failed was built by the contractor Pittman Construction, which was operated by Al Pittman and Gerald Gallinghouse. The 17th Street outfall drainage canal containment wall failure after Hurricane Katrina occurred over a subsurface of weak peat moss that used to be the bed of Lake Pontchartrain. BUT MOST IMPORTANT-MOST RELEAVANT Gerald Gallinghouse had his fat fingers in the construction of the 17th St. outfall drainage canal containment wall that is presently under criminal investigation.

Also, During the 1977 Hurricane Barrier trial, Gallinghouse was no where to be seen. However, now at the late hour during settlement negotiations, he sits at the table next to military men and with the coats and ties of many Orleans Levee Board members and their attorneys. Physically Gerald Gallinghouse is quite obese and overbearing and he is one slick New Orleans politico--a real Nixon man-a true corporate Republican. Gallinghouse now as the U.S. Attorney of the New Orleans Eastern District attempts to use his political, judicial power to influence the proceeding inside Judge Charles Schwartz's chamber. Gerald Gallinghouse is determined to get the Corps-Orleans Levee Board Barrier constructed.

These Barriers are directly tied in to draining the 28,000 wetlands of New Orleans East for the Texas oil baron land developers' Orlandia Subdivision. We all know today that levee failures & MR-GO devastated this area of New Orleans East per Hurricane Katrina. If Gerald Gallinghouse had his way 60,000 more homes would have been constructed in New Orleans East for the Orlandia Subdivision, which would have been destroyed by the Corps' Miss. River Gulf Outlet, and London canal levee break,and possibly thousands of lives lost per Hurricane Katrina.

If Gerald Gallinghouse had his way, hurricane Katrina's storm surge would have topped these barriers and St. Tammany Parish would be sitting in a stagnant cess-soup bowl. If Gerald Gallinghouse had his way, the Corps' Hurricane Barriers at the Chef Menteur Rigolets would have been constructed, and as the Sept. 28, 2005 GAO Report states "the flooding in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina would have been worse."

When Gerald Gallinghouse was director of the Orleans Levee Bd. in the 1960's, he had his way in promoting development in the Lakefront area of New Orleans. Now thousands of homes stand flooded in the Lakeview area per Katrina. And Gerald Gallinghouse's fat fingers were also in the construction of the 17th Street Outfall Drainage Canal Containment Walls built inadequately over peat moss, now subject to criminal investigations.

However, at this point there has been no evidence brought forth that Pittman Contractors operated by Al Pittman and Gerald Gallinghouse, the builders of the 17th Street canal levee comitted any wrongs whatsoever. SOWL only points out that Gerald Gallinghouse, ex Orleans Levee Bd. President-ex New Orleans U.S. Attorney (1977 pusher of Corps failed Chef Menteur Rigolets Hurricane Barrier Plan), also had his fingers in the failed 17th Street canal levee pie. This observation is made for historic purposes only, and not as an accusation or implication of any malfeasance on the part of Mr. Gallinghouse in any way at all.