SCLC'S LOWERY POINTS TO CLASS AS A FACTOR IN U.S. RESPONSE TO NEED

CNN just raised the question of race in relation to the federal response to the dire situation in New Orleans. Reverend Joseph Lowery, head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said, "I don't think anyone would deny that it's a factor. But there's another demon here: class. Look how quickly we rushed to the rescue at the Twin Towers, symbol of wealth and power, as opposed to the levee, which is a symbol of poverty. What did we do for Rwanda, which had no oil, and Iraq, where there was a pool of it?"