Live From...New Orleans, the Immigration Protests, the U.S. Army and More

Eyewitness accounts are on tap today in the blogosphere, including the answer to this question: What's it like to live in New Orleans, seven months after Katrina blew threw? It's Not OK, says docBrite blogger (today's No. 5 most-cited blog post), a Crescent City resident who offers a list of problems with basic services - police patrols, electricity, water, transportation infrastructure, garbage pickup, medical care and debris removal. Not to mention the continuing discovery of more dead bodies. Kadymae blogger, who's driven close to the devastation, won't go any closer....ever. Witchofthedogs notes the importance New Orleans was given in the President's recent State of the Union speech.

Inside the immigration rallies
Bloggers have differing reactions to the immigration rallies being held throughout the U.S. in recent weeks, including PowerLine's focus on fringe groups who are getting involved to Wizbang's wonder that Democrats are recruiting votes at the rallies to columnist Mark Steyn's examination of the legal, political, economic and moral issues involved in the debate (today's No. 20 most-cited link). ThinkProgress documents a radio DJ's plan to just kill whomever crosses the border (he later claimed it was satire), while Echidne of the Snakes wonders when one issue (Congressional integrity, lobby reform, campaign finance reform, an exit strategy, Social Security) will stick, at least for longer than yelling TV pundits/slipper legislators can harangue about it before moving to the next topic.

You're in the Army now...or not
Another key issue today involves the New York Times' examination of retention rates among current U.S. Army officers, (today's No. 4 top link). Some bloggers are dissecting the Times' analysis of the numbers, while others look at the human toll of the Army's incentive plans to keep soldiers in uniform.

Blog funnies
Today's grins come from today's No. 2 top blog post, which features the top 100 best April Fool's jokes of all time, and BoingBoing's recipe (No. 33) for the Rapid Carbonic Geyser (you've been warned: read all the way through for cautions and hazards).