Tired as we may be, and with more than enough to do, we are the only ones who can stop MDOT's money grab and force them to address the short- and long-term needs of Coast communities. If we do nothing, a year from now when MDOT is less than half way through building the Monster bridge that we don't need, and our recovery is lagging, it will be too late.

Get on the phone, pull out your stationery, or start sending email today. Here's a list of officials who need to hear your voice, from local to national:

• Call your city officials --- your alderman or city councilmember, and your mayor. Let them know we want MDOT to stop soaking Federal taxpayers and build us an emergency bridge NOW!


• Call or write your state legislators to let them know you don't approve of MDOT's ignoring the needs of the communities the agency is supposed to serve, lying to local officials, and cooking the numbers it provided FHWA to justify this bridge. Demand an investigation and tell them it's time for MDOT reform.


• Call or write the Governor to tell him you remember his promise that locals would decide on the rebuilding plans for the Coast --- not a renegade state agency without accountability. Tell him you appreciate his efforts in Washington to obtain Federal funds for the recovery of Mississippi, and you don't appreciate MDOT's attempts to squander that funding for its own benefit at the expense of afflicted communities on the Coast. Ask him to intervene to see that we get an emergency bridge in place to support our economic recovery immediately, and to support long-term MDOT reform to make MDOT more responsible to the state residents its supposed to serve.


• Call or write our Federal Congressional delegation to ask that they intervene to see that MDOT does not squander limited Federal funds on projects which don't address the afflicted communities' needs. Thank them for their efforts in securing Federal recovery funding, and ask them to help us stop MDOT's scandalous chicanery from tainting our national reputation by associating the Mississippi recovery with corruption. Ask for a Federal inquiry into FHWA's failure to protect Federal taxpayers and local Coast communities from MDOT's money grab.


• Contact the FHWA and demand better policing of MDOT to protect both Federal taxpayers and local communities from the agency's deceptive tactics. Demand a re-evaluation of all MDOT's recent projects to determine if similar false claims were made to justify oversized projects. Ask FHWA to provide emergency funding for immediate repair of the existing bridge while MDOT's "bridgezilla"-gate is investigated.


• Talk to you friends and neighbors and spread the word: We need a bridge NOW, not 2 to 3 years from now!