Did anyone see Lootie holding onto his beer stash while being sucked into a tornado?

Quoted: yes i can understand what the ports do for this country i think every one can. but i know alot of people can not see marti gras happening. i mean half of  new orleans police force either quit or walked off the job after the hurricane. how can they possible have margi gras when it took the whole police  being there for drunken crowd control. yeah i know the phrench quarter did not get hit hard but still if your going to do some type of party make it smaller and maybe to honor the people that did die during or after katrinia.

well, you're just uninformed... come down here, see things for yourself, and stop just repeating everything you hear on Fox News about the small worst of the worst part of the population.

Quoted: That's all well and good, Mr. mac, but rather narrow, don't you think? We are allowing the national news media  to tell us the thoughts and asperations of folks in New Orleans? We are listening to those losers who manage to position themselves in front of a camera, or weasel their way into an NPR studio (!), to speak for the common folks of New Orleans? Disregard Mayor Nagin because he's just a political hack trying to hold to the vestiges of relevance by speaking to his black supporters who are now living in Texas and Oklahoma, and elsewhere, and who have no intention of ever returning. If he was saying that the failure of evacuation, and the human catastrophe afterwards, was his own fault and possibly that of Governor Blanco, but certainly not that of President Bush, the national mass media wouldn't be giving him the time of day. The good citizens of New Orleans are going on about their business and have little time to spend in front of cameras and in radio stations, even if their plain-spoken views were prized by the liberal media. What do you wish for the good citizens and your fellow Americans residing in New Orleans? That the federal assistance programs that are available to every citizen in this country, in times of declared disaster, should NOT be available to them? To fight the War Between the States again, but this time with Louisiana all by itself on the other side? To tell you the truth, I would be ashamed if Texas did not choose to stand beside Louisiana in such a dispicable circumstance! And I would think that so would Alabama...and Georgia...and Florida...and the Carolinas...and.... Well, you get the picture. Eric The(BestTwoOutOfThree?)Hun

The good citizens (heck, all citizens) of New Orleans will get their due.

It may be a personal quirk of mine but I like it when victims are humble, and respectful. Not demanding and seemingly incapable of respect. I don't think I ask for much. And they're going to get more than what they had originally.

I'm not sure where you were going with the whole "war between the states" thing... I never said NOLA shouldn't be rebuilt... I just want it to be rebuilt with humility, not arrogance.

Wow... Bush has a tornado machine too??? Cool.

Quoted:

The good citizens (heck, all citizens) of New Orleans will get their due.

Yes, this is America, after all.

Not some third world shiitehole.

It may be a personal quirk of mine but I like it when victims are humble, and respectful. Not demanding and seemingly incapable of respect. I don't think I ask for much. And they're going to get more than what they had originally.

I speak with the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast daily.

There's not one of them whose place I would willingly take.

And yet, I never hear anything resembling 'entitlement' in their voices, in their questions, or in their attitude.

I suppose they are still too stunned to 'cop an attitude.'

The riff-raff came, got their quick money, and went, and are as likely to be in your city today as in mine.

The ones with solid lives are not so easily moved.

I'm not sure where you were going with the whole "war between the states" thing... I never said NOLA shouldn't be rebuilt... I just want it to be rebuilt with humility, not arrogance.

History, my dear man, history...compels me to liken any of these sorts of grumblings with that Late Unpleasantness.

Very few still in New Orleans exhibit anything like arrogance.

Of course, IF you depend upon the national mass media and NPR to present to you the 'average New Orleans citizen', you may not have guessed this.

Eric The(CityThatCareForgot)Hun

Quoted: Quoted: The good citizens (heck, all citizens) of New Orleans will get their due. Yes, this is America, after all. Not some third world shiitehole. It may be a personal quirk of mine but I like it when victims are humble, and respectful. Not demanding and seemingly incapable of respect. I don't think I ask for much. And they're going to get more than what they had originally. I speak with the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast daily. There's not one of them whose place I would willingly take. And yet, I never hear anything resembling 'entitlement' in their voices, in their questions, or in their attitude. I suppose they are still too stunned to 'cop an attitude.' The riff-raff came, got their quick money, and went, and are as likely to be in your city today as in mine. The ones with solid lives are not so easily moved. I'm not sure where you were going with the whole "war between the states" thing... I never said NOLA shouldn't be rebuilt... I just want it to be rebuilt with humility, not arrogance. History, my dear man, history...compels me to liken any of these sorts of grumblings with that Late Unpleasantness. Very few still in New Orleans exhibit anything like arrogance. Of course, IF you depend upon the national mass media and NPR to present to you the 'average New Orleans citizen', you may not have guessed this. Eric The(CityThatCareForgot)Hun

Eric, the only method many of us have for gleaning info about NO is the major media outlets... Don't fault us if our only access to Joe Average in NOLA is skewed... I try to get the straight, unadultered news but, well, it's not always that easy to find. And we have some NOLA refugees here in MI that are playing the victim card and pointing fingers.

I'm glad you talk to New Orleanians (is that the right term?) and know them better than I do. I was only there for a few days in October '04. I came away impressed for the most part.

I'm curious as to why you are still talking about a war between the states... I'm simply not seeing a connection.

Lets see here.......
Build a city below sea level right next to the sea.
A huge lake on one side, the Mississippi on the other.
Use levees to keep mother nature away.
All this in an area which gets hurricanes yearly.

Sounds good to me.

Quoted: Quoted: New Orleans the new Soddom and Gomorrah.    .............and I'm an athiest. I'm a Christian and I agree with you.

+1 and Vegas is next.

Quoted: Quoted: God, I hope my father is ok. There are some people hard at work down there trying to fix this cluster fuck. Prayers sent for your Dad.  Patty

Same here SirDrinksAlot.

The thing is you cannot control the weather.

Should NOLA be rebuilt? Not my call.

It should be rebuilt with people that actually care about their city, not people who detest it and don't want to work well.

Quoted: The thing is you cannot control the weather. Should NOLA be rebuilt? Not my call. It should be rebuilt with people that actually care about their city, not people who detest it and don't want to work well.

thats one of the best post so far.

Thanks

I saw a video called "Battle of New Orleans, and it showed how everyone is complaining.

They want the city back, they just don't want to work for it.  

Quoted: Thanks I saw a video called "Battle of New Orleans, and it showed how everyone is complaining. They want the city back, they just don't want to work for it.

well i understand they had to go to other cities after the hurricane. but you know that certain people that dont want to work and just sit on their asses while every one else works to rebuild is total bullshit.

they piss and moan about no jobs but there is plenty of jobs in new orleans,mississippi and so forth that need to be cleaned up.and getting the city ready to be rebuilt.

their was another request yesterday or the day before for another 18 billion dollars which would put new orleans alone rebuild cost at 100 billion plus.


where is the help for mississippi we have not heard one thing on the news about them and they had multiple cities wiped off the map.makes you wonder. why new orleans gets all the aid and mississippi hasnt gotten much.


if someone has a link to prove me wrong about mississippi show it.

Quoted: Lets see here....... Build a city below sea level right next to the sea. A huge lake on one side, the Mississippi on the other. Use levees to keep mother nature away. All this in an area which gets hurricanes yearly. Sounds good to me.

The city was built above sea level, it actually sank to where it is now.  Do some research before you go around spouting your sarcastic, useless garbage.

Quoted: God, I hope my father is ok. There are some people hard at work down there trying to fix this cluster fuck.

I hope ALL the decent folks in that region are ok.

According to "some" here the entire central US must also be "hated by God" every spring. Fuckers make me sick.

Folks, New Orleans will be rebuilt with or without your approval, love, care, concern, or efforts.

That's just how it is.

Allow the Port of New Orleans to close and you'd better be prepared for the Heartland to become a desert...producing just enough food for its dwindling population to feed itself, and not much more.

No one here's given even the slightest suggestion of an alternative to how goods and produce could be economically moved from the Heartland to the coast....but you sure can shovel the shiite.

Keep shoveling....you may need the experience in the future.

Your attitude towards the City of New Orleans is something to behold.

And extremely un-American, to say the least.

So, when does your Visa expire, Gaspar?

Eric The(Inciteful)Hun

Well, if weather is truly an act of GOD, and I believe it is then NOLA has been and is continued to be cleansed.  Apparently GOD is unhappy with the state of affairs of said city and has taken it into his own hands.  I believe so far that all challengers have been defeated.  The thing is some play the racial card and in my opinion this has no bearing.  NOLA is a city of utter spiritual corruption, the most in the entire US.  GOD is giving us a warning.  I think we should heed it.  NYC is next n my opinion.  Anyway, just keep watching.  NOLA is on God's choppin block for now.  The initial beating has been given, reminders are beeing administered as we speek.

Wes

Ok, where shall we move the port, smart-guy? Or do you really think that the Midwest is going to want to foot the bill for shipping all that wheat to Houston & the East Coast? The city is here due to geography. It's as far up the river as is economically feasable for shipping, and as far down the river as is structually feasable for building. (And back when it mattered, this was also at the shortest point between the river and the lake) You don't like how we live down here, so you're willing to screw over the whole coutry. Nice.

I also assume that you're going to be this harsh to folks effected when the New Madrid fault finally lets loose again. After all, they've known about the problem since 1811, nearly a hundred year head start on San Francisco, and still don't have earthquake resistant building codes...

Sorry if I'm coming across as a bit harsh, but my hometown has been pretty much destroyed, I lost everything I couldn't throw in my car the night before , I'm driving 96 miles each way to work every night because I can't find an apartment I can afford in town, it looks like I'm going to have to move away from my friends & family to get a job in another city due to rent prices & my spiffy new mold alergy, and one of those tornados passed within two blocks of me here at work last night. And you nice folks are sitting at your PCs and laughing about all this.

Quoted: Folks, New Orleans will be rebuilt with or without your approval, love, care, concern, or efforts. That's just how it is.

Thanks for your effort & support, Eric. (EDIT: Likewise StyerAUG & Fail-Safe) The rest of y'all got issues... I mean really, anything else the MSM reported you'd be fact-checking the hell out of.

Quoted: Folks, New Orleans will be rebuilt with or without your approval, love, care, concern, or efforts. That's just how it is. Allow the Port of New Orleans to close and you'd better be prepared for the Heartland to become a desert...producing just enough food for its dwindling population to feed itself, and not much more. No one here's given even the slightest suggestion of an alternative to how goods and produce could be economically moved from the Heartland to the coast....but you sure can shovel the shiite. Keep shoveling....you may need the experience in the future. Your attitude towards the City of New Orleans is something to behold. And extremely un-American, to say the least. So, when does your Visa expire, Gaspar? Eric The(Inciteful)Hun

Eric, keep up the good work.

I have been visiting this forum less and less. The overall mind set is disgusting. It seems a lot of members here are a very evil hateful bunch that gets joy out of watching others suffer. How dare you call yourselves Christians.

Quoted: Quoted: Folks, New Orleans will be rebuilt with or without your approval, love, care, concern, or efforts. That's just how it is. Allow the Port of New Orleans to close and you'd better be prepared for the Heartland to become a desert...producing just enough food for its dwindling population to feed itself, and not much more. No one here's given even the slightest suggestion of an alternative to how goods and produce could be economically moved from the Heartland to the coast....but you sure can shovel the shiite. Keep shoveling....you may need the experience in the future. Your attitude towards the City of New Orleans is something to behold. And extremely un-American, to say the least. So, when does your Visa expire, Gaspar? Eric The(Inciteful)Hun Eric, keep up the good work. I have been visiting this forum less and less. The overall mind set is disgusting. It seems a lot of members here are a very evil hateful bunch that gets joy out of watching others suffer. How dare you call yourselves Christians.

"how dare we?"

Yeah, how dare we try to hold the city accountable for years and years of misappropriation of funds. Especially in light of the city of New Orleans trying to blame the federal government for not just spending millions upon millions MORE on levees that clearly, not many people in NO wanted (or else the federal money already sent there and the local money raised there wouldn't have been used for a casino and a helicopter (or was it a personal jet? My hateful, un-Christian mind can't remember which) I guess that kind of discovery and reminding people of the corruption is "disgusting", "evil" and "hateful".

Gimme a break.

edit: As I said before: New Orleans is going to get its due and be rebuilt better than it was before the storm.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Folks, New Orleans will be rebuilt with or without your approval, love, care, concern, or efforts. That's just how it is. Allow the Port of New Orleans to close and you'd better be prepared for the Heartland to become a desert...producing just enough food for its dwindling population to feed itself, and not much more. No one here's given even the slightest suggestion of an alternative to how goods and produce could be economically moved from the Heartland to the coast....but you sure can shovel the shiite. Keep shoveling....you may need the experience in the future. Your attitude towards the City of New Orleans is something to behold. And extremely un-American, to say the least. So, when does your Visa expire, Gaspar? Eric The(Inciteful)Hun Eric, keep up the good work. I have been visiting this forum less and less. The overall mind set is disgusting. It seems a lot of members here are a very evil hateful bunch that gets joy out of watching others suffer. How dare you call yourselves Christians. "how dare we?" Yeah, how dare we try to hold the city accountable for years and years of misappropriation of funds. Especially in light of the city of New Orleans trying to blame the federal government for not just spending millions upon millions MORE on levees that clearly, not many people in NO wanted (or else the federal money already sent there and the local money raised there wouldn't have been used for a casino and a helicopter (or was it a personal jet? My hateful, un-Christian mind can't remember which) I guess that kind of discovery and reminding people of the corruption is "disgusting", "evil" and "hateful". Gimme a break. edit: As I said before: New Orleans is going to get its due and be rebuilt better than it was before the storm.

So its the fault of guy who makes 15 k a year working on the docks? You say they got what they deserved because of their elected officials stole money and used it on themselves instead of the poor people? That makes a lot of sense. I'm sure the poor working class losers had a lot to do with building a casino. Shit, I'm sure each and every one of them had keys to the helicopter so they could use it to fly to Barbados for the weekend.

Quoted: Well, if weather is truly an act of GOD, and I believe it is ... Wes

So you really believe God is an asshole?

You really think things like tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. are Gods specific actions which primarily kill the most vulnerable and innocent like women and children to get a few neer do wells?

But I guess, not to worry as those innocents simply go to heaven right?

So when a father comes outside after the storm and finds his 6 year old little girl impaled on a wooden fence he simply shouldn't worry because after all she is saved.

And when a young wife loses her new husband when a storm flipped his truck off the road and he died a slow, lingering and painful death...no cause for concern because he was saved.

This is all simply Gods will and the important thing is he got a few of those damn Mardi Gras sinners.

Quoted: So its the fault of guy who makes 15 k a year working on the docks? You say they got what they deserved because of their elected officials stole money and used it on themselves instead of the poor people? That makes a lot of sense. I'm sure the poor working class losers had a lot to do with building a casino. Shit, I'm sure each and every one of them had keys to the helicopter so they could use it to fly to Barbados for the weekend.

John, you're not going to like this but your post is exactly what is wrong with this entire situation.

how so?

You are still demanding that all this money get poured into New Orleans when this could have been solved years ago by holding the elected local officials accountable for their squandering of MILLIONS of dollars - this includes Federal money earmarked for levee improvements. Instead they all point their fingers outside the city and state, as if to say "we couldn't be trusted before with that kind of money, you should have handled it, but now that it's too late and we already screwed up, you can trust us with the money..."

There is nothing wrong with demanding accountability. It should have been done before, but wasn't. Now that the local authorities are fashionably pinning the problem squarely on FEMA and the Bush administration, nobody wants to hear that the entire problem could have been avoided altogether by the proper application of previously distributed funds. That whole "head in the sand" thing.

Joe and Suzy NewOrleanian are going to have their houses rebuilt and their businesses restored. But don't make it sound like we're evil for simply asking for accountability for our tax dollars. We all know what happened last time we trusted these individuals.

BTW swearing isn't very Christian, brother.

Quoted: Folks, New Orleans will be rebuilt with or without your approval, love, care, concern, or efforts. That's just how it is. Allow the Port of New Orleans to close and you'd better be prepared for the Heartland to become a desert...producing just enough food for its dwindling population to feed itself, and not much more. No one here's given even the slightest suggestion of an alternative to how goods and produce could be economically moved from the Heartland to the coast....but you sure can shovel the shiite. Keep shoveling....you may need the experience in the future. Your attitude towards the City of New Orleans is something to behold. And extremely un-American, to say the least. So, when does your Visa expire, Gaspar? Eric The(Inciteful)Hun

ETH, I agree for the most part.  As for your line I quotes in bold, well I have an answer.  Railroads.  The tracks over by your casa, go due east to Shreveport, and once there, go to NO.  The RR that owns it is the smallest of the big RRs(KCS).  What they are planning to do, with help from anothe big RR(NS) is to improve the rails out there, and make 2 tracks wide all the way.  This way, they can handle those monster grain and produce trains.

Here's the problem.  Nagin doesnt want the railroads in his city, anymore than they already are.  He is crying "Pollution!  Pollution!", and trying to block them.  The railroads have offered to use Green Goat locomotives(Very small diesel engine, used to charge a massive bank of batteries) and big locomotives that meet or exceed Tier 3 industry pollution standards, but he says no.

Railroads will never be more economical than river barge travel along the Mississippi River system.

They were not so in the heyday of rail transportation, when the tracks and railbeds were in perfectly maintained shape.

Nothing beats the free movement of water....

And empty river barges can be returned quite easily and cheaply against this flow.

Eric The(TomSawyer-like)Hun

Quoted: Railroads will never be more economical than river barge travel along the Mississippi River system. They were not so in the heyday of rail transportation, when the tracks and railbeds were in perfectly maintained shape. Nothing beats the free movement of water.... And empty river barges can be returned quite easily and cheaply against this flow. Eric The(TomSawyer-like)Hun

that is true. is the port re opened yet or is it still closed.

Thank you ETH for your supportive and inspirational words!

Let me also say that the misinformation is not limited to what outsiders hear about N.O.  It's happen HERE as well, to a certain degree.  As an example, many locals are furious that FEMA is "taking so long" to get the temporary housing trailers to people.  Weeks after the storm, these trailers began flowing into the area, and production has steadily increased since then... right now, I can't drive anywhere without seeing them being towed in on the interstate, and they're also being brought in by the hundreds by train.  To me, it's pretty remarkable that FEMA was able to get manufacturers cranking these things out in such high quantities.

The trailers are here.  There are several storage facilities where they are currently being held awaiting final delivery.  The problem is not FEMA.  The problem is twofold... some people who want the trailers placed at their homes do not yet have utilities restored (a prerequisite to receiving the trailer), and the temporary trailer parks that others are waiting on are being held up by bickering between the mayor and the city council (which is, from what I understand, close to being resolved).

The only thing that can at least be partially blamed on FEMA is the time it takes to have the trailers hooked up (water and power) once they are delivered.  This is obviously a labor shortage problem, and they're doing the best they can.

However, there are many people around here who think that it's all FEMA's fault, and this could be blamed on the fact that some local and state politicians have been saying words to that effect.

As a side note, I bought a Katrina book from the publishers of Time magazine for my wife for Christmas.  Of course, the book blames everything on Bush, throws a few jabs in at Nagin, and totally gives Blanco a pass.  Yeah, I know... it's Time... what did I expect?  But one of the pages prominently featured a photograph of a man in front of his hurricane-ravaged home (no indication of where the home was located) holding a shotgun (the photo's only redeeming feature), with a sign that read "Looters will be shot.  BUSH SUCKS, WHERE'S FEMA?" or something like that.  I could almost feel the Time editors' drool on that page.

On the other hand, today as I was driving home from Pensacola, I took a detour through the Gulfport / Pass Christian area, and a large (maybe 8' x 4') sign on the side of the road caught my eye.  It read "Our new digs... we will recover... thank you FEMA!" or something along those lines.  I glanced back as I passed the sign, and it was clearly referring to the shiny new FEMA trailer sitting on the lot (complete with a nice looking deck in front of it, probably built by the homeowners).  I doubt you'll see a photo of that in any upcoming Time book on the topic or on CNN.

Yes, you do have the entitlement-mentality crowd who are not exactly appreciative or understanding of the magnitude of the recovery efforts and just want to know when the government is going to put them back where they were, but most of the people in the N.O. area are hard-working, and DO appreciate the help that is coming in from the rest of the country.

Don't get me wrong... there IS a lot of anger towards the Corps of Engineers, and this sometimes materializes as harsh words directed towards the federal government in general.  But think about it... if you lost everything you had because of an engineering error, wouldn't you be pretty pissed too?

--Mike

Quoted: Thank you ETH for your supportive and inspirational words!

That's what I'm here for, Brother.

I hope to spend some quality time in New Orleans before this month is out.

'Job-related', hopefully.

But as a private citizen, at least by March.

Eric The(N'awlins)Hun