Re: Re: By the way, Bill

Peter,

The only problem with your idea is that they need a limited number of 
trained professionals to rebuild levees - not a mob of untrained 
citizens in some sort of "new deal" government program.  There's no time 
to wait for the untrained to get trained.  They might consider 
"volunteering" to do what you mentioned.  It's what happened in Florida 
after Charlie, Franic and Irene hit us.  Everyone in our neighborhood 
was out cleaning up garbage and cutting down fallen trees for over a 
week without power, in the heat of summer, until we could at least 
navigate down the steets.  I had a generator, and stored the neighbor's 
milk in our fridge so their kids had some to eat.  We didn't get milk 
and perishables for 5 or 6 days after Charlie.  But people have to 
forget about their past lives, and work together to rebuild - wherever 
they are.  I don't see that happening in New Orleans based on current 
events.

As far as spending money on levees, the levees that broke HAD been 
upgraded already, so those once again trying to shift the blame to the 
Iraq war need to put that one to rest.  No amount of flood defence was 
going to work after a 25 ft storm surge hit an area 7 feet below sea 
level, followed by all of the rain upstream on the Mississippi.  New 
Orleans has known for over 30 years that it was living on borrowed time, 
and they did NOTHING to prepare their city for "the big one".

The mayor of New Orleans is a moron, didn't follow his own emergency 
plans, and left 400 buses to be buried by water (check the satellite 
photos) instead of using them to evacuate the poor.  Then he evacuates 
his wealthy buddies staying in the Hyatt  first, letting them cut in 
line  to the buses ahead of the poor after the levees broke (which if a 
republican did would have been all over the news).  He condoned looting 
only hours after the storm, and now claims that the CIA is going to 
assassinate him.  He's a loser, a moron and a kook.

Governor Blanco is not much better.  She failed to order the evacuation 
in a timely matter losing a precious 24 hours before the storm hit.  She 
failed to pre-position the national guard.  She STILL has yet to declare 
a state emergency so the Feds can coordinate the recuse and recovery 
efforts.  She also condoned looting - at first - but fortunately, by day 
three, realized her error.  (Yes, people will loot for basic necessities 
after a catastrophe, but you don't tell them it's okay to loot only 
hours after the storm ... they weren't going to starve to death the 
first day!) She's playing politics and pointing fingers instead of 
declaring the emergency as Alabama, Mississippi and Florida did 24 hours 
BEFORE the storm hit those states.

Finally, you have that incompetent numbnuts from FEMA, Mike Brown.  
Granted, he's not getting a lot a cooperation from the other two, but he 
has made some of the dumber statements I have heard in a while, and 
frankly, when the governor and mayor dragged their feet, he should have 
been screaming to the press to force them to act.   Bush needs to fire 
him - now.

Florida's been through a lot of hurricanes, and has the proceedure down 
pretty good after the quadruple whammy we took last year.  We didn't 
have any riots, looting or garbage like that in our devestated areas.  
We didn't shoot at rescuers.  Hell, last night there was a firefight 
between cops and US Army Corps of Engineers on one side and a gang of 
armed thugs who attacked them on the other.  WHY IN HELL would you shoot 
at guys trying to fix the levees?  I mean, it's beyond the pale.  Such 
things did not happen in Florida, even during Andrew.  But they happen 
in New Orleans.

New Orleans was a crooked city filled with crime and corruption before 
the storm hit.  It was well known then, and the rest of the country is 
finding out about it now.  One of the highest murder and crime rates in 
the nation, and what happens?  Looting started BEFORE the hurricane hit. 
People are raped in killed in the Superdome because the city government 
didn't put cops in there to watch 20,000 people.  There would be more 
cops at a rock concert or sporting event than those idiots in N.O. city 
government put in the Superdome.  After the storm, rescue helicopters 
are shot at, hospitals are looted, 200 cops abandoned their posts, and 
there's even video of NOPD officers looting a Walmart.

New Orleans is a disgrace, and when the rescues are complete, that 
entire city government and police force need to be cleaned up.  I'd 
suggest Rudy Guiliani for the job.  We did it in New York before 9/11, 
he needs to go in , clean the political house, and get to rebuilding New 
Orleans and the suburbs...


Bill Highfield
St Cloud, Florida, USA!

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