I've lost all hope of people recognizing whose negligence this was

[julialnyc]

I just had dinner with about 50 of my husbands family members and I have never been so depressed. Only two fundies in the lot and they all want the mayor and governor thrown in jail and think it is unfair to "blame Bush for mother nature'........ I explained my heart out and they still are starting a letter writing campaign to cnn,msnbc,fox,ect....


I'm heart broken!

[freeplessinseattle]

1. ok, they're blaming the mayor and guv for "mother nature"

but his majesty is immune?

[julialnyc]

5. they said it was their responsibility to evacuate and have a plan

if the levees broke!


Oh and they said they trained a rotten police and fire force

[julialnyc]

2. oh.....and if one more of them said

if only guilliani was there it would have been different I would have died.


i told them about the levys..... they didn't agree that FEMA was not only a disaster, but that they just had a drill for this situation.

Holy shit I'm fuming! I think I need to down a glass of wine and go to bed!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

9. If Giuliani was there...you WOULD have died.

[blue sky at night]

3. they are morans.....

don't worry about them, when the coming depression hits next year, they will finally begin to realize how fucked we all are. And yes indeed, they will figure out it was Bu$Hco who brought a once mighty country to it's knees. (Well, actually when the world switches to the Euro we will be done.) NO sense talking to them now, he can do no wrong.

[julialnyc]

12. but I really felt the pendulum swinging and people waking up

I felt like,our news was reporting and just maybe some good would come out of this nightmare....... but now I see it may end up being an apocalyptic nightmare!

[blue sky at night]

13. well, they are, but so many folks are in denial.....

when they continue to espouse the old view it makes them feel better...because deep down they know they are wrong. I can't wait for the next cycle, especially after this winter we are about to suffer through. People will be screaming by then that formally supported these thugs.

[nookiemonster]

14. Exactly. It's denial, plain and simple.

These fuckers know that a shitstorm is coming. They're just delaying the inevitable.

It's going to be rough ride, though. Have no doubt.

[omega minimo]

15. It may-- that's why YOU start YOUR letter-writing campaign!

"now I see it may end up being an apocalyptic nightmare!"

...and on your misguided family's behalf, too.

ENOUGH people will wake up from this to shake the country from its coma. :boring:

IT'S UP TO US TO DO IT. We owe to those who suffered in New Orleans.

[speedoo]

4. Keep the faith, Julia.

Hey, we NYers have to be tough, right?

They can write all the letters they want. The facts are on our side, overwhelmingly, and this fight is just getting started.

[julialnyc]

7. oh I really hope that that the media keeps up the work that forces them to

take a long hard look at the facts

[annabanana]

6. remind them that "Father Time" was the bigger killer here..n/t

[julialnyc]

8. beautiful!!! i love that!

N/T

[Dogmudgeon]

10. They are idiots

There is an enormous audit trail that leads directly to George W. Bush.

Let 'em start a letter writing campaign. It will mean that investigations will be opened earlier.

Bush apologists are in full spin cycle. They know full well that as soon as the stories are told and (especially) the death toll comes in, their Maximum Leader is going to have the devil to pay.

--p!

[tom_paine]

11. The Imperial Subjects of Amerika are fit for slavery

Mentally, they (we) are closely related to the Germans of 1933, the Russians of 1953, etc.

Sad, but true. Don;t give up, Julia, but neither should you have illusion about where you live and who you are surrounded by.

The hope that America will ever again be a free, First-World Nation is very slim indeed.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

16. New Orleans/Port of South Louisiana is a matter of NATIONAL concern

It is THE largest port in the United States and fourth largest in the world. From Wikipedia:

"The Port of New Orleans handles about 145 million short tons (132 million tonnes) of cargo a year and is the largest faction of the Port of South Louisiana, the latter being the largest and busiest shipping port in the western hemisphere and the 4th busiest in the world.

About 5,000 ships from nearly 60 nations dock at the Port of New Orleans annually. The chief exports are grain and other foods from the Midwestern United States and petroleum products. The leading imports include chemicals, cocoa beans, coffee, and petroleum. The port handles more trade with Latin America than does any other U.S. gateway, including Miami.

New Orleans is also a busy port for barges. The barges use the nation's two main inland waterways, the Mississippi River and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which meet at New Orleans. The port of New Orleans handles about 50,000 barges yearly."
___________

Considering the nationally important role that this region plays in the economy of the United States, it should be a matter of vital FEDERAL concern. Securing the wetlands as a protective buffer against storms and ensuring the safety of the levees that in turn keep safe the MANPOWER living in New Orleans that makes this port run is a far larger task than can be played by a Mayor or Governor. Considering that the nation as a whole benefits and profits from this port, the federal government rightfully should be the entity with the sufficient funds and expertise to maintain this region.

The project for protecting this region against storms was under Federal jurisdiction. The Southeast Louisiana Project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SELA) was authorized by Congress under the Energy & Water Development Appropriations Act and the Water Resources Development Act of 1996. Let your in-laws know that this matter was in the hands of the federal government to begin with. Do some research and print-out the proof if you have to.