Does anybody still think I was panic-mongering?

[benburch]

When it became clear to me what this storm was going to do I posted several warnings here and elsewhere, telling people to leave and that tens of thousands would be killed, and was called a panic-monger and told that I was needlessly trying to scare people.

Now, maybe I have a thin skin, but being called a liar exploiting the situation really hurt.

:(

[Splatter Phoenix]

1. Hmmn...

I never thought you were...it's better to be safe than sorry, after all.

I feel bad nobody listened. Sorry, Cassandra. X_X try again next time...*pets*

[Scout1071]

2. I believed you benburch.

I just hoped it wouldn't be that bad.

I've never seen anything like this in my life. I called and reamed both of my Senators today. I broke down in tears with one office. I'm not sure if they were tears of sadness or anger....or both.

[MissB]

3. I never thought it, ben

No matter how this worked out, it was going to be a tragedy. I was expecting a direct hit, but it turns out that even a non-direct hit leads to all the horrible stuff happening.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. EXPLOITING?

At times it DID look to me like you were somewhat overestimating the severity of the situation, but--

EXPLOITING?

What is it with some people that they are incapable of seeing anything but wickedness in everybody else? They must have a soul of coal.

[proud patriot]

5. sorry to hear that BenBurch

:-( I hoped you were wrong though

[JanMichael]

6. No, and furthermore, I wonder how many people read your

post today about buying food NOW.

Funny thing is, I had just gotten back from the grocery store with cans and cans of food when I read that.

Good for you for trying...I hope people are listening...

The shit is hitting the fan NOW, and I hope people take it seriously.

Stephanie

[proud patriot]

7. we are waiting to be paid right now

:scared: I do keep us pretty well stocked with food.

I have been since Katrina hit, washing out my milk cartons
filling them with water and putting them in my freezer.

It's not much , but we will have water .

[wildeyed]

13. I laid in a supply, too.

Stuff we eat anyway, all nonperishable.

[Kenneth ken]

8. were you

the person who posted about the time Katrina passed Florida and said it would be bad and referenced a map showing gulf water temps in the upper 80s, and on that basis said Katrina would get a lot lot stronger in the gulf?

I remember reading an OP like that. I didn't read any of the replies.

Thanks for trying! :applause: :thumbsup:

[peekaloo]

9. No. I still think you're one of the most level headed and

compassionate individuals on this board.

Thank you.

[bertha katzenengel]

10. Wah.

Are you wondering, too, why people didn't just leave? :eyes:

[KittyWampus]

11. after seeing Jim Cantore on TWC looking so grim and concerned

it really seemed like worse would happen. :(

Cassandra

[wildeyed]

12. Didn't think so at the time

and so, so sorry that you were right :(

[name not needed]

14. Don't you have anything better to do

than post "I told you so" threads?

[Placebo]

15. New Orleans has descended back into total chaos...

and ALL YOU CAN DO IS TALK ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR PRECIOUS FEELINGS??? You sicken me.

Bush...is that you??? :eyes:

[Cassandra]

16. A whole thread that seems to be calling my name.

Hmmmmmmm.......
Ben, I believed you, although I was hoping you were wrong.

[coffeenap]

17. You're a great person. Don't let them get to you. m.

[Jamastiene]

18. I didn't see your earlier post, but I wouldn't say you were a panic monger

because I know the nature of hurricanes. The weather liars (some people call them forecasters, not I) will say it's not a threat because it moved away from the coast, but they seem to not have made the connection. That's when a hurricane is the most dangerous. What was Katrina a categoty 3 when it hit Florida and then a 4 while it was in between Florida and the Gulf Coast and then a 5 (the worst possible) right before it hit landfall? Uhm, how much more warning did the people in positions of power need? What did they do beforehand? They downplayed the danger until the last possible minute.

[Floogeldy]

19. Fuck that!

Let's talk about you, instead.

[ofrfxsk]

20. Honey, I was crying on Sunday too.

I had a really soul-gutting feeling about this then and much to my horror it came true.
There are always those who will discount the most dire of predictions. My spouse thought I was nuts for getting that upset Sunday.

So we were right. I don't feel good. I wish we were incredibly wrong.

[jobycom]

21. Depends. Were you the one who posted

that we were going to "lose New Orleans?" That post was pretty shrill. A lot of us were posting what a direct hit could mean, and the dangers of a dike or levee failure. We were also pointing out that a flood could overload the pumps and could flood the whole town. I even pointed out that a Category 5 hurricane with a 25 foot storm surge could collapse the system that keeps the Mississippi in its banks, and divert it down the Atchafaliya, in an extreme worst case scenario. So a lot of us saw the possibility of what would happen, and it was not going to far to explain the details of the situation to people unfamiliar with New Orleans geography.

But there were some threads whose OP said simply "We are going to lose New Orleans," or "Tens of thousands of people are going to die tonight!" I think those posts were panic-mongering. They turned out about halfway accurate, though we haven't lost New Orleans, and there is still no count on how many died. But many people were already pointing out those possibilities, so the posts weren't revealing anything new. And they did nothing to educate, inform, or prepare people--only to alarm them. That's the definition of panic-mongering.

So if that was you, you were panic-mongering, but I didn't see anyone calling you a liar. Though of course, I didn't read the threads that closely. And I didn't judge your motivations. I just went on to another thread. If that was you.

[Ladyhawk]

22. Today I mentioned to someone that a certain "ben" on a forum I frequent

called the NO situation correctly, as well as the sudden gas price spike. You freaked me out, man. I'm wondering what else you predict and have decided to pay more attention to you than I had previously (though I have always weighed your words).

BTW, I appreciate The White Rose Society website. You let me catch up on my Malloy.

[demobabe]

23. How could you possibly be seen as exploiting the situation?

In order to exploit something, you need to gain from it.

So you can easily dismiss comments like that as pure crap.

There is no way possible to over-warn people in regards to a hurricane. You never know until it's on top of you whether you're going to get killed or not. Way better to err on the side of safety.

Being called a liar can hurt, but doesn't it hurt worse being proven you were correct?

A little emotionally hurt is a lot better than being dead.

[pitohui]

24. why, you're still trying to exploit the situation

i lost someone today

& you're still trying to make it about benburch

i'm done w. you

look in yr damn mirror, you have a problem, dude

i know you can cancel my acct and frankly i don't give a damn

i've lost my home, i've lost everything, so your B.S. can just go back where it belongs

you truly have no conscience, do you

it's all abt "i told you so"

how do you sleep at night, how do you sleep?

[ahem]

26. Pitohui, I'm so very sorry for your loses.

I'm glad you're safe, but I can't even begin to imagine how terrible everything must feel right now.

I have a couple of friends whose fates are unknown to me now, but I'm very sad to hear what you're going through.

I'm sure message board hugs seem sort of empty, but... :hug: :hug: :hug:

[beam me up scottie]

25. nice

real fucking nice

feel better about yourself now?

[KitchenWitch]

27. I never thought you were panic mongering

I believe I know one of the threads you were talking about...x(

I got my snark out on that whole attitude.

[spuddonna]

28. No way!

Jesus, I was so glad you said it because I had just been talking with my 7 year old son about it! He'd done a report on 'natural disasters' last spring, and had a science mag with a big article about how New Orleans was a sitting duck for Cat 4 or 5 hurricanes.

You were telling the truth. You were discussing the facts. And I NEVER got the impression you were trying to freak people out...