My sister sent this to me.

[BonnieJW]

I can't find anything to refute it. I'm sure they received federal help and help from FEMA. There are pictures too, but I don't know how to post them.


80,000 PEOPLE VOLUNTEERED TO FILL AND LAY SANDBAGS. THEY ARE THE ONES IN THIS COUNTRY THAT WORK, PAY TAXES, AND DON'T WAIT FOR SOMEONE FROM WASHINGTON TO HELP.


"" Iowa ""

MAKES YOU WONDER -
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IOWA (THE HEARTLAND OF AMERICA ) AND
NEW ORLEANS ? NEW ORLEANS
EXPECTED THE GOVERNMENT TO REBUILD THEIR CITY AND THEIR HOMES.
IOWA JUST DEALT WITH IT.

Where were the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons
Asking for help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks
Affected by the floods? Where was good old Michael Moore?

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Why did the media NOT ask the tough questions about
Why the federal government didn't solve this problem?
....Asking where the FEMA trucks and trailers and food services were?


Why didn't the Federal government move Iowa people Into free hotels in Chicago and Minneapolis ?


When will Spike Lee say that the Federal government
Blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines ?



Where were Sean Penn, Bono, and the Dixie Chicks?



Where were all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes,
Cases of beer and television sets?


When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants
To rebuild a 'vanilla' Iowa .... Because that's what God wants?


Where was the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete
With reports of shootings at rescuers, of rapes and murder?


Where were all the people screaming that George Bush hates
White, rural people? Where were Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Oprah, and Ray Coniff Jr?


How come after two weeks, you never heard about the Iowa flooding ever again? Where were the government bailout vouchers? The government debit cards?

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What the heck made New Orleans so valuable that the federal government spent billions there, but not in Iowa ?
Maybe it's because Iowa , unlike New Orleans , isn't a welfare farm that breeds voters for the "Cradle to Grave" set.


Let's "float" this one around for a while.

[bunnies]

1. Your sister is a heartless, brainless, douche.

Sorry - but no one with half a brain would touch this bullshit email.

[ima_sinnic]

2. what a hate-filled diatribe. I don't know the "answer" about FEMA,

but whoever wrote that is a verminous POS. I wish all such disgusting "nanny state" whiners WOULD move to their own country devoid of any taxpayer funded services whatsoever. They are human scum who should be forbidden from breeding.

[YOY]

3. Ugh...my sister is a complete bitch but at least well educated.

Yours...well...I can only express remorse that you are related for someone who believes that tripe if she does.

[pnutbutr]

4. fema.gov $500million

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=47158

[BonnieJW]

10. Thanks! Any more stuff?

[pnutbutr]

12. page I found it on has a few more articles

http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=9867

[PassingFair]

5. Did Iowa get hit by a HURRICANE?

No. I believe it was a slow rising flood.

FEMA DID help in Iowa:

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=44319

"The lowest point in the state is in Lee County along the Mississippi River, at 480 feet above sea level.

The elevations in Iowa rise in the west reaching a high point of 1,670 feet above sea level on the Sterler Farm in Osceola County, in the northwestern corner of the state, near the Minnesota border. It's about 37 miles northwest of Spencer. The high point in Iowa was named Hawkeye Point in 1998."


"They don't bury the dead in New Orleans. The highest point in the city is only 6 ft. above sea level, which makes for watery graves. Fearful that rotting corpses caused epidemics, the city limited ground burials in 1830. Mausoleums built on soggy cemetery grounds became the final resting place for generations. Beyond providing a macabre tourist attraction, these "cities of the dead" serve as a reminder of the Big Easy's vulnerability to flooding. The reason water rushes into graves is because New Orleans sits atop a delta made of unconsolidated material that has washed down the Mississippi River."



Plenty of room to get to high ground in Iowa....
New Orleans...not so much.

It makes me gag to even READ that e-mail.

[babylonsister]

6. This is a riff on an old debunked e-mail that went out

in the aftermath of Katrina. Very similar, and full of crap.

http://www.snopes.com/katrina/soapbox/dakota.asp

[abluelady]

7. I Don't Know Any "Facts"

But I do know I "react" quicker when I see minorities being abused. That is what happened in N.O. There is no way you can compare an impoverished state with few resources (I lived there and know from what I speak) with an average state. I am also sure that Iowa has always done enough for its citizens that gave them the wherewithal to put down those sandbags. Louisiana does almost nothing for its residents so where would they find sandbags??? And I can't imagine what will happen in that state with Bobby Jindal Governor if another tragedy hits. He is taking away more of the people's safety nets.

As far as being "needed," I'm pretty sure Iowa is landlocked and N.O. is one of our largest ports. Ships actually bring in and take out goods from that port. That, alone, is an important reason to save N.O.

[ColbertWatcher]

8. Yes, all those gay-marrying Iowans. n/t

[Echo In Light]

9. I'm in Ia, and can tell you plenty of people have had health problems from ...

...having no choice but to remain in contaminated houses. I work w/some who lived in the affected areas and lost everything. Collections were taken to help out.

As to the bigger picture that the op alludes to....uncertain.

[Vinca]

11. Since when do people lay sandbags during a major hurricane?

No offense, but your sister's a "moran."

[BonnieJW]

15. Tell me about it.

She voted for bush twice. We almost didn't speak to each other for a while. Every so often she sends me shit like this and I send her links right back showing that she's an idiot. How can anyone pass along something without researching it?

[BlueJazz]

13. Oh Boy..Talk about comparing Apples & Oranges. As Passingfair said...

..I don't seem to remember Iowa getting hit by a tornado or massive Hurricane.
The damage to Iowa was a "drop in the bucket" compared to Iowa.

The People in Iowa were able to return to their homes within a relatively short time ...the Folks in New Orleans will NEVER see their homes again....and the City will never be the same as it was.

and...oh Geez...on and on..and on...

[Jack Bone]

14. It's Harry Connick Jr....jackass.....

just shows how ignorant they are...

tell 'em to take the pillow cases off their heads & put 'em back on the pillows!

[driver8]

16. Ha Ha -- I was just looking at that and thinking, "who in the hell is Ray Connick, Jr.?"

What a hateful piece of shit this letter is...

Racist assholes.

[snake in the grass]

17. This letter reminded me...

...of a video I saw once. It is made up of Limbaugh talking points.

I went back and found the video from The Young Turks. Check it out, it explains the differences pretty well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGPmjeEDgng

[OHDEM]

18. Apples and oranges

The 2 problems are not even the same unless Iowa was hit by a hurricane and evacuated prior to the flooding. No?

Are they below sea level? No?

Did the government ignore a major project in Iowa that they knew couldn't withstand even a cat 3 hurricane - let alone a cat 5? No?

A few sand bags weren't gonna help in NO - what a bunch of douchebags to pass that BS around. Frankly, it's RACIST because it implys that the poor black people weren't as resourceful as the hardworking (white) people in Iowa. Sick and sad.

My SIL sent me a disgusting e-mail a few months ago with a bunch of lines about the cost of illegals and the point was that Iraq wasn't that expensive compared to our immigration policies. It had a bunch of links to Lou Dobbs so you can imagine. I was so disgusted...and told her so. Nevermind that her husband is making millions off defense contracts AND her parents are both immigrants.

Good luck dealing with right-wing family!

[baldguy]

19. If the people in NO tried to do that, they would've been shot by Blackwater.

I wonder how much Iowa gets in federal farm subsidies?

[OHDEM]

20. Here you go!

Iowa
Other search options: region | summary | subsidy detail | city/zip/name search


• $16.0 billion in subsidies 1995-2006.
• Iowa ranking: 2 of 50
• Top Recipients 1995-2006
• Top Recipients in 2006
• 30 percent of all farmers and ranchers do not collect government subsidy payments in Iowa, according to USDA.
• Among subsidy recipients, ten percent collected 56 percent of all subsidies amounting to $8.95 billion over 12 years.
• Recipients in the top 10% averaged $39,058 in annual payments between 1995 and 2006. The bottom 80 percent of the recipients saw only $2,045 on average per year.


http://farm.ewg.org/farm/region.php?fips=19000

[Warpy]

21. I have a friend in Iowa who was flooded out

and his house rendered uninhabitable.

The GOVERNMENT found him temporary quarters. The GOVERNMENT found him a permanent place to live. The GOVERNMENT paid for his old house on the flood plain and razed what was left and won't allow anyone else to build there. The GOVERNMENT provided him with temporary support while businesses were closed.

"Just dealt with it?"

These people are truly fucking insane.

[BonnieJW]

22. Thanks everyone!

I compiled everything in a very CALM response. I just can't let crap like that go by.