New Orleans

I hope they didn't have a basement layout/clubroom!

There is no such thing as a basement in New Orleans. Even the cemetaries are above ground because the water table is about four feet down. My nephew, who lives on the North Shore, had minimal wind damage and no water damage. His dad who lives in Kenner, near the New Orleans airport, is high and dry and has moderate storm damage, but not severe. Orleans Parish, which is where the actual city of New Orleans is located has severe flooding, and appears to have moderate to heavy wind damage. The Gulf Coast east of New Orleans was devastated however. My former home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi doesn't exist any more. Gulfport and Biloxi are gone from the railroad to the beach. It's a mess. Froggy,

Thanks for the info, I was going to email you to see how everything was, I understand your old home town (Mobile, Al) also copped it. The damage didn't extend north of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, did it? I hope the terrible conditions seen there come to an end soon, our thoughts and hopes are with all our "seppo" mates.

Is there a way we can help? - thinking of contributions to a charity etc. I see one has started up here, our Gov is chipping in with $10 mill and emergency/disaster teams if required. If necessary, I can contribute locally.

Hang in there guys - the South will rise again.

Steve Newcastle NSW Aust

| Is there a way we can help? - thinking of contributions to a charity etc. I | see one has started up here, our Gov is chipping in with $10 mill and | emergency/disaster teams if required. If necessary, I can contribute | locally.

The Salvation Army is on the scene and has been since Tuesday while everyone else has been holding press conferences and video ops.

CTucker NY

While criticism of the government has been pretty strong about not doing anything, note that the aid package approved by the Senate was $10 Billion (with a "B"). Nonetheless, that still doesn't mean that all of the problems are solved. Our help is needed desparately.

dlm

Note that the tax cuts, overwhelmingly enjoyed by the top 2% of the population, were something like $300 TRILLION.

Meanwile, the Corps of Engineers budget was cut for seawall and pump upgrades in NO. And somebody started a war for the fun of it.

Suppose Halliburton will get the no-bid contract to repair the Superdome?

Steve I'm sure friends of the Administration will find a way to profit from this disaster. I would not be surprised if this tragedy devolves into a huge political battle with rabid finger pointing and the accompanying economic impact. Watch the Democrats ride this pony hard. Watch the Republicans make excuses and gloss over the facts. Watch them all address the garbage that spews forth on Fox news rather than the real issues. Watch Robertson and Falwell blame the disaster on gays, gambling and the decadent nature of Bourbon Street. Hurricane season is not over yet. What if the area got pounded by mother nature again this season. What if a category 4 or 5 takes out another major coastal city. It's possible we could face a second disaster in short order. Are we ready? Bruce

Very helpfull commentary in these troubled times. Roger Aultman

Bruce Fav> Steve

You have a problem with telling the truth?

Eric

Not a basement or even at ground level. The floor of the layout room was about 6 feet above ground level, so the layout may well be dry if the building is relatively intact. That would be a good thing.

But I was more concerned about the club members. The layout and building can be replaced if need be.

Mike

Just manufacturing the truth. Roger Aultman

snipped-for-privacy@bigfoot.com wrote:

Don't forget Venezuelan leftists!

Not quite true. I recall the hotel on the northern edge of the French Quarter where I attended a convention nearly 2 years ago had a subterranean parking garage. It went down at least 3 levels IIRC.

Roger, What truth was manufactured? I said that I believed friends of the administration would find a way to profit from this. This is what I believe. Precedents for this possibility have already been set. As the Federal Government spends money to rebuild New Orleans it will be easy enough to find out if I'm right or wrong. If large contracts are awarded without bids I might be right. I made some predictions that I thought would come about. It looks like the political finger pointing has already started. Just listen to the various politicians and political hacks on TV. The glossing over of reality has already started. Just listen to any one from the federal agencies then check the facts or ask the Mayor of New Orleans. And a grim reminder. As for another Hurricane .......well season isn't over. There are several storms off Africa now developing. One of which mostly likely will turn north early but another that might make land fall. Other disturbances will develop through the season and some could come our way. Just last year if you will remember Florida got hit.......by more than one. Avoiding bad news and grim possibilities by sticking ones head in the sand is why the levies failed in New Orleans. The repair of levies has been neglected for many years. Maintaining them and rebuilding them was a Federal Program that was not adequately funded to start with and funds were deeply cut to shock and awe the Iraq menace. Just a few weeks ago congress ignored the levies again. Bureaucrats who screamed loud enough about this were removed or "resigned" from their positions. Interestingly while the Corp of Engineers was begging for money they did not get they saw an even bigger award of money given to Alaska. This was to build a mammoth sized bridge to a place where a couple of guys and a few bears live. I think that all this stuff will surface and be used politically by both sides to bash each other to kingdom come. The Republicans will use creative and effective spin while the Democrats will go to the polls crying out "Remember New Orleans". So I'm predicting an escalated political debate over this. And there will be plenty of mud on the streets of New Orleans to sling around during that debate. As for the faux Christian demons in preacher suits I have not heard anything they may have said yet. But if they indicate a Sodom and Gomorrah type punishment because of people they detest it would not surprise me. By the way some train related disaster news. Two special Amtrak trains a day are scheduled to haul evacuated folks up here to Dallas. They are being housed in the Reunion Arena right near the train station downtown and right by the levies that hold back the Trinity River when it floods. There are already a lot of people there. Bruce

"Roger Aultman" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@nconnect.net...

Hello Bruce There seems to be a lot of; maybe's, predictions, and could be's in your thoughts. I have not heard "faux Christian demons in preacher suits" condemming any one as responsible for the tradgedy, thought there are two black agitators spreading dissension. It is the states responsibility to order evacuation, which they clearly did not do. Roger

Bruce Fav> Roger,