Wanna Help levees.org Organize? Are The ACE To Blame?
From Sandy Rosenthal of levees.org:
In 10 days, we will unveil our next strategy to focus even greater attention on the US Army Corps of Engineers’ central role in the metro New Orleans flood. Meanwhile, we must get our ducks in a row. Only the power of the citizens powers us, so we rely on our volunteers. I am proud that our ranks have grown to 1300 members; but there is much to manage!
Please choose an area of interest from the list below and email me with your choice:
1) Sign committee
2) Research committee
3) Neighborhood rep (be a liaison in your section of town!)
4) Leaflets committee (flyers and pamphlets)
5) Bumper sticker committee
6) Membership committee (find new members)
Can’t decide? Email me and say “I’ll help on a committee that needs me.” Again your response to this email is a signal that you want to help, not a commitment.
Thank you!
Sandy Rosenthal, Founder, www.levees.org
—
Conversely, a comment from a post on b.rox:
…the Standard Project Hurricane was updated because the National Weather Service learns more and more each year about hurricanes and what makes them tick. It has nothing at all to do with wetlands. The Corps can only build projects that are authorized and funded by Congress and the President. Although construction of the hurricane levees on the lakefront started almost 40 years ago, the project has never been completed because of funding and other problems. It really doesn’t make sense to go to Congress to ask for more money to improve upon a project that they haven’t even funded to completion in its original form. The Times-Picayune would rather print the half-witted comments of a geologist from LSU than the real story from actual engineers working on the project.
“We should be concerned, but don’t blame the Corps.”
What do you think, Metroblogheads?
Related posts:
I sort of like blaming the Corps - I mean, they actually have the word ‘corps’in their name. How could anyone think they were a reliable candidate to protect people? I have to admit that I blame them more as a beaurocraptic organization than anything. I have no doubt that thier plans are sound but after being filtered through congress and having their money pots pilfered by state and local govs, I can see how the reality wouldn’t quite meet the vision.
Hell, blame everyone. It doesn’t matter anyway. Too many people too wrong for anyone to be held accountable.
The levees stop the land from building up; they are no answer.
The battures have been destroyed!
Instead of being kept and allowed to function, they are
continually cut down, if left alone they will protect us.
If the levees would have been blown up when New Orleans’ flooded
the water would have left the city a hell of a lot sooner!
The Army Corp of Engineers has only managed to destroy Louisiana
since the federal government mandated that they
be in charge of the levees.
All they do is destroy our wetlands
so Louisiana can’t protect itself.
You can not have a discussion about levees without talking
about wetlands since all of New Orlean’s is reclaimed swampland!
Laurie
I have every doubt that their plans in the past were sound, but they are in fact hobbled as a politically funded and bureaucratic organization. The bottom line fact is, the vast majority of the damage is from the entirely predictable failure of the levees. Recovery should not be treated like some tornado in Kansas. New Orleans deserves additional federal assistance. How much are the people of New York being asked to reimburse the DoD for the war on terror? The Flood, like 9-11, is a special case, and should be handled as such. It’s not, but there are ways to convince them, which I plan to start exploring on my own blog in the next couple of days. Landreiu’s bill for 50% of offshore revenue is a start. The rest of the Congress needs to be incented to vote for it, and those are some of the ideas I have in mind.
Let’s hear it for cessation!!
Do you mean secession, Jack?
Cessation would work, too, as in: government, please cease your bullshit.
Succesion of Louisiana to the Republic of Louisiana will work
since it will force us to go total alternate energies - notice
I say energies.
We will be the first.
We will be in a position to save our own land with out the feds
sticking their hands up our asses - shut off the pipes,
and drop ‘em in the gulf now!
Who wants to be Prime minister or president of Louisiana?
Every one has to learn French, Acadian, Creole, proper, and
the other one - spanish too.
Laurie
I find your article very biased here. You quote a mass email from levees.org to their members asking for support, rather than their own factsheet on their website that is backed up with quotes and sources.
http://levees.org/facts/factsheet.htm
Please read this page before posting your opinion!
And, George W. Bush had a paper on his desk for over a year
from the Army Corp of Engineers to upgrade the levees to
category 5 level.
All George Bush had to do was sign the paper.
He chose to kill more people in Iraq!
Get it through your head the Army Corp of Engineers
is federal those aren’t state uniforms they wear
with federal medals!
The money goes to the state, the state has to give
the money back to the federal government.
Way too much rhetoric on your site.
If G.W. would have signed those papers over a year ago
we wouldn’t need to have these discussions now.
‘Xcept for the NOAA information that was nice!
Laurie
Stanford,
The above note from levees.org (an organization the premise for which I am quite familiar with) asking for support mentions “the US Army Corps of Engineers’ central role in the metro New Orleans flood.” My question in this post was whether its was solely their ineffectiveness that led to the flooding disaster or if the hangup was somewhere else.
At times like this when people are angry and want answers, it is easy to bark up the same tree without investigating other possibilities. I, too, would like to fry the ACE like the next person. But, am I factually backed to do so? That’s what forums like Metroblogging are for.