Re: Positive Iraq news sends the wrong message

On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:17:15 -0700, Miss Elaine Eos
<Misc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

In article <g548ol$80b$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"Paul M. Cook" <pmcook@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Most haven't gotten a thin dime. And as I am sure MLF would tell you, just
go a mile otside the French Quarter and you will see complete devastation
everywhere.

Actually, when Mrs. Misc and I were there in April, we spent an entire
day driving around looking for devastation. Now, I am *NOT* going to
report that all his hunky-dorey, but I *WILL* tell you that we did not
see "complete devastation everywhere", or anything even close. In fact,
we had a rather hard time finding *ANY* complete devestation, finally
seeing one incomplete development complex near the end of the day.

Don't get me wrong -- there's plenty of shit that's messed up! But
we're not talking Nagasaki-level devastation, here. The place is a
mess, there's lots of work left to be done, and it will likely never be
what it was before Katrina (but maybe that's A Good Thing...? Dunno on
that one) but, by and large, folks are muddling through, and getting
along all right.

And, before you get all righteous on me, I'm not just talking about
Ashton's and the French Quarter, either. We visited every corner of the
city -- each parish & neighborhood -- *LOOKING*FOR* devastation. We
stopped & talked to folks, we looked around, we visited businesses, etc.

Here's what we DID see: on nearly every block, there's at least one sign
of the disaster. A rotted-out corpse of a house or business abandoned,
or marked with the number of dead bodies found in it, etc. However, for
over 90% of the city, that sign-house/business is the exception, and the
rest of the block is either inhabited by people who remember but are
getting along or is being rebuilt. In a few isolated areas, you can
find places where half or more of a street is virtually wiped out. If I
wanted to do a Michael Moore-esque presentation, I could edit some film
to make it look like the entire city was a ghost town, with complete
devastation everywhere.

...But it would be a lie.

New Orleans is on the upswing, IMO, and the O of many of its residents.
All is not "back to pre-Katrina normal", but neither is it
"catastrophically dismal." It's still/once-again a great city to visit,
and you can help out, if you're so inclined, by spending a few of your
tourist dollars there. You'll enjoy your visit, they'll enjoy having
you -- win, win!


Absolutely agree, Ted. (Ouch! That hurt)

I helped move my son and D-i-L back into NOLA 7 weeks after Katrina.
At that point it really was Hiroshima. We wore throw away "clean
suits" just to try to salvage items from the second floor. Many
streets were impassable because of the cars that were deposited in the
strangest places by the flood. Heavy refuse (appliances, carpets,
etc.) was everywhere. A huge percentage of the homes had "Blue Roofs"
(blue tarps where wood and shingles used to be). The homes in the
lower 9th ward, Carollton and Lakeview appeared pretty much
unsalvageable if they were standing at all.

Slowly, very painfully over the next 2 years things started to turn.
Finally, for the first time since the storm, when my wife and I
visited for last Christmas we saw that the reconstruction had reached
critical mass. Even Lakeview and Carollton had more homes rebuilt or
being rebuilt than being abandoned or ignored. When we cam back in
April it was even better. Most of the homes that could be rebuilt
were either done or in progress. There is still much to be done but
the city really is being renewed.

The commercial and tourist side of New Orleans is working. The people
that remained/returned (including Mike) fight hard to keep the spirit
of New Orleans alive. That is what we have all fallen in love with,
the spirit. Buildings come and buildings go but hearts and minds of
the true New Orleanians are the reason to visit.

Shop on Magazine Street. Eat in the restaurants. Point and giggle on
Bourbon Street. Party in the bars and absorb the art of the city. New
Orleans is still there and just as endearing as ever because the
people refused to let it be washed away.


Wingman


"When you find yourself in command, take charge. When faced with a decision, do what is right. Nothing else matters." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf
.

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