1 Being one who's home and property were where the eye of Katrina hit my advice is don't believe what you hear. My area was hit worse than New Orleans. The Damage to New Orleans was done by flooding. A slow process. The damage done to the Mississippi coast was done by wind and a 30 ft high wall of water. Those in New Orleans relied on de govement for their existence as they have always done. Understand that nothing of my home remains. I evacuated my family as was advised by every radio and television station in the area. My neighbors stuck together. We pooled our resources and took care of the elderly and young. There was no looting because we posted armed people at key areas. There was some people (guess who) who attempted to enter our neighborhood a few days after the storm. They were turned back with vigor. We didn't care what the ACLU and Jessie Jackson would think. I am now is St Louis, Mo because there is no hotels, motels or other housing available in the area. I would rather be home helping my neighbors. Nothing to do now except wait to rebuild. We cleared the roads by ourselves. By our our sweat. Not Fema's and you tax payers. We removed trees on houses and repaired fences with our own equipment and money. Not de govments. Those who relied on de govment suffered because they have been educated to rely on the de govment for everything from rent to medical care. When de govment wasn't there they didn't know what to do. The results of liberalism. Remember this. Those yelling the loudest were living on welfare in section 8 housing. In other words many of the biggest complainers never contributed to the kitty they are demanding to draw from. Mad? Yea I'm mad. But not at Fema. Try the jackass Nagin who was elected for no other reason except that he is black. Mad at the police chief who was appointed for no other reason than he is black. Mad at the fire chief who was appointed for no other reason than he is black. And on, and on, and on. How many black people did you see in those helicopters savings black asses. Answer none. One lesson learned in this mess is the the cry babies in New Orleans Parish learned what white folks are good for. SAVING THEIR ASSES. Yea, Yea. I'm a dirty old racist. But who can say I'm telling nothing but the truth?

2 Greyrooster, I wondered what happened. My wife's family is from New Hebron, Ms. which is pretty close to Hattiesburg. They got hit pretty hard too, but nothing like the coast. We used to take our summer vacation in New Hebron and go down to Biloxi every year. I did hear that the Jefferson Davis home did survive. I always went there every time I visited the coast. In recent years I haven't liked it as much since the gambling came along, what with all the extra people and traffic. Is there something I can do to help you?

3 Greyrooster: The Damage to New Orleans was done by flooding. A slow process. The damage done to the Mississippi coast was done by wind and a 30 ft high wall of water. Some of the saddest voices I hear are from Mississippi. Still, although the country seems to have forgotten them Red Cross hasn't. Unlike Louisiana they at least have Service Centers where they can go to apply for assistance without going through the dreaded 1-800-975-7585 gauntlet. Their state government wasn't so jealous that they didn't recognize the value of an organization like the Red Cross. Any after-the-fact assistance from Red Cross that is gleaned by Louisianans comes either from local chapters, or through the 800 gauntlet. It isn't even remotely fair, but it's the way things are. I saw the first Service Centery in Louisiana today. It was in Slidell, so maybe things are changing. My neighbors stuck together. We pooled our resources and took care of the elderly and young. There was no looting because we posted armed people at key areas. There was some people (guess who) who attempted to enter our neighborhood a few days after the storm. They were turned back with vigor. We didn't care what the ACLU and Jessie Jackson would think. I often get the impression that the poeople who call us for assistance just don't have any neighbors who care about them. Very often the only role I play is to calm people down, and assure them that someone cares. We may not be able to do very much, but we do stop and listen to people. From my own personal experience getting a dispensation from someone is often not nearly as important as simply being listened to, even if all you have to say is "You guys are all assholes!" Seriously, people have gone far past the point of endurance, just because they have no "neighbors." As poor a substitute as I am, that's often the only role I can realistically play. If there is anything genuinely screwed up about American culture it isn't George Bush, but the fact that very few of us are blessed with neighbors who give a shit about our fate. I am now is St Louis, Mo because there is no hotels, motels or other housing available in the area. I would rather be home helping my neighbors. Nothing to do now except wait to rebuild. Granted, this is perverse. The situation is not set up to allow neighborhoods to stay in place, and we'd be a lot better off if it were. Imagine what would happen in a Massive WMD event. The terrorists would get exactly what they want: fragmentation and facitionalization of the culture. Our "helper organizations" (Red Cross, FEMA, etc.) just don't have the right idea here. Clearly our strength isn't the devastating responsiveness of our federal bureaucracy, so it must be something else. Something that would have made sense to Tocqueville. Remember this. Those yelling the loudest were living on welfare in section 8 housing. Yeah, and they're still "yelling the loudest." But there are a lot of soft-spoken people in the minority communities who don't expect handouts from the government, and who are even willing to devote their own time and resources to helping others. And there are a lot more of these kinds of folks than you'd think, even in the heart of the Big Easy. They haven't called any of the help numbers, because they didn't think they were entitled... and the only reason we hear from them at all is that they're absolutely out of something essential: medicine, food, etc. Many of these folks are elderly black people who have spent their lives in the "helping professions" like teaching, health care, etc. If they apply for emergency food stamps, it's the first time they've ever done it in their lives. Just to, you know... keep things in perspective. Now, there are also a lot of people who haven't anything on their minds but where they can get the next handout. But these are pathetic human beings, who create their own kind of personal hell. One lesson learned in this mess is the the cry babies in New Orleans Parish learned what white folks are good for. SAVING THEIR ASSES. Yea, Yea. I'm a dirty old racist. But who can say I'm telling nothing but the truth? Take it from one who has been "in the trenches," you need to be careful of this sort of thinking. There are definitely peolp "gaaming the system" and many of them (but not all) are black. You can almost hear it in their voices. But I'm also a hard bitten old fart, and when I press some of these people they fold pretty easily. They know they're gaming, and they're secretly ashamed. You press them and they're quite willing to be decent and upstanding human beings. They're as resourceful as anyone; it's just that not much has ever been asked of them. And even the charlatans in the Big Easy are going through the ringer these days. Nothing is easy anymore. Yea, Yea. I'm a dirty old racist. But who can say I'm telling nothing but the truth? Not any more than many of these black people in Jefferson Parrish. And they know it. Scratch a black welfare racist and, suprisingly, what you're likely to find is an American. Their hucksterism is really only skin deep. Is there something I can do to help you? Red Cross is doing lots of stuff, most of which those of us at the national level don't even hear about. There's an enormous untold story here. I can't even advise you about how to get in touch with these folks, because by and large the "official" offices aren't even staffed. There are lots of informal networks of people, and I imagine they way you get plugged in is to question a volunteer when you happen to see a Red Cross project going on. They probably have a phone tree or something, and you only find out about it through direct contact. Email me at demosophia@gmail.com and I'll send you what I have. The one thing I learned from direct "grassroots" activity, is that it blesses you with a far less cynical attitude about your fellow man.

4 Gubbamint cheese is sour.

5 Theres one PARIS where they are still CONSERVATIVE its PARIS TEXAS and they even have a mini EIFLE TOWER with a TEN GALLON HAT