Adieu: It's not just levees that reach a breaking point;

[Audrey2Katrina]

Sometimes people do!

The endless mantra of New Orleans this, and New Orleans that, the “surge” of negativity aimed at MY city has caused a “sinking” feeling and a “breach” of faith resulting in an “inundation” of emotions which can only be “pumped out” by some overdue cathartic venting, and doubtless an even longer needed hiatus from all the dry sarcasm and even poorly disguised snide witticisms which only exacerbate the condition.

You know, when you have a dear member of your family, lying in a hospital, the very LAST thing they need is to hear folks talking about “Who’s gonna pay the hospital bill?” “Well they brought this on themselves…” “They should’ve seen this coming…” “There’s really no hope for them, so maybe they ought’a just die and be done with it…” yup, real nice folks there! Gives me a vision of vultures circling overhead just waiting to pick the bones clean. Also, kind of reminds me of a song from the Music Man, with the line: “pick...pick…pick…pick…pick”. Nothing quite as rewarding as having someone pour salt into an open wound. It gets OLD.

Personally, I have had it, and I say this with animus toward no one. I guess this will come as great news to some, received with great impassivity by others and perhaps even a few will take a moment’s introspection—and then do what we all must do: simply move on.

I have noticed that when someone posts anything that can be hedging on the “political” bend, they are usually pretty quick to get either a warning, a reminder, or some other sort of wrist slap. The same can be said about those who “flame” another individual, as this is a family-oriented, and as presented “flame-free” zone; and that is as it should be. This is a great and informative weather site.

But what can be said or done about incessant negativism, and the general, or even the less obvious but nevertheless poorly concealed “flame” of someone’s hometown? Now I don’t know if this post, or thread, or whatever will even last very long; but I take some consolation in that I won’t be forced to read what I’m sure will be a litany of rebukes and condescension from so many of those self-proclaimed know-it-alls who do NOT live what I do every day, nor do they live WHERE I live every day. Those who are familiar with my posts know that I am anything but “short-winded” when it comes to getting on a soap-box, and since this is going to be something of a Swan Song, you can choose to close this window now, or just grin and bear it.

I, for one, am positively SICK to my stomach of all the incessant side-swipes I’ve had to read that have been injected, some flagrantly, others much more subtly, aimed at MY city. These are NOT direct quotes; but rest assured they do convey the very message a LOT of posters of late have managed to put on different threads all within the last few months:

1.) New Orleans shouldn’t have even been built.
Obviously they’ve never studied the history of the area! Try telling that to EVERY president from Thomas Jefferson to the current administration, and all those whose wallets this city has lined handsomely since it’s been “built”.
2.) New Orleans should be completely abandoned.
Try telling that to the folks living in San Francisco, the Netherlands, or anywhere around Yellowstone!
3.) New Orleans is nothing but a filthy city full of crime.
EVERY city has its problems and there’s no getting around the crime problems here; but that is for US to deal with, and unless you’re right here in the trenches, spare us the pontificating and clean up your own backyard before you look into mine!
4.) New Orleans is full of nothing but whiners who won’t do for themselves.
Seems I recall reading about people whining they didn’t get FEMA aid for Ernesto, and countless other things not appropriate for this forum. Whining is NOT indigenous to New Orleans, it’s everywhere. Sadly it’s not the tens upon tens of thousands who ARE doing for themselves getting any attention… but the vocal minority who are not—and they, too, are NOT restricted to the Crescent City!
5.) When you build below sea-level, what do you expect?
Snide comments from people who know NOTHING about either the geography, history or the economics involved in the “Rest of the story!”
6.) New Orleans is getting WAY too much coverage and it ONLY had a Cat 1 hurricane.
First: New Orleans is a city with name recognition across the entire WORLD. It is the “hub” of the area, and was left in utter ruin—let the same happen to any other MAJOR metro area with the SAME kind of surrounding results, and I guarantee you that major city involved would dominate the coverage REGARDLESS of where it was located. Don’t blame the city for what the media decides to do! Secondly, the surge going into Lake Borgne was estimated at as high as 15 feet plus, overtopping the MRGO. Lake Pontchartrain was utterly swollen by the influx of water from a strong Cat THREE (NOT ONE!) hurricane.
7.) Katrina didn’t flood New Orleans… it was already doomed!
Oh really? Do you have your own psychic friends’ network? Hindsight is always 20-20!
8.) Let it go back to the sea, it’s going to wind up there sooner or later anyway!
Your predilection for compassion and empathy is only exceeded by a level of callousness unseen since the days of the Inquisition.
9.) New Orleans is SINKING!
And glaciers are melting! Do we abandon planet Earth, or try to do something about it?
10.) Why should taxpayers’ money be spent on a “doomed” city anyway?
Have you any idea how much the “taxpayers” have benefited from this city being here? I thought not! Believe me, the ratio of having given, and having received is not even remotely equal!
11.) With all the corruption down there, why bother?
Maybe because it’s our HOME! And if you don’t give a d***, we do!
12.) Forget everything you THOUGHT you knew about Katrina… here’s the real scoop: It was all New Orleans’ fault!
Uhh, are you watching for black helicopters at night and taped copies of “Conspiracy Theory” every other night?

Believe me, there are others, MANY others, but I figured an even dozen would suffice. This is but a small sample of the many cryptic, and other NOT so cryptic messages I see in a growing number of posts. Of course there are all the ones about the nasty New Orleans’ refugees, and the corrupt politicians—hey I’ve even had a bit to say on that; but I do NOT DWELL on it. It seems there are some in here who simply can NOT pass up an opportunity to get in another DIG against New Orleans. I think the one that did it for me was the suggestion that we should actually THANK Katrina for the service she provided in disclosing these vulnerabilities. Well excuse the HELL out of me, but looking at the city of my heritage, for all its foibles and failings, in utter disarray, with over 1500 DEAD, the city in ruin, my own losses in property AND family member, and near overall chaos makes it just a tad difficult to be grateful to the entity that caused it—and PUHLEEZ, don’t tell me that Katrina didn’t cause it! I’m sure the folks in Mississippi, whom I hold VERY dear, would find it offensive in the EXTREME, (and perhaps on an occasion here-or-there--probably have) hearing that it wasn’t Katrina that caused their catastrophe, it was their decision to live along a shallow shoreline—and subsequent water which should have been expected. Surely all these homes were “doomed” from the get-go, it was only a matter of time. They’d be justifiably incensed if someone were to suggest that they actually “THANK” Katrina for pointing this out to them! And I’d be right there beside them expressing MY indignation and outrage. And yes, SOME callous individuals have hinted as much, but not NEARLY the number as have been going on, and on with their relentless mantra aimed at New Orleans. I swear I think some folks are positively obsessed with the notion that it is their life’s calling to trash this city, or to trivialize the impact Katrina has had on it in order to shift causation in another direction. Pardon the pun; but this sort of blows me away!

And then there’s the other unending diatribes: Well YOU were on the WEAK side of the storm… AND YOUR POINT? Why is it that it’s okay for some to post in here all the trivializing of what MY city received in terms of winds (which crosses a BROAD spectrum, so I won’t even go there!) when I could also cite statistics that would justifiably offend them? I could cite that according to actual records, some 63,000 homes were destroyed in Mississippi, maybe 5,000 or so in Alabama… over 250,000 in New Orleans! I could cite 283 dead in Mississippi, 3 in Alabama, 2 in Georgia, 1 or 2 in Florida, 1,577 and climbing in New Orleans! What is this a friggin’ competition? And I KNOW I’d be met with things like “But YOUR damage came from levee breaches—architectural and engineering mistakes. Uh-huh, and I might just as well add that YOURS came from poor site location, the lack of a common-sense sea-wall to at least break SOME of the surge! And again I’d hear “But we weren’t in a flood prone zone”… to which I could equally add… guess what? Neither is a HUGE chunk of the Ninth Ward, or the most densely populated areas of St. Bernard Parish! Cuts both ways. And what purpose would this serve other than to drive a wedge between me and people with whom I genuinely agree and have nothing but the sincerest sympathy for. I WANT to see that beautiful Gulf Coast restored just as badly as I’d like to see my hometown restored. I’ve never posted the above statistics before, and found doing so this time somewhat distasteful—but felt I had to if for no better reason than to make a point. All this resentment over what the press does, all this opinionating from people who haven’t a CLUE about this city and/or its contribution to this nation’s culture AND its economy, has taken its toll. I’m dealing with enough negativism every morning when I drag myself out of bed and drive into town to TRY to make a difference. The last thing I need to see is still MORE negativism from people who obsess over their disdain for MY city. I want to see some hope, a little empathy, I do NOT want pity; but for God’s sake if you can’t say anything encouraging, then out of common human decency don’t say anything at all!

As for me, with the exception of having to endure some pretty heartless individuals making the aforementioned comments, over and over again—and when called on it, find yet ANOTHER way to inject their same invectives, WITH those exceptions, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it in here. I can say that the vast majority of folks are downright decent, intuitive, and friendly. But one can endure hearing and seeing a beloved member of your family “trashed” only so long, and YES, that is what New Orleans is to me. I was raised in an orphanage, and lost both adoptive parents by the age of 18 coming up in, of all places, the lower Ninth Ward! And YES, it is my home, my city, and my family. We may not like some of the things our family does, and we may complain and moan of many a shortcoming; but when someone outside dares to attack it—well, we rally around to her defense, and while I’ve tried to fight the good fight… it’s been draining. To all my exceptionally GOOD friends here at Storm 2K, I bid a fond “Adieu” and wish you nothing but the best. By all means, stay out of harms way, Godspeed, and stay safe! And may you never know the misery of having to hear/read/see your home, or your city—your family!—so relentlessly being put down.

It’s been only TOO real:

A2K

[TSmith274]

A2K, I feel the same way. I always try to fight snide remarks and/or ignorance with facts. And sometimes that works. But most people do seem to harbor bad feelings towards our hometown. It does make it hard, because I truly feel that we are alone in this struggle. New Orleans is a city of hard working families trying to rebuild our lives.

We were victimized by Katrina, and now we are victimized by the media and SOME of our fellow Americans focusing only on the problems here. The crime, our sometimes whacky mayor, etc... All the while, the good people of New Orleans... all 99.99% of us, get no attention and are therefore lumped into the same basket with the bad eggs and the complainers.

It's really a shame that you're leaving this forum, because you always fought for New Orleans, as I have tried to do. We've shared PM's about this, and I'll be sad to see you go. Reconsider it, but I certainly can't blame you. These days, I try to avoid any public discussion of New Orleans' situation, because they always turn negative and people never want to hear the facts or be corrected. I have to say, I've been where you are now, but for some reason or another... I still try to defend New Orleans. New Orleanian's relationship with their city is truly unique. New Orleans leads the nation by far in the percentage of citizens who draw their roots back generations in the past. We fight for our city, but indeed... it gets tiring and discouraging. Stick around A2K.

[MSRobi911]

A2K

I hate to see you leave, but I know how you feel. For a long time I couldn't go into Talkin Tropics and still don't go very often for the same reasons you stated. I stay mainly in off topic and in Hurricane Recovery and if I read something that is offending then I say something, if not, I just usually ignore it, especially if the person that wrote it has no idea what is like to live in these conditions after Katrina, be it in AL, MS, LA.......we all suffered we all lost things that will never be replaced and we are all trying to rebuild and there are always going to be those "know it alls" that you can't reason with. Don't let them drive you away. You offer such good contributions to this site I hate to see you leave. I always look forward to your soap box postings as when I get riled up I usually do the same thing. We all need to stay together and fight this fight to rebuild and get our lives back! It's a hard thing to do and my health has suffered from this, but I won't let the negative comments drive me away from my friends here at s2k!

Please reconsider staying away....if not, always know you will forever be in my thoughts and prayers as you are such a wonderful human being!

Mary

[Dionne]

A2K.......I've been down the road your traveling. I understand your frustration.

Awhile back I was down in Waveland rebuilding. And to put it simply.....it got to me. I became physically sick. My own mental health was at risk.

The smallest things would make me angry to the point of tears. Bottom line was that I was quite close to losing it.

My wife and daughter suggested (actually it was like an intervention) that I seek medical advice.

I ended up spending a few days in a fancy hospital with counselors and such. I now take .25 mg of xanax twice a day. Low dosage, but it clearly helps.

All I'm suggesting is that there may be trauma and it's okay to ask for help.

Good luck man. I'm going to miss your posts.

[sunny]

A2K, I am sorry to see this post. You and I have talked quite a few times about the frustration we feel seeing our City bashed, so I do understand. I am just sorry to see the board loose you as a member.

[Frank P]

I could not agree more with everything posted in this forum by my fellow storm2k associates... and along with everyone else I too hope you will reconsider your actions and continue with your most excellent contributions to these forums....

perhaps just take some time off for a while from the boards and take a well needed break... this is what I do when I become frustrated, aggravated and annoyed with some of the insane comments that we have to deal with .....

A2K... regardless, I do so understand your plight.... but hope you will reconsider returning to the site after a brief and well needed respite..

Frank P

[Lindaloo]

A2K, my post in the other topic in no way reflected what you are saying about about the doom. My cousin lives in Destrehan, just a block from the levee on River Rd. I have ridden my horses many a time on top of that levee. But, in reality, that system is going to fail eventually because there is poor engineering factors in it.

My point I was trying to make was that if those levee's had been designed to do what they were supposed to do, New Orleans would be high and dry to this day. Unless they fix this problem, it was doomed to fail, regardless. As I pointed out, Lake Pontchartrain and the over the top flooding was due to Katrina surge. The other failures was poor engineering.

I have been to Bourbon (as you know) twice since Katrina. It has changed down there and for the better. Even the mounted police were friendly, now their horses are a different story.


I have read a few posts that were just uncalled for and I assure you that those folks are no longer here! The compassion that S2K was founded on will not ever be compromised.

[sunny]

Twasn't you Linda. You are in the same boat we are and I know there is no way on Earth you would deliberately say anything hurtful to ANYONE.

[timNms]

Hate to see you leave, A2K. But I agree with you. It's time that the New Orleans bashing stops. Regardless of what the problem was with the levees before Katrina, bottom line is that if she had not hit this area, New Orleans and the MS coast would not be in the shape they're in now and almost 2000 people who lost their lives in this storm would still be with us today.

It gets old reading posts from people saying "New Orleans should be abandoned". I doubt that those people realize just how important that city is to the US. I also get tired of reading posts from people saying "People should not be allowed to build along the coastlines or in cities below sea level". If that be the case, then people in Sacramento, CA should be forced to abandon that city as well, since it is surrounded by rivers and a levee system that is facing a similar fate as New Orleans met on Aug. 29, 2005. And New York should be moved somewhere else because we all know that a fast moving cane striking that area will bring much destruction to that city.

Hope you reconsider and stay. Just take you a few days off...I have to do that from time to time to keep my fingers from typing something my brain tells me will get me in trouble with the mounted police of the board

[Lindaloo]

Don, I certainly hope you change your mind and stay. I was informed of some things said right after Katrina about how we deserved this because we are all sinners! Let me say, I was mortified by this. You know the truth, we know the truth without a doubt because we have lived it. No one will ever know what it is like until they have experienced it. Just like 9/11, although we did not actually live it this was certainly a part of us that was attacked too because we are all as one here in the United States! There are always going to be that selective few that well, in real life, have nothing better to do except to analyze and pass judgement on something they are clueless about.

[george_r_1961]

Just a short note here: I was born in New Orleans and share in the pride that the citizens have in their city. The "can do" attitude of the people there and elsewhere along the gulf coast is remarkable to say the least. Don please do not let a few ignorant misguided souls cause u to leave us. Ive read some of these posts and I feel your pain. While I have not lived there for over 40 years it is still MY CITY.

[LAwxrgal]

I'm usually a lurker in this particular part of the forum, but your post immediately caught my eye. Yours is a well thought out post from the bottom of your heart. I was born in New Orleans 30 years ago and spent most of my childhood there. I have fond memories of walking Canal Street and taking in the sights and sounds of the Riverwalk. I couldn't agree more with many of the points you expressed. It breaks our heart to see our beloved city, our beloved St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes, and our beloved MGC in the condition they are in, and the fact remains, Katrina put them there, regardless of her "final" intensity. She could have been a tropical storm at landfall, still caused the damage she did, and IMO all this arguing I see on the boards about intensity is kind of a moot point. The damage is done.

I hope you'll reconsider your decision to leave the board on a permanent basis. I for one have enjoyed your posts and perspective. If you feel it's right, please make your break a temporary one. All of us need respite at some time or another, and all of us need the time to grieve. We're all hurting here, and we're all in this together. I know it sounds cliche, but it's true. My aunt died a year ago today, and in my opinion if Katrina hadn't hit, she'd still be alive, along with 2000 others. Most of the time, internet discussion boards provide a catharsis, of sorts, to release whatever tensions are bothering us at a particular points of time. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best, and godspeed.

Danielle aka LAwxrgal

[Pearl River]

Don, I hope you would stay, but believe me I do understand. I have taken some time away from this board myself a few times becuase of the nonsense that that spills out. The "blobgasms", "my storm was stronger than your storm", etc. B.S. We all lost something here, and lets not forget our friends to the west who really seem to have been left out of the picture.

New Orleans, St Bernard, Plaquemines, Slidell, and the M.G.C. will never be the same because of Katrina. We have been blessed with the fact that we can wake up each morning, unfortunatley there are about 2,000 others that cannot do that. This was a disaster that hopefully will never be repeated.

Take care.

[GalvestonDuck]

I have noticed that when someone posts anything that can be hedging on the “political” bend, they are usually pretty quick to get either a warning, a reminder, or some other sort of wrist slap. The same can be said about those who “flame” another individual, as this is a family-oriented, and as presented “flame-free” zone; and that is as it should be. This is a great and informative weather site.

But what can be said or done about incessant negativism, and the general, or even the less obvious but nevertheless poorly concealed “flame” of someone’s hometown?

Believe me, I'm with you there, Don.

I made a case about it last year and the mods discussed the issue. We added the Aftermath forum and included in the description a plea for others to be sensitive to those affected by the storms. But we can't stifle those opinions with which we might disagree. Even before Katrina, there were debates about how people shouldn't be living on the coast or on barrier islands (see my Location and you'll know darn well where I stand...and live ).

You might not believe me since I'm not a New Orleanian, Mississippian, or in any other way, a Katrina survivor. But I know where you're coming from. I wish, as a mod, I could say "Don't say that" or "That's not allowed." But it's their opinion and it is allowed.

Just realize, they're showing their true colors when they voice things like that.

[Recurve]

It's heartbreaking how people can be so insensitive. The idea that people "shouldn't" live where they do is pointless. I love New Orleans and hope to be back there soon, on Saturday during carnival on a float on St. Charles Ave. in fact.

Take a long break, but be sure we will be glad to have you back if you ever feel the need to communicate with those who care and are sensitive and thoughtful in their posts. The rest I hope you can ignore, but I know it takes almost superhuman effort.

I wish you all the best.

-- Dave H, Key Largo
Krewe of Tucks

[Javlin]

Now this guy could write and debate with the best of them.I remember in the summer of 06 as some of us got together in the French Corner(me and Don the old guys)and I met Don in person really seemed like a likable fella.Why am I responding now,because I was just sitting around building a model thinking Katrina,S2K and somehow A2K came to mind.I noticed how he use to make me think with his opinions and insight.We lost a good orator and a friend.Kevin

[UptownMary]

Come back come back wherever you are, A2K......