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Greetings to anyone not traveling this weekend and safe journey to those who are.

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone. Daughter & son-in-law on way back from honeymoon to Las Vegas. We are home this weekend with Mr Paint Brush working on house. Take care, be safe!!!

great sympathy on this Labor Day weekend for all workers who have lost not only their homes, but their jobs as well.

The horrible destruction was not just a natural disaster, it was man made because of arrogant belief that we could harness the Mississippi and hold back a lake. We did not learn from the massive flooding along the Mississippi several years ago. President Bush looked like a bobble head when being briefed. He seemed to show no compassion in his speech later.

Presumably he was advised that the best thing to do would be to present a 'positive' message for people to cling to. Or was it damage control? The people needing a positive message have no media!

The desperately needed manpower for control, rescue, and distribution, (how can anyone comprehend that not even WATER was dropped to the dome?) is depleted with troops in Iraq, and huge amounts of money going to that "mission."

Sorry to be so negative on such an incredibly wonderful, positive site. One American's opinion.

I am sorry to have to say it, but Mr Bushes Red States are turning very Blue

It's utterly unbelievable to me that there are those so completely absorbed by hatred of our president that they will use even the occasion of a tragic natural disaster affecting millions of fellow Americans as an opportunity to poke at President Bush with silly, bitter, senseless accusations that somehow, it's all his fault (see above). Please, you people, stay out of the U.P... This is certainly not the time for "Hillary '08"-type rhetoric.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, that's what makes this country so great. But let's not tell people to stay out of the U.P. or anywhere else for that matter, just because they voice their thoughts that may not agree with yours.

pogo,there are none so blind as those who will not see. The people of the hurricane devastated areas are suffering because of so many wrong decisions made by incompetent leaders...starting with Bush.

First let's applaud the heroric efforts of the US Coast Guard, and the local authorities and groups that took immediate action. These are the people that make me proud to be an American.
Second, let us condem those politians and bureaucrats who, even with forewarning of the disaster, continued to dither around putting procedure before lives. These people are an embarassment. Ultimately, the responsibility for the break down in response lies in mayor's offices, governor's offices, and yes, the White House.
Third, this is a disaster that has been a long time in the making. State, Federal, Local, Democrat, and Republican, all knew New Orleans was at risk. Instead, we studied it and did cost-benefit analysis' and did nothing to improve the levies over their Cat. 3 capabilities. etc. etc.
Finally, when our government fails us, we as American Citizens have the right to speak out. No, it is not all the President's fault, but he is responsible for the Federal response, he has been telling us ever since 9/11 how good Homeland Secruity was, and it was one of the President's men who told the press Thursday that he thought the situations at the Superdome and Convention Center were just rumors! Yes, the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana have the primary for sending folks there and then failing to provide any form of support. So it is not all about Bush, its about all of them. Wake up folks and vote next year.

Pogo, I agree with others, too. Some of us blue people are already IN and FROM the UP. While certainly, the political atmosphere affords either extra hatred, or maybe support, for Bush, leadership is to blame- from the top to the bottom- and the biggest tragedy of it all is that the poor- those who feel most disenfranchised by the system- are those who have suffered, and will continue to suffer, the most.

I've heard a lot of "we knew this was going to happen- 'something' should have been done".

If that's true, (and I believe it is), when do we start evacuating the west coast? There's another disater waiting to happen. Earth quakes don't give much advance warning.

I sincerely appreciate the posted comments indicating I am entitled to my opinion. I also might say to pogo--too bad: I'll be in the UP soon and many times every year to come.

hi Tom, you breathing again? ;) Help is rolling ... or would, if it were accepted (think it is, but not sure).
So, maybe Bush's looking bad to some again, but then, it didn't start with him, and one really can't blame him for some basic mechanisms of our culture. Like, a politician that's been elected wants to be re-elected. So, not too many unpopular decisions please. Like, spending tax money on stuff that's supposedly not necessary.
Who'd have been willing to improve the dams of a city that's several meters below the waters around it? A city in a hurricane-threatened area? After things been fine forever, and there were so many more urgent things to do? Spend money on perhaps relocating the whole town?
And who'd be willing now to take care of the above mentioned possible need to evacuate the west coast? With millions of people in an earthquake area and several nuclear facilities on the faults, likely desaster worse than the actual situation is not a question of if, but when.
Who's willing to take, and fund, the steps necessary to make absolutely sure nothing happens, should The Big One hit?
Who worked on the same level for New Orleans and the rest of the strikcken area?
Bush didn't, but then, he wasn't the only one.
Admittedly, nothing of this is going to help those that need assistance right now.

On a side note, a group of the Technical Assistance Agency (my own interpretation of Technisches Hilfswerk) should be on it's way into the area to assess the needed measurements that can be provided.

Thanks for the responses much better worded
than mine... i.e. "None of this helps those that
need assistance.", "let's applaud the groups
that took action"... What gets to me is the
attitude that the best way to escape an
emergency (killing, raping, disease,
starvation) stemming from a NATURAL
disaster is to find someone to blame the
disaster on. It's just senseless. Please help in
some way, don't just add to the cultural
destruction (which my home, the UP, has
managed to mostly avoid thus far)

Thanks Danbury....I guess Canada was the first to offer aid...no suprise to me...then many other countries made simular offers....as far as the political thing is concerened it really should NOT be political...our citizens need help now and six days ago.........If Mr bush asked me to jump off a cliff I would do it, as any good soldier would....he IS the commander in chief!

Here are my 2 cents worth...I am not a Bush fan... But I'm not sure if any of the other candidates were much better. So that's where I stand that way .So here's an example of where some of the blame could be placed. According to a television report today, a large group ( about 30) of those boats with the big fan's from Florida (you guys know what I mean) were offered to FEMA at the very first of this week. They skim on the surface of swamps etc. But FEMA turned them down because they had no authority from "above" to requisition them !!! And I'll bet if some one had a disaster while on the boat they'd threatin to sue the pants off the people helping. In my job we called that "covering your ---" Just plain old common sence and good deeds can do you in.

That's a good one, Ms. Katie - I was wondering wether those floridian things wouldn't be helpful.

Guess I have to apologize to MaryLou, with whom I had a lively discussion about cultural differences and similarities some time ago - seems there's, underneath the surface, way more alike between americans and germans than I thought.
"No authority from above"? Does that sound familiar - there's got to be some german somewhere in there.

I'd also like to point out, that while I sort of spoke in his favor, Bush doesn't appear to be quite competent, as far as I can see from afar, but he's not the only one, depending on point of view not even the worst one (that'd require way more insight than I'll ever have). That's my point, although that he's just the last in a long row doesn't take his responsibility away ("the US will come out of this mess stronger than before"? Gimme a brake. Take care of the situation first, save the sunday talk for later). He's the President.
But then, guess his advisors just didn't tell him about a lot of things that ought to be taken care of in the US, either.

So I guess what Katrina has really taught us is the Feds need to be more prepared to address the failures of local governments to oversee the health and safety of the public.
The local government allowed the destruction of the coastal wetlands for who knows what special intrest groups. They had what looks like now no real evacuation plan to protect the public (when they knew how many days in advance that a potential huricane was possibly going to hit them).
Maybe what we have learned from this is that we all need to be more involved in electing our local govenment officials because they are the ones looking out for us.
On a pleasant note.... Once again I am so proud of our younger generation and the way they respond to people when they are in need. They are going door to door collecting needed items for the people affected by the hurricane, collecting money and not spending the time and energy on who's to blame.
Maybe I (WE) should follow their lead!