Who CARES if a grain barge took out ONE of the levees?

[berni_mccoy]

What is the significance of this? It was still a HURRICANE that caused the barge to take out the levee in the first place.

IT DOES NOT EXCUSE IN ANY WAY THE FAILURE OF THE BUSH ADMIN TO RESPOND!

This is just RW TALKING POINT BULLSHIT TO CLOUD THE REAL ISSUE!

[wakeme2008]

1. IMHO it is a cover up and did not happen

the RW need a reason other than Bush's cuts to the levee program that caused the levee to fail.

[Fescue4u]

5. perhaps that is true

but part of the issue of designing structures to withstand high winds, is to withstand what high winds blow around.

Levees built around shipping traffic should be able to withstand shipping traffic accidents.

There's bridge in Tampa florida that got knocked down and killed a bunch of folks. It was hit by a ship.

The new bridge is now designed to withstand ships hitting it (and has other features to keep ships away)

[Fescue4u]

2. exactly, Im trying to figure out why

everyone seems to get so excited, or so defensive about it.

We all know that the forces of nature caused the levee to break (in this case nature pushing a big ass barge).

Its the response to the disaster that is at issue, not mother nature, nor what mother nature pushes around.

[Birthmark]

3. You are absolutely correct, of course.

That is just more distraction that the killers are throwing out in an attempt to get away with negligent homicide. It is repeated by accessories after the fact to those crimes - both in the media and elsewhere. Like all criminals, these people should be arrested, tried, and upon conviction imprisoned.

[jim3775]

4. I agree, hurricane damage is hurricane damage

Winds and storm surge blow thing around. This is insignificant compared to all of the legitimate criminal wrongdoings of FEMA and bush admin.

[kansasblue]

6. Well, if some one rammed the levee then that's significant.

they even control what part of the city to flood.

They could declare it all some blighted disaster area, demolish it and rebuild with fancy new buildings,

[jim3775]

7. Or...

A major hurricane could have hit the city and it was the storm surge that broke them. 22 extra feet of water in lake Ponchartrain probably has 1000 times the destructive power of a slow moving barge.

[democracyindanger]

9. I keep picturing a barge

ramming the levee, the pilot walking out to see if he knicked it, taking 10 minutes to back up far enough to ram it again, and repeating the process. And then, of course, he rushes back into the wheelhouse to turn the barge around and get out of there quick, at alarming barge-like speed.

[Silverhair]

16. Barges are not powered vessels.

They are towed or pushed by specially designed boats. So your scenario fails due to lack of crew, lack of wheelhouse, lack of engines, etc.

Personally, I don't think there was a barge. I haven't been able to find a reliable news report of one. I think it was simply too much hurricane for the system to handle.

I posted, here on DU, when the hurricane started to zig east, that the storm would push Lake Ponchartrain onto N.O. and endanger the levees. I wish I had been wrong.

I lived in N.O. for six years and understand the danger. Everybody knew it back in the 70's when I lived there. Everybody knew that a really big hurricane with the eye just to the east of N.O. was a severe danger. I doesn't take a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory. It was going to happen sooner or later. And Katrina was an asskicking storm.

[jim3775]

18. I think the poster was being sarcastic

Because of the high traffic the sarcasm smiley is disabled.

[Silverhair]

25. OK. Sometimes it is hard to tell. NT

[Kenroy]

22. how does one control

what part of the city to flood? The parts below lake-level got inundated. The parts above stayed dry.

Can you fill a bowl with water and keep one part of the bottom dry?

[dave502d]

8. You our so right.n/t

[Extend a Hand]

10. maybe it's insurance companies

fighting about who has to pay?

[bushisanidiot]

11. The army corps of engineers thought sinking a barge would help to close

the breech on the 17th street canal..

i'll have to find the link.. the story was on msnbc.com

[berni_mccoy]

13. Are you SERIOUS?!?!?

Holy CRAPOLA!

[bushisanidiot]

23. Yep.. here's a link or two

http://www.wpta.com/Story.aspx?type=nn&NStoryID=1094

Aug 31, 2005 - (NEW ORLEANS 8/31/05 AP) _ There's little good news for flooded New Orleans. The Army Corps of Engineers says efforts to repair levee breaches that have swamped the city have failed so far.

Workers are trying to plug the holes with huge concrete blocks and also are looking for a barge to fill a gap.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9145473

Levee repair work has yet to begin
Engineers plan to intentionally breach some New Orleans floodwalls

Senior News Editor
MSNBC
Updated: 6:54 p.m. ET Aug. 31, 2005
“Move several barges into position ahead of the breech, in parallel fashion, fill them with water and sink them in place,” said Michael W. Holcomb, a senior environmental specialist with Dallas-based refiner Alon USA. “Stabilize somehow and then begin placing concrete around the gaps, and slowly then fill in the spaces with increasingly smaller and smaller fill material and effectively seal the breach well enough to allow repairs to the levee itself.”

A similar idea was being proposed Wednesday by the Corp’s own Maj. Gen. Don Riley.

[Davis_X_Machina]

20. Sinking a barge filled with earth....

....in a gap, or in front of a gap, in a seawall or levee or flood wall would merely be the Mother of All Sandbags.

This is used frequently in closing gaps in hydraulic works.

Not terribly sinister.

[tjdee]

12. Dunno, I certainly don't care in the slightest.

My problem is that Bushco sat on their rich asses living it up before deigning to deal with what happened, criminally negligent. And delusional.

And let's be honest, ugly as can be inside and out. I don't get how someone like Bush got a woman to look at him once, much less marry him. It's one of those eternal mysteries, like....why do you park your car in a driveway but drive on a parkway.

:shrug:

[Sarojin]

14. Link to one posting here, mentions FOX News

http://www.dfwforums.net/index.php

Second story on page as of this post.

[longship]

15. Photoshopped barges can't take out levees.

nt

[Sarojin]

17. There were 3 breeches!

So even if this one was from a barge, what about the other 2?

[spooked911]

19. Yes, but who is in chasrge of the levees during a storm?

Army corps of engineers?

Who?

Also, I think it is not clear why the levees were breeched and this is important.

[txindy]

21. This is a new talking point?

That's the best they can do?

[1932]

24. I hope the owner of that barge is insured.