'New Orleans will be back'

The Baton Rouge Advocate ^ | September 4, 2005 | Penny Brown Roberts

[Melpomene]

I had no idea what a doom and gloom situation New Orleans was in until we got electricity back and I started watching the national media. First, local media is doing a pretty good job on focusing on all the people who are helping out, and are ignoring the obstructionists. Second, embarrassing outbursts by Nagin, Broussard and Landrieu have been kept pretty quiet (forgetting their reelections for the moment, baloney like that really dampens morale). At the same time, the media has been applauding the help given by Bush and the federal government, instead of bitching about it. Finally, we have a lot of personal accounts and, although New Orleans is definitely facing obstacles, most people are optimistic about the future (once again proving that the national media would much rather focus on the negative). Large sections of the city are ok (not one oak is down on St. Charles Avenue, and no water between St. Charles and the river or in the French Quarter).

Screw all the handwringers. New Orleans has work to do.

And thanks to everyone here. This has been a very emotional time for many, and your words and works of support are truly humbling. You have helped prove that New Orleans is NOT the city that care forgot.

[cripplecreek]

"Screw all the handwringers. New Orleans has work to do."


That's my America.

[brivette]

May God be with you.

[chgomac]

St Joseph's Cathedral? I thought it was St. Louis'.

prayers and support to everyone in these difficult times.

[Melpomene]

Thanks. I'm just hoping that, this time around, New Orleans can get out the message that walking the streets with an open container is fine; peeing in the streets is not! :0)

[commish]

I have no doubt N.O. will be back, but it will be a much different N.O.

The French Quarter will drive the recovery, and the areas that stayed dry will thrive in the near future. But the flooded and contaminated areas will be years in recovery.

N.O. will survive, the french Quarter will be the French Quarter, Cafe Du Monde will be serving again, but the city itself willbe only about half the size/population it once was.

And in reality that may not be a bad thing.

[shezza]

God bless you and yours. We're all in this together, no matter how many thousands of miles away we are.

[Melpomene]

You're right! St. Joseph's is in Baton Rouge; I'll email the editorial staff right now.

[trubluolyguy]

If they rebuild everything just like it was, exactly where it was....they deserve whatever hapens to 'em in the future.

[Maceman]

"It's horrible. There's no saying how long it will take to rebuild."

Considering that it took 15 years and $15 billion to build a mile and a half of road in downtown Boston, and that the resulting Big Dig tunnel projects are now full of leaks since being opened to traffic, I would say that rebuilding New Orleans will take a very, very, very long time.

[ryan71]

That's the spirit!

New Orleans will be back, less some low-lifes, I hope.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

My understanding is that the French Quarter is on higher ground than the rest of the city. Screw rebuilding the city itself, they ought to reconstruct the French Quarter and just leave it at that.

[ExTexasRedhead]

Thank God some sanity prevails. I've been watching Fox News and the cameras have shown houses and areas where there is no standing water and the houses are somewhat intact. No one has mentioned that as the cameras roll. All of America prays for you and your city. It's truly a shame that the lowest of the low have been raping, killing, and looting. The few give the many a bad wrap. The ungrateful, too, are hard to listen to and look at. New Orleans will be rebuilt better and safer than before. Many who had nothing, hopefully, will gain jobs and a purpose to rebuild.

[TAdams8591]

M are you back in NO?

Great uplifiting article, full of the positive American spirit that made America Great! And you seem possessed of the same Spirit!

Prayers for you and NO!

[dennisw]

What a mistake to rebuild in that location and every taxpayer in the United States will be on the hook for this folly. Dennis Hastert is right to question rebuilding there. Only the port should be rebuilt

[RoseofTexas]

"That's my America"

Exactly! But it is so infuriating watching MR. A**hole Mayor covering his butt by constantly shifting the blame on W! His attacks are getting VERY personal against W lately. So I don't stay long enough on those communist channel to stick around to hear what he has to say because it's "IT'S ALL BUSH'S FAULT, 24/7" with him and yet NO reporter has the *alls to take him to task on his share of responsibility! He's racist snake!

[lormand]

"Thanks. I'm just hoping that, this time around, New Orleans can get out the message that walking the streets with an open container is fine; peeing in the streets is not! :0)"

I would trade peeing on the street for cleaning the city of the crime. Since I was old enough to own a gun, I never went into New Orleans with a gun.

Lets hope the New-New Orleans will be better than the Old New Orleans.

[DoughtyOne]

Every time we have an earthquake in southern California, the phone lines fill up with relatives and friends trying to see if we're still alive.

All they see is a close-up of the damaged areas. They think all of the landscape must be strewn with that sort of damage. Well, it isn't. Most places are just fine, or may have suffered only a little damage.

The problem is, unless you live in the area surrounding the event, you don't know how much of the region looks like what they camera shots do. That's why I tend to take coverage of such events with a huge grain of salt.

I know it's bad for the affected people. That's all I need to know.

I'm glad to see that you're doing fairly well.

[Melpomene]

Hopefully, the people who go back will be the ones with the drive and committment to make New Orleans the city it should have always been. I get so frustrated with New Orleans' negative reputation, because I see the great things about it. It's our chance to shine. Pray we don't blow it.

[Melpomene]

I'm hoping every single rapist/looter/urbanterrorist/drug dealer, etc. has a terrible case of gangrene and that their slow and painful deaths are to be assumed.