[StBernard] Rally on the Army Corps of Engineers

[Westley Annis]

John,
 
Good points on the corps.
 
Craig 
 
-----Original Message-----

I went to the linked website to see what this Rally is all about, and I am
compelled to respond to this posting on two points.  Let me first make a
disclaimer and say I am no fan of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but I am
also a realist.

First, about this "rally."  It's going to be interesting to see how that
goes considering the the Corps of Engineers office is within a fenced
compound and heavily secured.  I can tell you right now unless you have
scheduled specific business with someone inside they're not going to let
anybody in - especially a bunch of protestors.  My best suggestion to all
who gather is to go just outside the fence on the levee nearest to the
compound.  Standing in front on all the railroad tracks goes without saying
wouldn't be too smart.

Second point: about the Corps being the blame for all the flooding.  Or
should I say....is the Corps really responsible for "all" the flooding in
the metro New Orleans area?  On this point, perhaps the only people in the
entire New Orleans area that can really bitch on this are those from St.
Bernard Parish (which I am one), New Orleans east and the lower ninth ward -
and even now they are saying the Industrial Canal breach might have been
caused by a loose barge or ship - who knows for sure?

And when it comes to the MRGO, even the Corps is just a puppet with its
strings being pulled by Congress and the Port of New Orleans.  Without
question the MRGO was a mistake from day one, but the Corps never
recommended the project, they just followed orders.  This in no way removes
their responsibleness for constructing such a poorly designed and maintained
ship channel - oh, they are definitely to blame - but it's not their fault.
They just followed orders when building it.  The ones who "wanted" the MRGO
built are truly to blame.  And who might that be?....the Port of New
Orleans, that's who!  So you can point the finger of blame at the Corps, but
aim the anger of your cause firmly at the Port of New Orleans.

Now to address the flooding in the Lakeview area which the protestor's
website blame on the Corps.  Clearly, these folks have not been reading the
newspapers or watching the TV news as of late.  So let me fill them in on
recent discoveries and some history behind the 17th Street and London Avenue
canals.  First, it was recently discovered and confirmed by the Corps that
the depth of the 17th Street canal is much deeper than their records show
when the Corps built the flood wall protection system.  Why is this?  You
see, ownership and maintenace of the 17th Street canal is not the domain of
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Nope, that child belongs to the New
Orleans Sewer & Water Board.  You see, after the Corps built the flood wall
system, the New Orleans Sewer & Water Board went into the 17th Street and
London Avenue canals to expand the capacity of water flow.

How did they do this?  The idiots dredged the canals.  The dredging, unknown
to the Corps, deepened the center of the canals.  The increased water flow
began to erode the sides of the canal thus making it possible for water to
seep deeper into the ground below and pass the levee and flood walls.  After
a few years all it would take is a storm like Katrina to place enough
pressure against the already weakened levee-flood wall system and a breach
would result.

Mark my words, by the time the final study is completed and a final
determination is made as to the cause of Lakeview flooding....all blame and
fault will be placed firmly on the New Orleans Sewer & Water Board - not the
Corps of Engineers.

And now for that history lesson I mentioned in the beginning - and this is
where it gets interesting.  Back in the late 80's the Corps of Engineers
developed a planned project - and got Congressional funding budgeted - to
improve the levee-flood wall protection system which included the 17th
Street canals and other drainage ways in Orleans and Jefferson.  This is
even before the idiots at the New Orleans Sewer & Water Board began dredging
those canals.  Just as the Corps was about to start the project a law suit
was filed to stop it.  The plaintiffs claimed it was going to alter and
disrupt the natural environment, be an eye sore, etc.etc.  Who was it that
filed this ridiculous law suit?  The Sierra Club.  They brought in their
team of lawyers and their lobbyists (some of the most influential in
Washington D.C.) and pounded members of Congress.  Eventually, the Corps
threw in the towel on the legal fight and announced they were scrapping the
improvement project.  The environmentalists won.

Unfortunately, a Corps spokesman recently stated that "if the Corps would
have been able to proceed with that improvement project it is highly
unlikely that ANY of New Orleans west of the Industrial Canal would have
flooded or it would have been minimal."  And what really infuriates me is
soon after Hurricane Katrina the Sierra Club held its annaul convention.
Its president stood at the podium blaming George W. Bush and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers for the flooding of New Orleans.  God, what a bunch of
short-term memory, worthless, good-for-nothing bastards!  I always suspected
the Sierra Club was a bunch of nimrods, now this confirms it.

Let me reiterate.  I am NO fan of the United States Army Corps of Engineers
and I will likely join in the St. Bernard parish law suit against them
because of the MRGO - and I wish the rally protestors all the luck in the
world.  But when you start pointing the finger of blame, just make sure you
have all the facts so that it is correctly aimed at those who are truly
responsible.

John Scurich