Louisiana Governor, Senators Go to Holland

Associated Press ^ | Jan 9 | DOUG SIMPSON

[george76]

Gov. Kathleen Blanco left for Holland on Monday to learn how the Dutch created the huge flood-control system that protects a land much farther below sea level than Louisiana.

The trip means the Democratic governor will miss President Bush's visit to New Orleans, scheduled for Thursday...

The governor was among more than 40 government, business and education leaders - including Sens. David Vitter and Mary Landrieu ...

Landrieu said the ambassador told her about that country's flood of 1953, when 1,800 people died.

"He said, `Why don't you all come over and see what we've done since then?'" Landrieu recounted.

Katrina has been blamed for more than 1,300 deaths, the vast majority of them in Louisiana.

Holland recently completed a 50-year program to build dams, seawalls, and surge barriers designed to protect the south of the country against almost any storm.

...others have questioned whether areas of Louisiana 3 to 5 feet below sea level should be rebuilt or returned to marshland.

[Political Junkie Too]

Gov. Kathleen Blanco left for Holland on Monday to learn how the Dutch created the huge flood-control system that protects a land much farther below sea level than Louisiana.

The Dutch have been doing this for over 400 years. You'd think that there are many books, films, TV shows, and experts who can explain how they did it. There are probalbly many school science-fair diaramas to explain it to the LA leaders.

Are we sure that they didn't travel there for "smokes" since the Dutch are rethinking their liberal "coffee shop" laws? Or maybe she's looking for some European chatchke's for her new marble countertops?

-PJ

[festus]

I thought Blanco went over to help stick a finger in a dyke.

[george76]

[upchuck]

Blanco: "No, Hans. The biggest dyke we ever had in New Orleans was Rosie O'Donnell. Why do you ask?"

I don't know... The Hildabeaste may be bigger than O'Donnell.

[Steve_Stifler]

The Louisiana politicians did receive previous flood control advice from the Dutch. Unfortunately, the politicians translated "the little boy sticks his finger in the dyke" as "stick your thumb in your a$#." To their credit, they did follow the mistranslated advice.

[scannell]

They have to go to Holland to find that the difference is that Holland isn't in Hurricane Alley.

[ClearBlueSky]

THAT is the oft-ignored factor! Holland isn't faced with the likelhood of one or more hurricanes every year.
AND- the flood protection works in Holland because it was built, and is maintained by ,the Dutch-not the conniving, good-enough, political dynasty types that run New Orleans.

For Dutch ideas to work here you'd have to have the Dutch design, build AND maintain the system free of political control. Not gonna happen in a city where the battle cry now is ' this is OUR city'. Meaning- no outsiders are going to run things! Heaven forbid that should happen! In a city where mile after mile of Interstate guard rails are installed BACKWARD, there is NO- I repeat- absolutely NO hope that locals can build and run a system like Hollands.
Dutch ingenuity and efficiency and 'les incompetents' cannot co-exist.

[scannell]

Yeah, isn't it the Mayor of Lousiana that advanced the Farakahan idea that Bush bomed the levies? Now that the water has receded I didn't hear a recant let alone an apology from either.

[scannell]

and yes, when they design dikes and levies, it has to be able to hold back the water, not a class 5 Hurricane.

[Saints fan]

What?

[dufekin]

Let me try this again. I simply trolled DU for every stupid, idiotic delusion that the liberals pontificate on the airwaves. The problem for us conservatives comes because the American people, as the polls reveal, actually believe everything that the liberals propagandize. The liberals--more properly called "enemies of these United States"--declare all their ideas and utterances as Truth, despite the reality that such "Truth" consists almost exclusively of delusions without basis or evidence and various other forms of communistic and pro-terrorist propaganda. These enemies of the United States appear to pontificate their propaganda from the (usually unstated) premise that Dick Cheney serves as the Incarnation of Satan. The Truth (as so defined) tells us that God does not exist. The polls tell us that the Democrats continuously gain ground with the American people, so we cannot dismiss them as discredited escapees from some insane asylum or trained enemy saboteurs.

Democrats, for their part, can do no wrong, according to the Truth (recall that "Truth" means "enemy propaganda"). They are incorruptible, perfectly ethical. Bill Clinton, a proud liberal, ran the most ethical administration in history (so says the impeached, disgraced ex-President himself). Our problem, again, is that the American people increasingly believe in the Truth, despite its lack of evidence or basis in reality. The Truth moreover has declared all conservative ideas, utterances, statements, and programs as Lies despite their evidenciary basis.

The only viable method for Republicans to break this cycle that I can envision is for conservative Republicans to adopt the mantle of the Truth and accede to the Truth and react publicly to the Truth as if it were realistic, while operating privately, insomuch as does not contradict the public declarations, according to Lies. It's a tough tightrope and decidedly appeasement-mided. But maybe that's why I'm not President.

[Saints fan]

I get it.

I simply trolled DU for every stupid, idiotic delusion that the liberals pontificate on the airwaves

That's a lot of trolling. I hope you're alright.