I now live next to Stone Mountain, in Georgia, a ancient hill of granite that the Native Americans worshiped, and later became a site for Confederates to carve a monument to General Robert E. Lee!

Perhaps many of those missing like it that way; many others have disappered into New Orleans, hoping to leave a past elsewhere. But certainly there are many still buried in the collapsed and ruined houses. Some would rather die in New Orleans than live anywhere else, so some will always stay behind.

I have to diagree with your “most vile” comment. The dead are dead, and there is no urgency about them, as long as there are still living people in jeopardy. The most vile thing done by the Bush administration was to stand idly and watch. And now they close the relief office because local officials need too much help. The feeling of being ignored by the rest of the nation is the hardest thing to bear.

I have visited New Orleans three times since Katrina. It is still shocking. You should go. Everyone should go – not all at once, of course. TV does not prepare you for the reality. Some of the homes clearly have gone untouched since August 29. A returning hurricane will find little to destroy for years to come.

I have been to St. Augustine many times. It’s very interesting. A little tame for my taste, but I enjoy myself every time. New Orleans will never be as tidy as St. Augustine. I’d happily give up the poverty, crime and blight, though.

BTW, I post under the name “Bienville” because he was the founder of the city. He was the first governor and served for decades. He was later the patron of New Orleans in the royal court in France. There is a statue of him between Decatur and Peters at the edge of the French Quarter, right in front of the Jax Brewery.

I have not been back to New Orleans since the hurricane, but have friends who have done so! I hope the city is prepared for the upcoming hurricane season, but I doubt residents of N.O. will ever remain behind to risk drowning again! Hopefully the levees will be upgraded to withstand a category 5 cane someday, but billions of dollars are needed to do that task!

I used to live in the oldest city in America > St. Augustine, Florida > established by the Spanish in 1565! I lived a block away from the ancient stone fort in the Old Town area and had a coffee shop/restaurant/art gallery located inside a pre Civil War house! St. Augustine
is like New Orleans, but without Mardi Gras parades and no Bourbon Street bars! If you have never been there , go take a look sometime, and imagine N.O. before it became a big city with areas of poverty, crime and blight! Perhaps New Orleans can reclaim its heritage as it is rebuilt and the city of St. Augustine its sister city once again? One can hope!!!

I have made no attack against you, though you have received it as such. I merely obesrved that you are not aware of some things and that such is indicated in your posts. You are clearly emotional about New Orleans and we all appreciate that. You made a series of remarks about New Orleans and revelled by saying “LOL,” which I found offensive. I think we should set aside being defensive.

Perhaps we can start again. You have been to New Orleans. Have you returned since Katrina?

FEMA has allocated funds for the Super Dome that could be used to build houses for the poor > 100 million would go a long way for house construction! Most of the poor could never afford to go to a Super Dome sports event because cheapest seats about $50 a person up to a couple thousand bucks for a skybox! Look at your city and see where the priority of funds is going? To rebuild Super Dome, clean up French Quarter, get Casinos back in shape, get expensive hotels in order, etc! Next to nothing to clean up the 9th ward and other poor areas! At least all the buildings that are destroyed should have been bulldozed and removed by now, all the trash and dead trees picked up, roads repaired, etc!

Never start a post on here attacking someone and you will not be attacked back! Get mad at Bush for staging photo-ops in your city, like setting up lights in Jackson Square and when leaving removing the generators afterwards, or setting up a bogus food station, but after the pics it gets closed and the food hauled off too! Get mad at Mayor Nagin for putting people into the Super Dome, instead of using school buses to take them out that instead were left in the city and ruined by floods! Get mad at Sen. Landrieu for being so out of touch that she praised Bush for letting hundreds drown in the city for 5 days! Get mad at your Gov. who never seemed to understand how serious the situation could become! Get mad at FEMA for not even dropping water and food to the people floating in the flooded streets of your city! But do not yell at posters like me who are trying to shame Bush to do something!

I was born and raised in New Orleans, and I lived there for more than half of my life. My parents, my in-laws and my sister live there. My grandparents are buried there. I am New Orleans and her people. No one could care more.

Your posts 13, 18, and 27 betray a gross lack of knowledge of New Orleans and her condition, despite your visits there. I do not mean to offend.

What happened in the Superdome during and after Katrina was tragedy of the highest order. Many parts of the city saw great tragedy. But, if every building that saw the passing of a victim of Katrina was destroyed, we would have few left.

Repair of the roof is seed corn. It will bring visitors. Visitors bring money. We must eat, but we must not eat all the seed corn.

As I said, I do not mean to offend. But you really must consider your words. There is no need to attack me.

Do not be so quick to label someone ignorant unless you intend to pick a fight on here! I do not know you from Adam Ant, so take your opinions elsewhere Bienville!