Fodors: Thank you for letting everyone vent.
 

It seems you've been quite tolerant these days of letting people vent about all that's happening, and I thank you.

Yes, some of the discussions get political, but then travel is not free of politics anyway, is it?

The editors have evidently decided that their readers need to be able to discuss what's going on, and seem to have kept deletions to a minimum.

Thank you.

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An extra special thank you for just cleaning up the "Donate to the Red Cross" thread without deleting or freezing it.

I'd agree rb, if I thought the continued venting was doing ANYONE ANY good. Seems to me it's just creating walls.

The venting is definitely going down hill and I am afraid Fodors will be pulling some threads...

I agree that people need to vent in a time like this, but I've been amazed at some of the things I've been reading....both things that are awesome and things that are destructive.

I just try to stay out of the fray myself.

I've been shocked by some of what I've read. For the most part, people have stayed on track and finding ways to help. I'm still shaking my head at the Jesse Jackson thread and cannot believe it's still up.

thanks, fodors.

I think the Jesse Jackson thread is still up because it didn't particularly stay on that topic and is now quite varied. It's hard to know, sometimes, where you want to make your voice heard, thread-wise.

Maybe I am reading the wrong threads, but considering what is going on, the venting has been relatively mild.

Keith

Venting helps. If we only get information without talking about it, we'd explode.

Thanks, Fodor's. Whoever you are :)

I've stopped reading the New Orleans threads as it is too depressing. It seems that disasters bring out not only the best in some people, but the worst in others. I'm ashamed to be a member of the human race.

Unfortunately, I think the only thing that has come out of Fodors allowing these posts to stay is the underscoring of the fact that this is one deeply divided country. The polarization is even more extreme than I thought. We are experiencing a catasrophe, yet it seems that all most people can do is it put fingers, find someone to blame, make it politcal. It's all very sad.

But perhaps the saddest of all is listening to the drivel that tries to pass as political discourse. Instead ot bitching and moaning about something in the comforst of your homes--- go out and try to FIX it. But that would require more than just talk.

Pam_SF,
I'm truly perplexed by what you find so shocking about the JJ thread. Maybe there's more than one and I don't see it, but the one I see criticizes JJ as a publicity hound and hypocrit. Others may dispute that, but certainly this is not anything <i>new</i>.

He's been considered by some to be a shakedown artist for decades.

Jack: I'm not sure we're that polarized. I think we all want the same end result. Of course, we have very different ideas on how the result is best achieved.

antlori,

I know it's sometimes hard, but just think of the outpouring of giving that's going on and try to forget the idiot looters and other scum. Most people I know are desparate to help. Giving money just doesn't seem to be enough--I'm constantly shocked at the big hearts of our fellow countrymen--I'm so proud to be an American.

...and yes, I'm talking about the looters helping themselves to tv's, etc.--not the folks stealing food to survive. And you, Mr. shoot-at-the-rescuers--what the heck??????????

Jack,

You don't think it's political that the people left behind are mostly poor, mostly black. It this isn't political, what the heck is it? I am ashamed that this is happening in America and I want to know who is responsible.

This wasn't a surprise. Even when I worked for FEMA in the 1980's we talked about this happening one day. The levees weren't designed for the inevitable hurricane. They could have been strenthened, but it would have cost money.

This disaster could have been mitigated. The response could have been faster. FEMA has been greatly weakened in the last few years and the disaster function decimated.

The financial cost of this disaster is beyond estimating at this time. The number of lives lost will be numbing. The number of homeless staggering. And the faith lost in America, at home and abroad, incalculable.

There will be an investigation. We have to know what happened and how it happened. We can only pray that we learn something so that it never happens again.

It is not partison but this is very political. It is about the priorities of our government. It is about where our tax dollars are spent. The only part of this catastrophe that isn't political is that there was a hurricane (and even that is arguable if you start talking about the causes of global warming). You better believe this is political.

And PS, Jack. When there is a major terrorist attack and an American city is decimated and hundreds of thousands of people need our help, I sure hope we've figured out how to cope a little more effectively with a disaster in an American city. We've been so busy trying to stop terrorism that we've forgotten to prepare for a disaster, if they succeed. Oh I forgot. We don't want to pay taxes. We just can't do it all. Yes, it's political.

Wow, Orcas. Very, very well said. I agree with every word. Thank you for being so articulate.

Orcas,

We've only had 4 years of preparing for that.

Keith