Jan. 09, 2006 - 19:32 MST

WHISPERING HOPE

Buried today, back mid-paper in the Rocky Mountain News under the National Briefing Section is an item from Louisiana, shown here in full:

NEW ORLEANS -- "U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu is leading a delegation to the Netherlands today to study the flood control systems protecting a nation much farther below sea-level than New Orleans."

"The Netherlands ambassador invited Landrieu after Hurricane Katrina broke floodgates and levees, flooding most of New Orleans and all of neighboring St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, she said."

"The death toll is 1,326 in five states, including 1,077 in Louisiana."

"House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and others have questioned whether areas 3 to 5 feet below sea level should be rebuilt."

"The Netherlands is 21 feet below sea level," Landrieu said."

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Yeah, House Speaker and others don't seem to care that much of the low lying land is owned by the poor and near poor and that is where many of them lived.

Of course I expect Sen. Landrieu to be accused of "pork barrel" activities for her trip to the Netherlands.

I just hope beyond hope that she and her folks are given enough time to make a thorough study, a productive one.

Of course I am a cynical old coot, having noted that most things that make any real sense are opposed by those in power be they Democrat or Republican.

Consider though that the Netherlands has been coping with reality and recovering land by pumping up sea bottom to raise the level of their land for many, many years. What a marvel of engineering they have accomplished and of course increasing the size of their country by many miles by said operations.

Makes too much sense I guess for our country to consider some such activity. But, you know much of the Delta is land washed down by the Mississippi for centuries, perhaps thousands of centuries. Why not pump it up, spread it over the bottoms, de-salinize it (as the Dutch do)and make it habitable unthreatened land.

I wonder just what aim our feds have for the Gulf Coast ? That is, other than giving out so many no-bid contracts for reconstruction of the Gulf Coast ?

Seems to me that much of the Netherlands technology could well be put to use in many areas of our coasts, and should be. Probably costing much less than other methods and working better.

Yeah but, makes too much sense for our politicians to go for it as the usual dithering is done. But, deep down I am an optimist (a man who feels there is always a way to conquer problems) who believes that the glass should be pumped up from half full to all the way. Or the land be pumped up to a livable degree. In my head and heart plays the old hymn WHISPERING HOPE . . . . . . . . . . .

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