Terry Tate

No need to stop there. Include the farm subsidies, NCLB, Medicare rx's, etc. etc. And that sums up why neither Republicans or Democrats will get my vote from now on.

Considering how early in the year you're asking, should've included all head coaches. Out of this list, my best guess at this point in time is Tice.

How did his pocket composure compare to Pro Bowl, 7th year QB Daunte Culpepper playing at home? Pro Bowl 7th year QB Daunte Culpepper playing at home: Passing 22/33, 233yds, 0 TD's, 3 Int's, Rushing 3 times for 19yds, long of 10yds. JP first road start against same team: Passing 12/28, 113yds, 0 TD's, 0 Int's, Rushing 4 times for 13yds, long of 7yds. Could've been worse. Nearly matched DC's three interceptions. Not the last QB who's going to have a hard time against Tampa this year.

With football season underway, maybe everyone missed the whopper Tom Delay let go on the outstanding job the GOP has done on cutting federal spending. Washington Times article House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an "ongoing victory," and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget. I think that pretty much speaks for itself. If only we had a Republican revolution to replace these reckless spenders with financially responsible politicians. Oh, wait. We did. If you're a true conservative, and you support the GOP, please reconsider.

<in Jim Mora's voice> Gameball? Gameball?!! Are you kiddin' me - gameball?!! Leave all the gameballs in Tampa. Burn all game-worn uniform items. Repaint the helmets. Use the gamefilm as a teaching tool for this week for players and coaches, then destroy it. Never speak of this again.

Bocce's is where my family always got their pies from. I don't know if it's the best in WNY, but it's what I grew up with. I never thought of having it shipped - the website just says cheese/pep pizza - do they ship any kind of pizza, and wings, too? What's that end up costing? Seems like all the pizza places down here are owned by greeks or armenians. Not the worst thing I ever ate, but none of it can stack up against WNY pizza. I can't bring myself to eat any of the pizza chain store pizzas. I'd rather take the time to make it myself.

Melanie's.

It's got nothing to do with feelings. I went through a few of these last year, so I do know what it was like until it hit (keeping an eye on Ophelia off the coast from me right now, in fact). I'm not even going to try to compare my situation to yours after that. I usually don't even respond to newbies at all until I get some idea of where they're coming from, because I've seen so many trolls. But this being a major catastrophe, curiousity compelled me. D'Iberville - crap, that was a direct hit. Still, not a TOTAL loss. Think in positive terms, firstly, that you all made it out alive. If your parents' house was on a slab, they might be able to salvage a slab, and it would contain the main plumbing. If it was a raised foundation, storm surge pushing the (stick frame or mobile, whatever it was) off might have busted up the raised concrete block it was attached to, but the poured footers should still be in place. Municipal water and sewer will still be in place, wells should still be good, and septics may need pumping, but they should still be there. If power was above ground, that will probably be back in service a lot faster than debris will be cleaned up well enough to think about building. Just a few thoughts to get you thinking in terms of what there IS, rather than isn't. BTW, if you're parents are paying a mortgage, I saw something about banks returning homeowner's last payment to their accounts, or cutting a check for the amount. Absolutely unprecedented; something else to check on. Other than that, I'm sorry, and hang in there. Help is on the way.

Now you're making sense. Things of this magnitude usually take a concerted effort to screw up.

What conspiracy is that? Common sense tells you - wait, forgot who I was talking to - common sense tells most people that oftentimes brand new posters spoiling for a fight are not always who they seem. See, there's this thing called "trolling" - oh, never mind. I wasn't arguing with him anyway - if this guy just survived Katrina in Mississippi and had his home destroyed, he's got a story to tell. I can't be the only one who would be interested in hearing that.

Now that you mention it, he does look like the Burger King mascot. Add a goatee and a crown, the guy's got another gig.

I gotta admit I'm more than a little curious about your personal story. You registered just before the hurricane wiped out your house, and in less than a week you're already back online posting from - where? What happened? Where did you go? What did you experience? I hope this isn't just a made-up personality to argue the issue from a perceived moral high ground, because it's unnecessary. And it wouldn't stop a hard case like me from arguing with you anyway. Except I don't have a problem with the 2k debit card. It's just a start, a temporary quick fix to ensure folks can take care of basic necessities, and when they get into some temporary housing, they're going to need set up house all over again. That can eat 2k pretty quickly. This is short term. Long term help is going to take some time to see how it works out.

Like deja vu all over again.

Strange, but true. I would be amused by the irony if the results weren't so heartbreaking. (you can use bugmenot for registration if you need to) No one expected that weak spot to be on a canal that, if anything, had received more attention and shoring up than many other spots in the region. It did not have broad berms, but it did have strong concrete walls. Shea Penland, director of the Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of New Orleans, said that was particularly surprising because the break was "along a section that was just upgraded." "It did not have an earthen levee," Dr. Penland said. "It had a vertical concrete wall several feel thick."

I criticized Democrats pretty exclusively until the GOP was voted into the majority, when I thought/hoped things would improve. I've been more than patient. In fact, I've gone well beyond that into Stockholm syndrome. Time's up. Each party garners a lot of support from the lesser of the two evils population by scaring them into thinking a vote for a third party candidate will result in a win for the candidate they least want. I know, because I've been one of those people for several years. But I'm not playing that game anymore. If my supporting a third party means a Democratic win, so be it. Wouldn't make much difference from where I stand.

Now if they just replay the games so I can TIVO them like I used to on Empire, I still won't have to pay for Center Ice to watch them.

Not anymore - not me. I've seen enough. I'll not keep doing the same thing expecting different results.

And that is an excellent question. Someone obviously dropped the ball, and could've relieved a lot of folks of their misery a lot sooner. Initial reporting is generally the responsibility of local govt, which was immediately and hopelessly overwhelmed. The state and the feds should have immediately coordinated their efforts more closely at that point. From what I've read, the Governor was not initially willing to turn over control of LA Guard forces to the feds; I believe she too was overwhelmed, and made a short-sighted decision. Who's responsibility were those people at that point? Yeah, I don't know either. That results in two separate communications chains of command. I've never seen that work in the military or civilian world. With all the focus on FEMA, I'm curious why the Louisianna EMA (LEMA) isn't getting the same attention. Didn't see the same type of intial CF in Florida last year, haven't seen the same type of CF happening in Mississippi, which was hit directly. Different states devastated by hurricanes, one's was intially a total CF, the rest coping from the start as best as can be expected. One of these things is not like the other...

'Some people became animals,' Vasilioas Tryphonas said Sunday morning as he sipped a hot beer in Johnny White's Sports Bar on Bourbon Street. 'We became more civilized.' Nobody became anything, Mr. Tryphonas. You were already civilized, and they were already animals. The hurricane removed the stick frames, and exposed foundations.

If it's any consolation, they didn't taste any better when they were brand new. C-Rats were far better at the time. There was an awful lot of experimentation with the first MRE's. When they found they were bad enough that many were adding tabasco to them, they solved the problem by including tabasco. I'm pretty sure I'm still carrying around a package of those crackers in me somewhere.

The evacuee shelters would definitely be a step up in living conditions for some of the people in my area. Especially if their crappy shacks/trailers just went through a cat 4 hurricane. I don't think I'd want to be the one to say it first though. Probably start fewer fights telling people their baby is ugly.

Apparently the only posts of mine you have read are in direct response to you, because I have criticized Bush and the GOP on numerous occasions. A man who now has more experience managing federal hurricane relief (Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne last year) than anyone else I can think of, so I'm don't understand why this is such an important issue for you. The hire certainly seems justified by his performance up to, and possibly including, the largest natural disaster in our nation's history. Worthy of public critique? Perhaps. People make mistakes; poor communications after a hurricane is always an issue. 32,000 rescues, 182,000 people housed in 559 shelters, 7,000 FEMA responders, 4,000 US Coast Guard, 43,000 National Guard, 15,000 Active Duty Military, 11,300,000 MRE's and 18,000,000 liters of water distributed, and you're complaining the FEMA head was fired by some horse association years ago. I don't believe that statement accurately describes either of our posts, but neither of us are the casual observer, now are we? I see you still haven't gotten the memo about being fired as my personal spokesman. I'll go ahead and make sure you get another copy of that.

I predict an undefeated championship season every year. Go Bills! Woo-hoo!

No argument with that; Florida has had some practice at this. I don't know how much coverage one particular aspect has been given. When we were hit by Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne last year, the miles-long convoys of tree, power and phone trucks from every CONUS state in the union were something to see. Being at the scene and seeing the groups of 30-40 trucks and their crews from all over, along with all the Red Cross, FEMA, Salvation Army - here in your town, not some far away place on TV - it was just incredible. I was very much appreciative of all the efforts I saw; I don't recall anyone calling for the FEMA's director's resignation because he wasn't capable of watching TV. I've seen a number of those convoys since Katrina hit, but this time they're Florida trucks heading out to help out our neighbors.

I was agreeing with the latest sophmoric trend in stating the FEMA director is unqualified, albeit sarcastically. So personal insults are ok when you do it, but not anyone else - ok counsellor. From FEMA's web site: Under Secretary Brown has led Homeland Security’s response to more than 164 presidentially declared disasters and emergencies, including the 2003 Columbia Shuttle disaster and the California wildfires in 2003. In 2004, Mr. Brown led FEMA’s thousands of dedicated disaster workers during the most active hurricane season in over 100 years, as FEMA delivered aid more quickly and more efficiently than ever before. Maybe he doesn't meet your standard for initial hire, but it sure sounds like he's had plenty of OJT. Having lived through the hurricanes in Florida last year, I can tell you FEMA's response was certainly appreciated here. I'd like to know where all the juvenile "he's not qualified" posts were then. I guess you weren't an expert on selecting FEMA directors last year, huh? It's bad enough you can't recognize you don't know what the F you're talking about, but to further embarrass yourself by continuing to argue it is just, well, you. Mickey for FEMA director - he's capable of watching TV!