shcwannomin 100% of us Fargo residents are glad that you say 99.8% of "americans" agree that Fargo is no place to live. Keep your crime, welfare, drugs, poverty,pollution and over crowded schools in your cities. We as a community will and do take care of ourselves. Whilw you may say that the weather is horrible, i'd rather raise a family here that any other place. We did not have any murders last year, the finacial crisis didn't/isn't hitting us, jobs for the most part are easy to come by, no schools with metal detectors and you will NEVER find a place that is more friendly and neighborhoods that band together to help each other.

Why don't they use thermite bombs? Anybody who has dealt with REAL ice knows not even dynamite can make much of a dent in it, its harder than most rock. And I'm asuming by this point we aren't dealing with chunks of ice that are wedge together like logs in a logjam (which dynamite wouldn't 'blow up', it would loosen and shift the ice), but ice that has congieled into a solid mass, like a concrete dam, only much, much stronger.

Amen Mike. Try find another place in the country as safe as us and with as great of people. I feel sorry for you shcwannomin. I'm sure you would hate not having to lock your doors at night or being able to leave your car running and unlocked too, huh? (Yes, we can do both of those things here).

Out of curiosity, is FEMA at least on the way?

Bush got his ass handed to him on Katrina and was curious if the VAST experience Obama has, that he is not going to repeat the same mistake.

Sounds like Obama is going to need another 300million to hand out.

Stimulus #4 !!!!

I find great comfort in the fact that our government is willing to spend billions and billions on pretty much anyone who whines that they need the money, so I am sure billions and billions of dollars in help and aid is on the way to all of our fellow Americans in Fargo!

Not to worry at all!

.

http://schwannomin.newsvine.com/ this is a response I might expect.. I am a Katrina survivor (who did not live in the fairy tale ground zero city of Myth Orleans).

I survived where the worst part of the storm came ashore.. (MS)

It matters not WHERE you live on this earth,, YOU WILL be plagued by one kind of disaster or another.

SO stop blaming people for where they live.

that's pretty goofy.

Hey Rev. & all. Did you actually READ the article?

To: Mike-994966

You wrote "will NEVER find a place that is more friendly" but you didn't write why it's like that. Is your city mostly white ?

When the media talk's about a city that is the best to live in or the worst to live in, the media always leaves out how black or white the city is, take a look at this Bay Area report.

Antioch, Calif. (AP) Dec 30 - As more and more black renters began moving into this mostly white San Francisco Bay Area suburb a few years ago, neighbors started complaining about loud parties, mean pit bulls, blaring car radios, prostitution, drug dealing and muggings of schoolchildren. . .

After reading that you can see why people would rather go though a flood than live in a toiet of diversity, you won't hear this from our POLITICAL CORRECT INDOCTRINATION media

Of course FEMA is not on the way and won't be!!! Obama is President and these are white people who aren't on welfare. He likes to talk about the Katrina situation where there were hoards of folks with no idea of how to take care of themselves in an emergency (of in daily life for that matter).

Obama will never send the government to help self sufficient white folk! You kiddin'?

To: juno, it's like in New Orleans when the animal's had that flood and all they could do was steal, I saw one colored woman carrying a vacuum cleaner she took in knee high water.

To: All the Brasils on this thread, Your racist comments only make you look like what you really are. A bunch of uneducated redneck haters. And people like you wonder why people all over the world hates you. Take your racist ignorance somewhere else.

Shcwannomin must live in Massachusetts. I have been to Boston. They are the most hateful people I know. Also the most ignorant and prejudice. But they think they are so open-minded and so "progressive". There is a reason why Massachusetts only has 1% blacks and 90% white. They talk a good game, but where it counts, they fall way short. The are the lowest when it comes to charitable constributions to the poor, but they love to talk about giving away other people's money.

Get over yourselves. It was a joke. Who has ever heard of ice that blocks a river that actually causes a flood that threatens to destroy a portion of the city it runs through IN MARCH! Winter f-ing sucks and winter in No. Dak especially sucks...for 9 months! And yes 99.8% of Americans don't live there.

You people who want to throw race into this are the most embarrassing people in America. The comfort I have is I know, for sure, you consist of less than 46% of the voting population, which is less than 50%, which is one huge step for this country. 69.5 million Americans agree.

Incidentally, I don't lock my car doors, ever. I only lock the house when I leave it. And that's because the idiot landlord painted over the latch so it won't stay closed otherwise. And here's the shocker for you guys, I live next to <gasp> black people! It's crazy, I know. But as it turns out, blacks aren't all thieves. I guess you'd only know it if you'd ever taken the time to talk to someone who doesn't look just like you.

To those of you making these racists comments, I have only one word for you:

Karma

"Those that spout hatred are just asking the universe for trouble" I always say.

I hope, though, that your karma is gentle, and that you learn your lesson and move on.

Greg I was wondering myself .....why all the racist comments. What is wrong with people.

KATRINA where is the shooting? where is the looting? why are people listening when the are ordered to evacuate? where is Obama? why is he not here? why has there been no outrage? Where is FEMA oh never mind for those affected are stupid northern europeans versus___. oh well were is the Liberal outrage? why is there no waxman hearings? where are the trailers? this is just like the floods in Iowa last year No big deal they were back in there homes in 1 month the people of new orleans are still not back and the progress is going backwards. what a bunch of phonies. we have spent BILLIONS in New Orleans and it is still a sewer. it must be those residents

Send Al Gore to the rescue.  His hot air will melt the ice.

To: Rich-300568

Two people made comments "Greg" and "Kelly" "why racist comments"

I guarantee you those two live in a all Lilly White neighborhood and have never been victim's of crime. I grew up in the blackest parts of Brasil and in the worst parts of N.Y.C. I know what it's like to live in a toilet of diversity, it's HORRIBLE !

So ya this is why white people would rather live in a flood zone than in a crime zone !

Here is a small example of the "beauty of diversity"

In a November, 2008 Congressional Quarterly Press publication, the city of Oakland has the dubious distinction of ranking fifth worst ia a nationwide ranking of violent crime. The ranking takes into account six crime categories: murder, rape robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft. Ya I don't think Greg and Kelly live in Oakland !

To: Schwannaomin

So you "live next to <gasp> black people" I'm sorry to hear that. If you are not having a problem with that colored it's probably because IT has been domesticated by living next to whites, the irony is that the colored moved to a white area to avoid blacks.

Since you are so pro-black, for your next vacation, maybe you should go to Oakland for a few weeks. For your travel plans I'm writting this excerpt from a Wikipedia article on Oakland, enjoy.

Despite comprising only 30-35% of the population, blacks are over-represented in crime static's, with the majority of crimes occurring in heavily black neighborhoods. Earl Ofari Hutchinson mentions crime in Oakland as an example of a rising problem of "black-on-black" crime, which Oakland shares with other major cities in the U.S. Bill Cosby mentions Oakland as one of the many America cities where crime is "endemic" and young black men are being murdered and incarcerated in disproportionate numbers. Cosby alleges that the parent (yes I wrote parent NOT parent's) of such youths and young men, and the Black community in general, have failed to inculcate proper standards of moral behavior.

And of course, just a few days ago one of your black friends, killed 3 white cops and the forth is almost dead, so ya spend a few weeks in Oakland, at night let your wife walk the street's alone to the store, you don't think your black friends would target your white wife like PREY ! do you ?

okee

Wow, all those replies to just one post.

all the looting all the shooting. all the theft and crime all the national press covering the governemnts failures. all the trouble in the shelters rapes etc....wait this is not new orleans and the press does not care FEMA where is obama???this is not news cause it happens during a democrap term and the people are nothern europeans versus people of color for they are the only ones that matter. sit down you stupid people and sit in the flood water stupid. remember to bring this up during the next electgion. obama shows how racist he is by not even bothering to fly over whitees house

Wow, I didn’t know people could get banned for having a dumb opinion. What happened to, I disagree with what you say, sir; but will fight to the death for your right to say it.

Race has been an issue since the dawn of man, and still is in every corner of the world. Only discussion will quell indifference between unlike minds.

I'm sure that somewhere along the way this is Bush's fault. He made the river rise. Obama's going to fix it though. The people of Fargo-Moorehead have too much pride to whine about how FEMA or some other government agency did or didn't do enough to help them out. Those folks rolled up their sleeves and filled sand bags instead of sitting still and complaining about what government is not doing for them. You will also not hear any complaining about someone not housing them or looking for some other place to house them out of state a year from now. They will be back in their home because they, again, rolled up their sleeves and CLEANED UP THE MESS AND MOVED ON. THEY have too much pride and sense of responsibility not to do so. New Orleans, you NEED to see what is happening up here in the northland and keep this in mind the next time you come under siege. Don't just sit back and wait for someone to bail you our for a year and then complain because the free ride on my paycheck ended. Some of you may think this is unfair or not a fair comparison. I don't care. I can only judge by what I see, not by what you say.

One of these days you're going to suspend someone who has the capabilities to challenge your interpretation of racism in court, then you're going have your a_s handed to you on a platter.

Hmm... I wonder what the courts have to say about moderation of private forums. Old scout, go ahead and bring that lawsuit. Let me know what the judge says.

Perhaps some actual READING might do you some good too. You ever watch the Honeymooners? They had an ICE Box. Now, how does that work?

It wasn't an ice box even thought that is what it use to be called. The "Ice Box" on the honeymooners was elec. the coils were mounted on the top rather that hidden underneath on your modern refrig's.

Im just surprised that there actually leaving. Maybe New Orleans can take notes.

I agree, what is salt going to do to the ecology of the area? I say blow it up!

but blowing it up might hurt some fish

The ice is about 10 feet thick, and fish stay at the bottom of the river in the winter. My uncle works for the Game and Fish department here (which is a strict group), and I promise they were there checking on the procedures. We have some of the lowest pollution in the country, so it's not too much of a concern. And wouldn't you rather save people than fish? Maybe, maybe not.

They were kidding,, A.O.

Huh? What Salt....kill all living things in river and shores? We are NOT doing any such thing. U are bizarre.

Sierra club will step in with ad nauseum lawsuits, because ice is endangered.

The anti-warming idiots are loose again. The scope of the problem eludes them always. They see snow and say "see the earth's not warming at all."

Anyways, why doesn't the Air Force put some of their nifty toys to use on this problem. One 'bunker buster' placed right would do the trick with an hour.

Ignorance is funny--to the ignorant. Local does not equal global. Waether does not equal climate.

Yeah, you guys are the smart ones. Temperatures have been constant for a decade ans several regions have had the coldest winters in a long time and we're stupid because we don't believe the worst waster of energy on the planet when he says we are a giant bag of microwave popcorn?

Go sell your stuff on the Kos.

Brent-320354, that's because you ARE an ignorant buffoon who has absolutely no idea what your talking about, like most rightwing repub twits. This winter is the first winter we've had in the Dakotas and Minnesota that was like the winters I remember from the 60's and 70's SINCE the 70's. We used to ALWAYS expect blizzards in March, calling them tournamnet blizzards, not for the NCAA crap, but because March is state high school championship time in Minnesota. And we also used to expect at least one good snowfall in APRIL, a good CHANCE of snow in MAY, and in some of the deeper ravines by the Mississippi in St Cloud, we still had snow pack in JUNE. This is the FIRST March we've had weather like this since the late 80's and early 90's. So, Brent-320354, go peddle your ignorant anti-scientific creationist crap some place else.

Tom, I mean "ignorant bunghole", you admit that this winter was like 30 friggin years ago! I'm 42 and a Bremerton native and it's been friggin cold here too! Ya think maybe global warming might just be bunk?

Where's your proof-and carbon credit receipts don't count!

I'll say it one more time for the terminally ideological Gore-bull warming bung holes (I'd say retard, but that already got Obama in trouble), when Sean Penn sells his beach-front mansion for pennies on the dollar because it's going under water, I'll start "believing".

rightwing repub twit

Yes, that would be you, Brent.

Local isn't world wide, but facts are inconveient facts. The fact is that glaciers in South America are growing. The glacial ice is growing and the earth has registered cooling for three years straight and that is from scientists who don't give a ----about getting another grant from the Gore-eee Church of the Warming Earth!

Check the report of the 800 dissident scientists who met in NY last month for a real confernece on weather--from MIT to Columbia and everywhere on the face of the earth. We are entering a 12-20 year cooling cycle.

Global warming is brought to you by the same crowd that finds in a manufactured crises opportunities for getting the public to go along with their inane mind control plans (al a Obama and Rham Emanuel) that brought us the "new ice age is coming" fol de rol in the 70's.

Chicken Little like Al Gore, had insufficient evidence that the sky was falling (the world is heating up) and panicked the whole area because of a lack of knowledge.

Global change is constant--some areas warm, some areas cool, the whole earth warms and cools and has for millenia and will for millenia more.

Not going to say if global warming is occuring or not (im not an expert) but its a rise in global tempatures throughout the world. This shift in tempatures cause a shift in climatic patterns throughout the world. This means that todays north pole could be tomorrows rain forest. All this warming trend tells us is that earth is going through its normal cycles of its life. (thats how we ended up with oil in the middle east and coal on the east coast, it use to be sea or vast forests)

So simply keep in mind that global warming need not be cataclysimic it just will vastly change how and where we live.

Perhaps some actual READING might do you some good too. You ever watch the Honeymooners? They had an ICE Box. Now, how does that work?

Actually no tom the snowy winters of the 70's and 80's are actually not the norm. If you go through a 100 years of weather history data for that region of minnesota and north dakota you would find that the 70's and 80's were unusual in the amount of snow. So no tom the 70's and 80's weather are not normal according to over 100 years of weather history for that region.

typical uneducated redneck response, you have obviously never looked at the whole picture of global warming, this is just part of the problem. Sorry, you only have a 2 second concentration span. Why do you w**kers always politice everything that happens?
Explosives on ice is not good NOT because ice is so hard it is because all of the air that is trapped in ice that dissapates the effect of a blast.

Why does the moderator ban people from posting for a month when they cite statistics that include race?
John Hanoi (above) calls someone the "R" word, which is the most offensive racial slur to a white person, and nothing is done! If someone typed in the most offensive slur of blacks it is AUTOMATICALLY edited. Why is this not done for slurs against whites? Can anyone explain this double standard???????????

Scott, there's debate and there's insults. What I read and what Tyler must have read was INSULTS.

One can cite statistics all they want to, as long as they are being civil about it.

This is a blog - owned by someone not the government - therefore, your "freedom of speech" doesn't really apply. I'd think Newsvine tries to be fair but they don't have to put up with uncivilized insulting speech.

I was going to say the same thing myself. Midwesterners know how to pull together as a community, even if they have personal differences, to work as a team to save the community. They realize that you sink or swim depending on not only the effort you put forth, but your neighbor's effort. That's why certain communities in this country will never rise about the 'handout' level, because they have absolutely no concept of teamwork.

you are comparing apples to pineapples and see no differences. this is nothing like new orleans. you are spouting illogical nonsense.

you know what fema and the EPA would tell you, wait teal the sun comes out and it we'll melt by it's self .get congress and house to blow on it for 10 minutes that's where our global warming is coming from.

it is EXACTLY the same thing. a natural disaster that everyone can see coming. the folks in nd are doing something to save themselves, the people of the chocolate city robbed walmarts for tvs.

that's the only time they work together running with that big screen 56 inch tv,or in gangs.

There should be a study of the differences that made up the two separate behaviors of New Orleans and Minnesota / North Dakota flood areas.
What are the differences that made one community loot, pillage, run around in circles and the other, and come together, team up and save their homes.
Once we find those differences out, we should address them.

I totally agree, Rhonda...

Like a lot of folks, I donated and collected money and other items for the victims of Katrina, down in NOLA, and we even sent down some of our National Guard folks (medics and engineers, esp.) to help out. Everyone was anxious to do so, too - you know, fellow Americans in trouble, neighbors helping neighbors, etc., etc... Everyone who went to NOLA came back, however, completely disgusted with the locals, who not only wouldn't lift a finger to help themselves, but who were grotesquely demanding and ungrateful. The Guard would set up a mess area to feed folks and would get b*tched at by the locals, who were so used to being fed at the public trough that they thought you ought to give 'em whatever they wanted. "Ham sandwich? Not good enough, Man, where dee burgahs? What kinda chump-*ss op-oh-ration you runnin', can't cook a man a burgah?" Lemonade wasn't good enough - they wanted a Coke (or, if you had a Coke, they wanted a Pepsi, as tho' you were running a freakin' hotdog stand). They'd stand around watching while the volunteers worked to save them and their stuff and wouldn't lift a finger to help (actually, they were worse than unhelpful, but it would take pages to describe the behavior). Within two days, everyone who went down there to help was ready to pack it in and leave those people (a term I use loosely) to their fate. Indeed, the urge was to torch the place and only the excessive wetness kept it from getting burned to the ground. God knows, neither the City administration nor the government of Louisiana was of any help (Bush and Brownie and FEMA certainly did not perform to expectation, but the Feds were not the primary problem, it was the State and local governments who were chiefly responsible for the screw-ups) and, in the case of the NOLA cops, about the only ones who stuck around did so only so that they could get their share of the looting. The horror story at the Superdome was a purely self-inflicted wound and, arguably, so was the failure of the levees, since the money which the Feds had allocated to maintain and upgrade them had disappeared into the pockets of corrupt local politicians and their cronies, leaving the City vulnerable when the hurricane hit.

All I can say is that, if another disaster hits NOLA, they'd best look to Kanye West for succor, because nobody in this corner of the country has any desire to lift a finger to help them a second time. Nope, we'll go down and help the Aussies fight their wildfires again (since the people in Oz made you feel like it was 1945 and VJ Day in return for the assistance and the knowledge that you were from the place where the big Sikorsky helicopters came from was enough to get you all the free rounds you could ask for).

it's because there institutionalized with out bars,caused by to many generations on welfare,and don't know any better,that is a perfect example of socialism and where we are all headed if we don't nip it in bud now.GOD BLESS US ALL.

Most of us in the upper midwest have had to deal with snowstorms and floods all our lives. When it happens, MOST of us band together and help each other out. Usually though (and i'm not trying to be racist, i'm just stating the facts) poorer, prodominantly native american towns expect everyone to help them and refuse to help themselves and others. Even when all of the Red Cross chapters and all other groups give them thier full support, they still b*tch and moan, and i expect the same in ND. BTW, i'm from South Dakota, and if you're squealing about this being the proof against global warming, you're wrong, this is the usual weather for this area; sunday night was 70-80 dagrees, then on monday, 25 with a blizzard and school was canceled. Of course 2.5 feet of snow would put most other places out of school for a week, but we only got 2 days :(

Exactly! The theory of Global Warming doesn't mean that areas prone to snow and ice will all of a sudden warm up and sprout palm trees. The actual mean temprature of the earth will rise by only a few degrees. This rise will drastically effect weather patterns thus causing extreeme weather events such as flooding and droughts in areas not prone to these types of weather. There is no doubt that we are experiencing a warming trend (Global Warming) unlike any in recent history (several thousand years). The polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate! This could be potentially threatening for those who live along the coast line and rivers that feed into the ocean. Scientist are not completely certain as to whether our ocean will rise to the levels that affect civilization but we have never actually experienced anything like this before. Al Gore believes that we are causing the problem and he could be right. It could also be a natural cycle of our planet. No one can actually agree on the root cause. Either way it is happening and I don't give a damn what is happening weather wise in any particular portion of the world. Two years ago we recieved 4 inches of snow on Easter weekend in Central, Texas. The panhandle of Texas has issued a blizzard warning with 50 MPH winds and 12 inches of snow for tomorrow. None of this means a hill of beans when compared to global warming. These types of weather occur normally based on the weather patterns. Quit listening to Rush Limbaugh for science education.

When libs start selling their beachfront homes at a discount, i'll start paying attention.

oldefarte, Amen to you. I am glad that some other people think that. I was never down there in N.O. but here in SC I watched it on tv and was totally sick to my stomach. The way those people acted. Even today I keep hearing that we need to help those people. I say nope not this lady. I know that the government has helped those people but what did they do to help themselves? Absolutely nothing.

I keep asking why would you have a home below sea level and not have flood insurance? I know that there are people there who have taken advantage of the government that are actually rebuilding. But those on welfare were and are a total loss.

The people of North Dakota my thoughts and prayers are with you. Oldefarte are you in MN? Up along that way they have hard working people who don't want to accept help from the government and who will work their own way out of a jam (no pun intended). I lived in Wisconsin and I know the caliber of people up there. They are A1 in my book.

Oh, Lord, are you spouting more of that "real America" cr@pola? Give me a break. And if you think FEMA is any help in a natural disaster, then you haven't lived through a natural disaster. I have. And I've lived in different parts of the country, and trust me, people are people no matter where you go.

rdixie I grew up in a flood plain, you can't get insurance when you live in one.

And if you think the Midwest is chock full of people who help themselves and never expect handouts then you haven't talked to the same Iowa flood victims from last year I have...all you hear is complaining about how they didn't get as much media attention or government help as other places. I even got forwarded some chain e-mail on it. Get real.

MI Voter... Iowa must be in another country! When the flood of '97 hit, which I believe was a massive natural disaster, FEMA helped everyone as much as we needed them to. The thing is, we don't RELY on FEMA, and no one should. ALSO, you CAN ABSOLUTELY get flood insurance when you live in a flood plain. Maybe not in Iowa, but definitely here! All I know is Iowa sounds a lot like Louisiana from the way you're describing it. Maybe you should take a dose of optimism instead of your steady diet of pessimism.

I feel terrible about the flooding in ND and Minn. I noticed something about the photos and was wondering if anyone else did, very few people in the images were fat, obese slobs, like I saw so often in the New Orleans flood pictures....

Now, why is that?

Saw the same kind of neighbor helping neighbor in the Iowa flooding. These were self sufficient largely white folks too. No big FEMA help there either. There is a message here and the idea that diversity is a good thing looses a lot of its strength when one looks at the way populations handle crisis.

It isn't skin color, by the way, it is cultural, in my opinion. These iowa and fargo folks have been raised self-sufficient by self-sufficient parents and a lot of black folk have been lulled by nanny stateness into the psychology of the dole--just where our current government hopes to keep them. What a waste of beautiful and intelligent people to have them waste away sitting around waiting for the g'vment check!

jw

We didn't lilsten to Rush for our Science. 800 scientists in NY a few weeks back with splendid credentials totally debunked the fake science behind the "Global Warming Theology!"

Quite lisetning to Al Gore for science! The British government scientific community found so many lies in his "Inconvenient Truth" that they pulled it from use in schools (as had been a practice) unless a true scientific evaluation movie was also shown!

hey morons, FEMA is not going to show up until it is declared a federal disaster area. it is considered a state problem until the state asks for federal help.

First, my thoughts are with the folks in ND.

Second, I have to chime in about the aftermath of Katrina. I did not actually go to New Orleans...but instead worked with folks in my hometown to prepare for the arrival of several that were displaced by Katrina. All of the folks we tried to help were from NO. Everyone that came was HAPPY to take the furnished apartments we arranged for them...they were thrilled with the arrangements that were made for child care / schools for their children. But once we started talking to them about getting a JOB?!?!? Oh...they packed so fast and headed BACK to New Orleans that it made our heads spin. Personally, I say "Buh Bye!"

Ummm...FEMA is here and we HAVE been declared fed disaster area...FEMA can not help UNTIL flooding done according to radio today and WE are not asking for hand out...just other people's helping hands which they have come to help. No one is gripping that we are not getting help, they are thanking those how have helped. :)

Rhonda I agree there are many differences between NO. Dak and the New Orleans situations both in people responses and depths of weather conditions and damages. I love and I am very proud of No. Dak people. I belief we are hard workers and do know how to work together. Does that mean the New Orleans folks don't? I don't know, I wasn't there and the friends that I had go there to help stated they were lovely people and very traumatized by the length and depth of the loss. No Dak has several things going for it that New Orleans did not, the majority of people are better educated and therefore better prepared and the family support has not been wiped out in the same flood. I love my No Dak but I moved away twenty years ago and still run into people who also are from No. Dak or who lived there for a short time and everyone is struck by several points 1) politeness/ manners 2)education 3)work ethic It is a good place to raise good hardy people!

Breaking news. FEMA is now on the scene and North Dakota has declared FEMA to be a national disaster.

Rhonda, ya beat me to it...good for you! I think the rest of the country could take a lesson from the folks in Fargo. This is what being an American is about...yeah, the weather stinks in the wintertime, and life's tough. But from what I can see, the citizens of Fargo are a heckuva lot tougher. If you're a real American, you dig in and you find a way to keep it from beating you.

Or you can be from New Orleans, and wait on "The Messiah" to help you out. Keep waiting, I hear he'll be there any minute now.

You people up there, keep fighting! You've almost got this thing beat anyway, if the weather forecasters are right...it'll take about a week of dry weather, but this will pass. There's a few of us out here who know you'll make it.

I remember when Katrina happened and everyone was up in arms about the situation down there, there were some parallels drawn between New Orleans and the Mid-NW states.

I've been following the reports on the news about Fargo for the past week. I was damned impressed with you people of Fargo. I wish I could sell my house here in N-VA and move there. High School and College kids rushed to the sandpiles to assist with bag making. It just makes me so proud.

I'm from New England originally and remember the winters when I was much younger, where snow stayed on the ground all winter. Our snow forts were seasonal playspace. I was in Jr. Hight durring the Blizzard of 78. It reminds me alot of what I'm seeing in Fargo. We were burried under 3+ feet of drifting snow that week. No cars on the road (those that even were plowed) everyone walking, greating each other it was great. I shoveled the same driveways for neighbors at least twice.

Now back to my comment, about the people of ND, Looking at the pictures I couldn't help but notice something. Everyone seems to be taking part in the solution. There too busy to look up and wonder where the help is coming from because their already there side by side with their neighbor.

Now (new tangent), one thing I still cannot understand about New Orleans and need to ask on a large quarum, Why are they Re-Building below Sea-Level, why arn't they Filling those neighborhoods behind the levies and building on Higher ground?

That would be fun. They could collapse the ice with the sheer weight of the trucks.

The AP has stopped doing that. They don't correct quotes, even if they are obviously misspoken.

1800 pounds of salt is nothing. It wouldn't be a blip either in melting that ice or in affecting the river, when you consider after EVERY snowstorm up here we dump two times that number in TONS, and it all goes into the street sewers and out into the lakes and rivers. I think we've already done any damage we can.

Well, maybe they could use the salt to make margaritas for everyone!

Now that is a great idea! That's the way we roll in the Dakotas......work hard, take care of ourselves and enjoy a cold one at the end of the day.

The National Gaurd and The U.S. AirForce have helicopters that can handle tons of salt at a time. Same helicopters they use to fight wildfires with. Load up the basket with salt (or water), pick your spot and pull the trip lever.

HA! I like how you're thinking. Maybe we could just sell ND to the Canadians.

Nobody wants north dakota, it's like no man's land: there's nothing there and it technically doen't exist ;)

Theres nothing here-

No one wants it

It doesnt exist

Boy are you dumb- just because it's not your home? Or is that what they taught you in school?

ND has some of the best people in the US. Maybe a few of you could learn a few lessons from those of us who are the descendents of early settlers who learned how to live off of this land and live with the extremes. Does toughen you up a bit. I challenge some of you who think this place is worthless, come and join us. We may be able to teach you a thing or two about living.

Unless you have agoraphobia (fear of open spaces), the Dakotas are simply gorgeous. Granted, there is a vast distance from one McDonald's to another, and few, if any, public restrooms along the way, but those two states, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have a beauty that is unlike any other place on Earth. The clear skies at night where you can see every star and planet and meteor, the sweeping storms that come flying in like high tide in the Bay of Fundy, the intense quiet when you get away from cities and highways -- there is nothing like that. All those things more than make up for the lousy weather in the winter, when the best thing to do is stay indoors and wait for the blizzard to stop.

Actually,, to all you redneck racist southern inbred repub twits, I hope that the Dakotas, and my home state of Minnesota, and the rest of the Great Lakes states DO join Canada. and take our water with us, including diverting the Mississipps and Missouri north into Canada.

smoky and mellowing stop it. You are making me want to go up there to visit. I have had this yearning to do so and I managed to tamp it down for awhile, but now its back. Geez thanks. ; )

I have only seen it in pictures but I so want to go.

tom not all southerners are racists, inbreds and rednecks. I take offense to that comment. I have northern roots running through my veins too. Actually I wouldn't mind moving up north but the cold will mess with hubby's joints so we have to stay down here in the south. I would love to have open spaces, to be able to breathe.

Tom, you said it. And P-Russell, I hope you're having fun with your dirty air, your over-inflated prices, and your crime rates. As for us in ND, we'll enjoy everything that we have that you are obviously jealous about.

I am sorry, I COULD NOT HANDLE the weather! We had killer mosquitos and biting flies in the summer, hail storms that punched a hole in my roof and totalled cars left outside in the fall, spring time tornados that wiped out my neighbor's houses across the Mississippi in ST Paul, and death due to hypothermia just walking to your mail box in the winter!

No THANKS, all you hardy folks in ND and Minn, can have it all, call me WIMPY!

Haha, it's all very simple to get used to. Mosquitos aren't bad unless it's a wet summer, hair storms are rarely damaging to cars & houses, and tornados almost never cause damage (probably because half the time there is one, we don't know about it because no one lives in the open areas! ha). And as for the cold... you think that's bad... wait for the summer. The humidity will suffocate you. But hey! You get snow days & beautiful Northern Lights!

AO, I just read your post and got hit with a laughing jag, the part about HAIR storms. ROTFLMAO! I've heard of crazy weather but never HAIR storms! I know it's a typo, but it made me laugh. Thanks!!!

AO, I feel cheated! I never saw the wonderful Northern Lights while I was living there! Gee, I wish I had! My thoughts and prayers to everyone in ND and Minn, it looks really Bad this time....

Go Bug off...Sorry had to get that off my shoulders. This is a great area to live in but you do have to be hardy and not a wimp.

I can respect your feelings. This area is not for every one thank God. Or would be TOO many people here. If I wanted to live in overpopulated area I would have...

I had to laugh too! I have lived her most of my 41 years and have yet to see a "Hair" storm...except when I get up in morning...LMAO!!!!

Just to clear things up, I posted the reply about nobody wanting north dakota and it technically doesn't exist. Do you know why i said that? because i'm from South Dakota. The little ;) should have told you that I was joking. Actually, it's quite common for both of us to make fun of each other (I could go into the countless ND jokes I know, but I won't)

You may be kidding, but it may eventually come to that....when water becomes the new oil.

Actually that's probably not a bad idea. We often have flooding along the river in the midwest while California has constant droughts. I'm sure a percentage of runoff water could safely be siphoned off and sent West. I wonder what impacts that would have on the local environment though.

Texas was suppose to help fund such a project years ago and decided not to. Instead of piping the excess water, they just pump it out of the ground. The high plains of West, Texas usually gets 15 inches per year and when they don't they irrigate. Now that the water table is almost dry I bet they wish they had built that pipeline.

oh brother, and the rest of you southern and western repub twits, you'd better bring some heavy artillery if you come looking for OUR water. You want water, you can move here, IF we decide to let you in. And, physics is on our side too. The energy cost to pump that water would be so prohibitive that you'd need to quadruple the current TOTAL electrical power output of the US AND Canada just to have the energy to move it, and when it came out the tap in one of your worthless states, it would be worth its weight in gold.

We're not always flooding, you know. Most summers here are not 20 degrees either. They are very hot and often reach 100 degrees. The state is full of farmers that need the water to feed everyone around the country! We really don't have any to give up... and if we did, I'm sure we would!

Hey Tom:

I may be a repub twit but I can read a map, it's downhill all the way from ND to Cali :)

Buildog, no offense but I had to respond, the direction is South not down Hill, and has a big ole hole in the way.. the earth isn't flat it's curved.. I just had to respond but no offense buddy

We can't all be environmentally concious- We do our part, but if it comes to Saving ourselves or saving the dolphins? really is there any other answer?

If it's fish first for you and not family- sorry-

Maybe the NoDak's have better priorities-

Pam Montgomery, You must have a ver interesting view of geography, considoring that Bismark is on the MISSOURI river, which meets the Mississippi at St Louis MO. And, as far as I know, that ain't the upper Mississippi, since I DO live on the upper Mississippi, in Minnesota. And, its 1800 POUNDS of salt or 9/10 of ONE TON. A thousand times more salt ends up in the river from salting roads after every snowfall.

Tom....the Missouri, the Wisconsin and the Ohio rivers all dump into the Mississippi.

I live above ALL these tributaries, so maybe you think I shouldn't care because it doesn't affect me? Horsesh!t! Everyone that lives below me has to deal with the stuff that WE dump in the river.....many of the cities along the river up here are changing their policies on dumping salt, and many more are concidering alternatives. We are also concerned with run off from the agriculture up here......and we aren't talking about 1,800 pounds of salt, but 1,800 tons.

Yes, I do have an interesting view of geography...and an understanding that everything we do has an effect on others. The Gulf of Mexico has a huge "dead zone" where the Mississippi dumps in....the fish are gone there...sure...let's just keep crapping it up....until mother nature pukes us all right off the face of the planet...

Not that we don't deserve it.

Point is mute anyway as they have used dynamite....at least someone is thinking long term.

Sorry I gave you an extra vote, I missed the reply key...........

Oh, bad news, Pam. "all that salt" is a minute amount compared to the salt and other ice melting chemicals that are deposited on the roads in the Northern areas each winter, and most of that eventually washes into the watershed.

Global warming should fix all of that. The Red River flooding, including the possible biggest one in 1861, and the probable biggest one in 1897 were all obviously brought about by global warming. The global warming does this with 3 conditions: Lots and lots of snow. Ground frozen 4 feet down, hard as a carp. Winnipeg frozen up like a cork in a bottle. (the Red flows straight North).

If you are one of the dwindling pack of morons who believe that a record cold year across America, Europe, Asia etc. is a sign of Global Warming....my amused condolences to you. Imagine how idiotic you will feel years from now when science catches up with political maneuvering and everyone laughs. CO2 a pollutant....hahahahahahahahaha

Just thank your lucky stars the Dinosaurs drove SUV's and melted the glacial ages, or you would be a frozen promise.

What the H*ll are You? We are below par???Am I miss understanding since we are below par?? You Idiot!! We are not below par and are not stupid! and Yes we have done things to prevent this but when this is BEYOND the 500year flood plan info...ARE you prepared for EVERYTHING that WILL happen in your life? 1897 was the highest recorded height that I know of and that was 40.1ft. We are looking at 42 to 43 Feet! Excuse us that we did not yell that the sky was falling! We did not ASK for hand outs and WE, with the help of neighbors and others from other states with bigger heart than you have, volunteered to help. We will make it thru! EVEN if you think we are below par!!!!

I'm looking forward to Global Warming so we won't have to worry about those pesky Blizzards and Ice dams....

Ahhh...Bermuda Shorts and Palm trees in N. Dakota...in March...

idjits like you don't understand what global warming is, global warming will freeze the planet eventually, over about a 10 year span. Look at the whole picture before you open your mouth to change feet again.

Count me in with you two (or more). That bunch of animals was the largest group of barbarians and self-entitled @!$%# I have ever seen. We should let Mayor Ray go ahead with his dream of a "Chocolate City" and let them figure out how to feed, clothe and house their worthless asses - without the government paying for it. Only this would never happen because they are so "downtrodden, and prejudiced against, and still in slavery after 150+ years, still held back by Whitey, still living with their undeserved sense of self-entitlement that these "slavers and Oncle Sam 'owes' us". Yes, we need a "Chocolate City" and then we need Katrina II.

Dr. Pat, haha, you have that right.

Mayor Ray? Oh, you must be talking about Ray Nagen, the mayor of NO who failed to initiate the cities evacuation plan when it was obvious Katrina was going to be far to great for the cities levies to withstand. The same Ray Nagen who tried to push all the blame onto Bush for not responding fast enough. The same person who was overwelmingly reelected. Yeah, I remember him.

As a citizen of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I'm probably much more in sync with the good people of Fargo and Grand Forks than most Americans. We share the same river, we share the same floods. No one has to move - and nobody is "stupid". And yes - people in the prairies are a different breed. We look after ourselves - we don't whine, we don't cry, we get out and do what has to be done - like walking dykes 24 hours a day. What Grand Forks and Fargo need is a floodway to surround their cities - and why it wasn't done after the disaster of 1997 I will never understand. Although the Red River will cause flooding in Manitoba and we will also be out sandbagging - sandbags are already filled and ready - our floodway gates will be opened, allowing the water to drain around the city.

Your answer is to do more of the same that got you "us" here... More ditching, more draining. Just relinquish 1% of the land to nature and natural occurances. Or don't ask the rest of us to bail you out anymore.

Nobodys bailing them out ! There are thousands of good people working their butts off to help their communities . The last thing they would want is for some panty waist like you to come up there and stand around whining . You do enough of that sitting in front of your pc .

J.R. Gravelines, That's because we have faux community spirit on this side of the border. Those same idiots who are out there sandbagging to save each others homes refused to raise the taxes on themselves that could have built such diversionary channels, and saved all their homes PERMANENTLY. The ONLY time those tight-fisted yokels up there (and I live in St Cloud MN, which used to be in the same congressional district which covers the MN side of the Red River, so I know what I'm talking about) think community is in the face of IMMEDIATE disaster, otherwise it's every man for himself. On YOUR side, I know you built those diversions, I've seen them, because Canadians have REAL community spirit, and REAL foresight.

Tom you hardly know what you are talking about, maybe you should move to Canada and let a real American by your house in Sauk Rapids, yes I would agree with you, that is a real fake community.

Agreed intelligent one. And Don, do you know the importance of ditches here? Obviously you have not seem the Red River Valley. It is COMPLETELY FLAT. No lie. Do you know we have farmers here? Do you know that farmers don't want standing water in their fields all the time? You will never understand if you never try to.

a right neighborly thing for a farmer to do,

to gate his ditches till risk of flood is through.

Yes, lose tillage time a week or two,

but no strained backs from tossing sand.

and neighbors houses no mildew,

nor tax increase come next year due.

Eirík Þorvaldsson

And who is going to pay for it?

why Jake, get the money from the stimulus bill. I am sure there is enough pork in it to cover the fees. Sorry I just couldn't resist that.

Really Gary? Do you think we live in a flood all year long? We deal with droughts almost every summer. It's not like we have an abundance of water just laying around here, as if anyone in the world does! And if you haven't heard, Fargo was stated to be the only city not affected by the current recession... we haven't been "using up all our water" at ALL, and we haven't been flooding consistently every year. If we did need to "get rid" of our water, which just sounds stupid, we would send it to the western part of our state, which is almost always in a drought with low river/lake levels.

We had record floods here this year and Victoria had a drought and record heat wave and bushfires, same thig was said, build a 3,000kilometre pipeline.......

Um, he already declared North Dakota a federal disaster area. What else do you want him to do?

Your comment is a very narrow one. Making this a race issue is ridiculous.

Kinda like those who made katrina a race issue were shallow and ridiculus?

i wonder how many of those people from L A N O well show up to fill sand bags.

I was surprised that it took this long to blame Obama for this...

Great comment, Linda...get a life!!

I was surprised that it took this long to blame Obama for this...

Great comment, Linda G...get a life!!

I dont like GW Bush but, he begged and pleaded with the people of NO to leave the city long before the hurricane hit. His biggest mistake regarding FEMA was his appointment of a bean counter as a payback to campaign help. They all do it. He should have left FEMA alone or appointed someone from the emergency services to the post.

i wonder how many of those people from L A N O well show up to fill sand bags.

They're still living in trailers and hotel rooms on the dole, lamenting the loss of their chocolate Gomorrah, yet doing nothing about it but whimpering and holding out their hands for more.

racist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obama's administration knew the flood was coming, and ND has already been declared a federal disaster area. Talk about an idiot sounding ridiculous. You should try reading BEFORE you post.

Of course, the people of ND won't have the benefit of a horse show organizer heading FEMA this time. It's just some guy with loads of experience in responding to natural disasters. Wow, can't imagine what Obama was thinking with THAT appointment.

You do realize that Bush did the same thing right? You do realize that he had already declared it a disaster area right away (Katrina) Nothing diff here.

What an absurd comparison, Katrina vs an ice jam in North Dakota. You must have worked with Brownie.

Solution: Bunker Busters!

Just an ice jam cleareye? Have you not noticed on the national news every night that this is only in Bismarck. Fargo, which is going to have a record crest level, does not have an ice jam.

Question to a Minnesotan or N Dakotan; won't all this salt ruin the farm land in the surrounding areas? And besides the salt, with all the water, what will spring planting look like for the farming community? Won't everything be soggy for quite a while?

Ohhhh yeah. All this overland flooding in fields is horrible for farmers. Farmers generally start planting their crops for the year NOW or very soon. Now they might have to wait until May. The warmer temperatures won't come until the end of May, and of course more rain is on the way until then. The salt isn't a factor... if you saw the stuff from farmland running into the rivers, you'd be scared to drink the water up here! Ha... but that's another story.

We generally don't start planing until May, maybe very late April if we're lucky. That's just in my area too in West Central MN where we don't have flooding. Most people aren't even in the fields tilling yet in most years. Unless you were thinking of tilling and other fieldwork like that then you'd be right it will set them back, but the planting never starts this early for most people in the area.

Great comment! Good luck to you guys!! These comments are why the government never gets anything done. You do what you have to do to save your home!!

Bev, when FEMA manages to show up a day late and a dollar short, I do hope that all of you tell them exactly where to go and how long to stay there. My question is, since this seems to be turning into a regular occurrence, how difficult would it be to build flood walls or deepen the river channel a bit for flood control?

Bev Robb in Roseau Minnesota, well I live in Minnesota, in St Cloud, or more precisely Sauk Rapids and I think you should read the Canadian from Manitoba who posted here. In 1997 there was discussion of putting a series of flood control channels etc after that flood, and the penny pinching yokels on BOTH sides of the river decided NOT to spend the money since the emergency was over. And look where we are as compared to Manitoba, which DID spend the money and has a lot less to worry about, so while I think it's too bad that it's happening, I also know it could have been prevented if those tightfisted repubs up there had thought of community a decade ago instead of their own pockets.

Tom, we're not all republican up this way. Do us a favor and give the keyboard a rest.

Tommy, Tommy, Tommy! Why such bitterness? The city of Grand Forks did build up their dikes and they did put flood walls and gates in. You (Tommy Boy) have to realize that these communities have to choose their priorities when it comes to spending money. I know that you would be in favor of taxing the crap out of every living thing but not everyone thinks like you and the Obama admin.

You can bet the average working guy and gal won't scream for help. They are used to doing for themselves. Most of the global warming crowd are thinkers not do'ers. Their concerned about the hole in the ozone layer(which we hear little about since global warming became the fad) but they don't seem to notice their grass needs to be mowed. I love it when someone sits around and makes rules for me to follow while they do as they please. Lets care for the earth but get over thinking you can save the planet from everything bad. In some respect I think some of these people are just looking for something to believe in.

Nice strawman, Mark. Demonstrates your ignorance.

To many common since means nothing. If you don't have a degree in the subject at hand you are ignorant.

Correction for you, as far as the Red River is concerned...The Red River runs North....Only one or one VERY few to do so in northern Hemisphere...water going to Canada...and they also are ready for it...

well put.

I know many here in Virginia are thinking of you guys and what you're facing. Pay no attention to these idots who say stupid things. Consider the source! Good Luck!!

as a person who once lived in North Dakota THANK YOU JENN. all these other liberal city idiots dont mean crap. Thanks for the reality check.

Those of you who disparage us old North Dakotans, remember that there will be a number of our citizens helping you when disaster hits your town or city. We start them out young with a sense of helping one another, such as now where high school and college students are out helping with sandbagging in different parts of the state.

Too bad some of you were not taught those lessons in your formative years.

I mean Im young- and Im aware of this? The ignorance of some people is just baffling. (Im only 20-)

Go NoDAk!!!

And, AGAIN, being from Minnesota and knowing the TRUTH, this was largely preventable IF North Dakota repubs had taxed themselves after 1997 and put in flood diversion channels, as was done in Manitoba (and we were just as dumb and short-sighted on our side of the Red river). Maybe this time you'll get some REAL community spirit, raise the taxes you need and actually build the diversions.

Being from the FARGO area, I guess you saw that 97 was a one-hundred year flood. It's been a tragic series of events here that is giving us another one-hundred year flood 12 yrs later. I also assume you didn't see that it would have cost 3 billion dollars to divert the red from fargo, without being completely effective. That is a healthy tax increase to say the least. I live in Fargo itself, so I'm pretty sure I have a better grasp at the situation than the bs you're spewing out conveniently labled as TRUTH. With the tremendous growth the fargo area has had, It is a logistical nightmare or maybe impossibility to do a diversion here. Unless you are helping sandbagging as my wife and I have been, stay in Sauk Rapids and talk about events there, not here. Then you may call that the truth.

GOOD LUCK TO JEN IN BISMARCK FROM YOUR FRIENDS TO THE EAST.

We give 3 Billion dollars a year to Israel in foreign. Its time to change that and keep the money here. That would surely help out North Dakota in a time like this. Thank your politicans for that. Its time to stop Foreign Aid and keep the money in the USA. My prayers are with you people in North Dakota you are the best around. This IOWAN stands behind you and with you.

The videos show many large brand new houses standing in 3 feet of water.

If you go to city hall and look at the flood plain maps, and both you and the city agree to go ahead and build on the flood plain, then do like the old timers did - build your footing at the natural ground line, and pour your foundation above the ground. Then bulldoze up 4 feet of earth around the foundation to create a knoll. Rainwater drains away in all directions and the 100 year flood only affects the cellar. I have seen old houses here on the prairie built that way, that show no sign of damp. Meanwhile new low-to-the-ground McMansions nearby are pumping water out after every thunderstorm.

Also the old farmers did not build fancy finished rooms below ground. The cellar was just the hole that held up your house, a place for the kids to play with the dog on a rainy day or a workshop to build a rowboat.

Eirík Þorvaldsson

Actually mebbmb, the US only gave 2 billion last year in aid to Israel and Israel is projected to only want 2 billion or less this year in aid. In fact for the past 4 years Israel has been requesting less aid from the US.

Another thing mebbmb, you have to count for inflation back in 97 it costed 3 billion dollars, its been 12 years adjust it for inflation and you will see its more then 3 billion dollars.

Eirik,

I understand what you're saying. People in old days put lots of thought in everything they did. Now it's the advertising, the art of convincing, persuasion,and schemes. People don't think much for themselves, but trust someone else to do it for them. .. When those homes are built, they look awfully good, and many people just buy them... after all, the other fellow down the street is not worried, why should they.

We have not grown wiser in this day and age, just more gullible. But in any case, this is a sobering situation. I thank God, along with those people in this report today, that the waters are receding.

There's a brilliant idea-

must be a tough life being an idiot-

(just saying)

Something is not right, we are in the middle of global warming and it is late season ice filling rivers. Snowing in Seattle in March burr I feel a freeze coming during this global warming thing.