When are the hateful emails (yes, I got this one, plus another from my MIL) going to stop?

Why is someone trying to stir up more "toxic sludge" - hasn't this country been wounded enough?

Isn't this ugly racism without being specific?

Was the person who started this email in New Orleans? (I was)

How many in Iowa were trapped with no other place to go?

Why do people keep this crap alive? 

My intent was not to upset but provoke a discussion.  Yes I was in New Orleans too and I have family there.  A group I volunteer for sent trailers down there for housing.  And what I witnessed and what my family has told me is a far cry from what was being, and is still being, covered by the media.

My take on this e-mail is the media slant on reporting such issues.  This is where our country gets the knife plunged deeper into the wounds.  People in general reacted to the Katrina disaster because New Orleans is such an icon and even if one has never been there they have seen movies, read books and so on.

We as a people are not educated about the people living in Iowa, unless of course someone is from this farming belt, and the majority of people are detached from the story and do not connect with what is happening there.  Therefore, TV/News viewership is not as high as with anything to do about Katrina and therefore the last line of this e-mail, "Why is it in 2 weeks, you will never hear about the Iowa flooding ever again," struck me as being, sadly, not only true but very ironic.

Starchaser- You'll hear about it but in a different form. You'll hear about it when prices for all kinds of produce goes up because of the major shortage of corn caused from all this flooding. I have two brothers in Iowa right now. Thankfully the parts they are in weren't flooded to bad but it still flooded. They had to move out of state for a couple weeks. Thankfully their company provided housing for them.

When you live on a massive flood plain, rebuilding is practically a way of life.  Plus I'd say that Katrina was a far worse human tragedy- a lot more people died, a lot of people were stranded and trapped, and people generally suffered more (certainly not to say that the people affected by the current flooding aren't suffering).  Of course, I also think the Katrina media coverage was a sort of self-feeding monster that went a little out of control.

For those of you who have family in the flooded regions of the Midwest I sincerely hope all goes well for them.  I am truly thankful that your family got out OK countygirl but I know there will be tough times ahead.  They will be remembered in my prayers.  You are so right about the price of corn going up.  We are already stretched tight in the budget and we can't even fall back on the old depression era staple of cornbread.

I remember the panic I felt about my family when Katrina hit.  I knew they were going to evacuate, but the older generation was in their 70's and 80's, and the 2nd and 3rd generations were scattered all around New Orleans on the West Bank where there was much less damage to the east where there was devastation. Frantically trying to contact them, I knew of a church camp that they went to for retreats several miles west of New Orleans and I went on the Internet, found two camps, called both and found some of my family on the second call.  The lady confirmed they were there and took a message.  I later received a cell phone call when my cousins left the camp and went into town for supplies.  I was relieved that they were able to give me an update, but still anxious because it was at least three weeks before they were able to return home.  One young man went back to their parish and stood watch over two homes because of looting.

Madkow you hit the nail on the head.  "...the Katrina media coverage was a sort of self-feeding monster that went a little out of control."  Leave it to the Country and Western community to help with fundraisers.  I'm sure they'll be coming along before too long.