On the Waterfront

When wingnuts reveal ever more instances of pure lizard brain-based thinking in regards to New Orleans, I'm always amazed at how they seem to believe that the Crescent City is the only place on earth where large-scale engineering has extensively modified the local landscape...that is, if they even bother to consider such things at all. More often, they display signs of utter shut down of even their higher brain-STEM functions. Or they'll try to hide their inability and incompetence when it comes to reconstruction and water management by waving a white flag of surrender to nature (odd, when you think about their normal screw-the-environment-and-develop-at-all-costs mentality).

Humans have been modifying and altering the local landscape for some time. Indeed, one of our most significant landmarks of recent history--Ground Zero--doesn't stretch back that far in history...unless you count the time when it was literally under water. Take a look

The light colored area of the Lower Manhattan shoreline is literally manufactured--fill dumped in over time to expand the available real estate...some of which is among the more valuable property in the country.

But, where is Ground Zero? Well--

You don't have to look all that closely to spot the Twin Towers. Now, if you make both pictures the same size and proportion, you get

And remember--the lighter region identifies an area that was once BELOW water (as are the blue areas)

And this certainly isn't the only example of large scale public works. Other major cities have significantly altered themselves via landfill or other types of reclamation projects. Los Angeles not only built a port, but relies on an enormous engineering project to PROVIDE water to municipal residents (one that's presumably scarily prone to damage, natural or not). Sheez, when you think about it, the in-comparison ho-hum projects like roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, electrical grids, and so on, aren't exactly "the natural order of things" but are prime examples of extensive reworking of the local geology. But I guess to wingnuttia, these things just sort of magically appeared one day.

At least that's how they behave, that is, as long as they aren't personally disrupted. No wonder they consider it disposable.

Just like their brains.