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[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/06/19/art.quincyflood.jpg caption="The Mississippi River rushes through a break in Indian Grave Drainage District levee north of Quincy, Ill"]
Adam Pitluk
Author of Damned To Eternity
Look at Quincy, observe the massive relief effort. And notice all those outsiders there on the banks of the Big Muddy. Look familiar? It sure as hell should. In fact, you should be listening to CSN&Y’s deja vu "we-have-all-been-here-before" refrain as you watch any national news broadcast any day this week from atop the Memorial Bridge. They’re all railing about the Great Floods of 2008—that if the levee across the river in West Quincy, Missouri, fails, 14,000 acres of prime farmland will be deluged and all commerce in a 200-mile stretch between Keokuk, Iowa, and St. Louis will shut down. Just like when the levees “failed” in 1993.
But here’s the thing: The West Quincy levee did not “fail” in 1993. It was sabotaged. Indeed, even though 500 levees up and down the Mississippi River failed in 1993 (and another 500 levees failed on the rivers that feed into the Mississippi), West Quincy was an anomaly: That levee would have held were it not for James Scott, a local bad boy who is serving life in prison for causing its break.
Here’s why I’m so red hot:
FULL POST
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/06/19/art.leveesandbags.jpg caption="Working on securing the levee along the Mississippi River in Clarksville, Mo., Tuesday."]
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Good Evening. It's gone from bad to worse in the midwest. At least three levees north of St. Louis, Missouri have failed and another one is on the brink. If it fails, all bets are off. Tonight, a massive sandbagging effort is underway to save that one levee from the floodwaters. Other towns are on alert, too. We'll have a live report from 360's Gary Tuchman, who's in Winfield, Missouri.
Plus, a potential disaster in the making. CNN's Drew Griffin has uncovered a troubling confession from FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding some leeves in the midwest. We're keeping them honest.
Also tonight, new details in the manhunt for a fugitive hedge fund manager. You may recall, investigators believe Samuel Israel faked a suicide last week instead of showing up at prison. Well, tonight, there's been an arrest. We'll tell you who and why.
Plus, we're tracking Obama's cash.
And, 360's Randi Kaye is looking into the floating feet mystery.
Hope you'll join us at 10pm ET.
David M. Reisner
360° Digital Producer
The Mississippi River claimed new tracts of farmland overnight north of St. Louis, Missouri, as officials warned that the swollen river could breach four or five more levees today around the Gateway City. About 11 levees have been breached in the St. Louis area since the flooding began.
When you hear the term 'levee breach,' what does that mean exactly? A levee breach can come from any number of scenarios. I put together a slideshow to show you all the different ways a levee can fail. Take a look:
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/06/19/art.flood.jpg caption= "Photos taken from CNN Photojournalist Steve Coppin on Blackhawk Tour in the Quincy, IL area"]
Karin Matz
CNN Producer
Someone once told me the best way to get perspective in life is to try to see yourself from 1000 feet above ground.
That was particularly true this morning. I got a call at 7:30 am asking if I could be at the airport in Quincy, Illinois by 8 a.m. to go up in a Blackhawk helicopter to tour the flood zone. I said, "Sure."
I been driving along the Mississippi River the past few days seeing the flood damage at eye level, from Burlington, Iowa to Quincy. I've watched volunteers sand bag for hours, talked to police and seen homes and farms destroyed by the mammouth Mississipi. But I didn't really have perspective until today from the bird's eye view.
I and photojournalist Steve Coppin met up with members of the Illinois National Guard 1st Battalion 106 Aviation Regiment out of Decatur, IL. Five minutes later we were up in the UH60 Blackhawk...
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/06/19/art.michelleobamaview2.jpg caption ="Michelle Obama on 'The View' yesterday."]
Faye Wattleton
President, Center for the Advancement of Women
The dissection of the mainstream media’s role in the downfall of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is not yet exhausted. The power of the print, electronic and cyber press to reflect society’s values and reinforce or influence change is indisputable. While the media washing cites isolated incidents of gender bias and overblown reactions, the debate revealed an often unspoken truth: sexism is not dead. In fact, it is broadly tolerated, beyond the candidates, crushing in various ways the lives of more than half of the electorate. Each of us must take responsibility for making sexism as unacceptable as racism.
Mrs. Clinton’s run for the Democratic nomination taught us that today’s sexism is cast at the individual, not at a system that’s capable of supporting a woman conduct a credible and competitive campaign for the presidency. She emerged from the fabric of our society’s sexist stereotypes as a lightning rod aspiring to the highest male bastion of arguably the most powerful political position in the world. However, her ascent was laced with shockingly open and often unspoken intolerance and hatred, not unlike the challenges women encounter in their daily lives. Gender bias is often insidiously subtle, sitting on the fence between humor and questionable behavior, and pernicious to the advancement of our country.
FULL POST
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