Greg Roach's Berkshires Blog
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
  Bridges
I am presently watching the news reporting on the horrific bridge collapse in Minneapolis. It is rather numbing to see a structure that I have driven across many, many times twisted and crumbled in the Mississippi River.

I used to live just south of downtown Minneapolis and my brother and his family still do. While the odds are overwhelming that no one I know was involved in the collapse, the fact that I can't reach my family members by cell phone has me slightly anxious. It's odd how in 2007 we have grown so used to being able to 'reach out and touch someone' that when technology fails it sends a shudder down the spine.

It was only a couple months ago that I mentioned another historical bridge collapse that happened very near to another former residence. Strange coincidence. Oy. But given my track record, hopefully the Hadley Overpass will get rebuilt soon.

I'm not really joking. If this episode demonstrates anything at all, it is the need to maintain civil infrastructure. It's just too damn bad that it takes tragedies like breached levies and collapsed bridges to remind people that nothing lasts forever.

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with my brother. He was with the kids at Valley Fair south of the Twin Cities and had not even heard the news. It's sad to think that at least a few people will not get similar phone calls.
 
Comments:
When the people at Michelle Malkin's little Two-Minute Hate aren't still throwing around that this was an act of terrorism, they're blaming welfare.

I'm not kidding.

And it is criminal that our infrastructure is so awful. The Brent Spence Bridge, which connects Ohio and Kentucky and serves as I-71 and I-75 (I-75 in particular is a MAJOR north-south thoroughfare, as I'm sure you know), has been in need of repairs for decades.

WF
 
I was following the live comments at FreeRepublic and read that the nation's first Muslim Congressman, unions, terrorists, illegal immigrants and Democrats were responsible for the collapse. And yes, I am serious, too.

Although when the Dept of Homeland Security said that there were no indications of terrorism, several of the Freepers equated the statement as propaganda designed to fool the terrorists and calm the public, much the same way that the gov't is hiding the evidence of WMDs in Iraq.
 
It's a real mess.

I seriously doubt that Governor Pawlenty will veto the next transportation funding bill, as he has done the last two out of three years.

Horribly timed Republican crowing about holding wasteful infrastructure spending in check is probably not being welcomed by the Gov right now.

Cap'n John
 
They already spent the money that they put aside for the Hadley Overpass,... on it's repairs... don't you see the black plastic reenforcement superstructure? Through my sources in Boston, I understand that they are going to go all out next year with extensive duct-tapping (double layer) around the deteriorated concrete to hold it together a little longer. They are asking anyone that may have taken a chunk of the bridge that fell off home by accident in the back of their pick-up after driving under the overpass, to please return it to the state so they can reinstall it into it's proper place.
 
one website that I got onto today said that a terrestial lab-- or some such thing in Russia detected am ultra-low frequency tremor at the exact same spot as the bridge and at the exact same time-- they went on to say that Augustus College in Minneapolis is experimenting on an ultra low level frequency weapon for the US government-- the college is a mile from the bridge-- which by the way is next to a 30,000 populated neighborhood of Moslems---I am not making this up---I think the link came off Drew Curtis FARK----we do have some nuts bag conspiracy theorists in the country- paranoid??
you betcha----if that were the "true" case- I am hoping there are no Moslems living near the FYP under the Hadley Overpass----it would ruin my dinner----chbpod
 
Chbpod.....From my sources deep within city (town) hall I was told that someone overheard someone that may have seen someone telling someone else that they overheard a person telling another person that they mint have heard another person telling someone else, that they may have seen a person wearing a burka (burqa) taking pictures of the overpass. I suggest you start eating at Jacks Hot Dogs from now on!
 
"I am hoping there are no Moslems living near the FYP under the Hadley Overpass----it would ruin my dinner"

Seriously? We keep sending this man to represent us on the city council? What the heck is wrong with us?
 
There once was a man named POD
Whose ignorant screeds they PO'd me
He was so full of shit
His brain no longer fit
Someday I think he might explodey
 
Hay Anon...You don't even have the balls to say who you are much less judge someone. You are nothing but a cowardly scumb bag that uses the blogs because nobody else in this world will talk to an idot like you. You probibly paint your toe nails red and dress in drag on thursday nights and posture in front of a mirror grabbing yourself singing "Yo Diddle Doddle" Go get a life!
 
Anonymous: Hey, leave the doggerel to the professionals!

I hope no one thinks I was responsible for that lame attempt, because of my use of the same form for the same purpose (i.e., decrying egregious Clark Billings) a few months back.
 
well I have no idea whether anon #1 is the same as anon #2--- but let's start--- "why do WE keep sending this man... to the City Council?"--Well "we" implies YOU as well as others--- thanks for your vote in the past-----but it is also pretty clear that anon 1 and 2 didn;t "get" my post about Moslems and the Hadley overpass----you or you two forget to connect the dots---my original post was about some screwy conspiracy theory that I read on the Web-- about ultralow frequency weapons being used on the Minn bridge- which happened to be near an area populated by 30,000 Moslems----the implication of that looney post was that the federal government was trying to target Moslems in some fasion---the Hadley overpass is a deteriorated bridge---now could that be a target of the US Govt secret weapon-- IF-- moslems lived near or under it??? SAID IN FRIGGIN JEST YOU MORON(S)--- one of the elemenst of these blogs is that even when I am in a light hearted and non-offensive mode---- the paranoid hate-mongers of the left come out of the woodwork--- and can't seem to understand-- understatement and differentiate from overstatement----no this may be news to you-- but I do not want 30,000 moslems iving under the Hadlet Overpass-- nor do I want 30,000 hoeless or 30,00 trolls--I don;t want 30,000 anybody-- living under that bridge-----as for FYP---- to get there- I cut through the Holiday Inn/City Hall parking lot-- under the Hadley Overpoass---that's one---go over the Hadley Overpass to get to furnace street- that's two-- and then park under the Hadley Overpass at the FYP-- that's 3------now I do not want the bridge targeted by the US military--- and 30,000 whomevers under the bridge- would create a traffic snarl---and would spoil my dinner----seems like Southview was the only one who "got it"--the rest of you are pathetic---and shame on "anon" for the "we"--if you didn;t vote for me it should have been why do "you" keep sending this man to represent US (ooooh yeah- that's you too_ on the city council---chbpod
 
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