The BIG Question: What is so important in Cairo, IL that we would sacrifice precious resources for?!

Hi Everyone,

I know there is already a thread open on this intentional levy breech, but I have a big querstion regarding it that NO ONE can answer honestly. So my hopes is that some of you may have some insight on this.

I live in Missouri and as you know the Army corps of engineers blew up the levy in southern Missouri to save Cairo, IL from certain destruction. The result of this was the loss of thousands of acres of some of the richest farmland in the country for AT LEAST 3 - 5 years. The primary crops here were corn and soybean, both of which are sky rocketing in price and have been BEFORE the loss of these crops in Missouri. During a so called food shortage, where prices are rising at an unprecedented pace, we intentionally destroy thousands of acres worth of excellent crops for Cairo, IL?!? At least 20% (estimated), if not more, of the farmers WILL NOT be reimbursed due to there farms falling under imminent domain by the state due to a law made in Missouri during the 1920's (yeah, we are behind here) that claimed such during a flood disaster within a designated boundry. These farmers have lost everything with no say in it by there own government, and there is no legal action they can take. To put it plainly guys, the losses experienced by farmers in southern Missouri are historical and tragic.

So with this knowledge in hand, the one blatant and overwhelming question is, why? What was in Cairo that was so important that we destroy so much and hurt so many, including our economy, to save?

Don't get me wrong, i feel for the people who live in Cairo as well, they stood and still stand to lose everything, which would be tragic unto itself. However, the town was built KNOWING it was in the path of destruction, and that this current event would happen at some point. It is not a large city, it has nothing remarkable about it other than it being between two major rivers in the flood plains. Oh and I heard it has great BBQ.

But seriously, what is there? What was worth protecting? I have searched for many articles looking for an answer to this, even asked some friends of mine who are in MO state politics and even they cannot answer it...


So I present the question to you my fellow ATSers, why did they do this? Is there some strategic base there? What are they hiding and why? It just screams of a 'sweep under the carpet' move by the government, what are they hiding/protecting?!?

It may not be that they're trying to save Cairo, but that they're trying to destroy the farmland, at least temporarily.

As you said, food prices are already rising. If they rise further, prices go up, causing people to struggle more, and possibly even go hungry. Hungry people get angry. Angry people get mad. Mad people sometimes get violent.

And then the goon squad shows up, taking over the area.

All part of the plan, you see.

Find out who your friends are (and aren't) now, and get ready.

Thousands of people v farmland that was designed to be flood plane during 100 year flood....I have worked with Illinois Emergency Management Agency on this subject in early March this year. I know what I am talking about

reply to post by notsofunnyguy


While very plausible, I am always skeptical of such long term planning by the government, maybe I just don't give them credit for being that smart.

But then again the Army corps of engineers did this, so if it is being planned by the military then yeah, i believe they could easily pull it off. It would be more than Missouri though, probably every state down the Mississippi river...

No that is foreboding!

Originally posted by Mikemp44
Hi Everyone,

I know there is already a thread open on this intentional levy breech, but I have a big querstion regarding it that NO ONE can answer honestly. So my hopes is that some of you may have some insight on this.

My only insight is that the optics of flooding out a primarily Black community for the sake of corporate agriculture are incredibly bad. As they should be.

I think I may have found a plausible reason for this. They (the US government and FEMA) don't want to be accused of creating another Katrina.

Cairo, Illinois was at the turn of the 20th century a bustling trade center. The 2,800-person town is now largely abandoned, two-thirds African-American, and deeply impoverished: nearly 50 percent of children under the age of 18 in Cairo live below the poverty level.

Source

So putting thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people at risk of unemployment and starvation to avoid bad PR. It's stupid. When did the needs of the few or the one suddenly outweigh the needs of the many? Maybe moving out of that area would give the all the residents better opportunities at a good life.

I do not want to sound irrational but maybe it has something to do with the New Madrid fault and possibly splitting the country in 2? Wiping out crops and dirty water along with Fema camps set up seems plausible. I'm sure I am just being paranoid but its a thought.

reply to post by THEDUDE86


Sweet, now we got a guy who is intimately involved. That makes sense but what are the projected costs? And do you think the government, whether it be state or local, will step in and do the right thing to help these farmers? I agree with you that human life is the most precious resource, but how much would it have cost to relocate the population of Cairo that would have been affected to higher ground vs the now projected 3 - 5 year loss of crops on thousands of acres? I am an economist and just from what I know of future losses, with the soaring food prices, the dollar amount lost probably exceeds the cost of relocation of the cities populace to higher ground, including new construction costs. I will look deeper into this as I need to run the population, average housing value, local production, average price per acre of land, etc. If you know some of this info please let me know, would help in the regression...

I just do not understand at all, why those explosions had to be done at night. I have a YouTube site I frequent, for this one guy's videos and stuff, and he has one of the MSM showing one of these explosions in the dark.
www.youtube.com...

reply to post by Mikemp44


Farmland Vs People's Lives and Homes


If you even have to question which one is more important, well...it makes me truly sad.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


That's the thing it was farmland AND peoples lives and homes. In Cairo it would have been just homes, the entire town could have been evacuated and new homes could have been built higher up. Now we saved an impovershied town and destroyed the lives of hundreds of farmers who actually produced food. Its one of those hard decisions I guess, perhaps they thought the farmers had a better chance of recovering from this than the impovershed majority in Cairo. Please do not think I am heartless, I'm just very logistics oriented and find this was handled very poorly and didn't seem thought out...

This is a jobs creating plan. They didn't just blow the dirt they blew the concrete check valve and drain systems . were talking hundreds of millions in damage or relocate a small town that sounds like it needed relocated for the betterment of it's citizens

reply to post by Mikemp44


Wait a second, if the farmland falls under Eminent Domain than the farmers have to compensated by Law. They may not have any say in the matter, but due compensation is compulsory. Am I missing something?


Eminent Domain

reply to post by Mikemp44


Follow the money trail, somebody got a very handsome reward or bribery to do this, so look for your politicians late campaign funds revenue before the levy was blown up.

reply to post by starsyren


That's what I thought too! I am no expert in law, but I thought that was the case as well, but they are reporting that a provision in the law states that at least the federal government is not liable for reimbursment. I'll have to look into it, but I truly hope these people will be compensated for their tragic losses...

reply to post by Mikemp44


Good idea...I wouldn't pin your hopes on anything good though. I mean, it's the Government...it's not like they're really INTO following that whole Constitution-thing

The small crap town where I grew up, is very close to a river, but at least the rednecks who started building there many years ago, chose to build the town on the other side of a big hill.

It musta' tooken many a folks wit' sum smarts to determine this brilliant location.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d8491afa63b3.jpg[/atsimg]

I was searching around for pictures, and found this image of downtown. So this is part of what they are saving. Much more important than food.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8752d9ef2595.jpeg[/atsimg]
www.flickr.com...

reply to post by Mikemp44


I found this information of what Illinois state governments and leaders are engage on, It seems that they have created a way to wasting tax payer dollars from the state in very dubious practices.

It my opinion seems that braking that levy was a way to cash out on federal loans, hand outs and grants, but the worst thing is that the state is soo in debt that most of the grants and money will never reach the people that need it the most and neither will go to help those in disasters area like it should, but will go into state government coffers to keep the government working.

This is a most read.

biggovernment.com...

Just wow.

Also heard this on the radio this morning. The people whose land was flooded were told this is for the greater good?

What the hell.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


For what I read is for the greater good of the state coffers and fat rats with some corporate interest invested in the background and those that lost their land are only "collateral damage" and perhaps a land grab.