Just wanted to mention that I thoroughly enjoyed last night's Dateline.

Just saw a quick promo saying you'll have more on the Katrina anniversary this Thursday and Friday on the broadcast, looking forward to it . . !

Brian, I watched your show about Katrina. I too was down South after Katrina and was shocked by all that happened. What strikes me is that you always spoke about the slow response by the federal government. I was amazed that you never spoke about how the Mayor of New Orleans refused to allow city buses and school buses to evacuate the city before the storm or to move the people out of the SuperDome and the Convention Center, after the storm.. There was a total lack of leadership by the local government. All they did was throw up their hands and do nothing. They didn't even take the deal offered by Dan Simpson to pay New Orleans $100 per car to remove the junk from the streets. Also your vision on the destruction was very narrow. The entire Gulf Coast was devastated by Katrina. Entire towns were wiped off the map. Much more could have been said about Katrina.

I do hope you will have something to say about the gulf coast. They too, were devastated from Katrina.

Most of the news reports only talk about New Orleans. Lives, homes, buisness and much more were lost

on the gulf coast.

Good Evening Mr.Williams, Another fine broadcast this evening. Your Dateline Special about Hurricane Katrina and your reflections of your experiences was excellent. Very compelling, moving and heartbreaking to see the City of New Orleans and the people in such a desperate situation. The Federal Government was extremely slow to respond and a lack of leadership by the local governement too. So many areas just totally destroyed and it was so very tragic.

Looking forward to your broadcasts from New Orleans later in the week.

Now on to the broadcast. First of all the report by Anne Thompson from Venice,LA concerning the compensation from BP to all those who filed claims. It is encouraging to learn emergency payments will be given to so many fishermen who lost so much because of the oil spill, but much more needs to be paid out. The claims in 2011 concerning the final settlements will be a staggering number and one hopes all those who filed claims will be paid out fairly from BP to coevr huge losses. A staggering number and it keeps growing.

The report by Mr.Costello about the massive egg recall seems to be getting bigger each day. It certainly appears the Iowa egg farm had accumulated a tremendous amount of violations over so many years and then learning they sold to another farm is just awful and disturbing. Better measures need to be taken by the FDA prevent a massive outbreak of this nature. One truly hopes they find the source. And hopefully all those who became ill will recover quickly.

The piece by Mr.Taibbi about the 33 miners trapped in the gold and copper mine in Chile who were found alive after 17 days is miraculous. Seeing the notes they wrote their families saying they were okay was encouraging news. But now the long and tedious process of recueing them begins and to learn they might not get rescued until 4 months from now is alot of time for the men to be in the mine and the families to wait. One really hopes they will be rescued much sooner. Thoughts and prayers go out to all the families.

Thank You for the broadcast Mr.Williams. Again, your Dateline Special on Hurricane Katrina was excellent!

Peace to You and to All!

Lots of Love to Laurel,Jackie,Stephanie,Claudia,Celine,Anna,Lori,Cary and Matt!

Be Well Always!

Stay Extra,Extra Safe and Well Richard! Great to know you are back in New York! Safe and Sound in the United States! Enjoy being home!

Take Extra Good Care Richard and Crew!

XOXO

Lisa

Brian, outstanding job on the first days of Katrina story. As a native Floridian (57 years), we've known for decades that a direct hit from a hurricane on New Orleans would be disastrous. People in hurricane-prone states are bombarded with information regarding hurricane preparedness, from several pages in our phone books to hurricane-tracking maps available just about anywhere to TV news shows about preparations.

From what I remember in the first days of Katrina, Florida offered their preparedness planning/executing team and was turned down. New Orleans didn't need help. There were teams of people (in buses, trucks, and cars) waiting to assist in all areas and, again, turned down.

Everyone in the government, from Bush to Nagin, were criminally negligent in their duties. The local NOLA government claimed they didn't know it would be as bad as it was - NOT TRUE! If we, in Florida, knew it then so did they. They also knew the levies wouldn't hold up. I read about that in college (in Florida) years ago.

Pre-Katrina, supposedly Florida offered to share their preparation plans with other hurricane-prone states. These were lessons learned from Hurricane Andrew. NOLA turned it down, they didn't need help.

I cried several times watching your show and it gets me angry all over again. The lack of services, deaths, poor (if any) evacuation plans for the less fortunate didn't have to happen. (And I do realize not everyone was "poor".) If it were not for the military involvement, it would have been even more disastrous. FEMA was a joke.

I would like you to do another show on what changes have been made in NOLA government and FEMA to prepare the city for another hurricane. And there WILL be another hurricane. What have they put in place for the next one? How are they going to get people out of the city, get them fed, get infrastructure back in place?

I'm sure your life has changed after seeing what atrocities occurred and I'm sorry anyone had to see that but at least you can share your story (and you did it so well) and maybe open peoples' eyes.

Thank you for a job well done!

An indelible, horrific image I live with was watching NBC news coverage of New Orleans during late August and early September 2005 and seeing a bottle of water flagrantly sticking out of Brian Williams' pants pocket as he interviewed flood victims. Please comment on how journalism (getting the story out, which needed to be done) seemed to trump humanitarianism (getting water out of your pocket and to the people). During Sunday's NBC Nightly News (8/22/10) the statement was made about the scene not seeming to be taking place in America. My response: you know you were in America because you (and others with visible bottles of water on news crews who had the capability to leave the "story" once they got the story) were not mobbed for that precious commodity H2O.

Anyone know how things turned out for the kid who kept repeating how pitiful things were at the Super Dome? That child had personality

Dear Brian,

Thank you for your special Dateline report airing last night. Powerful. Was brought down to tears, confusion, and anger once again---which, as you said on Charlie Rose, should happen even five years later. We need to stay that way about Katrina, and not forget what happened to all of those souls. I am so glad you'll be returning again to New Orleans Thursday night. Thank you all so much for it. I very much look forward to seeing updates on the people you met down there during hurricane Katrina.

Thank you for the broadcast as always. Look forward to seeing you on with David Letterman tonight before beginning my Fall semester tomorrow!

-Cary

P.S. For Tom Costello: "I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob!" :)

Brian,

Thank you for the show last night. Important work, reminding people how bad it was; and, how we, as a country, have failed to make " The Big Easy" whole. Again, thank you. We appreciate your hard work.

Not that long ago bin Laden set out to destroy the United States by wreaking havoc upon the US economy. When the planes flew into the World Trade Center buildings the national debt doubled in a few years aided by government actions that called for more spending against threats that didn't exist to increasing security with untried and unproven technologies as well as untold billions in research and development on ideas that seemed like science fiction only yesterday.

Along the way the Constitution became faded as sections of it were ignored (and still is today) in the name of security. The rights of American citizens were being trampled upon with illegal wiretaps and the rights of American citizens were upheld when librarians publicly declared they would not release the title of books borrowed and the names of library patrons. Many illegal parts of the PATRIOT Act are still in place only because politicians are afraid of looking weak during an election cycle.

When George Bush used the word "crusade" in a speech once he quickly had to explain to our friends and enemies of Muslim faith he misspoke. The US is in a war against terrorism not a religious war against Muslims.

Now our economy is on shaky grounds with unemployment near 10% and consumer spending down with many carrying a massive credit card debt. The foundation of our country, the Constitution, is also on shaky grounds with some, in office and out, calling for radical changes. The mood of the country has changed from a war on terrorism to outright anger against Muslims.

bin Laden was right when he said America would destroy herself from within. By making changes to the Constitution, and more importantly, not applying the Constitution to those who, at this time some consider, are different than "mainstream" America will collapse the foundation upon this country is built. And we are doing it to ourselves.

The Constitution has seen this country through good times as well as bad times. Just because one political party thinks the Constitution give the other political party more than their party is no reason to change it. In the end all will be in balance.

Therefore, let the Constitution stand and apply the First Amendment to honor the separation of Church and State.

The Mosque met all the legal requirements of NYC and there are no legal reasons to stop it. All this talk of possible this and probable that is just talk without substance.

Now is the time for all Americans to stand and defend the Constitution and if that means letting a Mosque be built let the Mosque be built. Ours is a war against terrorism not against Muslims and our focus must return to the terrorists.

We have been a nation for 234 years. How many other countries in the Western Hemisphere can make the same claim? We Americans have seen feast and famine. War and peace. Prosperity and poverty. And we came through it all a stronger and better nation.

Isn't it time we stood up and told the rest of the world that we, as Americans, live by our Constitution and to the Muslim people your Mosque meets the requirements of the law as set forth by our Constitution and you are free to built it? And that we, as victims of 9/11, object to the Mosque on moral grounds only and ask you build your Mosque at a different location.

Or we could become an anonymous, faceless mob hiding behinds signs, slogans and chants and at the end of the day hide under the covers.

It is a dangerous world and the founding fathers faced an unknown future when they wrote the Constitution and declared independence from a known future to build a new country. It is still a dangerous world and will we be with the founding fathers and keep this country strong or will be cower in fear and let this country fall into ruin by changing/ignoring the Constitution one article at a time?

How much can you remove from the foundation of the Constitution and still expect it to stand?

Dear Mr. Williams,

First of all, I am nobody special. I am a former teacher and forklift driver who is currently out of work, losing hope, and wondering what happened to the America they promised me as a kid.

Second, I have no illusions that you will actually read this. It will get to a staffer who will wonder for just a moment, “Should I pass this along, just to prove this joker wrong?” before queuing me up for the “We appreciate your feedback” e-mail response.

With that in mind, I bring up the third point, which is: Despite the impossibility that my opinions will make any difference whatever; writing to you is the least crazy option that I have when I am compelled to speak out for my America.

And so, if Pancho will steady my donkey, let me tilt at the windmill.

I just finished watching you on David Letterman. He compared you to Tom Brokaw. I think you may be closer to Walter Cronkite, if you will accept the mantle. Mr. Brokaw waited until after he retired to speak out about the forces he felt were degrading the America he loved. Mr. Cronkite spoke out while he still had a job to lose. It is worth noting that Mr. Cronkite was voted “Most Trusted” even ten years after his retirement.

(Of course, immediately after your interview, whatever points you may have made were blasted away by an emergency advertisement for “Big Brother 12.”)

So I am (finally) bringing up what I wish I could ask “Uncle Walter” but could not.

First of all, why is nobody reporting on the sudden “change of general opinion” regarding Cordoba House? Last year, this building was being praised as a move forward in Muslim-non Muslim understanding. Now it is universally reported as, at least, “a bad idea” and, at worst, an affront to those who died on 9/11. When did this change? Who was the first face and voice behind the opposition? How did they get a national audience when most of us can only scream at our television sets? Whose megaphone are they using?

Secondly, would somebody please do a report about all of the Federal programs that “We couldn’t afford”? Let me explain. I inherited from my grandparents a collection of Reader’s Digest dating back to the 1940’s. I am constantly amazed at the number of programs that are denounced as a boondoggle or scam that we can not, as a country, afford without destroying or bankrupting the country. These programs include the interstate highway system, electrification, federal education assistance (including the G.I. Bill), social security, Medicare, Medicaid, small business loans, efforts to limit pollution, and many other examples of federal spending that resulted in a better America for us all. The arguments are eerily the same ones we are now hearing about health-care, infrastructure repair, unemployment insurance, clean energy, and any other attempt to solve the problems we face.

(Incidentally, it is exactly the frustration you spoke of on Letterman that prompted this letter. How is it that we can send humans to the moon and bring them home, defeat the Axis Powers, bring animals back from the brink of extinction, yet we can’t <insert needed solution here>, not because it can not be done, but because “We can’t afford it.” My choices at this point are to write to you, break down crying, or give in to the urge to go crazy and hope that the government health care kicks in in time.)

Thirdly, (and if you remember from learning to do outlines in school, you must have at least three points before you can list them as “first, second, and third”) if you, Mr. Williams, can not act against the forces of evil, self-interest, and manipulated ignorance, what hope do we have? You made Saturday Night Live funny. If saving the country is harder than that, should we just throw in the towel?

Thank you for allowing the illusion that I make a difference.

Robert Nesbit

Memphis, TN

hola, brian, i had to get out there tonight and prune back the overgrown pink and yellow lantana bushes at the entrance to my little yard in the bright moonlight and the porchlight did help since my sleeping schedule just keeps getting worse instead of better, i at least do get my 8 hours worth of sleep. i couldn't get through without getting hit by lantana bushes on both sides anymore. i was about 2/3 done when a male praying mantis jumped out of the pruned branches i was putting in the box. he was big about 3.5" long and a muddy yellow/orange, so a male. so, now, the way is clear again and i feel much better:-) our country is like that, we are always having to prune sections of it back to make the way clear. that's the way it's supposed to be. we've seen alot of change that 9/11 and the recession have brought about, but i think we are going back to some good old fashioned, solid and substantial values. less is more is one of them. the mosque issue is neither here nor there for me, i pray in the sanctity of my little home and in my garden. i think it was st. loyola who said that the institution of church might one day go by the wayside as people of faith strengthened their personal bond with their God. katrina reinforced the fact that government is not reliable, not even local government. we do and should take a certain amount of responsibility for taking care of ourselves. i did have quite a few gallons of water in the shed for y2k, just in case. hurricanes happen. you should be prepared to some extent. happy-go-lucky doesn't work in predictable emergency scenarios. if you live in harm's way, you should take measures to safeguard. and if your local government doesn't do this, elect people who do. responsibility is a big word. it involves planning for safety measures. if you value your life and the lives of your family members, act like it. and act on it. the buck stops here. do something about it. if you take care of you and yours, God will do His part. don't leave you and yours at the mercy of a fallible system. neighborhoods can do much when they stick together if your city is going to wash their hands of you. don't play the part of the sacrificial lamb if you don't have to and you should never have to. life is about being resourceful. i'm sure there are foundations out there who would respond to resourceful individuals in new orleans and the rest of the gulf coast. best, anna martina

578 million dollars invested for a futuristic 21st century school. The puzzled faces and minds are everywhere.
But should there be a price cap placed on the education of future young minds? The school was designed to nurture open, inquisitive minds, -let us celebrate this conception and remember the purpose.
Yea, the school presently seems as an excess but for a country that recovered from The Great Depression, these current dire economic days will too pass.
The promise of a better day -is ahead. Wednesday's Florida Sun Sentinel reports "Nearly 500 laid-off teachers return to Broward jobs," -all saved by stimulus money.
My Mom says Elin, Tiger's wife is a classy lady.
Elin, a class act, did all privately and kept the kids from tabloid noise.
And..it is all about the children, in the end.

Robert I was in Walmart and an elderly man who was in front of me started a conversation and this

came to mind in reading your comments. He said, "They say this is the 21st century. I don't

believe it." Interesting. Phyllis

Brian: I watched the Katrina special. I had to turn away from certain scenes because they were hard to observe. We all watched the horror unfolding live before our eyes, but actually being there in person would have rendered a more severe feeling of depression and despair. That report by the cameraman who shot footage in the Superdome made me think how I would have felt in his position. The city,state, and Federal response came way too late. Lots of people left the city of New Orleans, never to return. I'll be watching your report starting Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the disaster.