From a swamp it came, and to a swamp it should return

So only now is somebody figuring out that the abyss of human misery and dependence known as New Orleans never should have been built in the first place...

In the chaos that followed the worst natural disaster in American history, a forensic investigation has been taking place to find out what went wrong and why.

The BBC's Horizon programme has spoken to the scientists who are now confronting the real possibility that New Orleans may be the first of many cities worldwide to face extinction.

New Orleans is not, contrary to the fantasies of many deranged alcoholics and socialist utopians, a jewel city of America, rich in culture, brimming with optimism and verve. New Orleans is a cesspool of corruption and human wretchedness and squalor. Sure, you might want to visit for a day and sample the food, but you want to get the heck out as fast as you can when you're done. If Louisianna taxpayers want their tax dollars spent shoring up the disastrous levee system, then let them, but don't burden the rest of tax-paying Americans who were smart enough not to live in The Cereal Bowl by the Sea. New Orleans is not America's town. It belongs to the corrupt politicians, to the stupid voters who keep electing them, and to the shiftless goverment dependents who rely solely on hand-outs from productive Americans for their existance.