Collapse

The San Jose Mercury News: I-35W bridge collapses over Mississippi River; 7 dead The Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed this evening, plunging dozens of vehicles into the water, killing seven people and injuring more than 60. Tons of concrete have collapsed and people are injured. Survivors are being carried up the riverbank. Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan said more than 50 vehicles had been searched with the potential for more and all of the survivors had been cleared from the bridge. Amelia Huffman, Minneapolis police spokeswoman, said the 64-foot high bridge over the river dropped into the water shortly after 6 p.m. "The entire bridge, more or less, has collapsed into the river," said Lt. Amelia Huffman, Minneapolis police spokeswoman. "It's unclear what caused it." Sometimes doing nothing is worse than doing something bad. And there's been lots of nothing not-happening all over the country. The bridge in Minneapolis might be only the beginning. It's a falling domino. Call me foolish, but I'm not worried about a terrorist attack. It's the not-so-slow erosion of our aging infrastructure that's scaring the fuck outta me. Our bridges, our rail system, and our highways get worse every damned day. Libraries, schools and hospitals are closing. There's not enough cops on the streets. There's fewer jobs, the number of foreclosures are up, and more Americans are in debt. Medical insurance is horribly expensive. And why in the hell are we hearing reports of food on supermarket shelves killing people? You think we should start fixing things for real instead of slapping a fresh coat of paint on it? Oh yeah, the check's in the mail. But it got sent to the wrong address. It isn't as though we don't have the money. We have trillions. It's being poured in that black hole called Iraq. It's a rotten investment. So when that bridge collapsed, Osama bin Laden chuckled softly to himself and said, "Pass the popcorn." No, he and his murderous rat thugs don't have to do anything. Not anymore. George ("Mission Accomplished") Bush & Co. are already doing the dirty work for him. Look out below.