http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/08/19/u-s-s-keep-your-dam-water-sign-blames-canada-for-flood/  
 

I realize it's a minority that think this way but this proves the negative feelings are definately there. Kind of sad that some people think like this.

We did give them alot of nice clean water. Since they didn't like our present, we took it back. Next time we give them something, we should stick to a new tie.

they sure want our Damn money  
 
Edited by Big Mamma, 2011-08-21 17:01:11

considering that Minot is now dumping raw sewage into the river and sending it our way.

Or is it fast food?

Devils Lake!

first we can remember that when they run out of water I guess.. which they are in Texas.  
And yes as someone else said it is probably a small amount of ppl tho did that but billboards are not cheap so someone sure meant it.  
The rumors of people being treated badly there were part of why we decided to fly to Las Vegas from Winnipeg instead of Minot, and I am glad we did.  
Anyway really too bad they don't understand that they are sending it right back here, with a lot of raw sewage as someone said.

Sounds like a case of a vocal minority mis-directing frustrations during what is an understandably difficult time. The fact that officials worked so quickly to get the billboard down says a lot. Just repeating a quote from the article from Minots city manager:  
 
“The billboard doesn’t reflect the community . . . There’s some folks who have misplaced anger. By and large, people here recognize that this water flooded Saskatchewan, it flooded North Dakota and it flooded Manitoba — a lot of folks were damaged by this flood — and we’re all in the boat together.”  
 
Has anyone seen if there's been any kind of web poll of folks in Minot to find out just how many (or few) people are seeing things this way?  
 

Maybe Grand Forks / Fargo should keep their water too

By getting all spiteful about a very few ignorant people's opinion in the US, we are allowing ourselves to become the very people we are directing our anger at. These people, like us, lost money, homes, time, and in some cases, their very livelihood. They too are upset at nature and like us(I seem to remember that some Manitobans were blaming Saskatchewan for the flood) are blindly looking for someone to blame. It's human nature. When things go wrong, many need someone to blame, as blaming nature carries no satisfaction with it. Just my humble opinion.

I have gone down the last two Saturdays to help people muck out their houses and I have felt ZERO animosity and nothing but appreciation. This could have been us if just one of our dikes had failed. We are very fortunate and IMO should be passing along the good vibes rather than the negativity.  

a few may be made at us but we spend an estimated $271 million in North Dakota every year so i would bet a lot of business owners still want us to come.  
 
and there is the devils lake thing

It was an act of God and mother nature...I didn't know they were Canadian

I'm just wondering what the billboard company was thinking by posting this sign. You'd think they would want to promote a welcoming atmosphere towards Canadian tourism considering the money we pump into ND, not to mention that so many of us are down there helping them clean the silt and dirt out of their basements. We've all heard the "shop ND" ads on Star FM, it really just looks like poor judgement on behalf of the business to get a few laughs....

JKS9 said "It was an act of God and mother nature...I didn't know they were Canadian "

the problem with that is once someone reroutes or dams the water flooding is no longer an act of god but maybe gods canadian lol

We took a family vacation to Minot last weekend. We stayed at the Sleep Inn at the mall, and spent the weekend shopping and just relaxing. Anyone who we spoke to from there was not at all negative towards us visiting their city. Another family we met from Saskatchewan who visits Minot annually for back to school shopping told us the mall was very quiet compared to past years and the number of Canadian license plates in the parking lot was few.

Plain and simple, they have freedom of speech, someone paid to put up that sign up because they were given that right by their country and it didn't take long for the city to take it back down! So that speaks volumes!  
 
You know the old saying "don't believe everything you hear" well that works for this as well except more like "don't believe everything you read"! The billboard company got paid to put up someone's freedom of speech and the city dealt with it    
   
We have family there and have been down a lot this summer, we have not once seen or heard this. I am sure there are a few people who believe this but that does not mean everyone in the city should be crucified for an idiot(s) freedom of speech right.    
   
Minot's station KX News' reporter, Jim Olson, did a story on "Minot Didn't Have to Flood" where he reviewed water levels and how they were released leading up to the flood. It was really quite an interesting piece and showed how maybe both sides should have dealt with things differently___it wasn't supposed to be a story pointing fingers but making those aware of what needs to be done to prevent this in the future. A couple of days after Jim's story broke, CBC radio out of Saskatchewan interviewed Jim and had an excellent opportunity to disspell any wrong doing on Canada's part, the reporter didn't which to me was hugely disappointing and spoke volumes on how Sask./ Canada may have (mis)handled the water flow.    
   
I was truly embarrassed when the Canadian news reporter didn't say anything that even remotely sounded like Canada wasn't to blame...  
 
As for the raw sewage being "dumped", as with any flood situation, the drainage and underground sewage systems get to the point where nothing can be controlled as the flows are too strong so yeah it will have gone into the river. I'm not a specialist but I think if there is 8 feet or more of flood water above a city's drainage/sewage systems then yes it will get into the water above the ground! Absolutely no difference from the flooding up here where sewage from underground tanks got into the water, hence the boil water advisories.  
   
Once again I'll get on my soapbox for Minot and say those who are being just plain ignorant have absolutely no idea at all what has happened or is happening down there.    
   
How many who posted negatively have been down since the flood to see and experience what a tremendous loss Minot is enduring?    
   
I guess you could say we have some who post on here who are no better than those who paid for the billboard in Minot....where a few spout off ignorant remarks and it reflects on everyone as a whole and quite frankly I do not wish to be painted with that same brush!    
   
If someone from another city/provincce/country read this post they would think the same thing as many of the above posters do regarding citizens of Minot....that we all feel this way and we sure as heck do not. I believe people such as this have the title "pot stirrers" and are usually misinformed and jump to conclusions without any real knowledge or experience-well, apparently these type of people exist on both sides of the border!    
   
   
You know what they say when you "ASSUME"  
...  
 
Edited by Seriously?, 2011-08-22 02:20:33

JKS9 said "It was an act of God and mother nature...I didn't know they were Canadian "

never know maybe they are canadian my father always said that we lived in Gods country. As for the few IDIOTS that paid for the billboard just shows that there are miss informed people on both sides of the border. I still think the greater majority of people in Minot still want us to come and spend our money in their city.

Ignorance is bliss isn't it. Where do the Americans think the water that floods our Red River Valley comes from - duh - would that be the good old U.S.A!!!!! It was a freak year - it's nature - yes it was a terrible disaster and we feel terrible for our neighbors, but we personally didn't ask for all of the snow and rain we received last year and this spring!!!

Seriously? said "Plain and simple, they have freedom of speech, someone paid to put up that sign up because they were given that right by their country and it didn't take long for the city to take it back down! So that speaks volumes!     You know the old saying "don't believe everything you hear" well that works for this as well except more like "don't believe everything you read"! The billboard company got paid to put up someone's freedom of speech and the city dealt with it         We have family there and have been down a lot this summer, we have not once seen or heard this. I am sure there are a few people who believe this but that does not mean everyone in the city should be crucified for an idiot(s) freedom of speech right.         Minot's station KX News' reporter, Jim Olson, did a story on "Minot Didn't Have to Flood" where he reviewed water levels and how they were released leading up to the flood. It was really quite an interesting piece and showed how maybe both sides should have dealt with things differently___it wasn't supposed to be a story pointing fingers but making those aware of what needs to be done to prevent this in the future. A couple of days after Jim's story broke, CBC radio out of Saskatchewan interviewed Jim and had an excellent opportunity to disspell any wrong doing on Canada's part, the reporter didn't which to me was hugely disappointing and spoke volumes on how Sask./ Canada may have (mis)handled the water flow.         I was truly embarrassed when the Canadian news reporter didn't say anything that even remotely sounded like Canada wasn't to blame...     As for the raw sewage being "dumped", as with any flood situation, the drainage and underground sewage systems get to the point where nothing can be controlled as the flows are too strong so yeah it will have gone into the river. I'm not a specialist but I think if there is 8 feet or more of flood water above a city's drainage/sewage systems then yes it will get into the water above the ground! Absolutely no difference from the flooding up here where sewage from underground tanks got into the water, hence the boil water advisories.       Once again I'll get on my soapbox for Minot and say those who are being just plain ignorant have absolutely no idea at all what has happened or is happening down there.         How many who posted negatively have been down since the flood to see and experience what a tremendous loss Minot is enduring?         I guess you could say we have some who post on here who are no better than those who paid for the billboard in Minot....where a few spout off ignorant remarks and it reflects on everyone as a whole and quite frankly I do not wish to be painted with that same brush!         If someone from another city/provincce/country read this post they would think the same thing as many of the above posters do regarding citizens of Minot....that we all feel this way and we sure as heck do not. I believe people such as this have the title "pot stirrers" and are usually misinformed and jump to conclusions without any real knowledge or experience-well, apparently these type of people exist on both sides of the border!             You know what they say when you "ASSUME"   ...     Edited by Seriously?, 2011-08-22 02:20:33"

Well, they don't really have freedom of speech. If they were blaming a specific individual they would be potentially inviting a libel suit....  
 
I have chosen to stay away from Minot because I prefer to shop in Manitoba. I also thought it would be in somewhat poor taste to go just for the sake of sight-seeing.  
 
I stayed away from Brandon during it's flood for the same reason. I wasn't able to help out, so the least I could do was to stay out of the way.  
 
I guess your post kind of irked me a little, because it came across as a little high-and-mighty.  
 
It's a flood. People can't control them perfectly. Anyone who is effected by a natural disaster has my sympathy and best wishes.  
 
Those who wish to place blame should step up and do so directly, not with an anonymous billboard.  
 
In my opinion people should speak for themselves and allow for a rebuttal and meaningful dialogue....

it is so sad to see hate like this in this country ( the homw of the free ) and I know with out a doubt that this is only a very small ( small ion mind as well ) bunch of poorly educated people so I think that the North Dakota law enforcement should be laying charges against these individuals this going on is equal to defamatiojn of some ones characture so get on with it boys and areest them we did not send them anything that we could have other wise retained and any way if my information is write they helped build the dams so as Archie Buncker used to say be quiet you

Busy Mom said "We took a family vacation to Minot last weekend. We stayed at the Sleep Inn at the mall, and spent the weekend shopping and just relaxing. Anyone who we spoke to from there was not at all negative towards us visiting their city. Another family we met from Saskatchewan who visits Minot annually for back to school shopping told us the mall was very quiet compared to past years and the number of Canadian license plates in the parking lot was few. "

I agree, we were there this weekend too and everyone we spoke too (cashiers and store employees mostly, as we were shopping) was very positive and asking about OUR flooding situation and how we're doing, etc. in addition to explaining how things are there. I learned a lot, it's hard to drive through by the river and see the huge walls of earth that are still up, the homes that were destroyed, the vehicles that are abandoned because they were lost in the flood. Those people are suffering and for the most part, are carrying on with dignity and grace and an incredible generosity and understanding for others.  
 
Sure those negative feelings are out there too, but point me to a community that doesn't have a few mouthpiece assholes. Honestly, I don't think anyone would hear their voices if they didn't thrive on the negative. It's like they *want* to hear someone blaming Canada so that we can be offended and act like assholes in return. Why do people thrive on this crap?  
 
As for the mall being quiet and the license plates being few, I completely disagree. We also go there every year at this time, and it was *harder* to get a hotel because there are a lot of rooms with people who are there to help with the flood (contractors, family, volunteers, etc.) but I think most people who are out of their homes have alternate arrangements now because the community has really pulled together to help those who have lost so much.  
 
The rows in the parking lots were filled with plates from SK and MB, the only thing that was noticeably different was the decline of 'Rider gear on display this trip. And I seriously doubt that had anything to do with the flood.  
 
What I did notice was a lot of plates from all over the US. Usually you only see plates from neighboring states, SK and MB in with all of the ND plates, but this year I saw a lot from further south, some Alberta plates, etc.  
 

ChrisDA said "http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/08/19/u-s-s-keep-your-dam-water-sign-blames-canada-for-flood/     "

Moron keep your water from Grand Forks from comming in Manitoba which flooded us and in turn flooded Minot. DUH!!!

http://www.fishingbuddy.com/souris_river_5  
 
Too much water - not enough water - can't keep these people happy.

Seriously? said "Plain and simple, they have freedom of speech, someone paid to put up that sign up because they were given that right by their country and it didn't take long for the city to take it back down! So that speaks volumes!     You know the old saying "don't believe everything you hear" well that works for this as well except more like "don't believe everything you read"! The billboard company got paid to put up someone's freedom of speech and the city dealt with it         We have family there and have been down a lot this summer, we have not once seen or heard this. I am sure there are a few people who believe this but that does not mean everyone in the city should be crucified for an idiot(s) freedom of speech right.         Minot's station KX News' reporter, Jim Olson, did a story on "Minot Didn't Have to Flood" where he reviewed water levels and how they were released leading up to the flood. It was really quite an interesting piece and showed how maybe both sides should have dealt with things differently___it wasn't supposed to be a story pointing fingers but making those aware of what needs to be done to prevent this in the future. A couple of days after Jim's story broke, CBC radio out of Saskatchewan interviewed Jim and had an excellent opportunity to disspell any wrong doing on Canada's part, the reporter didn't which to me was hugely disappointing and spoke volumes on how Sask./ Canada may have (mis)handled the water flow.         I was truly embarrassed when the Canadian news reporter didn't say anything that even remotely sounded like Canada wasn't to blame...     As for the raw sewage being "dumped", as with any flood situation, the drainage and underground sewage systems get to the point where nothing can be controlled as the flows are too strong so yeah it will have gone into the river. I'm not a specialist but I think if there is 8 feet or more of flood water above a city's drainage/sewage systems then yes it will get into the water above the ground! Absolutely no difference from the flooding up here where sewage from underground tanks got into the water, hence the boil water advisories.       Once again I'll get on my soapbox for Minot and say those who are being just plain ignorant have absolutely no idea at all what has happened or is happening down there.         How many who posted negatively have been down since the flood to see and experience what a tremendous loss Minot is enduring?         I guess you could say we have some who post on here who are no better than those who paid for the billboard in Minot....where a few spout off ignorant remarks and it reflects on everyone as a whole and quite frankly I do not wish to be painted with that same brush!         If someone from another city/provincce/country read this post they would think the same thing as many of the above posters do regarding citizens of Minot....that we all feel this way and we sure as heck do not. I believe people such as this have the title "pot stirrers" and are usually misinformed and jump to conclusions without any real knowledge or experience-well, apparently these type of people exist on both sides of the border!             You know what they say when you "ASSUME"   ...     Edited by Seriously?, 2011-08-22 02:20:33"

It's a lynch mob mentality.

Adam said "Sounds like a case of a vocal minority mis-directing frustrations during what is an understandably difficult time. The fact that officials worked so quickly to get the billboard down says a lot. Just repeating a quote from the article from Minots city manager:     “The billboard doesn’t reflect the community . . . There’s some folks who have misplaced anger. By and large, people here recognize that this water flooded Saskatchewan, it flooded North Dakota and it flooded Manitoba — a lot of folks were damaged by this flood — and we’re all in the boat together.”     Has anyone seen if there's been any kind of web poll of folks in Minot to find out just how many (or few) people are seeing things this way?     "

Adam here is a poll on the Minot Daily News website:  
 
http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/polls.detail/id/1105/  
 
18% thought it was "Unfair to the average Canadian"  
11% thought "Blame was misplaced"  
10% thought it was "Not Worth Notoriety"  
41% thought "All of the Above"  
21% thought it was "Accurate and appropriate"  
 
Here is another piece...worth reading the comments...  
http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/557809/The-week-that-was.html  
 
**reason for editing: added another link  
 
Edited by Seriously?, 2011-08-23 23:23:39

in response to Seriously's post.. seems like a lot of the people on those sites anyway are quite mad at Canadians... or at least a half and half kinda feel.. do they know they water comes back here?? and that they got a lot of snowfall this year too that contributed to flooding for them and us?  
sigh..

is enough for me, considering there are four options that basically say "I don't agree with the sign" and only one that says "I agree with the sign" we don't even get a breakdown of the attitudes of the 20% who thought the sign was accurate. They just get to be painted as a-holes. I am sure there are plenty of people in MB right now who blame our own government and water authorities to some extent for the damage done to their homes and communities. I have NO IDEA why it's so damned offensive to imagine that people south of the border might do the same. I'll be really surprised (and disgusted) if the entire flood season was reviewed and they said - yep, we absolutely handled everything 100% perfectly. Of course they won't. Lots of stuff happened that nobody anticipated, and lots of lessons were learned.  
 
I'm guessing that some of the 20% are thinking along those lines, some of them think "heh he heh 'DAM' water! FUNNY!!!" - or some may even think of it the way we might say - Albertans can keep their freaking Alberta Clipper or whatever. It's not meant to offend and obviously nobody really thinks the people in the next province or next town have anything to do with weather.  
 
Yes, absolutely there are people who *do* think that the flood was caused by Canada mismanaging their dams, and people who are upset and angry because of the destruction it caused. Let them be, I am sure they're not the only ones prone to finger-pointing and complaining (like any of us at election time?) and we're not always going to agree on causes, effects or who is to blame for everything that goes wrong.

I am sure there are a few people(half wits) in Minot that think we are making water to send at them. anyone with half a brain knows it was out of our control as it was mother nature on both sides of the boarder. I wonder what those same people would say if one of those"miss managed dams" had breached due to trying to hold back all the water. The majority of people in minot are very nice people and understand that we where all in it together and I am sure that they will look after the small minority of people that continue to point at us.