I believe that the primary value of this thread (like most threads) is entertainment/curiosity, but that's a worthy goal.
Someone mentioned early on that the DR historically gets hit only once in 20 years, so we knew from the start that the danger was slight. We should still be prepared, of course.
Do very many people let little things like facts dissuade them from doing things, anyway?
As long as Isabel was still "in the groove" for tracking into the Caribbean, it was a possible threat to emulate David, with dire consequences for the DR. Once it got too far north for that, its danger to the DR became greatly diminished.
David, nurtured by the warm Caribbean, was at max strength as it turned northwards to slam Santo Domingo at about a 45 degree angle for max winds (about 145-150 mph, as I recall).
Even if Isabel were to hit the DR with its current strength, the weak side winds would be approximately 132 mph. Yes, Xanadu, the North Coast is at somewhat of an angle, so the projected winds would be a "little" higher.
But if Isabel turned toward the North Coast, it would likely lose a lot of its strength before it arrived. I doubt that winds would exceed 100 mph. THERE'S NO GUARANTEES, so no one should drop his guard, of course.
A greater concern for me would be flying through it to get to the DR in the first place. I don't like bumpy rides.
I've always been fascinated by storms, perhaps because of childhood stories about how my Mom (and baby Elvis) had near misses from what some experts think was THE STRONGEST storm ever recorded. (I also learned that I was more afraid of snakes in a storm cellar than the storm itself).
I'm not taking sides in the debate about whether we should or shouldn't discuss this so fervently, just expressing a few thoughts.