The Left Coaster: Comment on I Was There

Comments: I Was There - Where Were You?

It is an absolute sin that the Feds turned away 1500 Cuban doctors who were poised to come to NO with supplies to help the sick and frail. Not only did 9/11 happen on Bush's watch, but the destruction of a major American city adds to his "legacy".

Posted by Cookie Monster at September 7, 2005 09:24 AM

pessimist,

Dr. Koufman should be commended on his desire to help in an emergency. He should also understand why his offer of assistance was turned down.

As he found out, by the time he offered help, teams of doctors had already been dispatched to pre-determined locations. The physicians that went in these teams had specialized training not only in their respective fields, but in disaster response and the equipment/conditions they encounter in these situations.

It is great to have everyone wishing to help, but extra people in the wrong place just tax the relief support system. We have not received any reports of people dying due to lack of surgical skills as of yet, so it may be that some of the prior planning worked.

Posted by j.west at September 7, 2005 09:33 AM

Its hard to understand why extra people would "tax the relief support system" when a couple of Duke University students were able to drive in and out of the affected area. Regardless of whether the "blame" belongs to the Feds or the State, we need to get to the root cause of the failure. But DeLay will not investigate. And Bush put himself in charge of the Executive Branch investigation. Oy vay!

Seriously, it is wonderful that we have seen so many volunteers just wanting to help. It is equally as disheartening to see the lack of planning for an event that everyone could forsee. God help us on our response to an UNFORSEEN event.

Posted by Cookie Monster at September 7, 2005 09:46 AM

People may not have died from lack of surgical skills, but people died from lack of medical care. Last night I couldn't sleep and ended up watching Oprah as she went through NO. (Please spare me the Oprah bashing.) The NO Airport had been set up as a hospital and there were people suffering and dying because they did not have the medical personnel to treat them all. When they had patients who were going to die and no one could do anything for them, they had to put them in the morgue to die. ANY doctor should have been welcomed with open arms. No one should have suffered and died because of red tape. And no one should have had to lie in the morgue waiting to die.

Posted by ann at September 7, 2005 09:50 AM

Bush takes consdirable more time acting like he cares and his SHOW is not going over to well. It is hard to look at the new without being angry for all the help that has been turned away.

Posted by The Heretik at September 7, 2005 09:55 AM

Ann,

You need to get some sleep. No one was put in the morgue to die. The NO airport was used for triage and stabilization, with the patients airlifted to waiting medical centers throughout the country.

By the way, black people at the convention center didn't resort to eating their dead either.

Posted by j.west at September 7, 2005 10:04 AM

No one was put in the morgue to die.

Yes, they were. Saw it with my own eyes yesterday. People who were dying were put in the morgue to "die in peace."

Posted by Ga6thDem at September 7, 2005 10:12 AM

j. west, are you saying that the doctor who showed them putting people into the morgue was lying? why?

btw, I'm not buying that cannibalism shit, so don't worry.

Posted by ann at September 7, 2005 10:15 AM

from the NYTimes:

Dr. Mehmet Oz, a heart surgeon and a regular contributor to Ms. Winfrey's show, toured medical facilities at New Orleans International Airport and described the removal of critically ill patients to a makeshift morgue "just so they can pass away in peace."

Posted by ann at September 7, 2005 10:19 AM

I will check the facts again, and if I am wrong you will have my full apology.

The NY Times has not been a very reliable source (see Paul Krugman) lately, so give me a little time to get back to you.

Posted by j.west at September 7, 2005 10:23 AM

Oh, please. The NY Times is a very reliable newspaper. Just because it doesn't ring bells for the GOP all the time and dares to crticize the Bush administration does not make it unreliable. As for Krugman, he is a very brilliant op-ed writer. Just because you disagree with his writing does not make him unreliable.

Posted by ann at September 7, 2005 10:29 AM

I watched it, too, and it was horrible. I guess Oprah didn't get the message about showing bodies, because the doctor guy found a dead woman by the side of the road, which he proceded to start poking! He was saying the dead are everywhere.

Posted by iamcoyote at September 7, 2005 10:34 AM

I can't find any mention of anything even approaching the story of Dr. Oz in other sources. Since I didn't see the Oprah piece, could someone who did let me know if he could have been refering to situation in Charity Hospital?

Posted by j.west at September 7, 2005 10:46 AM

He was not talking about Charity Hospital. He was in the Louis Armstrong Airport.

Posted by ann at September 7, 2005 10:51 AM

I watched it, it was at the airport. The Oprah doc also looked at a guy's hand that would go septic any minute and he'd probably lose it. I hear the second part of Oprah's show is on today. This is the first one I've watched in many years because I wanted to see what the relief effort was like. Still not too good, apparently.

By the way, black people at the convention center didn't resort to eating their dead either.

Is this the new push-poll a la McCain's black baby? Sociopaths know no depths, do they?

Posted by iamcoyote at September 7, 2005 10:57 AM

Ann,

I realize he was touring the airport triage center when the comment was made.

If you are stating that he witnessed terminally ill patients being placed in the morgue at NO airport on Tuesday during his visit, I would think there would be a little more reporting on the subject.

The more logical explaination would be that he was relaying the stories he had heard of Charity Hospital.

If the situation is as you seem to think it is, heads will roll.

Posted by j.west at September 7, 2005 11:05 AM

What I can't understand is why the American people are not irate. A major American city is rendered uninhabitable at least partly due to the Federal government's negligence or apathy. The House Majority whip refuses to investigate root cause. The President (who can't find his way out of a paper bag) appoints himself as the leader of the investigation. Tax cuts for the rich - which could easily fund the rehabilitation of New Orleans - are still on the agenda. What does it take to get people irate? Lets bring back Monica.

Posted by Cookie Monster at September 7, 2005 11:06 AM

If the situation is as you seem to think it is, heads will roll.

good one. heh-heh.

Posted by dubya at September 7, 2005 11:08 AM

According to Congressman Jose Serrano (D-New York), the US has received offers from Int'l Aid Relief agencies that could possibly result in over 11,000 doctors along with the necessary supplies coming to help throughout the Hurricane affected areas.

Our govt's response: No Thanks

Apparently either through Pride or Politics, FEMA would rather have sick people wait for them to get off ther ass than have Relief agencies from other countries help relieve the burden.

Case in point, no one in the gov't wants to use the word "refugee" which essentially describes anyone evacuated from New Orleans. Apparently that conjures up negative imagry and goes against the belief that refugees only come from third world countries.

Unless you take Barbara Bush's point of view, that displaced persons from Katrina should be called "Wanna-be Texas residents".

Posted by Jason at September 7, 2005 11:10 AM

I'm sure there will be a repeat, troll, or even may be online. Go watch for yourself. It was at the airport.

Posted by iamcoyote at September 7, 2005 11:13 AM

No, j. west. He was touring the airport and showed patients being taken into the morgue area behind a curtain to die in peace. He was not talking about Charity Hospital. Why the need for conjecture? There is no logical explanation necessary when you have been shown the reality. As for why there aren't more reports about it, well, who is to know? The people who were put into that morgue to die were alone and they, well, died. No witnesses. I didn't see any other media coverage from inside the airport. I don't know why. I do know that they could have used more doctors. LOTS more doctors and nurses.

Posted by ann at September 7, 2005 11:13 AM

The good doctor's inquiry and complaint is one of the worst things I've heard about how this administration is handling the evacuation and treatment of those Gulf victims.

Posted by DML at September 7, 2005 01:09 PM

Funny they could have Dr. Frist show up for a photo op. This is unbelievable. What a bunch of nincompoops we have running this country.

Posted by apishapa at September 7, 2005 02:28 PM

The PR and Photo-ops are working...Keith Olberman just reported that a poll shows that ONLY 10% of
REPUBLICANS think Bush did a bad job managing the Federal planning for and reaction to hurricane Katrina. Rove has the Republican information machine in high gear to whip up the "base". Morally Reprehensible!

Posted by Marylander at September 7, 2005 05:53 PM

I know that the GOP Whirl-LIE-tzer is working overtime. Our resident Radical Republican Religious types are spouting everything they can to deflect any criticism of Georgeous Chri$t and instead put it where they think it belongs - on everyone else.

Posted by pessimist at September 7, 2005 06:54 PM

Picture your wife, mother, father, child being rolled into the morgue to die. That is what happened to those who were near death. Taken to a fucking morgue to die. Hanging the bastards on the WH lawn would be too good for them.

Posted by Judith at September 7, 2005 08:29 PM

"The NY Times has not been a very reliable source (see Paul Krugman) lately, so give me a little time to get back to you."

Oh please. So are we waiting for you to get back to us and you will let us know if we are right or not. What arrogance. No one here gives a rat's ass whether you believe it or not Swift.

Posted by Judith at September 7, 2005 08:36 PM

Why hasn't the media shown this? Well Swift, why in the hell do you think they haven't shown this or reported it? Go ahead, give it your best shot. Wouldn't have anything to do with being ass kissers to this pResident would it?

Posted by Judith at September 7, 2005 08:44 PM

By-the-way, Oprah called it a man made tragedy. She also wants people to stop calling them refugees. As a women said today, "we are not refugees. We didn't come here on a boat, we are American citizens and we want to be called survivors, because that is what we are."

Posted by Judith at September 7, 2005 08:47 PM

I know I'm a little late coming in on this thread and wish I had caught the thread where the doctor commented -- but here in Houston, there is still a desperate need for medical professionals and they WILL NOT turn you away.

I wish I would have thought to tape Oprah. If any of you guys did, I'll pay the postage to get a copy.

Posted by dorita at September 7, 2005 09:12 PM

On Wednesday night NBC News ran a story blaming the St. Bernard nursing home residents' drownings on its administrator's "bad decision" to turn down privately owned buses before the storm hit. After the flooding started, it was (in the words of the NBC commentator) "too late," because the buses were "busy with other evacuations."

The commentator said that the nursing home director "also drowned," so there goes another witness. How tidy: the responsible party died too. Nothing to see here, folks.

They ran the clip of Broussard crying again, no doubt to fortify the "poor man, he's hysterical and irrational" image.

They NEVER rerun the part where he quite calmly cites FEMA turning away Wal-Mart's donated water, its cutting of emergency communication lines, and its grab-back of offered diesel fuel.

Wonder why they've never run the complete clip? Why do they always focus on the crying? And then run stories that blame a hapless nursing-home administrator for FIVE DAYS OF NEGLECT?

Sick.

Posted by Vanna at September 8, 2005 06:04 AM

There are several reasons this disaster was permitted to become as horrible as it did:

1. ETHNIC CLEANSING -- The Cheney administration is THWARTING AND SABOTAGING RELIEF EFFORTS ON PURPOSE. They want to kill as many poor blacks as possible.

2. CAPITALISM, PRIVITIZATION AND "SHRINKING GOVERNMENT" The reduction of federal government public services (versus the expansion of federal snooping into personal private American lives) is SOLELY a GOP albatross with which they should be laden till the end of time. By privatizing emergency services (and having the completely incompetent Michael Brown/Michael Chertoff in charge) the feds REFUSED to permit volunteers into help the rescue efforts:

1. Doctors turned away
2. Coast guard boats with fuel turned away
3. Water trucks turned away
4. NORCOM with loaded cargo planes full of MREs
turned away...

WHY? Well because of (1) above and because while DHS and FEMA were busy guaranteeing PAYMENT for private emergency service providers, they HAD to keep volunteers out. It wouldn't do to provide emergency food, water, and assistance for FREE when private contractors had been promised all the PROFIT for doing the rescue efforts.

TRY TO CONNECT THE DOTS PEOPLE: Mere incompetence could not possibly possibly explain why:

1. Offers of foreign aid have been refused.

2. Offers of domestic aid have been refused.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/hurricane/cst-nws-daley03.html

3. FEMA HAS DONE NOTHING
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/24989/

4. 4 days to mobilize National Guard

5. 40% LA's National Guard in Iraq

6. LA's National Guard's high water vehicles in Iraq

7. No food drops in NOLA. (WHY? FEMA HAS NOT ORDERED THEM)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090200670_2.html

6. Levee reinforcement/rebuilding project purposefully underfunded
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050901/pl_nm/weather_katrina_funding_dc
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0902-26.htm

8. Blacks portrayed by corporate advertising and marketing media as lawless animals; whites acting same (per Locke, reduced to a state of "nature") portrayed as "struggling to survive" -- White guilt being played by contending those left behind stayed "by choice"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050831/ap_on_re_us/katrina_looting_hk1 (for instance)

9. Red Cross BANNED FROM ENTERING NOLA
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/05246/565143.stm

10. Stockpiled emergency supplies UNUSED
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/03/katrina.unusedgear/index.html

Look up project H.A.A.R.P. and the practice of AWM (artificial weather manipulation). NO it is not fiction. Think about it. Why is there a massive scalar wave antennae array in the arctic? Who built it? (USA) How (diverted unreported taxpayer money) Why?

R E A D about what it is and how it works. Richard Hoagland (www.enterprisemission.com) has done a lot of work on this. HURRICANES do not change course and turn around to hit a second time. This MAY have been contributed to by unnatural human intervention.

The tsunami that hit Indonesia was of a far greater magnitude than the preceding earthquake should, by calculus of experience, have caused, according to seismologists. (Google it, bitches). There has even been speculation that a nuclear blast, rather than the earthquake, precipitated it.

Think about it. The genocide in Darfur ("arabs") running africans off the land. Not just killing them, mind you, but off the land altogether. Why? SOMEONE ELSE WANTS IT.

Africa is the single resource-richest continent on Earth.

Think about it. Hundreds of thousands of poor Indonesians wiped off the Indonesian coast.

Think about it. Thousands of poor blacks wiped off the Gulf coast.

Think about it. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis murdered by U.S. soldiers and bombs.

Think about it. Bankruptcy act; Patriot Act; Real I.D.; Detentions without due process.

The world is being "cleansed" of minorities so that the white population can have it all.

We will all be branded like cattle with RFID chips; enslaved by debt; and forget about "ownership" of anything...YOU are the one who will be owned.

Think about it.

Novus ordo seculorum.

Welcome to the New World Order.

Posted by marblex at September 8, 2005 08:23 AM

Consider this. What is emergency planning? Doesn't it include plans for mobilizing large amounts of medical, supply and security support quickly? Wouldn't that include a provision for moving people through who are volunteering? Here in Lubbock, Texas, the Red Cross was doing daily training sessions to get volunteers online quickly for the evacuees who came here. Wouldn't you think that would be part of national-level planning too?

Posted by at September 8, 2005 03:02 PM