Amazing story of Gore at NOLA - - details of how FEMA tried to stop him

This piece is very long, chronicaling the several days it took to get the evacuees out of NOLA. You have to read the whole thing to get how bizarre the FEMA response was...

http://www.algore.org/index.php?option=com_content&task...

From TMP Cafe
by Greg Simon, President FasterCures

On September 3rd and 4th, FasterCures worked with a small dedicated group of people to airlift approximately 270 medical patients and evacuees from the New Orleans airport to hospitals and shelters in Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee. This is the story of how it happened.

On Thursday, September 1^st, my friend Jill Chozen of San Francisco called to ask if I could put someone in touch with Al Gore. Dr. David Kline, the father in law of Jill’s friend Denise Kline, was stranded in Charity hospital in New Orleans. The situation was dire and becoming worse by the minute – food and water running out, no power, four feet of water surrounding the hospital and alligators eating corpses outside. David is a neurosurgeon and needed to take his patients out of the hospital as soon as possible. David asked Denise to find Al Gore for help because David knew Gore from operating on Gore’s son after a life threatening auto accident nearly 16 years ago.

(snip)

We were now desperate to find a contact on the ground at the New Orleans airport to help triage ambulatory medical patients into these planes. FEMA in Washington was non responsive. We spoke to the aide to one of the deputies at FEMA and was told they did not need or want our help since the hospital evacuation was going fine. We looked at the reports from CNN about the conditions at the field hospital at the airport and discounted that opinion immediately.

(snip)

(On September 4th) Mimi was unmovable. We were not military and that was that. She tried to sound grateful for our intentions but she was not going to have outsiders help. I even offered to GIVE her the planes and the crews and the hospitals and let her run it through her NDMS system but she would have none of it. She asked me at least to delay until noon the next day and I said I would try.

I called Steve and told him to delay the planes. I called Al. It was 2 a.m. in Nashville. He was planning to leave for Dallas at 4 a.m. to meet the plane. I told Tipper what was going on. She said, “Greg, you can’t delay it now. It’s too late, the doctors are flying in here to fly with Al to Dallas.” Al got on the phone and said we could not delay. I tried to scare him. What if something went wrong with a patient on the plane? What if the military did not cooperate on the ground and no patients got on the plane? He refused to budge. Col. LaFon could handle the patients and Al would trust that when they landed they would break through the resistance and succeed.

(snip)

Over the next three hours (from 2a.m. to 5 a.m.) I was called by an array of Majors and Lieutenant Commanders telling me to stop. (“I don’t mean to be rude, sir, but you must not do this. You must stop this now.”) Major Webb from GPMRC (don’t ask), Grant Meade from ESF. Major Lindquist from TRANSCOM (at last!) all telling me they would not cooperate and they did not know how we had gotten permission to land. I never mentioned Gore’s name because no one ever asked me who was paying for the flights or how we had come so far.

Finally at 5 a.m. Major Lindquist said if we landed he would not put any patients on the plane and we should expect no cooperation and there was no place to store the plane so we would have to leave.

(snip)

(On Sunday the 5th, after evacuating 270 people from NOLA) We decided not to return to New Orleans because the medical patients we could take had been helped. (We could not take bedridden patients on stretchers on this plane.) Gore said that on the second trip to New Orleans, the doctors at the airport told him that the evacuation of the first 90 ambulatory patients had been the tipping point in their ability to adequately care for the other bedridden patients. They also noted that the military evacuations did not really pick up steam until after we “motivated” them with our private effort.

Of note:
Throughout the entire operation in Tennessee, EMS operations in Chicago had stayed prepared to handle patients or evacuees. None ever arrived because the military did not want us to use Chicago. The volunteers in Chicago were amazing in their desire to help. Mayor Daly had been rebuffed earlier when he offered a complete mobile hospital unit for the airport and a tent city as well. Sen. Barack Obama called Gore and asked how had Gore managed to land in New Orleans when the Senator had been refused landing rights to help.

(more... )

Al Gore, if you read this...please run in 08. We are with you!

Gore/Obama?

Gore/Clark?

Gore/Conyers?

I'd take anyone of those combinations.

And the superman for that hospital. What a hero.:patriot:
Thanks, President Al.

Gore put the fucking smack down on these clowns.

My god, I remember the postings on Craigslist about them.

Lotsa stuff coming out from Congresspeople about FEMA obstructing help - although, of course, they're all Dems, so the Freepers won't believe them.

He was a bit of a wuss in 04, but I've forgiven him. This is my all time favorite picture of the man, he's pissed and taking names.



This was from a speech he gave where he passionately decried the misdeeds of Bush and Friends in the runup to the 04 theivery.

I'm sure there's a hell of a speech brewing in his head right now.

His brain has got to be abnormally large like Einstein's. He even resembles a fired up pissed off Einstein here in this pic.
Nice shot.

My brother has a friend who goes to MTSU and I would love to go there just so I could attend Gore's class. *sigh* The only other person I'm this passionatley about is John Kerry. I think our country still needs Gore. I wish he would run in 2008.

:hangover:

Here's the article stub:

http://www.poe-news.com/stories.php?poeurlid=39913

the background's not right, but that could just as well be a patriot in philadelphia debating the constitution in the 1780s.

Someone hyperintelligent and dedicated to making this country not only work - but making it a better place and beacon of light to the world. Now we're in the neanderthal Bush dark ages!

Just my opinion.

In fact, I think three people posted it at the same time. It's a really moving photo. All that could have been. His passion, integrity, and not-Bushness. Compared to all that was instead. Sigh.

Did you mean 2000?

He was many things but a wuss in 04.

I think the Democratic party is over-run by political consultants that systematically drain every bit of personality out of Democratic politicians. After Gore lost, he suddenly had a personality again.

I REALLY LIKE this "give em Hell" Al Gore. And when he's criticized for "being crazy" Al should poor it on twice as heavy.

Somehow GW Bush has managed to sluff off political consultants who strip personality from their candidates. Because the dumb-ass ignorant redneck thing comes through loud and clear (and probably quite deliberately).

Here in Indiana, Evan Bayh is widely rumored to be running for President. They'll have to follow him around with nuclear fuel cells to keep him powered. He's an DOUBLE the robot than Al was 2000.

I find it I'm more passionate and willing to work harder if I'm angry. I'm sure other people are the same way. Al doesn't take any bullshit.

No wonder so many died - just really sucks - why the blocking? why did they want to let so many people die? This are suppose to be the pro life group.

instead of planning ahead for the evacuation of poor people, they open the Superdome as a venue of last resort.

The Superdome has a proven rating for a category 3 hurricane. There was a category 5 heading inland. Hmmmm...Sound to anyone like they never expected them to make it as far as they did?

Why were the USS Bataan and FEMA outside New Orleans? Well, what if it were upper middle class and upper class neighborhoods afflicted with the worst Katrina could hurl at their coast?....


I may be completely off base, but sending people to a Cat. 3 Hurricane rated building with a Cat. 5 incoming just doesn't sit right.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Superdome

not just photo ops.

http://www.algore.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=78

When I tried to sign up for email updates, I got, "This page
cannot be found"

:shrug:

:cry:

:hi:

Go the home page http://www.algore.org/ it is the top story on the page.

who worked to make this happen (and who contacted gore in the first place)

says I'm not authorized to view
so much for sharing with friends & neighbors

Blog (general link):
http://www.algore-08.com/weblog/janet/

Permenant link to this story:
http://www.algore.org/weblog/janet/Othernews/2005/09/07/ThefullstoryofGoresmercyflig.html

:cry:

amazing when you see it. Gore in 2008!!!

Randi Rhodes is correct -- negligent homicide.

And it looks like Al Gore saved some lives -- the last paragraph is very telling.

We decided not to return to New Orleans because the medical patients we could take had been helped. (We could not take bedridden patients on stretchers on this plane.) Gore said that on the second trip to New Orleans, the doctors at the airport told him that the evacuation of the first 90 ambulatory patients had been the tipping point in their ability to adequately care for the other bedridden patients. They also noted that the military evacuations did not really pick up steam until after we “motivated” them with our private effort.

Brings to mind Macbeth's words:

I am in blood
Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er

In emergencies, the President has to get actively involved and call people and say, I DON'T CARE WHAT THE REGS SAY, GET YOUR ASS MOVING!!!!

This is the type of thing that Clinton would do ALL THE TIME, especially in regard to anti-terrorism. Clinton managed his PRIORITIES and made sure that the beuracracy was in sync with those priorities.

Now the gist here, is that GW and Cheney do this too. But they have DIFFERENT priorities. Their priorities are doling out sweetheart contracts to their pals and exacting institutional revenge on their enemies.

GW Bush COULD HAVE made sure those resources were mobilized. His round of golf in Arizona was more important to him.

If anything, the beauracracy seems to have ACTIVELY tried to stop aid to New Orleans. Not only did they not do SHIT until AFTER the hurricane. They actively kept aid OUT of New Orleans. See, if Bush can't help you, no one will!!!!

Like the Russians say, "A fish rots from the head." The vacuum of leadership at the top caused a ripple effect of an absurd, tragic failure to respond in a humanitarian crisis.

much. I'm on the e-mail rant right now: MSNBC,FOX, CNN, CBS,ABC.
How about we send the link to Oprah,Imus,Keith,and even Geraldo?

what any leader who was not morally bankrupt would do...suddenly evacuations started picking up. I'd say he lit a fire under their asses!!! Most definitely!

peace.

It was also the MILITARY, for goodness sake.
Who is the damn commander-in-chief????
How is it that military evacuation "did not really pick up steam until after they "motivated" them with their private effort???

I drop my brain.

:grr:

And Leader. Al Gore. :patriot:

"We don't need your help and won't let you help because the evacuation of the hospital is going just fine." WTF?????????

The evacuation was NOT going fine, because it was not GOING at all.

I don't think this was a turf war. I think it was a deliberate attempt to let people die.

Let's not forget about him, either. Great guy.





He was the Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President Al Gore from 1993 to 1997, specifically on economic, science and technology issues.

why didn't bushie use his "private" plane and copter to get people OUT.

No . . while people were dying the half-human Republicans were putting on a show.

This is just an amazing, heartwarming, words-can't-describe it story that more should hear about if they haven't already.

Al Gore & Co - :yourock:

:kick: :patriot: :kick:

states are not allowed to help one another?

What kind of system IS this, George Fuckwit Bush? Huh? Are you just pure evil or what?

Thank God or Goddess for Gore and all the others who told FEMA to fuck off. The more I read about this criminal agency, the angrier I become.

This is just WRONG, people!

FEMA LIED about evacuating Charity Hospital. Everyone knows they lied. If Gore wouldn't have done it, everyone would have died. Who would have been accountable? Why didn't FEMA want the place evacuated? Did they want everyone to die? WHAT THE FUCK?

If it isn't a backdrop for a corporate or military PR campaign, or outright profiteering, they see no purpose in it.

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1346
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1354
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1352

Why would FEMA do this? Why would they kill their own people? We always hear how bad Saddam Hussein was to his people, will the same thing for George Bush! I tried to read the whole thing but the page kept saying I needed to login so I did and I still got the error. :shrug:

I'm sending to everyone I can think of... This is amazing.

THIS is the man who should be starting his second term!

our government, after Clinton & Gore.

:kick: :patriot: :kick:

This is beyond monstrous. It also shows how few people in authority are being affected by basic humanity. Very frightening. Not only is this killing thousands, and they obviously don't care about that, but you have to wonder: if the neocons ever DID manage their dream of declaring martial law (doubtless called something like "Operation Safe America"), we are seeing a preview of just how willing the military would be to go along with it. If they are willing to block aid to the dying, why would they hesitate at ANYTHING?

:kick: :patriot: :kick: