Penn accuses Bush amid rescue chaos

[emad]

Penn accuses Bush amid rescue chaos
6 September 2005

The US government was accused of "criminal negligence" as hopes of finding survivors faded and the death toll from Hurricane Katrina continued to rise.

Holidaymakers returning to the UK spoke of the scale of the misery while one said leering police officers demanded young women flash their breasts in return for help.

Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Sean Penn, who has been assisting rescue efforts in New Orleans, said the US government did not "seem to be inclined to help".

"We were pulling drowning people out of the water, it's the ultimate distress and human suffering ... dead bodies," he told GMTV.

http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/PA_NEWA12843661125997597A0?source=PA%20Feed&ct=5

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Never wise to piss off Hollywood.

You all realize that movies on the NOLA incident are due to come out BEFORE Bush's term is up, doncha?

[opihimoimoi]

3. The Movies will kill those who dragged feet, intentional or not....

[Stand and Fight]

2. Sean Penn...

Speaking truth to power as usual.

I wish our politicians in Washington had HALF his backbone. Maybe the criminal acts of George W. Bush's administration would have been prosecuted by now.

[Pachamama]

22. Along with Barbara Boxer, Sean Penn is a neighbor of mine!

I see him regularly w/ his wife Robin around town...they are great...his kids go to the same school as mine. They are down to earth and after he spoke out against the Bush Administration I walked up to him one day at a local restaurant and told him how much I appreciated and admired what he was doing. When I see him again, I'm going to thank him for speaking out against Bush re. the Hurricane Katrina failures and for helping those people.

PS: I still have a hard time looking at him without thinking of "Spiccoli" from Fast Times at Ridgemont High...but he has proven to be not just a great actor, director/producer but an amazing person and activist against injustice.

:hug:

[alphadog]

26. I wish he didn't bring an entourage

and a personal photographer and stick them all in a boat that was thus too filled to pick up a number of refugees. I also wish he remembered to close the bilge plug so the boat didn't sink.

[ElectroPrincess]

29. Good point!

Where's your entourage? ;)

[leftofcool]

4. Did any one see how sean was sweating?

Talk about backbone and the spirit of helping others. That guy was in the trenches so bad he was sweating, and filthy! In contrast to Condisleezy who was wearing a nice crisp white blouse that didn't even get creased when she was "handing out supplies."

Left of Cool

[saigon68]

12. Ah yes Kindasleezy Rice

Helping out her fellow black brothers and sisters.

Mr President "Let Freedom Reign"

[WhiteTara]

17. flashing her full water bottle to the

hordes of hungry and thirsty and dirty evacuees. She is very Sleezie.

[FormerRepublican]

23. I will NEVER think well of Rice again.

I will NEVER forgive her for partying and shopping while people were dying in New Orleans.

[tblue37]

25. How on earth did you ever think well of that

disgusting corporate shill before?

[leftchick]

5. I LOVE You Sean, but ya need to read DU

<snip>

"There are people that are dying right now and I mean babies and old people and everybody in between - they're dying. There are people dying and (the US government are) not putting the boats in the water, I think that's criminal negligence. I don't think anybody ever anticipated the criminal negligence of the Bush administration in this situation."


we on DU always anticipate criminal negligence fron bushco*.

[emad]

6. "we on DU always anticipate criminal negigence fron bushco*"

100%. All of the time.

[leftchick]

13. cripes I had a freeper moment!

I misspelled negligence! ack!

[donheld]

28. Maybe Sean does read DU

Under a different name. I often wonder if celebs every come in.

[Justitia]

7. Sean Penn is fantastic. Thank you for going, Sean!

Sean Penn, Viggo Mortensen.....we have the best-looking men of conscience on our side. Shallow, I know, but it makes me adore them even more. LOL

Not to mention, both are mighty fine actors as well as human beings.

[speedoo]

8. My hope is that Sean will make a movie to document the failure..

of the Coward. Maybe team up with Robbins/Sarondon.

To put on film forever the truth about he BFEE.

[JNelson6563]

9. Someone will, just wait

It'll be quite a flick, a horror movie.

Julie

[Rose Siding]

10. Penn transcends Hollywood

He's more supercitizen than superstar. My (secret) hope is that he hires a campaign staff.

[shavedape]

27. moore's probly on it even as we speak

and he pulls no punches.

[gauguin57]

11. Cops made women flash their breasts? Last paragraph, about

the British bus driver who was staying in New Orleans and watched the rescue efforts going on:

At one point, there were a load of girls on the roof of the hotel saying 'Can you help us?' and the policemen said 'Show us what you've got' and made signs for them to lift their T-shirts. When the girls refused, they said 'Fine' and motored off down the road in their boat."

If that's true ... F*CKING PIGS!

[louis-t]

18. Something fishy about this story. I doubt it's true.

Beware the Repub spin machine. Attack, confuse, point fingers, lie, distract, yell, blame the victim, kill the messenger.....

[iverglas]

24. here's the source, and it looks credible

The Liverpool Daily Post, which I'm not familiar with:

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=15936007&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=i-waded-in-filth-to-barricade-hotel-doors-name_page.html

THE SCOTT family booked a last-minute break in New Orleans, only to be plunged into a nightmare.

Once Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast they, along with thousands of others, became caught up in a minute-by-minute battle for survival, first against the elements and then the indifference of the US authorities.

It's on the second page, amid a catalogue of complaints against authorities:

Asked what assistance was offered to people stranded in the hotel, he replied: "Nothing. The only information we got from anybody in authority was if a policeman walked past and we shouted to them out of the windows.

"The only information we ever got off them was negative: Don't go here, don't go there. There was no 'Are you OK? Are you safe? Have you got water?'.

"I couldn't describe how bad the authorities were - just little things like taking photographs of us, as we are standing on the roof waving for help, for their own personal photo albums, little snapshot photographs.

"At one point, there were a load of girls on the roof of the lobby of the hotel saying 'Can you help us?' and the policemen said 'Show us what you've got' and made signs for them to lift their T-shirts.

"When they said no, they said 'fine' and motored off down the road in their motorboat."

Direct quotes from a named person who appears to be an eyewitness, although it's possible that he's repeating something he was told (which would not necessarily be false). He doesn't really seem to be making it up himself, or to be having words put in his mouth.

It's a long one, so here's a bit more:

Mr Scott said: "I could not have a lower opinion of the authorities from the police officers on the street right up to George Bush.

"But I have a completely opposite view of the American people.

"There were so many random acts of kindness - people would go without so my son wouldn't go hungry.

"The American people saved us. I wish I could say the same for the American authorities. George Bush and his government left those people to die."

... "The US can't rescue their own people better than they can rescue people in the Third World. They didn't seem to care about their own people, mainly for economic and social reasons because the people worst-affected were poor and black."

He doesn't sound like a Republican.

It is not uncommon, in third-world countries, for ordinary people to see the police as their enemy and the rank and file of the military as on their side. The police have chosen to do a job that largely, from the people's perspective and in reality, involves enforcing the laws that keep them poor and miserable, and doing it with unnecessary cruelty. The young people in the military are their children and neighbours.

[0007]

14. Many thanks to a real hero, Sean Penn.

Why wasn't Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly helping out instead of defending junior or his ineptness.

[underpants]

15. I saw him on CNN Sunday and he didn't make any political statement

he just called for anyone in the area who could help TO help.

[all.of.me]

16. just like gore - no time to talk, just helping - awesome

[elduderino]

19. Sean Penn's interview on UK breakfast TV (GMTV)

personally i feel Penn is hollywood's best actor at the moment. I watched the interview in london today about Katrina

http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=16304&cachedarticleaction=streamingpopup

[Wind Dancer]

31. Thanks for posting that link.

It's a powerful interview. When asked by the reporter why he was helping, Penn said it's my country.

[Dr Fate]

20. Why dont Hannity, O'Reily and Penn's other critics go down there?

This story kind of shows you the difference, does it not?

[underpants]

21. Amongst "those people"? Those "looters"?

They don't lower themselves to that level...um...I mean down to the level of those Hollywood types no sirree they sit back in NY and talk about how great Rudy did.

[stanwyck]

30. They're cowards.

that's it. Flat out. These guys sit in their studios and act all tough. But they're completely yellow. They're chickenhawks about war and chickenhawks about natural disasters.
They're soft, muffin butts who are all blustery talk.
I loathe them both.
They're the antithesis of American heroes.