Anna Pou is the cancer surgeon who — by Katrina; by the Bush, Blanco, and Nagin administrations; and finally by Louisiana AG Charles Foti — has been put through more, and more kinds of, hell than just about anyone I can think of. She stayed in New Orleans’ Memorial Hospital to care for her patients during and after the hurricane, and for her trouble ended up under arrest for four charges of second-degree murder — on which a grand jury refused to indict her.
Now she’s described those days to Mary Foster of the AP. You’ll want to read this. And then, I imagine, re-cuss some asshats.
(h/t Kycol)
She went through hell and that is too nice a word for it. Foti is one politician that deserves to have his ass kicked repeatedly, friggin REMF. I had a friend of mine who was in one of those hospitals at the time and people have on clue what it was like down there.
Many thanks for posting that link. The Katrina aftermath was for many, such as Dr. Pou, New Orleans’s finest hour. But for many, many more, it was New Orleans’s worst. And the city is never further from disaster than the next storm.
Is there any investigation into the politics that led to her being charged and pursued so doggedly?
This woman deserves a medal. I hope laws are passed to help doctors (and nurses and hospitals and nursing homes) and shield them from liability and criminal prosecution for doing the best they can during extreme conditions. After what happened to this doctor who could blame someone in the future for looking out for number one and evacuating and leaving everyone else behind to die.
There were at least 34 people who died at this hospital waiting upon evacuation. The poor response from the federal agencies seem to warrant homicide charges against those miscreants in charge of those agencies. This includes the president, homeland chief, and Brownie. Remember Goofus’ infamous remark? “Your doing a good job Brownie.”
I do recall that Walmart was able to get bottled water to N O before the gov’ment.
Whoa! Stop!
Immediately after Katrina a mobile military hospital was made available and was going to be moved into Louisiana and it was stopped at the state line by Louisiana authorities who refused to let it come into the state.
For every screw up by Brownie, FEMA, and other feds, there were three by Louisiana officials.
Government at every level failed these poor people. This woman was courageous beyond belief.
What is really troubling about this case is that this poor woman has no recourse agaisnt the prosecutor who put her through hell without having any substance to his charges.
In some instances, prosecutors really should be liable for civil damages.
A few notes on Katrina
After reading some of the following it is clear that there are some SOB’s still in Washington that belong in prison.
Question: Can an outgoing president pardon himself?
Here is the link for the following and a lot more.
http://www.benfrank.net/blog/katrina_lack_of_response_archive/#red_cross
Homeland Security won’t let Red Cross deliver food
Saturday, September 03, 2005
By Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As the National Guard delivered food to the New Orleans convention center yesterday, American Red Cross officials said that federal emergency management authorities would not allow them to do the same.
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Airboaters stalled by FEMA
On standby since Monday, the pilots — many from Central Florida — have spent thousands of their own dollars stocking their boats and swamp buggies with food, water, medical supplies and fuel.
But the Federal Emergency Management Agency will not authorize the airboaters to enter New Orleans. Without that permission, they would be subject to arrest and would not receive security and support services.
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Paperwork from DC late to arrive- prevents National Guard from helping
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state’s National Guard last Sunday, the day before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Blanco accepted, but paperwork needed to get the troops en route didn’t come from Washington until late Thursday.
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Daley ’shocked’ as feds reject aid
A visibly angry Mayor Daley said the city had offered emergency, medical and technical help to the federal government as early as Sunday to assist people in the areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina, but as of Friday, the only things the feds said they wanted was a single tank truck.
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Northern Command was in position, waiting for Presidential orders
We had the USS Baton sailing almost behind the hurricane so that after the hurricane made landfall it’s search and rescue helicopters would be available almost immediately. So we had things ready. The only caveat is, we have to wait until the President authorizes us to do so. The laws of the United States say that the military can’t just act in this fashion, we have to wait for the President to give us permission.
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FEMA prevents water, fuel delivery- cuts communication lines!
On Meet the Press, the president of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans, Aaron Broussard, said that FEMA turned away aid and cut their communication lines!
Ad Nauseum !
Obs, As should presidents, FEMA Directors and Homeland Security Chiefs.In addition to civil damages there is room for criminal charges in the Washington. Here is a compendium of Katrina failings that will increase you B/P.
http://www.benfrank.net/blog/katrina_lack_of_response_archive/#red_cross
Kycol, are there any government officials in Lousiana that ought to be in prison, too? Given all the materials you have cited, surely there was some mention of state and city incompetence as well. I’m sure you saw the same photos of flooded out school buses that were never used to evacuate people prior to the hurricane, so surely you could come up with at least one example.
CG, I just told what I found, I didn’t make it up. I did not vote for anyone in NO or La. I did vote for an idiot in D. C., twice (mea culpa).There are some local culpabilities reported on the link. What did you find?
As others have noted, there is plenty of blame to go around. So, if somebody’s calling for people to go to jail, it needs to be a call for across the board going to jail. Othewise, it looks like partisan politics to me.
As far as I am concerned the whole sorry bunch can go to Gitmo for life regardless of their party affiliation. Cheney’s puppet must have been down for restringing during Katrina. A man like Truman or Ike would not have put up with this sh*t for one day.
But wait, there’s more.
Just out today.
FEMA delivers incomplete disaster housing strategy.
By EILEEN SULLIVAN, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 47 minutes ago
WASHINGTON – A year overdue, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a draft disaster housing strategy Monday, which leaves it largely up to the next administration to figure out a way to avoid Hurricane Katrina-like problems that sent victims to toxic trailers.
“What FEMA delivered today is a strategy without a plan,” said Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, one of FEMA’s strongest critics regarding disaster housing.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080721/ap_on_go_ot/disaster_housing
KyCol: what a dark time.
Silly OWIL @3. Of course there is no investigation, or even anybody asking for an investigation, since Rove and the Justice Dept. weren’t involved . . .
The first sentence of Kycol’s 14 nails it for me. Nagin, Blanco, Bush, all their minions — hell’s bells, we might as well have had those children reading “My Pet Goat” on 9/11 in their spots, for all the use they were.