"The Cavalry Didn't Come" - heartbreaking video from MTP

[Pirate Smile]

The Cavalry Didn't Come



Meet the Press made for compelling viewing this morning. First, Tim Russert got all feisty and paper-showing to Chertoff, demanding to know why FEMA wasn't more prepared. Chertoff responded by saying that the levee break took them by "surprise," and noted that "Tuesday morning, I opened newspapers and saw headlines that said "New Orleans dodged the bullet." Ah, well, so DHS gets its information from the papers. Good thing they're not looking for WMDs or terrorists or anything.

Then Russert interviewed president of Jefferson Parish, Aaron Broussard. He asked about the experience of getting through the disaster. Video coming. For now, this rough transcript. . .

MR. BROUSSARD: Sir, they were told like me, every single day, "The cavalry's coming," on a federal level, "The cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming." I have just begun to hear the hoofs of the cavalry. The cavalry's still not here yet, but I've begun to hear the hoofs, and we're almost a week out.


MR. BROUSSARD: I'm telling you most importantly I want to thank my public employees...

MR. RUSSERT: All right.

MR. BROUSSARD: ...that have worked 24/7. They're burned out, the doctors, the nurses. And I want to give you one last story and I'll shut up and let you tell me whatever you want to tell me. The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said, "Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?" And he said, "Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday." And she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night. . . Nobody's coming to get us. Nobody's coming to get us. The secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For God sakes, shut up and send us somebody.


Video here. Haley Barbour came on afterwards, clean, showered, powered. Make up has never made anyone look worse.

Transcript for September 4, Michael Chertoff, Mark Fischetti, Marc Morial, Mike Tidwell and David Wessel

http://www.wonkette.com/politics//the-cavalry-didnt-come-123792.php

edit to add: He gave examples of how FEMA sabotaged them:

"Let me give you just 3 quick examples:

--We had WalMart deliver 3 trucks of water--trailer trucks of water--FEMA turned 'em back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago.

--FEMA...we had a hundred-we had a thousand gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said "Come get fuel right away." We got there with our trucks, they got a word: FEMA says don't give you the fuel.

--Yesterday FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communications lines. They cut them, without notice. Our Sherriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line, he posts armed guards on our line, and says "No one is getting near these lines."

[deutsey]

1. Why the hell did FEMA do that?

Enquiring minds should want to know...

[AlCzervik]

2. it's heartbreaking, i watched it a little while ago and i'm not prone to

tears but i was crying for this man and everybody in that area.

[Reciprocity]

3. Me too.

I watched this over an hour ago and I'm still crying. You would think all the networks would be vying for this footage.