Sean Penn on CNN calling on all volunteers to come with small boats

[Lochloosa]

to help rescue people in NO.....says they are severely understaffed there and their boats are too big to move between the houses..
He was in the water for 8 hours yesterday...

[leftchick]

1. That was the best interview in a week

Along with SEn. Landreax. Sean telling it like it is and showing real compassion for fellow human beings. Something no repuke knows anything about.

he gave me hope for mankind.

[jessicazi]

2. i love him.

SEAN PENN FOR PRESIDENT!

[jonnyblitz]

3. historian Douglas Brinkley was there with him..

he has family in the area and he will write something from his observations. I look forward to reading it.

[leftchick]

9. Did I hear him right?

Did he say he feared the feds would come in and bulldoze the place before all of the people and bodies have been recovered?

[jonnyblitz]

20. i didn't catch all of what brinkley said...

interesting if he thinks that though..

[leftchick]

27. It was many of us here have feared, The Feds trying to hide the dead

IT was a great thing he said that if I am right. Putting the Feds on notice.

[Missy M]

4. and the response from Fox News, Limbaugh etc. will be celebrities..

should just shut up and stay out of politics, unless you are for bush then it's OK. Sean Penn is great!!!!!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

6. We can expect to see Dennis Miller telling people NOT to go to NOLA.

And making some indecipherable joke to go with it.

[Skittles]

10. is that smarmy f*** still around?

I thought he was finished

[Starbucks Anarchist]

12. He is, but you just know he's looking for table scraps at this point.

[Cha]

5. Sean goes to Iraq, Sean goes to

New Orleans..who knew that the feisty little swinger at photogophers would grow up to be one of my best heroes?! :patriot:

[undeterred]

8. and he's a great actor too

Not that I would have guessed he would become one during his Madonna and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" days.

[Cha]

14. I loved it when he ordered

the Pizza in Mr Hand's class!

[RagingInMiami]

26. He was the most memorable character from Fast Times

[undeterred]

31. yes, but his best performance was in Dead Man Walking

with Susan Sarandon.
She deservedly won an oscar, he should have too, he was just amazing.

[SlowDownFast]

32. Whaddabout Mystic River?

with Tim Robbins?

both great actors and activists...

[leftchick]

11. He was In Iran in June!

and wrote a series of articles about it. He is THE man!

:loveya: Sean

[Cha]

15. That's right! One truely amazing

Dude!

[SillyGoose]

7. Are they going to let people with boats in to NO now? There were a few

threads around here yesterday that they had turned away a group of people with 500 boats the other day.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

13. Showing courage & integrity by going into a very dangerous situation.

He is going way past the BS and is putting his ass on the line to help under extremely difficult conditions. He and all the other rescue workers deserve the thanks of a gratful nation.

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. You would think it would be the POTUS making these announcements

but Bush is too busy stacking the Supreme Court with ideologues.

[tjdee]

17. Doesn't he know FEMA will turn them away?

Sean probably hasn't been watching tv.

[elare]

19. If he's in a boat in New Orleans

Then, yes, it's a safe bet that he isn't watching TV

[necso]

18. I agree with Mr Penn in this instance,

but civilian rescuers may (may) have to dodge the authorities, and it is best if they can manage to work together in groups and to coordinate their efforts (or at least to mark houses that have been (thoroughly) checked).

And they should bring whatever useful tools and emergency supplies that they can, including common medicines.

Generally, a large effort going door-to-door (on foot, by car, etc) is also called for in areas above the flooding, and as large numbers are required to do this promptly, the use of civilian volunteers is called for. However, the powers-that-be seem to be more concerned about being in "total control" than rescue/relief operations, and there are stories of on-the-ground aid being refused -- days ago, when the chances for better success were much greater. (The authorities' view is, apparently, that people should die rather than take a chance on looting occurring.) And, of course, areas where armed gangs are in charge should be brought promptly under control by military/law enforcement forces.

But weeks or months to go door to door is completely unacceptable -- flooded or dry. People are undoubtedly dying, and there are citizens who would be willing to take risks to prevent this.

Oh, and of course, the problem is bigger than NO and surrounding parishes -- all of our countrymen are deserving of prompt assistance, and an inflexible (delusional, dogmatic, etc) mindset is not exactly the best tool for dealing with the problem.

[FlaGranny]

21. Yesterday, for the very first time,

I saw airboats. Airboats are pretty large and they can go almost anywhere and they can go fast. The very first day I was wondering where the airboats were. The Gulf states and Florida are full of airboats, thousands of them. They are the best for shallow water and swamps and can even travel over land for very short distances. They have flat bottoms and motor-driven fans for propulsion, so there is no danger of damaging them much by hitting things under water. They should have been in their as fast as the helicopters, or at least by the next day. Want do you want to bet that FEMA really wouldn't let them in?

[cthrumatrix]

23. FEMA was blocking for days....ask the Red Cross

[watercolors]

25. a convoy of air boats left Fl.

almost imediatly after Katrina hit and were not allowed in!

[FlaGranny]

28. Yes, I do remember those reports.

I've known some airboaters in the past and I'm sure that they immediately were aware of what they could do to help.

Edit: I never could understand, though, why people like to airboat for pleasure. It is muggy in those swamps. Bugs get in your teeth and you get whipped with tall grass. You are completely filthy when you get back. I never again want to take another "pleasure" airboat ride through the swamps.

[kath]

30. A huge convoy of people from Lafayette with small boats tried to enter NO

DAYS ago and were turned away. How many have died in attics since then??????

My disgust knows no bounds.

[hippiechick]

22. Penn continues to amaze me.

:applause:

[all.of.me]

24. awesome hottie! this is wonderful.

sheehan/penn 2008 ;)

[deminks]

29. Some reporter at the press conference with NO Police chief

suggested that "that Hollywood type" was up to no good by performing their own rescue operation. The police chief would have none of it. He said the police are trying to coordinate with them. They are not breaking the law, he said. Interview was on CNN.