Douglas Brinkley: Chronicling 'The Great Deluge' (saw FEMA deny aid)

[Roland99]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4851087

Fresh Air from WHYY, September 16, 2005 · Historian and author Douglas Brinkley teaches at Tulane University and was displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

He has since returned to New Orleans and begun to document the catastrophe by gathering oral histories -- he hopes to collect as many as 20,000 -- for a book, tentatively titled The Great Deluge.

Brinkley plans to donate all proceeds to the Historic New Orleans Collection, a museum and research center in the city's French Quarter.

If you listen to the interview, you'll hear him saying he saw first-hand several incidences of FEMA turning back aid. If a truck wasn't on their clipboard, it was turned away. Civilians who'd rescued people (some schizophrenic, some in pain, some diabetic, etc.) and brought them to dry land where FEMA officials were located were told that they would be taken to hospitals. He didn't trust the Feds and came back hours later and the same people were still sitting there, unattended to.

[Talismom]

1. This is a very important bit of history to record! With any luck he

may be able to provide very useful testimony in trials that should
be held. At the very least it will be an alternative narative to the
official history that the thugs approve.

[Roland99]

2. Yeah. Looking forward to his work.

[DELUSIONAL]

3. Good!! -- bushie's gang will try to rewrite history

but this telling of history will be more powerful over time.

[OregonBlue]

4. Follow the TASKER number

I suspect that when they created Homeland Security, they privatized HSD and FEMA and the Army Corp. Those that are privately contracted get tasker numbers. All those people there trying to get in and help and people being turned back with gas, water, ice, etc.,didn't have a tasker number. Bet tasker number is the accounting mechanism by which contracters get paid.

Who was contracted for the buses? What was their tasker number? Why couldn't they have brought in buses from other large cities nearby? Why did they go all over the country looking for private companies to provide them?

Why weren't the local doctors and morticians that offered to do the body collection and identifcation for free not used. They don't have a contract. They don't have a tasker number.

Which churches have tasker numbers? Which charities have tasker numbers?

I'm afraid that when this actually gets exposed, we're going to discover that a whole lot of people had a whole lot of contracts to make a whole lot of money off of disasters.

I'm suspect very strongly that that is what they don't want exposed.

So, my advice, follow the tasker number!!

[Roland99]

5. hmmmm...

[KT2000]

7. Yes - that is what I thought

the reorganization of FEMA likely had everything to do with awarding contracts. Likely those contractors were protected above all else. The top was loaded with lawyers!

I would love to know what the people on the ground were told about not letting others in to do the work. It didn't stop after the first two days and surely questions were raised by FEMA people by that time.

This also must have been why foreign offers of assistance were not even recognized for a long time - declining would have been a red flag but they still wanted to protect the contracts.

[OregonBlue]

8. Exactly and we have to pressure the dems to not participate

in the cover-up. Since the Pres' address everyone seems to be cooling off. Think the dems in the gulf are looking at all that money and thinking maybe they should shut up. No way, this needs to be investigated!!

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. Excellent post! I wish you would do a separate thread with this. nt

[kerrygoddess]

6. Thank you for this!

I met Doug Brinkley in NH right before the primary. I knew he lived in NOLA and was wondering.

[1932]

10. I understand S.Africa's truth & reconciliation hearings when I think of

N.O.

When your government fails you like this, everyone who was a victim deserves to have their story heard.

[Hidden Stillness]

11. One of the Best Current Historians

I heard Douglas Brinkley interviewed on a one-hour segment, a few days ago on C-SPAN, interviewed by that asshole Brian Lamb, but Brinkley was brilliant, riveting to listen to as a storyteller, and a real humanitarian it turns out--going back to New Orleans to help rescue people, and describing things very compassionately and with real understanding. Some great swipes at the Bush Admin. for not responding to Louisiana officials who begged for years for Federal funds for fortify the levees along Lake Ponchartrain, ignored; and also actually demonstrated a clear understanding of what Government taxes and programs are for--pathetic when you are actually grateful just to hear that one of the "corporate media class" still understands what a society is. If you have a chance to hear Douglas Brinkley talk on this subject, listen. It was brilliant--almost up to David McCullough levels.

[karynnj]

12. I thought he was fantastic during the election when he spoke about Kerry.

Many news shows, used the comment on the Nixon tapes where Nixon ordered Colson and others to destroy the young demogogue before he becomes another Ralph Nader - and I had reacted more to the strange coincidence of Nader still being a factor. When Brinkley spoke, he placed emphasis on the word destroy. He then talked about Julia Kerry telling him about what they faced at that time - most chillingly, a rock thrown through a window landing in her baby's bassinet - missing her head by inches.

Hearing Brinley, it was clear "destroy" was not just rhetoric, but rather a cold blooded attempt to destroy a young war hero who was fighting them politically absolutely within the bounds of the Anerican political system.