SITE EDIT, 12/10/07 – This post is by former site contributor, “justaguy“, whose author title isn’t recreated on these republished posts of his after the site was upgraded to the use of MT 4.0 (his work was successfully imported and republished but his User Account was not, and, thus, this manual edit to identify the contributions on this blog by “justaguy“.)
In other words, “justaguy”‘s posts have been imported and republished using the site Admin. account, which is mine, “-S-”, although I did not write these posts.
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SEAN PENN’S RESCUE BID SINKS
From correspondents in New Orleans, September 05, 2005
EFFORTS by Hollywood actor Sean Penn to aid New Orleans victims stranded by Hurricane Katrina foundered badly overnight, when the boat he was piloting to launch a rescue attempt sprang a leak.
Penn had planned to rescue children waylaid by Katrina’s flood waters, but apparently forgot to plug a hole in the bottom of the vessel, which began taking water within seconds of its launch.
The actor, known for his political activism, was seen wearing what appeared to be a white flak jacket and frantically bailing water out of the sinking vessel with a red plastic cup.
When the boat’s motor failed to start, those aboard were forced to use paddles to propel themselves down the flooded New Orleans street.
Asked what he had hoped to achieve in the waterlogged city, the actor replied: “Whatever I can do to help.”
With the boat loaded with members of Penn’s entourage, including a personal photographer, one bystander taunted the actor: “How are you going to get any people in that thing?”
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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.
Penn said he had spent nine hours on Monday searching the water for people and during all that time he saw just three boats carrying US officials.
“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.”
Comment(s): “A personal photographer?” Let the AP take your pic. Penn..if you’re truly interested in helping out people….team up with the “Red Cross” or some other organization…but this all smells like a “photo op” and a way for Penn to try and point fingers at Washington. You don’t see Penn complaining about the hundreds of school buses that could have been used to evacuate the least fortunate…the mayor and governor have a lot to answer for.
Notice in the following stories….Harrison Ford didn’t need an entourage or a personal photographer:
www.helis.com/news/2000/harrford.htm
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1435325.stm
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I deleted two comments that were in the moderation queue — the first one making a derisive comment about Penn, the second one countering in argument the first about Penn.
I wondered how it was that a “second person” could be arguing out the comments of a “first person” when neither comments were published (the first wasn’t published such that anyone could read it, nor comment upon it, in reality).
Sorry if they were sincerely debating the unpublished, err…somethin’…
OTHER COMMENTS (about your thread issue):
I think Penn did a good thing in his attempts to help, BUT, I am rather considering that since Penn, Travolta, Jada P-Smith and others appeared in correspondence with Oprah’s visit (she appeared in Houston, Penn in New Orleans, but I’m wondering if it was a part of a televised plan by Oprah), it was an organized event beyond the individual desire to organize rescues.
I could be wrong, I realize, but perhaps Penn was interested in scoping out the place more than anything else. From what he has had to say afterward about the area of New Orleans, I think it looks that way.
Otherwise, despite high profiles, MOST people would be pitching in, joining in, just doing rather than making attempts to “observe” for purposes of criticising afterward.
I’d really enjoy being proven wrong about my interpretations here.
I always have reservations about actors…who go to “help” during a natural disaster, etc…and carry along a *personal photographer.* Photo op anyone?
I smell a sequel to Team America, and I don’t think Sean is gonna like it any better than the original…