In Nursing Home, a Fight Lost to Rising Waters (Broussard less than truthful on Meet The Press)

New York Times ^ | September 7, 2005 with Update 9-11-05 | GARDINER HARRIS

[jrusty101]

St. Bernard Parish officials say that 32 of the home's roughly 60 residents died on Aug. 29, more than a week ago.

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Update 9-11-11
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From Lies.com

"..And finally, on the question I raised a few days ago about Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard’s tearful story about his emergency manager’s mother drowning in a St. Bernard nursing home, I think the evidence shows pretty clearly that Broussard was embellishing the story. Readers helpfully pointed me to the following news accounts:

New York Times: In nursing home, a fight lost to rising waters.

Newsday: Desperately seeking survivors.

MSNBC: This anger comes from watching death.

From the MSNBC item:

The man he was talking about is Thomas Rodrigue, who told “Dateline” that his 92-year-old mother was one of 32 elderly people found dead at the St. Rita’s nursing home.

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MSNBC Quote:
"..The man he was talking about is Thomas Rodrigue, who told “Dateline” that his 92-year-old mother was one of 32 elderly people found dead at the St. Rita’s nursing home..."
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But the 32 people who died at St. Rita’s nursing home didn’t die on Friday; they died earlier in the week, when the floodwaters first inundated the low-lying facility. Rather than being attributable to the federal authorities’ slow response (which was pretty much the point of Broussard’s version of the story), the death of those senior citizens was more the fault of local authorities (who failed to evacuate them) than of federal officials (who wouldn’t have been there in time to rescue them under the best of circumstances).

So, assuming the MSNBC story is accurate, Broussard’s story was at least significantly embellished. The tear-jerking account of the repeated calls to momma were fictional (or at least were displaced from their actual time of occurrence, which would have to have been before or during the storm, not during the several days afterward when FEMA was MIA). And if that part was fiction, it would mean that Broussard, for all the apparent sincerity in his emotional on-air breakdown, was willing to lie in order to make his story work better as political theater, which in turn makes it harder for me to credit the rest of the slow-FEMA-response anecdotes he described .."

[green pastures]

I didn't get to see Russert last Sunday, but heard enough about it on FR and from some family, that I went out and found the transcript.

While Russert was scathing with Chertoff, I noticed that he didn't press Broussard on this question:

"MR. RUSSERT: Hold on. Hold on, sir. Shouldn't the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of New Orleans bear some responsibility? Couldn't they have been much more forceful, much more effective and much more organized in evacuating the area? "

Broussard dodged the question:

"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. "

Russert should have pointed out that his question referred to preparedness and evacuation, i.e., pre-Katrina, not post. He would not have given Chertoff a pass on an answer like this.

Broussard managed to get a plug in about how wonderful the Mayor and the Governor were and what a great job they were doing. Then, he went on to tell the story of his friend's mother drowing in a nursing home:

"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. "

When I read that I thought, "why hadn't they gone in? Where was water still rising in LA on the Friday after Katrina struck? They had phone communication? And in all the hours which elapsed between Monday and Friday, someone at a local level couldn't do anything?"

I've been saying all week to friends and family that something was just not right with that story.

It was tragic that those residents were not evacuated from the nursing home. But it's depraved to use it for political posturing and imply that it was the Fed response that led to their deaths.

A slight digression or 2: In trying to demonstrate how long it took the Feds to respond some local government leader commented along the lines of "we sat here and waited day after day and nobody came, no help came." Why didn't they get off their butts and do something instead of just sit there?

And while I'm on a rant, how about Nagin's latest. Asked if he bore some of the blame, he said he did. Asked what he would have done differently, he said, "Scream louder, I should have screamed louder."

Wrong answer, Mayor. Wrong answer.

[Williams]

There is no screaming hyperbole here. The president has been accused of allowing people to die because he doesn't like their race. He has been called aracist murderer. That charge is absurd and irresponsible, and he should say that forcefully.

[shield]

BROUSSAND....LIAR LIAR TAIL ON FIRE....

[savedbygrace]

Please explain. Sounds like it might be good news, but it's not clear.

[NYCVirago]

Good point. Where's the media investigating Broussard's story?

[OldEagle]

If they died before the end of August, the checks that came in September would have to be returned. If they died in September, Broussard could keep the checks.
Anything is possible, huh???

[shield]

So to the search feature here at FR...use keyword put Broussard in it...you'll pull up articles posted the last 3 posted are the ones you especially want to go through. Some very interesting materials FReepers posted throughout the thread. Broussard is under investigation by the FBI has been subpoenaed for taking payoffs. Here's one of them: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1477115/posts Here's the search thread on Broussard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=broussard

You also need to find the real deal on the nursing home bullchit he talked about...fabricated totally. Katrina Threads, you'll find several articles here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=katrina Here's one of them: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1481717/posts

[wtc911]

The president has been accused of allowing people to die because he doesn't like their race. He has been called aracist murderer. That charge is absurd and irresponsible, and he should say that forcefully.

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What does that have to do with hannity sounding like the flip side of randi rhodes?

[freeangel]

Yes, we're writing, but very few of the "lefty local newspapers" are going to print these truths.

[moog]

Some will and some won't. Mine here will. Advertisements are another wa--payed out collectively.

[cgbg]

The left loves to use the phrase "Speak truth to power".

It is a good idea to do it for many reasons.

I grew up in a community where almost everyone was liberal. They never even heard a differing view so they didn't even know if they agreed with it.

If you act as though the media are ignorant instead of evil you might get lucky now and then. :-)

[Ruth C]

I want a new law. All media outlets due to the freedom of the press are allowed to interview anyone and publish what is said, however such outlets are required to also investigate and if the content contained lies correct them or the readers/viewers have the right to sue them for all they have!

[Anti-Bubba182]

The updated information at the top of the thread shows that the lady who died in the nursing home that Broussard was talking about was at St. Rita's Nursing Home. She and the others died early in the week.

It could not have happened as Broussard described. I have found no other reports on the lady's son, Thomas Rodrigue. I wonder what he has to say, or if anyone will ask.

[dandiegirl]

The Dallas Morning News today won the prize for the most letters to the editor blaming/bashing Bush. There was an editorial by a man named Harris that completely failed to mention any local responsibilities. It was a Bush hit piece from the first sentence. Facts totallly ignored. Made me want to cancel my subscription, but my husband likes the sports page.

[canalabamian]

Whoa! Hold on there bobalouie! Saying a Louisiana politician isn't truthful is a pretty serious accusation...of course it fits just about all of 'em.

[Goodgirlinred]

What I want to know is why the son did not go and evacuate his mother when he knew the storm was coming.

[Goodgirlinred]

The government people in LA who are pointing the finger of blame at the federal government make me sick. They had five days notice that this storm was going to hit. They should have evacuated. Since they did not, a lot of people died and it was THEIR fault, not the federal government's fault.

[Anti-Bubba182]

That is a good question. Maybe he knew she was at the home and that they were planning to weather the storm there and the series of calls Broussard was talking about never happened.

[TrebleRebel]

ping

[Elsie]

Last Friday, 25 people died in Indianapolis

About average... (and we didn't even HAVE a hurricane!!!)