Remembering Katrina: Al Gore leads Charity Hospital airlift

[AlGore-08.com]

Shortly after Katrina struck Louisiana, private citizen Al Gore organized (and initially paid for) two planes to fly several hundred people with urgent medical conditions from New Orleans to Tennessee. The federal government tried to stop the flights, but Gore refused to take "no" for an answer.

Gore has never spoken to the media about this event. He has never taken credit for it. He has never even mentioned that he was in New Orleans during that horrible time.

The media has done a few follow up stories about some of the people who were rescued by Gore's efforts. And a couple of those articles have mentioned in passing that Al Gore helped these individuals onto a plane bound for Tennessee. But these stories never stop to explain how Gore could be in the New Orleans Airport at a time when New Orleans was too dangerous for relief workers - - making the inclusion of his name look more than a little surreal.

The complete story of Al Gore's mercy flights is available on TPMCafe, written by Greg Simon. Even if you've read it before, I urge you to read it again:

"Al Gore leads Charity Hospital airlift" by Greg Simon
http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/9/7/164747/4155


In the New Orleans airport, September 3rd, 2005


At the Knoxville airport, helping patients off the first plane from NOLA, September 3rd, 2005

[Wayne_in_WA_State]

1. Compassionate Hero or Corrupt Smirk Boy: We Report-You Decide

To honor the victims of a natural disaster made even worse by a human-made disaster, it is time to pause and reflect on the breakdown of functional government and the litany of loss that surrounds the events of Hurricane Katrina, the Bush/Cheney regime, and it's rubber-stamp Republican Congress:

Failure to heed clear warnings, waste, mismanagement, corruption, incompetence, cronyism, and broken promises...

I believe Americans deserve better and starting this November we will make it happen!

Vote Democrat in 2006
The Ass You Save May Be Yours!!

[Wayne_in_WA_State]

2. Don't forget to watch this important documentary

On HBO today in it's entirety today August 29th, on the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

When the Levees Broke: A Requeim in Four Acts

Directed by Spike Lee

[Debau2005]

4. I watched it last week

but plan on seeing it again.

The one thing that surprised me was Sean Penn. I had no idea that he did what he did. I have a new respect for him.

[Lars39]

9. Here's a thread about it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[midnight]

11. Its cable or cell phones.

I wish I could see this documentary. I remember in the after wake of Katrina, Spike Lee kept saying that he wants to talk to these people. This is going to be good. For you out there that see this please let us know.

[RestoreGore]

19. The member who started this thread...

already posted on their "draft" site that this is not why this thread was posted here, because Spike Lee didn't talk about Al Gore in his documentary. It would then appear that this person is then not interested in the event of Hurricane Katrina or the devastation it caused, but simply being able to use this good personal deed by Mr. Gore for their own political purposes.

[badgerpup]

23. IIRC, Mr. Gore refused to appear on camera or grant interviews.

His attitude was that he wasn't there for political purposes or photo ops.
He was doing a job so please get the cameras out of his face so he could unload these supplies which were urgently needed, thank you.
Only he was courteous.

[RestoreGore]

33. Yes, he's a good man n/t

[malaise]

3. I'll never forget his kindness

and compassion. Unlike Bush, Gore did not orchestrate a cheap photo op. That he was successful despite the Feds spoke volumes about the man. Gore's sucess merely exposed Bushco's incompetence.

[ms liberty]

5. Why hasn't anyone recommended this? K&R

This is an excellent story. It's timely, because it shows that a political leader with strength and the will to act could then and can now make a difference. It highlights the difference between the democrats - us - and the republicultists - them.

This is the man I want for our next President.

[Totally Committed]

6. I was tremendously touched by this tremendous act of compassion...

it truly was something I will never forget.

It does really get one to thinking: Just how different would our country and the world be today if we had truly been allowed to elect the POTUS rather than have one installed by the SCOTUS? The answer boggles the mind.

TC

[Rainbowreflect]

7. K&R I really love this man.

It makes me so sad to think of what might have been.

[rosesaylavee]

8. In other words,

he responded to the crisis like a LEADER? Wow. Wonder what that would be like 24/7/365 as our president?

Name one time in the past 6 years we have seen B**sh working up a sweat doing legitimate work for the country (clearing brush on his fake ranch doesn't count)or not fully coiffed?

[stepnw1f]

10. I Have Great Respect for this Man

and would do everything possible to get him Massachusetts votes if he did decide to run again. Although he is doing a fine job working outside of the political system, while fascism is in control.

[AlGore-08.com]

12. Kicking it up for the morning crowd

[Mabus]

13. One of the people he rescued was the aunt of someone we know

She sent my husband, a big fan of Gore's, an e-mail a few days after the rescue to let him know that Gore saved her aunt. The woman who sent the e-mail was never a fan of Gore's. She used to use all the RW talking points whenever she could and gleefully repeated all the lies. She's changed her mind. The aunt is an elderly woman who was in the hospital and was stranded along with so many others. Because of Gore, she is alive and well today.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

14. That first picture is great!

I can just hear him saying, "Do NOT fuck with me, you get these people on that plane right now!"

Don't mess with Big Al.

[Control-Z]

15. Stark contrast

[Vox_Reason]

16. Bush v. Gore--NO CONTEST

If anything ever proved who really deserved to be president among the candidates in the 2000 election, this incident completely sealed the deal.

While chimpy was eating cake, playing guitar, flying over the devastation, etc., Al Gore was doing something real to help real people who were in a terrible, terrible situation.

I was in New Orleans right before the 2000 election, and one night my wife and I walked out of Tujague's restaurant right into an Al Gore rally on the waterfront.

I remember being struck by the thought "this is not the "wooden" Al Gore that's been promoted by the media". He really connected with the people of New Orleans that night, and I was very happy to cast my vote for him a few days later.

We were ROBBED in 2000. We were CHEATED in 2004. We cannot let 2008 pass without a decisive victory. It would make a lot of karmic sense if we could all refer to Al Gore as "President Gore" starting in early 2009. He's more than earned it, and he's exceptionally well qualified.

And after all this BS, you better believe he more than deserves it.

[RestoreGore]

17. And he didn't do it for political reasons

Even Mr. Gore has not mentioned this in the press because he is a humanitarian and did do this as a private citizen... not a politician looking for accolades for himself. That's why I respect him so much and his desire to not have this get too much press for himself. Which is why I would also never use this deed as a political message for any movement.

[dalaigh lllama]

21. Well, I would

It says a lot for Al Gore that he didn't toot his own horn. But I, for one, have no trouble shouting his well-desrved praises from the roof tops. Why shouldn't we?

[RestoreGore]

28. His actions speak for themselves

Why use them for political purposes when he didn't? Do you not think that rude? How about THANKING HIM instead of posting about it on a political blog because you are running a draft site just to get people to go to your website and give you donations? You don't find that disngenuous? Making money off his good deeds? Whatever.... but I do.

[dalaigh lllama]

29. His actions may speak for themselves

but if folks aren't aware of his actions, there won't be much speaking done. The website that you're objecting to looks like a good site to get any and all current information on what Al Gore is doing/has done. If someone wants to know more about him and they do a google search, it's one of the first sites to pop up, and they'll get a lot of good info about him. They clearly state at the bottom that they're not affiliated with any candidate, and no one jumped out and twisted my arm to make a donation while I was there.

I voted for Gore in 2000, but my support at the time could only be described as tepid. I didn't even consider him as a viable candidate in '04. It wasn't until I read the story about his actions during Katrina that my interest was really sparked. It was his actions that week that prompted me to seek out his speech on MLK day, and I've been an avid -- no, rabid -- Gore supporter ever since. I've only got my own experience here to go on, of course, but I think lots of folks would become Gore supporters if they knew the Katrina story.

If we, the people, want to increase the groundswell to have Gore run in 2008, why hide his light under a barrel? I guess I'm inferring from your post that no one should ever mention Gore's heroism during Katrina because he didn't. Or perhaps you're only objecting to the OP's website mentioning it. In either case, are you suggesting that someone else should have the Katrina story on their site, or that it should never, ever come up in polite conversation because Gore won't brag about it?

Incidentally, I have sent Gore a thank you note.

[RestoreGore]

32. I am honoring HIS wishes not to make this deed "political"

And I am entitled to my opinion on that here as well when I perceive any other group has done so. And yes, you can give your money to any group you choose, just as I now prefer to support groups that are actually doing something regarding this crisis now, rather than giving it to a site that only uses it to pay for their bandwidth.
Thank you.

[rosesaylavee]

34. Well said.

This information needs to be better known so the people overexposed to Faux news hear it eventually.

[LSK]

18. K& R - this thread is homepage worthy

[fooj]

20. I will never forget what he did for those people.

EVER!!!!!!

[Janice325]

22. God Bless President Gore and all his kindness,humanity, and altruism.

k&r

[AlGore-08.com]

24. Kicking it up again for the evening crowd

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

25. thank you for the late night kick

[Diane R]

26. Kicking it for President Gore (A true American Patriot) n/t

[Swamp Rat]

27. Geaux Gore!

[AlGore-08.com]

30. Kick

[BlueCentrist]

31. THIS is what the Democrats are doing

for those asking why they aren't in New Orleans right now.