By Paul Rioux
Times Picayune
August 29, 2007
ST. FRANCISVILLE -- Taking the witness stand Tuesday in the St. Rita's
nursing home trial, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said she did everything she
could to sound the alarm as Hurricane Katrina bore down on southeast
Louisiana two years ago today, but that the government must ultimately
rely on the "individual responsibility" of its residents to heed those warnings.
In three hours of testimony, the governor defended her response to
Katrina in what amounted to a mini-trial within the trial as attorneys
for Sal and Mabel Mangano argued that the government was largely
responsible for the deaths of 35 elderly residents who drowned at the
couple's nursing home in St. Bernard Parish.
Blanco said she declared a state of emergency three days before
Katrina's landfall and held frequent news conferences to alert the
public. "My message was very, very simple," the governor said. "I
wanted people to understand that this is potentially the biggest storm
we will ever deal with, and I urged people over and over to protect
themselves and their families by evacuating."
Funny, I don't recall the Dem. Governor calling for/ or even encouraging evacuation until the day before the storm struck...after President Bush called her and told her she needed to evacuate the City of New Orleans.
Gov. Blanco has committed perjury.
Two years ago, Gov Blanco (d) hindered efforts to rescue her people. She was busy blaming the Bush Administration....and now her tune is that it was an "individual responsibility" for the people to fend for themselves.
Gov. Blanco has committed perjury.
And this testimony is in a trial concerning the deaths of nursing home patients. So, according to the Democrat Governor - nursing home patients should have evacuated themselves.
Such warmth and caring.
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