Sean Watch: Update

Sean Penn now claims 9 hours of rescue work "pulling drowning people out of the water" and encountering the "ultimate distress" of dead bodies, according to the web site "This is London." Sadly Sean did not say whether he was able to fix his leaky boat or if he obtained a better one.

Sean reported that in all his time in the water he saw only three watercraft "carrying U.S. officials." Thus he adds the U.S. is guilty of "criminal negligence."

Memo to Sean: Look up once in awhile. The federal response has been airborne, in helicopters, from the Coast Guard to National Guard to the Marines, Navy and U.S. Army. As you should know from your own experience, it takes a bit of time and trouble to put boats in the water. It takes mere minutes to chopper in.

The same article quotes a British traveler extensively, but there are problems with his report. English visitors have almost no understanding of the various levels of government and how they interact. Thus the loutish behavior of a group of New Orleans cops becomes an indictment of the federal government:

He told the Liverpool Daily Post: "I couldn't describe how bad the authorities were. Just little things like taking photographs of us, as we are standing on the roof waving for help, for their own little snapshot albums.

"At one point, there were a load of girls on the roof of the hotel saying 'Can you help us?' and the policemen said 'Show us what you've got' and made signs for them to lift their T-shirts. When the girls refused, they said 'Fine' and motored off down the road in their boat."

Dear Mr. British tourist: Send your complaints to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. Those are his traumatized boys who most likely are off enjoying therapy in Las Vegas as we speak.