Katrina story turns a tragedy into a cartoon
Posted by Letters to the Editor May 30, 2009

Re: “Will Smith to play Katrina hero John Keller in Sony Pictures release, ” Living, May 20.

Perhaps you have heard of a recent memoir whose central premise was two lovers who kissed through a concentration camp fence, later exposed as a complete fabrication, with actual Holocaust survivors understandably furious.
Ultimately, John Keller, the “hero” of American Can Co., will be exposed as such a character. I wish you would stop perpetuating his story.
For starters: There was no 11 feet of water in the American Can. At its deepest point, in the deepest part of the street outside, the water was perhaps 6 feet deep. Water was only ankle deep at best in the lobby. Which isn't to say it didn't suck. But when you exaggerate, all can be called into question. Why not throw in some snakes and alligators?
Mr. Keller claims he saved “244″ folks. If you did the research you would find there were maybe 400 people stuck in the building — and that seems generous — which would mean this guy personally saved two-thirds of them. His only impressive feat is getting his yarn so far up the Hollywood food chain.
I was at American Can. I couldn't have picked this man from a lineup without looking at his picture in the paper. Why? Because while he may have been assisting a handful of people in some wing of the building, the rest of us were doing the same with whoever was within our radius.
I don't want the horror of my Katrina experience turned into a cartoon. The cartoon of “Col. Keller, the One-Man Calvary, Saves the Day!”
There were many quiet and humble heroes from those times, unlike the boastful and self-aggrandizing Mr. Keller.

Brett Evans
New Orleans

National Guard was there to rescue 'Can man'
Monday, April 09, 2007

Re: “The can man,” Living, March 25.

The day after Katrina hit, air crews attempted to land on the roof of the American Can Co. However, the roof could not support the weight of a 15,000-pound helicopter, so we relocated alongside Jefferson Davis Parkway.
John Keller would have anyone paying to read his story of selfless booze-looting, boat-stealing and cop-impersonating believe that no one was there to rescue him, and that he shepherded 244 people so impotent they had to cling to his every action in hope of rescue.
The fact is that helicopters were landing on his doorstep every 10 to 15 minutes, 14 hours a day, and lifting 20 to 35 people every time.
Among others, those flying were New Orleans natives, National Guardsman who lived here, worked here and rescued here.
Step onto the sidewalk beside the North Jeff Davis Parkway Post Office and look at the former Lindy Boggs Medical Center. Think about all the hundreds of patients and staff we rescued from this spot.
Then look across Bayou St. John and think about the thousands that swam, waded or floated to us atop debris from all parts of Mid-City while Mr. Keller was only 250 feet away, most of his path under less than a foot of water.
I'm no longer flying for the Louisiana Army National Guard, though I've continued to work in the city now flying an air ambulance helicopter.
We didn't stop flying until we saw no one left waving their hands for help. We did prioritize those in immediate medical need, but we left no one behind.

Nathan B. Blaesing
Harahan

Katrina story turns a tragedy into a cartoon
Posted by Letters to the Editor May 30, 2009

Re: “Will Smith to play Katrina hero John Keller in Sony Pictures release, ” Living, May 20.

Perhaps you have heard of a recent memoir whose central premise was two lovers who kissed through a concentration camp fence, later exposed as a complete fabrication, with actual Holocaust survivors understandably furious.
Ultimately, John Keller, the “hero” of American Can Co., will be exposed as such a character. I wish you would stop perpetuating his story.
For starters: There was no 11 feet of water in the American Can. At its deepest point, in the deepest part of the street outside, the water was perhaps 6 feet deep. Water was only ankle deep at best in the lobby. Which isn't to say it didn't suck. But when you exaggerate, all can be called into question. Why not throw in some snakes and alligators?
Mr. Keller claims he saved “244″ folks. If you did the research you would find there were maybe 400 people stuck in the building — and that seems generous — which would mean this guy personally saved two-thirds of them. His only impressive feat is getting his yarn so far up the Hollywood food chain.
I was at American Can. I couldn't have picked this man from a lineup without looking at his picture in the paper. Why? Because while he may have been assisting a handful of people in some wing of the building, the rest of us were doing the same with whoever was within our radius.
I don't want the horror of my Katrina experience turned into a cartoon. The cartoon of “Col. Keller, the One-Man Calvary, Saves the Day!”
There were many quiet and humble heroes from those times, unlike the boastful and self-aggrandizing Mr. Keller.

Brett Evans
New Orleans

National Guard was there to rescue 'Can man'
Monday, April 09, 2007

Re: “The can man,” Living, March 25.

The day after Katrina hit, air crews attempted to land on the roof of the American Can Co. However, the roof could not support the weight of a 15,000-pound helicopter, so we relocated alongside Jefferson Davis Parkway.
John Keller would have anyone paying to read his story of selfless booze-looting, boat-stealing and cop-impersonating believe that no one was there to rescue him, and that he shepherded 244 people so impotent they had to cling to his every action in hope of rescue.
The fact is that helicopters were landing on his doorstep every 10 to 15 minutes, 14 hours a day, and lifting 20 to 35 people every time.
Among others, those flying were New Orleans natives, National Guardsman who lived here, worked here and rescued here.
Step onto the sidewalk beside the North Jeff Davis Parkway Post Office and look at the former Lindy Boggs Medical Center. Think about all the hundreds of patients and staff we rescued from this spot.
Then look across Bayou St. John and think about the thousands that swam, waded or floated to us atop debris from all parts of Mid-City while Mr. Keller was only 250 feet away, most of his path under less than a foot of water.
I'm no longer flying for the Louisiana Army National Guard, though I've continued to work in the city now flying an air ambulance helicopter.
We didn't stop flying until we saw no one left waving their hands for help. We did prioritize those in immediate medical need, but we left no one behind.

Nathan B. Blaesing
Harahan

Btw, I’m hoping you can find some emotion in this Katrina film…

Anyway I believe we were on the topic of Will Smith in the movie. I think it sounds cool, but like most people say I think they need to stay away from politics focus on the man and his heroic actions.

@790
And I’m glad cat said what she did, I always find it amusing when people are unable to accept opposing opinions, oh the good times…

“Ken your making me look bad ”

Don’t make me go grammar nazi on you again…

Remember that comment I made up a ways? I guess you guys didn’t pay attention.

I feel like a school teacher and you two are the disruptive kids in the class I have to keep an eye on.

Vic

Want to see more scary math?

In 2007
GM: 9,369,524 cars sold
Toyota: 9,366,xxx cars sold

It’s not by a big margin, but they still sold more cars, but let’s give Toyota the benefit of the doubt and say they are even, so you would think that they would be about even in profits/losses right? Wrong.

GM: $38,730,000,000 loss
Toyota: $17,146,000,000 profits

I love how you actually post facts Ken it’s an amazing thing. Stats numbers and math scary words to some people I guess.

Daniel F, are you reading this???

Apparently 790 is calling ME a conspiracy theorist because I can do math… Hm, profit from car < price to pay workers to build car = $$loss. Damn, is so far fetched, why can’t I be normal and just believe in the New World Order and how 9-11 was planned by secret societies…

Ken if you dig deep you’ll find out that the auto giants are all one big happy family. None of them are loosing money the American auto companies all own parts of the Japanese markets as well as the German auto firms etc…

Is this because the unions are so super nice and want to help the workers? Um, maybe, or MAYBE it’s because for every person GM has to pay, unions get what they call “membership fees.” Do they know they are driving American companies out of business? Of course, do they care? Not as long as they are getting these fat pay-offs now.

Go look up the numbers, go look at the average salary of a factory worker in GM, and you tell me if you should be earning that on a highschool level education. Go look up the number of units sold, like I said, GM outsold toyota in number of units sold in 2007, but thanks to the unions, they actually LOSE some $300 for every car built and sold. It actually isn’t profitable for them to stay in business when the average salary of their highschool educated workers is around $60-$80,000 a year… Heck, why the hell did I bother getting a college education? I might as well have moved to Michigan or wherever and work in a factory putting the bolts to mount the steering column of some car and get paid much more than I am getting paid now… Heck, maybe I’ll get lucky and get fired and get paid 90% of my salary when I’m not even working there anymore…

Labor unions served a purpose once upon a time. And in some cases they still do. But they have FAR too much power. The logical solution to GM’s mess is to allow them to file for bankruptcy, which would void their labor union contracts, they can clean up their labor force, renegotiate labor union terms, and be back on their feet. But the current administration RUSHED the bail out plan just to prevent them from having that option. You think it was a coincidence? You know the unions bascially said “hey, we paid for your campaign, now this is what we need you to do” and bam, look at where we’re at. We give millions to GM, they ditch an American legend (Pontiac) and within 3 years (2 years most likely), they will be in need of another bail out, guaranteed. Just wait, you’ll think back and remember me saying this.

Unions are part of the fabric of America and no matter how you perceive them the institution needs to be upheld and defended…
People need to have all the voice they can get these days. If it means belonging to a group that stands up for the rights of its workers so be it…

The feds are trying to chip away at our individual freedoms and rights all the time… Try to have an open mind on this,,,

And how come our government won’t do the one thing that will save our auto industry without any bail outs or anything? Get rid of labor unions. How come they don’t do that?? I wonder…

In 2007 GM outsold Toyota in number of cars sold, yet GM had billions in losses while Toyota had billions in profits, why do you think that is? And who do you think allows for this to keep going? The problem with American companies are almost all linked to labor unions, who do you think grants them so much power? Ask yourself those questions, research the answers, then talk politics.