Cheney Keeps Power from being restored to two Louisiana Hospitals in order to keep Pipeline running

It's time again for - The Lame List.

MSNBC reported this evening that shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck South Mississippi knocking out electricity and communication systems, calls came from the Vice President's office ordering power restored to a pipeline that sends fuel to the Northeast.

The Hattiesburg American and a post on Motherjones.com reveal that Jim Compton, general manager of the South Mississippi Electric Power Association, said he "reluctantly agreed to pull half our transmission line crews off other projects" which included restoring water to rural water systems and two rural hospitals - Stone County Hospital in Wiggins and George County Hospital in Lucedale.

"We were led to believe a national emergency was created when the pipelines were shut down," Compton said.

The story gets thicker from there, as The Hattiesburg American reports:

(click read more to continue)

Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Mike Callahan said the U.S. Department of Energy called him on Aug. 31. Callahan said department officials said opening the fuel line was a national priority...

Callahan said energy officials told him gasoline and diesel fuel needed to flow through the pipeline to avert a national crisis from the inability to meet fuel needs in the Northeast.

Callahan said the process of getting the pipelines flowing would be difficult and that there was a chance the voltage required to do so would knock out the system - including power to Wesley Medical Center in Hattiesburg.

With Forrest General Hospital operating on generators, Wesley was the only hospital operating with full electric power in the Pine Belt in the days following Katrina.

"Our concern was that if Wesley went down, it would be a national crisis for Mississippi," Callahan said. "We knew it would take three to four days to get Forrest General Hospital's power restored and we did not want to lose Wesley."

So, let's look at the facts. The Vice President's Office calls in the middle of a national crisis to divert local officials from restoring power to local water systems and two local hospitals to restore power to an oil pipeline.

And that's not even half of it. Restoring power to this pipeline could lead to knocking out power to another critical hospital.

Now, maybe restoring power to the pipeline was really a national security concern. But, we are talking about Big Dick "Halliburton" Cheney here. I believe it's now proven scientific fact that oil runs through his veins and he's powered on a mixture of petro and kitten blood.

And, until I get some more facts, this one goes on the Lame List:



Related Links:
Hattiesburg America - "Power crews diverted; Restoring pipeline came first"
Mother Jones - Where was Cheney during Katrina? Handling his own emergency