Put looting in perspective (NOLA).

[flamin lib]

There are more important things to do than deal with petty thieves.

The merchandise is covered by insurance anyway.

The looters are just moving stuff that will be destroyed by rising water to another place where it will be destroyed by rising water.

[musette_sf]

1. and maybe people will have some goods to trade

for necessities as the days and weeks and months wear on. I don't expect any big Fed bundles of dough to make their way to the poorest and most needy, any time soon if at all.

[Misunderestimator]

2. From what I've seen today, they are taking necessary things...

Some incredibly resourceful people are blowing up air mattresses and using them to transport injured people across the water.

We should put them in jail for theft no? :sarcasm:

[craigolemiss]

3. Justification---hmmm

Well the bank is covered by insurance, and I really need to money --and the police have more important things to do--so I'll just steal from the bank here.

Looting and theivery is NEVER justified.

[tk2kewl]

5. let me know how you feel about it if and when your turn to be trapped

and destitute arrives

[flamin lib]

9. Not justified, just put it in perspective and prioritize. The bank

is covered by insurance. You are robbing it. Next door the hospital is on fire. Where do you want the emphasis? On money or lives?

[craigolemiss]

14. justification is not legality

I cannot even believe that people could justify theivery. Where has respect gone in this country.

[MercutioATC]

16. Agreed.

I have no idea why people feel the need to justify things like this.

[G_j]

23. simple question

if you were sick from dehydration, would you take a bottle of water?

[txaslftist]

24. Actually justification IS legality.

Every state in the union and the federal government all have "necessity" justifications for petty crimes. The basic idea is that if you have to commit a theft to save a life or to prevent a greater harm, the law will excuse you.

[Jersey Devil]

15. That's how I understood your post

I don't condone looting either but agree that it is not high on a list of priorities right now.

But isn't Nola doing just that right now? They are not arresting people as far as I can tell and though some cops are carrying automatic weapons they are just showing them and not using them. A cop has to do something when he walks onto a looting scene, doesn't he, in order to at least maintain some symbolism for what is permitted and not permitted?

[flamin lib]

20. Great idea! Kill them! Add to the rotting bodies that can't be

collected.

[Jersey Devil]

22. wtf are you talking about?

Try reading before responding. I said the opposite, that not shooting was appropriate.

[flamin lib]

27. Sorry, didn't mean to over react, and that was over the top, but

Just what do you expect the police to do with the weapons? No place to lock the looters up so the only other option is shoot them. I had a uncle who was a young boy at the 1900 Galveston hurricane. The police shot looters on the spot.

The end result was just more rotting bodies.

[Jersey Devil]

29. I was only pointing out that though heavily armed the cops have

been showing restraint, which is entirely appropriate. They waive the weapons around and then return them to their shoulders.

I should have been more precise.

[frankly_fedup2]

30. Well, they were announcing "Martial Law" last night. They are talking

about the military and units on alert to come in and protect those that are threatening others. That was in effect last night. Not that I agree with it, but there has got to be civil order. They said it was chaos yesterday. So yeah, someone will probably be killed because they are not abiding by the law. That is what Martial Law is all about. They are warning those that would hurt others that if they are out and about stealing, threatening, past a curfew, they will be shot. What else can they do?

Personally, I think it is humiliating to watch other Americans on the TV stealing and taking advantage of others because of a disaster. Price gouging, looting, threatening others; but, again, they may be doing what they are doing to try to get water and food. Like I said, I do not know what I would do in a situation like they are in. I know I would try to keep my family as safe as possible and that would include stealing water and food if I had to. I think it is wrong to steal; however, I think everyone's survival mode kicks in and you may do things to survive or protect your family that you never dreamed you would do.

[atreides1]

12. Being heartless isn't good look for you, then again maybe it is.

No one said anything about robbing a bank, the reference was to people who are taking what they need to survive, and in this particular situation food and water are what's important.

Or perhaps you are so above the normal person that you would stand by and watch your family suffer, to protect your place on the morality mountain.

[dutchdemocrat]

4. I went through Hurricane Luis

In 1995 in St. Maarten and at one point the main shopping centres that were being looted just 'gave up' and opened the doors. People were hungry. Out of work, out of home and desperate.

I was rather disgusted to watch the governor of Louisiana on CNN with spittle ejection, talk about looters like he should be wearing a white hood.

[Coexist]

10. If people need food and clothes - they should take them

the stores aren't going to be open for business any time soon to sell these goods.

I can see putting curfews into effect - some looters organized into "gangs" after Hurricane Andrew and went through neighborhoods looking to steal things for resale - that was very dangerous. Homeowners guarded what was left of their homes with shotguns. They were afraid to leave, and it was scary to stay.

But food and clothing. I have no problem with that if they have none.

[fishwax]

that was actually the governor of mississippi

and he's a dick. he said looters would be dealt with ruthlessly. he might have even said brutally. and he definitely had the spittle thing going. what an ass.

[Wickerman]

19. What? Haley actually did go on TV not wearing his white hood?

I am stunned.

[SacredCow]

6. Agreed...

The looting of food and water I can't really say anything about- It's survival, after all. As for the other items, it's a sad picture of human nature but deal with the most important things first.

[wtmusic]

7. Here we go again

:popcorn:

[flamin lib]

18. Yeah, you're right. I didn't mean to start an entertaining thread,

just wanted to bring some perspective to the situation.

For me the greatest irony is that almost all of the "luxury" items are just being moved from one place where they will be destroyed to another place where they will be destroyed.

Let's face it, a big screen TV isn't going to be evacuated.
After about six weeks without potable water, electricity to run the BSTV (kinda' like that acronym, BS TV)the idiot will figure out that hauling that thing around in 100 degree 90% humidity was a pretty stupid thing.

He'll have a lot of time to ponder it while he deals with the dysentery.

[underpants]

8. Best summary I have read yet

Well said

[lateo]

11. The "looting" drama is all a racist canard...

Check out Atrio's website today...they have a nice comparison of how the media is handling the issue reporting whether it is a black person looting or a white person "finding" items.

[LoZoccolo]

13. Not this shit again.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4518399&mesg_id=4518399

Personally, I think if anyone is pointing a gun at people they should get shot.

[bribri16]

17. Oh, but we just can't let those poor rabble have anything.

:sarcasm:

Some people will only see what their hate and prejudice allows them to see. The posting of those two pictures and their captions of "looting" fs. "finding" are great examples of the hypocrisiy and racism that infests our nation.

[LoZoccolo]

21. "Some people will only see what their hate and prejudice allows them..."

And others are reasonable, and still have objections to some forms of looting.

[flamin lib]

25. Ya' know, it really isn't about prejudice. It's about misplaced outrage.

Some folks are being outraged over stuff. Just stuff. Meanwhile people are drowning in their attacks.

It isn't like any of these bozos are going to benefit from a new stereo. It's irony that they work so hard carrying stuff that can't be used and will just get destroyed anyway.

[txaslftist]

26. I saw an interesting post yesterday ...

... And don't get me wrong, I generally favor the rights of people to do what they need to in order to survive, whether you call it looting or finding. But the post talked about the need for order, and the fact that looters tend to break down order in these situations.

I'm in favor of opening up the food stores (in the flooded areas) and letting the people who need food and water take it. OTOH, you catch someone cracking open an ATM, that's just bullshit. That's just plain old stealing.

You ought to go to the pokey for that IMO.

[frankly_fedup2]

28. As an example, remember the looting in Iraq and what Rumsfield said

about their looting of Saddam's palaces plus even small stores taking and/or destroying everything? Rumsfield said it was to be expected. These people had been oppressed for over 30 years and that is why the military was allowing it.

Then when they started looting the museum that held artifacts from the beginning of man, I believe they sent some troops to help to protect the museum; however, one thing that made this sound like typical bullshit from this bunch . . . as the soldiers were slowly moving in to Iraq, some troops were immediately sent to guard the "oil" drilling locations and told to immediately remove the gages that measured the amount of oil coming out of each facility. Wonder why that was important to our Government? Also, now aren't all the new bases that are being built over there running along the pipelines? I think so.

Well, this "Christian" Administration really does have its priorities in order. Those oil facilities are obviously more important than anything a museum that was located where many archaeologists believe the Garden of Eden existed and the very roots of mankind. Then when the WORLD started throwing a fit (including Americans), suddenly they started working to stop the looting of the museum and unbelievably were able to obtain almost everything the looters had stolen. Yeah, I believe that too.

Some of the pictures they have shown on TV of people looting doesn't make sense to me. A lot are of people getting food and water and clothing; however, they are hoarding it to a certain extent. Could they be planning to sell it for profit? No one knows what they are going to do with it. They have no more right to take it than anyone else, but I've never been in a situation like what they are going through so I do not know what I would do. Getting enough for ones' own needs with small amounts of water, food, diapers can be understood; however; there are so many people out there that need that, they have to stop anyone they see. Their damned if they do and damned if they don't. Now the people trying to get away with televisions, stereos, videos, etc., are unbelievably ridiculous to watch because where do they think they are going to take this kind of stuff?

I saw a woman last night talking about how she needed insulin; another with a newborn that was premature and on oxygen with a battery that would soon go out. Today, they have been showing people at Wal*Mart taking blow up mattresses and putting sick and/or elderly on them so they can push them through the water. Where they are going to take them, I don't know, but that water is going to be nothing but pure filth and disease.

Does anyone have any idea how many people lived in New Orleans and the surrounding areas???