to shoot! or not to shoot!

[ghost stalker]

should officers be shooting at these looters in the devistated areas? now i'm not saying shoot a kid with a loaf of bread but a guy with a fist full of jewlry, a gang banger with an arm load of guns or a punk with a backpack full of audio equipment. even a person with a T-shirt jeans and a pair of gum boots is obviously just trying to survive. it's the people who are trying to get personal gain out of this. not so much the stores they hit but the houses they ransack and the people they mug or rape. i got into it with my wife and we don't see eye to eye. i think that if your not gonna help then get the F out of the way and don't hamper rescues by shooting and looting. just my 2 cents and they don't mean a damn.

[Allen]

It is a lot to ask someone to take a life, especially someone from your own country, state or even city. That said, the men and women of our police and armed forces are smart enough to tell the difference between a looting thug and someone trying to get food and water. I don’t care how long you cook them, you just cant eat a big screen tv or 10 pair of Nike shoes.


Allen

[Classicvette63]

Looting is punishable by death. Period. I'd have burnt out a barrel or two by now. Might not be p.c., but that's the way it is. If you want to get the horns, don't grab the bull. Pretty simple concept that is lost on most folks these days.

[denton]

I think the governing issue is whether riot and looting threaten people's lives. If they do, I have no problem whatever with shooting looters. In this case, I think the whole town will be forcibly evacuated, leaving no one to be threatened.

I can imagine a complete, forcible shut-down of everything but authorized relief and reconstruction efforts. Anybody else on the street may be subject to arrest.

[ghost stalker]

are you talking about marshal law? never the less. whats more important? life or prosperity?

[Deerman]

If you are talking about shooting some person with food or water ,no.The ones with TV's, guns, of other loot,yes.If they shoot at you shoot them all.Notice the places that didn't get looted.The ones with the armed citizen,protecting there own property.The next time I hear a Lib talking about taking my gun and only the police need guns this will be a perfect example.

[Rocky Raab]

This might sound odd, but I say let the looters decide if looters should be shot.

Here's my plan: Follow a looter back to his hide. When he leaves, loot HIS stuff.

If he just shrugs and accepts it, then leave looters alone.

But if he objects violently to someone taking HIS stuff, then there's your precedent. Shoot him.

[Valigator]

I doubt most people would know whats in a bag 100 yards away...the way I look at it...that city is a total loss...most of those business's with the flat screens, Nikes, and DVD players are insured...so what ya gonna do? I think you can look back on Watts and other social uprisings and guage what your gonna do there...thats as far as the city is concerned....private homeowner ..one shot one kill as they say....but how many homeowners are left? They say there is a large police presence in the Garden district....High end homes and such....think about it...the people who can afford the loss are the ones being protected....:confused:

Jeez somebody slap me..I am starting to sound like a bleeding heart...

[Varmint Hunter]

Lets face it, things are bad enough without our LE officers shooting looters. The liberals would make it 1,000 times worse for the "good guys". The city is a total loss and people are in complete despair; is shooting looters justified? I don't think so.

Who SHOULD be shot? Anyone who does not immediately surrender a weapon on demand . Beyond that our mission is to save lives and aid our fellow citizens.

No one condones looting, but killing looters is clearly not the answer.

[fabsroman]

I saw a picture in a newspaper of a Hispanic guy with a huge smile on his face as he walked out of a store carrying a couple of boxes of shoes, clothing, and some other items and he looked completely healthy. Don't think I would have a problem pulling the trigger on him.

What pisses me off about looters, is that they are looking out for their own interests. That is what kills me about society as a whole. Everybody cares about themselves and nobody else.

If the people at the convention center and Superdome had packed a backpack or bag of food and water, they would have all been able to make it 4 days without a problem, but these idiots didn't even think about that as they left their homes.

I am so pissed at this entire situation in New Orleans, between the way people are acting (i.e., everybody for themselves, blaming the government) and the way that the governments, local, state, and national, have responded to this situation, not to mention the lack of addressing the potential problem for 15 years.

If people are looting to enrish themselves, fire away.

However, even the police department was stationed in Wal-Mart and they were eating whatever canned goods they could find. You cannot blame people for trying to get the necessities of life such as water, food, and shelter.

Val,

As far as these store owners and homeowners being insured, I haven't heard of any insurance companies crying yet because I am willing to bet that there was very little, if any, flood insurance sold in New Orleans. The stores might have a policy for Lost Profits and theft, but I am willing to bet that there will be a lot of Court cases wherein the stores will have to prove that their loss wasn't from flood, but theft. That will be pretty tough to do since there won't be any witnesses.

Just as the poor cannot afford to lose their house without insurance, I seriously doubt the rich can afford to lose their house without insurance. Only time will tell if there was flood insurance or not, or if the coverage was offered by the state.

[ghost stalker]

i'm mostly the looting that causes more suffering. like the homes. insurance might not cover all personal effects. like the jewlry especially gifts. where do you keep all your reciepts? do you think they all are salvageably to give to the insurance co! and yes they are mostly out of thier homes but the looting started right away when some people were still in them.i heard a a horrible story about a 7yr old girl in the superdome being found raped with 2 broken arms!!!! these people who are doing these atrosities and causing greif to the ones just trying to survive should be killed.


i don't know where i'm going i just need to vent. this BS really gets me going. and i wanted to be sure i'm not retarded in having these feelings. i'm way up here in the land of ice and monster deer and i can't imagine what the people closer to ground zero are going through.

good luck to you all and keep up the good work.

[ghost stalker]

yeh Fasbro. some of the peopl being rescued took a back pack with junk they don't really need instead of food. as i write this i realize in heinsight it was dumb but they probably expected to be taken to a place that had it all. hmmm..don't know why i don't erase this before i finish but what the hell. it's something to read!

[Varmint Hunter]

Considering the geographically perilous situation that New Orleans has always been in, the evacuation points should have been adequately stocked with food, water, cots and whatever other emergency supplies would typically be needed.

The Mayor and the Governor both displayed ZERO foresight, and it resulted in huge suffering to their constituents. Now they are quick to blame everyone else.

Residents who decided to "stick it out" should have been much better prepared just in case the experts were correct.

In my opinion, New Orleans should not be rebuilt. You can spend billions of Federal $$$$$ and have this happen again next year or 5 years down the road. Who knows. Fill it in and convert it into a Christmas tree farm. The people would be better served elsewhere.

One last thought - Could you (anyone) really live with yourself if you killed some kid for stealing shoes?????????? How can that be morally justified? I may be in the minority here but I'm surprised to see so many of you who advocate shooting people who are no threat to anyone. Summary execution defies all the principals that make America great.

[ghost stalker]

i think you should have read the posts a lil closer. the main targets would be the people who are causing the suffering of others for monitary gain. like i said! NOT the kid with 1 pair of shoes, aT-shirt and a pair of boots. it's the guy robbing a family of thier only remaining belongings just cause they're an ass.

[Varmint Hunter]

I read the posts. 90% of the dialog is directed at shooting looters . Regardless of whether the looters are breaking into the local jewelry store or stealing someone’s livingroom tv, it just doesn't warrent the immediate execution of the perpetrator.

Maybe its me, but I thought this was still the good ol' USA and not some third world nation. Acts of incivility don't warrent death; particularly not without adjudication. On the other hand; the armed thugs who fired at the construction team on the bridge got what they deserved.

Not looking for a flame war - I just feel differently than the majoroty of those who posted in response to your survey.

[fabsroman]

Yes, this is a tough situation, and it is hilarious to see that Val and I might disagree on the execution of such people. However, sometimes tough situations require tough measures.

The law in the United States is that life is paramount to property, and in Maryland a person is not allowed to use deadly force to protect property. However, things change when there is complete chaos at hand. How do you rain something like this in when you do not have enough man power to police the streets and any place to lock these people up. How do you try them when there is no Court?

I guess I should jump in the F-350, attach the trailer to it, and head down to Louisianna and Mississippi to see what I can find of value.

I just think it is dispicable for people to take advantage of other people who are suffering from tough times.

Okay, maybe these looters shouldn't be shot with lead, but a good load of salt or rubber bullets would do just fine. Maybe some #9 pellets from about 50 yards would discourage this utterly disgusting behavior.

[Slim-Zippy]

Varmint Hunter,

You have as valid an opinion as any one. I don't agree with it , but I would die or kill to defend your right to express it.

MY side of the arguement is not, is it worth someones life over a stolen tv set, but will people who loot and steal material goods think it is worth their life to do these things.

[Varmint Hunter]

will people who loot and steal material goods think it is worth their life to do these things.

This is not a valid argument, at least not in this country. Our judicial system is based, in part, on a punishment that fits the crime.

Unfortunately, we rarely impose the death penalty on criminals who commit heinous crimes that result in the death of innocent people. Shooting looters is unthinkable in a civilizen society, even if the perpetrator acts uncivilized.

Just noticed on Fox News that the Louisiana State Police intends to prosecute looters where there is clear evidence. The news media has miles of video with vivid images of active looting. Should be a piece of cake in many cases. Although it seems like it would be a low priority at this point.

Just my 2 cents.

[.243hunter]

We got put under marshall law and we put signs up all around that said Looters Will Be Shot. There were problems all around us but no one tried to test us. If it's food they want thats OK. But if hes running out of a store with a VCR he should be shot and would be shot over here. Things have been very hectic and its hard to sleep without the hearing the generator at night. AC is back and it is wonderful.

[Valigator]

.243hunter,

Let us know what you need down there...I am assuming everything. I have a bunch of stuff I could forward to you somewhere ...kitchen stuff, clothes, give me sizes ...and an address if you have one or a contact to get things...let us know ok....Val

[.243hunter]

Thank you but My family made out fine. Just a little property damage. Luckily we still have a home to go home to. Just down the road things are a whole lot worse though.

You can contact the Red Cross online at this website.http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html

Every little bit helps. Our whole parish is very very lucky a 2o mile change and we would have been under water. I have lots of info and stories that I'll post over the next few weeks. I feel very bad for those on the delta that lost everything they own. Most of the folks down there have no insurance and have to start over from scratch.