My thoughts on looters

I just want to say something here. I can empathize with people wanting to get food, water, and sundry supplies to survive until they can get out of the evacuation zone. Even the guys carrying beer, because it is a hell of a lot safer to drink that than any of the toxic soup called water in the area.

However, what I despise seeing is the people that take advantage of the situation by grabbing suits, jewelry, and drugs.

It is an attitude like the following that gets to me:

One man, who had about 10 pairs of jeans draped over his left arm, was asked if he was salvaging things from his store.

"No," the man shouted, "that's EVERYBODY'S store."

Looters filled industrial-sized garbage cans with clothing and jewelry and floated them down the street on bits of plywood and insulation as National Guard (search) lumbered by.

Mike Franklin stood on the trolley tracks and watched the spectacle unfold.

"To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, man, it's an opportunity to get back at society," he said.

Also, watch for the cries of racism in the future after this has past. Demographic makeup aside, notice how examples of looting always black people, yet the white people are finding supplies.

I think what people need to realize is that there are still folks out there in need of rescue, and that is the first priority. Looting does nothing more than take from the community in property and in personnel needed to watch looters instead of look for victims.

Okay, my thoughts. If someone is still there, they need to be escorted out of the area. If they were looking for food, help them. If they were looking for a car, jewelry, clothing, etc., shoot them. There are already dead in the water being pushed out of the way to find the living.