Looting vs Survival ( a long observation )

I've intentionally avoided blogging about Katrina and the devastation caused by that storm.

Why?

Everybody else with a blog is doing just that and a lot of them are much better at it than I would be. Besides, we're rapidly approaching sensory overload with images and stories. Sometimes you just have to take a break from hearing and seeing it to remain sane.

Now that a very basic damage assessment has been made of most of the areas some of the attention has turned to the topic of looting in the areas hardest hit by the storm.

It can, will, and is happening in in some areas, of that there is no doubt. Its a shitty, cold, hard, fact that a certain portion of the population, REGARDLESS of race, creed, income level, or gender will use a disaster like this to profit from it. The worst (and best, thank God) side of humanity reveals itself each and every time something like this happens.

But lets be VERY careful on what we define as "Looting", and I DO mean VERY careful here. There's a HUGE difference in taking items for monetary or personal gain, and gathering nececessary items for basic survival.

So lets try to define it, and make a few distinctions:

A person breaking out a jewelry shop window and stealing all the watches, diamong rings, and gold he/she can carry is an opportunistic thief and deserves to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

A person that utilizes physical force, or violence to take items from another actual person/persons whether it be for EITHER survival, or financial gain is subject to the application of force, up to and including deadly force.

Having said that:

The same person, breaking a window of a grocery store or going into an already breached store (with no people in it, or currently able to operate and conduct transactions) and taking things like toilet paper, canned goods, and other basic sundries (including a bit of booze) so they can stay alive and reasonably healthy, and sane in a disaster recovery scenario where no immediate disaster relief is available to provide the same things is a different animal altogether.

Is it illegal? Yes.. Is it punishable under the law? Yes.. Is it violent, malicious theft with the intent being financial gain? Not on your life... It's a human being trying to stay alive after their entire world has been destroyed.

It's a genetic survival drive kicking in. I have it. You have it. Nothing more, nothing less.

To me thats a big difference..

Lets hold off on the "shoot on site" order for a few shall we?