There's a difference between looting and emergency use.

[eallen]

Yes, it is perfectly legitimate -- and legal -- to use other people's property in emergency situations where life or limb requires it. In a snow storm, you can take refuge in someone else's cabin. In a flood where potable water is scarce, you may take from a store's shelf to give safe drink to the thirsty. Or use your neighbor's johnboat to retrieve those who are stranded.

But there's a big difference between looting and trying to help people in an emergency situation.

When you're dealing with an emergency, you work with those around you. You try to handle emergency needs on a basis of health urgency. You don't take for your own material advantage, and you don't take what's not necessary for rescue and relief. You still act not to cause more damage to property than required; there's never excuse for vandalism. You're not ashamed to identify yourself. You don't run from the police who eventually arrive, but explain what you're doing and ask what more there is you can do to help.

It's not hard to distinguish those who are honestly helping from those who are taking advantage of the situation to loot. There's no excuse for the latter. Looters hurt relief efforts. First, they are a threat both to those who are trying to help, and those who need help. The step from vandalism and burglary to assault is not a big one. Second, they distract responders from rescue and relief efforts. Third, they may abscond with or destroy items that would have been useful to people who are really trying to help.

Don't defend looters.

[EC]

1. We here at work were talking about this, this morning

and wondering where people could "buy" food and pampers and other necessities, since nothing is open for business and the stuff brought to shelters would have been consumed already...There have been arrests already for Pampers. (I guess they just WANTED them, just selfish looting? The cops make no distinction between looting and getting what is needed for emergency, so yeah, if it were me-I'd run and not ID myself).

What is your suggestion?

[Meeker Morgan]

2. Oddly enough, Rush Limbaugh ...

... made the same point earlier today.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

3. Well

even a broken clock is right twice a day. If you put an infinite number of monkeys at an infinite number of keyboards, they would eventually produce the transcript for every Limbaugh show and would probably get higher ratings too.

[Thtwudbeme]

4. He's just thinking of all that oxycontin on the shelves of boarded

up pharmacies....going to waste.....