Why are people shooting? I understand the looting, if you want to

[napi21]

call it that. People will steal food and water to survive. I don't understand the shooting though. I heard people were shooting at the rescuers and at some Dr.'s that were accompanying patients from a hospital to be relocated somewhere else.

I don't understand???

[bahrbearian]

1. sighting in the newly looted guns

[halobeam]

2. Maybe they are drug addicts who are crazy with withdrawal??

Maybe they've gone completely and literally mad, like rabid dogs, but from losing their whole family? Maybe they are mentally ill people without their medication.

Maybe they are criminals and really bad people.

My guess is, they are all of the above.

[Dissent Is Patriotic]

3. Anger...

how would you feel living in the richest country in the world and being left to die, and rot, in front of your family.

[TahitiNut]

12. It'd be really easy to see "relief" going to the privileged ...

... and being denied to the poor. It doesn't take much to look at 15-20,000 people all clustered, for the convenience of relief workers, and not getting a bit of help ... and then see choppers landing on the roof of a building and thinking it served the privileged people.

After all, it's not as though these people have TV or radio to keep them informed. It's not as though they didn't do what they were told to do -- to no avail.

It's not to apologize the behavior, any more than I'd apologize troops in Iraq firing on innocent civilians(!!!) -- but it's one helluva lot more understandable, imho.

[Dissent Is Patriotic]

21. EXACTLY....I left out uninformed

that might be the worst part, they have no IDEA WHAT THE FUCK WILL BECOME OF THEM, this is torture for them.

[SlipperySlope]

4. Lord of The Flies

Welcome to the ugly side of human nature

[Jacobin]

16. That would be it in a nutshell

A hundred or so out of control folks can give a hundred thousand a bad name

[LibraLiz1973]

5. People haven't eaten & aren't drinking

It looks to them like the government has forgotten them- as well as their fellow countrymen. (Not having the internet or news they must feel completely isolated). I think what your seeing now is a giant case of RAGE brought on by exhaustion, PTSD & the feeling that there is nothing left to lose.

[kenny blankenship]

9. That doesn't explain assheads firing on ambulances now does it?

Or shooting at cops.

[Biased Liberal Media]

14. This is exactly what it is- desperation will do things to you

[Bouncy Ball]

6. You do realize there are mentally ill people everywhere, right?

And maybe some of those mentally ill don't have their meds anymore.

Or maybe they never did, but they generally managed to stay stable somehow.

All it takes is a little spark to take away that stability.

[kenny blankenship]

7. Sociopaths do this kind of thing when the lid comes off

Would happen anywhere.
One thing we see clearly now is the danger of the flood of guns on our streets: when the shit hits the fan, it turns out--if nothing changes --that the police are going to be way outnumbered by armed thugs.

[Jade Fox]

13. Would anyone now like to claim that guns don't kill people, people do?

Thank you for your post.

[noiretextatique]

8. don't believe everything you hear

it's a part of the plan to DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to help.

[two gun sid]

19. I agree wholeheartedly.

I would put nothing past the radical right running this country.

[KittyWampus]

26. it's a part of the plan for Bush to go down in flames as their inaction

is covered mercilessly by almost every newscast?

[Totally Committed]

10. They could be in shock...

they could be psychotic and without their meds... they could be sleep deprived, hungry, thirsty... they could be scared... they could be coming off of a drug they are addicted to... they could be criminals.

Whatever they are, the authorities should try and talk to them before going in with even one more weapon ot there could be a lot of dead people when the firing is over.

TC

[opstachuck]

11. they were yelling "come save my family" at the choppers acc. to AP n/t

[two gun sid]

15. I would like to know just how prevelent the shooting is...

I can't believe the people trapped in NOLA are spending much of their time sniping at rescuers. I can't help but to suspect Klan and Militia types engaging in this type of activity if it is happening outside of the city itself. It just is too easy to blame the lack of response of our government on snipers. You know, "we're trying but, those damn snipers and looters are stopping us."

Much too easy to blame Bushco's incompetence on po' folks with guns.

[KittyWampus]

27. 50% police officers handed in their badges cause they can't secure

themselves let alone others.

[Dissent Is Patriotic]

17. No offense, but are you all mad...

these people are in a sweltering, stinking cesspool of vile deadly filth, with NO WATER or food, they are being demonized, denigrated and left to rot and die in front of their starving family members. What would you do? Sit like Miss Manners and wait for the help that isn't coming, get real.

[MojoXN]

Human nature.

Pure and simple. No right or wrong about it, just the natural tendancy of humans to descend into chaos without civilization.

MojoXN

[smurfygirl]

18. simply put...they are scared and want out

they have nothing left to live for so they will do stupid things.
They want the rides that those people are on and when they don't stop well...it's pretty much fuck you I'll kill you.

It's become a war zone. America officially has insurgents in the streets.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

20. Ten bucks says they are going out of their minds

[Nikia]

22. Some people are bad people

Some of these people might live and work near you, but don't go murdering or raping because they are afraid of the authorities and afraid of their friends and family shunning them for their acts. When there are no authorities. When they have lost their family or friends or no longer care, they act as they have wished to act their entire lives. Yes, there are people like that. I have talked to a few who have admitted as much and frankly it scares me.

[xchrom]

23. people with guns shoot them.

it's that simple.

[The Traveler]

24. They are in hell

People are dying. The shock and stress are impossible to comprehend unless you are experiencing it. You have no idea when this nightmare will end. Civilization has been knocked down in a day and a night.

Dehydration sets in, affecting brain function. Fear and anger and the survival instinct of the desperate sets in. Violence in these circumstances is almost inevitable.

[napi21]

25. I read all your posts, and all have valid points.

I admit, I have no idea what it must be like being trapped there and feeling no hope. I can understand people fighting to be the saved ones. I still don't understand why they're shooting the rescuers!

Shoot the cops, sure. Some have had bad experiences in the past with the cops, and maybe now is revenge, but they're shooting at ambulance drivers, and doctors, and EMT's.

Other than those who said that hunger, thirst and despair has taken over, I just don't understand.

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[napi21]

31. As I said, I understand them shooting at the cops, but why the

ambulances and EMT's?

Why wouldn't you look at them as trying to help you?

I'm not trying to challenge your position, I just am trying to understand why someone would try to kill the people who could save them.

[datasuspect]

34. years and years of pent up rage?

maybe?

[SmokingJacket]

29. Maybe they're criminals?

New Orleans has a lot of them, and now the cops have fled.

But just because criminals are running loose doesn't mean ALL the people of NO are shooting people.

[napi21]

33. No, of course it's not everybody shooting! But apparently there's

enough to have scared the rescuers off, and that's a disaster in itself!

[tkmorris]

37. Even criminals usually have some motivation

They do bad things to people sure, but they do it for a REASON, they hope to gain something from it usually. There's always a few who just want to be assholes out of hatred, but not that many.

So what do they gain from this?

[BrklynLiberal]

30. Could they be trying to get the rescuers attention so they can be rescued

[meisje]

32. Yeah, that's the ticket... It's a cry for help

Put the Dr. Phil book down!

[napi21]

35. Nawww, the Dr. I heard on TV said he was being shot at while he tried

to help people out of the hosiptal that had no food and water get to a better facility. That's not trying to get attention.

[carpetbagger]

36. You know how in every disaster movie....

there's that one guy who goes psycho after about four days in the building/shelter/spaceship/tropical island?

Multiply by many thousands, and there you go.