What violates your personal constitution?

[QUOTE=atlcomedy;56724][At the risk of being flamed by all of our NOLA friends here]

Can I suggest the behavior of many Americans/residents of New Orleans in the wake of Katrina was not "virtuous?" QUOTE]





If you want to talk about virtue....go to chapter 4, Nature vs Nuture.

http://books.google.com/books?id=AFd...age&q=&f=false

Whenever disaster strikes, (especially in desolate places) there WILL always be some form of looting.

To some people: Desperate times call for desperate measures.

In NOLA, many were "stealing" water and other basics. Is that looting or survival? No, stealing a TV is not survival. Believe me, I'm smashing a window if it means I have water to give to myself and others.

In NOLA, many were "stealing" water and other basics. Is that looting or survival? No, stealing a TV is not survival. Believe me, I'm smashing a window if it means I have water to give to myself and others. Originally Posted by SR Only

I agree. However, I might also "steal" diapers* if no stores were open. Is it "survival?" No, but a diaper rash is no picnic. I of course would repay the store owner once things were back to normal.

*If I had a baby, not for me - I'm potty trained.

[At the risk of being flamed by all of our NOLA friends here]

Can I suggest the behavior of many Americans/residents of New Orleans in the wake of Katrina was not "virtuous?" The point being, it isn't fair to say, "oh well that is a different country far away with a different value system that doesn't know right from wrong." It happens right here in the good ole USofA, too. Katrina is just one well publicized, blatant example. Originally Posted by atlcomedy

April 29, 1992

Looting/vandalism is a non-excusable thuggish behaviour. However, given the circumstances I would do whatever I needed to in order to survive. Look at post war Berlin, they ate horses just to stay alive. I do not have children, but if I did you better believe I would kill someone who posed a threat to my child's safety, it's human nature.

NOLA is a touchy subject...you could easily argue the psychology behind the demographic. I won't go there...

Do you really view it as looting when starving people are doing what is necessary to survive? I don't really see that as looting. I see that as common sense. Respecting the property rights of absent third parties (or even the property rights of present hoarders) can be less important than the needs of the many to survive. Of course, once taking of property starts, it is difficult to make sure everything is done properly, like leaving enough for hoarders to live on, etc., but it shocks me that many here are describing what is going on in Haiti as "looting."

[sung]
I had such great expectations of the world's benevolence
Of benevolence
I prefer hallucinations 'cause they tend to make more sense
Than experience

But it was just another sneak attack of temporary sanity
It was a pleasant stay, but now I'm back from temporary sanity
My temporary sanity

I began to grow dependent on a thing called common sense
It was common sense
But my world grew too resplendent that the strain was too intense
Without self-defense

The pool spreads 'cross the pavement where the sniper made him lie
And he looks just like my youngest, and I'm watching him die
I must remind myself I've seen this, it's all ancient history
One long trail of twisted bodies as the strong crush the weak
We must be crazy, we are crazy, this is our natural state
As our children die around us, we just sit here and wait
For a little temporary sanity
Some temporary sanity

[rapped]
There's a chance that we would still get the picture
If reality just came up and bit ya
But the news team would never report it
Because there's too much evidence to support it
If we was stupider the problem would vanish
But our brains are much more than we can manage
We say we want something so bad we can taste it
But once we get it, then we turn 'round and waste it
We got a twisted fixation with the marketplace
And every sufferin' soul is just another face
We think we're bein' manipulated from outer space
It's the collective guilty conscience of the human race
We get joyful when we look upon a lesser man
A specimen we can be sure that we're better than
There is no shortage of supply of pride and vanity
There is no explanation but INSANITY

[sung]
You're listening to Prozac while the message goes unheard
It's the final word

We must be crazy, we must be crazy
There's no explanation so we must be crazy

The only reason to not do what you must to survive is because you are weak. When it is for personal gain it is a completely different story and morals come into play. JMO

Whenever disaster strikes, (especially in desolate places) there WILL always be some form of looting.

To some people: Desperate times call for desperate measures. Originally Posted by NicholetteM

I don't know if that is true. There are many people here that managed to survive through Ike without stealing.

Plus, we were all Texan's and own lots of guns. Oh, its legal to protect your belongings here with deadly force.

I actually helped through Ike. I was at a hotel and we would load up trash cans everyday and take them to my neighbors, let people take showers in our room. No it was not the cleanest tub but how on earth could we say NO? You just cant in those situations if there is any sort of humanity in you.

I don't know if that is true. There are many people here that managed to survive through Ike without stealing.

Plus, we were all Texan's and own lots of guns. Oh, its legal to protect your belongings here with deadly force. Originally Posted by bigtexjef

Desolate places as in "third world countries" such as Haiti for example.

Do you really view it as looting when starving people are doing what is necessary to survive? I don't really see that as looting. I see that as common sense. Respecting the property rights of absent third parties (or even the property rights of present hoarders) can be less important than the needs of the many to survive. Of course, once taking of property starts, it is difficult to make sure everything is done properly, like leaving enough for hoarders to live on, etc., but it shocks me that many here are describing what is going on in Haiti as "looting." Originally Posted by TexTushHog

True .TTH, if you are taking things necessary for the survival of you and your family, that imho is not looting.
If you are taking flat screen tvs, and dvd players...that could be looting.

It seems this eartquake could be far worse than Katrina, given the fact that Haiti is so poor,densly populated, and so poorly governed.

True .TTH, if you are taking things necessary for the survival of you and your family, that imho is not looting.
If you are taking flat screen tvs, and dvd players...that could be looting.

It seems this eartquake could be far worse than Katrina, given the fact that Haiti is so poor,densly populated, and so poorly governed. Originally Posted by Tony Gambino

Could be worse the Katrina?

50 - 100,000 people are already dead. 10 - 20,000 a day are expected to die in the next few weeks from disease and lack of medical treatment. I think it's already way past Katrina by orders of magnitude.

Could be worse the Katrina?

50 - 100,000 people are already dead. 10 - 20,000 a day are expected to die in the next few weeks from disease and lack of medical treatment. I think it's already way past Katrina by orders of magnitude. Originally Posted by TexTushHog

TTH....gotta like the man's style!