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Chief nearly rendered speechless

The disaster resulting from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans & environs, and coastal Mississippi and Alabama is of such a scope that descriptive terminology somehow falls flat in the face of the reality.

As more news comes out, the situation only worsens, at least thus far. Perhaps the description "...of Biblical proportions." is appropriate for once.

Our prayers go out to those affected, and we wish them as speedy a resolution to thier problems as may be possible.

The OTHER aspect of this that renders one speechless - but for a different reason are the attempts of certain libDonks to blame the problem on Bush and other conservatives. What a total crock. The Chief would like to slap 'em up side the head, except for the fact that s--t splatters. RFK Jr., and the others of their ilk on both sides of the Atlantic once and for all need to get a #12 cork installed in their pie holes.

If I were a left-wing ideologue who reads all news through the prism partisanship, I might try to make some hay out of today's report on the rise in poverty. But luckily I am not an ideologue and I also...

William Rehnquist has died....

I guess Dave Kranz wrote about the news in recent weeks about the Democrats' vegetarian spokesperson:It started when Randy Frederick, state Republican chairman, suggested that his Democratic counterparts at the national level are out of touch with most South Dakotans.Frederick...

TigerHawk examines yesterday's award winning moonbat artwork in detail. The "art" hits several lows that are difficult for the rational mind to fathom. [Via LGF]...

From Sibby?s mailbag:Seriously, I?m reading the South Dakota blogs and I?m getting sick. It?s generally a bunch of East River people so entrenched in partisan politics that they can?t see what a great day this is for South Dakota, and...

Carried Away

This WaPo coverage of looting in the wake of Hurricane Katrina has more than a little sympathy, rationalization, and justification for much of the looting going on.

...as we are also learning from the post-Katrina chaos, what we think of as looting may be more complicated than it seems.

No, it's NOT complicated, moonbat. Stealing stuff, is stealing stuff. And most of the stuff being taken is NOT survival supplies!

Benigno E. Aguirre of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware has been watching and reading about looters in Louisiana. "It may look from the outside as if they are stealing or breaking the law," says Aguirre, "when in fact some of them are trying to survive."

Yep - it DOES look that way, maybe because what's happening IS bad. If some ARE trying to survive, this isn't the prevailing behavior. For instance when a Wal-Mart was invaded by the latter-day barbarians, the guns, and electronics were the FIRST targets of opportunity, followed by other consumer items. The food, and (non-alcoholic) beverages were largely ignored. Yep, survival is insured by a new plasma HD TV!

On the other hand, he says, some of the thieves are garden-variety crooks. "There is always a very small number of people that are predisposed to crime, and they see a disaster as an opportunity to act." There are the disenfranchised who jump at the chance to get even with those who have more stuff than they do. "Disasters can become opportunity for class warfare, and that kind of appropriation of other people's property should be prosecuted," he says.

"Class warfare"? Sounds like our academician has been imbibing wisdom from the fountain of Marx. At least he concedes that they should be prosecuted, thanks be for small favors.

Many may be people taking drastic measures required by drastic times. And some, he says, are the in-an-emergency equivalent of hunters/gatherers, foraging for food, fresh water, medicine, matches, batteries, everyday essentials that are just not available. Not at home, not at shelters.

Again, the Wal-Mart case (as well as others) would be a counter-indication of the validity of this statement.

The images are played on TV over and over: Windows are smashed. Huge dudes muscle into an abandoned store and hustle out with stolen TVs and boomboxes. Women hoist unwieldy packs of diapers and cartons of baby formula. Run-amok hooligans snatch up jewelry and electronic gizmos. Other things are stolen: shopping carts of soda pops and snack foods, clothing, bicycles. There are survivors, scavengers and criminal looters, and it's hard to tell the difference.

No, the distinction is too fine. If someone breaks in to get some bottled water, or food to survive, the Chief would say OK. ANYTHING else - including "scavengers" are thieves. That's it. Comprende?

As usual, Julie Neidlinger has it cold. It's worth reading. Keep blogging Julie....

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