Featured Articles

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?

Time for a Katrina blogburst. Instapundit wants a post recommending relief efforts to donate to, and here are the two I like: The American Red Cross. Soldiers' Angels, which has set up a special fund for servicepeople in the disaster...

Chief Justice Rehnquist dies of cancer

This is not a major surprise, since Justice Rehnquist's health problems had been known for some time.

Now there are two open seats on the court, with the new court term opening in October, it looks like the fireworks over SCOTUS appointments will really fire up now in the Senate. Donk filibuster(s)? Could be. Attempted Borking of nominees? The Chief would count on it - Donks are Donks, all their leadership knows any more is mind-numbing DUmmie rhetoric and tactics.

Another point: according to the Donks' logic on Judge Roberts replacing Justice O'COnnor, they CLAIMED that they wanted to see someone of similar ideological bent to maintian the current alignment of the court. Now that Rehnquist, a conservative has passed on, will they be willing to cheerfully accept a conservative replacement, to maintain that same balance? Hmmmm?

The Chief is willing to quess there's as much chance of this as there was for Billy Graham to be named Pope.

TRIBES - A new Bill Whittle essay

Well worth reading and thought, as are his archives. Check it out!

Bill Whittle is, IMHO, the Thomas Paine of the 21st Century!

Doug Wiken has a post regarding the passing of Chief Justice William Rehnquist titled, Justice with Racing Stripes Croaks. Excerpt:This death unlike the thousands of deaths in New Orleans gives the Texas smirking weasel another opportunity to screw up another...

John Roberts will be up for Chief Justice. This was a move widely expected in the last 24 hours. Todd Zywixki over at Volokh wonders what the status of Sandra Day O'Connor is. It's a good question....

From Pat Buchanan: Katrina has exposed the limits of federal power and the absence of a serious set of national priorities. In New Orleans, those who relied on government ? the New Orleans police, the mayor, Gov. Blanco, FEMA ?...

This from Robert Scheer, the LATimes version Paul Krugman. Instead of the much-celebrated American can-do machine that promises to bring freedom and prosperity to less fortunate people abroad, we have seen a callous official incompetence that puts even Third World...

A Message from tdaxp

Send feedback to danhabbott@gmail.com

Browse the Archives

What's New with the Blogs

South Dakota Blogs

American Blogs

Pro-Freedom, Anti-Terror

South Dakota Blog Alliance

RadioActive Chief, Ryen McClaren, Sibby Online, South Dakota Politics, Straight Talk

tdaxp Blog Network

Jim River Report, tdaxp, Bloglines, Cobuyitaphobia, Junk Politics

Breaking News

South Dakota Mainstream Media

American Mainstream Media

British Mainstream Media

Everyone Else

Jim River Report Archives

1. today
2. this month
3. this year

How Popular is the Jim River Report?