Common Misconception

[BigV]

Originally Posted by glatt

I have no problem with shooting the snipers, vandals, and arsonists. But what about the looters who are going into stores looking for food and water? Nothing wrong with that. It's going to spoil anyway, and they need it to survive.

Survival trumps ... whatever motivates the "shoot to kill" inclination, period. What's being protected? A case of bottled water? Diapers? First aid kit? Food? Give me a freakin break.

I have less, but not zero, resistance to shooting other threats. Vandalism shouldn't be a capital offense. Arson? I imagine it *could* be possible that arson is a live threat here and now in the Gulf Coast, but I seriously doubt it. Snipers? Fire away. That's a clear and present danger to the public's safety. No problems there. I can easily envision tragic confusion where someone dies holding a gun in their hand who was not a sniper but a defender of his _______ . It's gonna happen.

I also want to emphasize that while it takes a very small number of people to greatly complicate matters in a situation like this, the total number of bad actors compared to the total number of people in the area is very very small. I would want the people enforcing the law, even martial law to be more reluctant than eager to shoot to kill.


edit:

Would you shoot this guy?

Earl Banks holds armfuls of hygiene products he took from the shelves of a pharmacy in New Orleans on Thursday. Area residents have been looting the store since Wednesday, many explaining that they have no other way to get necessities in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Banks was with a group seeking a safe route to the Louisiana Superdome.