When is it OKAY to LOOT?

There's a fine line, when the infrastructure that our society relies on for daily survival breaks down then getting the supplies you need to survive is just survival, plain and simple. If someone is taking things just to take things, and that are not critical for survival that said person is clearly just stealing to steal. If i was in Katrina and say i noticed a generator that was not being used and no one was around to ask...and say it meant the difference between a months worth of meat/food from going bad...I would use it. I'm a pretty honest person though and if the owner come back Id most inform them that i had it and go from there.. Another example is if myself or someone knew needed insulin to survive and I noticed a pharmacy that had been abandoned I'd rummage through it and try to get some....If said pharmacy happened to have Antibiotics and other first aid or other supplies I thought i needed id take those also and be fine with it. I guess the moral line would be your motivation for taking the stuff....something that cant be determined in seconds and why police should be setting the example for others to follow by taking on the role of humanitarians and not enforcing laws that are fine when the infrastructure is intact...but not when it has collapsed.

Originally posted by doomy
So you justify killing someone who is looting. Moreover you justify killing a person because of whatever reason? Is that the impression I need to get from "deadly weapons"?

WTF is wrong with some people. It might be just me but firearms or any kind of deadly weapons shouldn't even be produced moreover distributed to people. I don't get the mentality of some people that it is all right to kill for any other reason other than defending your own life.

If you can point out where I "justify killing a person because of whatever reason," you get a star. In fact, I said the exact opposite, so you are putting words in my mouth and keying in on just the use of firearms.

Since you think I am wrong, everyone should have their guns taken away? Is that what you just said?

Were the people in Watts starving? What about those in London, were they starving too? Were they just defending themselves by smashing into shops and stealing $100 shoes and televisions?

If killing is not justified unless it is in self-defense, is theft justified if it is not in self-defense?

So I say it again: it's not ok to loot, because looting is a gross violation of the social contract and therefore threatens others. Looters aren't scavengers, they aren't victims. They are people who think they have a right to do whatever they want.

And all people have the right to defend themselves....and many Americans are armed! So, if you decide to loot, you are taking a big risk with your life. And that's not ok, because as much as I detest your opinion and your eagerness to take rights away from hundreds of thousands of people because you disagree with them, and as dangerous as that sentiment is, I don't think you should go risking your life over a television.

Whenever you think you have a "right" to do something, take the time to weigh it against the rights of all the other people walking this earth. If I see you working your way down my block, stealing with no respect for others, how do I know you draw the line at theft?

Originally posted by swimmer15
I guess the moral line would be your motivation for taking the stuff....something that cant be determined in seconds and why police should be setting the example for others to follow by taking on the role of humanitarians and not enforcing laws that are fine when the infrastructure is intact...but not when it has collapsed.

I was waiting for someone to say that. I wholeheartedly agree. In a time of absolute chaos, such as hurricane Katrina or the Haiti earthquake, instead of looking to shoot someone who's daft enough to pinch a telly, any police sent into the area should be focussing on looking for people who need help.

Pinching useless stuff during a disaster might be a temporary madness too. Their house might be destroyed so the attempt at gathering more "stuff" might just be a comfort thing.

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