I knew it was a mistake for the LA governess to make the false dichotomy between "rescuing people" and "stopping looters." As someone from any developing nation will tell you, shooting or in some way detering the looters IS a vital and necessary part of "rescuing people." If you don't stop them forcibly the looters will begin to kill and you wind up exactly where NO is right now. Anarchy.
10:49 AM CDT on Thursday, September 1, 2005
10:48 A.M. - Davis: Schools will not open until at least October 1.
10:47 A.M. - Davis: Looting still prevelant.
10:46 A.M. - Davis: A couple thousand people still in shelters. More shelters may open up as times goes on.
10:45 A.M. - Davis: Water, food and ice available at the Target parking lot on Highway 21 in Covington, and the old Wal-Mart on Gause Blvd. in Slidell.
10:41 A.M. - Kevin Davis, St. Tammany Parish President: Cleco has 1,400 crew members working to establish power in some areas of the parish. Davis said he needs between 15,000 and 40,000 temporary housing units.
quoted on the Laura Ingraham Show at 11:50 AM.
You have made a most important point. Stopping looters and the violent has to come before rescuing all but the immediately at risk of death. Without that, the chaos and risk of violence works against all rescue operations.