White Looters in Iowa (Mike S. Adams)

Townhall.com ^ | June 23, 2008 | Mike S. Adams

[EveningStar]

During the week after Father’s Day, I received a number of interesting emails from readers asking me to write about the dearth of looting after the recent floods in Iowa. Specifically, they wanted me to write about the reason there was so much more looting in New Orleans after Katrina hit the “Chocolate City” in 2005. Of course, the problem involves so much more than race – a factor most people are thinking about, even if they won’t admit it...

[SevenofNine]

Maybe Looter guy was on vacation

[pabianice]

I love the outraged replies from Liberals on Adams’ website. It is all racism, you know.

[rellimpank]

—interesting article-—and another place to point out that the black male “community” murders more of its own members every few months than were lynched in the entire period 1865 to present-—

[Migraine]

Given the lack of any mention of whether or not there is any white looting in Iowa, the headline is very strange, indeed.

In fact, I would expect there to be SOME white looting in Iowa. I have been a high school teacher for 30 years; and in the past two or three years, for the first time, a significant number of my students, predominantly white, raise their hand when asked if they would loot if a chaotic event occurred. I usually use news events where looting is occurring, here or abroad, to broach the question. In one class, again predominantly white, some hispanic, some native American, lower-level achiving, 70% raised their hands. I let them know, mainly by leaving my jaw on the floor for a few beats, how shocked I was at such an attitude. The times, they are a-changin’.

[JenB]

Yes, there’s white looting here in Iowa. One woman was arrested in Cedar Rapids for trying to take bottles of alcohol out of a flooded bar.

Um....

That’s it.

[MediaMole]

It is hard to loot in a tightly knit community. In a big city it is easier to justify taking from someone you don’t know, but it is pretty hard to take from a neighbor you see at the grocery store, the gas station and at church.

Looting also requires a mob mentality with others grabbing the stuff you can’t get to.

[massgopguy]

They’re too busy filling up sandbags.

[sarasota]

Perhaps there’s been a serious loss of ethical consciousness.

[johnny7]

In fact, overall differences between blacks and whites - in important areas including income and education – are largely due to the failures of black males relative to everyone else in society, including black females.

I'll agree with that...

NOLA Convention Center after Katrina

[alecqss]

It is hard to loot in a tightly knit community. In a big city it is easier to justify taking from someone you don’t know, but it is pretty hard to take from a neighbor you see at the grocery store, the gas station and at church.

New Orleans 2000 census: 484,674 people
Cedar Rapids 2000 census:120,758 people

Ok, I give it to you that NO has 4 times larger population, but the notion that in 120+K city is "a tightly knit community" is ludicrous.

[donna]

Idle question:

In the Soviet Union, was stealing from someone rich considered wrong?

[Alter Kaker]

—and another place to point out that the black male “community” murders more of its own members every few months than were lynched in the entire period 1865 to present-—

That's a completely meaningless statistic.

You might also notice that malnutrition kills more people in the United States each year (3510, almost all elderly, according to official CDC statistics) than died in the September 11 attacks (2974, not counting 19 terrorists).

Yet only an idiot would say that malnutrition poses a bigger problem for Americans than Osama bin Laden.

[50sDad]

If crime were about being poor, then EVERYBODY would have been looting in the Depression years. It is about culture; a sub-culture that teaches that The Man has stolen things from you, so it is OK to steal things back.

As a Great American, Willie Cunningham, points out...it has nothing to do with race. It has to do with bankrupt culture. Once, black music gave us R&B, Gospel, Blues and Rock. Today, if you asked someone to give you an example of "black music" they would probably say "Rap". You do the math.

[Alter Kaker]

Maybe another factor is that people have been free to leave the affected portions of Iowa. The bridges were closed by police and residents weren't allowed to leave New Orleans. If I were imprisoned in a city, I'd probably loot too. It's not like Wal Marts were open for business -- you still need to eat during a natural disaster.

[EveningStar]

Given the lack of any mention of whether or not there is any white looting in Iowa, the headline is very strange, indeed.

You can post a comment at the site, if you wish.

The times, they are a-changin’.

I don't think so. Looting has never been tied to race, just class and character. If there was a nation wide disaster we'd certainly see our share of looters of all races.

[Uncle Miltie]

[Old Professer]

I clicked on this provocative headline fully expecting to see a crowd of white looters emptying stores while knee-deep in muddy flood waters.

Instead, the only muddied waters I found were an assortment of hackneyed excuses that have flooded the currents of society for the past 40-some years.

To me it is rather obvious that you can’t tear down and build up at the same time unless you count anthills.

[weegee]

Maybe the cops and politicians in Iowa aren’t as crooked as they clearly are in New Orleans.

[puroresu]

That's a completely meaningless statistic.

How is it meaningless? Murder is murder isn't it?