If anyone remembers the Los Angeles riots in 1992, it's refreshing to hear Louisiana's governor actually condemn the looting taking place in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco said she has asked the White House to send more people to help with evacuations and rescues, thereby freeing up National Guardsmen to stop looters.An additional 10,000 National Guard troops from across the country began pouring into the Gulf Coast on Wednesday to shore up security, rescue and relief operations. The new units brought the number of troops dedicated to the effort to more than 28,000, in what may be the largest military response to a natural disaster.
"We will restore law and order," Blanco said. "What angers me the most is that disasters like this often bring out the worst in people. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior."
In Los Angeles in 1992, and even in the Wikipedia entry I linked to above, almost all you heard was sympathy for the rioters civil-disturbance-causers and how they were rising up against oppression by burning down buildings, killing innocents, and stealing electronics. Stealing food and essential goods is one thing, but stealing televisions and beer is quite another. Situations like this serve as a stark example that humanity is not, at its root, "basically good", as many like to believe.
