Thieves plunder in Charley's aftermath

[0rion]

By WILL VAN SANT, Times Staff Writer
Published August 16, 2004

PUNTA GORDA - After the hurricane ended, the looting began.

Among the first targets, officials said, was the Charlotte Harbor Fire Department. Firefighters arrived early Saturday to find that their computers had been swiped in the night.

Charlotte County Sheriff's Office spokesman Robert Carpenter said his office is getting regular reports of looting from residents of the area's many storm-wrecked neighborhoods. Carpenter said his officers are responding when able, but that they are saddled with more pressing demands, such as caring for survivors.

Thieves plunder in Charley's aftermath

[rooboy]

1. Saw the headline and thought it was a GOP puff piece. n/t

[Maddy McCall]

2. One of the consequences of the National Guard being in Iraq, instead of

in Florida, doing the job the signed up to do. :grr:

[jpgray]

3. Shush

You'll wake the media with all that racket.

[tom_paine]

19. No, nothing but Uncle Karl's Fax machine could wake those Pravda Whores

Trust me, the Imperials aren't snapping any towels to get this story out.

[Billy Burnett]

6. After hurricane Andrew it was the National Guard was doing the looting

Saw them loot the Cutler Ridge mall stores w/my own eyes.

[yellowcanine]

8. Florida Democrats need to point this out loudly and frequently.

Give the pubbies a dose of their own medicine.

[skypilot]

18. Where IS the National Guard?

Didn't Jeb sign an executive order in Sept 2001 which would enable him to call up the Guard in a situation such as Florida finds itself in right now? I mean, they're not ALL in Iraq, are they?

[daleo]

4. Freedom is messy

Ask Rummy. Besides, its probably a picture of the same guy stealing the same computer a hundred times over.

[CatWoman]

5. ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:D

[yellowcanine]

7. No - It's "Freedom is untidy." if I am not mistaken.

I believe that is Rummy's preferred choice of words.

[daleo]

9. You're right - this is a more Rumsfeldian construction

Which makes it sound even more insane.

"Stuff happens," he huffed, explaining that "free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things." After all, he noted, national transitions are generally accompanied by "untidiness." And the situation in Iraq, Rumsfeld added, is "untidy. And freedom's untidy."

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20030512&s=miller

[hatrack]

17. BWAHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now THAT was refreshing! :evilgrin:

[yellowcanine]

10. Maybe Jebbie could work out a deal with Castro to get some Cuban

troops in there to restore order.

[Baclava]

11. U loot - U Die

Sounds pretty good to me

[TheRovingGourmet]

24. What is the law on using deadly force to protect your

property in Florida? Do you know? I would not loot in Texas. :)

Give a Hoot! Don't Loot!

[Barney]

12. Punta Gorda officials made it easier

The Punta Gourda Fire Department went door to door in the various apartment and condo complexes damaged by the hurricane and knocked on doors. If no one answered, the Department smashed the front door down with a sledge hammer and went inside. (CNN re-played it several times Saturday.) They were checking for dead people, but the perhaps unintended consequence is that the people who did as they were told and evacuated, now will come home to a smashed door and possibly nothing of value left in their homes.

I understand looking for victims, but sometimes when no body answers the door it means that no body is there.

[Retrograde]

27. hate to nitpick, but

"I understand looking for victims, but sometimes when no body answers the door it means that no body is there."

Just because nobody answers the door doesn't mean there's no body there.
Aside from the dead, there could also be people trapped in debris or severly injured. Why the FD didn't get keys from apartment or condo supervisors I don't know. Nor do I know if they hit every building, or just the most damaged ones, or just the ones with the camera crews watching. Or maybe their firefighter instincts just kick in and they like to break down doors. But given the situation I don't put all the blame on them.

[dqueue]

13. having read this...

link about two weeks before Charley, i have to wonder what else has been looted...

[Keilwerth41]

14. Hurricane/Looting = BUSH/RUMSFELD!!!

Reuters has a story up from an overseas bureau stating that three weeks ago chinese satellites detected unusual activity from other satellites though to be used by the (evil) pentagon or at least by americans. the activity is consistent with an enormous amount of heat generation being radiated towards the caribbean. This may have been the cause of hurricane charley changing course and hitting the west coast of florida.

The point is that Bush and Rumsfeld deliberately engineered this to take attention off of his poll numbers, the economy and the war. Now instead of having to explain himself bush gets a photo op with the people whose homes he destroyed!!

UPDATE: The link is broken but I will put it back up when I figure out where it was moved to.

[Ripley]

16. Is that a joke?

Hard to tell around here.

[prolesunited]

20. So, how stupid do you think

the people around here are? I don't think even the hard-core tinfoil hatters will fall for this one.

[denverbill]

22. Clinton did it.

Everyone knows Clinton is responsible for everything bad that happened under Bush's reign, from the recession to 9-11 to the failed Iraq war.

[oasis]

23. Don't bother with the link. Bush and Rummy only had the power to stop 9/11

from happening, but failed miserably. You can search your soul to determine whether they intentionally shoved aside intelligence to let that disaster happen. But at least you know that the Bushistas are quite capable of such cold-blooded treachery.

[OKNancy]

15. Story link

to original source - larger type.
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/16/Weather/Thieves_plunder_in_Ch.shtml

[Blue_Tires]

21. in times of crisis

people's true nature always comes to the top

[TheRovingGourmet]

26. Sad, but true.

[0rion]

28. +1

[Moderator]

25. Moving Thread to General Discussion

In order to post in Late Breaking News, you must provide a link to the original source.

Thank you.