Looting Walmart

The news of the human tragedies resulting from Hurricane Katrina have been replaced with news of another more permanent form of human tragedy- poverty. Not that the ‘news’ puts their coverage in those terms, but never-the-less that is what the looting stories are really about.
I have seen the tapes of people sloshing through Walmart filling shopping carts with soggy clothes and small appliances. Walmart? People are looting Walmart? Certainly the storm-devastated cities had better goods to offer than that, so why would anyone chose to steal junk- and water damaged junk at that. The answer is obvious and sad. Greed substitutes for hope. Walmart’s rags, plastic and glitter looks like a treasure trove to those who live in poverty. And what spirit-crushing poverty they must suffer from to covet trash from Walmart.
Most Americans are outraged that looters are taking advantage of the storm’s devastation, but never a murmur about how oil companies are profiteering from the same storm. While average Americans send their donations and good will to the human victims of the storm, the price of gasoline soars simply because no legal authority stops them.
Legal authorities along the Gulf Coast will soon be relieved of their life saving duties and once again protect Walmart from looters. Too bad there isn’t some power structure to protect citizens against corporations looting us.
Nancy Sherer