Don't Let a Few Looters Distort the Wave of Decency We've Seen in the Wake of Hurricanes

The images are revolting.In the midst of separate hurricanes ravaging Texas and Florida, dozens of looters were caught making off with items that were anything but essential - sneakers, TV's and, Lord help us, whiskey.Seeing someone hauling a big-screen Plasma on his shoulders or lugging booze out of a store while his neighbors are reeling from a disaster makes you wonder what we have become. How can humanity stoop so low?Several readers reached out to me, with a couple of them bluntly asking why I was ignoring This Most Important Story.Here's all you need to know: The folks who take advantage of such tragedies are few in number.They pale in comparison to the vast number of courageous and compassionate souls I've seen in person and in reports who rescued stranded flood victims or guarded property that may not have belonged to them.But when a looter is caught on camera, said Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the Harris County district attorney's office in Houston, it tends to light the public's fuse."That makes it go viral and people say, 'Oh, my God!"  Continue reading...