When is Looting Acceptable?

You have to keep in mind the good possibility of something happening to you, then who will take care of your loved ones?

When the ones you love are going hungry it's ok to loot abandoned residences and business. Looting an occupied home is never ok, but I'd do so, without hesitation, if it came down to breaking my moral code or watching my son starve.

I'll tell you what, if my family and I were starving to death and my neighbor were boiling a big pot of beef stew in his back yard and not sharing, then getting looted would be the least of his worries.

I read somewhere that there was a study done. The conclusion- people will steal and loot beginning 3 days after a disaster with no supplies. They will begin to kill for food at about 7 days.

Mr Smith, why should your neighbor share his stew? He was prepared and you weren't. Would YOU share if you were in his shoes? Never let anyone know how you have prepared for a disaster, even family members. If you invite one family member, chances are better than average that they will invite someone else. Fairly quickly, you will find yourself a target. As for answering the question, I would condone looting unoccupied buildings for feeding your family only. Looting occupied buildings will most likely get you dead.

I guess everyone will do what they have to. If you're unprepared and your son is beginning to starve, maybe you have to sneak into your neighbor's backyard in an attempt to steal his food. If your neighbor has to protect his food to ensure that there will be enough for his family to eat, All bets are off.

Part of the moral dilemma is the question - "When is it looting and when is it stealing?" or "When does looting become stealing?" I think most of us would agree that 'looting' a wide screen television from a store during a disaster is stealing. Jen says, "One person's looting is another persons livelihood...." This makes it sound like an everyday event and I totally disagree this is sometimes acceptable. Just because I have a spare battery in my garage and someone needs a battery, I don't give them the right nor do they have the right just to take mine.

During a disaster in times of life and death people are forced to ask themselves,"Am I my brothers keeper?" Your first duty is to you and your family (as you may define family.) If I had prepared, had laid in supplies, had a pot of beefstew cooking in the backyard and a neighbor was starving and ASKED if they could share - I probably would share. If the circumstances were the same and they clandestinely invited themselves to share - we would have a major problem if I caught them. Exploring unoccupied homes and businesses for life saving sustance that would otherwise spoil and become wasted could be understandable. Doing the same to occupied homes and businesses is unacceptable.

When is looting acceptable? Never!! It should never be acceptable, but having said that, it becomes necessary when you have no other option. That is why they have websites like this one, to learn how to prepare for hard times so looting won't be necesary. Always prepare for the worst(earthquake, hurracaine, war, flood and civil unrest), learn survival skills and practice what you have learned, buy all the necesary equipment (first aid kits, bag-out bags, food supplies, water, personal hygiene, knives, ammo flashlights etc.) and keep enough food and water for every memeber of your family including your pets for at least a 30 day supply. One thing I learned from having gone through a civil war, money or jewelry won't do you any good. Stack up with cigarrettes, or any kind of inexpensive booze, because all those smokers and drinkers will find food for you in exchange for cigarrettes or booze, so those items become more precious than gold or money, but do't tell them you have plenty otherwise they will kill you to take it all, carry a couple of packs of cigs or pints of booze with you to barter with. For some reason people can do away with eating for a few days but cannot stop smoking or drinking for half a day. Another bartering item is medicine for cold, flu, headaches, diarrhea, nausea pain and antibiotics because people will get sick. You will be amazed how much food and water you will get for a pack of cigarrettes and a pint of booze. Always be vigilant and protect your family from looters and thugs always carry your weapon with you at all times and teach all of your family members how to use one. When disaster hits, you are all alone, 911 will not work!! You must survive on your own.

Well I tell you what even though i am a man of the cloth when it comes to my family living or dying i want them to live. So at all cost no matter who i have to take from even if it is with force i will feed them. But i will share with people who help collect the food. starving to death is painful. and if food or the means to get it is sittin some where not being used then i will use it. i will not though share with someone capable of getting food for them self just too lazy to do so.