> Letters to the Editor
>
>
> An apology to people in need
>
>
> Last week, I wrote a letter printed in the Free Press stating I felt police
> in New Orleans should have the right to shoot to kill looters ("Looters are
> the lowest," Sept. 2). I was led by the mainstream news media to believe the
> looting consisted of people stealing guns, ammunition, TV sets, appliances
> -- in short, stealing for the sake of stealing.
>
> Imagine my chagrin upon learning the truth that the majority of the
> so-called looting consisted of desperate poor people trying to find food and
> water.
>
> I am ashamed of having written the letter I did and regret it greatly.
> Having written it in a state of being misinformed highlights the need for
> the news media to provide us with honest, factual news, rather than spin and
> sensationalism. I apologize to those poor people and hope they got the
> necessities they so desperately needed.
>
> Kathy Handyside
>
> Southgate
While this is a start this also means she still believes it is alright to shoot someone for stealing a vacuum or TeeVee. I have tried in vain to understand why stealing a plastic box filled with glass and wires fills people with such irrational hatred. Why is it acceptable to take a human life to prevent a TeeVee, destined for the landfill, from being taken and why do so many people think this way? Where does this come from?
I don't think most people could actually shoot someone for stealing a TeeVee. Why do they want someone else to do it?
John Thornton