The Doctrine of Necessity is a justifiable legal and moral principle if you take something to preserve or protect life. Obviously, if you're taking something from someone that needs it just as much at the time, that's not justifiable. If you actually read interviews of many people after Katrina who were labelled as "looters," notwithstanding the idiots stealing beer and TV's and the like, I think the public would be more sympathetic, or at least understand where many of those people in the stores were coming from. But those stories never came out on the mainstream media.

I know that some people will strenuously disagree with this Doctrine of Necessity, but then again, turn around and heartily agree with justifiably killing someone in self-defense as if "Thou shalt not kill" had some obvious escape clause in it. If killing another human being is not an absolute crime in all cases, then it's not a stretch to think that taking another person's property is not always a hanging offense either.

In many ways, our materialistic society has gradually brainwashed many of us to value property and "things" over human life and dignity. We're not "citizens" anymore, we're often referred to as "consumers" on the news. GW Bush encouraged Americans to go shopping after 9/11. And when 70% of our economy relies on consumption, is it any wonder that "the system" tries to mold our thinking to value "things" most highly above all else?