| There is no doubt that the effects of hurricane Katrina | | | | Orleans with an offer to take a half dozen looters off |
| (I'm sure glad they're female again) will, in some way, | | | | his hands. "We've got a good police force and we can |
| impact everyone in the country. The storm has | | | | handle 'em even if they have baseball bats." he might |
| already destroyed billions of dollars of personal | | | | say. A local civic organization could volunteer to take |
| property and left thousands devastated and homeless. | | | | an arsonist or two. The offers to help evenly distribute |
| If you have not yet made a donation a good place to | | | | the crime rate would pour in, not only for New Orleans |
| start is with the American Red Cross.There is a | | | | but other crime ridden communities.The mayor of |
| movement across the United States to help house | | | | Crystal Forks, North Dakota would dial up the mayor |
| those affected by this tragedy. Many all over the | | | | of say...New York City. "We'll take a dozen of anything |
| country are generously willing to donate homes, | | | | ya' got except murderers. We don't need none o' |
| apartments and mobile homes to those in immediate | | | | them murderers!" The potential here is unlimited.This |
| need. It has been suggested that some care in the | | | | could evolve into a national crime barter system. One |
| selection of recipients may be in order to keep folks | | | | rapist is worth six jay walkers or two cat burglars for |
| from finding out that they are actually housing looters | | | | one armed robber. You get the idea. Rural America |
| and rapists instead of distressed flood victims. At first | | | | reaches out to the beleaguered cities to help share the |
| glance, that may seem reasonable enough. But if you | | | | national disaster of rising crime. Now that would be |
| think about it, here's a chance to rise way above just | | | | humanitarian relief.Bob Huntington is in property |
| one disaster.The crime rate in some urban areas is | | | | management in Ruidoso, New Mexico. You can visit |
| staggering. Imagine redistributing some of the burden to | | | | his websites at or . He also authors the Ruidoso blog, |
| more rural areas. The place to start is New Orleans. | | | | Visiting Ruidoso, New Mexico at . |
| Imagine a small town official calling the mayor of New | | | | |