A. I'm so glad I live in Wisconsin. All we have to worry about is nuclear war, the Yellowstone supervolcano, asteroid/comet impact, tornadoes, and global plauge. At least we're not below sea level, and it would take that asteroid making a hit right on Lake Michigan to push it up onto land.
B. I sympathize with the police, I guess it's possible that armed looters/bandits/rapists could be turning around and stating "I'm defending" as soon as they come into contact with law enforcment. However, that's not sufficient reason to engage in unlawful seizures.
C. I agree. It's just not right. The individual armed shop or homeowner probably just seems like another uncontroled variable to the police and NG in what is already unending chaos, but there is no "unending chaos" clause in the Consitution or the Second Ammendment, at least as I've read them.
Frankly, the armed and prepared people, especialy those on dry ground at the fringes of the NOLA flood should be a bonus to the LEO/NG presence. These are one less victim they need worry about, IMO. Just give them clear "rules of engagment", spell out the consequences if they "go Rambo" or "Dirty Harry", and let them be. However, authority by it's nature allways tries to grow to a maximum. Interestingly enough, that single axiom and the attempt to limit such authority is the core basis for our entire system of government, our constitution, and separation of powers in the U.S.
Unfortunately, it allways seems to erode somewhere just a little each day...