Re: Homelessness doesn't kill, drugs do

I sent this to an editor after they published a letter similar to the above title:

If Mr. Coleman has a personal reason for this ideation of homeless drug abuse, I don't blame him. It's a chicken and egg question, coupled with the high percentages of mental illness, and alcoholism. But I can tell you through a lot of experience that it's far from the whole story for so many. Mandatory sentencing won't cure it.  The fact of the matter is that there is no "one size fits all" answer.

There are people with debilitating medical problems who have no desire to fit in with addicts, drunks and loonies.  There are people with dysfunctional mental problems who have no such desires either. Even drunks try to be useful members of society. But as they're left derelict (look up that word), they may have no choice but to go for the short sell, hoping to come out a little ahead. 

The services needed to return people to a functional level in society aren't really there for those with deeper needs. Their only option seems to be to get badly warehoused and have religion and or authoritarian treatment that has little to do with normal living, if they can get it.

So yes, homelessness does kill. What you're seeing out there is what you would be doing if no one wanted you or couldn't help anyway. It wouldn't necessarily be your fault, and you shouldn't have to live with some hell on Earth insane treatment at the hands of others until you died even if maybe it was, should you?  So, kudos for healthy scepticism, caution, etc. but don't judge us. At the resurrection we might be judging you.

Trouble in Paradise

I just happened by a TV set this morning and noticed a news crew was excitedly documenting the arrest of a homeless woman who had allegedly tried to break in the house next door to a house that had just been broken into by a homeless guy recentlty, scaring a young starlette off. What the hell is going on in Venice Beach CA?? Venice Beach is another mecca for the homeless. The guy whose house was allegedly broken into said that he's sick of the homeless problem in Venice Beach. Nothing was said about any solution he might have had in mind, but my guess is that it wasn't about sharing the diamond life. What really rocked me with amazement is the fone videos of the previous break in. The starlette had climbed out the upper story window and hid under the awning as she dialed 911. The purportedly homeless burgaler was shown gazing over the other side of the rooftop, then just standing in front of her, staring at her! I'd be scared witless too if I couldn't knock that fool into December! She hasn't returned since.

I've never been to Venice Beach. I passed through it and saw quaint little tourist trap shoppes for people who have nothing better to do than throw away a lot money while they take a break from whatever grind survival has turned out to be for them. And though that was long enough ago for Earth to be classified as a different planet from what it was back then, I'm sure that commerce is still about the same there, but it's gotten a lot more crowded. What happens when places get crowded? In the animal world, critters get meaner and crazier. I see us, the Human species, as being spiritual animals. It's a notion that's evidently been held since prehistoric times. What could possibly possess a couple of homeless people to just start raiding a couple of houses next to each other? It begs the question! OK. Coincidence maybe? If I was a detctive I might find that a hard sell. But in case you don't know it, let's try to set a few things straight:

The average homeless person in California is somewhat likely to be a disenfranchised person from a broken family. Sadly, I don't have any statistics on how many are criminals, but from my experience the homeless are more crimainlized than actually criminal. There is a sad shift towards criminal behavior from lack of other means, such as petty theft, which is now a felony in many states. Homeless people go to jail for stealing a cup of coffee in the same restaurant that tourists are allowed to escape from while skipping out on a $100 tab! I guess they felt it was good for business to jail a homeless derelict over $2 and forgiving rich people for $100 theft, tip not included. The average homeless person would think twice about sneaking into an obviously abandoned house. Hard criminals such as drug dealers like to use them. You learn not to bivouac among violent crazies, if you can help it. It gets to where you don't even want to meet strangers off road for a while. Of course, it's different strokes for different folks. Some people are extremely social and can only think in terms of having someone, anyone, around. But without further explanation, it's baffling to see two homeless people try to burglarize two occupied houses side by side, one after the other! Who might have put them up to this, if it weren't some birdbrained idea of their own? This is not normal homeless behavior, folks! But without the sufficient care that the homeless situation needs, it's likely to increase as overcrowding and desparation increases.

What the Hell

This blog may not be suitable for children and mentally ill adults (whatever that is). I'm still trying to get used to the way this interacts with the borrowed computer.  I can't be responsible for what people do as a result of what I say if I can't even figure out how this damn technology interfaces with the keyboard I'm using! I'll try to keep it clean. It's not about smut anyhow.

For my 1st post here I want to make it an introduction that makes sense out of my likely ramblings. Let me state that I don't much care for politics because while I acknowlege it's necessity, it reeks. The reason I chose the title because as I was following my true to name calling, getting those comments so many homeless have gotten familiar with, the word just popped into my head. I looked it up. Apparently a congressman was eventually convicted for taking bribes from oil companies. One of those locations that got attention was a rock formation that has resemblance to a teapot. It's an unassuming place that may still have a pretty little gas station dressed up like a teapot, that tourists are probably taking selfies at to this very day. Back when, it was one of the areas conceeded to some oil company by the secretary of the interior (I know this looks lazy but I really don't have time to research the details for a good report on it. BTW, you don't want your kids giving excuses like that, do you?). It's a classic story of how rich people affect the lives of poor people by finding ways to sieze things which might have been better off left alone except somebody wanted more money. It's relatively tame compared to legalized displacement of those who have less, their lives and livelihoods. When I was young, one might find a job and a place to live nearly anywhere. Nowadays, ISIL probably has more money in the USA than most patriots who are too worn and weary with trying to survive to have the time to say "patriot". I don't think that's an accident. But like I said, politics reek!