Boviosity!

An oblique, yet stirring, tribute to veterans! Half a million of whom (according to the VA) experience homelessness over the course of a year.

Bush and his party have honored soldiers by cutting combat pay and family separation allowance, closing VA medical centers, and tripling the cost of the prescription drug co-pay at the same centers. Not to mention the honor of repeated and extended tours by way of the "back door draft". How ironical!

I just hope that my nephews in Iraq merely end up homeless, rather than dead, as the result of this senseless freakin' war. That also goes for my long de-activated buddies. Depending on how long this goes on, I guess I'll have to start worrying about my godson....

Good heavens! You almost make me wish I had made a Veteran's Day post!

To our veterans: thank you for your service and God bless you. Now get out of my face, ya filthy beggar.

Panhandlers - one thing I don't miss since moving out of the big city. I still remember your lament over being addressed as "Slim" by one hopeful urban prospector.

Gawd, I nearly forgot about that old b*stard.

Did I forget to mention he was blind?

Not really.

My approach to panhandlers varies according to my mood. Sometimes I even give them a buck or two. I once gave a guy ten dollars - all in singles - because he just kept asking, "Is that all?" I just wanted to see when he would stop. I stopped before he did ;)

Now, I've never actually done it, but I always think it would be funny to respond to the usual, "Hey, big man!" with a hearty, "Hey, smelly man!"

Of course, if they hail me as "Yo, Slim," I could always go with, "Whazzup, Perfume?"

Did I ever tell you about a signpost on my road to the church, by the way? It came from a woman who panhandled me and when I turned her down, she said, "God bless you, anyway." I shot back, "God bless *you*, anyway, too." I was angry at her presumption, but it really made me think about the nature of God, who forgives us and blesses us despite our many, many sins.

I wish I could find her so I could give her a buck or two or kick her walker out from under her, depending on my mood.

For what it's worth, when I told K the "Slim" story, she informed me as follows: that a certain ethnic uses that term without regard to actual physical proportions. I have no independent verification of this.

Since moving downtown, I have tried several responses, none of which involve handing over money. I started out by simply saying "No" and moving on. Now I say "No, Sir" or "No, Ma'am" to jog their memory that maybe they once had more self-respect. Mean? Sympathy for someone's plight is one thing, but what mentality, on either the giving or receiving end of panhandling, thinks that a couple of bucks a day will elevate or even help someone? Veteran or not, begging is not the answer.

Rarely, in a less neutral mood, when they make their opening contact I immediately say, "Don't ask me for money." This usually sparks an indignant response that they only need a few dollars.

And the other night, when it was cold, I told a guy "No," but I asked him if he had shelter for the night. He was mad about being turned down, but he said he had a job and was just trying to get enough money to get to the job. This was 10:30 at night outside CNN Center, and I've seen that guy there at all hours of day and night. He held out a handful of pennies and nickels as his proof of trying to get to his job. Bull. Shit.

And please don't rant about "Bush and his party" until you show me some lasting positive result of the 60's vintage War on Poverty, which has by now poured trillions of dollars down a hole, only to reveal that poverty persists through all kinds of economies and every variety of social engineering programs.

My current mean opinion is I don't mind using tax dollars to fund shelters and I also don't mind if those shelters are somewhere out of sight and if people are compelled to go there and stay there until they can get by on their own. These peoples' presence, while perversely comforting to some willing nickel-givers, is a ghastly deterrent to making an area liveable.

So, cutbacks to active duty soldiers and veterans during wartime (ya know, in the 21ST CENTURY) is a good thing? While you're at it, what are benefits of unprecedented wartime tax cuts? They certainly didn't produce the promised levels of new, good-paying jobs. The billions into the "hole" that is Iraq? And don't give me anything about Democracy, Christian Values, or The War on Terrorism, cuz it shore ain't about any of those.

"Fifty million strong can't be wrong/The Firing Squad for God"

One angle on the "trillions spent on the War on Poverty": http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-welfaretrillions.htm

Best dialog yet on Boviosity! My compliments to all debaters, obviously everyone feels strongly. I guess the New York years made me pretty callous, my panhandler response quick evolved to a brusque "sorry". my fairly high gait usually precluded further exchange, when idling at a light, I might go as far as a shrug and a "can't help ya." don't see many homeless in Tallahickee, although there are a few. actually they come in the bar sometimes. I had a fun time with an ex-Marine who let me beat him at arm wrestling, before it came out about needing money. I just walked away. ff

I'm not as encouraged as you are, Franklin. I mean, obviously some sort of response is wanted, but this being a post about smelly panhandlers, and me being sort of OCD, I keep wanting to bring things back on topic, but one of us keeps posting about Veterans' policies of the Bush administration.

Would it help if I promised to never vote for W again?

Sorry folks, I didn't expect this discussion to go on so long. Being a bit OC myself about the Iraq war (especially lately with newly married nephew Adam about to go over), the lack of a veterans day post seemed to provide an good opportunity to rant. This case is closed.