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Comments Posted By choicelady

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Homeless Veterans, America’s Secret Disgrace

Oh Nirek – your story is so powerful and essential! It’s what made me think to tell this one.

I’ve worked with these folks off and on, but it wasn’t until Preston so clearly needed help that I got as involved as I now am. My husband does the same. He’s taking one of the men to AA and is the support point for another (the NON veteran in our midst) who is emotionally immature and in deep need of critical care he refused to take. He needs dialysis and won’t do it. He simply cannot be confined anywhere – he hates it. The hospital is no damned help – just dumped him because he wasn’t compliant even though they are mandated to find him shelter. So now he wanders, sickening every day, and we don’t think he has much time. His on-the-street best friend, a vet who is some years older and infinitely wiser, is torn up about his own inability to get Andy to go back. Finally we all just had to let go of control and do whatever we can to be the friends Andy needs without guilt at our inability to make him do what will save his life.

Dealing with homeless people who have mental and emotional disabilities really requires disengagement from guilt even as the compassion remains. It does require a firm direction to agencies and institutions that are not living up to their responsibilities, but respect for people’s autonomy means accepting who they are, what they want EVEN when we can see it’s so dangerous.

None of this is going to end well unless we get institutional support. That’s what we’re working on – creating safe space for those who can handle it. And I am adamant that it must allow both couples and pets because the worst thing we do to people is disregard their love and need for companionship. Regulating the poor is a lousy way to go. So keep us in your thoughts as we try to find a solution for at least some. They all need and want so few things. There is no excuse for not providing that – especially to our veterans.

» Posted By choicelady On May 2, 2014 @ 8:57 am

No Kalima – we won’t quit. But individuals cannot do this alone. It takes a village! I do know that the fighting attorney is amazing – I’ve worked with him and his wife on many issues – is probably the best hope we have. He’s successfully sued the city for over $1.5 million to compensate the homeless folks who’ve lost their goods. And yet – it continues. They promise now people can get their things back. Ducky – they have no ID and the storage area is miles away. Cute. Just harass a homeless guy or gal for fun is all it seems to be about. I expect better from our police. LOTS better. We will NOT back down, nope.

» Posted By choicelady On May 1, 2014 @ 10:00 pm

We are organizing again – we’ve tried before – to bring some coherence from this complete disregard. The mayor, former NBA player Kevin Johnson, is a total asshole who pretends he cares but does NOTHING. The city council just reduced the requirement for really affordable housing within projects, so that sucks. The social services have all been cut by good Jesuit Jerry Brown – the state budget is lush finally, but nothing will be spent on the people he sacrificed in the past years.

The homeless are drek to policy makers. But they are real people with real stories, and ALL of them, at one time or another, worked hard but could not beat the system that shredded them. When they are also vets, that is a shame of a nation. We’ve done this since 1776 – ignored those who fought for us – and apparently continue that trend. The only generation that ever got due help was those who fought in WW II, but the politicians who cared are long dead themselves. Now we abandon them to the alleys to die. I, as a citizen, am screaming that this has got to stop. NO MORE taking of lives in war and taking them again in peace.

» Posted By choicelady On May 1, 2014 @ 8:36 pm

On March 15, 2014, Jule Preston Bleak, a Vietnam vet, died in the alley around the corner from my house. He was a hardworking man all his life – left the military and worked the oil rigs until his best friend was cut in half in a horrific rig accident. He came back to Sacramento where he’d grown up, hoping to find solace, but he found only disability, homelessness, dementia, and finally death.

I can’t fault the VA – he did not have a perfect discharge. I CAN fault the city of Sacramento for doing NOTHING to help him. In his final year he was losing it mentally, and he became increasingly unable to care for himself despite me, the other homeless people who tried to help. Where were our services?

When he died I had to identify him because I was the only one with his SSN and full information. He had lost his ID months earlier, who knows how or where. Where were the police getting him linked with Adult Protective Services? They never even tried. They didn’t hassle him too much, but they also did not help.

I take care of about 20 homeless people 19 of them vets. I feed them, hire them to do yard work, talk to them on my porch. They are my neighbors even if they don’t have addresses. Most of my money goes to them, one way or the other, because without me they have nothing. Some work – our neighborhood is very clean thanks to their recycling and yard work. Others are no longer able – they are ‘worn out workers’ who would qualify for early Social Security IF someone would help them. I do what I can. It’s not enough.

The ones who absolutely kill me are women. Not a one of them has NOT been raped. Not one. Others are occasionally beaten by men they thought they could trust – but couldn’t. Homelessness is both a community of good people and a world of desperate uncertainty. When they can band together they do. They are such vulnerable souls when they cannot.

We have very supportive people in the neighborhood. We also have scumbags whose ‘hobby’ is calling the police 15-20 times a day to make some phony complaint about the homeless people. One of our local lawyers is helping to gather complaints against the police for taking people’s belongings – totally illegal – but it’s always and forever an uphill fight for basic humanity.

And these are the men and women of Vietnam, of the Gulf wars, of Afghanistan. These are the people we sent to protect our ‘freedoms’ and then kicked in the fucking teeth when they returned.

I love them, warts and all. They are good people.

I miss Preston. For all his dementia he was a good soul. My one solace is that his boon companion, “Puppy” his Australian herder, was rescued by another homeless guy who has taken Preston’s place in my life. Pat is a great guy, superbly caring of Puppy who loves him as she once loved Preston, and he has also become a friend. Thank God he has VA health services – I take him every two weeks then take Puppy to work with me until I can pick Pat up. Having VA means Pat is actually in good shape, capable of taking care of himself far better than Preston could. That alone makes a huge difference – but where are the other services he ought to have?

America has abandoned so many populations of people I think there no longer is any way to call ANY of them a ‘special interest’. We are just people, and those especially who were called out to help protect us deserve so much they are not remotely getting it’s criminal. I do what I can for my little corner of the universe. It’s not nearly enough.

» Posted By choicelady On May 1, 2014 @ 7:19 pm

Chris Christie Cleared on Bridgegate by Wife

Beatlex – I do think he thinks we buy it. Seriously. He is that egomaniacal.

» Posted By choicelady On March 27, 2014 @ 9:25 pm

Well – I know I feel sooooo much better knowing that $1 million of NJ’s tax dollars went into this thoughtful, in-depth report. Obviously the allegations were the work of unhinged women (always true in the GOP firmament) and have no shred of truth.

Christie is the sun, the moon, and the stars and would never EVER do something unprincipled or mean. And you can take Mrs. C’s word for it because she knows him better than ANYONE, of course.

Think of the money this report saved the US taxpayers. Now the DOJ can stand down, assured that there is nothing to investigate. MAJOR public service for Christie’s lawyers to do this so selflessly. I’m sure they worked pro bono, aren’t you?

Well reported Ad Lib. Thank you. Now I can sleep well again. Thank you.

» Posted By choicelady On March 27, 2014 @ 9:24 pm

Happy St. Patrick’s Day…Unless You’re Gay

And for sure I don’t want the Celtic White Supremacists marching! That has become a real blot on the Celtic legacy IMHO. I suspect they also wanted to be present – they have in the past – and have been barred.

I have NO idea what is the ‘correct’ call here. Both sides are strong. Both sides have their problems.

NOT my call. I’m BARELY Irish anyway.

» Posted By choicelady On March 18, 2014 @ 9:01 pm

My stepdaughter’s husband is Irish. He is totally cool, but his Dad (Da?) is far more traditional. And yet – and yet – he and I had a very kind and warm hearted discussion about all this. He said the church needed to become far more engaged with inclusiveness. Now no one in that part of our complicated family IS gay, but to hear him be so thoughtful was a total joy.

I don’t actually know what I think about the parades. IS it the right place for open demonstrations or is it NOT? I just waffle. As one who has engendered the wrath of the Christian right including the Catholics in CA over our strong support of LGBT rights, I ought to be better on this issue, but I’m not. Does a group of people celebrating ONE thing – their heritage – have the right to determine who gets to participate in the POLITICAL aspects of that celebration? I just can’t say.

I know the LGBT activists with whom I work think this is not much of an issue one way or the other which I find very interesting, but then, we’re in CA, not in MA, and that may make a difference. It’s sort of not up to me but to them, and they don’t seem very interested.

I remain confused.

» Posted By choicelady On March 18, 2014 @ 8:58 pm

Oh I don’t know, PPO. Looks like a guy I dated eons ago. Of course, that’s NO guarantee he wasn’t gay is it?

But he is cute as a button.

» Posted By choicelady On March 18, 2014 @ 8:52 pm

Science and Anti-Science – The Greed and Duplicity of Rupert Murdoch

Can’t answer below – I think he learned it when SHE did, yes.

The NSA has been curtailed quite a lot thanks to the ACLU (last good thing they did) and the courts and Congress. The CIA?

NEVER.

They scare me – and a lot of what I know came from books such as John Perkins’ “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” where I discovered that an organization with which I tangentially worked doing entirely innocuous things was the front for the CIA and was Perkins’ employer. Made me sick to my stomach.

Too much Bourne Identity, but there is truth in it all. These are rogue people who do grave harm to our democracy all the time sneering AT that democracy in pursuit of the ‘bigger’ issues. People such as Cheney and private interests such as Halliburton and the Family direct a lot of their course of action. I have had friends killed by the thugs they set on course. They support gigantic global capital against every nation, every human being.

They are the REAL issue I have, and I know how little any administration has been able to do to stop them. They need to be defunded – but they go like Jerry Boykin and set up their own counter army of zealots.

We unleashed them after WW II in our paranoia about commies. We may never be able to put the genie back in the bottle.

» Posted By choicelady On March 14, 2014 @ 7:04 pm

Yup. I will never NOT believe the CIA had a hand in his death. A very BIG hand.

» Posted By choicelady On March 14, 2014 @ 6:58 pm

No, AdLib, it’s because they are living proof of the observation that those who live long lives have a purpose. Theirs just happens to be screwing over the rest of us. But hey – just so you have a hobby, right?

» Posted By choicelady On March 14, 2014 @ 12:23 am

kes – the bugging was in 2007. It is not from this administration.

» Posted By choicelady On March 14, 2014 @ 12:21 am

PBO has expressed several times that he totally supports making the info on CIA crimes against humanity totally available to the public.

It is, prima facie, NOT answerable to anyone. It never has been. Even after the Church committee hearings that blew the lid off the despicable things the CIA has done, it just got quiet; it did not stop. They could NOT care less who is president other than loving the ones such as Bush that gave them free rein. They do not believe they are accountable to a civilian government.

Congress ultimately needs to corral them. One way is to open up their secret funding, but some of that – and we have no idea how much – comes from PRIVATE sources. They have been the handmaidens of private actions – for corporate and religious groups alike – and have been acting without a shred of authority from the government.

John Perkins, a former secret op for the CIA, exposed a great deal of the incredibly complex funding and chains of directions in his book, “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”. It is a critical source of information along with Jeff Sharlet’s “The Family”. These books expose the rogue nature of the CIA and its secret ops on behalf on NON governmental forces.

» Posted By choicelady On March 14, 2014 @ 12:20 am

Her phone was hacked in 2007. I would not doubt it still may be and yes by the CIA that has always been the most dangerous force in our nation. We have never successfully curtailed its over-reach. NEVER.

» Posted By choicelady On March 14, 2014 @ 12:14 am

Have Snowden and Greenwald been attracting our attention to the NSA that has been the focus of both court and legislative actions to reinstate warrants so that we will take our eyes from the CIA that has never EVER been successfully corralled?

I am beginning to wonder since a lot of “facts” that supposedly come from the purloined documents turns out not to be so accurate whether they are the dog and pony show that deflects us from ‘the man behind the curtain’. It is and always has been the CIA that is the biggest threat to liberty in this country. No president or Congress has been able to stop it.

» Posted By choicelady On March 14, 2014 @ 12:13 am

Republicans Use Time Machine to Go Back and Blame FDR for Pearl Harbor

But Obama would have risen above the fray, would never have gone into Iraq, and would have concentrated on bin Laden leaving us mostly out of it.

What is amazing to me is that this man never folds. Unlike Clinton who caved all the time to RW criticism, President Obama keeps the course, does what’s needed, and succeeds. Amazing strength in this man.

» Posted By choicelady On March 6, 2014 @ 7:47 pm

OK – but Kristoff said Obama’s tactics on Syria were ‘weak’. No. He got Putin to support Obama’s push to abolish chemical weapons that Putin had declared he would not do. THAT is outstanding. He bluffed Putin with military intervention, made sure Congress had to make the decision, and got Putin to the bargaining table w Syria and the deed is done. Much progress has been made already in abolishing those horrific weapons. I’m SO TIRED of columnists having knee jerk reactions to things. President Obama knew exactly what to do – and did it. We all won thanks to him.

» Posted By choicelady On March 6, 2014 @ 7:45 pm

See? SEE??? It’s really Obama who brought the Japanese to Pearl Harbor. Proof positive.

FDR was just his henchman.

» Posted By choicelady On March 6, 2014 @ 5:42 pm

I am shocked, shocked I say, that these bozos did not blame Obama for Pearl Harbor. He was born in Hawaii for heaven’s sake – CLEARLY he’s responsible!

Another fail from the time travel GOP. Still calling it wrong all these years earlier.

» Posted By choicelady On March 6, 2014 @ 2:58 pm

Will Ukraine Be Putin’s Iraq?

Kalima – the story about this being Putin’s war, not Russia’s gives weight to my observation about the bemedaled General sitting behind Putin. I read on his face, “Just wait, Comrade. Your time is coming, you weak, self-indulgent little man sucking up to this spoiled Western imperialist.”

I think Putin has many enemies in Russia. He should NOT take his own power for granted.

» Posted By choicelady On March 5, 2014 @ 11:41 pm

We are presuming she actually cares about the kid. Big leap on our part.

» Posted By choicelady On March 4, 2014 @ 10:05 pm

I will always be grateful to Stephanie Miller who said that when Sarah speaks it’s like a Scrabble box blew up in her head.

» Posted By choicelady On March 4, 2014 @ 10:04 pm

But Georgia was invaded in 2008 when Bush was in office (yes, also 2013 but the real issue was 2008). So whom is she criticizing? No one said anything then. And they invaded Chechnya in 1994 – crickets.

Why are ANY of us caring what she said. She said if English was good enough for Jesus it should have been good enough for the Coke Superbowl ad. Seriously – we cannot listen to her ANY MORE!

» Posted By choicelady On March 4, 2014 @ 10:03 pm

I read the transcript, and yes, I think he’s melting down for sure. Angele Merkel said to President Obama that Putin was not living in the same world we all do, and he proved that he was in another dimension today.

I think it’s all flexing his muscle – payback for being forced to confront Syria, dreams of Tsarist glory, imperial might – pick ANY issue and there’s probably some motivation there.

OT – Rachel Maddow is doing an in-depth about why we actually went into Iraq which – and this info is WAY overdue – he announced in January 2001 before 9/11.

I want to go on record and say that if she does not confront his religious monomania as part of this surge, she has dropped the ball. I’m sure there are other reasons as well – and Cheney’s were entirely imperialistic – but defeating “Babylon” to bring the End Times and Second Coming have been too well documented as part of Bush’s psyche for her to ignore.

Putin is not religious though he DOES now wear a cross, and his motives are far more materialistic I suspect, but that vision of world domination for a cause (even if HE is the cause) has been the hallmark of tyrants everywhere.

The rich thugs of Russia are undoubtedly pushing on Putin hard – the credit crunch and shut down of huge monetary accounts is already being felt by them, and they do NOT want the West to accept shutoffs of gas and oil because that is THEIR income. Putin just pissed off the powerful thugs he unleashed, and his little ol’ chickens may be coming home to roost. We can all fervently hope that’s the case!

And then where will the GOP be I wonder?

» Posted By choicelady On March 4, 2014 @ 9:57 pm

Too funny, funk!! That’s amazing as a visual pun. WELL DONE!

» Posted By choicelady On March 4, 2014 @ 9:49 pm

You’re one smart cookie, PPO. That’s a smashing idea.

Only fly in the ointment is the madman in the Kremlin. He may care far less about ‘reunification’ for Russians than in imperialistic restoration of a Russian state over which he could then become Tsar. No predicting the outcome when a loonie is at the helm.

» Posted By choicelady On March 4, 2014 @ 9:48 pm

Cantor’s declaration of support for the president just took the wind right out of the chickenhawks’ sails. Lawrence O’Donnell said it was the first time since the 70s that a sense of unified front in Congress with the (Democractic) president was so great.

It’s a major good thing.

» Posted By choicelady On March 3, 2014 @ 11:37 pm

AdLib – I am reading that many of those steps are already underway. No one is going to ignore this and pretend it’s not happening. Putin has overstepped massively.

» Posted By choicelady On March 3, 2014 @ 11:35 pm

But they ARE doing things, imposing tightened credit and cutting off money. That, to me, is impressive because they all know the risks but are doing it anyway. They pulled out of the G-8 as well – a huge loss of face for Putin.

I think everyone is counting on the rich and mighty IN Russia to put the thumb screws on Putin for risking their private accumulation. That will happen much faster than Putin can shut down gas and oil – and even if he does, it is also a massive loss of money to Russia and the new plutocrats there.

I’m not seeing cowardice here from the EU nations. I’m seeing a unified, calm presence standing with the US on this resistance.

» Posted By choicelady On March 3, 2014 @ 11:33 pm