To be kinda honest....I once lived in Tent City. Yes. Perhaps I should feel shame...or something terrible...but I lived in Incirlik's Tent City in Turkey....for around 120 days. It was military Tent City...but still...it was Tent City.
Here in recent days...Sacramento's "Tent City" has kinda popped up. In fact...its gotten so much popular notice....that its on YOUTUBE and noted nation-wide. I should even add...it's even getting international notice.
The thing about Sacramento's Tent City....is that its basically a sprawling campground...with only a population of 100 to 200 homeless men and women.
Amusingly enough....even "Inside Edition" has decided to feature Sacramento's Tent City.
So you'd sit there and think...wow....Tent City getting noticed. Pretty neat. My 120 days in Incirlik's Tent City didn't really get noticed by anyone. Between the toilet that was 300 feet away....the cockroaches...the mice....the scorpions...the dust....I just kinda sat there in a daze mostly.
Here in this episode? Apparently some city leaders are starting to shake their heads over this Tent City.
For some reason....with all this Oprah-like attention....there is now a hot debate going on....in Sacramento.....over whether the campground be 'legal' and then if they should provide basic services.....like portable bathrooms and water. Somewhere in the midst of this mess...the city and county are trying to figure out how to avoid a class-action lawsuit over their treatment of homeless folks.
I would pull out the constitution if anyone cared....just to show them that they really don't have rights to city-paid services....like bathrooms or water or roofs. For some apparent reason....Jefferson never wrote those into the document. Course, a homeless advocate would say that Jefferson was never homeless. True...he would have gone and pitched a tent....caught a rabbit....found some way of survival and then proceeded on.
The episode becomes like some TV show....where facts and data are dumped....whether true or not. Some media folks are now saying well over 1,200 homeless folks exist at the Sacramento camp....but the locals kinda laugh...they are still mostly at 200....and its not really increasing much....least not yet.
Then you've got a couple of folks....probably international media....who are reporting this camp as a "refugee camp". I started laughing about that comment. The same guys are hinting that these are mostly formerly middle-class people who have been hit by the recession. Again, the local settle that matter by saying a few are formerly middle-class...the majority are not.
The truth is that the camp has now become some kinda zoo where media members come and go...to get some great shots and interview a few people to describe the great '2009 depression'.
As some of the homeless authorities now admit....this media attention has now stressed out the homeless.....and started to effect "the morale and dignity of the homeless people themselves".
The advocates are super-positive over this episode....with folks dropping off lots of stuff. But then...the act of taking the homeless guy up to a job opportunity or getting them hired on with McDonalds or Wendys....doesn't come to the mind of the homeless advocates.
I've often seen this attitude on TV....where you have a sheep herder (homeless advocate), who desperately wants to keep his herd in line and stabilized (the homeless folks). The idea of the flock moving on...getting regular lives....is the least of the priorities.
You would think...that you'd take the guy in....get them shaved and cleaned up....dressed in a decent set of clothing....and then write up a good little resume and then get some decent interviews out of the way...and hired with someone...anyone...would be a top priority. Instead...the advocates usually keep wanting to talk to the guy....give them soup and water....and arrange for long-term homelessness.
So somewhere out in California tonight....around 200 folks sit in Sacramento....sipping some free coffee from the advocates. They are listening to good homelessness chat, posing for pictures with some reporter from Paris or some journalist from New York City...and then counting the stars before they nod off to sleep. Something's not right here....but who am I tell a bunch of smart people that?
So from a guy who spent 120 days in a Tent City to another guy sitting in Samramento's Tent City....if you want to stay and enjoy the freedoms and wonder of Tent City life....then go for it. But if you really would like to move on and get a better deal...then don't accept the deal. Use every chance to get a job and rebuild. Don't settle for permanent homelessness.
Saturday, 14 March 2009
Seizing What Moment?
This week...a number of gay activists and pro-gay individuals came up and started the 'press' against the Obama administration to open up the doors of the military for gays....completely. They came as gay, straight, political, non-political and military supporters.
The general thought is to repeal the "don't ask and don't tell" policy by the end of 2009. The belief is that the Obama administration made a promise, and they intend to hold the administration's feet to fire over this promise.
I've blogged this several times....and probably will blog it another two or three times this year....as the discussion continues on.
My feeling is that eventually....the "don't ask and don't tell" policy will be tossed out. A presidential order will then take place....relieving congress of the responsibility of giving involved any further....at least for a couple of months. The landmine in this episode? Several.
First, there is this problem with the UCMJ....the rules of life for military individuals and set into law. There amongst what they expect or don't expect...is sodomy. The rule has been there for a pretty long time....longer than just about anyone alive today. The odds of a majority in congress tossing this little rule? Zero. I don't think any senator or congressman wants to openly discuss sodomy and to develop his policy over the act or the crime. Frankly, it really lowers the entire process of congress to have to sit there....and openly discuss sodomy....as though it was imported oranges or tainted pickles from Mexico.
Then we come to the presidential order which will likely mandate this lifestyle or act as 'ok' and then expect everyone to smile and be happy about the change. There are different statistics concerning the immedate effect. My best guess....ten to fifteen percent of the military will not be able to handle open gayness. Even when the miltary requires gay orientation....likely to be a five-hour "gay is ok" lecture at every post or base. Within twelve months....the ten to fifteen percent group will demand to be allowed to exit. My personal opinoin....the only way to make this episode work....is to pay them off and let them exit. Give them three months of pay and agree that dismissing them has to be in the best interest of the military.
What comes next? Well....the act of gay marriage will be a major discussion item. Someone will come up with civil union certificates or foreign marriage licenses and demand housing pay for a couple...with their same-sex partner. There will be a fairly long discussion within congress and the Pentagon over this act. In the end....they will have to hand out the housing pay.....but this merely triggers the next problem....base housing.
The base housing discussion will erupt when a male gay couple moves into a housing area and some NCO's wife lets them know right away that they are not accepted. That woman's husband will be marched into the commander's office and told to correct his wife and get an apology. The wife will refuse. The commander....in a senstive moment....will try to just kick them out of housing. I'm suspecting that the gay male couple will make this into fairly substantial situation and demand the NCO apologize for his wife....which the guy probably won't do. One can only guess the next point in life for this NCO and his wife.
Then we'll have the guys who want to wear women's clothing.....which everyone says today is not an issue. Trust me.....it will become an issue within twelve months. Some guy....out of 10,000 gays....will demand the right to wear a woman's uniform. This will simply trigger another round of talk-talk or chat-chat over whats right or whats acceptable.
Transgendered episodes? In an amusingly way....I'd expect this around twenty-four months into the new era....when Airman Snuffy walks in after a vacation and shows off his 38DD boobs and announces his new gender. Congressional rules over this? Non-existent. The gay front will kinda just stand there.....because they know it would happened sooner or later. How to handle this? One can only guess, but I feel sorry for the commander involved who has to mess with Air Snuffy and his gender issues.
Finally....we will come to an interesting foreign affairs situation. When a unit is deployed into a Muslim country and the local folks quickly sum up a problem....too many openly gay American military guys and they want none of them showing up in the local town....it'll be a national issue. The sad truth is that around fifty countries have a pretty negative view of gays and really don't want any gay openness. Will we redeploy? Will we stay on the base or post? Will we simply say that we don't support countries with anti-gay atittudes?
So I'm looking over this group approaching the administration and their belief in seizing the moment and going for change. I think they've done their best to simplify the sitatuation but a hundred real issues continue to exist. If you had 100,000 total military personnel announce that they simply can't handle this situation....will you have the brains to simply let them out? My guess is no. You will attempt to force them into a corner....and scratch your head over repeated acts of violence, acts of immaturity, and acts of stupidity. Political figures will wonder why guys in a combat zone would insult their gay comrades. You'll have talk show hosts who ask what the big deal is....in living in a 8-man tent....where two lesbians are chastized daily over their openness.
I've pretty much come to the conclusion that this will happen....no matter what....sooner or later. The effect? It'll be a long ten-year period where people keep asking when total acceptance will be exist....and still will not be happy. Affects on enlistment of 18-year olds? Yes.....we might as well predict that 10,000 potential signees each year.....will question if its smart to sign up with a changed-military and open gayness. Some will likely sign up and then discover twelve months later that its not a big deal....and some will discover twelve months later that they really can't stand gays and ask to be let go early. Life goes on....just in a more chaotic manner.
The general thought is to repeal the "don't ask and don't tell" policy by the end of 2009. The belief is that the Obama administration made a promise, and they intend to hold the administration's feet to fire over this promise.
I've blogged this several times....and probably will blog it another two or three times this year....as the discussion continues on.
My feeling is that eventually....the "don't ask and don't tell" policy will be tossed out. A presidential order will then take place....relieving congress of the responsibility of giving involved any further....at least for a couple of months. The landmine in this episode? Several.
First, there is this problem with the UCMJ....the rules of life for military individuals and set into law. There amongst what they expect or don't expect...is sodomy. The rule has been there for a pretty long time....longer than just about anyone alive today. The odds of a majority in congress tossing this little rule? Zero. I don't think any senator or congressman wants to openly discuss sodomy and to develop his policy over the act or the crime. Frankly, it really lowers the entire process of congress to have to sit there....and openly discuss sodomy....as though it was imported oranges or tainted pickles from Mexico.
Then we come to the presidential order which will likely mandate this lifestyle or act as 'ok' and then expect everyone to smile and be happy about the change. There are different statistics concerning the immedate effect. My best guess....ten to fifteen percent of the military will not be able to handle open gayness. Even when the miltary requires gay orientation....likely to be a five-hour "gay is ok" lecture at every post or base. Within twelve months....the ten to fifteen percent group will demand to be allowed to exit. My personal opinoin....the only way to make this episode work....is to pay them off and let them exit. Give them three months of pay and agree that dismissing them has to be in the best interest of the military.
What comes next? Well....the act of gay marriage will be a major discussion item. Someone will come up with civil union certificates or foreign marriage licenses and demand housing pay for a couple...with their same-sex partner. There will be a fairly long discussion within congress and the Pentagon over this act. In the end....they will have to hand out the housing pay.....but this merely triggers the next problem....base housing.
The base housing discussion will erupt when a male gay couple moves into a housing area and some NCO's wife lets them know right away that they are not accepted. That woman's husband will be marched into the commander's office and told to correct his wife and get an apology. The wife will refuse. The commander....in a senstive moment....will try to just kick them out of housing. I'm suspecting that the gay male couple will make this into fairly substantial situation and demand the NCO apologize for his wife....which the guy probably won't do. One can only guess the next point in life for this NCO and his wife.
Then we'll have the guys who want to wear women's clothing.....which everyone says today is not an issue. Trust me.....it will become an issue within twelve months. Some guy....out of 10,000 gays....will demand the right to wear a woman's uniform. This will simply trigger another round of talk-talk or chat-chat over whats right or whats acceptable.
Transgendered episodes? In an amusingly way....I'd expect this around twenty-four months into the new era....when Airman Snuffy walks in after a vacation and shows off his 38DD boobs and announces his new gender. Congressional rules over this? Non-existent. The gay front will kinda just stand there.....because they know it would happened sooner or later. How to handle this? One can only guess, but I feel sorry for the commander involved who has to mess with Air Snuffy and his gender issues.
Finally....we will come to an interesting foreign affairs situation. When a unit is deployed into a Muslim country and the local folks quickly sum up a problem....too many openly gay American military guys and they want none of them showing up in the local town....it'll be a national issue. The sad truth is that around fifty countries have a pretty negative view of gays and really don't want any gay openness. Will we redeploy? Will we stay on the base or post? Will we simply say that we don't support countries with anti-gay atittudes?
So I'm looking over this group approaching the administration and their belief in seizing the moment and going for change. I think they've done their best to simplify the sitatuation but a hundred real issues continue to exist. If you had 100,000 total military personnel announce that they simply can't handle this situation....will you have the brains to simply let them out? My guess is no. You will attempt to force them into a corner....and scratch your head over repeated acts of violence, acts of immaturity, and acts of stupidity. Political figures will wonder why guys in a combat zone would insult their gay comrades. You'll have talk show hosts who ask what the big deal is....in living in a 8-man tent....where two lesbians are chastized daily over their openness.
I've pretty much come to the conclusion that this will happen....no matter what....sooner or later. The effect? It'll be a long ten-year period where people keep asking when total acceptance will be exist....and still will not be happy. Affects on enlistment of 18-year olds? Yes.....we might as well predict that 10,000 potential signees each year.....will question if its smart to sign up with a changed-military and open gayness. Some will likely sign up and then discover twelve months later that its not a big deal....and some will discover twelve months later that they really can't stand gays and ask to be let go early. Life goes on....just in a more chaotic manner.
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