I was just verbally assaulted and had the police called on me (like they care, ha)

for giving a blanket to a homeless lady here in FL with bad circulation, that I had met a week ago. She had said back then that the wind cut through her at night, and even though it was pretty nice out (60's) it felt horrible to her. So I gave her my extra blanket when I saw her on the bus bench tonight and began talking to her in detail about her situation of being where she's at now.

She had said the hospital had tried to put her inpatient so they could help her stop the infection that was growing on her leg. And I encouraged her to trust them and promised if she goes in, that I'd come see her in 2 days if she's there. I noticed someone staring at me (you know the feeling), so, I turn to my right, outside the expensive grocery store (Publix) where you typically have money to shop or you'd go to Winn-Dixie, or any of the other lower priced alternatives, and I see this fancy Mercedes SUV idling with a lady about 60 inside of it giving me a horrible scowl. I ignore her and continue to encourage this lady, who is very large and needs care, to put faith in this very good hospital we have here (best in the county). Her Cherokee face was warming up and holding her blanket I gave her, and she said if I said they were that good maybe she'd go back. She started asking me questions about my brother I mentioned, that I said I care give for, and as I answered her, I looked up and the lady in the SUV was STILL there about a minute later. I said excuse me to the homeless woman, and walked over to the SUV slightly smiling and said, "can I help you?".

She growled, "are you bothering her?" (which is funny because of what she said afterwards), and I said, no, I'm giving her a blanket and giving her ----- and was about to say giving her strength to trust the hospital so she can get better and get into an assisted living facility, since she's been on the streets here for nearly a month now --- but before I could, the lady yelled at me, "don't give them ANYTHING! you just don't do that, ever! If you want to help her, call the cops!".

I said, do you live here? And she said yes, and I responded quickly with,
then you've seen her repeatedly also for a few weeks? She said yes. Then I said, so I take it you've called the cops to help her then, so mind your own business, I have nothing further to say to you."

Well that set her off, she yelled that what I was doing was wrong and she was calling the cops on me. I said, "your behavior clearly implies that you have something mentally unhinged upstairs if you really think giving a blanket to a homeless person is wrong, now go meddle somewhere else."

She gassed it around the side of the store and parked her Mercedes GLK (whatever that thing must cost) and sat there calling while I continued talking to this sweet lady who shares Cherokee blood just like me. Anyhow, I ignored her and finished up and told her that angels will be with her in the hospital if she would go, and that I'd call and see if she's there and come visit. So I got in my car and pulled away and as I passed the SUV the lady was getting out and going inside - sitting in the front of the store with her hatchback door up, SUV running with the lights on, and no one inside and went inside the store to get whatever item she wanted to put in the back --- I was hoping one of the homeless guys nearby would jump in and drive off.

Driving away I could not imagine why there are people out there that would rather see people dead than encourage them to get help, if it is within someone to feel it is their call to approach someone. I had met her at the 7/11 last week, and knew she was alert, intelligent and sweet. She asked for nothing last week when I saw her.

There is no way to describe how cold and uncivil, uncaring, and emotionally dead inside one must be - not that the Mercedes lady had to stop and help this lady ever - no - that she actually stopped and tried to stop ME from giving her a blanket, and didn't even get a chance to hear I was trying to encourage her to go to the hospital where they offered her help if she'd let them. She was to busy being the devil in person...


I just had to get this out, if you read this, bless you. If anything it's healthy to type out my disgust with the lady in the SUV. How sad her life must be.

If you want to send up positive vibes, or prayers to the Lord or to your God for the woman I was trying to encourage - her name is Laura, from Jonesboro, Illinois, and circumstance have led her to where she is today. May she get the help she needs.

And may that other lady have an awakening...

Her Judgement day is coming.

Doesn't this bitter old lady need our compassion just as much as the homeless lady? The homeless lady suffers from her homelessness. The bitter old lady suffers from her bitterness. They both suffer. They both need help. They both need love. They both need compassion.

Just because it's easier to help the grateful homeless lady doesn't excuse us from at least trying to help the bitter, ungrateful old lady as well. Sometimes the right thing to do is not the easy thing to do. And while it may not be easy to forgive the bitter old lady, it is the right thing to do.

The sun DOES shine here at DU.

Sorry, we are not animals, we are logical creatures who make choices, good or bad, the piece of shit in the MB made her choice, and she deserves not one second of compassion. And I am positive she thinks she is right.


Fuck her, burn the witch!

Did not both women make choices that led them to their respective states: one on a bench, the other in a luxury vehicle; one giving up, the other embittered? Is it logical, then, to grant one compassion, while denying the other? Is it right?

When compassion becomes a salve we dole upon condition, we risk those conditions narrowing or implying repayment. We risk becoming like Mercedes lady: bitter, jaded, disgusting. We risk becoming like homeless lady: consumed, hopeless, frightened. We risk our humanity: we become nothing.

As distasteful as it is to deal with self-entitling, Affluenza-infected, arrogant monsters, we must. They hurt and are as empty inside as others.

Do you feel the same way about Bush? For all of the people he has sent to die? Since we can't do anything about the woman in the MB in the afterlife, lets do it now. Burn the witch.

I addressed your notion that it was acceptable to give compassion to one but unacceptable to the other. Yes, even war criminals deserve compassion: if we withhold compassion, we become exactly like them. In the real world, you fight fire with water -- not fire. In the real world, you fight evil with good -- not evil.

There is no "after" life: there is only life. It's what you do now that matters. When you burn the witch, you become the witch.

Burn the witch slow and long

I said quite deliberately that there is no "after" life. By that, I mean there is no after party, no invitation-only affair after the main event. There is only the main event. I am perfectly willing to accept "additional" life, as an extrapolation of the Conservation of Mass and Energy principle.

Even those who offer no compassion are themselves deserving of it.

him spend the rest of his life in locked up in a little 10' x 10' cell!

and when we delight in justice served, we brush elbows with vengeance -- justice should bring peace, not reverie.

But sadly what "should" happen is the Ideal, and what "does" happen is the Real.

In just the first few posts.
You are right you fight evil with good, and never stoop to the level of evil doer.

I think fighting the bastards is a much better strategy than giving in, otherwise we wouldn't BE HERE in this moment of shit (thanks to not fighting).

Sun Tzu said "The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him." When you impose compassion, you support the weak and the wounded and you wear down the cruel and heartless. The imposition of your will is an important part of the fight.

You put it in a much better way than I did.

Sorry, it's time we stopped being 'compassionate' and started fighting for what we believe in.

Getting back to the original concept of this thread, being compassionate with a person like the woman in the MB gets you nothing, in this world or beyond. Just more pain for the less fortunate who deserve the compassion far more, whose circumstances require us to be compassionate. Because I feel no compassion for the miserable bitch (MB=Mercedes Benz, get it) who thought she was human garbage, doesn't mean I have no compassion. It means that your idea of peaceful observation without positive interaction (ie, burn the witch)doesn't help either, it just makes you happy and smug in your passivity.

Oh, and thanks for the history lessons. If it's one thing I learned from history, being passive in the face of oppression and thuggery gets you dead, not free. Or, maybe in your view, it is freedom.

Be well, burn that incense.

People who identify themselves as Republicans are, in the largest percentage, homogeneous: they align neatly on many economic, political, and social concepts. Conversely, people identifying themselves as "Democrats" are, in the largest percentage, heterogeneous: they overlap on many concepts, but the parts that do not overlap are quite disparate. Republicans, therefore, have rank and file solidarity that Democrats do not. This absence of solidarity allows Republicans to easily fracture the Democratic party: thus they win, quite effectively, with a divide-and-conquer approach.

No single element of the Democratic party caused the stomping. But I believe the single biggest factor was voter apathy. Gore was a great candidate, but he lacked sufficient glitz to overcome the negative campaigning and his VP choice was, shall we say, bad. Kerry was compromise candidate, only the favorite of few, acceptable to most, not so to others; and Edwards -- as bright as he is to me -- was not so luminal to everyone.

So, to me, it seems like you are describing "apathy," not "compassion." I don't know anyone who has had "compassion" for the Bush Administration: they are certainly deserving of compassion should they fall on hard times, but that has yet to actually occur.

Being kind to Mercedes lady does get you something: peace of mind that you polished a little ugly off the horrible. That your single act of compassion might influence her just enough to speed a little less; to buy fewer useless foreign-made trinkets; and so on. At the least, it does her no harm and it improves you.

I grant you that if you're interested in quick fixes, compassion is not the route. But I'm not suggesting that compassion is the only solution. I am suggesting that, rationally, compassion must be doled out equally -- to the easy cases and the hard cases -- and that long-term solutions must be employed parallel to short-term solutions.

And my "short-term solutions" may be your "positive interactions", which are all well and good. Sometimes you have to engage someone to get them to hear. Most of the time, that means simply actively listening: holding your point until they have released theirs. Only in the most rare cases is any active physicality required. You try to talk down before you open fire.

But violence begets violence, so you must carefully choose when to wield it and understand that violence doesn't replace real, long-term solutions. And you never, ever forgo compassion.

And lastly, you mistake me for a incense-burning hippie. I assure you, that is not the case. I don't sip latte, and I load my own sidearm.

I am never in favor of giving in to evil. I just believe what Gandhi said and that MLK followed and that is non cooperation with evil.
There is a difference. Gandhi fought against colonialism for years and finally won and still had compaction. He never cooperated with the enemy and never gave up although the deck was way stacked against him.
It is still fighting for justice but without resorting to the same tactics used by the evil doers.

"Fight evil with good", thanks for that, its a hard thing to do, but is the righteous way. As you believe in no afterlife, your actions are that much more meaningful because you expect no heaven, good karma, or reward. Its an honor to "meet" you.

...especially when one can change the world with a bullet in the right place.

My personal reward is witnessing the change ripple around me, to see the barren, scorched landscape turn verdant and fertile. To see the desolate uplifted and to see the vicious tamed.

Welcome to DU, maryf; pleased to meet you, too.

and I hope its words in the right ears that brings the change to the world! Your words would go a long way! In Peace and Justice, mary:D

those who think bullet first, and compassion last, would simply meet with that they advocate?

- Meister Eckhardt

SUV woman needs a little peace. Laura of Jonesboro needs justice.

We all need compassion.

I used that thought in my Reply #157.

Karma, Karma, Karma!

Just saying.

...especially those who would recommend "calling the cops" on someone who hasn't committed a crime as a means of dealing with them. I'm under no obligation to be civil towards people who would have me rounded up by state authority for either being homeless, or for giving aid/comfort to the homeless.

all in its time.

homeless woman. If she dies today she will remain in hell for a long, long time. It is best to pray for her, or whatever your equivalent is. Meditate on what made her that way and how you can work against it.

"Peace, man!" "Hey, let's go down to the Australian coast. I hear there's some Great White sharks down there that have been feasting on sea lions. We need to rub the sharks' tender white bellies and make sure they feel loved."

SFX: Cue sitar music.

"Groovy!"

The Republican Mercedes Benz crowd has been destroying the middle- and lower classes with a vengeance for decades now, taking away decent public education, decent healthcare, and a decent standard of living. All of this class warfare has enriched them to no end, and has impoverished and, yes, KILLED millions of those below them.

Pardon me if I don't groove to your sitar vibe. *fume*

and the Mercedes Benz crowd are probably the most infected:
http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza

Now that many impoverished Mexican, Indian, and Chinese workers have sufficient money to spend, they're going to start imitating our lifestyle: consuming their own cheap goods and services in a frenzy like ours. The good news: that will narrow the trade gaps. The bad news: Earth doesn't have that many natural resources.

Time to buy a planet:
"Mr. Gates -- Mr. Buffet is on line 1. He wants you to invest in some real estate."

to this homeless lady. I hope she gets the help she needs. I would rather be her than that woman in the SUV. She must be a totally miserable person, consumed with hatred and bitterness. I'm not as good a person as you are. I don't want her to have an awakening; I want her to be homeless and confused and afraid and friendless.

We all suffer in some way - the Mercedes lady suffers in her own way, or will suffer. What will she be like, with all that fear and hatred inside her, at the end of her life, in a hospital? Or in a nursing home with Alzheimer's? I would rather she have an awakening - as Gandhi said, "The best way to destroy an enemy is to convert him into a friend."

I hope "Mercedes woman" wakes up someday and realizes that other people are deserving of kindness. :(

You're one of her angels. :hug:

Please let us know how she's doing from time to time.

:hug:

:thumbsup:

I feel sad to hear of your encounter with that sorry excuse for human garbage. If I had been in your shoes, I would also be very upset about belonging to the same species of that horrible woman. There is no way to comprehend what goes on in that pathetic mind of hers, to imagine what kind of life experiences have driven her to become so hostile and uncaring towards the poor.

...get angry at someone for helping a homeless person?????

Has the world gone completely mad?

She's driving a $65,000 Mercedes, and she has the gall to a.) Do nothing; b.) Get angry when someone does help.

I bet you $100 bucks she went to church this morning, too.

:hug:

I'm glad there are people out there like you. :) It gives me hope for this country.

subway train home. One night an elderly homeless guy approached me in the station. Well, all I had was a couple of dollars and some change, so I apologized for not being able to give him more. A yuppie was on his way home, probably from some club, and gave me "the lecture." I pointed out to him that it was January, it was bitter, the shelters were closed for the night, and if a bottle would help somebody get through such a terrible night, that was fine with me.

The yuppie stalked off so he wouldn't have to share a car with me.

The old homeless guy got onto the train and when anybody in that car would look in my direction, he'd go up and say "You leave her alone! She's all right!"

You never know when you'll meet a knight in shining armor or what clothing he'll be dressed in.

I think you know that if I ever saw the two of them again, which one I'd invite to share a meal.

from being started in my neighborhood.

I stared and said "My brother lives in a group home. I support group homes if they're well run."

She looked at me with a look of disgust and said "suit yourself."

The group home is still there.

Takes all kinds.

by someone with so little...

It's sad, isn't it?

I remember talking to a (somewhat) well-off mother who told me that her child had recently asked her why she was a Democrat. Her response to her child was, "I remember what it is like to be in need."

one of 'them', when she's driving around in her Mercedes SUV - I mean, literally - she stayed there staring for a couple minutes in total until I stalled my convo and went and asked her what was up. She was creepy. Laura put the rich lady to shame.

I can't imagine a Democrat behaving in such a stingy, spiteful way toward a fellow human being.

Putting a LIFETIME limit of 2 years on benefits. So no, I don't think the Democrats are any better in this. I've lost complete faith in them to do anything but listen to lobbyists.

countries history. Their grandchildren will never have the oportunities so many from this generation enjoyed. Reasonable priced educations, housing, VA benefits, Social Security, Medicare, mental health support, an abundance of cheap energy, to name a few.

How anyone from that generation can't appreciate the struggles many are now facing is unconscionable.

Believe me, my dear, my husband and I have worked our entire lives, and we do draw social security, which we have payed into for many, many years, but because of circumstances which had to do with his health, we only have ss. It's very difficult to make ends meet, but we have helped many homeless and young people having a hard time, to our detriment, on some occasions, though we have never regretted it.

BTW, if you want to draw ss when you are old, stand up for it in all respects now. Believe me, without it, my husband and I would be on the streets.

You also might want to know, that when we were in our twenties, we also thought ss would not be around when we needed it. It is hard to picture forty years down the road, when the money you need is being deducted from your paycheck. Just remember that your employer is also paying what you pay, so consider that money that you would never receive otherwise, because, they don't want to pay it either, and continue trying to get people like you to be stupid and be against it.

Doesn't change the fact that the safety nets that have been available for the previous generation will not be
available in the future if we elect those represented by special interests. And that holds especially true for your candidate HRC.

Obama is just another slimy Chicago politician who has been able to con people like you.

that came before him have made. Men and women that didn't fear standing up to the
Machine politics that dominated the city for years. Today Chicago is a beautiful, diverse, tolerant
productive city because of the changes they fought for.

I also spent a year living in Clinton's hometown of Park Ridge. No thank you. In those days if you were Jewish
they would have run you out of town.


What's happening to the Nat'l Party is not so unlike what Chgo. went through in the last few decades.

Change is just harder for some. You'll adapt.

I was in Chicago 1974-2004 so while you can B.S. others on this board you can't B.S. me.

And they earned 109 million last year.

Oh wait....that was someone else.

Not to mention making deals for a rich Canadian buddy the Kazakhstan dictator.

Oh yeah, that was someone else too.

Did you ever work with or for Obama? Please tell me how you know more than the people who DO live and work here, and those who have worked with and for Sen. Obama.

I was active in politics in that time period. I ran for office three times winning once. During the last few years I lived in Obama's state senate district. I remember when Obama had his mentor, state senator Alice Palmer, thrown off the ballot so Obama could run unopposed. So I know the machine creature Barack Obama is. Is that enough for you? What is your record?

it all back when that didn't work out. That sounds more like something a "machine creature" would do than Obama having his people verify the signatures. In fact, it sounds like something Hillary would do. I know there are a lot of dirty politicians here. And while I don't see Obama as some messiah, I think he's smart and capable. While some politicians are sitting back waiting to be automatically granted positions of power, he's out there changing minds.

And for the record, my father and mother were born and raised here. I still live here, still work here, and am still politically active here.

Than Obama has ever done. She didn't just "want to take it all back". She was on the ballot, like Obama, and he had his Harvard buddies come in and raise technicalities on her signatures. That got her tossed off. That is a typical Daley machine tactic. She didn't have the money to hire lawyers to defend herself or challenge Obama's signatures which were probably flawed too. He didn't want the people to vote in his state senator election just as he doesn't want the people of MI or FL to vote.

So we'll just have to agree to disagree.

...look, whomever criticizes Obama for fraternizing with "a" slumlord: If he wanted to change neighborhoods, he had little alternative. Don't you get that ALL slums are owned and run by slumlords and the political officials that support them? These scumbags live off the misery of others with little or no repercussions ~ indeed they often get rewarded for doing community services with tax breaks and land grants ~ with YOUR tax dollars. They are perpetuated by the government. Slumlords keep "the riff raff" invisible and make sure "the riff raff" are the ones poisoned by chemical leaks into the soil, the "riff raff" are the ones who have cockroaches and rats crawling out of their plugged toilets, and this makes certain no starving little kid with with matted bronze hair (indicating malnutrition) will so much as even WALK past someone's immaculate house and manicured lawn. No organizer worth their salt could just work with the powerless, the victims of this greed, they would not get a thing done ~ they HAVE to work with the people running the show.

Take it from someone who has worked with these people as an advocate for the poor. You want to wretch your guts out when you see that fake smile with perfect teeth knowing you have to fraternize to even get half an ear out of some pompadoured idiot in tasseled loafers listening "sympathetically" (while surreptitiously checking their Blackberries) while at a community meeting where mothers are crying because their child died of asthma because of the mold and mildew in the apartment that they can barely afford with two jobs.

Sometimes people are ...just plain ignorant because well, they do not have a clue and think they do while going to private schools at Daddy's expense and the best college Daddy's money can buy ... which is WHY Hillary Clinton believes Welfare DEFormed is wonderful and her followers think fraternizing with a slum lord SO terrible (and do not think that not only does Hillary fraternize with slum lords, she probably laughs with them at cocktail parties as she takes that donation check) ...

Sheesh

Cat In Seattle

Speaking of "entitled," you mother's darlings never fought for a damn thing. That's why you're calling this worshipful cult of personality a "movement." None of you have ever gotten off your asses and moved a damn thing.

boo frickin' hoo

I didn't speak of my struggles, but the struggles our next generation will face. Those kids belong to all of us. If we were fighting merely for ourselves, then what's the point?
I'm sorry you can't appreciate the concept of passing on to them the same privileges.

My MIL is in her eighties. She lives and shares resources with three other WWII widows and would be the first to agree that her great grandchildren will never be afforded the opportunities
she had because of the shameful treatment of America's middle-class. The middle-class has always been the heart and soul of this country. Huge debt, a failing infrastructure, industry sent
overseas, servicemen coming home to recession, PTSD, a crippled economy, lack of healthcare, an education system unprepared to meet the challenges of the future.

Those are the issues we're ALL facing. I would hope at the very least we vote to perfect the legacy we leave our children. That is what has been stolen and that is what we must
fight to have returned. Obama gets that.

I think you forgot your sarcasm tag. You don't seriously believe people in their 60s and older had an easy time of it, do you?

Oh wait, you are an Obama supporter. Nevermind.

I hope Laura does get the help she needs. Bless both of you.

As for Mercedes woman, I have no words for that kind of ugliness.

a coat out of Dalmatian puppies or something like that?"

:rofl:

I needed that... so funny.

DUzy.

worthless ones. I believe it's God's way of testing the goodness of people. So many fail the test.

Never, ever pass up a homeless person. If you have only one dollar, give them half. If you can afford a burger, buy another and give it to a hungry person, and if you are blessed with an extra blanket, you will have an escort to heaven.

God Bless.

A story for you: A couple of years ago my son got injured on the job in Utah. He was alone just doing a job. He couldn't work and desperately needed surgery. He couldn't pay rent, got kicked out in the middle of winter in Utah. He could not leave there without the surgery, since the workman's comp claim was there and he was being seen by very good doctors there.

We live on fixed incomes, and could only spare enough to keep him in cell phone minutes. The police helped him find a suitable shelter, one with a medical bed, but he couldn't spend his days there and at times, it was below zero. Many days he rode the buses back and forth because they were warm, and he could buy a monthly pass with funds from workman's comp, even though it was not enough money to support him.

A woman saw him on a bus one day, and asked him if he was homeless. He said yes, and told her he was waiting for an operation, which was about two weeks away. She reached in a bag at her feet and pulled out a military issue heavy weight jacket with all the whistles. She said her husband had died and she wanted someone who really needed it to get his jacket. This jacket saved his life, and now, back home where people can care for him, he still holds on to that jacket and this woman's humanity. He will never be normal again after this surgery, but he braves it and is working full time, though he hurts every day.

He was one of the many "worthless" homeless people, my dear son, who has worked his entire life since he was 12 years old. He started out cutting lawns and has never stopped. He's not lazy at all, he just will never make enough money to set any aside, like millions who work every day in this country, without an adequate wage and no health insurance.

Once again, dear lady, thank you for helping the homeless. It could have been my son.

He was never a slacker, just one of those homeless, "worthless" people.

because it surely wasn't so wonderful for you or your son, but I think you know what I mean.

Truly, is there any feeling quite so good as the one you have when you can really help someone? I think the good done is often reversed from what we think it is. Those in need actually gift the giver.

Yes, it was great to get a really warm jacket, but I bet you anything that that woman also spent a very long time feeling warm.

:hug:

You help the homeless by not helping them. Giving them free stuff only encourages them.:sarcasm:

There are many homeless people in south Florida and I saw that kind of thing everyday. I talked to one man who was hit by a wine bottle thrown from a Mercedes while he sat on a bus bench.

more so for talking to her though the blanket was nice. Maybe you ought to write about what happened in a letter to the editor of your local paper. Might get more out there willing to help and embarrass some like the SUV driver.

Here a town took a lot of homeless peoples stuff to the dump and chased them out. It include one women's family bible and most of the peoples' papers and ids. The county pleasantly surprised me when a majority of the people wrote to the editor up in arms about it. Local churches then started a rotating shelter for them. Its been over a year but people are still pissed about what was done and more people are trying to help those that find themselves homeless. A few town elected officials found themselves hanging onto to their positions by the nail. Come fall hopefully they will be voted out of office.

I'd have punched her out, the broad in the Mercedes. I know, I know, not very enlightened of me. But, oh, the rewarding crunch of my fist smearing her nose all over her face........

Sorry. I lost it for a minute there.

You gave her a lot more than a blanket and good advice... you gave her the knowledge that someone cares. I only wish that your humanity helped to open the eyes of Mercedes "lady", but I doubt it. Sad.

Conditions change...

I admit, I get nervous whenever I draw ANYONE'S attention. nothing bothers me quite the way wolf-whistles and comments that men make to me as I pass by do.

nevertheless, I do my best to split the change in my pocket with people who ask for it. bless you for doing more than I have, I hope in the future I have the strength that you showed today.

thank you for your kind comment. I could be cold like Mercedes lady, but I would hate myself... we all could. It's a choice we make. May God bless you for sharing your means with others. This economy is going to drive thousands more to the streets - I've rarely seen a homeless lady where I live, and the amount of homeless men is increasing here also. So many have lost homes and have nowhere to go... how I hope for our party to win in Nov., we are going to collapse if we get McSame...

in the way we think they'll be. Yours may be on a higher plane. Bless you.

the best that humanity is.

:hug:

You are an angel. O8)

knowing there are people like you in this world. Thank you.

compassion is all too rare. Just remember that no good deed goes unpunished--but that does not mean that it should not be performed. Best wishes to a true human being.

when I was 17, I was leaving work at a department store, and there was a purse in a cart near no cars. I took it BACK into the store without stopping. I could not find anyone at the counter, and took it up to our head manager. He called down to the counter, and they said to bring it down. I did, and got yelled at by my immediate supervisor in front of the lady and 4 or 5 coworkers for taking her bag upstairs! I said, "but it was in the parking lot, why would you yell at me?" She said I should have known better, LOL... right... I could have taken off with the money & cards that the lady went through in front of me to make sure it was all there - weird people... and yes, no good deed goes unpunished. LOL

And here slip I - dragging one foot in the gutter -
In the midnight echo of the shop that sells cheap radios.
And there sits she - no bed, no bread nor butter -
On a double yellow line where she can park anytime.
Old Lady Grey; Crash-barrier Waltzer -
Some only son's mother. Baker Street casualty.
Oh, Mr. Policeman - blue shirt ballet master.
Feet in sticking plaster - Move the old lady on.
Strange pas-de-deux - His Romeo to her Juliet.
Her sleeping draught his poisoned regret.
No drunken bums allowed to sleep here in the crowded emptiness.
Oh officer, oh let me send her to a cheap hotel -
I'll pay the bill and make her well - like hell you bloody will!
No do-good over kill. We must teach them to be still more independent

Laura said someone had put her up in a motel last week and she was amazed at the size of the bed... bless her heart.

Police dispatch, can I help you.

I want to report a woman!

Excuse me, ma'am, did you say you want to report a woman?

Yes, that's right!

I'm sorry ma'am, I don't understand. Could you clarify?

I was in my car and saw this this woman who was talking to a homeless woman on a bench and I asked her what she was doing and she said was giving the woman a blanket!

I still don't understand, ma'am. Was the blanket yours?

No.

Was this on your property, ma'am?

No.

Did either woman physically threaten or assault you?

No.

Did either woman damage your vehicle, ma'am?

No.

Is either woman disturbing the peace?

Well, those homeless people shouldn't be on the street and that other woman sassed me when I told her not to give her blanket to the woman. I told her I was going to call the police!

What do you want us to do, ma'am?

I want to you come do something about it!

I'm sorry ma'am, it does not sound like this is a matter for the police.

What!!!!

It does not sound as if a crime has occurred, ma'am.

What!!! That's crazy! What do I pay taxes for?

Ma'am, unless you are threatened or a crime has been committed, there is nothing for the police to do.

Well I want you to come down here and do something, give her a ticket or something!

I'm sorry ma'am, unless a crime has occurred or you are being threatened, I can't dispatch an officer. If you would like to come to the station to file a report and provide additional information, we can investigate to see whether a crime occurred.

Well, I never!

:hug:

That is, subconsciously shamed. But she could never admit that to herself, so it came out as anger instead -- at the person who shamed her. That was her way of avoiding her shame.

O8) O8) O8) O8) O8) O8) O8) O8) O8) O8) O8) O8)

I guess teh old bitch was operating on the give a mouse a cookie theory.

-Hoot

...to not just sit there and scowl, but actually tell someone not to help someone else who is obviously in need?

Thank you for helping that poor woman, I hope she gets to the hospital. And thank you too for sharing your dismay with the idiots in this world...because it is definitely a shared dismay.

:hug:

...is boundless SHAME. BMW lady must have a lot of it buried under all that rage.

Hebrews 13:2
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

During the Church Years, I was often told that God writes His laws on our hearts. I'd like to think that the higher power you may believe in (or not,) has written humanity and compassion in your heart.

I hope that Laura goes to the hospital and gets some help. I hope that the woman in the Mercedes realizes how tenuous financial blessings are. I hope that the kindness you've shown another person comes back to you a thousandfold.

Julie

thank you for sharing that verse. I love a couple songs called "entertaining angels" and "angels unaware", and you really spoke something important that I hold about a dear friend in the comments "God writes His laws on our hearts"....

thank you again for blessing me with such wisdom.

Publix has lower prices and a much better selection than Winn-Dixie. It is little wonder that Winn-Dixie had to fire for bankruptcy a few years ago.

like the mercedes woman, deserve a crack across her mouth.It is disgusting the way some"comfortable, fortunate" people assume all sorts of stuff about homeless people,damn the fucking piggy and her mercedes too.I hope she becomes homeless one day.I hope all the people like the mercedes woman lose it ALL.Because NOTHING wakes up rich people to notice the suffering of others like the prospect of becoming poor or homeless them-self, a looming reality they'd rather pretend can't apply to them...

The currently rich of America would come completely undone if they had to experience real homelessness in appliance cartons for many bitter nights on end, without merciful relief.

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/12326

I will get them food if they tell me they want money to eat. Nothing fancy, I can't afford it. But if I am going to lunch, I will pick up a little something for them.

Edited to add: I have also had people almost throw the food back in my face without looking at it because they want the money, not really the food. That only reinforces my policy of not giving them cash. Unfortunately, there are far too many in downtown DC.

did with the money. If anybody had a right to drown or drug out for a few hours it would be somebody on the street. If they were hungry then they could choose what they wanted. One of the main things missing their lives is choice.

And being given yet another fast food cardboard sandwich. People need cash. Man does not live by bread alone. Even the homless.
Almost threw food eh? Almost. Let me ask you this. Did you get them food they eat, or did you even ask if they have dietary retrictions due to health, culture, faith or even-gasp- personal choice?

But I consider each person separately.

Long ago decided that it's their burden what they do with the money, since many warned me that it would go for drugs or alcohol. That's the receipent's burden.

Mine is living with not giving it.

Or, as my Dad always said, I'm not going to hell for five bucks.

Little by little, one by one, we, as individuals can effect change.

I lived in South Florida for more than 20 years working in a county hospital. That place can be mean. No, it is mean. It's like living in another world, and very hard to describe.

I can assure you that your kindness to Laura has already changed her life. I'm hoping she will heed your advice, and I'm also hoping you will wave to her as you go by and maybe chat again. A voice of kindness sometimes is all one needs to make it to the next day. What you did is immeasurable. You may have given her her life back.

No one knows what people go through in life. No one knows why they are in the situation they are in. Just like that woman in the SUV, no one knows how she is able to drive such an expensive vehicle. Maybe she worked hard or she just 'lucked' out and hooked up with a rich man. Whichever it was, she is a sorry human being to have such a cold, callous heart. I hate to judge people without knowing what makes them tick the way they do, but the answer comes from how she reacted to you. Had she been caring, she would not have interrupted and dismissed you in mid-sentence. She would have listened. She might have even commiserated with you and perhaps added encouragement for both of you to find a way to get Laura to the hospital as soon as possible.

In all my years on this earth, I have genuinely like people. Even the mean ones. But I tell you what, the last 8 years have changed my heart. It makes me sad to say that I don't like people anymore. Well .... I like some of them! (I'm chuckling here - must be the wee hours.)

I have a lot of respect for you. You took the time, and gave Laura a gift of not only yourself, but you gave her a little of Laura back. I hope she takes your advice and gets well.

there ought to be more like you
:hug:

(She'll probably live to be 100. :eyes: )

Always remember that in the end karma is the real bitch. She'll get hers.

All the good vibes I have for her healing, and as many for you my friend, for being a kind and loving person.

:hug: :

I love the tone of your post. And, I love the last two sentences.

Most Americans, regardless of their economic standing, do not understand how damnably easy and fast homelessness could descend upon them. Reversals of fortune are impossible to foresee.

The mind set of so many in this country is so difficult to comprehend. The biblical saying about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to get to heaven, it makes a lot of sense. People who have always had their needs met so often seem to have no clue about how the other half lives. Bless you for helping this woman.

I've heard people say that kind of shit before, but I've never had anyone tell me to stop helping people. That is just plain the worst.

Of course you should've helped her. Of course you should've treated her like the human being she is who needs someone to talk to and ask advice of. Of course you should've given her a blanket and talked with her about her infection and the hospital. That Mercedes chick is the one who needs to be admitted, though. How messed up do you have to be to yell at someone not to help out a fellow human being? If she were a kid, she'd probably be diagnosed with some sort of disorder. Sheesh!

with misery, fear, and shame, very sad.

that had no empathy.

here's a hug.

running a key down the side of her car would be a very bad thing to to. It would be wrong.

You are a gift to humanity....
If only everyone on this planet would take on the philosophy of random acts of kindness, what a beautiful world this would be.....

:loveya:


peace~

Hell in her life, and the homeless is far better off than the Mercedes Owner.
I have a neighbor like her. I Often help out my friends when they need it. and let them stay in my home. I had a friend who was a single mother and her "baby daddy" tried to put her out on the street. I let her live with me for year, my upstairs neighbor, was a nightmare the entire time my friend lived with me.

She would stomp on the floor if she heard the kids running during the day,
she told me once she couldn't enjoy her patio if the kids were playing in the back yard.
She even told me that she read a brochure that stated there are not a lot of kids in our condo complex. The stupidity of that statement is we have an elementary school a block away, it's not a private school but because of it's location it's mostly just filled with neighborhood kids so it has a private school feel. and there is a playground on every corner, and 6 pools they all have Kiddie pools.

Anyway, this woman my neighbor, is in the same place she was 3 years ago when my friend moved in, the only difference is her age, she is 34, she can't keep a man, she is heavily medicated, she has been committed at 4 times, and her last boyfriend had a restraining order put out on her.

Meanwhile my girlfriend, is happliy married, pregnant with her 3rd child, has a wonderful husband
is blessed to be a stay at home mother, and couldn't be happier.

I believe your homeless friend will get the help she needs and go on to surpass that evil Mercedes driving wench. And the wench will fall victim to her own folly and no one will help her.

The lady in the SUV was triggered into her worst fear by seeing someone sick and destitute. Anger is a secondary emotion to fear, she could have been indifferent, but she was consumed with anger instead because she hasn't consciously dealt with her fear of old age. I have been taking care of my Mom and aunt who have had to process issues of aging, which have to do with loss of control, loss of dignity, loss of independence--these are powerful issues we all have to eventually face. Interesting post, and beautiful story.

The lady in the Mercedes is a selfish, uncaring bitch.

How in the hell can a person think it is right to criticize someone for helping others??

I have about had it with this society...

touches me and dulls my cynicism a little. Thank you for being a kind and generous person and thank you for posting this.
:hug:

rambler

You have made a difference.

I'm not christian so I am paraphrasing this quote, but I believe it applies:

"Whatever you do to the least of them, you also do to me..."

You never know when you will meet the buddha, christ or an angel, in fact, one can argue that we all have those elements inside ourselves. You did the right thing.

Thank you. :applause:

In St. Pete we have a homeless city basically and a free health clinic ...the same in Clearwater. I'm not saying it's real homeless friendly here but it's much better than most other places. I help out at a food line on Saturdays in Clearwater and I have gotten to know many homeless people and I hear all the stories of cops beating them up and harassing them and how tough it is to find a place to sleep or to find work.

That lady will rot in hell. I hope she becomes homeless some day in her old age.

Bless both you and Laura!

Peace...

:grouphug:

Without love, how will this country and world ever heal? What a powerful example of the courage to care and to love when it is so easy to just ignore other people's suffering and to look the other way. You even took a stand for that love and defended it when you could have avoided the "confrontation". Every time this SUV owner sees a homeless person, the memory of her encounter with you, will come back to haunt her. You have made my day many times over...

She would have called the cops as well. This "out of sight, out of mind" approach to our societal problems is to found among Democrats as well as Republicans. We are a falling empire. The Republicans may have eroded the foundation. But there are quite a few Democrats who took a jackhammer to the buiding.

Ignore, disparage and harrass the less fortunate. They don't have to be driving a Mercedes, it could just be some beaten up old junker, as long as they feel superior to the unfortunate. You will hear all sorts of excuses - "They're junkies" "She's a lunatic - talks to herself" "Benefit queen" "alcoholic" "hippy" "Gypo". Many will profess to a faith, usually Christian, or say that they "support charity" so they don't have to help on the street.

Anyway - Here's to you, Laura, from all the way across the pond!

on Jesus in a heartbeat.

I feel sorry for her.She really has
a few screws loose in la cabeza.

For the lady who needed a blanket,
I hope she gets the medical help she needs
and a place to live.

:(

Let's not be burning any more witches. I can tell you SUV woman isn't one.. What you put out in this world comes back to you three times. That is a strong belief among witches.And they behave accordingly. Which is why they are strong democrats.

Nancy Pelosi is a witch. But she ain't Glenda.

good Christian man"?

After most of the class started to say that the poor, sick, and/or elderly didn't need to be taken care of, and the majority of them said that they were just lazy and fed off the richer population, I told them to picture this:

There is a huge home, it has 3 sports cars out front, and the lawn is nicely landscaped. Would you like to live there, I asked? All of them said yes. Then I said,"Now pull out a little ways and look at the neighborhood it is in if you did what you want to do. Even though you could have been in a gated community outside of the gates are slums, people out of work are on almost all the street corners begging for food and the elderly are dying at a younger and younger age taking their knowledge with them."

What I just described was what happens in a lot of dictatorships, but is moving into our Capitalistic society as more and more Corporations are pulling up and outsourcing to feed their share holders! Where the rich are only interested in themselves but cannot see the forest for the trees!

When the little 6 year-old girl in India was thrown into a fire for being on the wrong road where only upper caste people are allowed, this is the type of country we are going to become if we don't all work from the bottom up instead of the top down!

There are going to be more and more people who are going to find themselves in this great need in the future. Those that do have something to share will either take care of their brother or sister or move on and live in the own little world full of hate, despair and discarded humans.

Blessings!

All of us who do something to help another, are helping to win the fight for this small planet.
There is so much darkness in this world today, when someone like you reaches out in kindness you shine a huge light to push back the Dark Side.
May the light you brought to Laura stay with her and help her heal.

and, may the SUV woman have a flat tire, her computer system fail, and her cell phone be out of range.

Maybe if she's lucky someone will drive by and ask if she needs help.

and not just a fellow meddler, if you left and did not see a cop?

About Publix...

I'm in central FL, and have no idea how anyone can afford to shop a Winn Dixie. I just don't see the big savings everyone goes on about.

I buy a lot of stuff at Publix, except meat, which I buy at Sav-A-Lot, unless Publix has an exceptionally good deal on something.

whether she called the cops or not, the threat and ill will were there, I hope she learns...

She was jsut a meddling old bitch who should have been told to fuck off.

telling someone to f off works only to further alienate...but can work as a release valve, I must admit...

Not only have you helped Laura, but you have humanized her, so often people don't see the human inside the homeless person, or they assume they have done something "wrong" to get where they are. I wonder if that isn't why the other woman was so miserable, you forced her to look at Laura as a person; as someone else has said, she couldn't face her shame. But for grace, luck, the roll of the dice go any of us. You have touched many, and who knows what will happen. When one throws a pebble in a pond, how many rings are formed, how wide the area affected, thanks! on edit It is a great honor and pleasure to know of you!

may Angels surround her with protection, healing light and may she find others too who will help her as you did. Bless you dear one!

You see people as people. That's rare nowadays.

Did they show up? What was that conversation like?

:hug:

I mentioned poolside at the condo where I wa renting an apartment that they had just had an "opening" at the new restroom on the beach in South Beach (Miami). A woman siting nearby said to me "I hope those people don't move in" or something to that effect.

I got up amazed that all someone living in luxury could think about was homeless person getting some comfort. Oh my, Oh my. Where is our compassion?

Some people, I just don't get. Others I respect. Thank you for being the latter.

I just want to mention to you that, while *you* see that hospital as "good", that doesn't mean that's how homeless people are treated.

Sadly, many of these clinic, hospitals and agencies will treat "normal" people well, but treat homeless people in a despicable manner.

This is a lot to ask of an obviously warm-hearted person like you, but if you could, it would be very good for you to actually take this woman to the hospital yourself. Or accompany her. That way, she is much more likely to be treated well.

When they know they are being watched, they are less likely to be abusive.

It's very sad that this is the case, but I've seen it enough to know it's so.

And, yes, the woman in the Mercedes is NOT out of the ordinary. I would say, from my own experience, that her behavior is much more the "norm" than not.

Bless you for still having a heart. :loveya:

It's becoming increasingly rare.



:cry:

and my disgustigator doesn't register that high.\\

Good on you, endless shame on "them".