I had emailed the ACLU to find out if they were supporting SHAC 7 in their fight for their 1st amendment rights. If nothing else I figured that they might have more information not based on hearsay. They wrote me back to search their website - which I had - but I tried more and still came up with nothing so I wrote them back looking for some more fruitful search strings. Currently I haven't heard anything back. But the ACLU is fairly well organized and should have some "bother your congressman about this" emails a person could send out. So I will let you know what I find out.
It is interesting here in Durham. They have officially "ok'd" beggers that wait in the median at stop lights. When the light is red they have a captive audience. From what I hear they go to the city offices and get the green light (no pun intended) to beg by the stop lights. They are given a reflective vest and are allowed to be there during the day.
How do you feel about beggers? They create a cacophony of feelings inside my chest. Even having them beside my car makes me so uncomfortable with myself, that I will choose the left turning lane furthest from them just so I don't have to grapple with my confusion. Should I or shouldn't I look at them and what I should or shouldn't do for them. I am pathetic. They confuse me. What is my duty, do I have a duty, where does a person draw the line?
Some are on crutches, some are without a leg, some look like construction workers, some slowly hobble to the cars to get the handouts. Some are shaggy, greasy looking while others are clean and neat.
This is something I have struggled with since Cambodia.
There, I became hardened and at one point caught myself laughing at the expense of one of the beggers...I became nauseated, the bile filled my throat, disgusted with who I had become.
Now I avert my eyes. Pretend I don't see.
I have seen people, who are physically in worse shape than most of these people working a 40 hr week. Just because you don't have a leg doesn't mean you can't type...it seems that perhaps some of them suffer from mental conditions...some are lazy...some aren't poor at all, but I guess the screening process is supposed to weed those from the group.
It is fun to help the poor, the "deserving" (according to my book) poor. But God sends the sun, rain and clouds to the deserving and undeserving. He asks us to care for the poor (deserving and undeserving?). There are food stamps and housing programs for the poor, why aren't they on those? What do you think? Someday this question will be settled in my mind it is one of those questions it works on quite a bit...how about yours?
No comments:
Post a Comment