I pulled into my little burg's Starbucks and there sat Tony by the road. I walked over and wished him a Happy New Year, took a coffee order from him and walked back to Starbucks.
When I came back out, there was Tony sitting on his little walker with a huge policeman towering over him. I walked up and Tony was no longer smiling, "I have just been arrested as a vagrant!"
I looked at the officer and he started sputtering.
Tony as you might not remember is a 90 year old veteran of WWII in the Pacific and the Korean debacle. He worked, lived a normal life, retired - and his wife divorced him, his retire funds where raided by his company. He was tossed out and lives now with a daughter in her apartment. All he has is half of his meager social security, because the wife took half of that as well!
I really feel for him and his predicament ...
I realize that bums or pan-handlers or what ever you want to call them can be a problem, but we are talking about a 90 year man whom was gainfully employed his whole life, had a family, had a retirement and was to be stripped of it all - legally and without conscience.
We are talking about a culture now with no Heart for the unfortunate we have created, no Memory of his sacrifice in our behalf, and apparently with no Shame either.
I handed Tony the cup of hot Starbucks and shamed the cop into giving him $25 and just a warning ...
Damn! I knew I was going to become a social-democrat when I became human ... I just knew it.
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