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Christmas Eve 2008
By anitamckay on 2009-02-10 05:29:45
It's a little too warm inside the day center for the homeless and poor, the way old buildings often are. In spite of occasional
sleety showers, the day is mild compared to the last few weeks, but it's still cold out, and the room is full. More people than
usual are crowding in for an hour or two out of the sleet and cold, some relaxation before the Silent Night, homeless night.
There's an extra edge of tension in the room this year. Newcomers haven't quite learned the survival skills to stay dry, warm,
and safe on the streets. Oldtimers know that a lean year is coming, a disaster for those already surviving on crumbs. Staff
members look tired, having felt the effects of more to do and less to do it with for the past two years, and rumors of more
cuts on the way. At the same time, food and coffee flow, conversation rumbles, smiles and laughter brighten the air. For a
golden holiday moment, generosity and need intersect. But should basic needs have to rely on generosity? That same week,
news stories detailed businesses lining up for a piece of the bailout pie. They've caught on that there may be a few gruff
questions to fluff through but no real accounting. Money is being handed out to the very people who have shown by their
failure that they aren't any good at the businesses they're in. But for now, the party on the Titanic rolls on. The wonder is not
that violence erupts from time to time against this corrupt system. The wonder is that there isn't a stronger, louder challenge
from the people of the United States to change the system and obviate the violence. Why are the majority of Americans
silent? Postscript: Best estimates say that one in four of the men sleeping in a doorway on a given night once wore the
uniform of this country. That's about 200,000 homeless veterans a night. Support the troops. Bring them home. Then make
sure they have a home.
