When asked if the anti-equality neighbor was someone I knew, my neighbor told me yes, but was clearly afraid I'd ask her who it was. So I said never mind, I don't want to know. But once I got home, I decided that actually yeah, I did want to know.
So I called up my neighbor and said that she was completely free to not tell me if it made her uncomfortable, but after some thought I realized that I'd prefer to know who I was dealing with here in the complex. After assurances that I wouldn't let the anti-equality neighbor know that I knew anything, I was told who it was. As it turns out, it is someone who has been a good steward of the complex, someone who has been a friendly neighbor to me, knows my wife, treats us with the same politeness as anyone else.
So now I know, and I'm glad to not be looking over my shoulder at the people I live cheek by jowl with and wonder which one it is. But the reason I'm asking "should I have asked" is now that I do know, I'm a little sad and depressed to think that this otherwise nice person has been harboring this judgment against me, but never let on (is that a character strength or flaw in her?). I know from a rational perspective that in a community of almost 100 people even in a progressive-ish city there were bound to be some 'phobes, so I shouldn't be surprised. But even though I've removed the potential surprise factor of not knowing her identity, I now have to live with knowing that this specific "nice to my face" person thinks I'm polluting her air.
I think that for me the answer to my own question is "yes". If faced with the same situation again, I'd probably ask again, because I'm a curious cat, and knowledge is power. But I have to remember there is a price to this knowledge. What do you think?
The number of female service members who have become homeless after leaving the military has jumped dramatically in recent years, according to new government estimates, presenting the Veterans Administration with a challenge as e as it struggles to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.As more women serve in combat zones, the share of female veterans who end up homeless, while still relatively small at an estimated 6,500, has nearly doubled over the last decade, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
For younger veterans, it is even more pronounced: One out of every 10 homeless vets under the age of 45 is now a woman, the statistics show.
And unlike their male counterparts, many have the added burden of being single parents.
Overall, female veterans are now between two and four times more likely to end up homeless than their civilian counterparts, according to the VA, most as a result of the same factors that contribute to homelessness among male veterans: mental trauma related to their military service and difficulty transitioning into the civilian economy.
But while veterans' services have been successfully reaching out to male veterans through shelters and intervention programs, women are more likely to fall through the cracks.
The trend has alarmed top lawmakers and veterans groups, who fear that the federal government - which is already straining to care for new veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, brain injuries, and other physical ailments - is ill-prepared to deal with the special needs of female veterans who find themselves on the street.
Wow- this is terrible news.... glad this isn't old news or had been reported before or anything.
What- it was? When?
More below the fold.
Of the 1.8 million female military veterans, Dogen was among the 7,000 to 8,000 who are homeless, as estimated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She is among the few who have benefited from new housing specifically for female veterans, an initiative homeless advocates say falls far short of what is needed.The homeless female veteran is a relatively new phenomenon because only recently have so many women - more than 190,000 in Iraq and Afghanistan alone - been serving in the military, said Todd DePastino, a historian at Waynesburg University who wrote a book on the history of homelessness.
The number of homeless female veterans have gone up - from 3 percent of all homeless veterans a decade ago to 5 percent, the VA says.
"It's a national embarrassment," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
It's that and worse, imo. And what's confusing is that the most recent story claims there are 6500 homeless female veterans, the November 2008 story relates 7000-8000, and the July 2007 article estimates over 8000.
This shows a downward trend in the reported numbers, yet the percentages keep CLIMBING in the stories. Apparently the VA really doesn't have a grasp on the real numbers of women involved...
How can supposed news media, like CNN, ABC or FoxNews, be blind to this issue?
I'm guessing because it's been alot more fun and interesting to follow the recently dubbed " Iquitarod"- a nasty little train sled wreck, if ever there were one.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has gone fishing -- literally -- since her shocking announcement that she is resigning.
But the polarizing Palin resurfaced today on the morning news shows, wearing her waders but not taking the bait to make her political future clear.
Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee last year and in the conversation for 2012, told CNN that "all options are on the table" for her future and said she wants to stay involved in national public life.
"We have so many people who offer advice, but I'm going to continue to be, whether some of 'em like it or not, pretty darn independent, and not get wrapped up into a strong political machine that hasn't been extremely successful in some ways," she said on Fox News Channel. "I want to work, right now, for people who are going to work in office or out of office for the right things. Those principles that built up America, those who are inspired by the values of America, and will not deride or apologize for the values we hold as Americans. I'm gonna work for those people."
But she also told ABC's "Good Morning America" that she recognizes that her resignation -- disclosed in a rambling speech in the news dead zone of the Friday of July Fourth weekend -- might have damaged her prospects. "You know, politically speaking, if I die, I die. So be it," she said.
Good gravy, even Andrea Mitchell was there for "Salmon Fishing With Sarah"...
I did like Anchorage Daily News' take on this quote; the ad running along side this story. Kid you not:
"Don't Wait Until It's Too Late!"
Palin also told CNN that "I am not a quitter; I'm a fighter. Go figure...
Talk about an abdication of responsibility -- the South Carolina GOP just gave a wrist slap to a man who left his post and went AWOL without telling anyone in government where he was going or turning the reins over to the Lieuteieutenant Gov. Let's set aside the matter of the "little Sanford" controlling Mark Sanford's judgment to go chase some tail, there would be a whole lot more than healing going on if the Palmetto State was hit with a natural disaster or some other sort of emergency while the governor was getting his pole attended to by his Argentinian mistress. Do you have any doubt that if this was a Dem governor that the state GOP would be calling for the man's head?South Carolina Republicans have voted to censure the state's governor Mark Sanford over a sex scandal rather than calling for his resignation, easing pressure on their beleaguered colleague to quit.Astounding hypocrisy.The party issued the censure late on Monday to admonish Sanford over his affair with an Argentine woman and said he had "breached the public trust" and demonstrated "repeated failures" but stopped short of recommending further action.
...The chairwoman of the South Carolina Republicans called for an end to the three-week scandal that began when Sanford disappeared for several days. Aides said he was hiking in the Appalachian but it later emerged he had gone to visit his lover in Argentina.
"Now is the time for healing," said chairwoman Karen Floyd.
Related:
* PHB posts on Sanford
Oregon advocate Bonnie Tinker was killed in a tragic bike accident last Thursday while attending a conference in Virginia. Tinker has been a dedicated activist in Oregon’s progressive community for decades. She championed equality as founder and director of Love Makes a Family, peace through her work with Seriously P.O.’ed Grannies, and justice as a member of the Religious Society of Friends. Her energy, commitment, and vision of a more just and peaceful world will be missed. Visit Love Makes a Family for links to remembrances and information about memorial services. 
No comments:
Post a Comment