Leftist Intolerance!

There is something free, something wayfaring, something vagabondish about the homeless. They make one harken back to the days of ultimate freedom where wanderers of good heart hopped local freight trains, ate beans from a can, did odd jobs for the occasional pinch of tobacco, watched from the vast expanse of waving grass on a hill at dusk, as the sun set upon a day filled with independence, self-determination and the liberation from an onerous, exceedingly-compartmentalized lifestyle.

Or, on the other hand, Homeless persons are those who have been cast aside by society in one oppressive form or another, Life having delivered one or a series of shivs to the back -- likely at the behest of despotic GOP policies. One must immediately realize, of course, that there is nothing about being Homeless that money cannot solve. If only, if only we were to throw sufficient cash at the Homeless problem, well, it would simply dry up overnight. Therefore through of a set of circumstances no fault of their own, the Homeless are not only to be tolerated but truly embraced -- and actually, just a bit envied. Are they not the ultimate in downtrodden yet uplifting free spirits?

Such is the view of the Left; more specifically, the view of the Left in San Francisco, one of the most -- if not the most liberal city in the United States. This is the city that voted to censor Michael Savage. This is the city whose councilman felt we need no military -- the police can handle any national matter. This is the city where plastic grocery bags are outlawed. This is the city where there is no "minimum wage" for businesses -- there must now be a living wage for McD workers. This is the city where the city council also wants to abolish Fleet Week and do away with those horribly visible (and unsafe!) examples of militarism, the US Navy's Blue Angels.

Yet, despite all this Goodness, the SF Left has decided to cross the line into OPPRESSION. And this decision was not (thank Gaia!) made by the city government, but by the city's residents. How little the plebs understand! Witness:

San Francisco - the liberal, left-coast city conservatives love to mock - could be undergoing a transformation when it comes to homeless people. Although the city would still be a poor choice for a pep rally for the war in Iraq, indications are that residents have had it with aggressive panhandlers, street squatters and drug users.

"Maybe there has been an epiphany," says David Latterman, president of Fall Line Analytics, a local market research firm. "People have realized they can hate George Bush but still not want people crapping in their doorway."

You mean to tell us all, including my dear readers, that there may not be something inherently and intrinsically good and admirable in all Homeless persons??

• "But the other day Jenny is bringing the kids back from the park, and some guy is standing on the corner throwing up on himself."
• "People are just pissed. For the first time, even the left is saying they've had enough."
• "We go out to drive the kids to school," he says, "and there's human poop between the cars."
• "One city official estimated that nine out of 10 say they are not interested in a shelter or housing when approached."

And let me tell you what I've seen personally and why I seldom travel, unless forced, to San Francisco anymore:

I've seen the gangs not only take over, unimpeded, the housing areas just south of Pier 39 and the other popular tourist venues, but spill over into these tourist areas. I've watched bangers slash into crowds en masse and rip off bags and packages wholesale, then challenge the tourists to get them back. I've watched disgusting human pieces of crap, NOT the, quote, homeless, unquote, drop pants to their ankles in front of 30 to 40 people and defecate into the clothing at their feet. Then check the surrounding crowd for reactions. I've watched panhandlers work in teams accost only the smaller of tourists (always with children) and demand cash -- nothing more complicated than strong-arm robbery. I've watched alcohol sodden formerly-human meatbags stagger into walls replete with days-old vomit caked in their beards and running in rivulets down their shirts with, as they turned away, the pants stained with glistening urine and congealed excrement.

And read this again: "One city official estimated that nine out of 10 say they are not interested in a shelter or housing when approached."

Dare I posit: does the worm turn?

BZ