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Tweet Follow @BORNCURIOUS Daily Question Blog: Friday, August 14, 2009

Friday, August 14, 2009

Al Szekley,the Nam vet evicted from a homeless shelter for being homeless, is just the tip of a gigantic iceberg!

Some additional information about Al Szekely first, and then a broader view of the homeless vet problem in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

HERE'S AL.................



Al is an ordained minister and the founder of "Chairs for Christ"-Supplying Medical equipment-(wheelchairs,crutches,braces,& etc.) to those in need.

Here are some quotes from him back in 2006 when he lived on the streets of Bethesda,Md.:

"One thing I do is keep my faith strong with God,"said the graying and bearded man. "The more adversity people face, they're going to gain faith or lose it. My faith is stronger. I can still smile, tell a joke, make someone laugh, make their day better.If you manage what little you got, you can make do"

"There need to be more shelters," he said. "But not of the kind most people think about.Shelters are no more than warehouses. I'm not talking about handouts. Give me an opportunity to go to school. Give me an opportunity for honest work. Homeless people need educational resources, job placement and training and some form of counseling to get you back into society."

Here are some facts and figures about homeless veterans from a wonderful, informative site

http://oldtimer.wordpress.com/homeless-veterans-an-overview-of-the-problem/

750,000 total homeless count in U.S
400,000 veterans are homeless at some time in a year
200,000 veterans homeless in any one night

27% of our male U.S. population are veterans but:
43% of all homeless males are veterans – why?

7688 beds funded by the VA for homeless veterans
192,312 sleeping elsewhere – shelters, grates, creek beds, back alleys. We have Heroes sleeping on sidewalks in every big city.

95% of homeless vets have honorable discharges

If the homeless veterans were properly cared for by our country, the total homeless population would fall by more than 40 percent over night.

Pretty powerful stats. Here are some quotes from those vets and their loved ones:

"They use the “addicted” and “mental” labels to scare the public about homeless veterans. They want the money. Adult veterans do not deserve bunk beds and shared group showers and rotten food bank food. Where does all the money go? Veterans are not allowed to get real job training in the shelters just “how to write your name” classes."

"Obama is now saying he’ll at least make sure the homeless veterans get “some type of transitional housing”; all that mean is more of the same overcrowded human warehouses, forced 12 step religion, more never-ending group therapy, bunk beds, open bay group showers, and when the veterans get so sick of that because the are not allowed to get real career training/education or PRIVACY…blow their heads off or back to the streets. Homeless veterans do not need jail conditions. they want to move on! Any agency that says “We give a hand up not a hand out” means they keep all the money given for the veterans and the veterans get squat!"

"I am so thankful for a website such as your own………I am at the same time very angry at the so called Christians in our present day society.. (I am one of them).I am so tired of hearing this prosperity message while there are homeless eeking out a meager existence under bridges…They are tortured souls, yet humiliated by their own society even further.Perhaps some of our leading evangelists could do away with $650.00 shoes, and Lear jets and put their money where their mouths are…Jesus said “feed the hungry,clothe the naked.” The answer to homelessness is the church.” It is our responsibility to do these things. Can you only imagine if we stopped building these enormous churches which cost millions upon millions to build and operate (cystal Cathedral is a good example), and started to put that money into the poor and homeless of this world, what huge differences we could make…God help us all who run around with the “What would Jesus do?” bumper stickers and let a world go hungry and naked.Explain this prosperity message to me a little more one of you big shot pastors wit a jet and 7 or 800,000 dollar homes……The men who made that a reality for you are homeless….Those veterans who fought for your freedom…..The church alone has the ability to stop homelessness and hunger………We should all pray and seek forgiveness…"

"My father is veteran of the Korean War, and we live in Roanoke, VA. The Salem, VA is the regional office for the State of VA. There are more homeless vets in this small city than in a lot of bigger cities surrounding us. I am looking into private funding to renovate 1 of many old houses here and try to house some of them. They deserve proper care, or better care than what they receive in the system. Proper food (a cook), proper health care (a full-time nurse), and a clean environment, service to assist their living habits daily. Just want to give back what my Dad did for this country. He is 77, retired and enjoying his life; all vets should do the same."



Think back to the beginning of every war that was ever fought and you can recall the marching bands, patriotic songs, flags waving from every house. Think back only a few years when the initial contingent of troops was sent to Iraq.

Zillions of tiny flags waving from car antennas and even more bumper stickers on those same cars shouting "Support Our Troops"

Where are the patriots now when those troops need them most?