Don’t try this at home!

By Max R. Weller

Read the report from the Daily Camera, ‘Cougar on the prowl near Nederland’ — excerpt below:

Abe Russell said his 6-year-old English bulldog, Tank, was killed by a mountain lion Monday. On Monday morning before he went to work, he said, Tank apparently got out of the backyard by pushing through the fence.

Russell said he and his Great Dane went looking for Tank, but about 40 feet from his house he turned the corner to find a large mountain lion just a few feet away with Tank’s body.

“It was pretty traumatic,” Russell said. “To not notice it and to walk up to within 4 feet of one is terrifying.”

Russell said he wanted to back up, but his Great Dane started to bark at the cougar and he was worried the lion would kill her, too. So he picked up a stick and jabbed the lion in the neck until it ran off.

I don’t doubt that it could be necessary to confront a dangerous wild critter, but what’s described above is NOT one of those times. The unfortunate “Tank” was already dead. Back away slowly, go home, and report the incident to the authorities. If you want to cover your retreat, use something that can do an effective job in terms of stopping the critter:

Kimber Pro Carry .45 caliber pistol

Please, do not pick up a stick and poke the lion or bear or coyote with it, in the hopes the animal will run away!

Abe Russell must have a guardian angel, one working overtime, if he’s generally this reckless and manages to stay in one piece. Maybe he just had a brain cramp on this occasion . . .

Snow on the way for Boulder, CO

By Max R. Weller

See the National Weather Service 7-Day Forecast for the transient mecca.

Since they’re rarely seen in most residential neighborhoods, here’s a photo of a City of Boulder snowplow:

By this time, the powers-that-be in charge of Boulder’s halfhearted snow removal efforts should probably have figured out that the snowplow’s blade must be lowered onto the surface of the roadway, in order to remove frozen precipitation effectively.

On the other hand, the Boulder City Council may need to commission a “study” of the issue, hiring outside consultants and budgeting for more overtime among city staff as well.

All I can say is, “Bring in your pets!”

State of the Union 2014

— MRW

More Homeless People = More Money

By Max R. Weller

Read the article about the annual MDHI Point-in-Time Survey from the Daily Camera.

Here’s a look at the 2013 results. It will be several months before 2014 data is released so we can compare.

Bear in mind that any census of the homeless always results in a significant undercount, for a variety of reasons. I refuse to be tallied simply because I’m not interested in helping to obtain funding for more idiotic projects like the $6 million 31-unit Housing First project at 1175 Lee Hill (a collaboration between Boulder Housing Partners and Boulder Shelter for the Homeless), which will serve clients who are chronically homeless, single adult alcoholics/drug addicts with a dual diagnosis of mental illness — sobriety in NOT a requirement for participation in Housing First, and clients will be allowed to drink in their apartments. Seems pretty pointless to me, especially in view of what has happened at Karluk Manor in Anchorage, AK (that city’s HF facility, which opened in December, 2011).

Boulder, CO’s homeless shelter/services industry also seeks to Feel Good about being the destination city for transients from Denver and elsewhere — despite the fact that available resources go only so far, and Boulder County’s own homeless people frequently are being shortchanged. This has a simple solution, which is being adopted by more and more cities: require valid photo ID showing a Boulder County address in order to be eligible for shelter/services from nonprofits.

Unfortunately, that’s not the Boulder approach. Take a look at our Main Branch Library at 1001 Arapahoe, next to Central Park:

(Jeremy Papasso / Daily Camera)

Poor dog! Doesn’t get vet care, or decent food, or a warm place to sleep, but its owner has $$$ for cigarettes, booze, and dope. Frankly, the cops should he handing these bums the $5 tickets on RTD to Denver, then escorting ’em to the Transit Center to make sure they board the bus. Might even have a police vehicle tail that bus as far as Broomfield, to make sure the bums stay on it.

Don’t think I’m angry just because I’m suffering from the Denver Crud, picked up during a morning visit to BSH more than a week ago. I hate the bad behavior of transients when I’m feeling fine, too.

Maybe there’s room on the Denver-bound buses for the apologists/enablers, along with the transients . . . One can always dream of restoring Boulder to a family-friendly place where decent folks, including the majority of the homeless who don’t cause problems, are free to enjoy public venues.

Weirdo on drugs visits my campsite in north Boulder

By Max R. Weller

Feeling very poorly due to the crud I picked up a week ago during my morning visit to Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, I crawled into my burrow about 2PM yesterday afternoon and promptly fell asleep. About 9:30 last night, I was awakened by a transient trying to climb over the barbed-wire fence just a few feet away from me. I stared at him, after throwing off my tarp, then I rubbed my eyes to make sure they were working and I stared at him some more.

He was carrying what looked like the headboard to a queen-size bed.

After he’d gotten my attention, he moved on down the fence line to a spot where several loads of dirt have been dumped on the CDOT lot. He set his headboard down, then picked it up again and started wandering around the dirt piles, almost as if he were trapped IN A MAZE as well as being in a daze.

I knew it had to be drugs of some sort. I resisted the urge to laugh at him, because these drunks/druggies have been known to pull out a knife and stab innocent people who do so — remember Johnny Mack Rasnick, who was fatally stabbed by Charles “Eddy” Waters as he was sleeping? Mr. Rasnick had laughed at Mr. Waters earlier in their drunken evening together with a third man (also stabbed by Waters, but he survived).

I didn’t even speak to this individual, nor did he utter a word to me.

After a while, he put down the headboard and went to retrieve his backpack nearby. I just pulled the tarp back over my head and returned to sleep. I didn’t notice him around when I left my campsite about 5:20AM, but it was still very dark. I’m hoping he left during the night, and won’t return to steal my camping gear this morning as I’m otherwise occupied.

Another example of why I say that Boulder, CO has a greater proportion of people from all walks of life under the influence of various drugs than any other city in my experience.

I hope the guy didn’t freeze to death, either, but those who are non compos mentis for any reason are often unable to care for themselves.

My friend Terzah, who camped with me one night last summer and has said she wants to do so again, misses out on all the fun; she didn’t get to see the mule deer up close then, and now has missed out on the Queen-size Headboard Man.

Max’s Journal 1/23/2014

By Max R. Weller

I took a week off, not because I wanted to do so, but in order to keep an eye on my camping gear in north Boulder. Almost every morning, transients will leave Boulder Shelter for the Homeless and begin wandering around the neighborhood, peering into bushes, looking behind walls, and scouring the general area for OTHER PEOPLE’S PROPERTY.

I’ve also been sick with the typical BSH kennel cough since last Friday; just a brief exposure to those germs in the morning during my shower is all it took to lay me low. Sleeping outdoors in the fresh air is helping, despite the cold temps.

I’m always happy to get mail at BSH. I had a kind note this morning from someone I’ve never met in person, who enclosed a pair of $20 bills for life’s necessities. Obviously, I haven’t been able to play humble beggar on the corner of N. Broadway & U.S. 36 during my illness.

I’ve read three bad novels during the past week, including one by a French author. I don’t know what has happened to the supply of books which used to be available in the TV room at the shelter, but pickings are slim these days.

I learned long ago to disregard news spread by any homeless person, but I’m told that Boulder City Council is taking a closer look the idea of nonprofits requiring valid photo ID showing a Boulder County address before one can have access to shelter/services. Bridge House, BSH, and others could be doing this already if it was their desire to use scarce resources exclusively for the benefit of locals who are in need — but this would cramp their style of pointing to hundreds of transients from Denver and all across America to advance their pleading for more $$$ from both public and private funding sources. Bunch of greedy bastards, in my book.

Speaking of books, I’ll use this opportunity to again urge readers of this blog to pick up a copy of Bowling for Bums: My Life as a Charity Whore. It’s a short but interesting revelation of how some local nonprofits operate in terms of fundraising.

Shocking news: Justin Bieber has been arrested for DUI in a rented Lamborghini! Gaze upon the grinning idiot’s mug shot; maybe it’s time for us to give Dennis Rodman a break.

‘Alcoholics work for beer in Amsterdam program’

By Max R. Weller

Read the report from the Associated Press via the Denver Post.

I don’t endorse this idea at all, but I can see where it could fit right in with the general approach of Boulder, CO’s apologists/enablers, who are making a living off of the misery of chronically homeless people.

In my previous post, I listed six ways that our fair city should reform its dealings with “transients” — those homeless people who have no ties to Boulder and come here just to grab all of the Free Stuff being given away at many different venues. As usually happens, a few Boulderites would rather make ME the issue instead of dealing with problems related to homelessness; the fact remains that if the transients behaved as I do, there wouldn’t be any trouble at all.

Of course, these are the same folks who embraced Jim Budd, so it’s obvious they aren’t too bright . . . Not honest, either.

Virtual Editorial Board: ‘Homelessness in Boulder’

By Max R. Weller

The Daily Camera’s Virtual Editorial Board is a regular weekly feature. This week’s question and my answer are copied below:

The Boulder City Council is examining the city’s spending on services for the homeless and will explore whether they believe the city is creating incentives for “transients,” describing them as different from locals who have fallen on hard times and need help. What, if anything, do you think city leaders should do about homelessness in Boulder?

1) Boulder’s nonprofits, specifically Boulder Shelter for the Homeless and Bridge House, must start requiring valid photo ID showing a Boulder County address from anyone wanting shelter/services. Transients can be given the $5 bus ticket on RTD to Denver, along with a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to go. A grace period of no longer than 30 days could be given for a homeless individual to obtain local ID; most “travelers” will simply move on down the road, instead. REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED AS CLIENTS.

2) The City of Boulder needs a lockdown detox facility, large enough to hold a few dozen inebriates at a time until they’re sober. Neither shelters nor jails are appropriate settings for highly intoxicated men and women.

3) The City, working together with nonprofits and faith-based groups, needs to build a “tiny house village” for single adults who are homeless. This could be done at a fraction of the $6 million being spent on a 31-unit Housing First apartment complex at 1175 Lee Hill. Here’s one example, but others are springing up all over America: http://www.jetsongreen.com/2010/05/tiny-house-eco…

4) The transients who commit petty offenses like illegal camping, trespassing, open container of alcohol, smoking where prohibited, etc. should be given the option of boarding the bus to Denver in lieu of a citation. The $5 fare to be picked up by Boulder taxpayers, and it would be far cheaper in the long run than clogging up the local justice system. This is an old-fashioned solution, and most of the troublemakers I’ve known really don’t want to be going to court or dodging a bench warrant for failure to appear; they’ll get on the bus, under the watchful eye of a police officer, and with the understanding that they only get one such break.

5) Start hiring homeless people with suitable work experience to staff local nonprofits, especially Boulder Shelter for the Homeless. A lot of us have worked for pay and/or volunteered at shelter/services providers in other cities; it’s time this became the practice in Boulder, CO.

6) Most of all, make our public venues like Central Park, Pearl Street Mall, and University Hill family-friendly once again — the 80% (my estimate) of the homeless who behave decently will appreciate it as much as anybody else.

Max’s Journal 1/15/2014

By Max R. Weller

I’m returning to the Great Outdoors in the old north Boulder neighborhood either tomorrow or Friday at the latest. I think it would be a good idea to hang around and see what’s happening for a few days, before I again risk leaving my campsite in the daytime to shop at King Soopers on Table Mesa and visit either CU’s Norlin Library or the George Reynolds Branch Public Library. I need to stock up on food and books first, but the weather should be suitable both day and night.

I’ve adopted a Mission Statement, of sorts, for this blog:

I refuse to support the transients (bums) in any way, so long as the needs of homeless families with kids, the mentally ill, and the developmentally disabled who wind up on the streets are being shortchanged — in favor of Drunk Brian and his friends being enabled in their drinking/drugging, petty criminal lifestyle.

Yes, I know that mission statements are usually affirmations of Pollyanna-ish goals. That’s not ME, and it wouldn’t fit the circumstances I deal with as Homeless Philosopher.

Sometimes, the stupidity of people here in Boulder County, CO is astounding. Read this letter-to-the-editor of the Daily Camera from E. Scott MacInnis of Longmont. Copied below are a few online comments which follow it:

homelessphilosopher: All you have to do is consider the homeless alcoholics/drug addicts receiving monthly disability benefits from Uncle Sugar, over $700 now, which they promptly spend on booze and dope and partying in a cheap motel for a week or so — and then they are destitute for the rest of the month.

In the Fairy Tale World of utopian do-gooders, this is a boon to everyone. In the Real World where most of us live, it benefits only liquor store owners and dope dealers.

Gimme my Obama birth control! Oh, wait . . . That’s also bull****.

oryoki: What do you do with yours?

homelessphilosopher: Are you joking?

I receive no government benefits of any kind — not even food stamps — and the only private nonprofit I patronize is Boulder Shelter for the Homeless for a morning shower (when I’m in that city) and to maintain a small locker with a change of clothes. I could easily make other arrangements for both if BSH closed for any reason.

Despite my poverty, I live a more satisfying life than any of the dozens of permanent dependents on the social services system I know. That has a lot to do with being clean and sober; it also comes from refusing to allow the bums to drag me down into their self-absorbed misery, which is being enabled by the do-gooders.

Another chapter of the ongoing Patti Adler saga published in the DC. There never was a story here, just the paranoia of Patti and her immature supporters along with the naivete of a cub reporter. Anyway, online comments copied below:

homelessphilosopher:

Lgmtgal: Thanks for the photo. Why doesn’t she use real prostitutes? Would it be because the reality of that life is far uglier than these students dressed up in what likely will become their halloween costumes?

homelessphilosopher: That’s what I suggested to the Adler supporters in their Facebook group; eventually, I was blocked from it because I kept asking questions about her teaching methods.

I did learn one thing: other sociology professors around the country do, in fact, take the time to expose their students to real people from the streets.

Maybe Patti Adler doesn’t want reality to intrude into her own version of deviance, or she’s just lazy.

caddis: The Last Waltz?

More like The Last Putz.

Clueless Boulder City Council grapples with transient (bum) issue

By Max R. Weller

See the story from the Daily Camera.

Some interesting comments follow this online puff piece (which includes tweets about council members’ thoughts on various matters). A few are copied below:

homelessphilosopher: Many homeless shelter/services providers in cities across America now require valid photo ID as proof of residency, in order to discourage transients from flocking to their cities the way they do to Boulder, CO. Here in our city, unfortunately, the nonprofits operate by the creed More Homeless People = More Money (from both public and private funding sources) and the Boulder City Council exercises zero oversight. Talk is cheap. BTW, Bridge House is nothing but a transient magnet in the heart of downtown Boulder; it should be moved far away or closed permanently as a Public Nuisance.

CBarrow: “Bridge House………… should be moved far away or closed permanently as a Public Nuisance. ” The same applies to the city council.

ThatWouldBeJack: Didn’t you arrive here homeless? What brought you here?

homelessphilosopher: The Rocky Mountains drew me here. Have you been the victim of crimes committed by transients? They’ve stolen my property on numerous occasions, trashed areas where I’ve been living in harmony with my neighbors, and otherwise created all sorts of mischief — criminal and otherwise. I’ve lived here continuously for almost six years. Transients aren’t the only problem; their apologists/enablers are just as bad for making a living off of them to the detriment of everyone else in Boulder.