When I come home from Iraq, I become homeless

[Sapphire Blue]

When I come home from Iraq, I become homeless

"When I Came Home" is a documentary which follows the lives and struggles of several homeless veterans who have recently returned home from the war in Iraq.

Director Lohaus is a graduate of The School of Visual Arts in New York City. He has worked with documentary filmmakers Les and Harrod Blank and was the assistant editor on the film On The Ropes, which was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2000 Academy Awards.

Please watch the video @ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-974249342506127537&q=When+I+Came+Home

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 25:

(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

[Monkeyman]

1. Right Now The VA 's numbers are on the rise

Last year they showed 196,000 homeless Veterans. The New Number breaks this Veteran Heart 245,000 and they are saying in five years from now 500,000 Homeless Veterans if we do not fund the VA we are facing a nation of tents for our vets.

[madokie]

2. And that in itself is criminal

[calimary]

26. It IS criminal. It is nothing BUT.

NOTHING but. :grr:

[BeHereNow]

4. And there will be plenty of non-military folks right next door to them

This country is about to see plenty of homeless.
New Orleans style "heck of a job" Bush style
civil management and social programming.
Support the troops and the homeless others!
Yeah!
Not.
BHN

[bobbolink]

10. Absotively! There are many of us in that same boat... unfortunately,

it's certain groups that get more empathy. Vets and mothers are in that number.

Those of us who are old ladies can fling ourselves off a cliff.

Thanks for recognizing that, and posting about it. Makes me feel a little less alone.

:hi:

[Solly Mack]

3. Recommended

When a country fights wars they should have never fought, those who fought in those wars are quickly forgotten.

Maimed and injured troops are a constant reminder of the war that should have never taken place and a constant reminder of the actions of those who got us into such wars to begin with....when government can hide/tuck troops away from public view, they will...otherwise, how we failed and any crimes stay in the forefront...and the lack of accountability is glaring.

Troops don't fall between the cracks - they're pushed

[valerief]

5. We saw it happen in Vietnam. And the drug explosion didn't help.

Thank goodness we have a war on drugs now. Oh, wait, that usually means MORE drugs. Like the heroin explosion. Hmm, it's coinciding with the homeless vet explosion.

Born on the Fourth of July: the Sequel.

[Monkeyman]

9. Black Tar is showing back up.

We are seeing these returning troops drinking more and more every day

[me b zola]

27. "Born on the Fourth of July: the Sequel".....

Born on Sept 11th.

[Cha]

38. 2001

Without it the bushites could never have lied their way into Iraq. Cui Bono?

[valerief]

40. Good title. nt

[H2O Man]

6. Thank you

and a few others who are serving as a conscious reminder about the reality of homelessness in the USA.

[bobbolink]

11. That's me. The professional thorn-in-the-side.

:) :hi: :)

Sapphire Blue is the bestest!!

:toast: to Sapphire!

[H2O Man]

31. I am extremely grateful

to both of you, for the wonderful service that you are providing to all of us.

[bridgit]

7. 'guilty' may be too strong a term, but i suppose even i am guilty of it...

i do try to keep their hearts & minds in my mind's eye all of them; the innocents being slaughtered for this bush kid & his handlers stock portfolios; his crocodile tear shedding 'poppy' with both hands stained to the elbows with the blood of other people's loved ones;

but now these saddened, consternated troops of ours as well coming home from a landscape of hellish death, chaos & destruction (it is not enough to state so flatly, "war is hard, tough work" "war is hell" not when you've had your druthers) while i pick up a lb of coffee, some bottled water, some scalloped taters, and some chili, and still i wonder...

while trying myself to keep this shit storm in perspective, i pass so many cars on the road in the parking lot, vying for that special parking space, flipping each other off and i wonder a little more...

how many of these people that i see every day even care, how many care but are frozen for maybe having voted for this shit to begin with; how many voted for it and STILL don't give a damn, how many are thinking, "better those fucking idiot suckers than me & mine" while purchasing a diamond tennis bracelet for their little princess, a mink stole or an SUV for their squeeze...

end it all, all this american drift & myopic indifference WAKE UP!! america :cry:

[thingfisher]

13. It is a sad thing to see the young soldiers go off to war

full of pride and courage, feeling special for their willingness to fight for their country.
Little do they know how they could be treated once the war machine is finished with them. Perhaps if this story gets more public exposure it will disenchant a new generation of cannon fodder from falling for the same old lies that have worked so well for so long. But I doubt it.

[bridgit]

14. i agree, i recall when this operation was some 7 - 9 months into it...

and most all the various national guardsmen & their families freaking out cause they felt they'd maybe be protecting the home front, filling some sand bags, protecting the republic here...state side!!

that was right around the time rumsfeld began using us all, them especially, as a resource to his ends of death & chaos; now they rotate so often they don't have time to mention it any more

thank you though, for your post here, as i've been meaning to give you a 'welcome to du, thingfisher' for some time now, however belated :hi: :toast:

[thingfisher]

20. Thanks Bridgit.

[bobbolink]

17. These soldiers need to come back and speak with the young folk.

It's all that will get their attention.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. A quick recommendation

I'll be back later to explore this issue further.

[bobbolink]

12. I'll be waiting... ^_^

THanks so much for your faithfulness!!

REally, it means a lot to me...

:hi:

[goclark]

15. Kick,kick,kick

[bobbolink]

16. This problem is going to explode in the near future!

When I've tried to talk to clergy locally about homelessness, and what needs to be done in this community, I've brought up this issue. Most don't know that PTSD is HUGE in this occupation, and that it is effecting women in much larger numbers.

That means that women will be coming back to their communities who can't function well, and need to be supported and cared for.

Most are surprised to hear that, and it's more of a draw to them than the likes of me.

Why does my head hurt?

Could it be from repeatedly banging my head against walls???

:cry:

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. I keep looking at the numbers and I am getting the sneaky

suspicion that the basis for social strife is now very well sown

[bobbolink]

19. another kick

:kick:

[JeffR]

21. Reading this, I am (once again) ashamed to be an American

[mconvente]

22. This is the most disheartening thing ever... fucking bush...

This is fucking outrageous - blood for bush's oil buddies, let all the corporations get rich while we leave our soldiers to return home with their families and be homeless. Fucking unbelievable...

[bridgit]

23. kick...

:kick:

[Imagevision]

24. Bush, repukes version of supporting the troops...

[Jcrowley]

25. K & R n/t

[shanine]

28. :kick:

[Joe Chi Minh]

29. "We support you!"....... the Republican mantra.

Yep. Like the Boston Strangler supported the cause of door-to-door salesmen.

Is it any wonder the bum's rush given the Republicans by the electorate, massive as it was, was actually significantly fiercer still than their fraud and voter repression allowed the public to know - before the Democrats' election-fraud rottweilers got on their case.

[bobbolink]

37. Don't blame this all on the RW! That's too easy, and doesn't lead to

solving the problems.

Dems are just as responsible. Housing cuts happened under Dems, too, especially Clinton. Dems don't make this an issue during campaigns.
Dems have all kinds of excuses why they can only wring their hands and not take action.

NO--this is a HUMAN issue, and needs to get broad support, and that means all of us!

[Joe Chi Minh]

41. No! It's a right-wing POLITICAL issue, of Republican and DLC making.

For charities, it's a human issue. It's the populist progressives who have clean hands, and now appear in a strong ascendancy. They need to shame the cosy right-wing rump, and I doubt if they'll have much difficulty with better DLC types like the Clintons; whatever Clinton did to placate the right, while he was in power.

[bobbolink]

42. GET IT! Dems have contributed to the cuts!!

All your denial won't make it be different.

As for "progressives", they haven't wanted to hear about it.

Including Kucinich's campaign.

[Joe Chi Minh]

43. Well, if that's the case, thank you for enlightening me. I'd just as

soon know the truth, however unpleasant.

[bobbolink]

44. Yes, it's highly unpleasant. So is some of our other history.

Thanks for understanding, and please help us be vigilant in getting the Dems to do the right thing with poverty!

:hi:

I've had to learn so much unpleasantness about our Dem history, ... Fer instance, just knowing that FDR, who was such a great, great man, was the one who incarcerated the Japanese in this country really upsets me, still does. Yet, that is the case, and we must never get complacent about this country, even when we think our party is the best.

"It's always something"... Gilda Radner

thanks.....

[Joe Chi Minh]

49. I'm honoured to be put right by you. Passionate care is always an inspiration.

[Dangerously Amused]

30. K&R.

[G_Leo_Criley]

32. homelessness...

Somewhere along the line it seems like America became inured to homelessness and the sight of people in cardboard boxes sleeping under highway overpasses. It started under Reagan, and it goes on. Now, we see the nearly impossible to comprehend scenes of Iraq vets coming home to ... homelessness.

Whether it's troops coming back from Iraq, or others in our own towns falling into the cracks, this can happen to anyone. Let's not kid ourselves about that.

The fact that it's happening to returning vets shows the cynical side of the * administration in stark terms: See a homeless vet on the street then tune in to * and company blathering on about how people who are against his war are undermining our brave troops.

Bobbolink has a great idea for a start. (this thread or another one I think...) We should all be writing to our reps and senators to let them know that homelessness in America is simply no longer acceptable and that we expect the problem to be tackled aggressively and quickly, with true compassion.

Just a couple of cents worth. We need to keep this human issue in the forefront. Lives depend on that.


glc

[G_Leo_Criley]

33. K & R n/t

:kick:

glc

[G_Leo_Criley]

34. bobbolink post from another thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2886016&mesg_id=2889202

glc

[G_Leo_Criley]

35. kick kick kick!

:kick:

glc

[bobbolink]

36. You're terrific--thank you!

It's nice to meet you... welcome to DU!

:toast: :bounce: :toast:

Thanks for the kind words.. it really helps!

[G_Leo_Criley]

46. bobbolink -- thanks!

Thanks for your kind words too.

I hope that all DUers will take the time to write to their congress folks about the whole issue of homelessness - whether it's homeless vets or homeless anybody. It simply shouldn't be happening!

We have a chance to take back some of those tax cuts for the rich and put the money where it belongs: Back into human services!

:hug:

glc

[Sapphire Blue]

47. Speaking of human needs, there's a Coalition...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2880525&mesg_id=2881673

[bobbolink]

50. Thank you for reminding me... I don't know very much about them, and

need to do some "investigatin'" as soon as I can crawl out of some of this emergency mode.

You're the bestest, Sapphire Blue!

:hug:

Thanks so much!

[bobbolink]

48. From your keyboard tothe monitor of the goddess!! ^_^

You're so right on about all those needed letters and phone calls! Last year, during the budget legislation, when Sapphire Blue kept posting alerts to call and write, and hardly any replies came back, was so disheartening. I know I started giving up then.

I'm so glad you're now here at DU, and will join us in these efforts!

Something is stirring!

:hug: :pals:

bobbolink

[G_Leo_Criley]

53. something is definitely stirring

Just read this Bobbolink: One of my local newspapers has an interesting piece about homeless men and women. I'm interested in hearing what you think.

The twist is that these are group homes, with private rooms, and each resident has their own key. This is a step away from the shelters for sure. The group home staff then helps each client towards the next step, depending on individual needs. It sounds like a hopeful and humane direction!

Essentially, it seems that housing the homeless is much less expensive than sheltering them. Health care costs go down too when people aren't subjected to shelter life. One town west of here has closed down their shelter and is housing the homeless in funded units.

This concept is something to bring up in any letters to reps and senators, about help for homeless people!

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=171393


I'd love to know more about this movement away from shelters and towards something more personalized. If anyone has other information or links, please post them.

btw, the article mentions mitt romney, who is running for his party's nomination for pres in 2008. So... By way of explanation, Romney first cut more than 400 million dollars from the social services budget then restored (after advocates yelled really loud!) about 40 million, which will allow these innovative homes to continue.


:hug:

glc

[G_Leo_Criley]

54. and another article about permanent housing ...

for the homeless, in the Boston Globe.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/12/11/housing_for_the_homeless/

:hug:


glc

ps -- you go Richie Ring!

[nam78_two]

39. Kick.nt

[IWantPeace]

45. It is beyond shameful how we treat our veterans

and the way we misuse them in the first place!

[EFerrari]

51. kick

[dogday]

52. I will most certainly kick this

For my Son and his safe return home.. Not all are so fortunate.....