Helpless, Helpless, Heaven Help Us

[Alizaryn]

... cross posted on KOS

A dear friend, a brother of sorts, a son of sorts is missing.

He’s only one of the millions who have survived the daily land mines of his environment for 27 years and now, he is missing.

He's one of the millions of ex-military cast offs. An ex-marine who was shown the door in a method that would guarantee he not receive any assistance medically for the reason he was dismissed.

He's one of the millions of uninsured.

He's one of the millions who LITERALLY worked their way through college by completing two years within Job Corp. to earn the financial opportunity to attend college.

He's one of the millions who are released from hospitals in a never ending rotation that ensures that those with the least, receive just enough to allow a clerical rationalization for eviction.

He's an artist, poet, computer wiz, sweet, brilliant, piece of humanity and he is also suffering from "Psychotic Depression" or "Schizophrenia" depending on which Psych Ward via the Emergency room diagnosis you want to lean toward.

Now ... He's one of the millions receiving bills upon bills for ambulance rides and hospital stays and pressures upon pressures of living with the knowledge that he doesn't stand a prayer of paying them AND eating.

Now ... He's one of the millions who show up daily at the local Labor Ready sites to earn his daily bread and unfortunately not his daily health insurance.

Now ... He's saying that he's been "Black Listed" for being a "black man with a past" and is therefore " being prevented from having a future".

Now ... He's hearing voices again!

Now ... He's saying that there is no hope!

Now ... He's saying that he has lost God!

Now ... He's missing!

How long do we expect him to remain within this endless circle of hell where there are only 2 escapes...money or death?

What the hell is wrong with this country? What kind of unseen virus has attached itself to our collective soul and hollowed it out?

What kind of a difference would National Health care have made for just this one of a million lives?

Heaven help us.

[donsu]

1. kick - as long as the neo cons are in charge

nt

[Alizaryn]

2. It will touch their friends and families

eventually, why can't they understand that?

[kestrel91316]

3. They'll cast family and friends aside, too, if they are mentally ill.

RWers see mental illness as a character defect or deliberate misbehavior, rather than the brain disease that it is.

They care about NO ONE but themselves, so affected family won't matter. They just write them out of the will.

[ThomCat]

4. OMG, I'm so sorry.

:cry:

I'm so sorry that we live in a country that abandons people this way. I hope you find him, and find some help for him.

[Alizaryn]

5. Thanks ThomCat

I just don't "get it".

[FloridaJudy]

6. I wish there were something I could do

I live near a freeway off-ramp, and there are a lot of homeless in my neighborhood. They're not bad people - just sad people. A lot of them have mental health and/or substance abuse problems. Most of them could be helped, if we had the money and will to do it.

That's where I want my taxes to be going, not poured down the rat-hole in Iraq, going to no-bid contracts for Bu$h's toadies. But I don't have a say in it, unfortunately.

In the meantime, I'll pray for your brother as I do for all of them. And pass over a sandwich or a carton of orange juice when I have it.

This nation has lost its soul.

[Alizaryn]

9. Thank you.

I love your signature quote. All we can do is what we can do when we are presented with opportunities.

[ljm2002]

7. That is very sad to hear...

...have you notified the police, etc? Do veterans services provide any assistance in cases like this? If he was homeless, are there homeless advocates who could be of help? The worst thing is for him to drop through the cracks. Just having an advocate can make a big difference when dealing with bureaucracies -- and the goal is to get some services in helping to find him -- just my $.02 anyway.

Best of luck to him, and to you and all his loved ones -- may he be found and regain some equilibrium in his life.

[Alizaryn]

8. Because he was bumped out of the marines

when he was "confused" he signed or did whatever I think without thinking of consiquences. We checked into Veteran Benefits after he came home, but he's not entitled is all we were told. (He's not my real brother, has just been a friend for a long time.) He isn't homeless officially either, he's staying with his girlfriend and trying to make that work along w/ everything else.

We have called the police and notified hospitals etc also. My concern is that he has had enough.

Thanks for your support, I'll keep you updated if I hear anything.

[w8liftinglady]

10. I'll kick-and remind y'all of Monkeyman's favorite cause

http://www.nchv.org/
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) will end homelessness among veterans by shaping public policy, promoting collaboration, and building the capacity of service providers.

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization governed by a 13-member board of directors — is the resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based service providers and local, state and federal agencies that provide emergency and supportive housing, food, health services, job training and placement assistance, legal aid and case management support for hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans each year.

NCHV also serves as the primary liaison between the nation’s care providers, Congress and the Executive Branch agencies charged with helping them succeed in their work. NCHV’s advocacy has strengthened and increased funding for virtually every federal homeless veteran assistance program in existence today.

Under a technical assistance grant awarded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, NCHV provides guidance and information about program development, administration, governance and funding to all of the nation’s homeless veteran service providers.

[Alizaryn]

11. Thank you for the link, I'll

most definately explore it.