Being in a risk taking mood (or should that feeling suicidal?) I thought I would hazard commenting on recent letters on the treatment animals. The recent BCSPCA advertising blitz featuring Sara McLaughlin adds impetus to my need to comment.

Having an intimate acquaintance with the realities of poverty, mental illness and homelessness in our province and our country causes me to wince deeply when ever I see letters, ads or campaigns to protect and shelter animals.

Not because I do not believe in applying ethics to the treatment of animals, but because this highlights a profoundly disturbing and troubling reality of our society. It is far easier to raise money, to get the public and “STARS” to support animal care and rights causes than it is to accomplish these task for the care and ethical treatment of human beings.

What does this say about us as people, a society or a race: that with the use of pictures of cute kittens, injured animals and animals that look profoundly sad you can raise far more funds and support than you can with the picture of a mentally ill person in filthy clothing wandering the streets arguing with the voices only they can hear in their heads?

Abbotsford City Council and city hall plead poverty when the issue of helping the homeless is raised. They have been studying, or is that stalling, for over two years while the problem worsens as they sit around talking instead of acting. Yet they quickly decided on and found thousands of dollars for a local animal shelter – while people live without shelter on the city streets.

To those animal lovers who are feeling a little upset at this point I say consider the words of Mr. George F. Evans: “Except for perceived compassionate people …who speak out, many if not most, take an apathetic role; This plays right into the hands of indifferent …”.

When was the last time you spoke out about the treatment of PEOPLE in need of help, shelter and healing? Or do you just sit apathetically by, thereby playing into the hands of the indifferent and permitting them to ignore and do nothing.

Why should this matter to those who pursue animal’s rights and ethical treatment? What is the connection between these two issues?

How can you expect a society to behave ethically towards animals when it does not treat human beings ethically? When you have permitted society to have created a class of disposable human beings; when you permit society to allow this class of disposable humans to continue to exist and grow; how could you possibly expect society not to treat animals in exactly the same disposable manner?

Open your eyes look around and see how unethically people are treated. Why would you expect animals to be treated differently?

In fact with some treating animals far better than they treat fellow humans; with others apparently more concerned about food, shelter and medical treatment for stray animals; with some fighting, advertising, advocating or writing letters for the ethical treatment of animals while sitting by with indifference and apathy to the reprehensible, unethical treatment of people – are they not contributing not only to the mistreatment of their fellow man but to society’s attitudes to and lack of ethics in dealing with animals?

I am not calling for advocates to stop working for the ethical treatment of animals or to not work to provide homes and healing for homeless animals. I am not demanding that stars such as Sara McLaughlin do not support the BCSPCA.

What I would ask is to think about the homeless – the mentally ill, the addicted, the poor – research/ think about these issues and when the opportunity presents its self, help bring about changes in attitude of the public and government so that we can begin to put in place the resources and programs needed to end homelessness. This applies to “stars” as both the person (Sara) and “(Sara) the Star”.

I am saying that these advocates and their supporters cannot sit around apparently indifferent, apathetic and condoning society’s current treatment of homeless people and those in need of help but must help bring about changes in attitude of the public and government so that we can begin to put in place the resources and programs needed to end homelessness

Because until we begin to treat our fellow man ethically, there is no hope we will treat animals ethically either.

**an unposted golden oldie

Usually I just pay no heed to Jeffrey Hanson-Carlson’s drivel with no more than a stray thought as to how much he must be paying the newspaper (www.abbotsfordtimes.com May 11/07) for the privilege of demonstrating to the community his total inanity and lack of understanding on issues.

However, the level of ignorance about the issue of homelessness he has established with his latest printed nonsense is so vast it demands correction and education; lest anyone be fooled into thinking he has any vestige of understanding of homelessness.

From the pompous comfort of his home Hanson-Carlson prattles on about “policy” and his moral superiority to Americans.

Minimum wage? Got no job, no prospects of job as homelessness raises major barriers to becoming employed. A $50 per hour wage level makes no difference to the jobless, prospect-less homeless person.

Health care? One of the major hidden costs of homelessness is the extra demands a person who is homeless places on the health care system. It follows that reducing homelessness reduces the demand on the health care system and is thus good health care policy.

Education? The level of ignorance of reality that is shown in that word is Jovian (planet Jupiter) in scope. A Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, a Chartered Accountant designation after articling with Coopers & Lybrand. All that education did nothing to prevent my becoming homeless.

It was the support and opportunity championed by Mr. Mangano that presented me with the chance to move off the streets into housing.

I have been championing a course of action that my business background and personal experience with homelessness have led me to believe would result in reducing, even ending, homelessness. I welcomed Mr. Mangano’s visit because he brought this course of action to the attention of local, regional and provincial policy makers. Mr. Mangano’s visit provides an opportunity to stop the insanity of doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result and to set out on a new course of action that will actually end homelessness.

I am not a fan of George Bush for the same reason I am not a fan of Hanson-Carlson – an inability of either of them to see reality as it is rather than the way they want it to be. But anyone who, thoughtfully, checked Mr. Mangano’s background in the field of addressing homelessness would know that he has the experience to speak with authority on the issue of homelessness – unlike some who choose to shoot of their mouths.

The best evidence for listening, really listening, to Mr. Mangano and giving careful consideration to his words lies in the results that have been and continue to be achieved by US cities under his czarship”. By using sound business practices these US cities have begun to achieve solid, measurable, verifiable reductions in their homeless populations. Some cities such as Portland Oregon have achieved incredible results – a 70% reduction – because of the political will to DO, not try.

The real treasure Mr. Mangano brought to our attention is the opportunity to practice “the art of legitimate larceny”. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. Rather we have the opportunity to examine the wide variety of “experiments” US cities have been running for the last few years and cherry pick the best practices for adaptation to our local homelessness reduction, getting right on with the job of ending homelessness.

Although I must concede that the proof that we can, through intelligent, results oriented investments and actions, reduce and even end homelessness is a pretty valuable jewel he also brought with him to Abbotsford.

This so-called no-name community advocate considers it a privilege to have had the opportunity to hear, meet and speak with Mr. Mangano. For what he brought with him to town and to us no-name advocates is support and opportunity to end homelessness, echoing the support and opportunity that permitted me to move from being homeless to a no-name advocate on homelessness.

Finally – should Hanson-Carlson have remember that there is a good reason we have two ears and only one mouth, however big and inappropriately open it may be, he would have heard Mr. Mangano repeatedly point out that he was not the “expert” we should be consulting on what is needed locally to end homelessness. Rather he repeatedly pointed out that the experts on what is needed to end homelessness in Abbotsford are those citizens who have been there and done that, moving from homeless to homed.