Homeless deserve helping hand ADVERTISING Homeless deserve helping hand I hope Don Zero does not represent the attitude of all VFW members. I have been closely following Hawaii efforts regarding the homeless. The first thing to remember is the fact
Homeless deserve helping hand
I hope Don Zero does not represent the attitude of all VFW members. I have been closely following Hawaii efforts regarding the homeless. The first thing to remember is the fact he ignores. Every case is different. Sure, there are abusers, but the thrust of the Hawaii campaign is to give deserving people a helping hand. How can you find a job if you don’t have an address, a phone number, a place to wash up or a place to keep your children and few belongings while you search?
Several cities have found that it is cheaper to supply a place to live than provide inevitable services to those without a place. The recipients then often get a job and begin to contribute. It becomes possible for the children to get back in school. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.
Ken Obenski
South Kona
Another lesson from fences
Not long ago I noticed that nasty weeds with thorns that were growing in my neighbor’s yard had started to migrate through the fence to my own yard. At first I kept on watering everything on my side of the fence, including the invasive weeds. But I noticed that more and more weeds were coming to my side of the fence because my water was very attractive to them. And the weeds that had already migrated into my yard were growing bigger and stronger and crowding out the beautiful flowers I was trying to grow.
So I started on a project of ruthlessly pulling the weeds on my side of the fence and being careful to spray my water only on my side of the fence. My garden is now much more beautiful. I warned my neighbor that if he doesn’t keep control of his weeds then I will need to make my fence more solid (and perhaps his side of the fence will look ugly) to ensure that neither weeds nor water can get through. My neighbor thinks his weeds are actually flowers, and he tells me I should love his weeds equally with my flowers because all are creatures of God. But my friend Robert Frost applauded what I am doing and reminded me that “good fences make good neighbors.” It’s my yard and my water, after all.
Ken Conklin
Kaneohe, Oahu
Column doesn’t speak for organization
The opinions expressed in Don Zero’s My Turn column Monday do not reflect the opinions of VFW Post 12122. They are, as indicated, the opinions of Don Zero.
Dick Skarnes
Past adjutant/quartermaster and founder, Christopher Camero Memorial All American
Post 12122
