In Which Robert Lurves "The Homeless"

[lawfulevil]

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

No super awesome content here, but wouldn't Robert be disappointed if we didn't make him a shiny new thread? I'm too tired to address his shit at the moment. I will address some mental notes about the org he's pimping-

It's interesting that "Operation Nightwatch" doesn't list sunscreen or diapers or tampons/pads on the "most-wanted" list. Those items come up a lot here. Sunscreen especially is expensive and doesn't get donated often, but is always in very short supply. I know Seattle is often cloudy, but people outdoors all day still need sunscreen, even on cloudy days. I always donate menstrual supplies since I buy them in bulk. Additionally, some centers here also accept pregnancy tests and unopened bulk OTC medications. Socks is a good thought but donate nice socks- the cheap dollar store ones are worse than nothing. Blister city. And wrapped candy? Nobody here asks for candy- wet wipes, sure.

All this tells me that yes, they do help homeless people, but that's a secondary purpose. The primary purpose is preaching.

[peacelovecoffee]

A little off subject here but fundies using the phrase "The ______" to describe what they consider a lesser people in need of The Lord makes me twitchy. Kind of how most of the fundies on my FB (leftovers from my prior life) have all jumped on the foreign adoption bandwagon & constantly refer to children available for adoption as "The Fatherless." I get that the double meaning that they are trying to imply but they seem to only use this in reference to orphans & it only shows their ignorance while truly belittling the biological parents of these children. They are adopting from countries where children are orphaned due to their parent's inability to provide for them so sure, the kids probably don't know the Christian "father" but chances are most of them do actually have a father in their home country whose heart is aching at the loss of his child. Shut the fuck up, fundies.

[jerkit]

I am 100% certain that Robert is telling the truth. Yup, he's known for that.

[RachelB]

A little off subject here but fundies using the phrase "The ______" to describe what they consider a lesser people in need of The Lord makes me twitchy. Kind of how most of the fundies on my FB (leftovers from my prior life) have all jumped on the foreign adoption bandwagon & constantly refer to children available for adoption as "The Fatherless." I get that the double meaning that they are trying to imply but they seem to only use this in reference to orphans & it only shows their ignorance while truly belittling the biological parents of these children. They are adopting from countries where children are orphaned due to their parent's inability to provide for them so sure, the kids probably don't know the Christian "father" but chances are most of them do actually have a father in their home country whose heart is aching at the loss of his child. Shut the fuck up, fundies.

That phrasing is kind of dehumanizing, too. All of those kids are individual people, with thoughts and feelings. And he's treating them as a faceless mass. I do not like.

[lawfulevil]

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

Urgh. I have lurched back out of my grave and feel somewhat ready to tackle Robert's latest steaming literary dump.

"The ______". That is dehumanizing, and I feel like the whole thing is about What A Good Boy/Girl I Am. Look at me, helping terrible people! Even though they're terrible! And they do drugs! But we help them anyway! For Jesus! And jump in the middle of knife fights! MANLY!!!

But for the most part it was fixing food, mopping floors, handing out tickets and for half and hour each night sitting down with those coming through the doors and listening to their story. Trying to let them know someone did indeed care about them. Praying with them and trying to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them.

You know, there's not much that makes me grind my teeth quite like conditional charity. "Ohhh, look at you. Down on your luck and hungry. Well, I'll be glad to feed you... just as soon as you spend enough time nodding while I blather in your face. God is SO good. Well, not to you evidently... but to WORTHY people (ie: me!), He is SO good!"

There is a faith that comes from living hand to mouth, relying on God and not having the material stuff of this world, & the noise that comes with it, be a constant distraction.

BARF. If being broke and sleeping on the street is so good for your soul, Robert, why don't you and Amanda give ALL of your money to Godly causes? Seems like you've got plenty of things you could give up or cut back on. You certainly haven't been missing any meals, didn't you just say that missing meals makes folks Godly? Talk to Ken about that, I'm sure that guy knows some good anorexia dieting tips.

Do you really think the Jesus of the Bible would have more sympathy for you and Amanda (can't give up the things of the world- tons and tons of possessions, two (or is it three? is the cabin a cabin or is it a shed?) houses, more crap than any one family could possibly 'need'... and lots of hubris too) than he would for Dennis (couldn't give up whiskey)?

[patsymae]

"There is a faith that comes from living hand to mouth, relying on God and not having the material stuff of this world, & the noise that comes with it, be a constant distraction."

And all his other crap, too. I worked in a shelter and later had to live in one for a bit--guess what? " Not having the material stuff of this world is pretty much a constant distraction. And people become homeless for all sorts of reasons--Hurricane Sandy certainly increased the ranks in my neck of the woods. And guess what? Lots of homeless people have jobs. most of them have their own friends, if they want friends. Most of them have their own ideas about religion. And almost none want to sit down with douches and explain their "stories."

God, I hate these people.

[ViolaSebastian]

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

Hahaha. He mentions his university by name--I guess you are reading here, aren't you, Robert? Well, then you should know that I've never experiencing a homeless shelter that allowed people to sleep on the floor. Occupancy rules and fire codes still apply for homeless shelters. Furthermore, I have never known a homeless shelter that allowed intoxicated individuals. There are basic safety reasons behind that. So I don't believe that you knew about the shelter's clients' struggles with substance abuse.

I've also never known any prison to take food donations. Shelters, sure, but prisons? Furthermore, don't make food for a homeless shelter. I know that sounds cold and terrible, but they won't be able to accept it. Soup kitchens and shelters have to abide by ebil government food safety regulations so they don't make people sick. If you make it in your kitchen, they don't know if you've been trained and are following standards. Give socks, give toiletries, give money--these things they'll gladly accept.

Of course, he couldn't just leave it at 'I helped out.' It's 'I was a bouncer, there were fists, that time with a knife, I was the manliest man who ever manned in the history of mankind...' And this: Although I never saw the dealer or the gun, I also sat with a woman and her two children hiding next door in an abandoned storefront (where they had been sleeping) while her husband went out and tried to settle a debt the mother ran up that the drug dealer had threatened to shoot them all over' is a horrible run-on sentence and does not make any sense. 'threatened to shoot them all over?'

Oh, and I wouldn't describe a university with an 83.2% acceptance rate and a ranking of #239th in all the private colleges in the country to be 'elite.'

[lawfulevil]

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

83% acceptance, and so much for Bob's academic prowess, they hand out "grants" to everybody:

73.4 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $23,714.

Looks like 3 out of 4 of Robert's classmates were from middle-class backgrounds too, so I don't know what he's on about.

[feministxtian]

When I stayed in a homeless shelter (1997) our meals were the "extras" from local restaurants. The kids and I got violently ill one night (food poisoning) and we left the next day. Eating beanie-weenie and cold ravioli was better than that shit.

[Maggie Mae]

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

No super awesome content here, but wouldn't Robert be disappointed if we didn't make him a shiny new thread? I'm too tired to address his shit at the moment. I will address some mental notes about the org he's pimping-

It's interesting that "Operation Nightwatch" doesn't list sunscreen or diapers or tampons/pads on the "most-wanted" list. Those items come up a lot here. Sunscreen especially is expensive and doesn't get donated often, but is always in very short supply. I know Seattle is often cloudy, but people outdoors all day still need sunscreen, even on cloudy days. I always donate menstrual supplies since I buy them in bulk. Additionally, some centers here also accept pregnancy tests and unopened bulk OTC medications. Socks is a good thought but donate nice socks- the cheap dollar store ones are worse than nothing. Blister city. And wrapped candy? Nobody here asks for candy- wet wipes, sure.

All this tells me that yes, they do help homeless people, but that's a secondary purpose. The primary purpose is preaching.

I agree.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

Operation Nightwatch seems creepy. They have a page on their website that talks about their "street preaching." And maybe they have changed since CM was involved, but what I got from their website didn't exactly match up what he said they did. He claimed that they found space for people in the existing shelters, but it looks like ON has their own shelters - one for women & children and one for men.

Which now makes me question what happens when a single dad becomes homeless. Do the kids just automatically go into foster care because no mom?

Everything about being homeless sucks, but this is just stupid. People need to have their basic needs met, not told to believe in God and get saved. You can't function like a human when you don't have safe shelter, food security, and a place to complete basic hygiene. It's not bootstraps they need, they need safe, secure shelters.

I hate how we act about food too. Restaurants have so much extra food, and some might donate it, but others put it in locked dumpsters. I've heard of places insisting their employees pour bleach over the food in the dumpster as well.

And no, there won't be food donated to prisons. Prisons contract with food service companies, and many of them have accepted contracts that give one company exclusive "rights" to feed prisons, and can't accept other food sources.

[JillsFlowerHeadband]

I am 100% certain that Robert is telling the truth. Yup, he's known for that.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

Of course! He tells the truth as he snacks on those "damn fine" hamburgers made from bull meat!! Sure, he tells the truth. :liar:

[lawfulevil]

He's just throwing himself on all those potato chips because he knows they're not healthy and wants "the homeless" to eat more nutritious food. Barbecue flavored Lay's (yee-hawww!) are Robert's cross to bear in this life, y'all, so stop making fun of him! He's on a mission from God!

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

Okay so that was just trollbait, the other 50% of Robert's diet.

[lawfulevil]

Well, well, well. Check out that CabinetFlounce, y'all. After weeks of grandiosity and epic walls of text, poor Bob's found out that nobody actually cares. He's off to shoot some livestock lick his wounds... I mean, entertain guests.

[jerkit]

If you're going to do an online fundraising campaign, you really need to give people time. Time to see it and then to respond. And other than FJ, his readership is mostly women who presumably have to get permission from their headship before donating to a charitable cause. They would need more than the 48 hours he gave them to see the post, discuss it with their headships, and respond.

It's emotional manipulation on his part. "You didn't donate to my cause quick enough so I'm disappointed in you and no more posts until you've learned your lesson!"

[usmcmom]

For those who don't want to click on it - and because it's a very easy post to copy and paste. Look how brief this is!!

First, I’ll be honest, it was a disappointing turn out for giving to the homeless shelters or food banks. So we will continue for one more day until the end of monday night.

Second, it is going to be a very busy week for me and then we will have visitors for a week so it will be awhile before I post.

In Christ-

I think his expression of disappointment is the height of arrogance...like any reasonable adult needs his approval or will be swayed by his disappointment. Who is he to decide how the rest of us choose to give? Many people have several charities or families to which they give and sometimes they just cannot budget for something new, especially on the spur of the moment. The poster above has an excellent point; many of his readers are women who will need to get permission from their husband before committing to such a thing. Bottom line - his "disappointment" is an expression of judgment upon his readers that they've chosen not to support the same type of charity that he supports.

From a practical writing viewpoint, I have a suggestion for Robert. When presenting a challenge to your readers - like this one or the question and answer post - it's best to present the challenge early in the post and keep the writing brief. Even the most loyal readers may have decided, for whatever reason, to simply skim a post; causing them to miss the main point that was tucked in at the end of the very long story.

[JillsFlowerHeadband]

Well, well, well. Check out that CabinetFlounce, y'all. After weeks of grandiosity and epic walls of text, poor Bob's found out that nobody actually cares. He's off to shoot some livestock lick his wounds... I mean, entertain guests.

"Guests"... maybe they can help him care for the "goats" and the "cattle" and "pan for gold".

[browncoatslytherin]

Who is he to decide how the rest of us choose to give? Many people have several charities or families to which they give and sometimes they just cannot budget for something new, especially on the spur of the moment.

qft. he doesn't know anybody's pay cycle. maybe somebody wanted to give, but since they don't get paid until the end of this week or maybe the middle of the month, they can't give right now because they haven't budgeted it.

i was actually just talking about this with my brother (who was getting on my fucking nerves, asking for money for cat food that he just now decided to ask me for this morning). if you want money by a certain time, you need to give more advanced notice to ensure you get it on time. not everybody has extra cash lying around, a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck. so any budgeting has to come in and get put in before everything is budgeted out.

but, you know, that would presume that cm has a logical thinking process, and he obviously doesn't.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

bahaha cm...logical...oh i kill myself :lol:

[Firiel]

qft. he doesn't know anybody's pay cycle. maybe somebody wanted to give, but since they don't get paid until the end of this week or maybe the middle of the month, they can't give right now because they haven't budgeted it.

i was actually just talking about this with my brother (who was getting on my fucking nerves, asking for money for cat food that he just now decided to ask me for this morning). if you want money by a certain time, you need to give more advanced notice to ensure you get it on time. not everybody has extra cash lying around, a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck. so any budgeting has to come in and get put in before everything is budgeted out.

but, you know, that would presume that cm has a logical thinking process, and he obviously doesn't.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

bahaha cm...logical...oh i kill myself :lol:

And even people who don't live paycheck-to-paycheck often can't just decide on a whim to donate, especially in large amounts. I budget carefully so I have extra, emergency money... but answering some blogger's call to donate is not an emergency. And while I have padding built into my budget, the best time for me to funnel money to a purpose is towards the beginning of the month. So when my local public radio channel did their fundraiser near the beginning of the month, I was able to donate a bit because I knew I could absorb that by being careful through the rest of the month. By this weekend, my money was already allocated. Some for fun fall things with the boyfriend who was visiting and the rest I was setting aside for Christmas.

And for Cabinetman, who is definitely NOT reading this, I do donate money-- just when I plan for it. I tithe regularly to support my church community, and I've done so faithfully my entire adult life... which is more than a certain True Christian[tm][/tm] can say. I also donate to another humanitarian organization regularly.

[jerkit]

CM wants control. He wants to know that you pulled away money from the missionary you support or a relief and development fund or extra giving to your heathen church and immediately donated to HIS pet project.

[lawfulevil]

Yeah, I was mulling over that as well. How arrogant, to think your readers are going to be able to part with $1000 (that's how much they offered to "match") on short notice, even between all of them. How many readers does he even have? (Who aren't us?) How many of them could free up more than $20-30 on a week's notice, let alone 2 days? People who live this woman-submits, only the man works (unless he lets the little lady), no-college, no-hormonal-birth-control lifestyle Robert represents... don't tend to have a lot of extra money lying around. Sorry, Bob, but Ken and Lori are statistical noise. Most people in your kind of Good Christian Marriage have tight budgets.

And people who give on a regular basis tend to have their charitable giving already planned out and worked into the budget. I know we do- there's no surprises in ours except Christmas presents.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

So, FJers: I'm still dithering about this year's present for my SIL, who I always swap a food gift and a donation with. I donated to a local bee kickstarter for her and the reward tier was a jar of local honey, which I'm going to wrap with a wooden honey dipper as her food gift. For donation gift, I got her a Kiva gift card last year, but this year I was thinking honeybees at Heifer International. Is that too matchy-matchy or is it cute?

[usmcmom]

Yeah, I was mulling over that as well. How arrogant, to think your readers are going to be able to part with $1000 (that's how much they offered to "match") on short notice, even between all of them. How many readers does he even have? (Who aren't us?) How many of them could free up more than $20-30 on a week's notice, let alone 2 days? People who live this woman-submits, only the man works (unless he lets the little lady), no-college, no-hormonal-birth-control lifestyle Robert represents... don't tend to have a lot of extra money lying around. Sorry, Bob, but Ken and Lori are statistical noise. Most people in your kind of Good Christian Marriage have tight budgets.

And people who give on a regular basis tend to have their charitable giving already planned out and worked into the budget. I know we do- there's no surprises in ours except Christmas presents.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

So, FJers: I'm still dithering about this year's present for my SIL, who I always swap a food gift and a donation with. I donated to a local bee kickstarter for her and the reward tier was a jar of local honey, which I'm going to wrap with a wooden honey dipper as her food gift. For donation gift, I got her a Kiva gift card last year, but this year I was thinking honeybees at Heifer International. Is that too matchy-matchy or is it cute?

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

I love matchy-matchy gifts and I think your idea is...well...the bee's knees. Sorry, had to do it.

[browncoatslytherin]

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

I love matchy-matchy gifts and I think your idea is...well...the bee's knees. Sorry, had to do it.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

total props for the pun. and yeah, i think that will be really cool :) i love honey! and if she's anything like me on that, she will absolutely love it.

[Rebelwife]

Yeah, I was mulling over that as well. How arrogant, to think your readers are going to be able to part with $1000 (that's how much they offered to "match") on short notice, even between all of them. How many readers does he even have? (Who aren't us?) How many of them could free up more than $20-30 on a week's notice, let alone 2 days? People who live this woman-submits, only the man works (unless he lets the little lady), no-college, no-hormonal-birth-control lifestyle Robert represents... don't tend to have a lot of extra money lying around. Sorry, Bob, but Ken and Lori are statistical noise. Most people in your kind of Good Christian Marriage have tight budgets.

And people who give on a regular basis tend to have their charitable giving already planned out and worked into the budget. I know we do- there's no surprises in ours except Christmas presents.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

So, FJers: I'm still dithering about this year's present for my SIL, who I always swap a food gift and a donation with. I donated to a local bee kickstarter for her and the reward tier was a jar of local honey, which I'm going to wrap with a wooden honey dipper as her food gift. For donation gift, I got her a Kiva gift card last year, but this year I was thinking honeybees at Heifer International. Is that too matchy-matchy or is it cute?

You are so right about him!

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

I think the honey bees idea is great - it's not matchy, it's a theme! :D

[Firiel]

Maybe part of the reason he's so mad is because the limp response to his call for donations forced his to consider that a larger-than-expected percentage of his readers are from FJ. I mean, I imagine the majority of his page views come from us, though perhaps I'm just engaging in wishful thinking.

[browncoatslytherin]

Maybe part of the reason he's so mad is because the limp response to his call for donations forced his to consider that a larger-than-expected percentage of his readers are from FJ. I mean, I imagine the majority of his page views come from us, though perhaps I'm just engaging in wishful thinking.

knowing him, he's probably way more important and popular in his own mind that he actually is. you know...

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

...i wouldn't be surprised at all if he really only had one or two actual readers, aside from fj, because who knows how many of his commenters are socks. hell, i wouldn't be surprised if he lost any actual readership with his flounce and now doesn't have anyone other than us as readers and any commenters who aren't us are socks. :lol: