Ruthie On The Road, Update

My feet are swollen and I am so ready to leave that Center! Tomorrow will be a much better day for me. Oh, and do I deserve it!

I wonder when was the last time that the City of Denver took a hard look at the grounds around the Denver Rescue Mission.

The mess there really needs to be cleaned up.

To St. Francis Center's credit...No piles of garbage exist around their doorway.

HOWEVER...Changes need to be made there.

For the past week, I have listened to many of the homies talk about life.

Young girls with tattoos and abusive BOY partners are lost now because their parents threw them out.

Old men with grizzled faces and memories that no one wants to share sit silent behind their coffee mugs.

People high in a manic phase crash into strung-out heroin addicts.

Ahhh, yes! Paradise in downtown Denver's homeless community!

Doesn't it just make you want to run down here and open a membership?

Early morning coffee that tastes like witches brew. Body odors that could easily melt an Ionic Breeze. Language that outdoes Howard Stern.

In the midst of it all, go I: Ruthie In The Sky.

Putting perception into print.

Private Message To A Fool

You're darn right I'm a she-wolf! That's the only thing that you put in your comment that is the truth.

Remember this, you coward: I have only begun to bite!

Ruthie Responds To Readers

Hello, Campers! I checked my trackers today and discovered that several interesting...Ahem...Parties...Have been reading my blog lately.

I would like to respond here to those folks:

1.] Taj gambling Man: Hey, why not? What...yer gonna keep it all to yourself?
I have a great deal to offer and I'm worth the investment. Get back with me.

2.] House of Rep DC: I would love to talk to you in or outside the Beltway. I don't know which "side" you're on. But I think that making the Country a better place is everyone's responsibility. Let me know if I can help you!

3.] Driven Reader: Do you drive long-haul? Don't be shy...Let me know. Come out, come out wherever you are!

4.] EyeBalls: Are you taking notes?

Ruthie's Response To The Coalition

What follows is my response to Kay Tennant from the so-called "Colorado Coalition For The Homeless."

I sent her a letter detailing problems that affect many more homeless people than just me. I sent the email to ask for her help.

As you can see, she doesn't care about Denver's homeless at all.

[A Reminder: Click on the post headline above to go to the St. Francis Center website.]

Read on:

_____________

[Oh Please! Puhleeeze!

Kay...I expected the response that I got from you...but I hoped it wouldn't come.

It has been my experience that so-called "Coalitions For The Homeless" exist only to exploit a vulnerable population for their own financial gain.

Grant after grant after cash-lovin' grant.

Meanwhile, those of us who ask for an advocate...get nothing more than verbal bottle-spin from you.

SHAME ON YOU!

Your patronizing paragraphs disgust me. And your apathetic attitude backs up the point that I waited to prove.

YOU should be down at the St. Francis Center tonight...with a voice-recording and camera-enabled cell phone in hand. You should have a laptop and an agenda that translates into resolving the problems there.

Instead you fire-up your computer and tap-out a blow off email to me.

Well, Kay your email is priceless!

So I am going to post it in my blog along with my letter to you.

If you have a change of heart then come on down to the St. Francis Center tonight and ask for me.

And I'll remind you to your face:

Some changes don't require money. Just a legitimate Give-A-Damn Coalition!

Crap From The "Coalition"

I sent an email to the so-called Colorado Coalition For The Homeless. Today I received a response. Here it is:
_______________

[First let me say that I am so sorry that you are experiencing medical problems with your foot. I hope that this situation gets resolved soon.

St. Francis and the Rescue Mission, nonprofits like us, only wish that they had more money to help folks like you. I believe that they do the very best that they can with the resources that they have available.

I am certain that they, like us, would love to be able to take care of everyone's personal needs.

Since we have no influence on what St. Francis or the Rescue Mission does, it might be best to send your input directly to them.

Wishing you happy days!

Kay Tennant]

Shelleigh Slams The Shelter

My friend Shelleigh left the following comments in my blog. She posted in reference to my experience at the St. Francis Center in downtown Denver, Colorado:

______________

[I just don't understand the rationale (or lack there of) about the chairs. You have been having problems with your foot - you've recieved medical attention - you should be keeping it elevated. What's the harm if there are extra chairs??? Another stupid control issue... there cannot possibly be a reasonable explaination. It pisses me right freakin' off.

And what is going to become of your situation??? Are you still receiving medical attention? You need to have that taken care of.

There is a Vietnam Veteran who lives in some bushes behind my work place. He has been living in these bushes for 5 years, with his dog. He doesn't litter. He doesn't cause ANY problems. He goes to the library to read during the day, does some odd jobs for local businesses and returns only to sleep. He was there before the freakin' building WAS BUILT.

At Christmas time the girls and I made him a "basket" of non-perishables and toiletry items... got him a little Christmas dinner that he could eat on Christmas and some treats for his dog... the day after Christmas the freakin' manager of Walgreen's came in to the salon WITH THE COPS and told us we were not to encourage him - the next day they cut down the bushes. WTF? ENCOURAGE HIM? We weren't encouraging him to do anything more than to have a little something special for himself and his dog on Christmas. We didn't give him drugs or liquor (he doesn't drink or do drugs)... we LIKE talking to him on our breaks - he's a total sweetheart, just living his life the way he is most comfortable. He, like you, keeps all his posessions in one duffel bag and takes it with him everywhere... including his bedroll - no sign of him unless he is there.

Those bushes, by the way, WERE next to the dumpster in BACK OF THE BUILDING... no one even knew he was there unless they made daily trips to the dumpster.

Pisses me off... and I have no idea where this is going if anywhere I just needed to vent.

God I hope you're published someday Ruthie.

I really, really do.]

____________________

Thank you, Shelleigh!

I hope that I am published someday, too. If only for the changes that my words might bring.

St. Francis, My Ass!

I walked into the St. Francis Center last night and met the worst behavior yet.

[Click on the post headline above to go to the St. Francis Center website.]

The staff at the Center wanted all of the ladies to help clean the showers.

WELL.

My left foot was so swollen that I could barely keep my shoe on. So I skipped the shower. Which pissed-off the staff.

I was out-of-the-loop in the cleaning crew and didn't care a bit. But I cared that I couldn't get a shower.

How many more of my basic needs, I wondered, would be denied?

I waited for two hours, resting my foot on my pack [not on a chair...OH NO!!! Heaven Forbid!!!] and then went into the rest room to use it. YA KNOW!

So there I was, about to do my duty to God and my Country, when the staff woman blew in the door.

"We're closing this room for cleaning" she declared.

"Well, I'm opening up for relief" I replied.

And did.

Then I walked to the sink to the wash my hands and she inhaled air in preparation for a speech.

I looked at her reflection in the mirror and wondered when she last functioned as a human being.

And before she could get ten words out, I gave her a speech of my own.

She walked away from me so I carried my point out into the main room.

Everybody heard me.

Then she locked the john door and only let the homies with the cleaning products into that room.

I thought it was freaking weird.

At 6am this morning, the lights snapped-on again and I started a conversation with a guy sitting at my table.

Right on cue, a male staff person strode over and told us both to shut up.

He said that people were still sleeping [huh???] and that we were being too noisy.

When those jerks left I asked and finally received storage for my big backpack. I also got some coffee, a burrito and a shower.

hallelujah!

The St. Francis Center has eroded to a miserable and totally unreasonable waste of time.

Homeless Or Helpless In Denver?

The lights snap-on over the crowd of sleepy men and women in the St. Francis Center. I look around and watch
row-upon-row of people begin to rise from their chairs to face another day.

Yes, I said chairs.

At the St. Francis Center in downtown Denver, Colorado everyone who checks in at night sits in a chair at a long table all night. Some people sleep on their arms, or jackets or backpacks.

When they sleep.

No one is allowed in until 9:30 pm and while hot coffee and lukewarm showers are ready...A bed isn't.

No one is allowed to put his or her feet up on a chair...Even when chairs are available.

Many people suffer from severely swollen ankles [including me] and are left to suffer while chairs sit empty overnight.

I wander into the bathroom where two toilets are available for every woman's use. After splashing cold water on my face, brushing my teeth and combing out my hair... I look in the mirror. And I sigh.

My left foot hurts and there is nowhere to store my big backpack for the day. I pull it over my shoulders and walk out onto the cold street.

I leave at 6am and walk a block-and-a-half over to the Denver Rescue Mission.

Shopping carts with questionable contents stand like monuments to failure in the alley beside the building. Several couples are still asleep in blankets on the sidewalk and garbage is everywhere.

A fat Black man is already calling another guy a "Mo-Fo" in the lobby when I open the mission door.

I pull my big pack tight against my back and slowly make my way down several flights of stairs to the dining room. There is no elevator as the mission is in no way ADA-Compliant.

Campers, a large slice of the homeless population in Denver, Colorado are:

Addicted, drunk, lazy, obnoxious and just plain stupid!

The homeless get food, clothing, medical care, hygiene supplies and religion. Every day.

And it doesn't appear to be making any difference.

My question now is:

When will the enabling stop in Denver, Colorado and the real empowerment begin?

[Click on the post headline above to visit the Colorado Coalition For The Homeless Website.]

Coming Up

Every night I go to the mission for a meal and then walk to the local overnight homeless drop-in center.

I will discuss my experience at both places tomorrow.

In the meantime, know that people actually push shopping carts and throw empty 40 oz. beer bottles in the street. Here. In Denver, Colorado.

Katrina: Lessons Learned

Click on the post headline above to go to the White House ["white washed"] report: "Katrina: Lessons Learned."

And then let me know if YOU think that FEMA, Homeland Security and the Bush Administration actually learned something relevant from the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Ruthie On The Road, Update

I left Salt Lake City last Saturday morning and hitchhiked from there to Park City and then to Evanston, Wyoming.

When I got to Evanston, two cops with too much time on their hands, stopped and checked me out.

In minutes, they had taken me to the local truck/bus stop and got me a Greyhound ticket to Cheyenne.

Fortunately, the bus had to take a dip to Denver before returning to Wyoming.

So I got off the bus in Denver early Sunday morning and have been here ever since.

I am going to remain here until next week when I will then...?

Heh-heh-heh.

Leave.

Right now I am toting my pack around with me all day and sleeping at a big drop-in place at night.

I eat at the mission or several other places in the downtown Denver area.

The local community college will allow me to use a computer for a good amount of time during the week. But they won't allow me to post photos or any other graphics. So I will use the public library to do that.

It's cool here but not too bad.

WYOMING WAS FREAKING FREEZING!!!

And of course, the lady who picked me up in Park City, Utah and drove me to Evanston, Wyoming had a serious problem. So I let her vent and then counseled and made her feel much better.

She said that she wanted to double-back and take me to her house that is situated closer to Park City.

I told her thanks but no thanks.

I need a break from Utah.

F--- You, George Bush!

Sonya Coleman took a photo of me in front of the White House. This lovely picture was taken during the day of protest on September 24, 2005.

She finally got it to me a few days ago.

As you can see I am giving George Bush the finger.

Ruthie On The Radio?

My friend Shelleigh listened to my latest audio-post and left me an interesting comment. She says that I have a good voice and that I should be a radio broadcaster.

That's interesting.

I've always been fascinated by radio. And I'm very much a fan of satellite radio. XM and Sirius both have a growing market, especially among long-haul truckers.

Many rigs are equipped with the little boxes and antennas now and drivers listen to everything from big band to Howard Stern.

The thing about me is that if somebody put a mic in front of me and told me to start talking...I'd probably never shut up!

HA!

Posts from my cell phone will sound a bit rugged for awhile but might prove to be worthwhile in their own right. When I can, I will post from a pay or landline phone.

Radio, eh?

Gee.

I know who sponsors Howard Stern.

The question is...Who do you think would sponsor me?

Ruthie On The Phone!

Yeah, Baby, Yeah! I am finally able to make audio-posts once again!

This means that I will be able to call in a post from any phone, anywhere and anytime.

Of course, many of my posts will be made from my own cell phone [and the sound quality will improve when I buy a better phone] and also from pay phones, etc.

I really love this option...it is sooo much fun! And it will be very useful in a number of ways that I will make obvious in the future.

Ruthie Speaks

[UPDATE 2008: Audio Post No Longer Available]

The Vice Accident

Dick Cheney got a gun
And shot his friend in the heart
He said, "You're going down, Son!"
And blew his "friend" apart

Now it's clear to me
That the old saying's still true:
Don't hunt with Cheney
Or he'll Dick with YOU!

Justice For Carlie

The day that Carlie Brucia's body was found I got an email from the man who worked as an investigator on the case, Chuck Chambers.

Chuck runs Chambers Investigations out of Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida.

He was hired by the family to assist in finding Carlie and nailing the animal who killed her.

I read the painful words that Chuck wrote. He sent them from Florida to my computer in Alaska.

Since that time, Chuck has remained a good friend of mine.

Both he and I believe that every sex-offender who kills a child should be executed. Period.

That night, after learning about Carlie's murder, I burned a special candle and prayed for that little girl's soul. And I also offered up a request for God's tender mercies on her family and friends.

I remember her memorial service and nobody who watched that or attended will ever forget those hours.

Mr. Smith...Get your evil out of this world.

Die.

Ruthie On The Road, Update

Tonight I am sitting in a nice, warm motel room typing this post on my friend's laptop.

But that's not the way it was last night. Oh no!

My friend and I were sitting on the second floor of the shelter, eating hard-boiled eggs.

It was just one of those moments.

And a man came up and told me that some of the other women were complaining about me.

My friend and I looked at each other and then back at him.

One thing led to another and my friend and I packed our belongings and walked out the door into the cold Utah night.

I made it clear that I didn't appreciate some of the bad things that those women were doing. And the result was a clear-cut example of retaliation.

Eventually we returned to the shelter and stayed in the lobby on a bench situated between the double-doors.

We didn't want to go any further.

And we're gone from there now.

Did Salt Lake City's shelter let us down?

What do you think?

Good Money After Bad People

I submitted the following letter to the Editor of a newspaper in Salt Lake City, Utah. And this letter will also be part of an online discussion:

I am a fifty-year-old woman and I've hitchhiked on a shoe-string all
over North America [including Canada and Alaska] for the past ten
years.

Right now, I am here in Salt Lake City, Utah. And I'm staying at the
local homeless shelter.

The shelter itself is great. They do a phenomenal job of extending
hospitality to the indigent population of this City.

Every day I shower, eat and have the option of doing laundry [for a
small fee] or watching a movie. I also am provided with excellent
health care that includes exams, x-rays, prescriptions, transportation
and follow-up consultations.

Clean clothing is offered to me several times a week, too.

But in the midst of this, a part of the homeless population behave
like ungrateful, spoiled jerks. That is the only polite way [for the
benefit of this forum] that I can put it.

I have seen people:

1. Drunk at 8 am.
2. Throw trash on the ground like the block is their own personal landfill.
3. Swear and act horribly in the presence of a man of God.
4. Insult the very people that are serving them food.
5. Steal from me.

And I wonder why Salt Lake City puts up with it.

I would like your feedback.

I am going to be continuing on to the East Coast at the end of this
month. In the meantime, I am going to deal with several medical
issues. I will also post regular updates in my blog.

And no matter how you feel...I would really love to hear from you.
Thank you, in advance, good people of Salt Lake.

Salt Lake City Ruthie

I am going to see another foot doctor very soon. And after that, the medical professionals are going to drag out the really heavy artillery!

Meanwhile, I am living on 800 milligrams of prescription ibuprofen at a pop.

I am hoping that the medicine will make walking bearable til I go in for surgery.

Last night, the shelter staff put me in a real bed upstairs. It is a bunk-type bed and every time I sit up I bang my head on the bed above me!

But I can take a shower up there and I also have a locker.

I can get into bed earlier and sleep. The steps are hard to climb, though.

And I keep dreaming of the ocean.

Hello Truckers!

And I hope you truckers noticed when I pointed out that a Swift company driver picked me up outside Boise, Idaho.

Why, the nerve of that man!

Heh-heh-heh.

Salt Lake City Ruthie

I went back to the clinic today and now have an appointment with a podiatrist who will eventually send me to an orthopedist. Other medical concerns are being taken care of as well.

That makes me feel soooo much better!

The snow is sparkling on the mountain peaks around Salt Lake City. And I am just very happy to be alive!

Ruthie On The Road, Update

I slept on a bench with two blankets wrapped around me. And I was awakened at 5:30 this morning.

My left foot was in pain.

I trudged down to the mission and ate some cold oatmeal, stale donuts and sipped watered-down coffee.

Then I went to the local clinic and waited for hours to be seen.

When the doctor finally examined my foot, she sent me over to the hospital for a set of x-rays. From radiology I went to the ER. The doctor there explained that my left foot is, to put it plainly, deteriorating.

Tomorrow I'm going back to the clinic [after I wangle a much-needed shower] and begin the process of treating my foot.

First, I will have to see an Orthopedist and will probably require surgery.

Second, I will have to have a special impression made of my foot that I will have to wear in my shoe for the rest of my life.

All of this is not going to jive at all with my present shelter situation.

I will update you tomorrow!

Ruthie On The Road, Update

My first two rides got me to the other side of Boise, Idaho. I was very happy about that.

But when I started walking back out onto the interstate, a cop stopped me.

He said, "I don't care if you're out here but you can't hitchhike."

Screw you, I thought.

But I walked on. And walked. And walked some more.

Finally, I had to stop.

My left foot was swelling up and really hurting.

I sat down on a guardrail and kicked off my shoe.

Then another cop pulled up.

I glared at him and rubbed my sore foot.

He got out of the car and asked me if I was alright.

I looked him dead in the eye and said "Why dontya disappear for an hour and I will do the same thing."

He knew exactly what I meant.

He got into his car and pulled away and I limped down a bit further, turned around and held out my thumb.

A few minutes later a driver named Tony, in a Swift company truck, stopped his rig in a cloud of dust.

He discussed God, shared his fried chicken and drove me all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Ruthie On The Road, Update

I left Oregon yesterday. That's why you haven't heard from me, Campers. I took some time out to rest my left foot, [it didn't help] perm my hair [the stylist botched the job] and root for the Seahawks [they lost].

The salon that is located inside Wal-Mart refused to refund my money even after it was evident that the stylist had ruined my hair. [The ends are clumped together and fried to a crisp.] So I contacted the corporate office and they are going to refund my money via check in "5 to 10 business days."

Whoopee. That's going to be two dollars short of 80 bucks.

And that isn't all that happened to me in Ontario, Oregon.

I checked-in to a room at the local Motel 6. The following morning, I got out of the shower and discovered that the maid had been in my room!

She didn't steal anything. But she did ignore the latch that I had pulled carefully across the door. In other words, she knew that I was in there and walked in, anyway.

That night, a group of people started making noise at 1 o'clock in the morning. I told them to quiet down. I called the management and asked them to tell the hooligans to quiet down. But the people didn't quiet down.

So I packed my stuff, stormed downstairs, demanded my money back [got it] and checked-in to a different motel.

Yesterday I put my pack over my shoulders and walked down the ramp to the interstate 84 east.

The worst was yet to come.

Straight From The Chuck

My friend Chuck Chambers, the high-profile private investigator from Florida had this to say during an email conversation with me last night:

["The tyrants now have unbridled power. Secret courts [and the]executive power to ignore the constitution. They sell it to the people in a fear program. [This is]why [the]people become an enemy of the State:
Because the State becomes an enemy to freedom and liberty of the people. Welcome to Amerika Comrade!"]

Kinda makes us wanna cook up a pot of borscht [beet soup] doesn't it, Chuck?

The Terrible T-Shirt, Update

From a story on today's MTV website, Re: Cindy Sheehan---

[She said that's when the "enormity" of her loss hit her. "I have lost my son. I have lost my First Amendment rights. I have lost the country that I love. Where did America go?" she wrote. Sheehan said she has lawyers looking into filing a First Amendment lawsuit against the government.]

I sure hope so!!!

Heck, I would, too!!!

The Terrible T-Shirt

As you know, Campers, I spent some time at Camp Casey last September when it was open for enlightenment in Washington DC.

I'm not a total fan of Cindy Sheehan [yet] but she did score some points with me last night.

I'm referring to, of course, the terrible t-shirt.

When I read the news story [I have been away from TV for the past three weeks but have stayed connected via AP news and email on my cell phone]last night about Cindy Sheehan being arrested for wearing a t-shirt, I just laughed!

I mean, I threw back my head, slapped my knee and roared!!!

Go! Cindy Sheehan Go!

Why, how dare she wear the truth on a piece of cloth to a presidential speech!

Good for you, Cindy. I'm proud of yah.

Now, may I wear one, too?

As for that other woman who got turned away at the gate: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

What fools these Republicans be!

Ruthie On The Road, Update

I am going back on the road today, Campers. This after enduring too many ticks, spiders, walks up that God-forsaken hill and crabby Republicans!

Screw that...I'm outta here!

So what am I going to do now?

Heh-heh-heh...stay tuned.