Priceless photo of the day: Homeless…with a cellphone
Pop singer Crystal Waters did a song many years ago called “She’s Homeless.” The hook went like this: “She’s just like you and me, but she is homeless, she is homeless.”
In D.C., the homeless are just like you and me, and they have cell phones, they have cell phones.
Via Andrew Malcolm, here is one of the homeless cell phone owners snapping a pic of First Lady Michelle Obama — ruining what was supposed to be a sob story photo op of the compassionate Mrs. O catering to the downtrodden.
Say cheese!
Some folks are wondering where the cell phone bills get sent.
The answer is obvious: ACORN headquarters.
***
You know what this reminds me of? Sharon Jasper, the New Orleans “slum dweller” with…the 60-inch TV.
***
Kathy Shaidle: Yup, there are government programs to give cell phones to the homeless.
The liberals’ argument is that they need cell phones to get jobs.
Do they need Blackberry Pearls?!
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They have to have cell phones. The cord won’t reach far enough.
Here in Georgia we have a program which takes taxpayers dollars and uses them to purchase cell phone for the homeless. This guy may be the recipient of a similar program.
When I learned of the program in GA I thought well if they limit the phones to just being used to call 911 and not personal use I could live with it. Unfortunately, as with any other government program where you are giving away somebody else’s money the program went far beyond that.
I had to fight to have a whole camp of homeless removed by my apartment. Speaking with the mini-mart employees where they buy their 40′s in bulk all day every day I found out that the urban outdoorsmen had plenty of money and cell phones. Their social workers handle everything for them.
Sorry but if the homeless don’t have a phone it is almost impossible to obtain a job. That of course does not mean homeless are all getting jobs. It does mean that to use a homeless person with a phone to make the point this entry is making is not sound.
I’m okay with a homeless person having a phone. As long as they are using it to seek employment, etc.
Not sure what this guy is doing however.
What meal was she ruining? Brunch? Dinner?
Speaking of Michelle O, did any of you see her speech that she
gaveread to the spouses of our servicemembers recently? It was supposed to be giving thanks for their sacrifce, but it was givin in such a monotone voice (like a 2nd grader giving an oral report) that I doubt she had ever read the speech prior to showing up to the event.This way prospective employers can call them with a job offer. Oh wait, now the hopenchange, rainbows and unicorns have arrived, there’s no need to apply for a job. Well they do have to keep in touch with the other homeless so they know when ACORN or Rev Al notsoSHARPton is organizing a protest.
She’s hamming it up for her voters! gag
Where were they going to download the pics?
Perhaps he will sell the phone (pictures still on it) on Ebay.
Man! You cannot make this stuff up! Entitlement is its own reward.
Mmmmmmmmm….government teet is tasty! Anyone want to bet against him getting all sorts of handouts?
Give me a break. IF he got the phone in some kind of “program”…I’m sure it would NOT be a cell with a damn camera phone.
We have a lot of “homed” homeless here in San Diego that turn up en masse to the Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving buffets. Then walk two blocks back to their new Toyota corolla for their drive back HOME.
uh, it’s still cheaper to have a land line in the hovel to use to find work… there is absolutely no defense for cell phones with camera and text ability being used. Looking for work using cell phones , very counterproductive.. Heck, even I don’t use mine to look for employment…… not buying any excuses.
They are the cleanest homeless people I have seen for a while. I smell a setup.
They are the cleanest homeless people I have seen for a while. I smell a setup.
File sharing with all the other homeless cell phone owners, plus their homies who have residences.
I didn’t know aunt Esther could cook!
Serioulsly…
do not equate “homeless” with destitute or jobless. My cousin lost his home in a divorce and moved in with his brother. He was “homeless”, but worked a job at a factory. There is a “homeless” person in our town who panhandles at the the corner near wal-mart. His parents live in town and beg him to come home after living on the streets for 8 years. He chooses not to. He is neither destitute nor “homeless”. Many people choose this lifestyle. Some don’t, of course. But many do. Let’s not use such a broad brush to paint with.
Most of the phones used in these programs are donated by people who are upgrading their phones so a camera phone wouldn’t be unusual. Virtually every cell phone comes with a camera.
js, Would you be still be okay with it if you found out the % of homeless with cellphones who actually did get a job?
I don’t have that answer but sometimes I have to catch myself with saying “it’s okay if” when I don’t know the statistics on the ‘ifs’.
We can’t allow ‘entitlements’ to continue without truly knowing how successful they are.
On March 6th, 2009 at 10:33 am, jsmiddleton4 said:
That is completely and absolutely WRONG. I have PERSONALLY hired homeless people from shelters for day labor!! And I didn’t need to call them on a cell phone..!
I drove over and PICKED THEM UP.
Don’t talk about what you don’t know.
I just noticed something. The guy has sunglasses on the top of his hat. Is it possible he’s not homeless but actually one of the volunteers or employees at the soup kitchen?
On March 6th, 2009 at 10:45 am, FilmLadd said:
And by the way, spoken like a true IGNORANT who has NEVER spent ANY time with a homeless person, much LESS given him or her a JOB.
Mookie, its possiable. I am just saying that the picture looks fishy, not that I have the answers.
Everyone has a “right” to a cool cell phone, you racists. /sarc
That doesn’t look like just any cellphone, that looks an awful lot like a Blackberry. Maybe even a G3 Blackberry.
But, that way he has internet access and can get all of his email in his cardboard box.
You know, Michell-o shouldn’t smile like that for a photo—
it reminds me of something from the ocean depths.
Same eyes too.
How long do I have to camp outside of my house to be eligible for an iPhone?
Just wonderin….
Check out that menu:
Mushroom risotto? Damn these homeless have fine tastes.
Muffins? Man, I wish I could have muffins every morning, but I don’t always have time to go get them, what with working and all.
I was wondering…if someone hasn’t got enough money to pay for a meal, then how does he pay his cell phone bill?
I think that is always a possibility. OR, the phone could have been borrowed in order to take the picture. A picture doesn’t always tell the whole story. Sorry to say, I think MM may have jumped to a conclusion. On the other hand, it could actually be a homeless person with a fancy cell phone. Do we really know? We have plenty to gripe about with the “entitlement” people. I just don’t want to carry it too far.
I was wondering…if someone is on public assistance, how do they pay for fertility treatments?
They need cell phones so that ACORN can locate them and tell them what polling booth to go to next.
Simple, the bill is being sent to all of us.
You know, “spread the wealth”? Why should you have all your stuff when they have nothing?
ThunderHawkk–you gave me a real ‘Manchurian candidate’ vibe with that….perhaps they’re all ‘sleepers’!
I also think we shouldn’t be so mean. For whatever reason, those people are hurting. I am grateful I am not one of them. Do I want to pay for slackers? NO! But, not ALL of them are in that category!
now how do you expect this man to keep wit his ho’s and supply his customers wid crack if you be takin his cell phone, dog. raciiist. i be collecting unemployment, eatin at da shelter, and runnin my games on da street. and you know, wit obama runnin da show, i ain’t goin a have dem 5-0 chasin my black a$$.
Now they can twitter about being homeless. Or something.
Maybe it is used to get the latest strategies from the ‘Katrina homeless’ who after 4+ years are still unable to serve fries at Micky D’s, but can line up in force to demand extensions of their free rent. How come the Ike people who are still struggling (and I don’t mean just in the Galveston area) who were basically sc***** by FEMA, don’t get any news coverage.
Wait!! The menu read Mushroom Risotto?
That’s some soup kitchen!
Not only ACORN, but when Dear Leader needs to send out an important
campaigntext message, they need to be available no matter where they’re stationed.On March 6th, 2009 at 10:45 am, FilmLadd said:
I am sure you employ only legal persons and you pay their disability insurance, SS, and/or send 1099 if you pay them over the limit.
I’ve always wondered why people are urged to volunteer at shelters and most people showing up are in far better shape than those volunteering? Couldn’t the ones partaking of the service at least help serve, clear tables and wash dishes? I usually give frozen turkeys during the holidays and can understand you need some background in cooking large quantities of food and have it ready when needed. But, the rest of the chores should carry some form of payback to the organization and would give them a greater sense of belonging and participating within the community. Just askin’….
I’m not sure the picture justifies outrage. The person could have become recently homeless, or (as suggested by Mookie -#22) it could be a staff member; not enough information.
But have you tried to get a cell phone without a camera these days? There aren’t many of them out there, at least with Sprint. When I bought mine over a year ago there were only two models available.
With more and more people unable to afford their two million dollar mortgages, your gonna see more and more homeless with cel phones and laptops living in their BMW’s…
Don’t get between a woman and her hair!
Errah I thought the 5th Circuit decided that a free cellphone and service is every americans unalienable right.
On March 6th, 2009 at 11:04 am, Wade said:
Oh, nice try.
Some homeless shelters actually handle that paperwork. They are usually run by faith-based organizations. You pay the shelter, not the homeless person directly.
If you wrote a novel about life in the US right now based on actual events, every critic would rip it apart as being too far fetched.
You feel like you have stepped through the looking glass. Call me Alice.
Errah they get their phone and service for free since they are part of the Obama Friends and Family plan.
Come on folks how else do you expect the homeless to get streaming digital TV except on a blackberry to keep up with the saga of brave ‘dear leader’ and his anti-American bride by their dedicated minons of the MSM. Next you will even begrudge them the use of an I-Phone too!
You just can’t make this stuff up!
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE (mo-lone lah-veh) Translation: Come and take them!
Is it me, or does that menu say, Mushroom Risotto? Man, first it’s free homes and now it’s free mushroom risotto? What did I do to deserve my mortgage and short order cook status as stay-at-home mom?
I heard the Michelle O soud bite on the radio regarding her helping out at the soup kitchen. She was telling people to donate all that they can to the homeless. Message to Michelle O, due to the government intervention in the mortgage bailouts I AM PAYING A MANDATORY DONATION TO THE HOMELESS!!!
The cost to own a cell phone is minimal these days. Far, far less than rent on any dwelling available. And as others have pointed out, a phone is often a critical tool for gaining employment.
It isn’t even clear who the person taking the photo is. Is she one of the clients? Or one of the employees? Or someone else altogether?
This is pointless snark that will ultimately backfire.
I enjoyed Conservatism a whole lot more when my fellow Conservatives were using their brains, and weren’t wasting time carping about their opposition’s real or imagined faults. Dropping to the level of idle speculation and fabrication like this, however, is a new low.
Oh, lighten up, T. Coddington.
Let’s make fun of the guy standing behind the Harpey instead.
Any fool should know you don’t wear a tie in a soup kitchen! How do you keep the end of your tie out of the soup bowl?! Dolt!
While you have some valid points, it is also fair to say that based on her real life conduct and attitudes publically expressed, there is very little evidence that Michelle O actually gives a rip about the homeless.
Those people are just tools for to be used to achieve a goal.
In my neighborhood, the people are “too poor” (and therefore blameless) to buy their own grocery carrier walk by with their stolen carts–TALKING ON THEIR CELL PHONES!
Iam as frustrated with some of this crap as anyone, but I admit it…I am shocked by the blatant racism in a few of these remarks.
Just because they are black and homeless does not mean they are pimps, drug dealers or thieves. We need to watch ourselves and not slip into us vs. them mentality. I said when O won, racism is going to hit new heights in the next few years. Even I am shocked at how quickly that is happening.
Errah just thank god someone in the Government Procurement Office is watching over the taxpayer’s money, otherwise they’d all be walking around with the latest iPhone.
Solution – get a job and then pay for your cell phone. I don’t want my money going for homeless/welfare phones. Did you ever notice how many people on welfare have cell phones, big screen televisions, and drive Cadillacs?
i have an uncle who utilized that wonderful faith based day labor to make himself a fortune in the d.c. housing market. he now lives in a 7000 sq ft home outside tucson. of course he and his wife are lifetime bleeding heart liberals, and of course if he were ever auditted he would be in serious trouble. why pay ss and all that gubmint stuff, when you can just go get illegals at the local catholic church and leave a 10 spot on the plate.
Kevin K. — I don’t think I’m expressing outrage… I think it is more like ridicule. Which is just what these jokers need a dose of. Get ‘em off their butts and earn a little self-esteem. It’s terrible that a large percentage of Americans somehow believe being destitute and pathetic is a badge of honor of some kind.
The food for that day was donated by the White House catering staff. I have a feeling mushroom risotto isn’t on the every day menu.
Errah was it leftovers from Wednesday Evening’s party?
Lets hear it for bipartisanship:
“A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage” – Herbert Hoover 1928
“A cell phone in every pocket and mortgage free home with a garage to park your eco-friendly car” – The Democrats 2009
Mushroom Risotto
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 small onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon minced celery
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup rice
5 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
The capitalist/business term for this concept is ROI–return on investment, or ROIC–return on invested capital.
Liberal handout programs have no need for such accountability metrics.
Regarding the homeless and poor in America: put our homeless and poor (our “destitute”) up against ANY other nation in the world and you would see just how well these folks live.
There are no fat homeless or poor people in other nations. There are no homeless or poor people who own more than one pair of shoes or more than one change of clothing in other countries.
I realize I may have overgeneralized and exaggerated for effect–but the superlatives are pretty close to fact for anyone who has traveled the world with an eye open for this sort of thing.
You know what would go perfectly with that mushroom risotto? A nice, organic of course, arugula salad.
On March 6th, 2009 at 11:36 am, Mainah said:
Your comment is bogus.
I’ve read through the comments on here, along with the original blog post by MM.
But then again, perhaps I missed it. Can you quote for me the text that says all black and homeless people are pimps, drug dealers, and thieves?
Errah and 1 American taxpayer . . .
They are independent contractors.
What? She covered up her buff, man-arms with a dainty pink sweater?
Errah
Good catch. Mainah is the only person that makes that reference. Possibly Trolling??!!
No, I’m not trolling. The only thing we know for sure about the guy in the picture is that he is black and has a camera phone in his hand. Now, MM may very well be right, he is probably homeless if he is there. But that he is black and homeless does not equate with him being a pimp or drug dealer. Where did I get the idea that someone here had surmised as much?:
Surely we can agree that that is a broad assumption about this young man just on the basis of him being at a soup kitchen and carrying a cell phone?
mainah, quit making excuses for this crap, and go see it up close and personal. living in the burbs and feeling soo good about yourself because your school district busses in those poor unfortunate inner city youths has been going on for 50 years now. white flight can’t even be called that any more, it’s urban crawl. i will not look the other way any longer. bill cosby is an oreo because he tells the truth, and he has become marginalized even among the good people such as yourself. but i have grown up in an integrated town, served in an integrated military, been driven out of an integrated neighborhood by thieves, vandals, and scum, been told my child can’t wear blue red or black clothes to a very middle class school because the bussed in gangs might mistake those for colors. i’ve had it with sitting silently by while the right reverands lead a bunch of thugs to protest and intimidate anybody who doesn’t give them exactly what they want. so if you want to cry over katrina slobs sitting on their lazy asses waiting for some white person to come rescue them and feed them and house them and wipe their butt, fine. but it won’t be me. i pay way too many taxes now to watch taxicabs drive these lazy thugs 50 miles from the inner city to the far western suburbs because they were too gd lazy to make the bus on time. i pay the taxes for a great school district, and i pay the state taxes to bus these people in who’s single momma rents a shack in the inner city and pays no taxes at all. so don’t tell me i’m a racist until you actually get out of your cocoon and live side by side and see what i’m talking about.
Agreed. Either he’s trolling or he’s a liberal sociology professor looking for racism in all the wrong places.
At least our favorite troll LittleGirlieMan doesn’t drop dimes when it comes to racism like that. He at least reads his talking points from the daily kook consistently before he posts.
GSP
“Don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for the KBPOTUS!”
I never used the word “all” nor did I imply it.I said:
and before anyone asks why I think that is racist, let me direct your attention to the ebonics speech Cheapseat used in his post. Ebonics implies black American speech patterns.
I am so not a troll. I don’t feel good about myself because my district busses in the poor black kids. I feel good about myself because I believe every human being has the potential to be great, regardless of color or sex. I try really hard not to let my own innate racism control me. I shared your disgust with the folks during Katrina who sat there waiting for help, I think they were despicable in the ways they turned on one another and blamed the government for not rescuing them. I am a firm believer in help yourself.
But, this guy in the picture does not deserve to be packaged up with the stereotypical “black punk” attitude attributed to him JUST BECAUSE HE IS BLACK AND STANDING IN A SOUP KITCHEN. If he is a black punk with an attitude, be my guest, tar and feather him and slap him around until he is a man. But don’t assume it.
How about giving a “job” to a homeless person by letting him/her take “jobs” calls at the shelter?
I work for a county welfare department. We have lots of homeless people as clients. We don’t give them cell phones. We set them up with a voicemail account that costs a couple of dollars a month. They come into our job center and pick up and make calls there.
I didn’t take this as “making excuses”…I took it as saying we need to try to stay classy.
It is because of comments like this that I need to leave this thread. Sorry, I am very fond of most of you, but this thread really is sounding a lot like some of the nasty things said on other websites that will remain unnamed. That is my opinion. And, you know that I am not a troll.
…or a wigger from Torrance.
Happy…thanks.
Fixed it.
spelling optional…
Don’t you all understand?! Everyone has the right to unlimited long distance and texting! Anything less would be an inhumane violation of their constitutional rights!
Well the article says he’s homeless. Not that anything the LA Times has printed has ever been proven to be true…
I imagine the line of homeless began chanting “Where’s the [wagyu] beef?”
Dare I add some intelligence to the discussion?
I’m with #54 above.
Prepaid cell phones are available with cameras, and are quite cheap. No contract or monthly bills required. You just need to refill periodically. Some even have internet access. Libraries also have free internet access as do many coffee shops and schools.
Many, many free websites to post pictures. Many free email services, too.
Services like http://www.grandcentral.com have even offered free voicemail. (limited free beta, now closed to new people)
I’m as red and right as many posting here, but I didn’t take the bait.
Good for this guy who is living thru these very interesting times. I’d rather this guy spend his money on survival tools like this cell phone, than on other vices.
Let’s get back to some intelligent discussion rather than needless ranting.
Mike
I remember a LTTE in the Chicago Trib from a homeless man complaining that his free Thanksgiving turkey dinner was not done to his taste. I guess the community kitchen that provided this meal should have soaked the bird in muscatel.
Ha. I see this every single day. I work with the inner city adults in our community. Everyone from the homeless, to those living in shelters, to welfare recipients, to ex-cons, etc. They ALL have cellphones, and the majority of those cellphones are way nicer than the old one I have (because mine still works and I can’t really afford to buy a new one yet…) Some of them also have Ipods, nice jewelry, brand name clothing, and so on. I often wonder if that money couldn’t be spent on say, purchasing the state’s basic healthcare plan for themselves and their families so the rest of us don’t have to pay for it.
I don’t know that a homeless person having a cell phone is a big deal. Many people get the “pay as you go” deals so there is no bill. And if you don’t have a home you really need a phone if you are job hunting. Kind of hard to get job offers if you don’t have a phone.
Also, when I returned from overseas I had no address for months. But, I had to get a cell phone immediately for my business. So, technically, I was “homeless” and had a cell phone.
Once in a while, Michelle seems to focus in on something that doesn’t seem to matter. I guess the term is a “tempest in a teapot.” I think this tends to make conservatives look silly but it is her web site. And I still think she is the greatest.
I gotta agree with happy on this one, guys. I think one post did go over the line.
On March 6th, 2009 at 12:30 pm, happyscrapper said:
I don’t quite get why calling a comment “bogus” is such a big deal.
n March 6th, 2009 at 12:08 pm, Mainah said:
Sorry. I didn’t notice Cheapset’s comments and I stand corrected. One commenter did display some racism.
thanks FilmLadd. I am not trying to start any trouble, but I don’t want to be them, iykwim?
because he wrote “gubmint?” That’s racist? wow.
Thunder, would you say that the Libs calling Sarah Palin a “redneck” or mocking her intelligence just because she is beautiful and female is wrong? Those assumptions are so broad, and they are based on nothing but the barest of knowledge about her as a human being. It ticked me off to see her treated so unfairly. It ticks me off the same to see any other human being treated unfairly based on their race, sex, or station in life. It’s wrong, it is what we fight against. Not sure if you are trying to be funny, but in case you missed it:
On March 6th, 2009 at 10:57 am,
Not much else needs to be added, but I just wanted to make it known that I am throwing in my support for SixDegrees in #54, and Mainah in general.
This post deserved to get filed with the Rachael Ray scarf thing (something IIRC I am embarrased to say I intially fell for.)