I had a homeless friend over for lunch today. He fell on some hard times about a year ago, and is living in a homeless shelter in Minneapolis. After some homemade pizza, I asked him if he wanted to ride with me to St Paul to look for some pre-RNC photo ops. He is apolitical; right now he’s worried about a lot of things and politics isn’t one of his priorities. But he said he would like to ride in my car. He hadn’t been in one for a while.
When we got to St Paul, we saw the Xcel Energy Center decked out for the RNC.

Across the street from the convention center is the Dorothy Day Center, a shelter for homeless or near homeless persons in the metro area. Many of the persons seeking refuge in the center were on grassy areas all around the Xcel Center. A sign posted prominently on the wall of Dorothy Day Center reads: “Our Political Agenda: Food, Shelter and DIgnity.

We walked a block away and saw a bus stop with a political message: More tax breaks for oil companies. Does this looks like change to you?

Next, we stopped by Mickey’s Diner, an art deco style restaurant that has been around since the 1930s. It’s a down-to-earth place that features french fries, hamburgers and soft drinks, among other things. We had orange and grape Crush in bottles.
My homeless friend spent the night in Mickey’s about a month ago. He had won tickets to see Neil Diamond and the concert ended after 7 pm, the time that his shelter closed. Because he couldn’t get into his shelter, he sipped a drink all night in the 24-hour diner.
I asked the cook if he thought McCain would eat at his diner. He didn’t know, but he thought it would be a big deal if he did - something that was likely to happen early in the morning while other diners aren’t around. I asked the cook if he had heard that McCain didn’t know how many houses he owned. His response: “That’s bullshit. Everyone knows how many homes they own. He just didn’t want to say it.” It would be funny if the cook asked straight talking McCain if he really said that. After all, the $500 Italian shoe owner who doesn’t know how many homes he owns may go there to prove what a regular guy he is. I suggest that progressives hang out in there to ask McCain questions if he shows up.

On the way back to Minneapolis, my friend said he wanted to stop by his grandparents former home to see it. He was pleased that we went there, and I was too. On the way we passed by the Obama headquarters and the windows were boarded up. Apparently, someone threw bricks through the windows and shot the place up with paint balls.

It was business as usual inside. In fact, the workers were preparing a handmade sign to decorate the wooden windows while we were there.

I used the opportunity to purchase a yard sign. The vandalism encouraged me to fight back.

We returned to my place for dinner. After dinner, I drove my friend to someone’s house who was storing some of his personal belongings. We picked them up and I drove him back to his shelter. He has some health concerns and doesn’t know if he will be able to receive the care he needs. I hope that things get better for all of us after the next presidential election.
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