And you have proved beyond any doubt that even their goal of physical survival is one to which you are violently opposed. 48 dead, Oscar. A body count almost worthy of Tony Soprano, a man for whom you would have utilized all of your rat-like cleverness to win an acquittal.
You not only embody everything that is wrong with Las Vegas, or even America, but the human condition as a whole. Do you really believe our species is going to survive if we don't somehow find empathy for one another? Have you bothered to watch the news anytime in the last decade? In case you haven't noticed, there has recently been a rash of grotesque violence against the homeless in America -- teenagers, perhaps encouraged by the extremely popular video series "Bum Fights" and "Bum Hunts," occasionally form packs and beat homeless men and women to death for sport and amusement. (See CNN story, "Teen Sport Killings of Homeless on the Rise")
You are incapable of empathy for others, because you deny the intrinsic equality of all men and women -- the very principle on which our country was founded. What did I just say? ALL MEN AND WOMEN ARE CREATED EQUAL. Do you understand the concept of intrinsic equality as outlined by our forefathers, Oscar? Of course you don't. Intrinsic equality is not affected by such superficialities as social and economic stature. A homeless human being is as worthy of his/her constitutional rights and protections as the most worldly "successful" person -- including a great mob lawyer and mayor of the most celebrated city on Earth, such as yourself. (As an aside, Oscar, I noticed that you enjoyed a "landslide" re-election thanks to a whopping 15 percent voter turn out. Yes, you received 85 percent of the vote, but 85 percent of 15 percent is...well, damn close to nothing. George Dubya would be most proud.)
I'm done talking to you, Oscar. These words are surely as futile against the barriers in your heart as the most hackneyed betting system against the Bellagio. The time for words has past; positive action is all that remains.
I've decided to explore the nightmare of homelessness in Las Vegas from a first-hand perspective. I'm boarding a Greyhound bus on the morning of May 5th, and will be arriving in the downtown of your "great city" early the next day. For two weeks, I will attempt to live and work utilizing only the resources available to the homeless. Will I have enough to eat? Will I be able to find shelter? If I linger too long near a tourist cash trap without spending money, will your goons arrest me, beat me, or submit me to a local military installation for chemical experimentation? These are the questions I seek to answer.
FYI, in late 2005, I proposed the above project to several major network affiliates in Las Vegas, and two (NBC and FOX) expressed the desire to cover it.
However, I delayed my experiment indefinitely, in part because a number of friends and loved ones convinced me that my life would be in real peril.
That fact has not changed, but my resolve is now absolute. I'm going to live homeless in the Godforsaken kingdom over which you rule, and tell the whole world exactly what happens.
By the way, at least one major network has again expressed interest in covering my exploits, so you would be wise to abort any plans to hunt me down and "disappear" me (a method to which your mob buddies surely well-acquainted you). I'm kind of joking, but then again, I'm not. I take your Hitleresque sociopathy very seriously, and I've no desire to be claimed as another in your city's long line of victims. As Rocky Balboa said, "Some people come to Vegas to lose. I didn't."
You not only embody everything that is wrong with Las Vegas, or even America, but the human condition as a whole. Do you really believe our species is going to survive if we don't somehow find empathy for one another? Have you bothered to watch the news anytime in the last decade? In case you haven't noticed, there has recently been a rash of grotesque violence against the homeless in America -- teenagers, perhaps encouraged by the extremely popular video series "Bum Fights" and "Bum Hunts," occasionally form packs and beat homeless men and women to death for sport and amusement. (See CNN story, "Teen Sport Killings of Homeless on the Rise")
Speaking of Bum Fights and Bum Hunts, I wonder how you might react to a viewing of these videos. Would you recoil in horror, like any sane person, or would you light up a nice fat stogie, glass of fine Scotch in one hand and a showgirl's buttock in the other, gaping at the ultra-violence on the screen with the same vacant amusement as a slot-jockey trying to hit the winning combo?
I hope you are aware that you are not only stupid and oafish, but mentally ill. Your murderous attitude toward the homeless is a symptom of a sickness that collectively plagues our great nation and is creating a cultural apocalypse. It is the sickness of narcissism, or the total immersion in self.
I'm done talking to you, Oscar. These words are surely as futile against the barriers in your heart as the most hackneyed betting system against the Bellagio. The time for words has past; positive action is all that remains.
I've decided to explore the nightmare of homelessness in Las Vegas from a first-hand perspective. I'm boarding a Greyhound bus on the morning of May 5th, and will be arriving in the downtown of your "great city" early the next day. For two weeks, I will attempt to live and work utilizing only the resources available to the homeless. Will I have enough to eat? Will I be able to find shelter? If I linger too long near a tourist cash trap without spending money, will your goons arrest me, beat me, or submit me to a local military installation for chemical experimentation? These are the questions I seek to answer.
FYI, in late 2005, I proposed the above project to several major network affiliates in Las Vegas, and two (NBC and FOX) expressed the desire to cover it.
However, I delayed my experiment indefinitely, in part because a number of friends and loved ones convinced me that my life would be in real peril.
That fact has not changed, but my resolve is now absolute. I'm going to live homeless in the Godforsaken kingdom over which you rule, and tell the whole world exactly what happens.
By the way, at least one major network has again expressed interest in covering my exploits, so you would be wise to abort any plans to hunt me down and "disappear" me (a method to which your mob buddies surely well-acquainted you). I'm kind of joking, but then again, I'm not. I take your Hitleresque sociopathy very seriously, and I've no desire to be claimed as another in your city's long line of victims. As Rocky Balboa said, "Some people come to Vegas to lose. I didn't."
Sincerely,
Michael Goodspeed (aka Stuart Andrew Talbott)
Michael Goodspeed can be contacted at gspeed2000@gmail.com.
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