Obama family serves Thanksgiving dinner to homeless and vets

[babylonsister]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/25/politics/thanksgiving-obama-homeless-veterans/index.html

Obama family serves Thanksgiving dinner to homeless and vets

By Allie Malloy, CNN

Updated 6:08 PM ET, Wed November 25, 2015



President Obama and the First Family served dinner at a homeless center in Washington, D.C.
Obama was in charge of serving turkey and gravy to the veterans and other homeless people


Washington (CNN)President Barack Obama, joined by the entire first family, on Wednesday began the Thanksgiving holiday by serving dinner to the local homeless population and veterans at Friendship Place Homeless Center in Washington.

Earlier in the day, while taking part in the traditional turkey pardon, Obama said that he and the first family would "take some of the less fortunate turkey brothers" with them to serve up for dinner for homeless and at-risk veterans.

"It's not only of the spirit of giving during this holiday season, but our national obligation to make sure all those who serve and sacrifice for our country have a place to call home," Obama said from the Rose Garden. "My administration considers this one of our top priorities, making sure that we're bringing about the reality of zero homelessness for our veterans."

Obama was in charge of serving turkey and gravy to the veterans and other homeless people, while first lady Michelle Obama served up vegetables. Daughters Sasha and Malia gave out other holiday favorites including mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberries.

Friendship Place Homeless Center received a $3.1 million dollar grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2015 for veteran homelessness capacity-building.

[Fairgo]

1. Thanks for that, I suppose

It's good to see the moment when our veterans are taken, en masse, off the streets and fed and clothed and given a place to sleep and a hot shower and an apartment and health care and training...

...I assume that is what happened after the dinner. Certainly given the trillions of dollars for war, this would be a simple, affordable, and obligatory clause in the soldier's social contract.

If immediate help was not at hand, who was there when they filed out of the building back into the street? What did our representative say to them? Did they thank them for their service and apologise for abandoning them in their time of need?

I am truly interested to know, where is the thanks in thanksgiving? Where is the voice of the vet in this press release? Where is the picture of the vet's family?

I do not lay god-awful social injustice and societal shame at the president's feet. I am sure he has been doing all that he possibly can these past 7 years. But these feel-good stories, with invisible backdrop of thankful vets all cap-in-hand grateful for their cafeteria trays, the giggling pictures of noblesse oblige, and the cherry-picked garnish of 3.1 million dollars worth of holiday cheer - it all turns to ashes in my mouth knowing that it's winter on the storm grate, and the next photo op is a month away.

Merry Christmas.