While researching background for yesterday's story on Councilmember Burgess's anti-aggressive panhandling legislation I learned of one rather interesting victim of aggressive panhandling.
Michael Gayler served this country during the Vietnam War as a part of the elite Rangers and the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol. Like some who served in that conflict he has become somewhat disillusioned with our current actions in Iraq and Afghanistan and has taken it upon himself to hold a peaceful protest, camping outside of the Federal Building in downtown since August 21st and fasting, living solely on Vitamin Water. He plans on wrapping up his vigil at 5:00 AM next Monday, which is the International Day of World Peace, and hopes that people around the world will join him by observing one minute of silence and praying for peace.
But Gayler is not your typical peace protestor. He wears a jacket which proudly displays patches from his time of service in Vietnam - 75th Airborn Rangers, Native American VFW - and he uses force when force is necessary. He even has a concealed weapons permit. His weapon of choice is a knife though, not a gun, which is probably lucky for the young crack addict that assaulted him last week.
"He came up to me and asked for a cigarette and a dollar. I gave him the cigarette and when I reached for my wallet he took all the money and ran off. I chased after him in these," Gayler says, pointing to the flip-flops he's wearing. "When I caught up with him down at Occidental Park he'd already purchased some crack and was smoking it."
When he demanded his money back and the young man said he didn't have it, Gayler pulled out his knife, called the police and held him there until they arrived.
"We're the richest country on earth and we should take care of those who are down on their luck. I'll gladly buy someone a meal or help them out however I can," says Gayler, "but only if they take responsibility for their actions and accept the help they're given."
He points out that the many men who stand on street corners claiming to be homeless veterans are misrepresenting their situation.
"This country takes care of its veterans. There are plenty of programs out there. These guys are bulls**t. They just don't want to take the time to go through the bureaucracy or would rather stay on the streets and have the freedom to abuse drugs and alcohol." He adds that he's offered several allegedly homeless people a Vitamin Water or food only to have most of them turn him down. "They want a different kind of vitamin water, vitamin C, c for crack."
But Gayler has had the opportunity to help some people. When he finishes his campout in front of the Federal building he plans on donating his tent to a homeless man he met and he's also done some street counseling and drug interdiction with others.
Not everyone agrees with what Gayler is doing but even some of those who do disagree are here to keep him company.
"I don't agree with his politics but us Rangers stick together. That bond is stronger than a marriage and I'm just down here to support him," states one man, Robert Henriksen, who also served in Vietnam and was visiting with him this morning. Another woman tells him "when you're on a journey the last couple of days are always the hardest."
Gayler says he didn't do this to get personal attention but attention he's gotten. President Obama is sending him a signed photo and even the Dahli Lama has become aware of his activity. After Monday though he will retreat back to the peace and solitude of his home on Lake Ozette. Until then he welcomes calls or visits from anyone who'd like to talk. "When you're down here, fasting for 30 days, you thrive on conversation." Gayler can be reached on his cell phone at 360-640-0275.
More coverage of Gayler here .
Posted by MarkGriswold at September 18, 2009 02:15 PM | Email ThisIt is the Vote buying game-plays and Corruption within Government that has wasted Trillions of Tax Payer's dollars that is the big reason for our financial problems. Part of the reason, among many, would be the Jimmy Carter's Reinvestment Act of 1977. Add to the expansion of the same game-play of Government's encouragement with the loosening of loan regulations and competing against the banks with the Government run Freddie and Fannie May sub-prime loan giveaway programs over the many years is the main reason for the beginning of our dire economic state. Add to that, the Government program of TARP and Obama's Bailout and Stimulus theft of our Taxes and the formation of Crippling Debt for generations and you got a catastrophe that can destroy America as we know it. Should I mention Cap and Trade? Should I mention ObamaCare? Yes, there is more than needed, if all this goes through, to destroy America. Our Greatest Enemy during the last number of years has been our own Runaway BiG Government. What a Shame!
I think that the other attacks you cite happened because we were meddling in the affairs of other nations. We were propping up dictators. We should have been minding our own business.
Reagan realized this. Right after the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, he brought the troops home!
Reagan understood the foreign policy of peace and strength advocated by our founders: free and friendly trade with all nations, entangling alliances with none.
It is time to stop giving welfare to Iraqis, Afghanis, Saudis, South Koreans, the French, the Germans, etc. They should pay for their own defense, not the US taxpayer.
You can't both be a fiscal conservative, and advocate that the US be the world's police force.
I say let the Arabs kill each other if they want to. I say make the oil companies hire paramilitary forces, and pass the costs through to us in gas prices. If you use more gas, you should pay more for the defense of oil field contracts.
US troops should be for the defense of the 50 states and the US Constitution, not for the people of other nations. I am all for a strong defense, but what we have now is a strong defense of others, and a strong offense. I am strongly in favor of truly defensive war, but we haven't done that since 1945.
Posted by: Bruce Guthrie on September 21, 2009 01:47 PMOur founding fathers were against foreign entanglements but, were forced to face the realities of the nature of mankind whether it is an individual, group, or Nations who are covetous of another's possessions. The first Big lesson of this reality was having to deal with the Barbary Pirates. U.S. vessels were being attacked and held for ransom and eventually President Thomas Jefferson took military action to quell the piracy. So, the wonderful position that if we just, keep to ourselves and mind our own business, we will be left alone has been proved a dream and not, reality.
It is better to have alliances and to provide help to friendly Nations to provide a bulwark to hold off the predators of this World than, to allow the predators to overrun the friendly Nations and grow in strength to eventually threaten us with an overpowering direct assault. If we were not involved in helping England to thwart and disallow Hitler to have his way with all of Europe, World War II would have been far more calamitous. Yes, we were giving much needed help to England before Hitler declared War on the U.S.
Yes, there is some truth that we were being attacked because, of our involvement in helping our foreign friends resist our shared enemies. Bottom Line: It is far better to fight our Enemies over there than, to fight our Enemies over here.
Your position on allowing the Oil Companies to hire their own private armies would just, not fly with all the jealousies of the other World Powers including the U.S.
Posted by: Daniel on September 21, 2009 03:38 PMI defend Jefferson's actions. We WERE minding our own business, and the Pirates had to be attacked.
These situations are not analogous.