Posted on 10/23/2011 9:50:53 AM PDT by rickmichaels
Madonna's older brother is homeless, living under a bridge in remote northern Michigan.
Anthony Ciccone, 55, told the Michigan Messenger newspaper that he lost his job more than a year ago at his father Silvio's winery near Traverse City, a resort community of 14,000 on upper Lake Michigan, about 215 kilometers south of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Ciccone says he has been living on the street ever since.
"My family turned their back on me, basically, when I was having a hard time," Ciccone told the Messenger. "You think I haven't answered this kind of question a bazillion times why my sister is a multibazillionaire, and I'm homeless on the street? Never say never. This could happen to anybody."
Ciccone said he eats evening meals at Traverse City churches, and his only source of income is scrounging bottles and cans to return for their deposit value, and odd jobs.
Madonna Ciccone, 53, was born and raised in southern Michigan, the third of six children to an Italian immigrant father and a mother of French-Canadian descent. Madonna left the Detroit area for New York City in 1977, at age 19, to seek fame and fortune. By 1983 she had found it. Forbes magazine this year estimated Madonna's earnings from 2007 to 2010 alone to be $280 million.
I was wondering that, myself.
It’s easier to end up on the streets than you think. But, yeah, drug or alcohol addiction is the most common cause.
I don’t think that Madonna should simply give her brother anything, she’s right not to do that because addicts don’t desire to change if they are given everything they need to survive.
She’d be wrong though, if he did clean up his act, to not put him to work somehow, whether it be gardener or chauffeur or something.
My experience with addicts is that they won’t change until they develop the insight and make the connection between being homeless and their drug addiction.
Unfortunately the truth is, if they have that roof over their head and food in their belly, they usually don’t figure out the connection between their lifestyle and their addiction.
I do, however, support providing a reasonable minimal support in terms of food and shelter for those addicts wanting to change.
She doesn’t ask for anything? Really? Her contract, her ticket prices? Unless people just donated to her.
She doesn’t have to do anything - it just shows what is within. I don’t see where he is asking for anything - he’s just stating the facts because he was asked. At least he doesn’t have to ask for the meal - he can go in and enjoy it because someone else wants to share what they have. It’s not conditional - it comes from the heart.
Gosh, folks - it’s HER money!
You people trying to say how she should spend it remind me of the socialists in DC.
Doesn’t matter how YOU’D spend it. It ain’t yours to spend.
We stand for freedom, right?
Right, thanks. Like I said up thread - my immediate reaction was the winery closed (due to this business climate). And like I said, I failed to make the obvious connection.
Getting high is the only concern of a drug addict. That’s why they often become homeless, because nothing else matters to them.
It would be great, if by providing a minimal shelter to them, that, in their stupor, a little gleam of insight would develop and that person would decide to change their life, but that doesn’t happen.
If it were up to me, I’d make it illegal to be homeless. If a person is convicted of homelessness, I’d institutionalize them. With forced institutionalization, there is that chance to separate the addict from his drugs, which would give them that chance to get clean and then have the insight to want to change.
If it’s due to some mental imbalance, it also gives that person a chance to be streamed, in terms of their ability to be independent. Some are fully capable of being independent, with a monthly check-up and others perhaps every couple of weeks, and, unfortunately, there are some that can never be independent and must be fully cared for.
Much better than allowing them to die on the streets in their filth, imo.
My second sentence was referring to my first sentence. Sorry, I didn't express my thoughts correctly.
Homeless people have basically wound up pissing off every family member or friend that ever tried to help them. Being homeless is always a choice.
Yeah, I know. Go to post #22 and try that one, it works. After the page comes up go to the bottom to see the pic.
and now he appears to be playing...”i’m going to get the sympathy of the media” card.
Somehow I think she’ll resist it just fine.
You would think his liberal sister, with all her compassion, would help him.
Please freepmail me if you wish to be added or dropped from the mitten ping.
dittos....you take care of messed up family when you have millions to spare. She could easily find some way of funneling him $25,000 a year to live on via a lawyer if she didn’t want contact with him
Notice how how he implies Madonna should support him.
He needs to look for work independently of his sister.
Not in this case. It's obvious the family is doing the right thing and not enabling the presumed substance abuser..
It's called "tough love" and harder on the family than it is on the abuser. I hope things eventually work out for Anthony and his family.
So many here know, are certain that the man is an “idiot”. Shame.
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