Posted on 11/04/2001 5:54:46 AM PST by B4Ranch
Robert Thomas Northcut is a decorated Vietnam Veteran. In the years that have passed since he was blown up in a delta ambush he spent his time in and out of Veteran's hospitals.
Ten years ago he walked out of the VA hospital never to look back. He found his way to Solana Beach, California where he has lived outside, as a homeless man, never panhandling a dime.
Each day he walks the streets with his trusty German Shepherd, ``TJ,'' given to him by caring townfolks. He always stops to greet people and pat children on their heads as they pet his dog and look in wonderment at this shell of a man, forever wounded serving his country in the war in Vietnam. His Purple Heart went the way of all his belongings when he decided to stop living in a VA hospital and get out and enjoy the beauty of the California coastline with ``TJ.''
His long shaggy Australian bush coat and Crocodile Dundee hat distinguish him for the hero he is as he is seen searching in the morning shadows looking for food.
For ten years Thomas has been the street ambassador of Solana Beach.
When he heard the tragedy of ``9/11'' on his little portable radio he was instantly moved to action. He now had a purpose, a mission, a reason to reestablish his identity. He went to the little traffic island of the City which houses the stone war memorial next to the large American flag pole. He took up residence next to the Memorial, resting his head each night on it to protect it from what he felt was a possible terrorist attack. Each night he lowered the flag and each day raised it to half mast.
Neighbors brought food for him and his dog and brought him newspapers to keep up to date.
It had all come back to him....a purpose, a vision, an identity. He was now back in the line of duty. Every small part helped. His was to raise the flag and to protect the Monument.
Early one morning after he raised the flag, the workmen arrived. As he saluted, they pounded into the ground the two foot square No Trespassing sign. Moments later they called the Sheriff's department and held Thomas there until they arrived.
The city code enforcer ordered a citation to be issued for Thomas Northcut for trespassing. Thomas crumpled it into his pocket and went back to his duties, guarding the monument.
The code enforcer patiently waited for the court appearance date to pass then asked that the arrest warrant be issued.
Thomas and his dog awoke to the angry sounds of deputies as they pulled him from the ground, his hat falling by the side of the Monument and dragged him away in one direction screaming for his dog as they dragged ``TJ'' away to an animal control truck.
Thomas was handcuffed and taken to jail to await arraignment. ``TJ'' was taken to the pound where if unclaimed, he will be put to death in a matter of weeks.
This story did not take place in 1975. It was Thursday, October 26, 2001. Thomas, unable to post the bond, waited in the lockup and had to be sedated because of panic attacks which resulted from his incarceration. Meanwhile, his dog, ``TJ'' has lost his appetite longing for his owner. And the flag just sits at half mast.
``How soon we forget,'' said Sam Georges, an attorney, U.S. Air Force veteran and friend of Northcut's who is trying to get people to help for the jailed vet get released and see that he's reunited with his dog, and in the process sensitize the city. Georges is also president of the internationally famous Anthony Robbins Companies.
``It's pretty obvious that a time like this, we need to show our respect to patriotic Americans to those who have fought to protect our freedoms. Especially those who have worn the uniform of our armed forces and sacrificed for our country,'' said Stephen Jaffe, president Jaffe & Company, a crisis management communications firm in based in Los Angeles.
This morning, Jennifer Lynch, Esq., an attorney living in Vista who heard about the Northcut case from friends, appeared, pro bono, on his behalf in Superior Court. She noted that Northcut has served several days in jail for essentially protecting a Monument to those who had died defending our country during a former war. Northcut remained silent but the Judge, a distinguished veteran himself, saw the sad irony of the case and dismissed it for ``time served.''
``Now there remains only one more injustice to be corrected,'' Lynch stated, ``and that's for Thomas to be reunited with his dog, 'TJ.''' Friends of Northcut have agreed to take him to the pound where ``TJ'' is being held tomorrow. ``If the city officials and the system doesn't get in the way, Thomas and 'TJ' will be together again, greeting the folks in Solana Beach and enjoying the freedom he gave so much of himself to protect,'' Lynch added.
For further information, please contact Jennifer Lynch, Esq., +1-760-643-4113; or Sam Georges, Esq., +1-619-417-1408; or Stephen Jaffe of Jaffe & Co., Inc., +1-310-275-7327.
SOURCE: Jaffe & Co., Inc., Strategic Media and Crisis Management
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011030/latu141_1.html
Our differences are not with the pure argument as being made by CJ but that the wrong exceptions to those rules are being made by our liberal government bureaucrats. The judge was good, the lawyers were good, but the code enforcer was very strict in a way that a patriotic and sensitive person would not be. (And they are the ones, the liberals, who don the mantle of sensitivity.) The code enforcer should have bent the rules in this case and the rest of the city government should have allowed it.
By the way, has anyone checked to see if there really is a city code or law making visiting that monument trespassing? Perhaps he didn't really break the law.
It kinda says it all, If We can't understand them and help them, then we force them to go elsewhere!
I am sure Cultural Jihad will Buy into this Tactic of homeless control.
Please don't consider that observation a personal attack, Cultural Jihad,
it is based on your own responces and apparent views on the homeless and Homeless Vets in general.
Now if I were to lauch into a personal attack on you rest assured it would have me banned from this board in minutes.
But back to the meat of the matter,
This has to be one of those coastal califonia communities, you know the type,
Elitist snobs that worship their beach and won't have mere mortals soiling their sands.
Towns like this dot the California coast, and use security guards to run off the common folk,
Why should we be surprized That they would use such tactics to run off a Homeless Vet?
The question is are they right to do so?
What they did was morally wrong and repugnant,
but they are not bound by law to make amends
or even apologize for doing so.
That is why public opinion must be brought to bare on them!
Keep the heat on,
while they may not care for this man,
they will care for what the country thinks of their sleepy little burg
and that will change their views.
She said nothing with regard to Mr. Northcut deficating in the open, etc, however she did say that he once left the dog tied to the flag pole and unknowing city worker checking an electrical box was startled by the dog's aggressive behavior. Of course, it is normal to think that the dog was protecting his territory. TJ is, btw, a german shepard, she thought. She mentioned the case in San Francisco at which time I questioned her about the dog being tied up, etc. she then brought up the issue of the dog being tied to the flag pole on that single occassion. It also seemed to bother her that Mr. Northcut had hired an attorney. I honestly do not think that she was prepared to back down from her position even though she indicated that it would be an opportunity to try to come up with a way to satisfy the needs of all involved. that is really all we would want, isn't it? I told her that turning this seemingly bad situation into a positive could result in getting some great national publicity:) I reminded her that there were a lot of angry vets to which she replied that she had heard from many today. She thought it might die down after a few days..people would lose interest. I told her that it was pretty unlikely from this particular group of people. so she asked me to call back in a couple of days and she would tell me what had been decided or done. She really did seem like a nice woman.
OK 1st he is a Vet from 1972. He has said he wanted to be a seal but rang the bell and then went into electronics but he didnt know they had river boats in Cambodia. He and 13 guys where on a boat and there was an explosion and he woke up in Austrailia. He gets benifits but has always had them sent to his son who is now in jail. People have offered him a mobile home to live in but he says he cant live indoors.
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