"It's hard to dance with the devil on your back"

A few news items from here 'n there:
 
In the last month our li'l town has seen a long running encampment of "homeless" moved out of their tents by the railroad that owns the land. Homeless, maybe. Some of the campers had lived there over a year. The railroad claimed it was for safety and to stop the crews from being panhandled.

In an unrelated affair, a nearby park where "homeless people" gathered and often snoozed away on park benches was closed for renovations. It's reopening with snooze-proof benches. I'll post a photo next time I go down there. The benches have dividers every 2 feet or so. No more stretched-out snoozin'.

This same town has a plan to install obsolete parking meters as objects-d'art in touristy areas, not to collect parking fees, but to solicit donations that will go to help fund social agencies that help the homeless. A concurrent PR blitz will urge folks to feed the meters instead of donating to panhandlers. The panhandlers, being fairly shrewd business types, (they aren't payin' taxes) will go where the pastures, and handouts, are greener and leave our downtown tourists alone.

"Hey bud, spare a buck or 2 so a man can get a decent meal?"
"Umm, sorry. I gave at the meter."

And yesterday they ("they") announced that Jesus would not be welcome in the Christmas parade, which has been scheduled as the ultimate finale to the opening day of the holiday shopping season. The parade and festivities have been renamed to omit the word "Christmas," to make the event inclusive to all. Specifically they tossed out the live Nativity float a local church planned to enter.

Santa is still invited, but his reindeer will be in violation of the animal ordinance.

And the city, which doesn't allow its citizens, homeless or not, (can you be both?) to keep goats in their yards, is using goats to munch the kudzu from a local hillside. The goats are contained by a fence that has mostly kept them  inside and curious children out. Mostly.

Well, what do y'all think about all this? Will the homeless guys stop snoozin' in the park? Will the panhandlers give up on on the tourists? Will Jesus show up at the Holiday Parade? If he does will anyone notice?

Update flash: Due to a deluge of protests, they are letting the scene depicting the Nativity back into the Christmas, ummm, holiday festival. Well, sort of. Jesus still can't be in the parade, but the church can set up their living Nativity in a nearby area that will be open for groups of any faith to have a presence.