Sometimes I start writing one thing and another shows up on the screen.  If that magic only translated into a self-writing research paper to complete the requirement that is currently breathing down my neck as the end of semester draws near.

This story is more interesting than analyzing how well schools educate for democratic citizenship (preliminary finding from research: not well). Check out these two men who were arrested trying to collect food for the poor from dumpsters in Hersey, PA and are “charged with defiant trespassing and loitering and prowling at night.” Is there a comparable charge for “prowling by day”? If you prowl while walking a dog, does the dog also get charged, or is a feces-filled sack an adequate defense? 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/12/08/nicest-guys-ever-arrested-while-dumpster-diving-to-feed-the-homeless/?utm_term=.aa0480aa6da4&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1

According to the story, “The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 30 to 40 percent of the American food supply is wasted …, based on estimates from USDA’s Economic Research Service of 31 percent food loss at the retail and consumer levels, corresponded to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010. This amount of waste has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation and climate change. Wholesome food that could have helped feed families in need is sent to landfills.”

Is wasting enormous amounts of food more acceptable than trying to reclaim and re-distribute the food? Waste should be the crime. Nothing says Happy Holidays, like “You’re under arrest,” with a court appearance scheduled three days before Christmas.

If your holiday donations haven’t been allocated already, you might want to check out the “Dumpster Divers Defense Fund.”

© Joan S Grey, 9 Dec 2016
IndexCardCure™: I read it on the internet; it must be true.
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