He wants to be placed in subsidized housing, but the last time we helped him he got thrown out of the building due to his drinking and emotional problems. Dogmen create fear with their mere presence, they disturb with their appearance, their smell, their raised voices, their incoherence. Dogmen do not generate the compassion of a young mother seeking food stamps. The staff does not run to their aid as they do with our elderly constituents, or someone seeking help with healthcare or fuel assistance. When the dogmen come, the goal seems to be to remove them as quickly and quietly as possible.
Congressional offices are microcosms of the outside world.
No one is assigned to Dogman. No one ever uses his real name. He is bounced from staff member to staff member. He is a homeless veteran, who is clearly crazy, and whom we are more comfortable with when he is out of sight. . . .