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Supervisor candidates clash over hobo bash

September 5, 2014

hoboBy JOSH FRIEDMAN

A planned fundraiser for San Luis Obispo County supervisor candidate Lynn Compton involving “hobo stew” has become the center of the latest controversy in the nasty campaign for the fourth district seat.

The Compton campaign is planning an Oct. 5 fundraiser at the Oceano train depot in which attendees are invited to come dressed in hobo attire and eat soup dubbed hobo stew. The fundraiser has prompted allegations from incumbent Caren Ray’s campaign that Compton is showing contempt for homeless individuals.

“Are you appalled, offended and outraged by this disgusting lack of compassion for a segment of our county’s population which Lynn Compton is supposedly campaigning to represent,” Ray’s treasurer Kathie Matsuyama wrote in an email to supporters.

Supervisor Adam Hill also chimed in, encouraging others to forward Matsuyama’s email and to post about the issue on social media pages.

But, Compton’s campaign says that Ray’s supporters have drummed up a controversy by twisting the definition of hobo.

A hobo is not a homeless person, the Compton campaign says. Rather it is a traditional American lifestyle that values travel over stationary living and involves work, just usually in short stints. They also noted that this same type of hobo event has been done for years by the Oceano Elks.

“This is no way of disparaging homeless people,” Compton supporter Linda Austin said in an email. “Hobos are part of American lore.”

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Lynn Compton: Nipomo’s Sarah Palin.


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Lynn Compton is just another run-of-the-mill clueless, tone-deaf, willingly ignorant, ostentaciously arrogant, pretentious aristocratic rich person that thinks it is ‘fun’ to parody those and any she thinks she is superior to.


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I bet her English grammar is better than yours.


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Why are successful people vilified by some people in these comment sections? I can never understand why people that work hard, become successful businessmen and women

are always treated like the enemy and called names. Calling people names like you have here really shows your ignorance. Do you know Lynn Compton? Are you judging her

simply because she is holding an event at a train depot that has held the same event in

the past? Are you calling all people that know the definition of “hobo” clueless, etc.? You slowerfaster have made a complete ass of yourself.


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I’m using a computer terminal in the Cal Poly Library. I am a Graduate of the State University System.


Across from me sits one of Cal Poly’s employees, I’m not sure if he is union? To the best of knowledge he is on the clock. He sits (several hours now), stuffs his face, giggles, and apparently enjoys YouTube. Makes the case for drug testing in my opinion, who wears sunglasses in a Library?


Now I ask you? who is the Bum,Tramp, Hobo?


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Is this any better (or worse?)? The 5 Cities Homeless Coalition is holding a “Redneck Golf Tournament” as a fundraiser. http://5chc.org/fundraisers/redneck-golf-tournament-oct-11-2014/


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Well let’s see if there is any outrage on this. Definition of a “redneck” is a poor white

person.


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This completely unjustified criticism reminds me of Adam Hi9ll’s “blackface” scandal a couple of years ago when, in complete ignorance of the facts, he tried to cast all of COLAB as a racist because a comedian who did very good impressions of presidents did a routine poking fun at Obama at s COLAB event. This appears to be standard practice for the political left in this county under the leadership of Hill. Avoid the issues and smear your opponent. The “hobos” were itinerant workers quite common in the country until around a half century ago. They commonly travelled by hopping freight cars. I don’t hear of that happening anymore, although I confess to hopping a freight train in Santa Barbara back in 1969 with about a dozen other people and getting thrown off in San Luis Obispo. There is still a National Hobo Convention every year in Britt, Iowa which in the meantime has become an homage to part of American history.


There is a certain type of person who looks for the slightest excuse to express moral outrage. They seem devoid of a sense of fun, not to mention a sense of humor, and they are particularly prevalent in our local politics. Above all, they don’t contribute anything to the quality of life here on the Central Coast.


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I have mine


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Same as rodeo clown joke about National Geographic and the first lady! amirite?


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I see nothing funny about targeting a disadvantaged group of people to be used for people to laugh at.


Apparently Lynn Compton thinks differently.


That is my current criticism of her.


Anybody who regularly posts here can tell you I am a quite vociferous critic of Adam Hill.


However, it was Compton who made the current fundraiser blunder…not Adam HIll.


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Why is this such an issue? I fit the definition of Homeless, if these people wanted to dress up as Sterno bums and have a homeless party it would not hurt my feelings at all.


Years ago back when Rush Limbaugh was interesting and funny I as one of the “homeless” would laugh my ass off at his “homeless updates”.


I have been here for 6.5 years. Why does this community have such an obsession/fetish about the homeless? Relative few of them. Is it because this community is so culturally impoverished and childish?


It is obvious that several of you have Political Interests, and not the poor and puke of the earth at heart.


Have your hobo parties laugh and enjoy yourselves, but don’t ever roll up on me, look down your long noses and talk crap.


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Why would Compton and her fundraiser attendees bother to single you out for derision when they can do it when together and drinking wine at a fundraiser for Compton?


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Maybe she needs to go south to visit Compton… I doubt she would come back with the same theme.


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CAREN RAY (and Co.) are simply displaying their absolute ILLITERACY and IGNORANCE, not to mention issue-dodging hyperbolic rhetoric. Suggestions of ‘blackface’ are pure outlandish bullshit from these hateful spiteful bigots.


Hoboes are noted for their desire to travel and, especially their desire for independence. Hoboes work and earn to support themselves but don’t care for staying in the same place year after year to do this. They want to see different places, do different things, and enjoy life without being tied to one place, one type of work, or to having to live a certain way because everybody else does.


“The Hobo Society” Hoboes may travel alone or occasionally with a few others for a period of time but, regardless of this, they are a close knit group of people. There are many Hobo Gatherings throughout the country where Hoboes congregate for a short period of time. At these “jungle” gatherings they get to visit with old friends and meet new friends. They swap stories, songs, poems and, maybe, even an occasional lie or two. At the close of the gathering they each head out in their own direction and do their thing.


Count me in as a proud hobo!


‘Boes on the road:

http://freightyard.net/sloboes/gallery/tankcar.jpg

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c20000/3c29000/3c29100/3c29109v.jpg


CAREN RAY AND HER CULT OF B.S. MUST NOT BE ELECTED


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Really, Kevin? Blaming the messenger? I know you are WAY smarter than that.


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Blaming the messenger for what? All he is doing is pointing out what an idiot Ray is. That is the problem with you liberals…you enter into the discussion, already assuming that you have the corner on the truth and when anybody opposes it you act all miffed.


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Progressive “coexist”, “tolerance”, “open-mind” are myths. It’s everything but, in reality.


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What point are you trying to make now?


A string of ad hominem attacks provides nothing except you are having a lot of difficulty trying to defend Compton from her poor decision on her fundraising theme.


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Bull$hit. He was attempting to blame Ray for the outing C poo moron’ s poor choice of a fundraiser theme.


I know Kevin can make a sound argument to make a point. However, you have to have a valid point to start with.


He had to stoop to using a logical fallacy because the point he wanted to make is not valid. It is not the fault of Ray that Compton chose a poor fundraiser theme.


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“C poo moron’ s” should read “Compton.”


Kindle strikes again.


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I gather from the information you provided these “Hobo’s” you are so endeared with do more than play the harmonica and compose poetry, otherwise why would this be necessary?…


Hobo Rule# 13.” Do not allow other hobos to molest children, expose all molesters to authorities, they are the worst garbage to infest any society”


As used today all these terms: Hobo, bum, tramp, homeless are intended to demean and condescend. I consider them insulting, fighting words. Anyone who approaches me face to face and uses these terms will find that out. I don’t care for the “labeling”, a piece of crap is a piece of crap period. Other than the need to eat and use the bathroom, and wipe I don’t have anything in common with most of them who are: drunks, addicts, criminals, and ruin everything they touch.


That said someone wants to have a Hobo Party, goes as one for Halloween fine, whatever. I personally am not interested in child development and would never attend such an event. It says more about the cultural level of the community than it does me.


So what category would you place me in? I’ve lived out of doors somewhere between 25-30 years? I would not want to swap stories or anything else with your “hobo” friends.


All these convenient labels and categories. Comes down to the preferred few versus the common scum classes as far as I’m concerned.


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