The Norman Transcript

Opinion

Discussion

October 30, 2012

Walk a mile in their shoes

The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Dusty Buff and Philip Nguyen are living examples of walking a mile in another’s shoes. After church services Sunday, they grabbed their bedrolls, Bibles and backpacks and headed out the door for 10 days to experience homelessness first hand.

They want to build relationships, hear people’s stories and go through what hundreds do night and day. It didn’t help that their first night outside was among the coldest of the year so far.

They plan on eating meals downtown at Food and Shelter, applying for jobs and even asking total strangers for help. They’ll be among those walking or on bicycles with all their belongings on the back.

We applaud the willingness of Mr. Buff and Mr. Nguyen, both pastors at Grace Church, to set aside comforts we all take for granted. But unlike their new Norman homeless friends, at the end of the 10-day period, Buff and Nguyen have warm homes waiting for them.

Norman has a significant homeless population, but they’re often invisible to many of us who tend to look the other way.

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Opinion
  • Crazy Kim and the Tippy Twos

    Kim Jong Un certainly seems crazy. But sound mind isn’t a requirement for predictable action. Tyrants often mask steady goals with wild behavior. One need only think of world pests like Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein to realize entire ...

    May 21, 2013

  • Relying on private prisons

    Oklahoma began contracting to place inmates in private prisons during Gov. Frank Keating’s administration in 1995. Today, more than 5,000, or 23 percent, of our inmates are in the custody of three private prisons....

    May 21, 2013

  • Thanks for warnings

    We can’t say there wasn’t enough warning this time around....

    May 21, 2013

  • Pesky employees at it again

    Editor, The Transcript: I just read the letter to the editor complaining that the Republican Party has apparently cornered the market on gall with their investigation of the Ben Ghazi incident. If gall indicates a search for the truth, ...

    May 21, 2013

  • U.S. must address shootings

    Editor, The Transcript: This is sent in reply to the letter from Earl Herfurth regarding Second Amendment rights. Certainly, the Second Amendment is an important part of America’s history, but the argument set forth in support of gun ...

    May 20, 2013

  • Republican Party has unmitigated gall

    Editor, The Transcript: When it comes to unmitigated gall, the Republican Party has no equal. Take the current Benghazi hearings, for example. This is nothing but a political charade aimed at the 2014 election and Hillary Clinton’s ...

    May 19, 2013

  • Airline changes coming

    In the airlines business, time is money. American Airlines wants to try and speed up its boarding process. Passengers who travel with only a personal item such as a purse or a brief case can now get on first....

    May 19, 2013

  • SEC should act on conflicts

    Money talks. In the continuing dispute over the all-too-cozy relationship between the people who create and sell financial products and the people who rate their risk, the money says: Shut up and let us do what we want....

    May 19, 2013

  • We all deserve better

    The tough treatment of the Tea (Taxed Enough Already) party and other conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service is being assailed by leaders of both political parties....

    May 19, 2013

  • John Tullius’ cartoon is wrong about education

    Editor, The Transcript: John Tullius’ last Saturday cartoon has jumped up and stepped right on my toes, along with, I suspect, the toes of teachers and school personnel all over town: “Growing up — we learned good morals, values and ...

    May 19, 2013