Issue date: 7/21/03 Section: Opinion

"Why lie? I need beer," reads the cardboard sign. The man holding the sign on the Beer for the Homeless Web site's snapshot is obviously homeless, and thanks to the benevolence of the "charity" organization, he has been lifted from obscurity to pronounce his disenchanted message from the pulpit of the World Wide Web.

On its Web site, www.beerforthehomeless.com, BFTH purports to be "dedicated to the thousands of men and women in America who have been relegated to the status of children, regardless of their age, by the do-gooders of society who believe that merely because a person has no home, he should not be allowed to drink beer." Furthermore, BFTH claims its noble endeavor "strikes a blow for equality and human rights." Its entire existence was apparently brought about by other charity organizations' refusal to serve homeless people beer. The group is a shameless mockery of a true charity organization and does more to encourage homelessness than to remedy it.

Recently, the Salvation Army of Sydney criticized BFTH, saying it "added fuel to the fire," according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Gerard Byrne, social program secretary of recovery services with the Salvation Army in Sydney, said of BFTH, "Since drugs and alcohol are a prominent factor in homelessness, providing them with alcohol is morally and ethically questionable." Byrne is right, and hopefully others will not take BFTH seriously.

According to the Web site, BFTH even recruits "beer babes" to help with the delivery. In fact, the entire passage evokes bizarre mental images of scantily clad beer girls scouring the streets for panhandlers in want of a drink. Do homeless people have the right to drink beer on someone else's dime, and if so, are they entitled to be serviced by beer babes? The answer should be a resounding no.

As one reads the organization's description of itself and its goals, he cannot help but wonder if it is spoken in earnest. It is ludicrous to believe that because someone cannot afford to buy beer they are being deprived of their basic human liberties. Beer, liquor, cigarettes and the like are recognized by the government as luxury items and are taxed as such. Does BFTH honestly believe that every citizen is entitled to beer in the same way one is entitled to food and water?

As it is, the would-be charity's true motives go beyond providing every citizen with the right to become intoxicated. Where there's free beer, there's always a catch. On its FAQ Web site page, BFTH concedes that "there is a lot of satire in the presentation of the site, but that's half of the fun."

Apparently, BFTH was founded by two talk radio hosts from Chattanooga, Tenn. In essence, the entire BFTH venture appears to be a publicity stunt for the advancement of a radio show. By their own admission, "half the fun" is mocking a group of people who are easily exploitable and making light of a grievous social problem.

In the least, BFTH is in appallingly bad taste. Tawdry publicity grabs seem to be the modus operandi of radio shows that cannot get media attention any other way. Like the "Opie and Anthony" radio show which spurred a couple to have sex in a New York cathedral in 2002, BFTH is trading moral decency for a fleeting spot in the limelight and a good laugh at someone else's expense.

But that is its right, just as it is the right of consumers to tune their radios elsewhere. If its transgression stopped at tastelessness, BFTH would be in the company of myriads of other advertisers who use shock value as a sales tactic.

Exacerbating a problem that has already spiraled out of control, however, crosses the line. According to a study done by the Mental Health Coordinating Council, alcoholism is the most prevalent problem of homeless people. The Salvation Army and other charities that aim to help the homeless have legitimate reasons for denying their clients alcohol. By giving free alcohol to alcoholics, BFTH undermines other organizations' sincere attempts at rehabilitation.

BFTH's attitude flies in the face of groups that actually feel the burden of social responsibility for the homeless. Instead of working to remedy the problem, BFTH has chosen to adopt an attitude of irreverent complacency for those who want to drink not because it is an exercise in human rights but because they have a chemical addiction to alcohol. In many cases, alcoholism has driven people onto the streets. BFTH apparently wants to keep them there.

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