Ripped from the headlines (or at least the sidebar)

By Todd Stadler · Friday, August 31, 2007 5:24pm

The Oregonian had an article about how the Portland Central library tends to be a haven for the homeless, drug users, and mentally unstable people.

All of which is true, since the library is one of few places that is both a shelter from the weather and can't turn away such people merely because they are undesirable in some way. Nor should it.

I should also note that I've used the Central library many times and never felt threatened. And I can't fault homeless people for using the library just for its toilets and air conditioning — I've done the same myself.

But the thing that really caught my eye in this article was the sidebar containing "a sampling of security log entries from the Central Library." Among the mundane bits about people snoring loudly while sleeping, smelly men, and drunk people was this entry:

"Man found resuscitating what appears to be a dead rat on the benches outside. Rat revived."

For some reason, I found myself singing, "Ben, the two of us need look no more ..."