Left I on the News

This is not a reality show, it's not a radio show stunt. This is actual reality in 21st century America. This is life for five men who are not even in jail (where conditions might in fact be worse), but on probation:

Because an ordinance intended to keep predators away from children made it nearly impossible for them to find housing, five convicted sex offenders are living under a noisy highway bridge with the state's grudging approval.

They have fishing poles to catch food, cook with small stoves, use battery-powered TVs and radios and keep their belongings in plastic bags. Javier Diaz, 30, has trouble charging the GPS tracking device he is required to wear; there are no power outlets nearby.

"You just pray to God every night, so if you fall asleep for a minute or two, you know, nothing happens to you," said Diaz, who arrived this week. He was sentenced in 2005 to three years' probation for lewd and lascivious conduct involving a girl under 16.

Just so you're clear, this isn't a location chosen by the men. This is a location chosen by the state. Just think for one millisecond what the response would be if the news came out that Cuba, or North Korea, or Iran, or Venezuela, or any of the other "evildoers" of the world, were deliberately "housing" people, even sex offenders, under bridges. And now listen for the sound of crickets in place of the talk shows screaming their heads off, thanks to the fact that this is in the United States, and not one of those other countries.