Commoner the Vagabond
by Robin Ray
A young airman with Asperger’s, summarily discharged from military duty and plagued by mental health issues, becomes homeless and has frequent encounters with the law. Through his exploits, he inadvertently provides the inspiration for a popular TV show and becomes the hope of the poor and downtrodden in Seattle, Washington.Life is tough. It's especially challenging if you were born to a drug-addicted mother, spent years shuffling between foster homes, barely recognized for your world-class classical pianist ability, and struggled everyday with Asperger's Syndrome. Finding it difficult to hold down employment or maintain a meaningful relationship, James, who would later come to be known as Commoner, was destined to spend many years living a life of homeless destitution. A glimpse of hope arrives when a police officer, sympathetic to his plight, gives him a break for the many troubles he gets himself into. Commoner, his life and struggles forming the base for a popular network cartoon show, becomes the champion of the poor and neglected although, being homeless, is unaware of it. Plagued by his own demons, will Commoner finally fall prey to a society that marginalizes him in a big way?