Yes we can!!! Take that to the bank Mr. Obama! There are more peaple with common sence than you originally thought! So don't worry about the no money for police protection or for the prison system. An Armed social system is a polite system.
Heh! The ad that pops up alongside the poll result was Starbucks! With the protestor sign in the background of the OC pic obviously targeting them, ya gotta wonder if there's some real marketing genius at work there..."Robust new flavor" indeed.
Like we don't see that at every single gun show. That's not media bias that's gun culture scruffiness.
At the next gun show just look at all the food stained t-shirts, blue jeans, dirty shoes, unshaved jowls and filthy teeth. If you notice them then the media will scope lock on them.
Let's use $cience to settle this! Next gun show, you give me a dollar for everyone in camo, a t-shirt, or blue jeans and I'll give you a dollar for everyone in dress pants or khakis or a shirt with a collar.
I'll have enough money to buy a half dozen guns and stacks of ammo.
I'm more concerned by the fact that Mr. Halfmoon's holster does not seem to have any retention device. I'm one of those who is not fond of open carry due to the tendency of some (!) to get all PSH over the sight of a gun, and the fact that you may give up a tactical advantage, although the counter-argument there is that if the bad guys see armed good guys, they'll go elsewhere. But if you're going to OC, you need to make sure that your gat isn't going to fall out, and make it hard for someone else to grab it.
I do also wear an oxford shirt every day of my life, never having owned a golf shirt, never wore a teeshirt outdoors unless under a real shirt, and even my camo shirts are oxfords...
Primus: The article is about open carry advocates, not Cletus at the gun show. The former demographic is skewed differently than the one to which you display such bigotry.
Secundus: I claimed it was bias. You said it was not. If it is not bias, then why did they pick an open carry advocate in Mossy Oak and workingman's smile, rather than, say, an IT guy in dockers and golf shirt, or a lawyer in tactical pants and a college tee shirt? Both are equally available amongst open carry advocates; if anything, the latter are more prevalent in the demographic.
I realize you can't hardly wait to deliver another tirade about blue jeans and tee shirts, but you shouldn't let it cloud your view of the facts.
Tam with the eye for the details. I was about to jump on the Cletus bandwagon when I realized she was right - it IS a retention holster.
My Lord, I may have to grapple with two ideas at once: that's he's rocking the Mossy Oak Plumbers Crack WHILE responsibly open carrying with an appropriate holster. If I worked for USA Today, I'd be in the fetal position under my newsroom desk whimpering with brainlock. Thank God I'm a scruffy IT guy.
No dockers and golf shirt at work for me - they would panic and think I'm dressed up to interview for another job.
Polling still at 97.01% Yea, pity it doesn't say how many have voted. I'm sure they'll report it with the usual "this is not a scientific poll" disclaimer, dismissing it as being loaded with pro-gunnie votes... like the anti-gunnies couldn't stuff the ballot box too, what with it being online. I think these results speak more to the truth of it tho, if one figures that the multi-voters essentially cancel each other out. You can be assured tho that Barry's gonna ignore these polls!
Rep McCarthy's contact will not accept emails from outside NY. Somebody from New York should politely point out that a more reasonable opinion might rely upon the views of street cops in states with a long history of open carry, such as Vermont and Wyoming.
There is more reality out on the street than there is in the HOB coffee shop...
I am pointing out the gun culture's problem of not being aware of its presentation. How we present ourselves matters.
Dressing in tacky clothing and having a plumber's crack is indicative of the gun culture, just look at any gun show. If you are going to a political event where you know the media will be, take time to not wear jeans, camo, clean your teeth and shave and bathe.
But... but... The "gun culture" is a monolithic entity? A, dare I say it, "collective"?
The guys who are carefully refraining from spilling scotch on their Perazzis are the same as the Mossy Oak-clad Cletii are the same as the golf shirt & khaki wearing IT guys on the Daily Show?
Next thing you know, I'll be supposed to judge people, not by the content of their character, but the contents of their wallets, or on how recently they've watched Queer Eye For The Straight Guy!
SB, you seem to take the attitude that jeans and a t-shirt are indicative of sloppiness or poor intelligence/character/etc.
I hate to break it to you, but jeans and a t-shirt have pretty much evolved into the "not at work" uniform of probably 90% of Americans, and are even normal work attire for many. They are no longer just for wearing when you might get dirty. Most people don't wear khakis and collared shirts outside of the workplace anymore - "gun culture" or not.
How they are worn is more indicative of anything than just the fact that someone is wearing them. If they're clean and well fitted, and the shirt isn't obscene, and the person is well groomed (i.e., clean and either properly shaved or a well trimmed beard, not the "I haven't shaved in 3 days look") the average person will probably identify better with them than they would with someone in khakis and a shirt with a collar.
Most people at gun shows and most other events are there to enjoy the event, not to impress the media, so that's what they dress for.
You should also remember, the media will deliberately pick the worst image they can. A gun show could have 1000 people in suits and ties, and the media would focus on the one farmer who came in after working the fields and didn't change so he would have time to actually look around before the show closed. It's the same reason they always call more than three guns an arsenal, and why having more than 100 rounds of ammunition will get you painted as being some kind of nut - it's called bias.
"I am pointing out the gun culture's problem of not being aware of its presentation. How we present ourselves matters."
This is certainly true. However, the media will certainly wade through a sea of suit wearing, neatly coiffed, cleanshaven men to speak to the snaggletoothed gomer. And there is always a snaggletoothed gomer. And often as not he will do a hell of a nice job on your car, or room addition, or whatever, but he might just not be as wellspoken as possible.
We will no more be able to control the way gun people appear as leftists can control the number of patchouli scented wake-and-bakers in their ranks, and the media will always portray us as scum. I'm over it. Don't hate the gomer, hate the conniving dirtbag that uses Gomer to "Show" what "We" are like.
How long should I wait for the poll that asks, "Should the right to a trial by jury be the law of the land?" Or perhaps, "Should a law barring interference with the press be the law of the land?"
FYI you'll note Mr. Realtree was there with his little girl http://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/29670301/starbucks-in-the-crossfire.htm
Video of that protest will show him holding her or pushing a stroller. Instead the picture of him that has been seen on every newspaper across the country is the shot of his colt commander and his love handle.
I'll also note that he was the ONLY guy wearing any sort of camo that I could see from the videos, and actually most of the carry advocates were wearing "Business Casual" while the anti-rights geeks were decked out in ratty jeans and cheap t-shirts.
"I'll also note that he was the ONLY guy wearing any sort of camo that I could see from the videos, and actually most of the carry advocates were wearing "Business Casual" while the anti-rights geeks were decked out in ratty jeans and cheap t-shirts.
What Bias?"
Oh, stop it! You know they were all really bearded Cletii in holed camo tee-shirts, bib overalls, and 3-day beards!
SB has a point there, and remember that photographic composition is about removing elements from the scene that detract from the overall "message".
I'm sure that those of you who have attended public gatherings can spot the photojournalists. You know, Rip Torn-style stubble beards, pony-tails and sandals? Take a picture next time.
What a day. Started out with irritation and confusion with SB, for whatever his reasons, doing his best to create dissension and division when cohesive effort and teamwork are what is desired -required- to counter the evil forces that will use *whatever means necessary* to disarm you...that's disarm YOU, Shootin' Buddy, no matter what...the...fuck you're wearing.
But man, did things turn around later in the day. Sweetie and I had made an appointment to have her car serviced in Lakeland, FL which is about an hour from us and has the nearest Benz dealership. Now you wouldn't think it a positive that it is necessary to spend two bills at the dealer for what is euphemistically called an A2 Service and what is essentially an oil change. But after a second cup of coffee we headed out with the plan for me to drop her off at her favorite store (Target, the closest of which is also in Lakeland) while I took the car in for what was sure to be a two hour process.
But the service dept. wasn't busy, and the car was ready in about a half-hour...and bonus, there was a 15% discount for Saturday service ($200 oil change becomes $170 oil change; yay). But in idly watching the tube in the lobby as I waited, I see a commercial for Shoot Straight mega gun store. I was aware of the Shoot Straight in Tampa, but surprise! there's a brand new one in Lakeland, and surprise surprise! it's four blocks from the MB dealership.
So now I've got time to kill and a great place to kill it; the place is awesome...10,000 s.f. of just about every single handgun currently available and racks upon racks of long guns including every iteration of EBR. Not only that but there were at least a dozen sharp friendly helpful clerks who went out of their way to make me feel welcome even after I told them I was just killing time. Then there's the lobby area with its big picture windows overlooking the shooting lanes from a behind-the-shooter vantage point...and there were several shooters doing their thing, with the satisfying muffled soundtrack accompanying their efforts...pow, pow, pow, BOOM, BOOM! Somebody brought his bigbore!
There were probably a dozen customers in the store and I mentioned to my clerk it was good to see. But he told me the crowd was comparatively light because of the big GUN SHOW IN TOWN! I had forgotten all about it; two tours regularly hit the Lakeland Convention Center...the Suncoast tour which is big but a little too contrived to suit me, and the Pistol Club show which is locally administered and features way more real people and is a lot less "prepackaged". And today it was the Pistol Club show...I still had an extra hour before time to pick up wifey, and the Convention Center was right on the way, so what better way to piss away seven bucks than to help out the local guys and check out the fun at the show?
But here's where the irritation of the morning really melted away. SB was right; there were a lot more folks in jeans and tees, cargo shorts and polos (me among those), a typical contingent of camo commandos, but not too many Dockers dorks and not a single damn Sunday go-to-meetin' outfit in the whole place; and it's a big place with lots of cool stuff. So Shootin' Buddy, you would probably not have approved; your sartorial sensibilities would have been offended for sure. But know what? All I saw was good people doing what they love; buyin', swappin', and tradin' with not one iota of class conscious, pretentious, effete, divisive assholery in the place. They were gunnies, God love 'em, and if SB or others like him don't care to stay based on -what exactly?- I don't think he'd be missed at all; who needs that shit?
I hadn't remembered the show was today, so of course I didn't have any trading fodder with me, plus time was short, so I cruise a few aisles, have a few nice chats, and it was time to head out. So, already a fun day, but it's still only noon-thirty, and more cool was yet to come!
So I pick up Sweetie at Target (she bought me a cool new tee shirt, Shootin' Buddy!) and we decide to have lunch across the street at Longhorn which we also don't have in our hometown. The 14 oz. NY strip was tender, perfectly medium-well, and the loaded 'tater and margarita on the rocks were the perfect accoutrement. Then well-fed and realizing that the new outdoor mall was right next door (no more enclosed malls getting built in Fla, this one is built like small-town USA, brick streets, pedestrian friendly, all the good stores and shops, and lots of parking right in front) so she spies a Kirklands Home store and wants to walk through. I decide to drop her at the door and wait in the car listening to some NPR for a few laughs. There's a story on about going green, shockingly even-handed as they interview rich exclusivists who have the front yard of their McMansions done in PC xeriscape while the privacy fenced rear features all manner of lush flora, pools, fountains, et cetera, and discussing the hybrid Lexus in the garage which is used to whisk the two-faced sanctimonious turds to their private jet when they really want to get going, Mother Earth be damned. Hilarious!
But what's that thunderous noise that's drowning out the radio as I sit in the car with the windows down, seat tilted back, and gentle breeze blowing through? OMG, I forgot about this too! It's the annual Sun 'n Fun fly-in being held at the Lakeland airport a mile or so south...and the roar I heard? It's a beautifully restored Thunderbolt with its giant radial roaring, going right over me and low enough to clearly make out the correct decals and numbers. As I stand outside the car to get a better look, here comes a pair of Mustangs in close wingie formation and just as beautifully restored, but with that different higher-pitched angry waspish engine sound. I swear it brought tears of pleasure and pride to my eyes seeing those beautiful historic birds not just close at hand, but in full throat.
About that time, I see wifey exiting the store and waving at me...God, she's fifty-five, same as me, but I felt like a dirty old man as I watched her long blonde flow in the breeze and her gorgeous smile aimed right at...me. Time to pick up my girl for the drive home. Yep, like I said, it was a wonderful day.
Sometimes it's easy to get so caught up in the troubles and worries of the world, even in the little irritations and ignorance in our own midst, that we forget to be thankful for this: all in all and right here and now, life is good...and it's in our hands to keep it good and even to make it better, so that our kids and grandkids can have a day just like the one I had today.
I guess I have been living in Tennessee too long (all of almost-two years) - my response to an individual in a t-shirt and jeans is "Yeah, and?"
Hell, substitute a button-down for the t-shirt, and that is pretty much my work attire, and that of my fellow coworkers as well. And we are not exactly plumbers or candlestick makers.
Do not bother substituting clothing and just replace the camouflage with some pithy saying or another, and that is my off-work attire on a daily basis. And given the amount of housework, cleaning, remodeling, painting, and Lord alone knows what else we have been doing recently, that attire is sometimes a little stained/ratty.
Should I be forced to abandon my rights simply because I have not had a chance to go home and take a shower yet? Should I hide my lawfully carried firearm simply because I am not 100% spic and span?
Shall I hid my cross as well? Or perhaps even my face?
We are who we are, and to say that we are Americans would be putting it mildly - we come from every walk of life, every socioeconomic group, and every cross-section you can find and think of. I saw almost as many post-church suits at the gun show I went to last weekend as I did unkempt messes, and both were significantly in the minority.
Of course, I also saw folks selling Nazi memorabilia as well - should we be demonizing the entire gun-owning culture just for people looking to make a buck off history? Not that others have not done so for you, but that is rather the point...
Sectionalizing movements, much less rights, off the basis of appearance has to be one of the more-retarded arguments to take - people will be people, and will dress as they like, and we had best get over it and move on.
Drang, tell ya what, come on out to AZ and try to take my pistol when I'm OCing. See what happens. As a side note we have really nice hospitals out here and tons of dentists.
I'm not against retention holsters per se, but it is possible to OC safely and securely without going up to a SERPA, a CarryLock or the like.
Yes we can!!! Take that to the bank Mr. Obama! There are more peaple with common sence than you originally thought! So don't worry about the no money for police protection or for the prison system. An Armed social system is a polite system.
ReplyDeleteWalt
Nice picture of the OC'er...
ReplyDeleteWhat media bias?
ReplyDeleteI know you are not a big shotgunner, but deepriver.net has a big pricey scattergun meet going on the 23-25 of April up in Sanford NC.
ReplyDeleteHeh! The ad that pops up alongside the poll result was Starbucks! With the protestor sign in the background of the OC pic obviously targeting them, ya gotta wonder if there's some real marketing genius at work there..."Robust new flavor" indeed.
ReplyDeleteAT
"Nice picture of the OC'er..."
ReplyDeleteLike we don't see that at every single gun show. That's not media bias that's gun culture scruffiness.
At the next gun show just look at all the food stained t-shirts, blue jeans, dirty shoes, unshaved jowls and filthy teeth. If you notice them then the media will scope lock on them.
Shootin' Buddy
SB,
ReplyDelete"That's not media bias that's gun culture scruffiness."
Bullshit.
They could have easily done a picture of one of the IT guys like the Daily Show did. Or you. Or anybody at a blogmeet.
What that is is a display of intentional bias, like using the Hutaree as an example of your typical Hoosier.
Whereas proper gunshows feature snappy dressers, fantastic dancers, and other all-around metrosexual hallucinogenic Yankee bigots, eh SB?
ReplyDeleteDang it, Tam, you beat me to the draw again ;o) AT
ReplyDeleteSB do be trippin', but uh, let's make "hallucinogenic" "delusional" instead.
ReplyDeleteGimmee a break, I ain't finished my first cup o' joe yet. AT
Bullshit? Methinks not.
ReplyDeleteLet's use $cience to settle this! Next gun show, you give me a dollar for everyone in camo, a t-shirt, or blue jeans and I'll give you a dollar for everyone in dress pants or khakis or a shirt with a collar.
I'll have enough money to buy a half dozen guns and stacks of ammo.
You won't have enough for a soda pop.
Shootin' Buddy
I'm more concerned by the fact that Mr. Halfmoon's holster does not seem to have any retention device.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those who is not fond of open carry due to the tendency of some (!) to get all PSH over the sight of a gun, and the fact that you may give up a tactical advantage, although the counter-argument there is that if the bad guys see armed good guys, they'll go elsewhere.
But if you're going to OC, you need to make sure that your gat isn't going to fall out, and make it hard for someone else to grab it.
wv: kinspa. Uncle. Or maybe Grampa.
hey, I wear blue jeans, all day, every day.
ReplyDeletewait...
nevermind.
I do also wear an oxford shirt every day of my life, never having owned a golf shirt, never wore a teeshirt outdoors unless under a real shirt, and even my camo shirts are oxfords...
Nevermind, again.
SB,
ReplyDelete"Bullshit? Methinks not."
Bullshit, I say again.
Primus: The article is about open carry advocates, not Cletus at the gun show. The former demographic is skewed differently than the one to which you display such bigotry.
Secundus: I claimed it was bias. You said it was not. If it is not bias, then why did they pick an open carry advocate in Mossy Oak and workingman's smile, rather than, say, an IT guy in dockers and golf shirt, or a lawyer in tactical pants and a college tee shirt? Both are equally available amongst open carry advocates; if anything, the latter are more prevalent in the demographic.
I realize you can't hardly wait to deliver another tirade about blue jeans and tee shirts, but you shouldn't let it cloud your view of the facts.
D.W.,
ReplyDelete"I'm more concerned by the fact that Mr. Halfmoon's holster does not seem to have any retention device."
That's a Bianchi CarryLok. The black plastic tab below the trigger guard is a pivoting lock.
Tam with the eye for the details. I was about to jump on the Cletus bandwagon when I realized she was right - it IS a retention holster.
ReplyDeleteMy Lord, I may have to grapple with two ideas at once: that's he's rocking the Mossy Oak Plumbers Crack WHILE responsibly open carrying with an appropriate holster. If I worked for USA Today, I'd be in the fetal position under my newsroom desk whimpering with brainlock. Thank God I'm a scruffy IT guy.
No dockers and golf shirt at work for me - they would panic and think I'm dressed up to interview for another job.
Polling still at 97.01% Yea, pity it doesn't say how many have voted. I'm sure they'll report it with the usual "this is not a scientific poll" disclaimer, dismissing it as being loaded with pro-gunnie votes... like the anti-gunnies couldn't stuff the ballot box too, what with it being online. I think these results speak more to the truth of it tho, if one figures that the multi-voters essentially cancel each other out. You can be assured tho that Barry's gonna ignore these polls!
ReplyDeleteRep McCarthy's contact will not accept emails from outside NY. Somebody from New York should politely point out that a more reasonable opinion might rely upon the views of street cops in states with a long history of open carry, such as Vermont and Wyoming.
ReplyDeleteThere is more reality out on the street than there is in the HOB coffee shop...
Art
I am pointing out the gun culture's problem of not being aware of its presentation. How we present ourselves matters.
ReplyDeleteDressing in tacky clothing and having a plumber's crack is indicative of the gun culture, just look at any gun show. If you are going to a political event where you know the media will be, take time to not wear jeans, camo, clean your teeth and shave and bathe.
Best foot forward and all that.
Shootin' Buddy
But... but... The "gun culture" is a monolithic entity? A, dare I say it, "collective"?
ReplyDeleteThe guys who are carefully refraining from spilling scotch on their Perazzis are the same as the Mossy Oak-clad Cletii are the same as the golf shirt & khaki wearing IT guys on the Daily Show?
Next thing you know, I'll be supposed to judge people, not by the content of their character, but the contents of their wallets, or on how recently they've watched Queer Eye For The Straight Guy!
EDIT: I have overused "Mossy Oak" lately. I should have said "RealTree" for variety's sake... ;)
ReplyDeleteSB, you seem to take the attitude that jeans and a t-shirt are indicative of sloppiness or poor intelligence/character/etc.
ReplyDeleteI hate to break it to you, but jeans and a t-shirt have pretty much evolved into the "not at work" uniform of probably 90% of Americans, and are even normal work attire for many. They are no longer just for wearing when you might get dirty. Most people don't wear khakis and collared shirts outside of the workplace anymore - "gun culture" or not.
How they are worn is more indicative of anything than just the fact that someone is wearing them. If they're clean and well fitted, and the shirt isn't obscene, and the person is well groomed (i.e., clean and either properly shaved or a well trimmed beard, not the "I haven't shaved in 3 days look") the average person will probably identify better with them than they would with someone in khakis and a shirt with a collar.
Most people at gun shows and most other events are there to enjoy the event, not to impress the media, so that's what they dress for.
You should also remember, the media will deliberately pick the worst image they can. A gun show could have 1000 people in suits and ties, and the media would focus on the one farmer who came in after working the fields and didn't change so he would have time to actually look around before the show closed. It's the same reason they always call more than three guns an arsenal, and why having more than 100 rounds of ammunition will get you painted as being some kind of nut - it's called bias.
"I am pointing out the gun culture's problem of not being aware of its presentation. How we present ourselves matters."
ReplyDeleteThis is certainly true. However, the media will certainly wade through a sea of suit wearing, neatly coiffed, cleanshaven men to speak to the snaggletoothed gomer. And there is always a snaggletoothed gomer. And often as not he will do a hell of a nice job on your car, or room addition, or whatever, but he might just not be as wellspoken as possible.
We will no more be able to control the way gun people appear as leftists can control the number of patchouli scented wake-and-bakers in their ranks, and the media will always portray us as scum. I'm over it. Don't hate the gomer, hate the conniving dirtbag that uses Gomer to "Show" what "We" are like.
How long should I wait for the poll that asks, "Should the right to a trial by jury be the law of the land?" Or perhaps, "Should a law barring interference with the press be the law of the land?"
ReplyDeleteWhat og said...
ReplyDelete...alternatively, you could just stop giving a damn what strangers think of you. Folk put waaaaay too much stock in that anyhow.
FYI you'll note Mr. Realtree was there with his little girl
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/29670301/starbucks-in-the-crossfire.htm
Video of that protest will show him holding her or pushing a stroller. Instead the picture of him that has been seen on every newspaper across the country is the shot of his colt commander and his love handle.
I'll also note that he was the ONLY guy wearing any sort of camo that I could see from the videos, and actually most of the carry advocates were wearing "Business Casual" while the anti-rights geeks were decked out in ratty jeans and cheap t-shirts.
What Bias?
"I'll also note that he was the ONLY guy wearing any sort of camo that I could see from the videos, and actually most of the carry advocates were wearing "Business Casual" while the anti-rights geeks were decked out in ratty jeans and cheap t-shirts.
ReplyDeleteWhat Bias?"
Oh, stop it! You know they were all really bearded Cletii in holed camo tee-shirts, bib overalls, and 3-day beards!
SB has a point there, and remember that photographic composition is about removing elements from the scene that detract from the overall "message".
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that those of you who have attended public gatherings can spot the photojournalists. You know, Rip Torn-style stubble beards, pony-tails and sandals? Take a picture next time.
What a day. Started out with irritation and confusion with SB, for whatever his reasons, doing his best to create dissension and division when cohesive effort and teamwork are what is desired -required- to counter the evil forces that will use *whatever means necessary* to disarm you...that's disarm YOU, Shootin' Buddy, no matter what...the...fuck you're wearing.
ReplyDeleteBut man, did things turn around later in the day. Sweetie and I had made an appointment to have her car serviced in Lakeland, FL which is about an hour from us and has the nearest Benz dealership. Now you wouldn't think it a positive that it is necessary to spend two bills at the dealer for what is euphemistically called an A2 Service and what is essentially an oil change. But after a second cup of coffee we headed out with the plan for me to drop her off at her favorite store (Target, the closest of which is also in Lakeland) while I took the car in for what was sure to be a two hour process.
But the service dept. wasn't busy, and the car was ready in about a half-hour...and bonus, there was a 15% discount for Saturday service ($200 oil change becomes $170 oil change; yay). But in idly watching the tube in the lobby as I waited, I see a commercial for Shoot Straight mega gun store. I was aware of the Shoot Straight in Tampa, but surprise! there's a brand new one in Lakeland, and surprise surprise! it's four blocks from the MB dealership.
So now I've got time to kill and a great place to kill it; the place is awesome...10,000 s.f. of just about every single handgun currently available and racks upon racks of long guns including every iteration of EBR. Not only that but there were at least a dozen sharp friendly helpful clerks who went out of their way to make me feel welcome even after I told them I was just killing time. Then there's the lobby area with its big picture windows overlooking the shooting lanes from a behind-the-shooter vantage point...and there were several shooters doing their thing, with the satisfying muffled soundtrack accompanying their efforts...pow, pow, pow, BOOM, BOOM! Somebody brought his bigbore!
There were probably a dozen customers in the store and I mentioned to my clerk it was good to see. But he told me the crowd was comparatively light because of the big GUN SHOW IN TOWN! I had forgotten all about it; two tours regularly hit the Lakeland Convention Center...the Suncoast tour which is big but a little too contrived to suit me, and the Pistol Club show which is locally administered and features way more real people and is a lot less "prepackaged". And today it was the Pistol Club show...I still had an extra hour before time to pick up wifey, and the Convention Center was right on the way, so what better way to piss away seven bucks than to help out the local guys and check out the fun at the show?
But here's where the irritation of the morning really melted away. SB was right; there were a lot more folks in jeans and tees, cargo shorts and polos (me among those), a typical contingent of camo commandos, but not too many Dockers dorks and not a single damn Sunday go-to-meetin' outfit in the whole place; and it's a big place with lots of cool stuff. So Shootin' Buddy, you would probably not have approved; your sartorial sensibilities would have been offended for sure. But know what? All I saw was good people doing what they love; buyin', swappin', and tradin' with not one iota of class conscious, pretentious, effete, divisive assholery in the place. They were gunnies, God love 'em, and if SB or others like him don't care to stay based on -what exactly?- I don't think he'd be missed at all; who needs that shit?
I hadn't remembered the show was today, so of course I didn't have any trading fodder with me, plus time was short, so I cruise a few aisles, have a few nice chats, and it was time to head out. So, already a fun day, but it's still only noon-thirty, and more cool was yet to come!
cont.
So I pick up Sweetie at Target (she bought me a cool new tee shirt, Shootin' Buddy!) and we decide to have lunch across the street at Longhorn which we also don't have in our hometown. The 14 oz. NY strip was tender, perfectly medium-well, and the loaded 'tater and margarita on the rocks were the perfect accoutrement. Then well-fed and realizing that the new outdoor mall was right next door (no more enclosed malls getting built in Fla, this one is built like small-town USA, brick streets, pedestrian friendly, all the good stores and shops, and lots of parking right in front) so she spies a Kirklands Home store and wants to walk through. I decide to drop her at the door and wait in the car listening to some NPR for a few laughs. There's a story on about going green, shockingly even-handed as they interview rich exclusivists who have the front yard of their McMansions done in PC xeriscape while the privacy fenced rear features all manner of lush flora, pools, fountains, et cetera, and discussing the hybrid Lexus in the garage which is used to whisk the two-faced sanctimonious turds to their private jet when they really want to get going, Mother Earth be damned. Hilarious!
ReplyDeleteBut what's that thunderous noise that's drowning out the radio as I sit in the car with the windows down, seat tilted back, and gentle breeze blowing through? OMG, I forgot about this too! It's the annual Sun 'n Fun fly-in being held at the Lakeland airport a mile or so south...and the roar I heard? It's a beautifully restored Thunderbolt with its giant radial roaring, going right over me and low enough to clearly make out the correct decals and numbers. As I stand outside the car to get a better look, here comes a pair of Mustangs in close wingie formation and just as beautifully restored, but with that different higher-pitched angry waspish engine sound. I swear it brought tears of pleasure and pride to my eyes seeing those beautiful historic birds not just close at hand, but in full throat.
About that time, I see wifey exiting the store and waving at me...God, she's fifty-five, same as me, but I felt like a dirty old man as I watched her long blonde flow in the breeze and her gorgeous smile aimed right at...me. Time to pick up my girl for the drive home. Yep, like I said, it was a wonderful day.
Sometimes it's easy to get so caught up in the troubles and worries of the world, even in the little irritations and ignorance in our own midst, that we forget to be thankful for this: all in all and right here and now, life is good...and it's in our hands to keep it good and even to make it better, so that our kids and grandkids can have a day just like the one I had today.
Al Terego
Sorry about the novella, Tam...once I got started, it just kinda poured out. Thanks for your forbearance. AT
ReplyDeleteI guess I have been living in Tennessee too long (all of almost-two years) - my response to an individual in a t-shirt and jeans is "Yeah, and?"
ReplyDeleteHell, substitute a button-down for the t-shirt, and that is pretty much my work attire, and that of my fellow coworkers as well. And we are not exactly plumbers or candlestick makers.
Do not bother substituting clothing and just replace the camouflage with some pithy saying or another, and that is my off-work attire on a daily basis. And given the amount of housework, cleaning, remodeling, painting, and Lord alone knows what else we have been doing recently, that attire is sometimes a little stained/ratty.
Should I be forced to abandon my rights simply because I have not had a chance to go home and take a shower yet? Should I hide my lawfully carried firearm simply because I am not 100% spic and span?
Shall I hid my cross as well? Or perhaps even my face?
We are who we are, and to say that we are Americans would be putting it mildly - we come from every walk of life, every socioeconomic group, and every cross-section you can find and think of. I saw almost as many post-church suits at the gun show I went to last weekend as I did unkempt messes, and both were significantly in the minority.
Of course, I also saw folks selling Nazi memorabilia as well - should we be demonizing the entire gun-owning culture just for people looking to make a buck off history? Not that others have not done so for you, but that is rather the point...
Sectionalizing movements, much less rights, off the basis of appearance has to be one of the more-retarded arguments to take - people will be people, and will dress as they like, and we had best get over it and move on.
shit, the jeans day at the office must through all sorts of mixed signals.
ReplyDeleteCollars shirts and jeans must be secret militia code or something.
Why are people always hatin' on the OC guys?
ReplyDeleteDrang, tell ya what, come on out to AZ and try to take my pistol when I'm OCing. See what happens. As a side note we have really nice hospitals out here and tons of dentists.
I'm not against retention holsters per se, but it is possible to OC safely and securely without going up to a SERPA, a CarryLock or the like.