Wednesday, July 28, 2010

I'm not even going to make any puns involving "ferry" because I'm better than that.

Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank caused a scene when he demanded a $1 senior discount on his ferry fare to Fire Island's popular gay haunt, The Pines, last Friday. Frank was turned down by ticket clerks at the dock in Sayville because he didn't have the required Suffolk County Senior Citizens ID. A witness reports, "Frank made such a drama over the senior rate that I contemplated offering him the dollar to cool down the situation."
How big of a scene do you have to make for the folks on Fire Island to look at you and say "Stop being such a drama queen, Mary!"?

I find it mildly ironic that Rep. Frank, generally a big fan of rules and regulations, got all bent out of shape when some got applied to him as though he were some... some... commoner or something.

On the plus side, he's been pretty foursquare against various national ID proposals, so maybe he was just being ideologically consistent by not having the required documentation on him and standing up to The Man.

And, seriously, Barney... a dollar? All this fuss for a buck? How come you never raise this kind of a stink when it's my money you're spending like a drunken sailor on shore leave in Bangkok?


(H/T to TJIC.)

16 comments:

Roberta X said...

But did he rant in Polari? (The use of "Mary" -- originally "Merry," from Shakespeare via theatre slang -- reminded me that UK gays had a very distinct dialect, now scrutinized and studied just like every other version of the Queen's English ever spake in the UK; no doubt Barney would subsidize it if he could -- but not with his own money).

og said...

"Folks on fire"
"Bangkok"
"pretty foursquare"
"raise this kind of a stink"

the innuendo- it burns!

funniest post ever.

Dirk said...

Drunken sailors are far more responsible in spending money...

http://www.rocket-surgery.info/2010/05/drunken-sailors.html

Weer'd Beard said...

heh, Reminds me of my days working a tour boat, I sold a ticket to a gentleman and asked for the full-price fare.

He asked about a Senior discount, and I informed him that "Senior" was 65 or better on our boat, as most people thought an AARP card (I believe that's 55 or more) was enough.

He pulled out his driver's license that showed his age to be 75! I was shocked as he didn't look a day above 60 to me.

He was so flattered he refused to take the discounted rate.

That's how grown-ups play in this world. Barny must have left his ID in his big-girl pants!

PS: OH NO! WV is "Spert", don't even want to GO THERE!

Bram said...

MA politicians have a long tradition of going to extraordinary lengths to avoid their own expensive rules. John Kerry docking his yacht in RI is the latest example. Rose Kennedy’s Florida residency, despite not meeting any of the criteria that applies to commoners, is another.

Taxes and rules are for the peasantry.

staghounds said...

Even as myself, never mind a congressman, I would be ashamed to argue with some poor little bloody fingered ticket taker over a dollar.

Shame there isn't video, that's the kind of thing that loses elections.

Bubblehead Les. said...

*Ahem!* Having been a Drunken Sailor in my misspent youth, I can assure you that no member of the U.S Navy, past and present, has wasted as much money as CongressWeasel Frank and his cronies at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac have done. What I found interesting is the fact that Frank did not demand Free Passage. Guess he's not yet high enough in the Congressional Food Chain to have the Military give him Free rides around the country like CongressWeasel Pelosi.

Anonymous said...

Ahem!! My last trip to that glorious (/sarcasm) locale of the world, I pulled shore patrol duty in Bangkok, teamed up with a fellow squid off one of the Royal Navy ships we were operating with (remember SEATO?) I am pleased to say it was the most boring eight hours I have ever spent on shore anywhere--not one sailor from ANY of the navies represented was even slightly out of line.

"Drunken sailors on shore leave in Bangkok." Harumph, madame!!

One lighter (??) note: One of the Thai prostitutes suffered a fatal heart attack while practicing her "art" with one of the British sailors; for the rest of our stay, none of the British, Australian or New Zealand sailors could enjoy any "companionship".

cap'n chumbucket

rickn8or said...

And in concert with Bubblehead Les and cap'n chumbucket, this Airdale would like to point out that we were spending our OWN money.

Steve Skubinna said...

I was beach guard officer in Phattaya one stop, and the most interesting duty I performed was negotiating the release of one of our guys from jail for assaulting a Thai cop (really, really dumb). I suggested that we pay a bribe - uh, I mean, that we pay for the poor injured officer's medical bill, and the chief of police named a figure equivalent to $200.00.

Pretty cheap, I thought, if I can now talk the ship into paying...

No problem, said the XO, Welfare and Rec would happily loan the guy the cash, and he'd have no trouble repaying since he wasn't leaving the ship for the rest of the deployment. So the Chaplain tooled over on the next boat with the money, Seaman Badass was hustled back, the Thai cop and his chief split the massive windfall, and everything was fine.

What does this have to do with Bawney Fwank, you ask? Nothing really, save to demonstrate how responsible drunken sailors on liberty in Thailand are in comparison.

Ed Foster said...

I last saw Bangkok when it still had canals, so I can't opine one way or another concerning drunken sailors (or Marines) in the last 2 or 3 decades. Although I have rather fond, albeit fuzzy, memories of (EDIT) way back when.

But Barney (that was a pun I guess) I have some semi-personal knowledge of through mutual aquaintences, and the man is sick clean through.

I don't care how he tickles his plumbing. That doesn't raise my taxes, and I'd be more uncomfortable in the company of an hysterical anti-gay than I would be with someone openly "queer". If hit on for being mellow, I just ask if he has a cute sister and everybody laughs. Always good for free drinks.

But Mr. Franks's history with underage boys in his employ (or hire) goes far beyond what was grudgingly reported in a totally owned media, and easily reaches a level Caligula would have admired.

Add in a total devotion to the leftist ideal of "benevolent" oligarchy, and I would be as saddened by his loss in a traffic accident as I was to hear of the loss of Ted Kennedy. Not very.

Anonymous said...

"money you're spending like a drunken sailor on shore leave in Bangkok?"

Huh? ... Been there, done that!

MikeyB

Larry said...

Having been, at various times, drunken and a Sailor (but never in Bangkok) I was going to mention some salient facts; however I see I have been beaten to the punch by my fellow salty dogs...
Carry on then.
(word verification: pronsubb. How appropriate.)

Anonymous said...

Just another typical lib. Tightwad, cheap, stringy with his own money; too bad he doesn't treat taxpayer funds the same way.
On the other hand, I'd have paid his way in the hope that he would pick up something fatal while trolling the Fire Island beaches.

Anonymous said...

Now that is some quality snark, right there.

I think the people quibbling about sailors, drunk or otherwise, are missing the point.

Barney only cares about HIS money not being wasted, and couldn't care less about ours, in spite of the face that that is exactly what we pay him to do.

Buzz said...

I'm sure Thailand offers what Barney wants, but I'm guessing he'd be more likely to spend his time closer to Fisherman's Wharf.