Date night gone wrong

[BigBangSmallBucks]

Voted best first post ever.

+1

[VMI77]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said. When I see a liberal bumper sticker I know I'm dealing with a lost cause. A second warning sign, perhaps even more serious, is the "Maryland connection." OTOH, in my experience, IT people tend to lean towards libertarianism....I don't think there are any people in our IT department that don't have guns. But to echo TexasGal, I've lately seen a lot of very attractive young women at gun ranges, and just about all of them were excellent shots.

[mewalke]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said.

Does this go for NRA stickers in the back window, or something similar? I think there is a difference between having something like a military, NRA, or other non-political organization bumper or window sticker and COEXIST, political stickers, etc... The first group show pride in being part of a certain group, the others often say "I have a need to force other people to hear my opinions because they are better than your opinions."

[Vol Texan]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said.

Does this go for NRA stickers in the back window, or something similar? I think there is a difference between having something like a military, NRA, or other non-political organization bumper or window sticker and COEXIST, political stickers, etc... The first group show pride in being part of a certain group, the others often say "I have a need to force other people to hear my opinions because they are better than your opinions."

You should read on past the quoted sentence above, and follow up in his second sentence... He's clarifying the first sentence by focusing on liberal bumper stickers.

When I see a liberal bumper sticker I know I'm dealing with a lost cause.

It's almost like reading a prefatory clause (e.g. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state), followed by an operative clause (e.g. the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.). You cannot get the full meaning from reading only the first portion of the statement made.

[chasfm11]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said. When I see a liberal bumper sticker I know I'm dealing with a lost cause. A second warning sign, perhaps even more serious, is the "Maryland connection." OTOH, in my experience, IT people tend to lean towards libertarianism....I don't think there are any people in our IT department that don't have guns. But to echo TexasGal, I've lately seen a lot of very attractive young women at gun ranges, and just about all of them were excellent shots.

Maryland is far from a liberal bastion. While it is true that the Liberals control the State's government, there is a strong movement in Western Maryland to secede because of that. If you ever drive the Eastern Shore area, you will find a lot of red necks and would surprised that you are not in Texas. Those folks have no love for Annapolis politicians.

I learned to sail at the Annapolis Sailing School and charted sailboats out of Rock Hall, sailing to Annapolis and the surrounding area. I believe that, like Chicago, the will of the people is not being carried out because of the rampant corruption. Because of the State's laws (not different than NJ, NY) you won't find a lot of outspoken gun lovers and gun rights advocates there.

For me, a much better warning sign than a bumper sticker was the Lexus.

[Sparky3131]

Hello, this is my first post in the forum

I’m a recently divorced 25 year old male, I needed a night out and all my friends had been trying to set me up with a pretty software engineer they knew. I finally gave in and took her to dinner in Galveston. As always I was carrying my Kimber Pro Carry II in my SuperTuck IWB holster at my 5 o'clock with a spare mag at my 8. After a great dinner we decided to go for ice cream before I took her home. As were standing in line she bumped into my 5 with her hand and quickly recognized it for what it was. Instead of quietly asking what was going on, she announced loudly to the whole ice cream shop "You have a gun, why do you have a gun?" I calmly told her that we were leaving and we exited the Ice cream shop. When we got to the truck I explained that I had my CHL and that I was legally carrying a firearm for defense purposes and that she just told everyone and their mom that I was carrying. She was horrified and demanded I take her home, which I did promptly. The whole way to her house she told me all about how no one should be able to carry a gun, and so on. I listened politely, not adding much to the conversation. I just told her that I was exercising my rights as a US citizen and a Texas resident. When we got to the house she just hopped out and started walking to the house and I haven’t heard from her since. (not that I’m worried about it)It was then I noticed the "COEXIST" and Obama/Biden stickers on her Lexus. Guess I should have been more observant.

That's my absolute worst nightmare. I never know how to go about carrying on dates with someone new and if I should try to hide my weapon in the event that the date gets "frisky".

I'm going to carry no matter what, I don't drink so I don't have to worry about going to bars or being fit to carry. I've been on other dates and had no problem with me carrying. With everything that's been going on lately they had no problem understanding why someone would want to be armed

[mewalke]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said.

Does this go for NRA stickers in the back window, or something similar? I think there is a difference between having something like a military, NRA, or other non-political organization bumper or window sticker and COEXIST, political stickers, etc... The first group show pride in being part of a certain group, the others often say "I have a need to force other people to hear my opinions because they are better than your opinions."

You should read on past the quoted sentence above, and follow up in his second sentence... He's clarifying the first sentence by focusing on liberal bumper stickers.

When I see a liberal bumper sticker I know I'm dealing with a lost cause.

It's almost like reading a prefatory clause (e.g. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state), followed by an operative clause (e.g. the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.). You cannot get the full meaning from reading only the first portion of the statement made.

I read his whole post and digested it in its entirety. Just because he continued to focus on a subset of the "ALL" in his first statement doesn't rule out everything else. I am simply asking him specifically if he intended to mean "all" or just "all liberal" bumper stickers or some other definition - because the statement is not entirely clear.

I personally do not like having any stickers on my vehicles for various reasons - including the pack of NRA stickers they send me every year. And although I think a lot can be gleamed from the stickers people place on their cars, I don't think all bumper stickers - even those of a different ideology - indicate a person I should necessarily stay clear of.

[VMI77]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said.

Does this go for NRA stickers in the back window, or something similar? I think there is a difference between having something like a military, NRA, or other non-political organization bumper or window sticker and COEXIST, political stickers, etc... The first group show pride in being part of a certain group, the others often say "I have a need to force other people to hear my opinions because they are better than your opinions."

I agree.

[VMI77]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said. When I see a liberal bumper sticker I know I'm dealing with a lost cause. A second warning sign, perhaps even more serious, is the "Maryland connection." OTOH, in my experience, IT people tend to lean towards libertarianism....I don't think there are any people in our IT department that don't have guns. But to echo TexasGal, I've lately seen a lot of very attractive young women at gun ranges, and just about all of them were excellent shots.

Maryland is far from a liberal bastion. While it is true that the Liberals control the State's government, there is a strong movement in Western Maryland to secede because of that. If you ever drive the Eastern Shore area, you will find a lot of red necks and would surprised that you are not in Texas. Those folks have no love for Annapolis politicians.

I learned to sail at the Annapolis Sailing School and charted sailboats out of Rock Hall, sailing to Annapolis and the surrounding area. I believe that, like Chicago, the will of the people is not being carried out because of the rampant corruption. Because of the State's laws (not different than NJ, NY) you won't find a lot of outspoken gun lovers and gun rights advocates there.

For me, a much better warning sign than a bumper sticker was the Lexus.

While I suppose that's true, I was really speaking more to probabilities. For example, I think I would be more likely to encounter an anti-gun attitude from someone in Maryland than someone in Alaska or Wyoming.

[mewalke]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said. When I see a liberal bumper sticker I know I'm dealing with a lost cause. A second warning sign, perhaps even more serious, is the "Maryland connection." OTOH, in my experience, IT people tend to lean towards libertarianism....I don't think there are any people in our IT department that don't have guns. But to echo TexasGal, I've lately seen a lot of very attractive young women at gun ranges, and just about all of them were excellent shots.

Maryland is far from a liberal bastion. While it is true that the Liberals control the State's government, there is a strong movement in Western Maryland to secede because of that. If you ever drive the Eastern Shore area, you will find a lot of red necks and would surprised that you are not in Texas. Those folks have no love for Annapolis politicians.

I learned to sail at the Annapolis Sailing School and charted sailboats out of Rock Hall, sailing to Annapolis and the surrounding area. I believe that, like Chicago, the will of the people is not being carried out because of the rampant corruption. Because of the State's laws (not different than NJ, NY) you won't find a lot of outspoken gun lovers and gun rights advocates there.

For me, a much better warning sign than a bumper sticker was the Lexus.

While I suppose that's true, I was really speaking more to probabilities. For example, I think I would be more likely to encounter an anti-gun attitude from someone in Maryland than someone in Alaska or Wyoming.

I agree that it is probably a pretty safe bet that people who are from places like Maryland, New York City, Massachusetts etc... are more likely than not pro-gun. There are those, especially transplants for employment reasons, that don't fit that bill, but many natives to those areas are definitely more likely to be inherently afraid of guns - or at the very least don't understand them.

[VMI77]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said.

Does this go for NRA stickers in the back window, or something similar? I think there is a difference between having something like a military, NRA, or other non-political organization bumper or window sticker and COEXIST, political stickers, etc... The first group show pride in being part of a certain group, the others often say "I have a need to force other people to hear my opinions because they are better than your opinions."

You should read on past the quoted sentence above, and follow up in his second sentence... He's clarifying the first sentence by focusing on liberal bumper stickers.

When I see a liberal bumper sticker I know I'm dealing with a lost cause.

It's almost like reading a prefatory clause (e.g. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state), followed by an operative clause (e.g. the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.). You cannot get the full meaning from reading only the first portion of the statement made.

I read his whole post and digested it in its entirety. Just because he continued to focus on a subset of the "ALL" in his first statement doesn't rule out everything else. I am simply asking him specifically if he intended to mean "all" or just "all liberal" bumper stickers or some other definition - because the statement is not entirely clear.

I personally do not like having any stickers on my vehicles for various reasons - including the pack of NRA stickers they send me every year. And although I think a lot can be gleamed from the stickers people place on their cars, I don't think all bumper stickers - even those of a different ideology - indicate a person I should necessarily stay clear of.

I'll be more clear. I picked on liberal bumper stickers but I wasn't just alluding to liberal bumper stickers. Let me put it in the form of a question....when I see someone making a political statement with a bumper sticker, I have to wonder why they feel the need to broadcast their politics and why they think they're going to influence anyone to understand or accept their beliefs? They've essentially drawn a line in the philosophical sand before a single word is exchanged. IOW, a bumper sticker seems to be a way of seeking attention, and I'm wary of people who are seeking attention.

When the bumper sticker is extraordinarily idiotic, like "Coexist," it's also a pretty good bet the person is a ideologue that is incapable of rational discussion. It the sticker expresses an idea I agree with, it doesn't change the nature of the person, but it increases the chances that I might get along with them. For instance, if a bumper sticker says "ban guns," I'm not likely to get along with them; but if it says Molon Labe, I probably will get along with them.

And I do make a distinction between bumper stickers and things like USMC stickers, NRA stickers, Police benevolent association stickers, etc., though I, for various reasons, would not attach one to my own vehicle.

[G26ster]

I don't think it has so much to do with what state you are from, but more likely one's political bent. Sure there are pro gun liberals, but I believe the majority are anti gun regardless of what state they were born and raised in. I'd be willing to bet all, or at least the vast majority, of the liberal Texas legislators that are anti gun were born and raised right here in Texas. MHO.

[crice8]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said. When I see a liberal bumper sticker I know I'm dealing with a lost cause. A second warning sign, perhaps even more serious, is the "Maryland connection." OTOH, in my experience, IT people tend to lean towards libertarianism....I don't think there are any people in our IT department that don't have guns. But to echo TexasGal, I've lately seen a lot of very attractive young women at gun ranges, and just about all of them were excellent shots.

Hmmm that is quite the opposite of everyone I know in East Texas, most here are very pro gun. I attend a University here where I'm about to graduate with a Bachleors in Computer Information Systems and many of the students in the class are very pro gun although several are too lazy or too broke to get their CHL like I did when I turned 21 last year. Also I work at a corporate IT department for a pretty big company here and know over half of my specific department of 20 or so people have their CHL's.

[VMI77]

To me, ANY bumper sticker would be a warning sign, no matter what it said. When I see a liberal bumper sticker I know I'm dealing with a lost cause. A second warning sign, perhaps even more serious, is the "Maryland connection." OTOH, in my experience, IT people tend to lean towards libertarianism....I don't think there are any people in our IT department that don't have guns. But to echo TexasGal, I've lately seen a lot of very attractive young women at gun ranges, and just about all of them were excellent shots.

Hmmm that is quite the opposite of everyone I know in East Texas, most here are very pro gun. I attend a University here where I'm about to graduate with a Bachleors in Computer Information Systems and many of the students in the class are very pro gun although several are too lazy or too broke to get their CHL like I did when I turned 21 last year. Also I work at a corporate IT department for a pretty big company here and know over half of my specific department of 20 or so people have their CHL's.

Not sure what opposite you're referring to. The statement I highlighted in red is my guess, and your statement corroborates it. If you're referring to the remark about libertarians, I'm also confused because the fundamental philosophy of libertarianism is incompatible with gun bans, gun grabbing, or weakening the right to self-defense. IOW, an anti-gun libertarian would be like a Christian who doesn't believe in Jesus.

[Abraham]

A quick aside: Is a Lexus the car of liberals?

I thought it was a Prius? (also known as the Smug-mobile)