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 Ahtman wrote:
When one signs a contract, is sent overseas, and faces the inscrutable horrors of conflict it is done in the hopes of a slightly better parking space back home.

Far better reason than the romance of flight.

Or because wings get you laid.

 Steve steveson wrote:

 Smacks wrote:
Dunno, that handwriting looks pretty girly, and is that eyebrow pencil? She probably wrote it herself for some extra attention on facebook. Can't see why anyone else would give a gak.

That's a pretty inappropriate statement to make with zero evidence.

Well excuse me if I don't automatically believe everything I hear. There isn't any evidence either way. "Innocent until proven guilty" doesn't mean I can't ever entertain the possibility that someone is lying, people lie for attention all the time. I think half the viral videos I've seen lately are fake stories created by marketing companies. You might also recall the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews, which (for those who don't know) was a child abduction case in the UK, only it wasn't an abduction (the parents just hid the child and faked her kidnapping to generate money from the publicity). If you can believe that then its no problem to see how someone might post some BS on facebook for attention. Attention whoring is pretty much the rock on which facebook was built.

I don't know for certain if she wrote it herself or not, and I'd be happy to give her the benefit of the doubt if this were a court of law, but this isn't a court of law...

 redleger wrote:
wow, seems like a lot of hate towards a veteran going on here. Hey its the internet,hate all you want,but even I am surprised at reading some of this, and I have seen some ignorant stuff posted in OT threads.

Citation needed.

 Smacks wrote:

 Steve steveson wrote:

 Smacks wrote:
Dunno, that handwriting looks pretty girly, and is that eyebrow pencil? She probably wrote it herself for some extra attention on facebook. Can't see why anyone else would give a gak.

That's a pretty inappropriate statement to make with zero evidence.

Well excuse me if I don't automatically believe everything I hear. There isn't any evidence either way. "Innocent until proven guilty" doesn't mean I can't ever entertain the possibility that someone is lying, people lie for attention all the time.

There is a diffrence between healthy cynicism and making unfounded accusations.

 Steve steveson wrote:
There is a diffrence between healthy cynicism and making unfounded accusations.

You say tomato, I say tomato (heh).

Besides, you are accusing me, unfoundedly, of making unfounded accusations. I preceded my statement with the declaration "Dunno", indicating my "healthy cynicism", and that what follows is opinion and not fact. I then presented an alternative perspective on the event, which other people had not, until that point, considered. A valuable contribution to the discussion, not an accusation.

An accusation would be like "she did it!", I never said that. I said she probably did it... that's obviously just conjecture.

 Smacks wrote:

 Steve steveson wrote:
There is a diffrence between healthy cynicism and making unfounded accusations.

You say tomato, I say tomato (heh).

Besides, you are accusing me, unfoundedly, of making unfounded accusations. I preceded my statement with the declaration "Dunno", indicating my "healthy cynicism", and that what follows is opinion and not fact. I then presented an alternative perspective on the event, which other people had not, until that point, considered. A valuable contribution to the discussion, not an accusation.

An accusation would be like "she did it!", I never said that. I said she probably did it... that's obviously just conjecture.

Okay, then you'e probably being obtuse, and probably accusing her. Happy?

 jreilly89 wrote:
Okay, then you'e probably being obtuse, and probably accusing her. Happy?

If it shuts you up: probably.

Guys, please don't get the thread locked before Redleger can tell us where the abuse in this thread directed at veterans was - please?

 Ouze wrote:
Guys, please don't get the thread locked before Redleger can tell us where the abuse in this thread directed at veterans was - please?

Criticism is abuse, how do you not get that yet?

If veterans don't get premium parking, the terrorists win?

 redleger wrote:
wow, seems like a lot of hate towards a veteran going on here. Hey its the internet,hate all you want,but even I am surprised at reading some of this, and I have seen some ignorant stuff posted in OT threads.

It led me to add a new name to my Ignore list. (And, no, it wasn't you.)

And folks claiming not to see the hate... seems ingenuous.

My own remark was just a general knee jerk pun.

The Auld Grump

 CptJake wrote:


I live near Bragg/Fayetteville. I've vet to notice 'veteran only parking' but honestly I don't look for it either. If any place I have been has it it is probably near the handicapped spaces and I tend to park a bit further out. Obviously near Bragg there are a ton of troopers, vets, and families of both and many businesses are military friendly.

Try checking out your local Home Depot. Even the Home Depots around Fort Campbell had "Veterans parking" spots. ... As do both of the closest to me locations in Washington State.

I personally found the ones around Campbell to be dumb, considering there's 35k troopers, and the bulk of the civilian families in the area, are former military working on base.

 Matthew wrote:

 redleger wrote:

 Matthew wrote:
But how is that note 'misogynistic'? As far as I can tell someone didn't think she was a veteran... how is that something to cry over?

It is misogynistic because it was assumed since she was a female, she couldn't possibly be a veteran. Truth is, most of us don't advertise. the ones that do make a choice to be questioned, however I never assume someone is stealing valor. the ones that do are very easy to pick out of a crowd from those of us that know better.

Did she have a sign or something on her car saying she was a veteran? I mean, you have a reason to assume anyone isn't a veteran.

you also have a reason to not question anyone for anything that does not personaly effect you, and doing so only leads to hurt feelings and ignorance.

Wow...
People make such a fuss about this?
And we are already on page 3 of discussion about it?
You'd think there isn't anything important happening in the world anymore.

And why do veterans really need better parking spots than other people? I don't think I get that. Because they served the state? They got money and shiny medals for that, do they really need anything on top of that? There is plenty of other people serving the state who don't get special parking spots...
Is it because they had a job that might have been dangerous? Well, there is plenty of people with dangerous jobs who also do not get special parking spots right? Where are the parking spots for the heroic firemen, police officers and astronauts? Is it just plain old militarism (not that something is really wrong with that imo) or can somebody explain the reasoning behind it to me?

 Iron_Captain wrote:


And why do veterans really need better parking spots than other people? I don't think I get that. Because they served the state? They got money and shiny medals for that, do they really need anything on top of that? There is plenty of other people serving the state who don't get special parking spots...

They don't 'need' anything. They didn't ASK for parking spaces. If a business owner decides to have the spaces he is making that decision for a reason. Likely he/she decided it Looks Good to offer those spaces (both to vets and other folks) and may get them more business/more repeat business. Perhaps the business in question is vet run/owned or at least vet friendly and genuinely feel it it s a Good Thing to do.

Regardless of their motivation, private businesses can do what they want for the most part. This certainly falls under the realm of what they can decide to do.

 CptJake wrote:

 Iron_Captain wrote:


And why do veterans really need better parking spots than other people? I don't think I get that. Because they served the state? They got money and shiny medals for that, do they really need anything on top of that? There is plenty of other people serving the state who don't get special parking spots...

They don't 'need' anything. They didn't ASK for parking spaces. If a business owner decides to have the spaces he is making that decision for a reason. Likely he/she decided it Looks Good to offer those spaces (both to vets and other folks) and may get them more business/more repeat business. Perhaps the business in question is vet run/owned or at least vet friendly and genuinely feel it it s a Good Thing to do.

Regardless of their motivation, private businesses can do what they want for the most part. This certainly falls under the realm of what they can decide to do.

I never understood handicap parking at home hardware or the mall. Most handicap people who go to e mall I see have little cars to drive around in. After countless visits to home hardware I never seen anyone handicap there lol, the spots are basically used for loading and unloading purposes lol.

But my grandfather was handicapped when he was older could not walk 5 feet. He had a lottle car thig and liked to park as far back as possible so he had room. But he was also a very proud man and as his legs went so to did his traveling. All I ever seen was abled body people using someones handicap sticker to get good parking.

Prego parking I agree with tho, anyone who had a wife prego they will know the truh, walking the needed 15 meters to the door is a challange let alone 60 with no chainrs.

My wife is handicapped...joint issues and such...she walks fine but not for long distances. She has a handicap tag that we use even at hardware stores.

Not everyone who is handicapped can't walk or appears handicapped.

 skyth wrote:
My wife is handicapped...joint issues and such...she walks fine but not for long distances. She has a handicap tag that we use even at hardware stores.

Not everyone who is handicapped can't walk or appears handicapped.

but arnt they going into a store where walking great distances is required? It would be the same as a blind person being first in line for eye glasses.

Often there are wheelchairs or carts inside for those people.

Also, the spaces here are much larger to allow easier access into and out of the vehicle and to give space to take out their own wheelchairs/carts.

Sometimes people also need to just get to their car quickly. Having a serious fatigue or heart related condition can mean you suddenly and inexplicably reach your limit.
So then you and your driver need to go home without staggering across a carpark and endangering yourself.

Hidden illnesses and all that. There was a point where I required a handicap space because I'd had to learn to walk again, and I was very unsteady once I reached my limit. Up until that moment I was a regular looking teenager.

OgreChubbs wrote:

 skyth wrote:
My wife is handicapped...joint issues and such...she walks fine but not for long distances. She has a handicap tag that we use even at hardware stores.

Not everyone who is handicapped can't walk or appears handicapped.

but arnt they going into a store where walking great distances is required? It would be the same as a blind person being first in line for eye glasses.

My wife insists on being the one to push the shopping cart around. She can partially support herself with the cart that way to make it through the store.

Really, you are really demonstrative of a problem...the whole 'you don't look handicapped enough so you're just lazy' mentality. It happens with parking spots...it happens with government assistance/disability benefits, etc.

There’s this guy who parks his car in a disabled reserved space, puts his disabled blue card in the windscreen and goes to the shop.

When he gets back with his shopping some other bloke is there, who says, “You don’t look disabled, mate. What right have you got to park in the disabled space?”

“****ing ****, I’ve ****ing got ****ing Tourette’s Syndrome you ****ing *** so ****ing well **** off and ****ing mind you own ****ing business you ****ing ****!”

“****!!”

 skyth wrote:

OgreChubbs wrote:

 skyth wrote:
My wife is handicapped...joint issues and such...she walks fine but not for long distances. She has a handicap tag that we use even at hardware stores.

Not everyone who is handicapped can't walk or appears handicapped.

but arnt they going into a store where walking great distances is required? It would be the same as a blind person being first in line for eye glasses.

My wife insists on being the one to push the shopping cart around. She can partially support herself with the cart that way to make it through the store.

Really, you are really demonstrative of a problem...the whole 'you don't look handicapped enough so you're just lazy' mentality. It happens with parking spots...it happens with government assistance/disability benefits, etc.

In all honesty mate I couldnt care less who parks where it matters very little to me, I like to park aroumd the back of parking lots ( small town so not that mich of a difference). I just always found it funny people who cant walk 10 feet to the door are going to a place where you must walk many many meters.

But like I said there is no mean spirirt ment and if you felt like there was I am sorry. I have no beef in this, and I never really thought much of it except, in the odd case when I see someone struggling to move getting out of the car and the person who took the spot hopping into the store.

I am not sure if it gets lost in Culture , Canada to u.s.a but alot of people think I am being insulting when I ask questions. Yet locally in town people never get upset or mad.

Culture shock huh.

I've seen expecting mother and veteran parking spots side by side on the north shore. usually just one of each, usually a row further away from the handicapped spots.

There are only a few, usually near each entrance of the mall. Neither is often used except during the holidays are busy weekend nights. Nobody complains, and I can't see the harm.

In general, I only find there is three reasons to leave a note on a car. Insurance information, random acts of kindness (KCCO), and if someone parks like an absolute jackass.

Multiquoting sucks betwen pages, so Ill just address it here since someone wants to know what I mean by hate.

Usually when you say there is hate, or someone is hating, that means they are being jerks. Usually deep seeded in jealousy or ignorance. Many of you are missing the point, and making alternate unrelated points about who deserves what parking spots. A private business can make and reserve spots for who ever they want. Saying the shouldn't or belittling them or anyone who uses that spot constitues as "hating" or being a genuine gak hat.

No veteran I know asks for the military discount, wants better parking spots, they just want the be left the heck alone, because civilians don't get us anymore than we get them. PTSD is not as common as you may think, it is often mistaken for an inability to identify with the very people you looked forward to living long enough to come back and see. Once you ahve done some things, been certain places You no longer look at life the same way. Who give a rats behind who some kardashian is fething this week. I watched a friend bleed in our vehicle while the passenger put a tourniquet on, as I sat in the commanders seat trying to manage everything at once and navigate a patrol to the nearest friendly area. So yea, eff you buddy if you are complaining about a private business offering up a veteran parking spot. Its not a requirement, they chose to do so, accept it, just like you have to accept a gun free zone, doesn't have to make sense, it just is.

secondly, the validitity of whether they should is pointless, since the discussion was about the person who left the note, and the veteran who received the note. Bottom line is the person who left the note was ignorant, most likely sexist, or a raging amazonian woman who should have known better.

Ill leave you with the story of a man, who parked in a handicap parking spot, got out of the drivers seat, only to be rushed up on by another man, cursing, acting foolish and blindly angry. as this man acted stupid, the driver went to the passenger side, after pulling out a wheel chair, and helped his now legless veteran son into the wheel chair. this idiot raised a fuss because he didn't stop to think, just like many of you on this very forum post before stopping to utilize common sense before your fingers start typing.

That is what I meant by hate.

 redleger wrote:
Multiquoting sucks betwen pages, so Ill just address it here since someone wants to know what I mean by hate.

Usually when you say there is hate, or someone is hating, that means they are being jerks. Usually deep seeded in jealousy or ignorance. Many of you are missing the point, and making alternate unrelated points about who deserves what parking spots. A private business can make and reserve spots for who ever they want. Saying the shouldn't or belittling them or anyone who uses that spot constitues as "hating" or being a genuine gak hat.

No veteran I know asks for the military discount, wants better parking spots, they just want the be left the heck alone, because civilians don't get us anymore than we get them. PTSD is not as common as you may think, it is often mistaken for an inability to identify with the very people you looked forward to living long enough to come back and see. Once you ahve done some things, been certain places You no longer look at life the same way. Who give a rats behind who some kardashian is fething this week. I watched a friend bleed in our vehicle while the passenger put a tourniquet on, as I sat in the commanders seat trying to manage everything at once and navigate a patrol to the nearest friendly area. So yea, eff you buddy if you are complaining about a private business offering up a veteran parking spot. Its not a requirement, they chose to do so, accept it, just like you have to accept a gun free zone, doesn't have to make sense, it just is.

secondly, the validitity of whether they should is pointless, since the discussion was about the person who left the note, and the veteran who received the note. Bottom line is the person who left the note was ignorant, most likely sexist, or a raging amazonian woman who should have known better.

Ill leave you with the story of a man, who parked in a handicap parking spot, got out of the drivers seat, only to be rushed up on by another man, cursing, acting foolish and blindly angry. as this man acted stupid, the driver went to the passenger side, after pulling out a wheel chair, and helped his now legless veteran son into the wheel chair. this idiot raised a fuss because he didn't stop to think, just like many of you on this very forum post before stopping to utilize common sense before your fingers start typing.

That is what I meant by hate.

Ok, so let me get this straight, to you, hating on veterans is criticizing a business for making a decision? Umm, Ok.
As to the bolded part. You ever think that the fact that veterans like to put up a barrier between those who served and those who didnt by using the word "civilian" constantly to describe them? The fact that veterans essentially "other" people this way? Because its always veterans I see doing this, trying to seperate themselves from people because "You have not seen what I have seen"

Honestly, we are not the same. Im sorry if that hurts your feelings. Im not saying we deserve more or less, but we are not the same.
Not saying either of us is more deserving of anything than the other, but we are different. Those differences are not apparent till we come back and its literally stares you in the face everywhere you go. In the FLGS where I play on weekends, I pretty much am surrounded by vets, since it is a town next to a installation When the civilians come in, they stand out, and the conversation never moves to anything other than 40k, because there is very little else for us to talk about. Even my friend, who has been in my house, played here and met with my children. we see things very different based on experiences. Other than a healthy criticism of religion, all his facebook posts are pretty much the polar opposite of anything I would be thinking.

Is there a divide yes. Can you fix it, probably not. Does it bother me, not anymore. I literally just don't talk to people. My tolerance of BS has gone way down. If you can't understand what Im saying, find your local combat vet(not some dude to pushed paperwork in Kandahar Air-Field) and have a 20 minute conversation with him. You will notice his eyes, his stance, and his demeanor will be different and you might even think of it as aggressive. It's not. It's normal.

 Smacks wrote:
Attention whoring is pretty much the rock on which facebook was built.

Well, and various streams of advertising revenue generated by FB-stalking.

Also, criticizing the business is one thing, saying why one earth would anyone give a parking spot to a veteran is definitely not criticizing the business, its saying something about anyone who would use that spot.

To be honest, if I had a business I would not offer a special parking spot, save prego's and handicap. But I certainly wouldn't bash anyone who did.

 redleger wrote:
Honestly, we are not the same. Im sorry if that hurts your feelings. Im not saying we deserve more or less, but we are not the same.

Ok, let me ask you this, Why, why is your group different? and why does that make your occupation different from people who have a different occupation? I want to know what makes veterans so special as to be above criticizing?