frankly, i never see that kind of degrading of other people on gun websights...ok, maybe on glock talk, but not here is my analysis of Democrats versus republicans when it comes to being whiny, arrogant, bullheaded ********.
Note: this post contains humor. if you lack a sence of it, do not read.
Personally, i consider myself a libertarian
I have no problems with Democrats that support my rights and the rights of others, but they are few and far between. Same goes for republicans. My best friend is fairly left wing (often spouting marxist views), but libertarian in the issues where it counts. He is more pro gun than the vast majority of rupublicans. The large majority of my friends are left of center, however none of them are anti-gun (some may have started that way, but i fixed them).
Anyway, a good story about partisans, maturity and gun control. On election day i voted for Michael Badnarik, and in positions there wasn't a libertarian, i voted for an equal number of Democrats and republicans. I had a long time to think about who i would vote for because i was serving as a PA state deputy constable (a volunteer position, though the county constable was so impressed by my work i might be able to weasel a job out of it) and was tasked with guarding the polling place from 7am until the vote was counted. My main tasks were enforcing rules such as those pertaining to keeping partisan postings, and pundits out of the polling place as well as people with cameras. Sidenote: Guns are ok though. I was asked by the judge because someone used a CWP as his second form of ID. Fortunately i'm very knoledgable on PA gun laws (the judge was not) so this responsible gun owner went unmolested.
Of course there was some friction as PA law forbids the wearing of campaign buttons or stickers inside a polling place. Seriously, you can't do it just like you can't hang a banner that says VOTE BUSH. The ruling from the state elections comittee was that no partisan political messages can be posted inside a polling place, whether on the wall or on a person, whether 40 feet wide or 4 inches around. Don't care if no one stopped you at your polling place, that constable wasn't doing his job, but, dammit, i was doing mine.
On average, more Democrats gave me trouble than republicans, who, for the most part, complied politely without a fight. A good amount of Democrats didn't put up a fight but gave me lip and started with speaches about how they were being oppressed. That's before i politely told them that a reasonable person would see the need to remove campaign material from a place where people are supposed to vote free of intimidation, even if that was not their intent, and that, frankly, they could save save their speach for someone that give a rats ass. Probably someone on DU that will claim i'm part of a vast right wing conspiracy, despite the fact that i enforced the ruling completely free of bias. How could i be biased? I hated the major party candidates and no one came in with a badnarik sticker (which i would have asked them to remove anyway). One democratic woman sent a lawyer to yell at me, who, despite the fact that i'm a NURSING STUDENT, i schooled hardcore on election law. I showed him the law, he told me that i was interpreting it wrong, so i got the state election board on the phone and they told him that his ass just got schooled by a 20 year old nursing student, and that he sould probably repeat his 100 level criminal justice course (ok, not those exact words.)
The worst trouble, although far less frequent, came from republicans. The first occured when moveon.org set up a table the leagal distance outside the polling place. This woman calls the RNC comes up to me and starts to complain then puts me on the phone with the RNC. The RNC person, who happens to know the law, listens to me for a minute then asks to speak to the woman. Her smile turns to a frown, then i tell her to hit the breeze. problem solved. The second was a towering man wearing a Bush hat. I got as far as "Sir, could you please remove...." before he pushed by me. I followed him continuing my sentence. He got right up in my face and barked that he heared on talk radio that he didn't have to. Ah, talk radio, the bastion of truth. I informed him of the earlier situation with the democratic lady's lawyer and even had the republican representative tell him. Meanwhile, holding on to his "voter approved" card (little slip of paper the clerk gives you after you sign in, to hand to the machine operator before you can cast your ballot) until he complied. He through the hat on the table and yelled "this is bull****" I handed him his voter approved card and wished him a pleasant evening. Sorry, i enforced the rules for everyone else, i just can't let this guy slide because he's stubborn. Before anyone gives me crap about it just being a hat, think about a cop fining someone for 5mph over. Will he just let you go if you give him crap about it just being 5 over or will he then cite you for that, then cite you for 16 other things he was just going to ignore if you were pleasant?
What can we learn from this? Democrats are probably more arrogant, immature and bullheaded on average, but republicans can be the worst. I have found this true. More polite right wingers, but the impolite ones are really, really bad. For instance, people who shoot abortion doctors. Really impolite right-wingers. Timothy McVeigh, really impolite right-winger. Conversely, the rioters at the RNC. A lot more of them, but at least no one got killed. I think the Democrats were just trying way to hard to proove that they were somehow being oppressed by the vast right wing conspiracy. They'll probably go home and post on DU that some giant guy, who was probably some gun-owning, right-wing-nutcase, hired by the state: grabbed me at the polls, ripped off my kerry sticker, kicked my dog, and spit on me.
I'll further prove my point
The night went on and i chatted it up with some of the republicans. They were well dressed, well mannered. On points where they disagreed with my libertarian philosophy, they were gentlemanly and gave my point just consideration before disagreeing with well thought out arguments. Fortunately, the really impolite right-wingers were not among this group, so, to make sure my hypothesis still held true, i posted on of the statements they disagreed with on glocktalk and was promptly trounced, called a traitor and had it suggested that i be given a death warranting one.
I later began chatting with a group of Democrats. It consisted of some well dressed and well mannered people. On points where they disagreed with my libertarian philosophy, they were polite and gave my point just consideration before disagreeing with well thought out arguments. The rest of them were shrieking women and this kid with a torn DU hoodie covered with anti bush/anti war buttons, most of which lacked any deeper thought than "F*** BUSH!" and "Lets not elect him again." They were polite enough until they disagreed with me at which point i saw fire in their eyes but they restrained themselves. I purposely held gun control until the end when i said, "so...who else is celebrating the expiration of the assault weapons ban...like, seriously, i just bought a dozen high cap magazines and started building an ar-15. Booyah! flash supressor!" i raised my hand hoping for a high-five...which i did not recieve. I was instead accused of killing children and being the cause of all that is evil, and that was just the begining. Although there are plenty of rational Democrats, even some pro gun ones, nothing sets off the irrational ones moreso than gun control. I shrunk back to the republican side as they threw rotting vegetables at me (slight exaggeration).
"My god man! what did you say!" exclaimed one of the republicans.
"I just wondered if any of them were celebrating the death of the assault wea...."
"Hell yeah! i bought like, a dozen high caps and a collapsable stock for my AR-15! Booyah!" we high fived...i was among the sane again.
I finished off the night going to the Democrats after party. Cheers and applause rang out evey time a state turned blue, sighs as others turned red. I watched the smiles turn to frowns, to bitter sobbing as the night went on. I laughed my ass off as i sipped on my Sam Addams Octoberfest (Which was damn good beer)....uh, did i say i was 20 earlier....i meant 21. It was hilarious knowing that these people were just now realizing that all hope was gone and that america was falling all to hell. As a libertarian, i had figured out ages ago that this was inevitable no matter who won, so i could be content sipping my beer and eating my free food on the democratic party's dime. No the Democrats do not encourage underage drinking, i encourage responsible drinking regardless of puritan drinking laws. After all, i am a libertarian. Personal responsibility ring a bell? Anyway, it was nice to show the Democrats all about the welfare state through example. I, as a libertarian, did nothing to deserve free food at the DNC's after party. But, despite this, i still got a free meal and it was out of their pocketbooks. Thanks for the handouts!
