On being a jerk

Sebastian (mostly) and I have been defending civil behavior toward those that disagree with us.


In contrast see how Brady Campaign people treat others when they ask to be left alone. Paul Helmke says Sorry, Starbucks: You Are In This Debate. That is being a jerk and doesn’t further your cause any. Just quietly avoid them and you will be viewed far better than picketing their stores.


There is a reason the Brady Campaign is doing this–they don’t have many options.


We have enough purchasing power that we can make a major impact on our friends and opponents. The Brady Campaign cannot. They are on a downward spiral into oblivion and they need a win soon in order to have relevancy. They invested a lot into this battle with Starbucks. They were very, very public with it and to have Starbucks tell them “please just leave us alone” is a huge blow to their egos and their status. It affects their influence with legislatures and it affects their income.


The best thing we can at this point is to quietly, unobtrusively, politely buy Starbucks products. Let the Brady Campaign throw their tantrum. Nearly everyone is going to recognize them for what they are. They are jerks no different than those that would insist no blacks, Jews, or mixed race couples be served.

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3 thoughts on “On being a jerk

  1. I agree with you on this one. For one thing, I just don’t think it’s productive to go out of our way to confront them. As long as they are the ones carrying signs and ranting on about the business practices of a private company, they are the ones that are coming across as the loons.

    Also, I don’t think we should advocate organized protests against private companies. They have the right to run their business any way they see fit. Protesting against legislative action to infringe upon our rights is a completely different thing than protesting against the right of a business to set whatever rules they want.

    When a business chooses not to respect our right to have available the most effective tools for self defense, we simply should take our business elsewhere…which is what is happening here. California Pizza Kitchen and the other business in California whom I can’t remember at the moment, chose to ban guns, so lawful gun owners chose to patronize a business that didn’t.

    It isn’t the gun owners signing petitions and whining in the media to try to get companies to change their business practices…we are just patronizing the businesses that support us and eschewing the ones who don’t…which is exactly the way it should be.

    It’s the anti-gunner control freaks who aren’t content unless everyone bends to their will. We just want to be left alone to live our lives as WE see fit.

    With all that said: That still doesn’t mean that I see any reason to go out of my way to show respect to dishonorable people. I don’t see any problem at all with being rude, as you put it before, to the anti-gun leadership. They’ve earned it. Anyone attempting to enslave me is my enemy. I feel no compunction to be nice to them at any time, either on the “battlefield” or off it.

  2. I don’t spend much on made-to-order coffee, but the Starbucks here at the Palouse Mall sure seemed to understand their business when I went in there recently. Their help was friendly and fast, and the coffee was good. The big oatmeal cookie was awesome too. I ate it in the pickup on the way home, and almost turned around to go back for another.

  3. When the Wife and I owned a coffeehouse in ETx, we not only put a sign on the door welcoming concealed handgun carriers, it wasn’t unusual to see a table or more with a customer cleaning a rifle or shotgun some weekends. Some days it was like a little gunshow or show-and-tell.

    The only customer who ever got pissy was a traveling pharm rep who kept wanting to pay for her purchases with a credit card. We only took cash or (gasp!) PERSONAL CHECKS. Twice when she stopped in with only her plastic, I was glad to comp her until next time, as there were 3 ATMs within 2 blocks of us. We were ‘barbaric’, she said, ‘because she couldn’t buy with her card’.

    Bitch ate free, though. Glad to do it for her- she was cute and dressed the place up with her presence.

    Regards,
    Rabbit.

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