Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Don’t Take My Name In Vain
On this Veteran’s Day it is good to consider those who served, for those of us who served to reflect on our service, and for the nation to enjoy a moment (rare as it is) of unity of purpose. Not all who served did so with honor, and some have dishonored themselves after service, but — for the most part — veteran identification says something meaningful about an individual. It is this honor, and the nation’s gratitude, that some in the State of Washington hope to make the means to their nefarious, dishonorable ends.
As I was walking into the grocery store today I saw the table set up. It seemed a little early for the paid initiative signature gatherers to be stationed already (the election was last week for crying out loud!), but there she was. Some poor sap with no idea what she was asking of people stood behind a table with signs imploring people to “Support Veterans!” As a veteran I was interested to learn exactly how this particular initiative would support me and my cohort, so I stopped to read the initiative (something almost no one in this state does before signing the petition.) To my horror I discovered the measure has nothing to do with veterans; rather, the initiative reinstates affirmative action in the state.
In 1998 the people of Washington voted on another initiative and banned both affirmative action and the use of preferential treatment in government actions such as employment and public education. This new measure hopes to overturn that law by redefining both terms [pdf]. The voters of this state have every right to rethink their positions on the matter and to rework the law. They do not, however, have any right or permission to take my name in vain to do so. Sure, the initiative adds veterans to the ever growing list of protected classes, but that is obviously not the point of the proposal. Selling it as a veteran’s initiative is egregious. I am infuriated. I told the ignorant signature gatherer that her signs and her petitions were a fraud. It is taking an act of will to prevent myself from going back to the store and warning every passer-by of the blatant lies hung from that table.
I’m not against the initiative power. It has been used for both good and ill in this state. What I am against is the evil and dishonesty all such powers engender in people. I am mostly against people wielding power as haphazardly as they do by reading the dishonest signs on the table and then signing their names to initiatives without ever having read the truth printed so clearly on the back of the signature page.
Published in General
Maybe call the store manager and tell them – they may not know and just agreed to it. Terrible!! Thank you for your service and God bless Prawn!
This store is very lenient about petition gatherers.
Seems like quite a while since I last saw a post, KP. Glad to see you are still here.
The kind of dishonesty you wrote about is disgusting.
Not much to write about that won’t create consternation.
Second that.
That’s pretty disgusting.
As we used to say when we were kids, I third that.
Thx for posting, KP. This is additional evidence that the Left has no limiting principles. “Whatever it takes” is their motto, with no regard for decency or honesty. It would be one thing if such examples were the exception. But sadly they are more the norm.
I still believe they believe they are doing good. I also believe they have a very skewed understanding of what good is. Never attribute to malevolence that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
They definitely aren’t stupid.
The Left (capital “L”): Not stupid.
Liberals (useful idiots): STUPID.
So you’re saying we have a particularly nasty combination of stupid and malevolent in the opposition.
Well, maybe not particularly nasty …
I don’t have to. Stupidity is a moral flaw, not an intellectual one. It is malevolence, and they only believe they are doing good for themselves.
Perhaps if you explained that you and other veterans would be unable to shop in a store that allowed people to misrepresent your service.
Stupid, not stupid, it doesn’t really matter. If no one at that table was a veteran then anyone else trumps them. They can be shamed into removing the sign.
I think my first reading of the signs was correct. The posters said they were each a “Sign to Support Veterans.” Signing the initiative had nothing to do with supporting veterans. It’s like a pun, not deserving of paying any mind and so typical of what passes for civil discourse (and humor) in this state. I’m having a John Keister ‘Almost Live’ moment.