Frepublican, or Dumbocrat?

I hesitated to post this before, because I can almost predict the responses.

A few days ago, in the San Bernardino National Forest, a National Forest Service Volunteer was beaten unconcious while in the performance of his daily duties. At the time he was assaulted, he was issuing a "Notice of Non-Compliance" to a vehicle that was parked on National Forest land without displaying an "Adventure Pass", which costs all of five dollars, and can be bought at almost every gas station and mini-market within five miles of National Forest land. He woke up in the back of an ambulance on his way to the hospital, and demanded that the ambulance pull over and let him out because he had two more toilets to clean. He's a WWII veteran.

Three days every week, I volunteer with the National Forest Service. I wear the same uniform that the paid Forest Service employees do, but my patches and badge say clearly that I'm a volunteer. I spent two days at the intersection of Bryant and Oak Glen Drive last week turning cars away from the Oak Glen fire. What happened to my friend is one of my biggest fears.

Eyewitnesses said that the man who assaulted my friend was white, between the ages of 25 and 30, and had tatoos (sleeves) on both arms. He and his party emerged from the end of a walking trail, and when he saw my friend ticketing his car, he ran up behind him and hit him with both fists on the back of his head, then hurriedly loaded his party in three cars and drove away.

Now, you have to undersand what we do when we issue a "Notice of Non-Compliance". We're putting a form on your windshield that allows you to, without repercussion, send in the five dollars you SHOULD have paid to park your car on National Forest land in the first place. It's not a summons, and it's not a ticket. It's a convenience we provide in order to keep the money flowing that buys the supplies that keep the toilets and recreation areas that you come here to enjoy clean. It's a form, with a postage-paid envelope, that asks nothing more than that you send the five dollars.

This guy nearly killed a Volunteer who served his country during WWII, spent two decades after that as a Highway Patrolman, and after retiring for good, decided to give some of his time back. He's still in the hospital.

On the days I volunteer, I drive a National Forest Service truck, and wear the uniform of paid National Forest Service employees, with, as I stated before, different patches and badges. If you don't look closely, you'd think my green pants and khaki shirt were those of the paid NFS employees.

When you come to my forest, and take a shit in a clean bathroom, it's because we cleaned it. If you come to the bathroom, and it's NOT clean, it's because we haven't been there yet.

My question to my fellow DU'ers is this: To which party's ideology would you ascribe this person who assaulted my friend? He's young, his tattoos mark him as someone who wants to stand out, and his actions mark him as someone who hates anyone in authority.

Frepublican, or Dumbocrat? What is he thinking when he laces his fingers together and strikes an old man on the back of his neck, then drives away?

This whole episode has made me think I should go back and decide whether or not I want to give some of my good fortune back to my fellow citizens, or fade away and fish every day. If I could be assaulted and harmed or maybe killed over a five dollar "Adventure Pass", is it worth it for me to make sure people who come to the paradise I live in have a nice place to shit? Or not?

with any political party. The tattoos say more about his sheep-like behavior than anything else - not a whole lot of creativity there, and if he thinks that makes him stand out, well, no, he's just another one. A true conformist.

Yes, a real problem with authority as long as he's able to hit and run, and has his buddies with him. How terribly courageous of him to hit a senior citizen from behind and then run off. A real hero, right?

I know you're looking for statements that he's a freeper type or belongs to the GOPigs, but, honestly, what difference does it make? Why would you even think of his political fancies? I fail to see the connection, sorry. A thug is a thug. Do you think Tony Soprano was a Democrat or a Republican? That's skating into broad generalization territory, and why go there? It accomplishes nothing.

I'm so sorry that happened to your friend, and I hope he's not hurt, that he's already recovered.

But, frankly, for you and for him, I'd urge you to find other ways to offer your services. This incident is enough to give you pause. The violence out there is getting worse, and your gifts can be so well utilized in safer environments.

Who needs to put themselves in that kind of situation? Good intentions are those things that pave the road to Hell.

Your first duty is to keep yourself safe. Your loved ones are counting on you.................................

I know you know that, and I think you know me well enough to know that it was the friendliest of digs.

I WAS thinking that he must be the kind of person who aligns themselves with a GOP mindset.

My friend was released this morning, the incident happened Monday, and I can tell you he's chomping at the bit to find out who put his lights out after surviving the European theatre during WWII. I told his wife that she should counsel him to let it go, and think about convincing him that the time had come for him to enjoy his retirement, but she came back with her belief that if he were deprived of doing what he loved, he'd be dead soon.

As for me, I'm still shy of 50, in fairly good shape, and thanks to some of my NFS friends, always looking for danger in whatever direction it may come from. My friend was issuing a NNC to a car in a parking lot at 4 in the afternoon. I know the five dollars is important in the larger picture, but at 4 p.m. I'm worried more about how clean the terlets are going to be for tomorrow's visitors than whose car is parked illegally.

This incident is enough give me pause for sure. It makes me think maybe there are better ways to give back. But I'll say this: If I didn't volunteer my time, then maybe my paradise would sooner or later be trashed beyond repair by those who come here for the day or the weekend, without thinkng about those who might come NEXT weekend, and whether or not they'd recommend that their friends come to visit in the future. After all, my community is supported by people who come here from Los Angeles, San Diego, and surrounding areas, and the money they spend here is paramount.

I love what I do. I don't mind AT ALL being seen cleaning toilets. I've been blessed, and I feel some strange need to give some of my good fortune back. It's the walking through the parking lots looking for Adventure Passes that worries me. I've already come up against a few less than friendly guys who were more intent on impressing their lady friends by "questioning authority" than I'd care to count. In those instances, I walk. My well-being and my life is worth more than five bucks. Not much, but more.

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that's good. Reinforce my opinion of those pathetic followers who lack the self-confidence to be able to resist doing what everyone else does.

A sheep with a foul mouth. And not an ounce of independent thought or creativity.

Yes, that's pretty much what I think of those losers who choose to adorn their bodies with all sorts of crap in a pathetic and futile bid to be viewed as some kind of unique individual.

Oh, I'm quite sure my life won't suffer from not knowing you. No loss at all, but thank you for the laugh...............................................

Report them verbally by license tag, then it's too late for the car's owner to beat up anyone if it happens to be a right wing extremist Nazi thug shithead like the one that harmed your friend.

I hope your friend is doing fine. Thank goodness for people like him who volunteer to keep our forests as they should be.

Maybe the forestry guys should call in the plate numbers first every time they approach a vehicle.

Statistics show that low-information voters tend to be more likely to believe the short, simple, and neatly packed sound bytes offered by Republicans. They have mastered oversimplification and sloganeering. Of course, when you oversimplify an issue into slogans and bytes, it's way easier to remember than a message full of nuance that actually captures the true complexity of an issue.

I'm not saying the individual is indeed a Republican, but it's my opinion the guy is a "low-information voter," and this assumes the bastard even bothers to vote. Just because a person is considered a "low-information" voter does not automatically make him a Republican by party registration papers, but I would say the odds favor the Republicans over the Democrats on this one but not by too much.

This is just my hunch.

As far as the guy goes, I honestly wouldn't be thinking too much about his political affiliation. I'd be more likely to conclude at a cursory glance that the person is a low-grade as far as thinking faculties go.

3 car loads of people - hopefully he has the license number of all 3 cars

You say the victim was a WWII vet ... but no statement of any type which indicates so ... so "attacking a military person" apparently is a "Dumbocrat" thing to do, right? Apparently, if the white guy was a "Dumbocrat", as you call it, he psychically "knew" the guy was a veteran, and thus the hatred of all things military overpowered everything.

But then, you have the "tattooed white young guy" ... Frepublicans don't like to pay any taxes voluntarily, right? So he would sit there and say "why pay for something if it's free?" And then, since the guy isn't wearing a military or police uniform, and is a "leech upon society government employee", the guy would take it out on the "authority" for giving him a ticket. May have felt that he had a fair fight because the vet was in his later years of life. Tatts mean you're tough, right?

Now go on and tell me about the attacker's bumper stickers which say "Kerry 04" and "Obama 08" ...