What I learned politically on Vacation this past week

[bleedingheart]

1. Loads more people than ever before are sporting bumper stickers and I saw a ton on the Washington Beltway. In fact I saw "Proud Liberal" stickers and tons of Kerry stickers. I didn't see many Bush stickers until we got further south into our destination state of North Carolina...but we also saw Kerry stickers there too.

2. We had two Kerry/Edwards placards taped to the inside of our mini-van's windows...and no one did anything to our vehicle. In fact I got a few thumbs up...

3. The religous loons are really frightening. We stopped in a town in West Virginia for dinner last night and what we thought was an italian restaurant was a shrine to the virgin mary that served spaghetti and one of it's owners was insane...she was telling a table of people next to us that some how Laura was a special sacred name and that it made sense that god had ordained * as president... I did everything to keep from laughing...but since I was with my mother, husband and kids we were quiet ...but there is a benefit to knowing a little used foreign language...because my mom and I exchanged comments in Lithuanian to express our opinions....

4. North Carolina's coastal TV shows seemed to try and bolster * and state that somehow Edwards wouldn't help Kerry win the state... I could be wrong but that seemed to be the theme.

5. I was really suprised to see businesses in NC that had political endorsements in their windows. Now business people in my Western PA community don't do that normally as they will offend potential customers. In fact a local heating/air conditioning guy lost a ton of business when his whacky right wing opinions became public in my town.

6. The Crystal Coast of NC is still as beautiful as before and it seems that there has been a big infusion of money into the community because there was a ton of renovation work going on in Beaufort.

[nostamj]

1. "a shrine to the virgin mary that served spaghetti"

what a great line!

and Laura's a sacred name?

Saint Laura, patron saint of polyester pantsuits, Virgina Slims and defensive driving

[bleedingheart]

4. all I have to say was that my first instinct when I walked into the place

was to run.... and that is saying a lot because I was raised a catholic and I have my share of relatives who have loads of icons and stuff...(note they are all dems)

however this place was a sight for the eyes...the food wasn't bad...not that great...but not bad...

[zbdent]

5. Too bad you didn't ask for the meat sauce on Friday

watch their heads spin in righteous indignation!

[progressivebydesign]

2. I'm amazed when businesses put up political posters, too..

in my old, mostly republican-evangelical town, they did that all the time.. no liberal posters, of course. Here in my new town, I've only seen one business with a sign. I won't do business there. There are others to choose from, why enrich them, so that they can support a candidate I don't support. Easy enough to take my money across the street. I don't care who someone supports, but if they stick in my face, I'll go elsewhere.

Funny about the italian restaurant. Some people are so completely dillusional.. Do they really think Bush was ordained? If that's the case, wouldn't you wonder about God's judgement, if that's the BEST he can summon up?

[bleedingheart]

3. I have to agree I would rather

enrich those who I agree with or those who have enough sense to keep business and politics separate.

[eleny]

6. Labas bleedingheart!!!

Although Lithuanian was my first languange, I've forgotton most of what I knew. But over the years, it really did come in so handy to exchange a few words privately in a crowd. It was so great to read your posting. I could just see and "hear" you and mom sharing thoughts and noone else was the wiser.

[bleedingheart]

7. Labas!

When my mother sat down she said... (pardon...I don't spell Lithuanian well at all, mom is the one who speaks, reads and writes it....)

"Pasniecha? Sventu Teyvu Vaikai"...

translated as..."A Church? Holy Father's Children"...(her eye's were rolling for effect..

Meanwhile I was saying "Telake" ..Be Quiet! while supressing laughter..

[eleny]

8. Telake! How funny!

Nobody ever forgets the word "telake". And also "ne rushuk" or however your spell "don't touch"! The words of my childhood.

Nice to meet another Lithuanian here at DU. I was just thinking I should make a bumper sticker "Lithuanian Liberal for Kerry".