My face was red.

[Jerry]

I was in a film and they told me to keep the cap they had me wear.  It said
"Korean-Viet Nam Veteran!"

I went to an estate sale on Friday to buy a safe.  I did.  The nice lady knocked off fifty bucks and said "thank you for your service!"
I didn't realize what she meant at first.  I don't know whether to laugh or be embarrassed.

[matherfish]

Nice to know she watched your movie and better yet that she recognized and remembered you. Maybe she was just being kind or she was referring to something else.  Regardless, if she was thinking you were in the service, she feels good thinking she did something nice for a veteran. To go back and correct her mwould cause her to lose that feeling and feel foolish for her assuming you were a vet because you were in a film. You did not lie of cheat her. I think it is best left alone, and forgotten.

[Mikey]

Just be happy you were not working a Civil War movie.... 

[Esther]

Good one Jerry. Guess I know what hat you will wear to the sales from now on.

[Jerry]

I now realize why a guy saluted me as i left the post office.
Here is the hat.  That was at the student film I did. The young director said. "Keep the hat!"
I made more on the discount then i got for the film!  The film was a freebie!

[lerchcon]

I am a Gulf War Era Veteran, (I did not retire but I am a disabled Vet) and really dont know how to respond to this politically correct. 

All I can say is that if you have never served, it would be more disrespectful to keep getting the discounts with other peoples mistakes, imagine what would happen if all no military members didwhat you are doing, more and more people would be inclined not to give a Military discounts, as it is we dont have enough businesses giving them anyhow.  but this is my opinion so please dont be upset with my comments.  I agree kind of with the prior comments, if you go back the older lady will feel embarrassed, but if you dont go back is it stealing? or is it her fault for assuming?  Either way I love the hat OoRah

[Jerry]

it was a garage sale with a fancy name. No more.  I wore a hat. I had no idea what she was talking about.  My poor hearing didn't help.  There was no subterfuge!
Shall I drive 50 miles back to Ventura  and give her the the money?
I did pay 90.00 for the safe.
I used it today too for an  audition as a grizzled veteran .  I also got 2 parking tickets @ 60.00 each!  Too bad the cop didn't see me and my &%&% hat!

keep getting discounts? One I never asked and two, this was a first.  I didn't know what she was talking about til we were long gone! Do I throw out the hat?

I plan to contest the tickets.  The signs were obscured by trees. Perhaps 6 of us were cited. It had to with a 2 hour window for street cleaning.  I don't even believe street cleaning occurred.  just a way for the city to raise money!
I said i was embarrassed.  I did not say trickery was what I had in mind.
If i wear a Laker shirt am I masquerading as a pro basketball star?
  Or even an ex star?
 I was upset enough to stink up the audition.

[Julles]

Jerry, you've said enough supportive things about Veterans that no one here thinks you have abused your gimmee hat.   

Re the ticket - go fight like the dickens!  Take photos showing the trees obstructing the view, and give it your best shot.  Perhaps you can find a history of tickets at this same location, or a record of people calling to request the trees be trimmed...

[lerchcon]

Like I had said it is just my opinion.  Sorry for posting here.  Have a great day, good luck with your ticket,  At least you feel something after you found out some wouldnt.  That makes you human.  Good luck with the part. But I ddid not mean to upset you at all just give one mans opinion as you asked, never accuse you of anything Sir.  You mention the lakers thing, that is funny I was thinking after reading this that maybe the guy who pulled you over got his badge at a garage sale as well.  When he gave you the ticket did you ask if he was a real officer?  Sir this is all I am saying, The hat, yes a gimme hat, does symbolize a higher meaning for lack of better terms such as the American Flag does to Americans. This hat is usually not bought by the Vet but rather given to them to show the world they fought for us, for our freedoms, so they wear it proudly.  All I am asking is wear it proudly, please dont look at it is a "gimme" but rather a higher meaning to a positive truth.  Have a great day Sir.  I hope in my ramblings I have a tought a little, sorry for the bad analogies.

[Jerry]

I was not pulled over.  The citation was on my car when I returned.  Most every car in the block was cited.  If I had gotten there 2 mins sooner there wopuld be no ticket.  What is annoying is that NO street sweeping takes place.  I will ask a resident if it actually does.
It is a fee excercise by the city.
I ran into an actor I know there, she said she avoids the place on Mondays.
I will take photo and fight that ticket.  There are 2 ways, one is to appear in court, the other is to state your case my mail.


 
 

[Mikey]

I have heard from LA residents that Los Angeles street sweeping is mainly another form of taxation.  Honest people pay and then there are the parasites, of which LA has a few million, who will not pay and who will sell their car because they can't register it because of all of the outstanding parking tickets.....

I recently was not able to move our cars in time for street sweeping because the "new" sweeper operator changed the sweeping pattern which caught residents off guard.  The parking enforcement guy who follows the sweeper understood and he asked residents who were not able to move their cars in time to just sweep up the curb in front of their homes.  No tickets.  This would likely never happen in LA.

No offense to LA residents but your city government really sucks.  The entire San Fernando Valley area needs to cut the ties and become incorporated......but of course LA won't allow it because you are the life blood for the city.  You people are simply giving LA money for them to mismanage and redistribute to causes they support which are not in your interests.

[Jerry]

100% accurate.

Millions go uncollected.  They have the folks who contribute to the economy by the  uuhh uh  neck!

[Esther]

Hmmm. You've got a good point about your hat. You don't have to be one to wear a shirt of hat from any organization. I was mostly joking about wearing the hat to get discounts.

Ya know, my uncle is a Viet Nam vet and so to some he has a "right" to wear it. But guess what, after training he never saw a gun and active duty, let alone did the hard stuff. I'm not knocking what he did but he was in an office of some sort the whole time. So if you consider that, those of us who were tax payers, were working just as hard as my uncle to "serve".

LErch--don't worry about stating your opinion. As long as it is done stating a fact or feeling, and no cutdowns, we will accept it. Lots of times, you may have a thought  that has never entered my mind. Like when Jerry mentioned about the Lakers shirt. Now when Jerry starts tell us war stories is when we better cut him off at the pass. LOL

[lerchcon]

Those that have never served wont understand.  I say this because when i joined the service at age 17 I really did not have many jobs in the civilian market.  When I got out of the service in 2006, I got a security job where most of the people I worked with had never served, and it was a really hard adjustment to go from being on point to haveing to slack off so you blend in with the people around you.  Language, demeanor, and alot of other thigs are noticed right away from someone who has never served, it brain washes you to believing in teamwork, and Country over anything else.  I think these are very good fundamentals everyone should have.  But also in the civilian world there was alot of cut throuat people i met who squeeled, mocked, and tried every way possible to get ahead.  In the military you work hard to get ahead.  Whether behind a desk, in a basement, behind enemy lines, we are all a part of a greater cause, without that guy pushing papers, the guy in the field may never get the support he needs whether by air or ground to attack the enemy in the time of diar need.  I ramble so hopefully this makes sense.

[Esther]

So you're saying that in the service/war the greater good is winning for the group/country, whereas in the civilian world, you see a lot of people whose main focus is themselves. Makes a lot of sense that those folks wouldn't enlist doesn't it?  But sometimes we see people who have "served" in the armed services and "look down" on those who haven't. Again, it comes down to an opinion and we are all different. I've noticed that the vets sometimes act like they are in a "good guys" club and they expect me to view them as special.  Even though many of them put their lives on the line for us, a lot of them didn't. But I don't mean they don't deserve respect for anything they have done for our country. I like to think that I deserve respect too for supporting them.

Back to the civilian goals, at the top of business hierarchy, is a guy or group of people whose goal is to make a business succeed. But why is that important?? Of course to make money, employ people so they can take care of their families. I see where you're going about the self centered folks but the guy who doesn't think it's important to make money, may have a family on the dole. It is hard in life to know where we draw the line in our thinking.

 

[lerchcon]

Esther I think you shouldhave a talkshow, your wse, and I couldnt agree more with you.  But Like politics and religion, everyone views them different and it starts arguments.  But thanks for understanding = )