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My sin was asking you not to cut in front of my son and me, and the other 10 people in the membership line, at Costco. You blew up and challenged me to a fight in front of my 3-year-old son. For the record: I am six feet and 220 pounds of sinewy MMA-trained whup-ass ready to spring. You are an overweight fiftysomething living the Joe Pesci Goodfellas dream. My wife asked me not to beat up any more guys like you, even if you insult my child and me by telling us we stink like the rest of our kind. I knew you wanted it, you fucked up, aged-out Zimmerman clone. I could tell by the way you kept reaching in your pocket, fingering the trigger of your gun while you followed me around the store, confronting me three times. Did you feel good intimidating my son to the point where he started screaming at you to "Shut up" over and over? The people of this city were so confused, they couldn't understand why the fit black man was asking the staff for help with a fat, balding chump like you. They aren't trained to see the gun you were carrying. I am. You're lucky the Costco employees intervened, because I am not that far removed from my old life—one where a phone call would have had a squad of highly trained, armed young men and women waiting for you and the gunfight you were challenging me to outside. With your small pocket gun and your Charles Bronson/Bernhard Goetz complex, you would have never stood a chance. Didn't you wonder why I never called the police? We know they won't help. They won't protect us. We read the papers and watch the news. Next time you threaten someone and feel secure because of your gun, realize this: We are young, armed, and smart. We are not afraid. We are educated and rational. We know the law and our constitutional rights. We are "liberals" who support the NRA for one reason: So when assholes like you present yourselves, we can protect ourselves. We train for this as a community. You were right about me—I am dangerous. You felt it in my energy, saw it in my eyes. But you are lucky—lucky I embrace the positive aspects of this city and its people, lucky my wife saved me from myself five years ago. But most of all, you are lucky because I want my sons to be free from the anger that consumed my young adulthood, to never struggle with these same demons that haunt me. You should have bought a lottery ticket, you punk. It really was your lucky day.
—Anonymous
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I really don't think he was talking about cops in Costco, nor did he even want cops involved...
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In case this whole story isn't fake, which I think is a 50/50 chance:
What, you expect there to be a cop inside of every Costco? Are you prepared for the enormous tax increase that this would entail?
And thank God you weren't carrying a gun that day. It's bad enough that he was, but I don't want to be in the line of fire between two unhinged whack jobs who decide to draw a line in the sand over who gets to the cash register first.
Please, Anon, stay home. And tell your son that if anyone should've "shut up" that day, he was #1 on the list, because he could have gotten himself and you killed.
Having said that, it's quite possible this could have occurred, and it would be great if one of the Costco employees or others who witnessed this would chime in to corroborate.
And there certainly are some people who are boiling under the surface, primed for that moment to act out the movie "Falling Down." Or just angry and don't really want to NOT take it out on someone else. Even in Seattle.
Sign of the times.
Truth or fiction, this was a very well-written I-Anon and one of the most entertaining I can remember in the series. It got plenty of great comments also.
He's going to be a real prize when he grows up, for sure.
Summary:
Dude cuts line, or at least another dude thinks he does.
Other dude says something, probably along the lines of "hey, asshole why you cutting in line?"
Dude says stfu, other dude backs down immediately.
As dude's walking away, other dude says something prickish and it's go time.
Dude tell other dude it's time to throw down.
Other dude pisses pants, backs down again and later tells story about how he coulda, how he mighta, how he really, really shoulda. Oh, but the dude had a gun. I'm trained to pick up on that kind of stuff.
Get your ass to the back of the line buddy.
One more question, WHAT happened to the fat white man? Why didn't he shoot you in the parking lot? I don't think there was any Costco staff in the parking lot to protect you then. I don't think you will answer any of my questions either.
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"When I carry (which is frequently) I go out of the way to be extra polite and avoid confrontation. Not interested in spending my life savings and years of my life on a court case over a shooting that started with a shoulder bump or something."
Amen to that.
Killing someone is just about the last thing I would want to do. Comes a close second to dying.
Also good on OP, as someone from a different race yet similar background, I know the feeling. You walk away from some baldo pudge belly because you don't want to end up killing him.
As a concealed weapons permit holder myself that isn't a 'tard, I, and other citizens know that the best gunfight is the one you don't get into.
If someone is truly walking about with a CCW and CPL trying to be the douchebag version of Dirty Harry, the authorities need to be brought in to investigate possible brandishing and assault. At the very least, the author should have pointed out that someone had a gun and was threatening him.
Dunnow. When I carry (which is frequently) I go out of the way to be extra polite and avoid confrontation. Not interested in spending my life savings and years of my life on a court case over a shooting that started with a shoulder bump or something.
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Being a member of the 'run and hide' camp (like me) doesn't preclude the existence of Joe Pesci-like sweaty-little-bastards-with-guns, or MMA-trained bad asses keeping their cool. Just glad I wasn't there.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/natio…
But black on white violence isn't as newsworthy is it?
Bernard Goetz was an everyman forced to defend himself against a gang of young black men that surrounded him in 1980s NYC subway car.
Neither of whom are particularly useful examples for the intent of the author in this oh so fake letter.
I also know, through a former job, one of these fat white guys that carries a concealed weapon in his fanny pack. As I got to know him I also found out that he hates black people and most minorities and he was almost always looking for a fight.
I can completely imagine this dude pulling some shit like this. It would not surprise me _at all_. For those of you who think this is fake, you're living in a bubble.
I love the positive, healthy and open attitude of the author. It restores my faith in our great city.
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Sounds more like a dude who wants to fantasize about kicking George Zimmerman's ass.
Also, fake. NRA agent provocateur??
LOL. And good on OP for not lowering himself to the fat guy's level.
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I don't get why so many commenters think your story is fiction - it never occurred to me that this was anything but 100% real. Guess what, folks? There truly ARE some fucked-up people here in our lovely Seattle - and believe it or not, the majority of them DON'T post on The Stranger website.
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I'm going to have to go in and get submerged in one of those tanks so I can determine exactly what my whoopass mass index is.
Sinewy.
Siiiin yooooo e. yep.
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And in the future dude a cell phone recording of a screaming little fat man would give you alot of youtube hits.
As someone who used to patrol for the guardian angels in the highest per captia violent city in the country at the time... You could not be more right. No degree of bad-ass will prevent you from being shot in the back, or stabbed by a dirty needle, or prevent some unhinged idiot from following you home and attacking your spouse or child. Yes, all farfetched, but i have seen or personally known all of these to happen. The most fearsome weapon known to man is stupidity and disregard for one's own personal welfare, and unless you are perpetually prepared to always top the stupidity of every moron you ever meet, no matter what the personal cost, you will eventually lose. Your odds are far, far better if you do everything possible to creatively de-fuse and de-escalate every potential conflict, no matter how appealing (or occasionally satisfying) the fantasy of slapping down these idiots may be.
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Seriously though, just cause I make stupid, throw away comments on slog to kill some time during the day doesn't make me a bad person.
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I know too many gun owners who think they'll be Charles Bronson if/when shit goes down. They have no idea how fast things move. I'll take a knife or club over someone who has to draw a handgun from their pocket if I'm within 20 feet...and I'm a soft-bellied 43 yr old.
BTW: if you can get a pic/vid or a few witnesses of someone even 'touching' their gun pocket in a threatening manner then call the cops. That's assault same as if they pointed it at you and at the very least you can get their conceal and carry taken away.
A fictional tale told by a somewhat crafty NRA supporter and troll." Seriously, people will believe ANYTHING.
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This guy is so brave about his feelings he posts a whole essay anonymously...one can only imagine what his general internet posts are like!
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I clearly remember seeing two metalheads get swarmed by two dozen tough guys for picking on the fat kid. They didn't realize that the fat kid was the adorable mascot for a pretty heavy crew. Those two guys wound up bruised on every inch from head to belt.
Lesson: Don't go looking for trouble no matter how tough or prepared you think you are.
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Needs more sinew.
Hey all you POC in Seattle terrorized by the white menace. There is nothing we can do about all those terrible female bullies you might bump into on the sidewalk at night here. I suggest you re-discover your roots and move back to your country of origin where they will surely treat you with all the respect you deserve. Until then grow up and stop being total fucking crybabies.
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A fictional tale told by a somewhat crafty NRA supporter and troll.
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Maybe if the employees knew about the gun the guy would be kicked out. But I don't know the costco policies on this matter.
Whupass or not, I wish he'd gotten the cops involved anyway. If this is real, then the guy's just going to look for another uppity minority to shoot.
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He would have been taken out of there in handcuffs.
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Also: first.
Also: something about cocaine and malt liquor, bwuhuhuhuh. beweeehehuhuh... :|




















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