Saturday afternoon, donning a McCain-Palin T-shirt bearing a McCain-Palin button, a Michael Williams button, and my CTRA President name tag, and wearing a hat bearing a Ronald Reagan for Governor button, a McCain-Palin button, and a Constable Bob Vann pin, I was walking around a Valero gas station politely asking customers if they had voted yet (i.e. early voted).
If they said yes, I would genuinely thank them for exercising their right to vote (even if they voted for Obama). They seemed to warm to that expression of gratitude. If they said they were not registered to vote or were not a citizen, and thus could not vote, I thanked not voting explaining that some people vote illegally. If they were registered to vote and indicated that they had not yet voted, I would urge them to vote on Tuesday, November 4th, offer them some literature about, and my personal knowledge of, the Republicans that were on the Travis County ballot and try to persuade them to vote Republican in at least some of those races.
Even if they said they were voting for Obama I would suggest that if they were not planning to vote a straight Democrat ballot they might consider some of the down ballot candidates on the R team. Then, depending on my perception of their receptivity, I would mentioned the Supreme Court candidates and why we needed to keep those Rs in office (i.e. to keep the court functioning in a non-activist manner, to interpret and apply law so that lawmaking would be left to the legislature, where as a representative body of the people it rightly belongs), and then move on to Jerry Mikus (if they lived in HD 50).
It was quite enjoyable and they seemed very appreciative of the conversation and information, especially the Republicans. :-)
I started out in the morning at a Velero station in Pflugerville at which I bought a tank of gas and later a Diet Coke. During my very enjoyable interaction with customers at that station one customer I spoke with asked me to visit a car wash where his son Danny worked, and to give information to his son Danny. After a little while I did just that. I went to the car wash, found Danny, gave him the literature, and got my car washed and waxed while there. Of course, I took the opportunity to talk to more people and hand out more campaign literature. It was a different situation than at Velero. There were fewer and a much more sedentary clientele (i.e. they hung around for a long time). I decided that the gas station was a better place to do what I was trying to do (exercise my free speech rights).
In the afternoon, as I mentioned at the beginning of this report, I went to the other Velero station, near US183 and Spicewood Springs Road, in Austin. After spending about 90 minutes there, during which time my only purchase was a Diet Coke, a clerk came out to me as I was asking yet another customer if he had voted yet. She informed me that "they" could not have me doing what I was doing at their store, claiming that I was harassing their customers. She said I had to leave. I told her that everyone I had talked to (and I filtered out no one based on outward appearance or even presence of a non-R bumper sticker) did not seem to be bothered by my conversation with them and that I was in no way trying to harass anyone. I asked her if any customers had complained about my activities, to which she would not answer yes or no.
Earlier I had been in the story and talked to another clerk, a young man, who said he does not vote, did not want to vote, and was just "along for the ride" in this society. I don't remember seeing the young female clerk at that time. I talked with the male clerk out in back of the store later on and right before I left. He did not seem to be bothered by our conversation. Before I left, I went back into the store and asked if the manager was in. The clerk said no and then I asked for her name and the manager's name. She said her name is Angela and the manager's name is Dora. She did not tell me her or her manager's last names. I was not angry, but I told her that it seemed like she was harassing me rather than me harassing anyone. She simply said "may I help you" a couple of times and then asked me to leave because she had a customer to attend to whom I did not see walk up behind me. So, I left.
My guess is that she was on the other team (a Democrat) and that she wanted me to leave because I was a Republican who was hurting her team. I could be wrong. I do not think I was harassing anyone, unless perhaps I asked an illegal alien (whom of course would not have "illegal alien" written across his or her forehead) if he or she had voted yet. Like I said, I did not discriminate in my selection of customers to approach....maybe I should have.
If they said yes, I would genuinely thank them for exercising their right to vote (even if they voted for Obama). They seemed to warm to that expression of gratitude. If they said they were not registered to vote or were not a citizen, and thus could not vote, I thanked not voting explaining that some people vote illegally. If they were registered to vote and indicated that they had not yet voted, I would urge them to vote on Tuesday, November 4th, offer them some literature about, and my personal knowledge of, the Republicans that were on the Travis County ballot and try to persuade them to vote Republican in at least some of those races.
Even if they said they were voting for Obama I would suggest that if they were not planning to vote a straight Democrat ballot they might consider some of the down ballot candidates on the R team. Then, depending on my perception of their receptivity, I would mentioned the Supreme Court candidates and why we needed to keep those Rs in office (i.e. to keep the court functioning in a non-activist manner, to interpret and apply law so that lawmaking would be left to the legislature, where as a representative body of the people it rightly belongs), and then move on to Jerry Mikus (if they lived in HD 50).
It was quite enjoyable and they seemed very appreciative of the conversation and information, especially the Republicans. :-)
I started out in the morning at a Velero station in Pflugerville at which I bought a tank of gas and later a Diet Coke. During my very enjoyable interaction with customers at that station one customer I spoke with asked me to visit a car wash where his son Danny worked, and to give information to his son Danny. After a little while I did just that. I went to the car wash, found Danny, gave him the literature, and got my car washed and waxed while there. Of course, I took the opportunity to talk to more people and hand out more campaign literature. It was a different situation than at Velero. There were fewer and a much more sedentary clientele (i.e. they hung around for a long time). I decided that the gas station was a better place to do what I was trying to do (exercise my free speech rights).
In the afternoon, as I mentioned at the beginning of this report, I went to the other Velero station, near US183 and Spicewood Springs Road, in Austin. After spending about 90 minutes there, during which time my only purchase was a Diet Coke, a clerk came out to me as I was asking yet another customer if he had voted yet. She informed me that "they" could not have me doing what I was doing at their store, claiming that I was harassing their customers. She said I had to leave. I told her that everyone I had talked to (and I filtered out no one based on outward appearance or even presence of a non-R bumper sticker) did not seem to be bothered by my conversation with them and that I was in no way trying to harass anyone. I asked her if any customers had complained about my activities, to which she would not answer yes or no.
Earlier I had been in the story and talked to another clerk, a young man, who said he does not vote, did not want to vote, and was just "along for the ride" in this society. I don't remember seeing the young female clerk at that time. I talked with the male clerk out in back of the store later on and right before I left. He did not seem to be bothered by our conversation. Before I left, I went back into the store and asked if the manager was in. The clerk said no and then I asked for her name and the manager's name. She said her name is Angela and the manager's name is Dora. She did not tell me her or her manager's last names. I was not angry, but I told her that it seemed like she was harassing me rather than me harassing anyone. She simply said "may I help you" a couple of times and then asked me to leave because she had a customer to attend to whom I did not see walk up behind me. So, I left.
My guess is that she was on the other team (a Democrat) and that she wanted me to leave because I was a Republican who was hurting her team. I could be wrong. I do not think I was harassing anyone, unless perhaps I asked an illegal alien (whom of course would not have "illegal alien" written across his or her forehead) if he or she had voted yet. Like I said, I did not discriminate in my selection of customers to approach....maybe I should have.
5 comments:
Actually, if it is a business - they have every right to ask you to leave the premises.
They are the property owners - they are the ones that are paying for it - they have the right to ask somebody who is doing something on their property that they might or might not agree with - to leave.
If I were a business owner, or even an employee - I would have asked you to leave - even though I agree with you, and am a Republican myself.
Think about it this way - what if somebody was standing on your front lawn passing out literature and talking to people.
Would you allow them to stay there - or would you kindly ask them to leave?
I agree they have the right to ask me to leave but my point was that the clerk at the Valero station in question did not do so until I had been there for an hour and a half (and the clerks knew I was there). It seemed that there was a shift change and a new clerk did not agree with my being there when the previous clerks apparenly did not mind.
Later that week I went to the Cosco's gas station and within 5 minutes a manager came our and asked me to leave, explaining why he could not let me hand out any literature on their private property (he said nothing about me harassing customers). I thanked him and promptly left. It had a very different experience at the Valero station. It was not the property owner but a seemingly partisan clerk that asked me to leave claiming harassment of her customers.
On yet another day or two I went to a station at Walmart and had a wonderful time meeting customers and giving them information about the election. It was a fun experience and I did not harass anyone.
As far as my front lawn is concerned, that is not a good caparison to make. I do not use it to conduct business and do not therefore invite the public to stand or drive there. The gas station invites people to drive onto its property and purchase goods. I was careful to patronize each station (except Cosco's - I'm not a member) at some point during my time there.
But, you're right, they have every right to ask me to leave. I would hope that they would have non-partisan intent in doing so.
Oh, it was probably a very partisan reason why they asked you to leave - but that's still within their rights as the representative of the business.
I would also distinguish the actions of the manager at the Cosco versus the employee at the Valero as the difference between a manager, who's probably had some training in customer service and being polite to customers - and an employee who's probably had little, if any, formal customer training service.
But my point was that they had every right to ask you to leave.
Yes if the truth be known, in some moments I can say that I acquiesce in with you, but you may be considering other options.
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