First job out of college was selling sporting goods and team uniforms to high schools and colleges... great job.

Had one client that would always ask for a sizable donation to support the program, but always took his business to a dealer that was Northern CA to save a few bucks. After two years of this I polity told him to pound sand and that unless he supported us we couldn’t support him. He made a big stink about this to the Athletic Director and was telling the other coaches not to buy from us because of that. They really didn't care what he said anyway because they knew what kind of a weasel he was. One year I get a call from him, the dealer dropped the ball (pun) and couldn't deliver the game uniforms in time for picture day and the kids were real upset because they were buying the jerseys. Even though we had the cut and sew plant local and could deliver the stuff and have made me a shinning star I chose not to do it, and I let him know that. Eventually the AD got with me and asked me to help him out after getting some heat from the parents which we did and at a discounted price!

The next year I got all the business from this individual not because of this, but because the company he was buying from went out of business by being a Me-Too- Price- Buster.

Support you local business or those that are supporting your (insert activity) if you can! They may be a little more; and that is a hard pill to swallow in these economic times, but in the long run it is a better proposition.

I know I didn't spend much time in College, but would my signature be considered "racist" too? Or is it ok to bash on a white boy? Is it ok if I have a bunch of white friends?
Mark Schnider...I wasn't talking about the law but I wouldn't expect you to understand that anyway.

Not really. White people in government housing isn't such a high rate (I'm hypothesizing..haven't looked this up) that a "racist" would consider it an intrinsic characteristic of people with white skin...so it doesn't have the same kind of bite. However, on the other hand, the perception is that a significant percentage of government housing is occupied by african americans and to infer that the this is because of the color of their skin IS racist.

Are you saying that you don't think the previously discussed statement was racist?

Actually I DO think it is racist but my somewhat stealth point was the double standards we see today so often.

Ya beat me to it Lee.

How did this go from "would you support your vendors? " to Political Anarchy...

FWIW, I do my best as a vendor to support sailing events. I can't support them all, but I try to spread it around from NA and Worlds Champs (monos and multi's) to regional Opti and Junior programs (probably more so on the youth side than adult events).

If I looked at the dollars involved, there's no way I get an ROI, but it's just my part of giving back and helping to grow the sport.

-M

Hence my recent purchase of Zhik products... The new hareness realy is easy on the JUNK!

Thanks for your hel by the way!

Is it OK to bash a white boy?... ... Hey you can bash me all you want..... we are on equal footing and we have the same stature and power in society.

Now... change your tag line to "Texas Redneck George Bush" ... and you have established the power disparity between Rednecks and "Regular civilized" people and that is offensive (but not "racist" in American discourse)

Try
"That Hawaiian Barack Husein Obama is debating that Mormon Mitt Romney in a few months followed by that Cuban Marco Rubio who will battle that Catholic Joe Biden." This is a racial and stereotyped characterization that communicates in a particular way..... (mostly about the writer)!

On the offensive scale.... where does it rank??? Mildly offensive?
Consider if I changed Hawaiian to the usual Muslim mis- characterization of Obama.

Now you ring the very offensive racist bell in the American culture because in American history... the black muslims of the 60's were anti american anarchist/ radical blah blah blah....(a powerless minority of a minority that you can demonize) and of course the idea is to dog whistle to your fellow travelers that Obama is a black racist anti American socialist traitor, potential terroist and illegitimate president.

Your idea that there is "a double standard" in this game of slurs is a fig leaf for you that tries to minimize or excuse the first slur..... these slurs are just ignorant descriptions of power relationships in American culture.

Why we tolerated them for so long is not an excuse. Props to Jake for pointing out something I have overlooked forever and bacho for deleting his tag line.

If these were my forums...

I'd create, and move all political drivel to a politic topic section. I'd also narrow it down to 7 or or forum topics.

If this were done, CatSailor could kick the arse of the sailing forum world, as it once did.

I'm down with free speech, obviously, but I'd like to have topics compartmentalized and categorized so that we can find the information that we're looking for.

I also don't like my swearing censored. If I want to call Karl a jack ass...

Dealer support...meh.

If these were my forums, I would put Jake in control of them.