# I saw this van at Wal-Mart on Thursday night **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 12, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730 "2011-11-12T21:46:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/1 "2011-11-12T21:46:58Z")
[This van’s owner has a lot to say](https://picasaweb.google.com/rocketsurgerysdmb/CrazyVan#). I would estimate about 50% of the stuff on there was pro smoker’s rights; about 40% was anti-Obama/anti-liberal/pro-tea party, and the remaining 10% was random, like “9/11 - Never Forget” stuff. On my way out, the van driver (she was smoking, of course) drove slowly around the Wal-Mart parking lot, possibly so everyone could “enjoy” the messages. It was 1 AM, so there weren’t many of us. As a son of 2 parents who both died from smoking-related disease, I was not amused - but it’s a free country. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/2 "2011-11-12T21:49:08Z")
Bad link: > [@](#): > > Sorry, that page was not found. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/3 "2011-11-12T21:50:20Z")
Is it a Stealth van? ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/4 "2011-11-12T21:57:12Z")
Okay,[here’s the same photo on flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/24576727@N04/6338592606/). Picasa can bite my shiny metal ass. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/5 "2011-11-12T22:09:01Z")
That’s the [Liberty van](http://www.libertyvan.com/FreedomVan/0211ValentinesDay/)! ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/6 "2011-11-12T22:09:13Z")
Wow. That’s… elaborate. And ugly. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/7 "2011-11-12T22:14:22Z")
should have asked her why- if she’s such a “great american”- is she driving a Korean minivan. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/8 "2011-11-12T22:19:16Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > should have asked her why- if she’s such a “great american”- is she driving a Korean minivan. Ha! The first time I saw her ‘tour’ I wondered if that might be a foreign-made van, but I couldn’t figure it out under all those stickers. At some point she’s said that smoking bans are worse than Jim Crow segregation was, because at least blacks could open their own restaurants. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/9 "2011-11-12T22:33:59Z")
Presumably smokers can smoke in the privacy of their own homes. And how is it legal to drive that thing with the windows covered like that? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/10 "2011-11-12T22:35:53Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And how is it legal to drive that thing with the windows covered like that? You mean [like this](http://gmc-vans.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/panel-van.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/11 "2011-11-12T22:54:32Z")
In Milwaukee we have the [Jesus Car Guy](http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnson_sebastian/3442423908/). The entire car more or less looks like that. It’s usually changing and being updated though. I can’t say I’ve ever read any of it since the font is so small. Oh, and buried up on top is a rather large bullhorn that he’s spouting something out of which, again, I’ve never managed to hear. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/12 "2011-11-13T06:09:19Z")
Wow, just, wow. And of course, the anti-communism screed is lovingly displayed opposite a quote by Karl Marx. Why am I not surprised? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/13 "2011-11-13T07:03:11Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Ha! The first time I saw her ‘tour’ I wondered if that might be a foreign-made van, but I couldn’t figure it out under all those stickers. > > At some point she’s said that smoking bans are worse than Jim Crow segregation was, because at least blacks could open their own restaurants. :rolleyes: Kia Sedona, if anyone’s wanting to know. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/14 "2011-11-13T07:53:18Z")
I figured I knew who you would be talking about before I saw the photos. She has been doing this for years and is semi-famous for it. I too have had a loved one die in a horrible way from smoking related illness, but I think this lady’s van is not worth getting upset over it, since as you can see from the list of states she is boycotting: [Message](http://www.aalf.ws/smoking/smokers-BOYCOTT/) the tide is very much against her. Besides, she smokes like four packs a day so I don’t really think that she has that much longer before the emphysema kicks in. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/15 "2011-11-13T10:23:51Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > That’s the [Liberty van](http://www.libertyvan.com/FreedomVan/0211ValentinesDay/)! :eek: Good God, I didn’t know there was anybody out there who actually had their website designed by [AAAWWW](http://www.hosanna1.com/AAAWWW/) (where you buy pages [by the inch](http://www.hosanna1.com/AAAWWW/page3.html)). The AAAWWW signature style is quite similar to the crazy collage of the van, though, so I guess it was a good fit… ETA: Actually, it looks like the van people and the web design people might be one and the same. [The van woman’s resume](http://www.hosanna1.com/myresume.html) talks about her “web & graphics design” and links to AAAWWW. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/16 "2011-11-13T10:56:33Z")
Yike. Near Broadview and Gerrard in Toronto, there were both a house and a shop decorated like that. I just streetviewed the area; unfortunately, or perhaps mercifully, both seem to have been renovated. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/17 "2011-11-13T13:28:53Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > :eek: Good God, I didn’t know there was anybody out there who actually had their website designed by [AAAWWW](http://www.hosanna1.com/AAAWWW/) (where you buy pages [by the inch](http://www.hosanna1.com/AAAWWW/page3.html)). The AAAWWW signature style is quite similar to the crazy collage of the van, though, so I guess it was a good fit… > > ETA: Actually, it looks like the van people and the web design people might be one and the same. [The van woman’s resume](http://www.hosanna1.com/myresume.html) talks about her “web & graphics design” and links to AAAWWW. Looking at her resume, I may have a connection with this person via my parents. They worked for the same company. This is a totally scary concept to me, as the name sounds vaguely familiar. :eek: Now, if I had a passenger whenever I saw the crazy cars down here, I’d have a bunch of photos to share. There’s the “Boss Lady” car, which is a dark magenta-like color with airbrushed stuff all over it, including the phrase “haters gonna hate” and Lisa Frank-esque stars and such all over it. There’s also a beater I saw one day that was covered in a manifesto-like essay about how kids need to stop killing each other, bringing guns to school and doing drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/18 "2011-11-13T23:17:05Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > :eek: Good God, I didn’t know there was anybody out there who actually had their website designed by [AAAWWW](http://www.hosanna1.com/AAAWWW/) (where you buy pages [by the inch](http://www.hosanna1.com/AAAWWW/page3.html)). The AAAWWW signature style is quite similar to the crazy collage of the van, though, so I guess it was a good fit… Reminds me of this: [The Oatmeal’s Web Design Hell](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell) Tripler Everyone loves kittens. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/19 "2011-11-13T23:21:21Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > :eek: Good God, I didn’t know there was anybody out there who actually had their website designed by [AAAWWW](http://www.hosanna1.com/AAAWWW/) (where you buy pages [by the inch](http://www.hosanna1.com/AAAWWW/page3.html)). The AAAWWW signature style is quite similar to the crazy collage of the van, though, so I guess it was a good fit… From the site: > [@](#): > > AAAWWW specializes in ‘special’. we try to make most of our sites look ‘different’ Normally I complain about the use of single quotes, etc., as emphasis marks. In this case… I think it fits in context. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730/20 "2011-11-14T07:57:15Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Yike. > > Near Broadview and Gerrard in Toronto, there were both a house and a shop decorated like that. I just streetviewed the area; unfortunately, or perhaps mercifully, both seem to have been renovated. I used to drive by a house and yard decorated like that, only the theme was how all of us are sinners and Jesus is the answer. I was told that occasionally a woman would come out and sit in a seat in a tree and shout at passers-by, though I never saw or heard her. I was always fascinated by her yard, but I didn’t live in her neighborhood, so I only saw her artworks for a few minutes each week. Later on, everything got torn down, and I heard that she’d been committed to a mental institution. I was kind of saddened by this. I always thought that it was interesting, though of course I didn’t want that in MY back yard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-this-van-at-wal-mart-on-thursday-night/602730.md?page=2)