# Is this a great country, or what?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-great-country-or-what/153996>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [February 10, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-great-country-or-what/153996 "2003-02-10T02:04:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-great-country-or-what/153996/21 "2003-02-11T02:32:20Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by everton \*  
> **Did you really think this sort of thing doesn’t happen in other countries?**

Where did he say that he thought this didn’t happen in other countries?

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-great-country-or-what/153996/22 "2003-02-11T03:41:20Z")

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I once waited on Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Kmart. It was the morning of the big playoff game (the Steeler lost, unfortunately).

That was pretty cool. He seemed kind of shy and uncomfortable-but he was very nice and polite. I think it was just the stress of the big game that day.

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**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-great-country-or-what/153996/23 "2003-02-11T05:05:14Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Spavined Gelding \*  
> There is the Gov. Sitting in the middle of the audience. No body guards. No private box. No nothing.
> 
> Ain’t this a great country? Alert Stage Orange or not, the chief elected officer of the State is just out for a night of light entertainment and people let him do just that. On the way out we bumped elbows–we both said excuse me and that’s it. If was like Harry Truman taking a walk.

Well, yeah, but it’s _IOWA_ for goodness sake. I’ve been to Des Moines (my company’s corporate offices are there - the big brick buildings way up on Locust Street…they print magazines) you can’t fool me - the town rolls up the sidewalks promptly at 5:45 PM on Weekdays. 😃

Seriously, though, this is cool - and it’s America at her best. I’ve run into both of my senators on airplanes coming and going to and from Portland. Both riding in coach, as they should. Most other notable people that I’ve met over the years have been too important not to have massive security present (or the events they’s been attending have been too big not to), so I don’t get much of a chance to see folks in a ‘natural’ setting.

However, the day Buzz Aldrin came to visit, signed my moon landing poster and just sat and talked about nothing in particular for a good half hour? THAT was cool.

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