# JamieMcGarry - Wheel yourself on down here **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 25, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050 "2011-08-25T16:11:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**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:** [August 28, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/281 "2011-08-28T20:28:15Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Why? Because the answers to those questions would definitively show that he is a little shit bag. I believe it’s three times now that I’ve called him out on changing his story when the questions got tough. (and no, I’m not going to look then up, there’s probably one in each of the main threads and I made it pretty clear what I was doing, it shouldn’t be hard to find). It’s unfortunate that he came in here yelling and screaming when if he had introduced himself, explained what happened (we really didn’t need the whole back story) and just explained that he was looking for ideas about what he could do to curb the illegal parking in his city or suggestions for ways to convince his local health club to buy a new piece of equipment, he’d probably get more help then he’d know what to do with. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/282 "2011-08-28T21:36:43Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It’s unfortunate that he came in here yelling and screaming when if he had introduced himself, explained what happened (we really didn’t need the whole back story) and just explained that he was looking for ideas about what he could do to curb the illegal parking in his city or suggestions for ways to convince his local health club to buy a new piece of equipment, he’d probably get more help then he’d know what to do with. I agree totally. At the surface, most of his desires are very reasonable. He’s a guy in a wheelchair who wishes people didn’t abuse handicapped parking spaces, nothing wrong with that. He also wishes he was able to use an accessible machine at the gym, but the gym doesn’t currently have it. Again, perfectly reasonable. But he is off-putting to the extreme, so much so that the far majority of people who reply to his threads are against him. How much of a jerk does a person have to be to have the majority of people be against a guy in a wheelchair? There are many, positive ways he could encourage the gym to get the machine. He could spearhead some sort of drive to raise the funds. And actually, had he been a semi-normal person and posted about it here, he would have had people on this board, including me, donate. Regarding the parking spaces, he’s actually inspired posters to semi-joke about parking in handicapped spots just to piss him off. All his screaming about perceived injustices has made many people who could actually help him , here and in real life, recoil in disgust. I don’t think he’ll ever learn though. That chip on his shoulder might just be too big. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/283 "2011-08-29T01:43:13Z")
I have a friend and co-rescue person who became wheel chair bound about 20 years ago due to a drunk driver. She wasn’t the drunk. I brought her here so she could see what Jamie is doing for the cause. My friend didn’t sign up because she was to upset. She says that if she ever saw another wheelie person doing that, she would go over and tell him to STFU. When I suggested that she sign up using Wheel Chair Mary, she said some bad words at me and then told me that she doesn’t want anyone to define her by her chair. Hopefully, Jerry will learn to deal with the rage in a few years. I can certainly understand being full of rage if something like that happened to me. Grief is hard to deal with and Jerry was young and inexperienced. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/284 "2011-08-29T02:03:49Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I believe it’s three times now that I’ve called him out on changing his story when the questions got tough. (and no, I’m not going to look then up, there’s probably one in each of the main threads and I made it pretty clear what I was doing, it shouldn’t be hard to find). > It’s unfortunate that he came in here yelling and screaming when if he had introduced himself, explained what happened (we really didn’t need the whole back story) and just explained that he was looking for ideas about what he could do to curb the illegal parking in his city or suggestions for ways to convince his local health club to buy a new piece of equipment, he’d probably get more help then he’d know what to do with. He has a very baadd habit of saying, when the going gets tough… “Oh, but there’s more to it than that”. He also seems to love to keep details from everybody that do make a difference - like his parking lot story. It started out as some idiot parking in a disabled lot, then moved to some idiot in a disabled lot waiting for his girlfriend, and in the edn it became, the boyfriend of the receptionist was waiting in the car for his sweetums to finish work. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/285 "2011-08-29T05:30:55Z")
So, Jamie, clear something up for us, if you don’t mind. Is the only driving-related violation that you take vigilant action that of parking in a designated handicap reserved space without displaying the proper permit? What about the obviously more dangerous act of tailgating? How about crossing a double-yellow line? Even better, what about someone keying a car that’s parked in a designated handicap reserved space but does not have the proper permit displayed? Moving out of the parking lot, what about someone who berates a waiter because the restaurant does not have a smoking section? What about someone who requests government action against a business when that business, as known to the person requesting such action, is not violating any law at all? Do you see my point? Since I’m convinced you’re absolutely clueless in addition to being a jerk, I’ll spell it out for you. You are offended by a select few things. Well, get over it. Plenty of people are offended. And, as you are so ably proving here, people can also be offensive. The key thing to remember is that how offended you personally are by something is not an excuse for you to violate the law yourself, it is not license for you to be a vigilante. You claim to be strong, right? Well, the cell phone certainly can’t be too heavy for you to lift. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/286 "2011-08-29T06:07:53Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > So, Jamie, clear something up for us, if you don’t mind. Is the only driving-related violation that you take vigilant action that of parking in a designated handicap reserved space without displaying the proper permit? What about the obviously more dangerous act of tailgating? How about crossing a double-yellow line? Even better, what about someone keying a car that’s parked in a designated handicap reserved space but does not have the proper permit displayed? > > Moving out of the parking lot, what about someone who berates a waiter because the restaurant does not have a smoking section? What about someone who requests government action against a business when that business, as known to the person requesting such action, is not violating any law at all? > > Do you see my point? Since I’m convinced you’re absolutely clueless in addition to being a jerk, I’ll spell it out for you. You are offended by a select few things. Well, get over it. Plenty of people are offended. And, as you are so ably proving here, people can also be offensive. The key thing to remember is that how offended you personally are by something is not an excuse for you to violate the law yourself, it is not license for you to be a vigilante. > > You claim to be strong, right? Well, the cell phone certainly can’t be too heavy for you to lift. It’s speaking up/out for the rights of the disabled. That is what it is. This “vigilante action” came about as a result of a mix of factors; me dealing with this kind of thing day in and day out for years, the blatant hostility and arrogance of this particular offender, the establishment in which this was occurring, the pure senselessness of the offense and perhaps my mood _that_ particular day. All those things combining simulateously motivated me to do something that I had never done before. But at the heart of it all is a fierce desire to speak up for those who don’t have a voice of their own. Or _ **enough** _ of a voice. Sure, sure. I could have called the police. It would have been the same as driving off and ignoring the scene. The scene that happens day in, and day out for me and for those much less capable than me. And much less confrontational than me. And these people are the ones who truly suffer from assholes illegally parking in handicap spots. At least now Hurley has stated they will be doing new things to combat that sort of abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/287 "2011-08-29T07:19:48Z")
Color it all you want, the simple fact remains that you have decided on your own that you don’t care what the law actually is. You certainly don’t expect it to apply to you. You are a vigilante who by definition excuses his own misbehavior. Three words for you that I hope you will one day grasp: Vigilantism is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/288 "2011-08-29T07:25:28Z")
It’s great that you want to speak out for disabled rights, and that’s absolutely a great cause to champion. I think the issue is the way you choose to express yourself when you think you are speaking out. Surely by now you realise that on this forum you have turned off more people than you have turned on? Are you really achieving your goals using your current approach? ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/289 "2011-08-29T09:04:55Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > It’s speaking up/out for the rights of the disabled. That is what it is. This “vigilante action” came about as a result of a mix of factors; me dealing with this kind of thing day in and day out for years, the blatant hostility and arrogance of this particular offender, the establishment in which this was occurring, the pure senselessness of the offense and perhaps my mood _that_ particular day. All those things combining simulateously motivated me to do something that I had never done before. > > But at the heart of it all is a fierce desire to speak up for those who don’t have a voice of their own. Or _ **enough** _ of a voice. Sure, sure. I could have called the police. It would have been the same as driving off and ignoring the scene. The scene that happens day in, and day out for me and for those much less capable than me. And much less confrontational than me. And these people are the ones who truly suffer from assholes illegally parking in handicap spots. At least now Hurley has stated they will be doing new things to combat that sort of abuse. Just a question, During your accident you were both speeding and drink driving. These offenses are more serious that parking in a disabled lot. If, instead of having an accident you had met the police at your house that night, what would your reaction have been? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/290 "2011-08-29T10:27:29Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Just a question, > > During your accident you were both speeding and drink driving. These offenses are more serious that parking in a disabled lot. > > If, instead of having an accident you had met the police at your house that night, what would your reaction have been? You already know the answer to that. He would have complained about the unfairness of the coppers coming after him instead of a real criminal. He would have decried the law limiting the speed on that stretch of road as unnecessary. He would have asserted that the law prohibiting those under the age of 21 to imbibe is a violation of his rights. He would have been irate and condemned the police, the legislature, and the courts for upholding laws which themselves offend him. You see, he reacts only that which offends him. Drinking under age? Not offensive…to him. Speeding? Not offensive…to him. Blocking a traffic lane? Not offensive…to him. Blocking the progress of another vehicle? Not offensive…to him. Being a jackass? Well, the answer to that is obvious! ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/291 "2011-08-29T10:48:00Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > You already know the answer to that. He would have complained about the unfairness of the coppers coming after him instead of a real criminal. He would have decried the law limiting the speed on that stretch of road as unnecessary. He would have asserted that the law prohibiting those under the age of 21 to imbibe is a violation of his rights. He would have been irate and condemned the police, the legislature, and the courts for upholding laws which themselves offend him. > > You see, he reacts only that which offends him. Drinking under age? Not offensive…to him. Speeding? Not offensive…to him. Blocking a traffic lane? Not offensive…to him. Blocking the progress of another vehicle? Not offensive…to him. Being a jackass? Well, the answer to that is obvious! You say that as if it isn’t the same for everybody. Not to defend Optimus McGarry over there but everybody tends to react more to things that offend them while not really giving a shit about the things that don’t. Thats just human nature. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/292 "2011-08-29T10:59:37Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > You say that as if it isn’t the same for everybody. Not to defend Optimus McGarry over there but everybody tends to react more to things that offend them while not really giving a shit about the things that don’t. Thats just human nature. I find that perspective quite disturbing. Human nature is not just giving a damn about things which one finds offensive and then blithely and dangerously breaking the law willy-nilly. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/293 "2011-08-29T15:09:50Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I find that perspective quite disturbing. Human nature is not just giving a damn about things which one finds offensive and then blithely and dangerously breaking the law willy-nilly. But BuckityBuck is right, in the large sense. There are, I dunno, at least a thousand registered charities. Which ones do I support? Well, in the case of disease oriented ones, the two for diseases that have afflicted close members of my family. Are, say, the charities to help with Muscular Dystrophy and Cystic Fibrosis just as worthy? Absolutely. But my money goes elsewhere. You cannot support all charities. You cannot contribute time to everything that needs volunteers. You cannot take action against everything that hurts or annoys someone somewhere. So I have no problems at all with JM going after people who trespass against handicapped needs and ignoring, say, those foul fiends who litter with their cigarette butts. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/294 "2011-08-29T16:30:03Z")
I don’t have a problem with him agitating for those who violate that law to be punished. I have a problem with his illegal actions. Why is that such a hard concept to grasp? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/295 "2011-08-29T16:52:54Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > During your accident you were both speeding and drink driving. These offenses are more serious that parking in a disabled lot. Did he say that in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/296 "2011-08-29T19:12:48Z")
Gotta love how **jamie** may have nothing to say in this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=622256) but he had to respond because it’s about wheelchairs. Even if he ended up deleting most of his post… ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/297 "2011-08-29T19:31:15Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I find that perspective quite disturbing. Human nature is not just giving a damn about things which one finds offensive and then blithely and dangerously breaking the law willy-nilly. “Dangerously breaking the law willy-nilly” is not a fair characterization of something I’ve done _ **one** _ time in my life (by a general consensus here, my Planet Fitness experience was not a similar incident, as it was motivated by a clear lack of any other available accessible spot). Like I said upthread, what I did in the parking lot of HHFC was a result of several factors combining at once. Several years of pent-up frustration, the hostility of the driver parked illegally, the establishment in which the offense was occurring (the fact that 90% of the legitimate occupants of the handicap spots at HHFC are extremely compromised, handicapped or older individuals) and my particular mood that day _ **all** _ combined together to motivate me to do something \*I’ve never done before. \* I actually first got the idea of parking behind an illegal parker _ **from** _ the actions of another member of HHFC. This member performed the same actions as myself (whether he did so “willy nilly” or not, Im not sure) with NO punitive actions taken against him whatsoever. This is why I protest the extreme measures taken against myself. I know what I did, technically speaking, was not legal. However, I believe the extenuating circumstances of the incident should (and the history of previous members doing the same thing) serve as reason for exercising some ethical judgment and NOT revoking my membership. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/298 "2011-08-29T19:33:51Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Gotta love how **jamie** may have nothing to say in this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=622256) but he had to respond because it’s about wheelchairs. Even if he ended up deleting most of his post… 😕😕😕 ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/299 "2011-08-29T19:38:22Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > This is why I protest the extreme measures taken against myself. I know what I did, technically speaking, was not legal. However, I believe the extenuating circumstances of the incident should (and the history of previous members doing the same thing) serve as reason for exercising some ethical judgment and NOT revoking my membership. It depends on what **else** the “previous members doing the same thing” had a history of doing. The straw that broke the camel’s back and all that. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050/300 "2011-08-29T19:40:45Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > 😕😕😕 You posted a reply to someone else’s post which consisted of a period. And then another post which was just an emoticon. You added nothing to the thread but it’s like you were compelled to post since it was wheelchair related. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jamiemcgarry-wheel-yourself-on-down-here/594050.md?page=16)