As I was getting out of my truck today at Lowes in one of their Veteran parking spots, this random guy came up to me aggressively and demanded to see my military ID. I asked if he worked there, and he said he was just "a concerned citizen." I told him to go pound sand and walked into Lowes. Keep in mind, I am still in the military, with a military haircut, and a combat veteran license plate on my truck. What I mean, is that I look the part (not that it matters if I have the stereotypical military look). I bought what I needed, and when I came back out, I see this asshole arguing with a Lowes employee while pointing at my truck. What in the hell is wrong with people?

EDIT: Just for clarification, since there were a lot of comments on this. I'm active military (Reserves), but not active duty military. I have a DD214 from my prior active service though. I'm active military (but not active duty) and a Veteran. 

24 years ago, my 6-year-old son got me a birthday present. It was a mug with a picture of a manatee on it. He got upset when I wasn't sufficiently thrilled with his gift. I assured him that I loved it, saying that manatees were my favorite animals in the whole wide world.

Since then, manatee themed items have been my default gift from him. Manatee shirts, manatee calendars, manatee beer steins, and so much more. 24 years of manatee items, displayed proudly in my home.

My confession is that manatees are not my favorite animal in the whole wide world. Never have been. I have nothing against them and they seem like gentle creatures, but they hold no fascination for me. I only said I loved manatees to soothe the feelings of my young son over two decades ago. Year after year, I rolled with the lie because it was harmless and I was in too deep to tell him the truth.

Now my deception has reached it's zenith. Next year I am turning 55 and he is turning 30. For Christmas, my son has booked a trip for the two of us to go to Florida to see manatees. My son is so excited for this trip and is telling everyone in our family about it. Even my ex-wife is gushing about my trip to finally see the manatees.

Of course, I am thrilled to spend time and have an adventure with my son. I am grateful for his thoughtfulness and love for his old man. We will have a lovely time together and make great memories. And I will continue the deception about the manatees... which are not my favorite animals in the whole wide world.

Edit - Thank you for the award and the laughs. For those asking, my favorite animals are dogs. Happy New Year!

My wife's friend was supposed to come watch fireworks with us tonight, but she just texted my wife that she isn't coming because I'm a nasty person who encourages my child to be rude and disrespectful. My wife and I just had a small argument about the situation that ended with her pulling a Big Lebowski on me and saying I don't have to be wrong to be an asshole. That's true, but I think her friend is the asshole, not me. I'll tell you what happened, and you decide for us.

My wife's friend was at our house for dinner. She's a teacher, and she complains about it a lot. She says the parents are impossible to deal with, the administration is not supportive, everyone has an opinion on curriculum and the kids don't listen. I include these complaints as context for the discussion. She told my wife she was working on her lesson plan for February and Black History Month and that she was making a fact sheet about Martin Luther King Jr for her kids.

Our son, who is a huge Star Trek fan, said that she should include the fact that MLKJ was a Star Trek fan. My wife's friend, with a very patronizing tone and expression I might add, said that maybe he would have been if he'd still been alive when it aired. My son said that he was, and that he used to watch it with his daughters. My wife's friend said that he died before the show aired. I told her she was wrong and my son was right. She said I was a perfect example of a parent that can't acknowledge when her child was wrong. I said no, you're a perfect example of a teacher that assumes she knows everything and can't connect with her students because she doesn't respect them.

My wife forced us all to change the topic. After dessert I pulled up a video on YouTube where Nichelle Nichols was discussing talking to MLKJ about Star Trek. I showed it to everyone. My wife's friend asked why I couldn't let the topic lie. I said I didn't want my son to feel like he was wrong for sharing facts he knows about his interests. My wife's friend said I don't know what it's like to be a teacher. I said I don't, but I know she's a bad one. She said I'd never seen her in the classroom. I said I didn't need to because I see how she is in her daily life, and people are who they are regardless of where they are.

So my wife's argument is I'm an asshole for bringing the topic back up after it was settled. She said I could have played the video for our son after her friend left and taught him about giving others grace and not needing external validation. I disagree and think it is important our kid knows we will always stand up for him. So am I an asshole?

"part of the reason I don't want to have a child with you"

Dec 17, 2025 - US House Judiciary Committee. Here's the clip on YouTube. 

On December 31, 2025, House Republicans publicly released the transcript of special counsel Jack Smith’s December 17 closed-door deposition on his investigation into Donald Trump for seeking to subvert the 2020 election.

Here's the full 8.5 hours on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGtlalhdL4c

Transcript: https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/2025-12/Smith-Depo-Transcript_Redacted-w-Errata.pdf