Althouse: "We have been in dozens of Wal-Mart parking lots throughout the country, actually it’s one of our favorite things to do..."

August 14, 2009

"We have been in dozens of Wal-Mart parking lots throughout the country, actually it’s one of our favorite things to do..."

"... if we’re not having to plug in and we’ve got enough electricity and all that. But you can get a little shopping in, see part of real America. It’s fun!"

Clarence Thomas's wife talks about traveling around America in an RV with her husband, whom most people don't recognize. They drive a 40-foot Prevost bus, customized by Marathon Coaches, which looks damned glamorous.

34 comments:

daubiere said...: funny that going to an ugly store full of Chinese crap is somehow part of "real America".; 8/14/09, 4:45 PM
kate said...: just one more reason why i love clarence thomas.; 8/14/09, 4:48 PM
ricpic said...: I've always dreamt of driving all over the country in a 20 foot used Winnebago via Wal-Mart free night's sleep parking lots. Not the same thing I guess.; 8/14/09, 4:57 PM
GrannyClampett said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/14/09, 5:09 PM
daubiere said...: i have nothing against Thomas, the south nor walmart shoppers in general. I do have something against walmart. I hold them partially responsible for destroying our manufacturing base and for selling chinese crap in ugly stores.; 8/14/09, 5:11 PM
Paul said...: We travel by RV too, though nothing as swanky as a Marathon, and we have on occasion used Wal-Mart parking lots for overnight parking when we were tired or in an urban area. We "dry camp" in remote areas generally so we never use hookups or stay in RV campgrounds. It's always nice to know that Wal-Mart parking lots are available if needed.

And if you don't like Wal-Mart or their merchandise then don't shop there. I've heard that the money saved by the less affluent shopping at Wal-Mart is a greater total than all the government welfare programs put together.; 8/14/09, 5:21 PM
traditionalguy said...: Clarence is a good old Georgia boy who obviously hasn't forgotten the value of a dollar. I can see Justice Althouse and Meade sharing the driving on one of these after President Palin appoints the Professor to the Court to keep Sotomayor straight. But I wonder if they fit into McDonalds restaurants.; 8/14/09, 5:29 PM
chuck b. said...: You, I mean, I would think this is one of those things that only white people like.; 8/14/09, 5:30 PM
blake said...: Is it right to blame Wal-Mart for this? Mightn't there be other factors worth considering?; 8/14/09, 5:36 PM
chuck b. said...: Oh, wait...Mrs. Thomas is white, isn't she? Maybe this is something he does for her benefit because she likes it. And she goes around saying it's their favorite thing to do. Really, he'd rather stay home and putter around the garage. Because that's something men of all races love to do.; 8/14/09, 5:37 PM
Chase said...: I vote that ALL of the Supreme Court Justices spend next summer touring America by bus, visiting Wal-Marts and diners.

Think about it.

Wow!; 8/14/09, 5:58 PM
Clint said...: "Real" America. Ridiculous.; 8/14/09, 6:14 PM
Synova said...: The new Wal-Mart they built out East of me has hitching posts for horses in addition to the parking lot.

Or so I'm told.; 8/14/09, 6:17 PM
MadisonMan said...: I have never understood the allure of an RV. Why drive so much stuff around when you're on vacation, just in case you need it?

I also don't understand vacation cottages up north -- because I'd never want to feel pressured to go to someplace to unwind just 'cause I own it and it's sitting up there empty

It sounds like Mr. and Mrs. Thomas enjoy the vagabonding -- good for them!; 8/14/09, 6:49 PM
Paul said...: "I have never understood the allure of an RV. Why drive so much stuff around when you're on vacation, just in case you need it?"

Are you really that unimaginative?

The allure of an RV is simple.

It's the freedom (I keep forgetting our liberal friends don't value freedom much)to go wherever you want with no hotels, rental cars, airplanes, etc., to deal with.

Even tent camping has more restrictions on where you can stay, and at a certain point in life taking a shower whenever you like and having a comfortable refuge in inclement weather become priorities.

We go on vacations and plan our route as the vacation unfolds following the weather or simply our whims.

You can stop and eat or nap whenever you want. Passengers are not stuck in a car seat and have the ability to do other things while moving down the road.

There is nothing quite like waking up in your own home in someplace new every day.

And did I mention the FREEDOM?

Now if you still can't understand the allure then you have reaffirmed my belief in the wooden headed and willful stupidity that plagues liberals and bedevils the unfortunate people who have to share a nation with them.; 8/14/09, 7:21 PM
Kansas City said...: I assume Thomas could not care less, but could you imagine the way the media would praise a liberal big wig who did what Thomas and his wife do?; 8/14/09, 7:26 PM
Anonymous said...: I also don't understand vacation cottages up north -- because I'd never want to feel pressured to go to someplace to unwind just 'cause I own it and it's sitting up there empty

That's why you just rent one for four days. All the advantages with none of the hassle. I recommend Madeline Island.; 8/14/09, 7:42 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Plus, you can bring your entire porn collection with you.

Now could someone please pass me a coke?; 8/14/09, 7:54 PM
MadisonMan said...: Yes, Madeline Is is idyllic -- we did stay in a cabin there for several summers in a row, right near the Town Beach. Bliss. That's where all the lupine in the garden originated -- we brought home a seed stalk and threw it in the garden.

Paul, you apparently like that idea of a vacation -- driving and driving. No thanks. I'd prefer to take a train somewhere, and explore the destination thoroughly. Like New Orleans. Vacations to me means staying in a hotel, and letting someone else do the cooking.; 8/14/09, 8:03 PM
SteveR said...: The only thing more revealing of idiotic elitism than someone's attitude about Sarah Palin is how (and why) they feel about Wal-Mart.

The $1.99 I spend at Wal-Mart for the same damn thing I'd spend $2.49 for at Albertsons, if I choose to shop there, doesn't mean its going to China. Substitute another senseless objection of your choice.; 8/14/09, 8:29 PM
Joan said...: Vacations to me means staying in a hotel, and letting someone else do the cooking.

That's a lovely ideal. The reality for me and my family of five is we stay somewhere where we can eat most meals in. It helps that I (and my family) like my cooking better than most stuff you get at restaurants anyway.

That said, I wouldn't want to do the RV thing, either. I don't mind driving but I'd like a real kitchen, and, most importantly, some privacy!; 8/14/09, 8:51 PM
Mark said...: I can't believe, after actually checking out the Marathon site, that no one has said "here comes de judge!"

That stuff is it's own kind of righteous, and I definitely mean that in a good way.

Thomas is one of the few political figures I think I'd actually like on a personal basis.; 8/14/09, 9:33 PM
beaureguard said...: Walmart the EVIL EAMPIRE!! Walmart is destroying our rights and our ountry. Did ou know that Walmart does not allow their vendors to make eye contact with managers? Doesn't this remide you of the stories of contries run by dictators?
You should check into campgrounds across the country run by state and National Park services. They are nicer and not owned by the EVIL EMPIRE.; 8/14/09, 10:36 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Did ou know that Walmart does not allow their vendors to make eye contact with managers? Doesn't this remide you of the stories of countries run by dictators?

Actually, it reminds me of stories about Hillary Clinton when she lived in the White House and had a Secret Service detachment. Apparently, none of the "help" were allowed to make eye contact with her. A big difference with the Clintons' immediate predecessors there who apparently treated the White House staff and Secret Service as extended family.; 8/15/09, 1:14 AM
Lawyer Mom said...: Damned glamorous? It looks damned Cialis to me.; 8/15/09, 1:26 AM
Paul said...: "Paul, you apparently like that idea of a vacation -- driving and driving. No thanks. I'd prefer to take a train somewhere, and explore the destination thoroughly. Like New Orleans. Vacations to me means staying in a hotel, and letting someone else do the cooking."

LOL!!! yeah that's the difference between the libertarian personality vs. the statist. You like to be taken care of and under the direction of someone else. I like the freedom to improvise and go where my fancy takes me and I also like to be in control of my own safety and mobility. I love rolling down the road with the world spread out looking through that big windshield.

My wife and I like to explore the wilds on our mountain bikes and return to our home on wheels, and we can bring our cats, who are cherished members of our family.; 8/15/09, 2:32 AM
blake said...: Paul, dude, you're being a bit literal here.

Lots of good libertarians enjoy luxury and being taken care of. They just don't like the state trying to do it.; 8/15/09, 2:47 AM
Omaha1 said...: I don't recall the article mentioning whether they pull a small car behind them. That's what my parents and many others do when they go RV'ing. That and a generator means you can stay wherever you want, and then go sightseeing as the spirit moves you.

I think it really is the ultimate in freedom, you can drive as long as you want, stop wherever you want, and eat what you want. You can go to a restaurant or cook your own food in your own kitchen. I'd like to do that when I retire, except I might prefer a pickup camper since it would be capable of getting into more remote areas.

WV: spains - I guess that's one place you can't get to in an RV!; 8/15/09, 8:53 AM
Paul said...: blake, dude, I'm making a point and making fun. You're the one being literal minded. Our nation and it's character was built by pioneers in calistoga wagons. Not by effetes sipping fine wines and soaking in mud baths.

My being a libertarian means I'm totally cool with you becoming as pampered, soft, and fat as you want.; 8/15/09, 10:23 AM
Donna B. said...: If you've got the time and money, RV trips are fantastic. My Dad spent an entire summer in his, driving from Texas to Alaska (and back, of course.)

They are useful for other things as well, such as overnight guests and power outages. But they require a lot of maintenance and the number of items that can and do break down on even a high end (perhaps especially a high end) MH approaches infinity.

They are definitely not for everyone.; 8/15/09, 11:43 AM
blake said...: Paul,

Actually, while I agree (at least partially) about the source of our national character, the Founding Fathers were pretty much wealthy city folk. Born wealthy. Not (literal) pioneers.; 8/15/09, 1:28 PM
Paul said...: blake,

That is of course true. But the character of the nation really comes from sturdy freedom loving people who picked up and left from wherever they were to come here and roll the dice on a chance for a better life. That is a special breed and it is what makes this country what it is. Or at least was. The Cultural Marxist influence has so undermined the nation's soul that it may be over for us.; 8/15/09, 1:35 PM
blake said...: I like to think it can be. But if it can't, today's pioneers will have to find some place to escape to, as they have always done.; 8/15/09, 2:44 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: ""We have been in dozens of Wal-Mart parking lots throughout the country, actually it’s one of our favorite things to do...""

You'll notice it ain't Whole Foods.

WV: Piceous - when liberals are even trying to be pious underwater.; 8/17/09, 7:57 AM