It helps to have friends in high places

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December 9th, 2012 · 42 comments

Writes Rob in Brighton: “We live on a middle-class urban street with too many cars and people who think they have a God-given right to a place. Sometimes people push their luck and make life difficult for others with their parking, and hilarity ensues.” One Sunday, Father Kevin even got in on the action…followed by his boss.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina…

related: Your car has been “baptized”

FILED UNDER: Jesus · parking · U.K.

42 responses so far ↓

#1 BEth

I love how the meanie pants note is in a clear sleeve! That is soooo church lady! Or in this case, church man. What a putz.

Dec 9, 2012 at 4:55 pm rating: 90

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- #1.1 Roto13
  
  The note in the sleeve isn’t mean. It’s stern. And rightfully so.
  
  Dec 9, 2012 at 5:09 pm rating: 90
- #1.2 George P
  
  Putz? There was nothing mean in his note.
  
  He was being nice. What he should have done was call the police and have the car towed. It’s illegal to park in front of an entrance.
  
  Dec 9, 2012 at 5:12 pm rating: 90
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#2 joshua

Does Fr. Kevin actually need his sign so often that it’s in a little plastic sheath?

Dec 9, 2012 at 4:56 pm rating: 90

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- #2.1 Siobhan
  
  I thought it was so it didn’t get wet if it rained?
  
  Dec 9, 2012 at 5:01 pm rating: 90
- #2.2 kermit
  
  I don’t think God wants to get in the middle of this by baptizing his car with rain.
  
  I think he used a sheet protector so that his paper won’t be sullied by the sinner’s car.
  
  Dec 9, 2012 at 5:22 pm rating: 90
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#3 Beth

Putzy and Snarky.

Dec 9, 2012 at 5:15 pm rating: 90

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- #3.1 JollyWho
  
  How is it putzy or snarky? This car owner should be darn lucky that the cops weren’t called and/or the car towed. What the car did was not only rude, but also in violation of a few laws!
  
  Dec 9, 2012 at 7:44 pm rating: 90
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#4 Pete

The “jesus” guy needs to grow a pair!

Dec 9, 2012 at 5:37 pm rating: 90

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#5 Wendy

Not really seeing the “passive” in this passive-aggresive note. Nor any unjustified sternness. Better PA notes, please!

Dec 9, 2012 at 5:50 pm rating: 90

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- #5.1 JT
  
  “funny (if not necessarily “passive-aggressive”) notes from pissed-off people”
  
  Dec 9, 2012 at 6:53 pm rating: 90
- #5.2 sioux
  
  Really? A letter of forgiveness from Jesus isn’t PA? Jesus wept!
  
  Dec 9, 2012 at 11:57 pm rating: 90
- #5.3 H for Toy
  
  Apparently Jesus, and the name-caller on the right both thought Fr. Kevin wasn’t PA enough.
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 9:24 am rating: 90
- #5.4 My name is Princess!
  
  Note bullying is a form of P.A. in my opinion. There is a rule that you shall not complain about the lack of Passive aggressiveness in a submitted note unless you have submitted such a note yourself. But no worries. Jesus loves you and you are forgiven.
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 10:57 am rating: 90
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#6 Jorge Barnes

Kerry, I don’t get it. Why did you post this one? This isn’t about a note-writer with a false sense of entitlement getting mad at someone for taking “the spot I always park in” or even parking in front of someone’s house.

You can’t block a driveway/entrance, plain and simple.

Dec 9, 2012 at 9:44 pm rating: 90

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- #6.1 sioux
  
  Sure, the note in the sleeve is pretty generous given that the car should be towed but if ‘You are forgiven, love Jesus’ isn’t the definition of P.A. then I don’t know what is.
  
  Dec 9, 2012 at 11:45 pm rating: 90
- #6.2 SeeYouInTea
  
  You have read the website’s tagline, no?
  
  Just in case you haven’t, I’ll type it down here for you to easily read.
  
  “funny (if not necessarily “passive-aggressive”) notes from pissed-off people”
  
  The more you know!
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 12:11 am rating: 90
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#7 TRT

Jesus* has cleared the path for the righteous; Hallelujah!

*Jesus is the name of my tow truck.

Dec 10, 2012 at 4:24 am rating: 90

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- #7.1 Cake
  
  If this ^ doesn’t make WOTD tomorrow I’ll weep just like Jesus.
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 1:10 pm rating: 90
- #7.2 H for Toy
  
  Are you ok with it making WOTD today?
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 3:51 pm rating: 90
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#8 kitten

As for the kitten one:

the world is better off with less kittens running around free in parking places

indoor/outdoor cat wank: 3… 2…1…

Dec 10, 2012 at 7:57 am rating: 90

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- #8.1 The Elf
  
  No, as a cat owner, I’d agree. There are too many feral kittens in the world.
  
  Dec 11, 2012 at 6:38 am rating: 90
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#9 redheadwglasses

For the first time in my adult life (i’m 44), I don’t have a garage. : ( We got a foot of snow yesterday her e in the Twin Cities.

I shoveled five times yesterday (heavy, wet stuff), cleared my car off three times, shoveled under and around my car, all so when it was time to go to work in the morning, I”d have as little to do as possible.

And I’m already annoyed by the fact that when I get home from work, some dillhole will have parked in my cleared-out spot.

What I wouldn’t give for “dibs”!

Dec 10, 2012 at 12:24 pm rating: 90

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- #9.1 kermit
  
  Don’t all snow-bound states have some rule on snowstorm days which allows you to claim dibs on a parking spot you cleared? Because if not, they definitely should.
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 1:23 pm rating: 90
- #9.2 NonnyMus
  
  The way it is supposed to work is people move their cars off the street during a snow emergency so snowplows can plow the whole street. After the snow emergency is over, people can park on the street again.
  
  What actually happens is that people don’t move their cars, they get plowed in by the snow plows, they spend time digging out their car, then think they own that spot.
  
  Town and city responses vary. Some cities, such as Boston, have tried removing the chairs, cones, crates and other markers of “ownership” with varying success. Other towns and cities just leave the junk and let neighbors work it out.
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 2:29 pm rating: 90
- #9.3 tpgal
  
  The move your car off the street rule seems reasonable, but where are you supposed to put it – in your kitchen?
  
  Thankfully, I live in Seattle where we don’t get snow, but the infrequent ice storms make things exciting.
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 2:37 pm rating: 90
- #9.4 Poltergeist
  
  I can understand the frustration of doing all that backbreaking work and not being guaranteed a spot, but it’s still a public street. If I shovel the sidewalk up and down the street, do I suddenly own it for the day and get to dictate who can use it? No.
  
  It’s like getting angry at somebody for buying the last Thanksgiving turkey. Does it suck and do you have a right to be frustrated? Sure, but don’t get angry at the person who took it. You didn’t own the turkey, so they had just as much right to buy it.
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 6:11 pm rating: 90
- #9.5 redheadwglasses
  
  I got home last night from running errands after work, and my street had been plowed curb to curb. Nice job, City of St. Paul!
  
  Dec 11, 2012 at 12:23 pm rating: 90
- #9.6 redheadwglasses
  
  Also, I’d say it’s nothing like the turkey analogy.
  
  And I never said I was angry. Merely annoyed.
  
  Dec 11, 2012 at 12:23 pm rating: 90
- #9.7 gladB
  
  I’d like to add that I gave thumbs up for shoveling and St. Paul plowing. I shoveled so much yesterday and Sunday that my back is killing me.
  
  Dec 11, 2012 at 4:58 pm rating: 90
- #9.8 Poltergeist
  
  I think the analogy is fine. It’s something that you want, but you don’t own it, so you really have no right to be annoyed at the other person who took it.
  
  Dec 11, 2012 at 6:00 pm rating: 90
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#10 tpgal

Jesus should tow and THEN save.

Dec 10, 2012 at 2:34 pm rating: 90

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- #10.1 infanttyrone
  
  So, is the impound lot something like Purgatory ?
  Is the fine you pay to get your car released something like an indulgence ?
  If this problem were around in Martin Luther’s time would he have needed more pages or a smaller font ?
  
  If you got tow truck problems, then I feel for you son,
  I got 95 theses but illegal parking ain’t one.
  
  Dec 11, 2012 at 1:11 pm rating: 90
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#11 So

I used to live in Brighton.
Just to clear a few things up:
The Jesus forgives you note is Brighton humour, its a city rather like San Francisco, that is just someone seeing an opportunity for a joke.
As for getting someone towed for bad parking, I don’t think it works like that here. As far as I know it is against the highway code, but thats not the law. It is illegal to stop someone accessing the road but not accessing their property.

Dec 10, 2012 at 4:57 pm rating: 90

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- #11.1 Poltergeist
  
  Uh, the cars that are already in the church parking lot *are* being prevented from accessing the road.
  I can’t imagine that blocking the entrance to anything would be legal anywhere.
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 6:29 pm rating: 90
- #11.2 Jami
  
  Wouldn’t blocking the entrance be seen as a safety hazard? That’s how it is here. You’re not even allowed to block your OWN driveway incase the fire department or paramedics have to be called in.
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 9:46 pm rating: 90
- #11.3 So
  
  In the UK it is only against the law to prevent cars accessing the highway. If there were cars in the car park that couldn’t get onto the road then the law is being broken. However if there are no cars parked there, you are breaking no law. This assumes that the entrance to the car park crosses the pavement.
  
  Dec 11, 2012 at 2:34 pm rating: 90
- #11.4 Poltergeist
  
  Well that’s complete idiocy.
  
  Dec 11, 2012 at 6:02 pm rating: 90
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#12 juju_skittles

Jesus saves. He passes to Moses, who shoots – he scores!
(I didn’t make this up – it’s on my kid’s t-shirt, so it must be true.)

Dec 10, 2012 at 7:54 pm rating: 90

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- #12.1 Jami
  
  Jesus saves, but Moses invests!
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 9:47 pm rating: 90
- #12.2 DaveGI
  
  Jesus Saves!
  
  Everyone else rolls for damage.
  
  Dec 11, 2012 at 3:59 pm rating: 90
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#13 So

STOP THE INTERNET.

I have found the church in question, further to my earlier post where it is not illegal to block a driveway if there is no car parked there, you can see from this picture that there are double yellow lines which the car was parked on illegally.
Link to the car park here: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=church+of+the+sacred+heart+hove&hl=en&ll=50.829822,-0.171533&spn=0.004032,0.011083&sll=50.829748,-0.170700&layer=c&cid=1638591674357768602&cbp=13,70.63,,0,-0.2&cbll=50.829725,-0.171583&hq=church+of+the+sacred+heart+hove&t=h&z=17&panoid=CDnRfRuk9uJizI84RT0HVw

Dec 11, 2012 at 3:44 pm rating: 90

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