Train Conductor Fired For Saying America is Greatest Nation on Earth
A patriotic train conductor was fired after he was accused of making xenophobic remarks onboard a Chattanooga Incline Railway ride on the Fourth of July. Be sure to click here to get my conservative and Christian news alerts delivered to your inbox.
“To the very, very few Americans in here, happy Independence Day,” the conductor said over the public address system. “To the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet and if you disagree, you can leave.”
An angry passenger wearing an anti-ICE shirt filmed the conductor’s remarks and posted them on his TikTok page. Watch video below.
Nathan Scherer told NewsChannel 9 that he was the one who posted the video and labeled the conductor’s comments with hashtags like “racism” and “xenophobia.”
The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority said the conductor, who had been a part-time seasonal employee, had been fired. And they also said the man would never again be employed to work for the railway.
“I want to apologize directly to the passengers who experienced this and to everyone who has seen the video and felt its sting,” read a statement from CARTA. “It should never have happened.”
“We have zero tolerance for language that demeans or excludes anyone who rides with us,” the statement continued. “For 131 years the Incline Railway has welcomed visitors from Chattanooga and from around the world. Every passenger who boards our railway deserves to feel respected and welcome, and we are committed to making sure that is always the case.”
Newschannel9 identified the conductor as Jack Peterson. He provided a statement to the television station defending his comments.
“I’m very patriotic,” he said. “It was the USA’s Independence Day.”
“I truly do believe we are the greatest country on earth,” he added. “My statement about if you don’t like the country and don’t believe we are the best, then you can leave – is a freedom of the USA that many other countries do not have.”
He told the television station that what he said is not racist nor is it xenophobic.
“If you don’t believe in making this country better, then why are you here,” he said.
It’s a fair point that the ex-train conductor made. And I’m still struggling to understand what was racist or offensive about what he told the passengers on board the train.
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