This past weekend, a part-time conductor in Chattanooga, Tennessee found out exactly how steep that price can be.
Jack Peterson had been working the Incline Railway — a historic attraction climbing Lookout Mountain that’s been running for more than a century — when he picked up the microphone on Independence Day and did something apparently unforgivable. He wished his passengers a happy Fourth of July and told them they were riding through the greatest country on the planet.
From Fox News:
“To the very, very few Americans in here, happy Independence Day. To the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet, and if you disagree, you can leave.”
A passenger told him to shut up, and another filmed it for TikTok, tagging the clip with “racism” and “xenophobia.” The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority fired Peterson that same day.
CARTA’s chief of staff issued an apology “to the passengers who experienced this, and to everyone who has seen the video and felt its sting.” He then added — and I promise I’m not making this up — that CARTA “certainly agrees this is the greatest country on the face of the planet.”
Read that again. They fired a man for saying exactly what they claim to believe.
The passenger who posted the TikTok told Fox News he “did not intend to get Mr. Peterson fired” and hopes he gets his job back. His father, who filed the original complaint, said he was embarrassed — not by the country, mind you, but by a man celebrating it in front of his granddaughter.
Imagine having to explain to your grandchild why loving America is something to be ashamed of. What a lesson to pass down, right?
The hashtags told you everything you needed to know. Not “rude.” Not “unprofessional.” Racism. Xenophobia. That’s what loving your country out loud gets labeled now. I’ll let Peterson speak for himself:
“What has this country come to when someone can get fired on Independence Day for a patriotic statement?”
He’s since started a GoFundMe and received an outpouring of support, because most Americans heard what he said and nodded along. He said what they were already thinking.
This isn’t really about one conductor on a mountain railway. It’s about what we’re telling people when we punish someone for pride of country. Keep quiet. Don’t make waves. Love America if you must, but for heaven’s sake, don’t say it where anyone can hear you.
And if that’s the message, then what exactly are we celebrating on the Fourth? The most dangerous thing about Independence Day used to be fireworks. Now it’s a microphone.
Sources: Fox News, MSN.com, Daily Wire
