Mamamontezz's Mental Rumpus Room

An open letter to Greyhound Bus Lines

A young Marine was denied his seat on a Greyhound bus, and he and his family believe it had everything to do with the fact that he was in full uniform when he tried to board the bus.

This situation bites on so may levels, I may get rabies! And it isn't easy to get rabies from a Greyhound.

To begin with, who was that driver and what in the world was going through his mind when he did this? I personally think the answer is quite obvious. This driver is a bigot, an anti-military bigot. And don't you go telling me that the only valid definition of "bigot" involves race, because I'll call BS on that so fast it will make your head explode.

This driver may have seen this as some act of defiance and protest against the war or the President or goodness only knows what. All it truly did was unmask his personal bigotry and hatred for what this young man represented during a time when others just like him are putting their lives on the line ever day. If he wanted to protest, he could have worn a button or stood on some street corner with a sign on his own time and not while on the clock for your company.

Don't try to give me some lame excuse or cooked up reason for this either, Greyhound, because I'm simply not buying it. Look into it, take appropriate and severe action against the responsible party or parties, and issue an apology to this young Marine and to all military personnel who may have been disrespected by this clown in the past but who sucked it up and let it go to keep the peace. This kind of behavior is seldom an isolated event, but almost always part of an established pattern of intolerant behavior.

These young men and women have dedicated their lives to this country. They do this for every single person who lives within this country, regardless of their outward appearance, beliefs, citizenship status or socio-economic level. They do it for nuns, school children, little old ladies who play bridge on Tuesdays, and yes, for Greyhound Bus Drivers. Marines, and for that matter all other service members, do this out of duty, out of honor, out of the knowledge that what they do is right. It certainly isn't the pay or the perks.

When they buy their ticket to use your service, they should be able to expect a level of service and respect no less than that afforded any other person who rides the bus.

If you at the Greyhound front offices don't make this better, and I do mean immensely better and quickly, I hope there's backlash of biblical proportions.

Posted by Mamamontezz at August 13, 2004 05:09 PM