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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Mass Transit Advocates Suffer Setback in Easton

Most of us look down our noses at people who ride the bus. They're full of the dregs of society and we might catch a disease or something if we get close to "those people." So we stick to our Ford Explorers.

Here's just part of the reason why Eric Snider won't take a bus anywhere.

I was sitting in the bus station, which was very large and almost empty, when a very unpleasant-looking man came in. He had a scroungy beard, dirty clothes, and he smelled like the shores of Lake Elsinore on a hot day. Naturally, he sat down next to me. There had been nothing in my demeanor or appearance to suggest that I wanted company, but he sat next to me anyway.

He said, "Are you going northwest?"

"No," I said. "Just north."

There was a pause, and then he said, "I got hit by a car yesterday."

That's when I decided to walk over to the mall and hang out there for a while. Call me a snob -- go ahead, do it now, I'll wait -- but any place where strangers frequently begin conversations by mentioning recent personal injuries is not a place at which I care to spend a great deal of time.
So he had a bad trip. I guess I upset him.

Boo hoo.

Now Snider and car snobs can now claim they've been right all along. A LANTA bus driver was recently punched six times in the face for telling an Easton passenger to take his feet off a seat. Although LANTA's Executive Director can recall no similar incident, a nitwit from Easton has just given us a little more reason to stay in our cars.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great description--really narrows the ID of the LANTA attacker.

Of course, any further details would be considered racism.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I've noticed that The Morning Call avoids identifying a criminal suspect by race. The Express Times never fails. In this case, the suspect is described as "black, between 20 and 25 years old, 5 feet 8 or 5 feet 9 inches tall and 165 pounds. He was wearing all black clothing."

When a suspect is at large, I think it aids in his apprehension if people know what he or she looks like. There's nothing remotely racist there. I think the Morniong Call has good intentions, but The Express Times has the better approach in reporting facts instead of censoring itself.

Anonymous said...

So I guess it is okay to use the phrase, "Threw him under the bus"?
Crime is everywhere, you are just as likely to get carjacked, the transit haters take every opportunity to bad mouth it. Maybe Eric snider should have exercised his 2nd amendment right and brandished a handgun in the face of the bum. that would of showed them!

Bernie O'Hare said...

Anon 6:05, You're absolutely right. But we've got that mindset. I have it myself, although I almost always have a pleasant conversation on a bus.

Anonymous said...

Thanxx for the data. The Morning Outhouse Stall is stuborn, if nothing else.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I don't agree w/ the MC's policy but I respect the paper and its motives are good. It's a very good paper, in my opinion. We're very lucky to have tow of them, although that may not last very long. Oftentimes, the press is the only friend that someone like you or me has. I've experienced that firsthand, and more than once. Take care.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Spike, They both stand for open and accountable government. That makes them pretty powerful allies to the citizen.

LVDem said...

All admit... it was me that did it but I thought bernie was the driver.

Damn you O'Hare. I'll get you next time!

Bernie O'Hare said...

You'll have to catch me first.