Neither the Family Research Council nor Traditional Values Coalition was too thrilled to learn Amtrak, the government subsidized pain in the ass, was spending $250,000 to court LGBT consumers. Rachel Maddow has Kent Jones report on the disgusting practice of specifically targeting homosexual travelers.
off the rails
Family Research Council’s Reasonable Concerns Heteros Might Have to Wait In Line Behind Homos on Amtrak’s Cafe Car
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JohnnyTrue
I use AMTRAK frequently, as do other folks from the community. It’s great that they are doing this, just makes sense.
Syl
I wish the U.S. had a decent train system. In Europe it’s possible to get virtually anywhere by public transport, and (in Western Europe at least) it’s generally clean, safe, and timely. In France they have the TGV, and in Japan the maglev bullet trains, but in California, which would be by itself one of the top fifteen economies, we have rusting tracks which haven’t been in service for years, clunky trains with broken locks on the bathroom doors, and passenger trains have to share tracks with freight (and the freight trains have priority!).
The lack of decent public transport in this country, and the role of Big Auto and Big Oil in causing it, is the sort of real problem FRC should be raising a fuss about, not some stupid ad campaign. We exist, we’re a market, people want our money, effin’ deal with it.
Jem
Very funny video. Maybe I should start watching this show?
TommyOC
@Syl: You know, the one thing California does have, train-wise, is arguably THE most scenic Amtrak route in the country, the Coast Starlight.
A route I’m taking this Friday, from Los Angeles to Sacramento, the state capitol.
Upside: Pretty route. Don’t have to drive.
Downside: 13-hour trip. That’s 5-7 hours more than if I drove and 5 hours more than if I took the Thruway route the is half bus, half train, and goes through the decidedly less pretty central valley.
Good news for Californians, at least, is that two dedicated high-speed rail lines are currently in the planning stages. One to link Los Angeles with Sacramento – one which would put San Francisco ~45min on a connecting train – and another that links the greater Los Angeles with Vegas. Both would see train travel on the west coast explode, I feel.
Dawson
@Syl: The United States is not Europe. The reason we don’t have mass transport and trains in this country is they violate our desire for personal freedom. If you can’t even convince three family members not to take three different vehicles to the same location then what the hell makes you think you will convince thousands to use public transportation? In America, our car is an extension of our body, its just as needed and desired as our legs.
Dawson
Oh, and I wish that marketing research reflected the reality that is gay culture. We have more kids starving to death on the streets than we do living the up life with everyone else falling in between. The misnomer that gay men have more money is just ridiculous. There is no real way to get decent information and statistics since a lot of low/medium income gays/lesbians are relatively forced to stay in the closet in order to keep their jobs in 40+ states in this country.
L.
@Syl: You’re right about the get-everywhere, and mostly right about the timeliness and cleanliness.
However, apart from the (relatively few) dedicated high-speed lines in France and Spain, freight and people share tracks in Europe too.
That said, I agree the US would benefit from much better and faster trains.
(There are no MagLev trains in Japan, just HSLs. As far as I know, the only MagLev in actual public service is a line linking the new Shanghai airport to the underground system. It goes 267mph and what impressive is that it hardly feels like it’s moving at all. Germany built a demo line that is, I think, not in use, or just used as a theme-park transport.)
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@Syl:
@Dawson:
100% Co-Sign to both of you……In the US unless you live in a major metro city you are SOL if ya need to get somewhere other than a single point in a straight line between a N,S,W,E destination……..On Long Island they are currently discussing discontinuig the entire bus system…..At my company there are employees who must navigate a clusterfcuk of trains and buses to get to their job. Some travel 2 hours each way. Eliminate the buses and these folks are basically out of a job………..
Memo to the: Family Research Council and Traditional Values Coalition…….Amtrack is targeting you also! There are special ads that are only targeted towards you folks, they have a special anti-Gay message!!! However you need to be directley in front of the trains on the tracks to see them. Please as many of you that possibly can rush out to view those ads……. :-p
CaliberGuy
Oh boy I did not know I was rich I’m glad that FRC filled us all in on that! So when do I get all my rich gay money, I have some many things that it would come in handy for!!
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never really thought about taking a train anywhere, but this is making me rethink it. I hate flying.