Amtrak, Concerned Citizens, and Free Speech

Every once in a while, I take Amtrak from New York to Baltimore or Washington. I like Amtrak because, unlike Greyhound, it's comfortable and there are rarely crying babies and it doesn't smell like fried chicken and it's shorter and I can plug in my computer and watch a movie. All good things.

 

(The astronomical price is not so good, but that's a story for another day.)

 

But the last two times I took Amtrak I ended up on the quiet car. Now, I never wanted to be on the quiet car. I want to be able to talk--quietly and briefly--on my phone. I think quiet cars are a violation of free speech. Or something. But I was in the quiet car and so I tried to refrain. But when I did pick up my phone and spoke VERY quietly on it for just a few minutes, I got yelled at by a "concerned citizen." Puh-lease.

 

So, anyhow, I really enjoyed the fact that this guy was arrested and stood trial for being really annoying to LIRR riders in his pursuit of a quiet train ride. Take that, you silence lovers.

 

(Also, who loves the fact that lirr.com, which is the Web site for the Long Island Rod & Reel Company, contains a link at the very top of its page for the LIRR? It's the best way to get to the LIRR Web site.)