A Tennessee transit agency apologized and fired a part-time railway conductor after video spread online showing him celebrating Independence Day by calling the United States "the greatest country on the face of the planet" and telling anyone who disagreed they could leave.Local ABC affiliate WTVC NewsChannel 9 reported Monday that the part-time conductor was fired after a TikTok video posted by Nathan Scherer captured him saying, "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."In the video, a person can be heard responding, "Shut up." The part-time conductor was identified as Jack Peterson.MAMDANI BLASTS ICE AGENTS, ELON MUSK AND 'SUPREMACY' IN AMERICA 250 SPEECH AHEAD OF JULY 4 WEEKEND2020 model railcar of the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway at the lower station in Chattanooga, Tenn.
(Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)The Incline Railway, which first opened in 1887, is owned and operated by the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) and is a part of Lookout Mountain Attractions, was given the video and News 9 reported that a director at the Incline Railway "met with the employee that day and immediately fired him."In a statement shared by News 9, the company confirmed Peterson's dismissal.Scott Wilson, CARTA's chief of staff, was quoted as saying, "I want to apologize directly to the passengers who experienced this, and to everyone who has seen the video and felt its sting.It should never have happened."WISCONSIN TEACHER FIRED AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA POST ADVOCATING TO 'MAKE AMERICANS GREAT ASSASSINS AGAIN'"Have a Yankee Doodle Day" is another popular expression used on the Fourth of July.
(iStock)Wilson added, "We have zero tolerance for language that demeans or excludes anyone who rides with us.For 131 years, the Incline Railway has welcomed visitors from Chattanooga and from around the world....