Discrimination?
Chief Tango sends this link from Tennessee, where a soldier claims that cab driver picked him up at the bus station in Nashville and then let him out a few blocks later because he’d been in the military;
[Allen] Pendley said Sunday afternoon he took a bus from Clarksville to Nashville after a weekend of training.
He was dressed in uniform standing outside the downtown Greyhound station trying to get a cab home.
“Before I could call one, a Yellow Cab pulled up and asked me if I needed a cab and I said yeah sure,” Pendley said.
But after only a few blocks Pendley said the questions started coming and it was obvious the cab driver didn’t like his answers.
“He asked me. He said ‘are you in the military?’ I said ‘yes sir I am.’ And then it got real quiet,” he recalled.
“Then when he pulled over he said get out of the cab.”
It sounds weird to me since Pendley was in uniform before he got in the cab. But the cab company says they’re investigating the incident and it may cost the cab driver his job.
In the video, Pendley says that he thinks the cab driver is Somali, but that he’s not sure.
In a related story, sent to us by ROS, Fox News reports that a veteran in Georgia who posted a picture of her Concealed Carry Weapon license on Facebook which resulted in her being banned from school property where her daughter attends;
Tanya Mount says she was approached by a police officer from the Richmond County Board of Education at McBean Elementary School and was warned that she was about to get a criminal trespass warning.
The officer told her that the principal at the school was “scared” of her and did not want her on the school property, she told the station.
“He asks: ‘Were you in the Army?,”‘ she said. “I said, yes. He’s like, ‘Do you have a concealed weapons permit?’ I said yes,” she told the station.
From the local news;
It’s a bit telling that the officer would ask her if she had been in the Army. I guess the principal has succumbed to the “scary vet” stories in the media. But, yeah, I wouldn’t post a picture of my CCW license on Facebook. The whole point of having a concealed weapon is that no one knows you have a weapon.
Category: Veterans Issues
And my question is: what the heck is going on in Georgia??? I lived there most of my life, and while I was there, it was never as gun-shy as some of the recent stories would have you believe. Did aliens land there, or something?
Clarksville to Nashville is one long cab ride. Something doesn’t smell right with this one.
Richmond County is Augusta. The small cities in GA have been going lib, Columbus/Muscogee County is not much different with regard to guns and concealed carry.
2/17 Air Cav: the article says he took a bus from Clarksville to Nashville after a “weekend of training”, then caught the cab outside the Nashville bus station. I’m guessing he/his family lives in Nashville and that he either is stationed at Fort Campbell or his USAR/ARNG unit trains there.
“[Allen] Pendley said Sunday afternoon he took a bus from Clarksville to Nashville after a weekend of training.”
@2 If you’re going to comment, Air Cav, you’re going to have to pay attention. Nobody’s taking a cab from Clarksville to Nashville.
Only a monkey would take the last train to Clarksville. 🙂
I was proud as can be when I got my CCW – more for standing up for my rights than anything else – but I believe the liberal media is trying to demonize gun owners and CCW people in particular, just like they have to religion, tea partiers and people who dont 100 percent support the gay agenda…
@6 RM3(SS)
ROFLOL ! ! !
What a zinger!
I wish I was smart enough to have thought that one up!
@2: Yeah, call me skeptical about #1. Unfortunately, victim-hood has become the new “in” thing and all sorts of people seem eager to throw themselves a pity party because of it. He was in uniform and the cabbie didn’t know he was in the military?
For that matter, he took a bus to drill and then a cab home? I guess that’s possible but in 11+ years in the Army Reserve and National Guard, I don’t recall anybody ever taking a bus to drill. If someone couldn’t make it because of transportation problems, they would either hitch a ride with someoene else or request an excused absence.
Seeing as how bus stations are not typically located within walking distance of most armories or reserve depots, you would be looking, at minimum, at a pricey cab ride at either end of a long bus ride. Maybe he lost his drivers license?
As for #2, how did the principal know what was on her FB anyway? Why would she be facebook friends with the school principal? And why would she post her CCW permit on FB? I’m not calling this one BS, but I am calling it a massive dose of stupid on her part, both for friending her kid’s school principal and for posting her CCW permit.
I’m also posting a :rolling eyes: at her trying to play the victim card.
@4. Okay, I misread. As for Clarksville and Nashville, I know (or knew) both. The 2/17 is at Fort Campbell.
@5. When was that rule instituted? I had no idea.
Both Dumbasses … Now that we have that settled.
This whiner needs to save his money buy a car and stop trying to pick a fight with the Somali guy (or whatever bad country he came from).
The second story … Two Words: Lawyer Up!
MCPO is a victim too.
I am afraid of spiders, clowns, the ghost of Christmas past and a recurring dream that includes my cell mate who has a strap on bilbo.
But I don’t talk about it …
Oh … Sorry!
A strap on Hobbit???
There is no Allen Pendley on AKO or DOD Whitepages, or any variation of the spelling. He may have been in the military before, but does appear to currently be. The video at the link shows a picture of Mr. Pendley in ACUs holding an M16A2. He has no rank on his ACU top or on his patrol cap, but has a combat patch (278th ACR) and an unidentifiable unit patch. The pic is in front of a plain white wall. My guess is that he was probably a member of the National Guard, but was disciplined, demoted and kicked out. Probably wearing the uniform to try and get a free ride.
I was wondering when anyone was going to bring up Davy Jones.
And why on earth are people so braindead that they post stuff like a CCW license in a public venue? That’s like demanding identity thieves to come after you. Why not add your bank account info and your driver’s license, too? And while you’re at it, let everyone know just how long it takes the cops to get to your house.
Ms. Mount – I don’t feel sorry for you if you’re that dumb.
Both of these stories have some airholes in them.
Country Singer: Yes, Richmond includes Augusta. Which makes this even more of a puzzle- Fort Gordon is located there, and that is NOT a small post. Home of the Signal Corps, (corpse?) MP’s school, and a large MI presence.
You’d think they’d not poke the bear…
AC? Must be something in the air this evening because I misread it the same way at first glance, then reread it correctly.
Both of these will be interesting to follow.
@17. Well, that’s nice of you to say so. You had be more careful in the company you keep!
You had to be? No, you HAVE to be!
@9 – It’s not out of the realm of possibility here in CO. It’s common for people to live up in the Cheyenne or Laramie area and commute to Denver so a commute to Buckley AFB or the Guard Armory in Denver wouldn’t be unusual. My son has unit members who commute from CO Springs, also not unusual and not that bad of a bus ride.
My husband’s PA is a medic with the Arizona Guard, which is quite the commute. I believe he flies.
Listne you here, A C, I doesn’t HAVE do tone nuffink!
Dogs and sailors stay off the grass.
Color me surprised.
Would have been nice if he refused to get out of the cab dared the driver to call the police and generate a police report to back up his claim.
Was in the 101st back in the seventies. Took many a bus ride from Fort Campbell/Clarksville to the Greyhound bus station in Nashville. It used to be on the corner of Commerce Street & 5th Avenue, right up the hill from the Grand Ole Oprey.
GI’s from Fort Campbell were bread & butter for Nashville cabbies. Times must have changed.
I gave both of these stories due consideration. I find some serious holes in both of them, because neither of them has the ‘makes sense’ aspect for me. Why doesn’t Pendley have some kind of paperwork backup, and why is there no record of his being in the service, per Faex’s post? Or is this someone just looking for attention?
And for Ms. Mount, why in the blue-eyed world would anyone with an ounce of common sense post her CCW license in a public forum like Facebook for the entire world to see, do the ‘friend’ thing with the principal of that school, and then claim that the po-po told her she wasn’t allowed at her kid’s school because she has a gun? IN A GUN-FRIENDLY STATE? And since when does the Board of Education have police officers?
I don’t buy either of these stories. In re: the first one, haven’t we seen enough SV posers claiming this and that and getting sympathy, only to be exposed as lying asses? Remember that so-called Vietnam vet who beat up a guy on the bus? The whole thing was BS from the get-go.
I don’t buy either this Pendley’s story, or Mount’s story.
RCPS has uniformed armed officers. I should know, I live across the river from them. They hold full police authority and can and do make arrest and issue tickets for traffic and criminal incidents. Most of them are decent but some are dicks. Augusta is NOT a conservative area, their mayor is a prancing weenie who spends more time training for the Augusta Ironman that doing anything else and is mostly poor. Get out into the suburbs and countryside and things are back to normal with regards to guns. Georgia is also allow open carry if you have a CCW if I remember right. The principal in question has a history of anti-gun activism as well according to people in the district.
The area is mostly poor, sorry for the typo there. Cat trying to make me pet her.
@22: That “dogs and sailors” thing is an urban legend that no one has ever been able to verify. There are lots of tales, but no solid evidence. http://www.snopes.com/military/keepoff.asp
#3, you’re right… places in GA going pinko (Hotlanta rubbin’ off)– school folk hate guns/self-defense and military, cops get the fat pensions/bennies from lib city gov’t and don’t serve themselves any more. You do the Math.
@14: His FB page has some open content. One of those things is a picture of an acceptance letter to Murray State addressed to “Roy.” AKO does list a Roy Gene Pendley, as his nickname must be Allen. He’s an E-1/PVT, and his unit is out of Paducah, KY. Not sure why they’d be drilling at Fort Campbell, but anything is possible, I guess.
As an addendum, one of his “AKO badges” is for five to nine years of AKO membership. Do the math as to how he became an E-1. @14 may have hit the nail on the head.
EX PH2 schools have BOE PD, its a common thing. like a school resource officer- dedicated to the district. Bryan County is not as busy as Chatham or Effingham County.
OK, I’ll accept the PS school cops, but Chicago PD cops patrol Chicago public schools as needed. But the rest of Mount’s claim is odd. As someone else said, the entire point to a CCW license is to not tell anyone you are carrying. She makes herself into a target by posting it.
First, it isn’t a CCW in Georgia. It is a Georgia Weapons Carry License and it authorizes the licensee to carry either open or concealed. You can’t do either in Georgia without a GWL. Second, I agree it may not have been the smartest thing to do, but all it really signifies is the holder has passed a rigorous background check, probably more rigorous than the principle had to pass for his job. I would sue the bejesus out of the principle and school district.
1) That lady is a complete nitwit. The idea behind a CCW is that no-one knows you have one. What is her point to posting it?
2) Does she have no idea what posting all of her private data on a public Forum like FB might and probably will do? FRAUD ANYONE?
3) The school principal is wrong and should be pushed to the wall on this by lawsuit if necessary.
jonp: yeah, I’m doing the head scratch over the “criminal trespass” threat from the officer. Last time I checked, public schools are public property. If the lady has business there – or just wants to see the facilities where her children are going to school – so long as she leaves her weapon at home I don’t see any valid legal basis for denying her entry to the property.
I don’t think “I don’t like you/your politics” is sufficient reason for a government official (e.g., the principal) to bar anyone from public property. And maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see any bona fide threat here that would justify doing so.
@28–very true, aside from anecdotally. However, the SENTIMENT remains, and that can’t be denied.
I remember one time I was TAD to Pearl (while I was on tender) in the early 90’s and tried to get a cab from Pearl City to the Subase (about a 10-minute ride.)
NONE of the cabs I called would pick me up. NONE. ZERO. None of them wanted to go on base. None would even drop me off at the gate. Fortunately, the bus was still running, so no worries there.
Ask how many places both here and abroad are off-limits around any major military base. Ask yourself why.
John R: weapons qual or NBC fam might explain the unit drilling at Campbell – his unit is only about 80 miles away from Campbell, and Campbell has all of the appropriate ranges for that. I’d guess they use Campbell for that kind of stuff.
As for his rank – the 2113th Trans apparently returned from deployment in 2010. Could be a post deployment screw-up, or maybe he stepped on him dork really hard while deployed and still hasn’t convinced his chain-of-command to promote him beyond E1. Article says he’s been ARNG for 6 years, so he probably has 2 years to go on his enlistment.
It’s also possible his rank is incorrect in AKO. That’s not unheard of, especially on the USAR/ARNG side.
Or maybe the guy just doesn’t want to bother with any new patches, so he figures he’ll just ETS at the same grade he held when he came in. (smile)
John R: true, no photographic evidence seems to exist today. But there are too many purported eyewitness accounts for me to believe that infamous sign was nothing but an “urban legend”.
A ship to which my late dad was assigned was based out of NNS for a while during World War II. He had absolutely nothing good to say about the place or the area. (Having lived in the area myself for several years at one point, I understand why.) And I’m not positive, but I think my dad mentioned seeing such a sign himself to me on one occasion. Unfortunately, he’s no longer around to question about the matter.
“Dogs and Sailors Keep Off the Grass” was an attitude not a sign on someone’s grass. The attitude was perpetuated by senior ranking Naval Officers who did not allow Sailors to leave ships and stations in civilian clothes. So on occassion drunken Sailors would be seen, these sightings were then used to further punish Sailors and often a senior ranking officer would say, “it is so bad (drunken behavior), in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, there are signs that say, SAILORS AND DOGS – KEEP OFF THE GRASS.”
Never is a million years, would such a sign ever have been used to insult the very institution that built those towns.
Any other questions?
Carry on!
Just like the sailors paid in $2 bills was a myth, the SENTIMENT that in a lot of areas, were it not for the Navy, the surrounding area would pretty much dry up and blow away.
Don’t believe me? Ask the folks in North Chicago what they’d do if RTC/NTC closed. Or Groton, Guam, Norfolk, Pearl, Portsmouth, etc.
@40 I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s correct. My mother saw the signs in Savannah, GA during the war. I found one for sale on eBay, but had to copy the image and send it to Jonn, as I couldn’t get the link to post (being technically challenged). I suppose it’s possible the sign I found is faked, but the font appears correct for the time period.
@37, I know there is a bar in Fairbanks that has a sign on the door that says no Soldiers allowed, or at least it did back in 2008.
@43–owing more to cultural norms than anything against sailors per se, it kinda hit me the first time I was in Japan how many places had “Japanese only” on signs out front.
Admittedly I have less experience than many who post here, but I always saw an inverse relationship: if the adjacent town wa stotally dependent on the military base they hated it. The less the town depended on the military, the more tolerant they were.
@ David. What third world nation are you blogging from?
Your English is very good!
Sorry things are that bad in your country!
@ NH. That is a no shitter. I was known to wonder off and in Japan I did the same thing. I ended up in a small quite place.
The waitress said, “so sorry, we only serve traditional Japaneze food here.” Her accent was exactly as I thought it would be from all the 1940’s Bugs Bunny episodes I memorized which helped me develop my world view as distaint for all things German and Japaneze.
Anyway with my quick mind and sharp tounge I said in my best Japaneze accent, “oh, so that is what I want, tradional Japaneze food … And keep the beer coming.”
MCPO – Texas!
David – such has also been my experience.
Oh … I love Texas!