It's A Precious Baby, And Sometimes You Gotta Speak Up
It happened on the Amtrak to New York City not long ago. Some golf friends of mine and I were heading to the Big Apple to celebrate a birthday. We were talking golf, telling stories about other friends and family, etc., and preparing for a wonderful afternoon and evening at the self-described oldest bar in New York City; the famous McSorley ’ s Old Ale House . We were having a great time...still on the train! And then... A young father stood rocking a stroller, gently trying to settle his baby. The child fussed—briefly, normally, as babies do. Then came the response from an older rider nearby: “ Are you kidding me ?” It wasn’t just irritation. It was something sharper— a sense that the child’s presence was an affront; that this small, ordinary scene of family life did not belong in that space. But a train is not a private sanctuary. It is shared civic ground. So, being the jack-ass that I can be at times, I said something...