Saturday, May 12, 2007

An Atheist’s Prayer on the A train


My latest column on GetUnderground has received responses from the faithful and fellow atheist. Most amusing so far have been the semi-literate ramblings of a Muslim, or an Internet troll posing as one. I also suspect that one of the comments from my column, the comment that is the most well-written and interesting, has come from a relative.

Religious zealots are actually one of the less offensive aspects of riding the A train. The worst thing about the A train is that its part of a horribly run subway system. The real villain of my column is the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) of New York, which is managed by overpaid, ignorant bureaucrats and operated by shiftless layabouts.

The A train has been my main subway line since I moved back to New York City almost 10 years ago. At first I lived near the Rockaway Blvd. stop on the A train in Ozone Park, Queens. About six years ago I moved to Inwood, in uptown Manhattan, also on the A line. The Straphangers organization don’t give the A train the worst ratings, which speaks volumes about the state of transportation in the city.