MALIBU—On July 4, Gene Simmons, co-founder of the 70s rock band Kiss, gave a patriotic message during his concert in Milwaukee, WI. The Gene Simmons Band is a solo band that features a group of rotating, skilled musicians. Simmons took a moment to speak to fellow immigrants.
In his profanity-laced style of speaking, Simmons called the United States, “The greatest effing country on the planet. I myself am an immigrant, but a legal one. You wait in line, you respect the country, you respect the laws, and you become a citizen of the United States of America…And if you don’t like America, please go back to where you effing came from. Politicians talk the talk, but veterans put their lives out there. All gave some, some gave all. Don’t forget.”
Over 2,000 miles away in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, Jack Peterson, a train conductor at a historical attraction, lost his job after giving a similar message to passengers he welcomed them to the railway. Footage of the conductor’s message was recorded and made into a TikTok video with 530K views by the time he was fired.
“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,” Peterson stated.
Passengers took offense to the conductor’s message and told him to “shut up.”
Others posted comments on social media, accusing Peterson of racism and xenophobia.
Incline Railroad fired Peterson. A GoFundMe for Peterson after he lost his job. Simmons is an immigrant from Israel. His mother was originally from Hungary. She survived concentration camps during the Holocaust and came to the United States with a young, Gene. Simmons speaks about how his mother persevered when they immigrated to the U.S. legally as depicted on his website. He and his wife, Sharon Tweed, now live in Malibu.
