As an addendum to my previous post, here is a petition for McDonald's to change their anti-discrimination policy.

McDonald's Petition

Signed.

The problem is that all the training and all the laws in the world won''t stop these incidents from happening. It is against the law to commit assault, but that didn't stop the two assailants in this case from viciously attacking one woman and punching another in the face. Murder is against the law too but there have been two shootings inside McDonald's restaurants this week alone. We have laws. What we need is enforcement.

IMHO, what's required here is security staff. That's the only thing that will protect customers and employees from the escalating violence in fast food restaurants, particularly McDonald's. Nightclubs and shopping malls provide security staff for the safety of their customers and I personally think other places of business that have known security issues need to do the same. Some McDonald's in the UK employ bouncers, so why aren't they doing it here?

IMO, the only thing that is going to make McDonald's do the right thing is pressure from people like us. It's time for McDonald's to stop issuing press statements about how important the safety of their customers and employees is to them and start doing something about it. I realize that security staff isn't cheap, but it will be a lot less expensive than huge cash settlements paid out to victims like Ms. Polis and Ms. Thoms.

BTW: I KEEP getting this same response, whether I'm talking to a live person or contacting them by email. It's the same one they keep running in all the news stories. Grrrr!

"Thank you for sharing your comments with McDonald's and for giving us an opportunity to share some information with you.

There's no room for violence under the Golden Arches. We strongly condemn the videotaped assault in one of our Baltimore franchised restaurants. Working with the authorities, we now have more facts, and we want to share our actions with you.

First and foremost, our thoughts are with the victim during this time.

Our franchisee is investigating the behavior and response of his employees. Action has been taken, and the crew member who made the video is no longer employed by his organization. Appropriate action regarding other employees will take place as warranted.

We want to reassure our customers that your neighborhood McDonald's is a safe, welcoming place for everyone. We share our customers' concern, and we are doing everything possible to make sure the right thing is done.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald's."

McDonald's Customer Response Center

Empty words!!! Why haven't they fired the manager on duty who completely failed to follow corporate policy? My understanding is that managers are supposed to call 911 at the first hint of trouble, eject the trouble makers immediately if possible and then lock the door behind them and wait for the police to arrive. Instead, they didn't call the police until at least 10 minutes into the attack (the length of the entire video clip) and they failed to lock the doors behind the assailants when they left the first time. Instead, they allowed the assailants to reenter and continue abusing Ms. Polis and to punch Ms. Thoms. Even worse, the manager and another employee warn the attackers to flee because the police are on their way instead of helping the convulsing woman on the floor.

So why hasn't this manager been fired? What about the employee who appears to steal something that falls out of Ms. Polis' purse during the attack?

Sorry, everyone. I am just beside myself over this whole thing.

Karen, very excellent blog there.

KK, the whole thing is absolutely disgusting. Thanks for signing the petition.

Great blog!

No problem. BA. Glad to do it. It's good to know someone else is disgusted by this incident, too.

Meh…I keep trying to give a d@mn and suprisingly, I don't. Never had to work a day in their lives and let's be honest….any manual labor or REAL work ever done was for a photo op. Of course it's wonderful how they're so philanthropic…they can afford to be, what else do they have to do with their time? If they want to impress me LET THEM go out in the open market w/out family influence and attempt to land a job, worry about a mortgage and PAY THE OUTRAGEOUS taxes those folks pay over there. Just not feeling it and in all fairness, wasn't so thrilled about Chuck and Di either back in the day. It must be wonderful that the highest goal in this twit's life is to be able to procreate…great work if you can get it.

Sorry to be a bummer, but when I'm sitting here worrying about medical issues, bills, holding on to my job etc I can't get swept up into this ridiculous fantasy world the media is just ramming down our throats instead of concentrating on the real issues going on around us. How 'bout those poor folks down south where entire towns are GONE? The ongoing suffering in Japan? Will and Kate…I can't relate…check my entry in the last thread…you know me….mincing words

Osama Bin Laden is DEAD!!

News Link

Wow, I hope this is true! Maybe we've cut the head off the snake now.

Is his name now Osama Been Laden?

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Too soon? If the circumstances of his final moments are true (and I'm hoping they are) it confirms what I always thought about him and people of his ilk….coward.

Hi Monk!

Not too soon at all, IMHO. It's about bloody time that this guy was eliminated. Personally, I'd love to see his head on a pike and his body paraded in the street, but we are civilized people so I guess that would be a bad thing to do. I'm very glad that they buried him at sea, though. At least his gravesite won't become a shrine now. Seeing images of people crowding around his grave would make me sick to my stomach.

Isn't it just typical that this jerk pretended to be living in a cave, existing on bread and water and asking all of his followers to do the same when he's really been living luxuriously for the past six years? If that doesn't throw some cold water on his many admirers, nothing will.

Of course he's a coward! He hid while his followers went out and did his dirty work. How many people has he sent to their deaths over the years? How many people, mostly muslim, has he murdered by proxy?

I sincerely hope that there's a Hell and that he's in the hottest part of it.

Nay Seals Rock!!! They should be able to collect the reward on this guy's head IMO.

Did they say how long he lived in that compound?

I THINK I heard that he was there for a couple of years. Don't take my word for it, there's so much info coming in from all over the place it's hard to draw a bead on what's really gone/going on with all this. I like how the former Pakistani President, Musharef is talking all this GAR-bage about how it was wrong to not include Pakistan in the efforts leading up to the strike, yeah right, so you can alert him so he can get away again?! He's all like it's wrong blah blah blah YET he claims it's a huge victory for the Pakistani people as OBL declared war on Pakistan as well. You can't have it both ways putz, typical politician, talking out of both sides of his mouth. How long did they have to get him? OBL was living less then a mile from the front gates of the Pakistani version of West Point Military Academy and they still couldn't figure out where he was…promising future for those guys eh?

Couple of other points I'd like to bring up…

1) I'm tired of hearing how it was disrespectful to bury him at sea, I'm sorry, when did they become the authorities on NOT desecrating the remains of the dead? Hypocrites. My only concern is that his remains will contaminate the aquatic life worse then the radiation leaking from Japan into the ocean. Couple of upsides however, they can't enshrine his body and now he IS OFFICIALLY lower then whale shite!

2) Can we PLEASE get some better military contractors/vendors who can supply equipment that's not falling part? These Blackhawk helicopters don't seem to be all that great.

3) Tell me the look on Hilary Clinton's face in the Situation Room during the live feed of the strike was not priceless.

4) I'm saddened that they didn't level the place so that a shrine to him isn't created there, at the very least they should set up charges that can be detonated remotely just in case some other knucklehead sets up a base there.