|
Sunday, Feb. 02, 2003 / 7:37 p.m. ~I'm Afraid I Doubt Your Misplaced Compassion~ I'm a bit shocked at the outpouring of sadness and grief regarding the deaths of the 7 Columbia shuttle astronauts yesterday. This doesn't mean I didn't come close to crying as I watched the display of group photos of the now famous 7, but it means I'm surprised that so many people, people who didn't even know they were up in the air in the first place, are now racked with grief. Those 7 people were doing exactly what they wanted to be doing. They had everything, families, love, money, careers, and a potentially very dangerous spot on a potentially very dangerous flight to and from outer space. Doing what? Testing what? Do YOU know what they were doing out there? Do you care? Did you watch them take off on the 16th? Did you know it was the 16th that they left? Was it? Did you know their names or anything else about them until yesterday? Why are you so sad? What better way to go than QUICKLY, in a grand explosion, doing exactly what you want to be doing??? Why not mourn the children who are starving in Iraq? Why not mourn the Palestinians run out of their homes? Why not mourn your own fellow U.S. citizens dying of AIDS? Knowing that Bush has proposed sending BILLIONS of dollars in funds to help AFRICAN AIDS patients. What about the people dying of AIDS in THIS country? Who else died yesterday? Have you checked? Do you care? Are you that swayed by drama, by ACTION, by big EXPLOSIONS, that you cannot see anything less? That your heart cannot feel for the quieter deaths? I'm disgusted that this event gets more attention than it deserves. I'm with Roadiepig on this one: "Every time one of these flights takes off or lands, they are taking a huge risk of not coming home alive. Every astronaut involved in these flights knows they risk becoming another piece of space debris if things go wrong. With all of the problems we have with the economy, this money could be put to better uses than playing with rockets." It's not to say that neither of us feels sadness for the families left behind, of course we do, of course our hearts go out to the families, the children, but I see it for what it was. A calculated risk taken by people doing something they loved. It's always a possibility they won't make it back in one piece. I say direct your compassion somewhere it's needed. Why not make an effort to try to prevent a war? Why not try to prevent the killing of millions of innocent people? Do you know that water and sanitation systems will be prime targets in the war on Iraq? It's already being planned by the Brits. Do you know what that, in addition to the sanctions already in place by this country, will do to the children of Iraq? Do you care enough to make a stand? To call your Congressman? To send a FAX, to protest in a local demonstration? Yes, I'm sad astronauts die whilst being astronuats, and that NASA doesn't take better care of them. Yes, I'm sad there are fatherless and motherless children right now. But I'm sadder for the devastation yet to come, and on a much grander scale, if this country, this country which stands behind its President when he says the right words after yet another Shuttle Disasater and Tragedy, decides to destroy Iraq and its citizens, its children. Cost of the War in Iraq
(JavaScript Error)
Recent Entries: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - 9:44 a.m. , Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 Dead Black Cat - 9:07 a.m. , Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 As Seen From Outer Space - 1:07 a.m. , Saturday, Dec. 05, 2009 I Survived to Tell the Tale - 7:29 a.m. , Friday, Sept. 18, 2009 Reading My Life - 12:55 p.m. , Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 
  |