Shuttle Columbia
Well, I join a nation and world in mourning the sudden and shocking loss of seven astronauts. Another one of those moments: y'never will forget where you were when you heard about it.
It's so creepy. At the time
it happened, they were travelling at over 12,000 mph. What they're calling
debris is scattered over two states. The shuttle itself, human remains, a Holocaust Torah scroll, what's left of ants from an experiment originated at Fowler High School in Syracuse...
Y'never hear much talk of it these days, but I still have to wonder if we really should be doing this. NASA will tell you of all the great creations and breakthroughs traceable to micro-gravity experiments and the space program. We wanna save lives, make them better. There are just so many problems down here. Are the billions and bilions of space dollars worth it when 42 million Americans are afraid to go to the doctor because they have no health insurance?
Beyond the obvious stuff above, for me, one of the worst parts of the whole story is the day it happened: February 1st. It's the day a television rating period -
sweeps month - began. Network execs and news anchors will shamelessly milk the story for everything its worth to "hypo" the ratings. The people at Fox - greedy, heartless, wallowing in mud and not having the slightest problem looking in the mirrors - are probably dancing in the hallways.
For the rest of us, it's a time to ponder and mourn and remember.
As we say "in my neighborhood" about the brave and righteous, may their memories be for a blessing.
-M!
