Heros and trolls

The wind is gusting to near 30 and it poured rain all night. The dink is full but also still floating, so I'll take care of it when things settle a little. Sinking the family car by leaving it out in the rain is a worry most land dwellers don't have. We still plan on heading west tomorrow, getting near Nassau to stage for the final jump back to the States. Supposedly the wind will lay down to something more useful by morning.

Back in the States there are some goings on, family wise, that have me looking forward to the return. Over the next few months we will be spending time with family, Daughters, and Grand Kids. Just the thought makes me smile. On the other hand ...

The Rebel Heart saga and ugly response by scores of my fellow Americans underscore an ambivalence toward the society I grew up with, one I didn't expect to find by leaving it. Absence doesn't always make the heart grow fonder, sometimes it clears the sight as to why getting away was a good idea. From even just slightly offshore the All-American hobby appears to be insulting as many people as one may, in as many ways as can be found, with as mean a spirit as possible. I call it "trollism".

Mind you, I like a bit of rough-n-tumble. Sometimes the stakes are high and mixing it up matters. But in America the insults are anonymous, or slung by a media looking only for the profit to be made by tossing red meat to the mongrels. If you want to insult someone, fine. But step up within arm's reach to do it. And if, in response, you get your ass handed back to you on a platter, no sniveling is allowed. (There is a line out of an old children's book that always made me smile, "Never insult a man lest he be bigger, stronger, or better armed. Then, as you will.")

Even though the media and multitudes of my fellow Americans lived down to the lowest common denominator that the world has come to expect from us, the fact is, four Americans jumped into the middle of the ocean to take care of a little girl they did not know. Then a whole ship full of other Americans headed out to pick them up and get them back to shore safely. Overhead American Air crews kept an eye out to ensure all was well. My bet is that every single person involved is proud that they were there, and that they don't think of themselves as "good Americans". Just people doing a job they love to do without expecting praise or media attention.

The story the kids will remember is one of hundreds of people coming when they needed help. It is story all of us should remember. The trolls yapped and whined and bitched, and in the end are still nothing but trolls. On the other hand a large number of people stepped up and did a good thing.

America has its problems, and I am glad to have some distance between me and much of society. But it isn't all bad all the time, and we need to remember that as well. So in a few weeks we will be heading home ...