[HPFGU-OTChatter] Can everyone in Dallas check in re: space shuttle

[the.gremlin at verizon.net]

heidi:
"CNN is reporting that the Columbia broke up over Dallas, upon reentry.

I'm sure all of us remember that horrible January day in 1986 when the Challenger was destroyed on takeoff - the difference now is that today's catastrophe was over land, whereas that was over the Atlantic. 

Is everyone in Dallas ok? That's about where it was when it 
separated into at least the 5 pieces we can see on CNN.com."

I was 2 years old when Challenger was destroyed, and the only thing I remember about that year was the big earthquake in LA.

OTOH, my mother called this morning and told me, so I turned the on CSPAN with closed-caption because roommate came in late this morning. I almost did the hand-over-mouth thing when I first saw the footage of the shuttle breaking up, and, had I been a more emotional person, I would have started crying when they started listing the crew members, and the children they left behind.

The one thing I can't stand is how the media manipulates us. On the Open Forum of my campus's e-mail program, people were commenting how more people die in car accidents every day, and how the astronauts weren't really heroes.

It all depends on your definition of hero. Maybe a hero is following your dream. These astronaust knew the risks of their job, and they were willing to take them. They died following a dream. 

I just completely lost my train of thought. I have felt more for this tragedy than 9/11, where I wished I could have been in a newspaper room somewhere, going through reports. I was very shocked when my idolized English teacher completely threw out his lesson plan and watched the news the whole class period.

-Acire

   


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