December 19, 2003

News from the real world...

Sometimes, living in San Francisco, one starts to have a vague feeling that America was a problem of the past, now tidied away by the 'Progressives.' So I cherish stories like this, from Greyhawk:

....In a matter of a week, kids at the 500-student school in north-central Colorado Springs dug deep into their piggy banks, unearthed crumpled dollar bills from secret hiding spots and did extra chores around the house to raise money for airline tickets and hotel accommodations for two fellow students. In the end, they gathered about $3,000.

That means Anthony Mitchell, 8, and Megan Mitchell, 7, can visit their injured soldier father at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., for Christmas. They wouldn't be able to go without their classmates' help.

Staff Sgt. Roy Mitchell of Indiana was severely burned and lost part of his left leg in a land-mine explosion in Afghanistan on Nov. 23. The 32-year-old from Fort Drum in New York was one of 21 wounded soldiers recovering as of Wednesday at Walter Reed....

Posted by John Weidner at December 19, 2003 09:32 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Eh? Not sure what this has to do with the City. In the (private) bay-area high school I went to, we would regularly chip in to pay someone’s tuition, if they put out a can...

Posted by: Andrew Cory at December 19, 2003 09:42 PM

I wasn't referring to the generosity, but to the support for our soldiers.

I have 3 kids in 3 schools, plus lots of other doings in the City. But I don't think I've heard of any calls for contributions to support the war effort, or to help out American servicemen, or Iraqis or Afghans.

(I should, of course, say "servicepeople," but it sounds so awkward.

Posted by: John Weidner at December 20, 2003 01:33 PM

The story could have been about children giving to sick old lady, or a tramp, or simply someone who couldn't pay the tuition. Here it was about children helping a classmate visit a father hurt in the defense of them all. All happy stories are alike but all cynicism is alienated in its own way. The mainstream news will hate it.

Posted by: wretchard at December 21, 2003 01:17 AM

"all cynicism is alienated in its own way" I like that.

I feel very lucky that, at last, America's foreign policy and much of its general direction is congruent with my inner picture...So I find my cynicism decreasing daily. In fact, I sort of feel like I'm getting younger, and various lefties are greying and wrinkling before my eyes.

Posted by: John Weidner at December 21, 2003 10:33 AM
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