On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:36:38 -0800 (PST), the infamous
" scrawled the
following:
On Jan 14, 10:06 am, "J. Clarke" wrote:
It amazes me that people are finding fault over this. While we want to
believe that 16 year olds are children they are only so because we force
them into that mold--Alexander the Great was successfully commanding armies
at that age.
You're kidding, right? I didn't see a smiley or wink, so I will
assume you were. Otherwise to follow that statement to its untimely
end, we would have to say that the average person lived (depending on
the source) about 30 years on this planet.
So in your world, using your example, she is matured to middle aged?
Are you comparing her to the social standards of almost 25 centuries
past?
Surely you must be kidding.
This is a girl that can't even legally drive a car without an adult in
it.
With driver training, many states allow that. consider that many girls
her age are also having sex and smoking for years. Kids grow up far
earlier these days in the constantly-connected age.
(Yeah I know, I am waiting for the farm boys to chime in and tell us
they started driving on their grandpa's lap at 4 yrs. old.... save
it.)
Now this girl wants to sail by herself, unassisted, non stop, for what
will probably turn out to be a year. A year of isolation, a year of
constant danger going through as described "some of the most dangerous
waters in the world", called "the sailor's graveyard".
Have you ever heard of a girl being raped, drowning, or getting
crushed in a car wreck in the same neighborhood you live? Live is
dangerous _everywhere_, Robert. Acknowledge it!
This particular girl has a dream and the means to carry it
out and if you read her blog you'll know that she's thought it through and
gotten a good deal of relevant experience and made a careful choice of
equipment and is not operating on a shoestring budget, so what is your
_problem_?
I don't know how much credence I would put in a 16 year old's
assessment when "thinking things through" when their life is at
stake. While she may be quite competent for a 16 year old, indeed,
she is still 16.
Young kids saving older, dumber people's lives. Googlit. Be amazed at
how many times the reporters are astounded by the maturity of a 10
year old boy, etc.
I don't care how much it is, but the claim that "gotten a good deal of
relevant experience" doesn't include being pursued by pirates/rapers/
muderers, handling her boat when the systems fail in a storm, say in
"sailor's graveyard", etc.
Here, too. Nowhere is safe when things go wrong. You can bet that
she's being tracked six ways from Sunday, too. I'll bet the NSA is
keeping an eye on her in case she goes in for nude sunbathing.
I hope everything turns out OK for this kid and she can come back and
parlay this into her fifteen minutes. She can write a book, a
children's inspirational book, a TV movie for Kid's Discovery, and go
on Oprah. She can be an inspiration for further pointless grabs for
attention by kids everywhere.
Like the 2-month younger echo from California?
If she is murdered, missing, or smashed to pieces in a storm during
this event I hope they go after they parents for negligence.
After all, at 16 you can't even enter into a legally binding agreement
as you are still considered a minor.
Except for the thousands who are emancipated minors. Face it: many
kids are safer away from bad homes and have grown up very early.
Just because folks have the money to do whatever they want when they
want, doesn't mean it is a good idea.
I know, I'm jealous of her, too. wink, wink
So, find the odds on how much difference there is between her home
city and the ocean as far as safety. I'll bet you find them similar,
if not better on the sea. All except the AAA service calls.
--
The greatest fine art of the future will be the making
of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.
--Abraham Lincoln