It is obvious from watching the national news since our county almost burned down, that kids in a cave in northern Thailand are all that matters to us. Listen, I do get it. Between listening to our president berate everything and everybody and watching a human interest story about some kids in a cave, I would choose that too. But the fact is, we don’t need to go as far as Thailand to find the highest level of bravery and heroics in this world. I have never been the witness to a more newsworthy story than what happened here last week.
The mountain behind our house…
Our nation missed an uplifting and encouraging news story of bravery and selflessness when our own firefighters and their support teams saved this small rural county in southern Colorado from total destruction. More than half of our county was burned or at least affected by the Spring Fire, started by some Danish idiot in the county west of us. And even if the national news chose to ignore us, the entire western part of our country is on fire right now. In response to this national emergency we get a big fat “Who cares!” from the national news media.
The local TV stations have at least attempted to cover this third largest wildfire in Colorado history. KOAA in Colorado Springs had a great piece called “Saving Cuchara” on recently.
I would at least like more Americans to know that thousands of government employees risk life and limb everyday, breathing in toxic smoke constantly, with little sleep or any other creature comforts on 12 plus hour shifts, so that you and I can still go home to our house tonight.
Adventures of the NEW Old Farts 
So many instances of everyday heroism (a co worker’s daughter and baby son were in the Santa Clara, CA fires last year so got “eyewitness reports” through her, including how the toxic fumes made her baby sick and how so many at the college she was attending ended up homeless) you are right, these events can be right outside our doors. I have no answer as to why the Thai cave incident so grabbed the world’s attention when many other disasters didn’t.
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Thanks for your interest Alana! Perhaps the fact that these disasters happen so close to home and therefore threaten everyone’s illusion of safety and security. Nobody wants to experience what we did just last week… But it sure happens more and more with climate change.
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I’m so pleased you are okay Laura Lee and we did get news of the fire here in Australia. However, as you say the story of the week has been in Thailand. Heroes are everywhere and there are many ‘unsung’ heroes in the world. It is good to see though that you are bringing some into the spotlight with your post. Take care and stay safe xx
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Thanks for noticing us from way over in Australia Sue. Things are slowly getting back to normal here 🙂
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I think it’s the error of thinking that ‘local news can’t be real news’. Just like ‘you can’t be famous to the people in your neighbourhood’. Or ‘you’re never a prophet in your own land’. We have to look outside the box all the time. (Which makes me wonder why we hear so little about the children in cages on the border?!)
And It’s a tragedy. I spoke once of the movie ‘Backdraft’ to a friend and told her my family revere’s firefighters and all those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect us. And she just stared at me blankly. I realized then that not everyone thinks like we do.
But please know that your firefighters–indeed all who make our way of life possible–are in my prayers always.
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You are so right Diane! I guess the idea of someone saving your life or your home is so foreign to most that they simply don’t it…unless it happens to them of course. I am so impressed with the organizational level of our government when an emergency arises!
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