Abby is the Litmus Test

[hedgetrimmer]

An absolutely terrific post.

[Screaming_Gerbil]

Wha? You mean piloting an account on FR and critiquing doers is not living life to its fullest?!?!?!?

Post. of. the. day.

My vote is for this one:

Her parents thought that putting her on a boat 1000 miles from the nearest male was likely to be more effective than a chastity belt.

(eclecticEel, that sure brought a smile to my face...).

[NYCslicker]

“In short, an absolutely damning, completely collectivist viewpoint with zero acknowledgement of independent rights, which is based solely on collectivist evaluation, collectivist judgment, and collectivist punishment - fronted as family values and child protection.”

You are right. Collectivism is the root of the evil.

Good post.

[Esther Ruth]

Excellent, perfect, agree completely!
It is so gross to hear all this whinning from all these screwed up, disfunctional adults who are afraid to actually live life - cuz gosh darn it - it is sure scary out there.

Congrat dittos to Abby - wish I was with her on that boat!

[gunsequalfreedom]

And the original posters screed ignored how much parental ego might be involved here...

I hope there is a ton of parental ego involved. Do you hear what you are saying?! Have you seen the problems in our society from parents that are uninvolved, pay no attention to their children.

The kids I have seen grow up to be bright, productive adults have had parents with huge egos and put this kind of energy and attention into their kids lives.

I can't believe these are comments on FR that I am reading. Your post is shocking. Have we become totally twisted into liberal group think.

There is a book you might enjoy.

[snowtigger]

People tend to underestimate what children can do. This sixteen-year-old, nearly grown woman, set out on tyhe adventure of a lifetime, after much preperation.

The fact that she ran into conditions she could not control, in no way diminishes her accomplishments. Congratulations Abby!!

In my state, Alaska, we have a mountain. Some people have to climb it. Some are more experienced than others. But every year someone gets in trouble and needs to be rescued.Sometimes it is poor preperation, sometimes it is circumstances beyond anyone's control.

Always, there are those who risk everything to go get them. I don't think monetary cost enters into the picture, at least during the rescue operation, maybe later, but when someone needs help, you just help them.

If you want to see what kids can do, look up a book by a man named Sidney Huntington, called "Shadows Along The Koyukuk". He tells the personal story of three children, ages 5,4, and 20 months. Their mother dies while their father is away, leaving them alone in the wilds of Alaska in the late 1920's.

You will have to read the book to see how capable kids are.

[Lurker]

Personally I don't want to live in a Nation where risk takers like this aren't held up for admiration.

[Screaming_Gerbil]

Oops... I ment to thank null and void for the quote...

Her parents thought that putting her on a boat 1000 miles from the nearest male was likely to be more effective than a chastity belt.

[milwguy]

The guy who designed and built her yacht said it was too big and too fast for Abby to handle alone at her level of experience. The ‘experts’ said sailing solo through the southern Indian Ocean during the SH winter was foolhardy.

I have no problem with her trip, but it appears the effort to sail when she did was motivated MORE on the fact if she completed it unassisted then she would have taken the record away from the Aussie girl who did it a couple months earlier.

If the parents were interested in helping her make the journey safely, they would have waited six months or so when the perilous SH part of her trip was much safer. The rush to sail was to set a record, not go solo around the world, and that opens the entire family up to questioning.

[spectre]

Congratulations to Abby and her family - you all did great.

Congratulations? What for?

She had to be rescued, FGS.

[Balding_Eagle]

it appears the effort to sail when she did was motivated MORE on the fact if she completed it unassisted then she would have taken the record away from the Aussie girl who did it a couple months earlier.

I know, tics me off too!

EVERYONE is a winner, and this little girl is just messing with that FACT!

[Blennos]

The guy who designed and built her yacht said it was too big and too fast for Abby to handle alone at her level of experience. The ‘experts’ said sailing solo through the southern Indian Ocean during the SH winter was foolhardy.

She handled it pretty well for 12,000 miles or so. If that monster storm hadn't come along when it did, I think she would have made it. And she wasn't trying to sail through the SH winter. She was delayed both in Cabo San Lucas and in Capetown, waiting for necessary repairs. That put her behind her original schedule. Should she have given up when she reached Capetown? I might have, and many here surely would have, but this kid has got gumption.

[wastedpotential]

I would not let my 16 year old do this, but if other parents want to, that is up to them. However, viewing this story as a litmus test is very childish in itself. Why do people care so much about the lives of those they don’t know?

Don’t get me wrong, I am glad whenever I hear that someone in peril is rescued, but please, leaving life as a voyeur of others is a poor existence.

[Paved Paradise]

Where is the generalization?

Meanwhile, because kids do not have the best judgment abilities, that’s why God gives them, (we hope) two loving parents who will help them make intelligent decisions.

[Old North State]

Good point about the ‘sponsorships’ too. Again, no problem with taking risks, but if the risk taking is part of a commercial enterprise then those who expect the benefit should pay the costs of the enterprise, for better or for worse. If you sponsor for the advertising advantage, then you pay the costs of the voyage, you don't expect somebody else to pay to clean up the mess if something goes wrong.

[FReepaholic]

...So pants pissing has become noble...And guess which political party they ALL belong to...

I've been on Free Republic since 1998 and I can tell you that there are plenty of pants pissers on the Right.

There is no political boundary for namby-pamby, arm-chair quarterbacking, scared silly ourselves so we don't want anybody else to do anything great in order to justify our puny lives, type people.

[raybbr]

Where is the generalization?

Are you kidding? You made a declarative statement that ALL brains develop/not develop at the same time.

[texmexis best]

I agree with the overall sentiments of the opus.

America was settled by 14, 15 and 16 year olds because they were adults.

Now our 16 year olds pine for Guitar Hero III and a subscription to World of Warcraft. Which we provide to them as they can can’t get booboos while playing the games.

The level of infitilism in our society is stunning. Some of you that have posted on these threads are of the opinion that childhood lasts until the age of 26. You’re wrong.

Abby Sunderland is an adult and an incredibly skilled sailor. Your problem is that you haven’t seen an adult 16 year old in your life. Your great grandparents were more like her than they were like you.

This could be a real wake up call for you and your family. Start treating your 16 year olds like adults and watch them change before your eyes.

[moehoward]

Don’t forget those that feel anyone who helps out of their own good will should be demanding compensation.

[A.A. Cunningham]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/879568/posts