God Bless Our Better Angels

After “the worst series defeat in franchise history, Brooks Laich of the Washington Capitals left the locker room not speaking to reporters and traded in his disappointment long enough to help Mary Ann Wangemann and her hockey crazed 14-year-old daughter Lorraine stranded alone on Washington D.C.'s Roosevelt Bridge to fix a flat tire on their 2008 Acura while other cars sped past them”. “New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi stopped to help a motorist who crashed her car into a wall on the Cross Country Parkway in suburban Westchester County -- hours after the Yankees has won the World Series in Oct. 2009” (Yahoo Sports, 4/29/2010, Caps’ Laich Provides Roadside Assistance) and lest we forget about “Tale-Yax was walking behind a man and a woman on 144th Street in the Jamaica section of Queens around 6 a.m. April 18 when the couple got into a fight that became physical, according to police, who pieced together what happened from surveillance footage and interviews with area residents. Tale-Yax was stabbed several times when he intervened to help the woman, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. She and the other man fled in different directions, and Tale-Yax pursued the man before collapsing”. (CBS News, 4/27/2010, Homeless Man Stabbed, Bleeds to Death after Coming to Woman’s Aid).

To say that Heroes comes in all shapes, sizes and color is an understatement.  We are all capable of extending a hand to those who are in need but rarely are those actions the “top story”.  It’s normally the story designed to divide or spur reactions that will provide huge ratings.  Many local news agencies will meet and discuss what story that they will lead with seeking that story which will make people tune in to watch.  Which may explain the recent election of Barack Obama?  We want to hear more about our better angels because nothing brings us greater joy than knowing that the 10% of Americans looking to beg, borrow or steal is not the real essence of this country.  Many of us are self-motivated instead of money-motivated but to her the numerous news stories, one would have to wonder.  No one begrudges another for making millions of dollars if they actually worked and earned it, our problem comes from those who do little but gain at the expense of others.  Speaking of that, I wonder if Tale-Yax would have been arrested if he had been in Arizona when the new immigration law kicked in.  Just a thought!