However I do have to ask ... are the very public deaths of the seven crew of the space shuttle Columbia sadder than any from this past week's raft of deaths?
Zimbabwe train toll reaches 40, investigation underway.
Zimbabwean rail officials are investigating the cause of a head on collision between a passenger train and a goods train which has left at least 40 people dead.Seven killed in western Canadian avalanche.
Seven people were killed on Saturday in the second fatal avalanche to strike the mountains of western Canada in less than two weeks, officials said.Five Afghan soldiers killed by landmine.
Afghan officials say the blast occurred when the vehicle drove over the mine as the soldiers were on the way to destroy fields of illegal opium poppies.Ten dead in Indonesia landslide.
Ten people have been killed by a landslide that buried their homes in Indonesia's West Java province, a local official said.Sixth body recovered after E Timor plane crash
The United Nations in East Timor says a sixth body has been recovered from the site of a plane crash yesterday.Police confirm 8 killed in train derailment
Authorities have revised down the death toll after yesterday's commuter train derailment near Waterfall, south of Sydney. Eight people are now confirmed to have died, with more than 40 injured.Eleven killed, 18 injured in road accident in China
Eleven people were killed and 18 injured when an overloaded bus crashed into a reservoir in the east China province of Zhejiang, state media reported.Apparently so if headlines are a gauge.
"China's President voices 'deep regret' over Columbia shuttle disaster"
"Taiwan voices condolences over US shuttle disaster"
"World offers condolences after shuttle disaster"
"Grief grips nation after shuttle disaster"
"India mourns the loss of shuttle astronaut"
"Bush mourns loss of space shuttle Columbia"
"Israeli astronaut aboard shuttle, country mourns"
and there are many, many more that could have been quoted
Before reading further, please re-acquaint yourself with my disclaimer.
Risk is part of the job description of astronauts. History proves this. This event is sad but no sadder, no more deserving of our sympathy, no more deserving of public displays of grief, media coverage than, say, the death of 8 passengers over here on a Sydney bound train.
Probably not the right time to prosecute my thesis about America being the nation least capable of coping with events that undermine its self perception of invincibility, power and success. So I won't.
Disclaimer 2:- None of the above is intended to belittle the genuine sentiment expressed by Coops, our man in khaki. My plea is merely for a bit of context and perspective. Maybe I've been driven to terminal cynicism by outbreaks of "Diana-ism" when it comes to accidental death and "Oprah-ism" when it comes to matters American.
