I just learned at 2:15 am Sunday morning of the passing of an American icon. Mr. Neil Armstrong, yesterday.
There isn't a space enthusiast anywhere who doesn't instantly recognize the man for not who he is, but for what he did. Ask any Baby Boomer where they were on July 20 - 21, 1969, and you'll get a variety of answers. All of them involving watching a black and white television not much bigger than today's laptop viewscreens. We were kids that believed in heroes that had flesh and blood. Not these comic book substitutes of today.
I went to Yahoo.com for the story. It was modest, but it said what it needed to. There were many kind and heartfelt comments left there. And of course the lunar landing conspiracy nay-sayers were having their sounding board as well. All I could do was shake my head. I'm not going to bash on the nay-sayers. Only because these are people that have reached a point where it doesn't matter what you tell them, they have already tried and found the US Government guilty of fraud and cover up in everything. Someone jokingly said to me once that someday they will find evidence that the American Civil War and the Colonial War of Independence are cover ups as well, and we're all still paying our taxes to the UK. While there IS a crapload of BS in Washington DC right now, pointing fingers at a hero won't solve those issues.
Mr. Armstrong was part of a time when you had to have unshakable faith in what you believed in. And we believed that we could beat the Soviets to the moon. Hell yes, it was propaganda! Did it have an effect on kids my age? You damn well bet it did! That was the effect it was supposed to have! In 1969, we seriously had to learn to go into the school hallways, sit facing the walls, and cover our heads. Back then it was either us or the Soviets. We knew exactly who the enemy was then. Neil Armstrong was THE symbol of American superiority! We currently have a generation of people that accept terrorism, airport friskings, and shoot to kill" orders from the local police departments as part of everyday life. The only heros they have are corporations, politicians, and financial institutions that would blatantly lie straight to your face and say that everything is fine. No wonder everyone craves fantasies like Batman, Spiderman, and the other comic forces.
The USA, no, the world has lost a great hero. One that never considered himself a hero. That's just how heroes are. Enjoy your new trip to the Heavens, Mr. Armstrong. You earned it.
There isn't a space enthusiast anywhere who doesn't instantly recognize the man for not who he is, but for what he did. Ask any Baby Boomer where they were on July 20 - 21, 1969, and you'll get a variety of answers. All of them involving watching a black and white television not much bigger than today's laptop viewscreens. We were kids that believed in heroes that had flesh and blood. Not these comic book substitutes of today.
I went to Yahoo.com for the story. It was modest, but it said what it needed to. There were many kind and heartfelt comments left there. And of course the lunar landing conspiracy nay-sayers were having their sounding board as well. All I could do was shake my head. I'm not going to bash on the nay-sayers. Only because these are people that have reached a point where it doesn't matter what you tell them, they have already tried and found the US Government guilty of fraud and cover up in everything. Someone jokingly said to me once that someday they will find evidence that the American Civil War and the Colonial War of Independence are cover ups as well, and we're all still paying our taxes to the UK. While there IS a crapload of BS in Washington DC right now, pointing fingers at a hero won't solve those issues.
Mr. Armstrong was part of a time when you had to have unshakable faith in what you believed in. And we believed that we could beat the Soviets to the moon. Hell yes, it was propaganda! Did it have an effect on kids my age? You damn well bet it did! That was the effect it was supposed to have! In 1969, we seriously had to learn to go into the school hallways, sit facing the walls, and cover our heads. Back then it was either us or the Soviets. We knew exactly who the enemy was then. Neil Armstrong was THE symbol of American superiority! We currently have a generation of people that accept terrorism, airport friskings, and shoot to kill" orders from the local police departments as part of everyday life. The only heros they have are corporations, politicians, and financial institutions that would blatantly lie straight to your face and say that everything is fine. No wonder everyone craves fantasies like Batman, Spiderman, and the other comic forces.
The USA, no, the world has lost a great hero. One that never considered himself a hero. That's just how heroes are. Enjoy your new trip to the Heavens, Mr. Armstrong. You earned it.
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