sobering

I left a comment on one of my favorite blogs after having heard that a schoolteacher who lost many of his pupils in the recent Korean ferry disaster sadly chose to take his own life yesterday. The man was unable to live with himself for not having been able to keep all of his students safe in the course of the ferry passage. This is so deeply tragic, as it's not a stretch to empathize with the poor man.

 Anyhow, as you may know, the captain chose to follow in the footsteps of the accursed greasy former captain Shittino of the Costa Concordia, and abandon those under his care. My own closing comment was that the wrong man hanged himself yesterday.

 At least former captain Lee had the decency to be ashamed. I hope to one day visit their resting places, so that I may piss on them before I die. And if I never make it that far, I hope that others will find those graves a convenient place to let their dogs have their daily shit.

 You know, almost 20 years ago I got my first little license, a 50-ton certificate, with the assistance of a schoolteacher who was moonlighting as an instructor.  This guy, who never captained anything larger than a cabin cruiser, knew enough to drill into our heads that the single greatest obligation we had was the safekeeping of those who placed their lives in our management and care for their time on board. 

 Still, no one who hasn't been on a sinking vessel can understand the pressure such a thing creates... but we can see that all but the most craven do their fucking job, even when it's hard... so fuck these guys, and I hope they die.