Colorado Firefighters: Heroes Again

I was in Hilton Head last week, where the living is easy but the internet and AT&T phone connections are iffy at best. And I’ll admit it. My enthusiasm for trying to get a connection and posting while on vacation didn’t top my priority list as the temps hit 100 and Pool Bar Jim’s served iced-cool beer. There will never be an Arab Spring in South Carolina. Trust me.

And at a time when Ann Curry got sacked from her position on the anchor couch because, according to NBC News Chief Steve Capus, “Curry had faltered in the cooking segments, movie star interviews and fluffy features that make up a large portion of “Today”.” Wow. And we find it surprising that only about 50 percent of the people in this country are even aware that the Supremes ruled on Obamacare. (See “Obama’s health care: Many unaware of court ruling“)

I would have known about the health care ruling on the morning it was announced. But, alas, I had the channel turned to CNN. And the reporters and pundits on that cable network had absolutely no clue about what the Supremes did, or didn’t do. Maybe it’s time for CNN to focus on cooking segments, celebrity interviews and fluffy features. As someone opined on Twitter, the surprise wasn’t that CNN got it wrong. The surprise was that so many were actually watching CNN. Ouch.

And while off the grid in just about every other way, I did gain an appreciation for the value of Twitter as a source of information and connectivity.

My son, Brian, lives in Colorado Springs. And while he was with us in Hilton Head, we followed with great interest the devastating wildfires that caused tremendous damage to Colorado Springs and nearby communities. And I found Twitter to be the best and most reliable source of information: #waldocanyonfire.

And what came through via the Tweets was the dedication and heroism of the firefighters who battled the wildfires and without question saved many lives and homes. I don’t know who took the picture that I am including here. But it shows a group of firefighters who went to sleep in a driveway or parking lot close to the fire — so the could get up quickly and get back to work again, rather than take the time to commute from a location away from the fire. We should all try to remember that next time we call for budget cuts that reduce the jobs, pay and benefits of firefighters — and other public employees for that matter.

Oh by the way. On our way to Hilton Head, my wife, Mary, and I signed a contract to sell our house in Copley, Ohio. And we are planning to relocate before Labor Day to Woodland Park, Colorado, which was right on the edge of the Waldo Canyon fire.

Let’s hope when we get there that we have internet and phone service.

And thank God for the firefighters and others who risked their lives to protect what is one of the most scenic spots in the USA.