This morning we are greeted with an apparently good outcome to a bad story:
Barbie Goes Boating
Unforunately Darwin has been circumvented and this fool will remain in the gene pool to reproduce.
I am well aware of the challenges which a sixteen-year-old can meet. I wanted to learn to fly when I was sixteen. I did it when I was 18, by saving my nickles, dimes and quarters until I amassed enough money to trundle out to Palwaukee airport and buy an hour of instruction in a J-3 Cub. In those days the tariff was $10 an hour for dual and $7 solo. When I needed to go cross-country, I went from the Chicago suburb all the way to Janesville Wisconsin to get my log-book signed.
But, this is a different level of irresponsible. This is parents inculcating a desire in this girl to achieve her fifteen minutes of fame through an outrageous feat. Nothing wrong with having her learn to sail. Nothing wrong, if the parents are well-to-do, with buying Barbie a sailboat and letting her cruise around the California coast. That is adequate danger for most folks what with oil slicks, drug wars, and the occasional freaked out sex offender plying the waters as well.
Fitting the bimbo out with a 40 foot sailboat, equipped for an around-the-world solo voyage is big bucks. Outfitting a support operation to shepherd the chickie on the trip is more bucks. Encouraging her is symbolic of some sort of Munchausen fixation.
Now, she's necessitated a multi-million dollar international rescue effort to find her and recover her.
I sincerely hope the parents get a bill.
7 comments:
Ah, so it's ok for the young person to go sailing as long as she remembers her place and can only sail around the bay on clear weather day and as long as she wears her water wings and, oh Lordie, don't go too fast and don't get out of sight of Mom and be back by dinner
"oooh, sailing is hard"
I agree that this was a stunt that ended up wasting a lot of money and endangering the lives of the people who effected her rescue.
On another note, you and I are the same vintage Ed. I learned to fly in 1963 on a Piper Colt at old Kansas City municipal airport. I flew F-8 Crusaders out of Danang during 65,66 and 67 for the Corps.As I recall, that's the same time period you were flying the Thud out of Thailand (we used to call the Thud a 'squat bomber'). What an awesome machine.
It was stupid. The girl could have drowned, been kidnapped by pirates--anything. That's all a matter of free choice though so I didn't have a problem with it until she started calling for others to help her. Now we have rescue efforts costing tens of thousands of dollars, including a 4,700-mile Airbus flight. Dad needs to quit saying "that's my girl..." and start writing some checks, because everyone else shouldn't have to pay for that.
Bongobear,
I had my student pilot license suspended in 1963 for low flying over a friend's house in a Piper Colt. We had to get our instrument training in the Colt in prep for the private pilot's license since the J-3 was essentially without instruments.
And, we F-105 guys used to call the F-8 a gunfighter that could have benefitted from a real man's gun! (Also note that the "squat bomber" killed more MiGs than the F-8!)
Touche Ed! I actually never saw a MiG. We were essentially bombers who rearranged a lot of dirt in the south. I will say that four 20 mm cannon will ruin your day if you're on the receiving end.
Getting caught low flying in a Colt...well that means you were really low.
Semper Fi!
It's my understanding that a private fishing boat rescued her. If they want compensation, it is a private matter between the company and the parents. Anyway, she can write a book about it, get paid for TV spots and commercial endorsements, and maybe try it again next year. It's called free enterprise, and if a 16 year old babe unit has the backbone to take on this project, then good on her. After all, one day she is going to be an American mother! And God bless her!
Man was born to be free! Man was born to fight off pirates! Man was born to beat the devil! Man was born to be a good-looking Barbie! Damn it, Major! Damn it, fellow Thunder Tales readers! It's hell out there! Or have we forgotten?
I am pissed now that she's not even on dry land yet but is already talking about doing it again, apparently with daddy's backing but no offers made by daddy to repay all of the people who spent real money to rescue her this time.
I'm thinking that this time, her daddy should post a million dollars in an escrow fund to be used to cover any more rescue costs before she's allowed to try again.
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