2007-08-23
Ok, call me heartless...
... but I'm getting rather upset at the families of those miners on the news.
They don't seem to grasp the idea that the efforts have been stopped because:
A. It's really, *really* unlikely anuyone is still alive down there
B. There's no way to get to the bodies without the virtual *certainty* of killing a lot more rescuers.
I'm sorry for their loss. But there's a point where you *have* to quit trying because you are going to be killing rescue personnel to retrieve dead bodies.
I fear this is yet another case of the spreading meme that what we *want* should override realistic assessments of risks.
They don't seem to grasp the idea that the efforts have been stopped because:
A. It's really, *really* unlikely anuyone is still alive down there
B. There's no way to get to the bodies without the virtual *certainty* of killing a lot more rescuers.
I'm sorry for their loss. But there's a point where you *have* to quit trying because you are going to be killing rescue personnel to retrieve dead bodies.
I fear this is yet another case of the spreading meme that what we *want* should override realistic assessments of risks.