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Commentary
Boaters behave unpatriotically
Published:
Thursday, July 10, 2003
This weekend was significant for several reasons.
It was most significant, perhaps, because it marked a celebration of the 227th year of American independence. It was significant because it allowed many Americans a chance to "get away" for a long weekend with family or friends.
On a somber note, this weekend also marked some significant and unfortunate firsts for Stearns County and the state. This Independence Day, the first water related accidents of the season at Pelican and Goodners Lakes were reported to the Stearns County Sherriff's office and the state's first ever death by "boat rage" occurred on Lake Minnetonka in the western Twin Cities.
We are thankful no one was hurt too badly in the jet ski collision on Pelican Lake or the tubing incident on Goodners Lake. Those two occasions serve as a reminder to Minnesotans about the importance of water safety.
But the circumstances surrounding the incident on Lake Minnetonka make an appalling statement that is less about water safety than the convoluted thinking typical of the holiday mindset.
Eager to get a prime spot for the Fourth of July sky display, boaters flooded Cruisers Cove, near Big Island in Lake Minnetonka. It is not unusual for this area to have a lot of boat traffic but what happened this time was a bit unprecedented. An argument about the driving abilities of two boaters resulted in one man falling into the water. He was subsequently run over by the other man's boat.
While the initial scenario is itself alarming, it is surpassed in its level of disturbing qualities by what followed.
Rescuers and authorities were unable to get to the body because people were partying and didn't want to move. When a deputy approached the scene in a patrol boat, six people got in the deputy's way by attempting to climb on the boat and one even threatened him. It took the deputies 20 minutes to get to the scene, three hours to clear boating traffic after the fireworks ended and 40 minutes to locate the body with the use of a sonar device.
The question we are left with after digesting the details of this terrible incident is: What does this say about people? People wave flags and wait for fireworks in celebration of America's independence then turn around and disrespect the public servants who try to protect the very values that they are celebrating. Not quite patriotic.
This type of behavior isn't something reserved only for the Fourth of July. This "holiday mindset" is something that accompanies the majority of big calendar celebrations from Christmas to Memorial Day. People become so wrapped-up in superficialities of the holidays that they neglect the true purpose. They replace real values, history and tradition with a commercialized interpretation of these things. If these people had truly been "patriotic," they would have bowed to the authority of the police and rescuers.
That's something any courteous, respectful HUMAN BEING would do, and something that often seems too unique to American society.
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