But Mom, he got to sail around the world!

Actually, it's a little better.

The boat is real.

But I'm free to say "no fucking way" to a contribution, as is everyone else.

I see. So instead of putting them on the Judas Cradle, we're going to proceed immediately to having them Drawn and Quartered.

 

There's enough animosity on this thread already.

Do you guys really want to add an "anti-religion" layer to it?

 

I have no animosity toward religion. Just like I have no animosity toward this girl. You wanna toss your hard-earned money, or your SSI, disability, unemployment check money, into the collection plate? Feel free. I just don't see the difference between that and donating to save the boat.

Besides, you're the one who injected religion into this thread.

 

That's a very subjective judgment, hence your large parenthetical qualifier.

Edited to add:

I follow you now. Yes, if you look at just the good religion has done, and disregard the bad, it's more than the boat. I agree on that. But taking just the good effects from religion and not the net effect is a huge caveat.

 

Religion's cool. It's people that fuck it up.

 

Religion is people-made. It wouldn't exist if people hadn't created it.

 

Religion has nothing to do with Abby Sunderland or the Sunderland family.

 

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1069237/we-cannot-pay-for-rescue-say-sunderlands

 

Spnited, I never said it did. But ok.

 

I am a very long-time lurker but have never posted.

But I just wanted to say that on a board where virtually every thread descends into insults, name-calling, pathetic jokes and personal attacks, the posters BTExpress and Double J have expressed quite well their feelings about what this girl did, and although I still disagree with the parents for letting her sail, I applaud BTExpress and Double J for making me think far more about this than I otherwise would have.

It's kind of funny to read a thread where those you agree with are acting like bratty children and those you disagree with are level-headed and well-spoken.

It's a very difficult question for parents - when is your child ready to take any risk - and there's no simple answer.