[Prudence]

So, right this very second they are having a funeral for a harbor patrol office over in the basketball pavillion place on campus where I work. And it's all very sad -- died on duty, left a wife and small child, yadda yadda. But here's the thing -- apparently when he died he was helping to secure a tugboat that was trying to escape. And he took off his personal floatation device because it was bulky and in the way. Which means that when he slipped and fell into the canal, hitting his head, he had nothing to keep him afloat until he could be rescued. And he, of all people, should have known better.

And so they're broadcasting his funeral on all the local teevee stations, blocking roads for hours, etc... And does it ever get mentioned that THIS is why you wear your life jacket AT ALL TIMES around the water, no matter how safe and experienced you think you are? No. Just "fallen hero" rhetoric.

I'm sure there's a special corner of hell being prepared for me even as I type this. I do feel sorry for his wife, though. If I was in her shoes, I'd be torn between missing him more than I could express, and hating his guts for leaving me a widow through a stupid, fatal lapse in judgement.