DAY 77
Week 12
AUSTIN (Texas, USA)
Tuesday September 5th, 2006
TODAYS MILEAGE – 0 miles or 0 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 9271 miles or 14920 kilometres
What are long weekends for. 
Being the Labor Day public holiday, there wasn't a lot of stuff open so the day was basically spent bumming around Dash & Christine's house with the billy lids.
That evening Dash and I had a lively discussion concerning the term "hero" being overused here in the United States. What brang this on was the fact that when Jordi and I were in a British pub in San Antonio, they got the crowd to toast the "American heroes keeping us safe at night" by serving in Iraq.
We agreed that it was over top to do in a pub, but differentiated in our beliefs that those who sign up and serve i.e. military on active duty, Police or Fire Fighters should be recognized as heros. My side of it is that they signed up knowing there are some inherent risks associated with their professions, but unless they do something outside the scope of what they signed up to do, then they should not hailed as heros. Respected, supported and appreciated - yes, heros ... no.
We both made terrific points on either side of the discussion, but in the end it came down to both of us agreeing to disagree, while both being thankful that we have the opportunities to voice our opinions, in any matter we see fit. Funnily enough, we had no urge to behead one another, incarcerate family members or riot in the streets because our opinions were not the same.
Putting it simply, this is what democracy means to me.
Check ya later.