Tall Ships and Opportunity

The Charleston Maritime Festival recently ended with a parade of the Tall ships out of the harbor through the Jetties and out to sea. This exit was dramatized by the mist just off the Jetties. The ships seemed to disappear just as all things good and bad do.
During the festival we visited the Eagle, the US Coast Guard training ship and the Kruzenshtem, the Russian Tall Ship. Both ships were manned by a skeleton crew and 100-200 cadets. The US Coast Guard cadets were crisp and helpful and seemed glad to be there. The Eagle was spotless. The cadets on the Kruzenshtem seemed very unhappy. In all fairness to them, it was probably hotter than they had ever experienced and they did not speak the language; however, they acted like they were struggling to do their job. They did not seem proud of their Tall Ship. The Kruzenshtem was shabby looking and smelled of diesel fuel.
The thought behind these comments is that in spite of all of the current problems we are facing, we still have more opportunity than any of the people of any other country. It is up to us to act not to be told what to do.
We are proud of this freedom and put our best foot forward as the cadets of the Eagle did. We should keep the faith in our country and systems and continue to work hard. It is apparent that for the most part our politicians have no or very little understanding of the long range damage they are doing to our country in thinking they can do things better than our business owners and leaders.
To visit China or any third world country or to visit the Eagle and compare it to the Kruzenshtem should make us realize that we have the ability to make changes and these folks do not.
Think about these things. Isn,t this is what the 4th of July is all about?