Kudos to everyday people who help
Kudos to the people who run into the danger.
Obviously, first responders deserve praise on a daily basis for their commitment to the public’s safety and their willingness to run into dangerous situations for our sakes. However, the praise and kudos need to be expanded to include everyday citizens in everyday situations who run into the danger and face huge risks to make the world a safer place.
The stabbings of parishioners at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church last weekend must have been startling and horrifying to everyone who was attending mass. Although it is not the first time in recent years that an attack has occurred during a church service, it is still something no one ever expects.
Fortunately, nobody was killed last Sunday, and in time everyone will be fine. Many people will investigate this incident to determine what caused a young man to allegedly act in such a way. Many words will be written to explain what happened. That is not a discussion for us today except to say it would seem we need to determine what to do for people with emotional and mental needs.
When the towers at the World Trade Center were hit on 9/11, one of the most gratifying and heart-rending scenes was of the first responders who ran up the stairs to rescue those in need. Many of those people gave their lives trying to save others.
When watching the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, we saw people — some trained first responders, others spectators who deemed it important to help others — running into the chaos to give aid in whatever way they could.
Now we have seen the same thing in our own metropolitan area, and it makes us proud. The stories following the stabbing and assault at St. Jude Thaddeus related how people ran to help those being attacked, not of people running out of the church. These people not only assisted those who were injured, they also restrained the alleged attacker until police arrived at the scene.
There were trained first responders among those who responded which most assuredly made things go more smoothly, but these folks were not on duty; they were attending church. They, with others, selflessly made the decision to help the choir director and choir members as well as capture the alleged perpetrator.
Way to go. Kudos. Our heartfelt thanks.
Few of us know how we would react in such a situation, and we are grateful not to have had that experience. But we are more grateful that there are many people who will selflessly help others in an emergency situation. It’s enough to restore our faith in the people of this community and this country.
On another subject, last week we asked people to voice an opinion regarding the positive outlook for Rio Rancho’s economy. We didn’t get a lot of responses, but the general consensus was that today’s financial situation is probably a result of the nation’s economy in general, coupled with years of proper fiscal management for the city.
Personally, we agree with most folks that current politics and political shenanigans have little to do with the state of the city. It looks like conservative fiscal management in recent years has had positive results, giving us one more thing for which to be thankful.