Sally Ride didn't built that!

Sally Ride has passed away.  I’m sure you’ve probably heard this news already, but because I have been assimilated into the obot borg in the Obama Era of Transparency™, I wanted to share with you the most honest way to view this tragic event.

As we’ve all learned, people who achieve things often think it was because they were smart, or because they worked hard.  In reality, these people are simply very narcissistic, very selfish, and very dismissive of all the people who actually DID cause that person to have that achievement.  Let’s face it, SOMEbody helped them cross the street when they were in kindergarten.  SOMEbody produced the piece of paper that they wrote an “A” essay on.  SOMEbody made the little carton that the person drank milk out of at lunch.  These people, and many more not mentioned, all deserve equal credit for the person’s achievement, as they were each a necessary part of the person’s path in life and toward their achievement.

In 1973, Sally recieved her BA in both physics and English from Stanford University.  Now, as we all know, physics is a difficult discipline, and virtually NO one is able or cares to use proper grammar or spelling anymore, so we know right there – she didn’t get that degree by herself.  (And a WOMAN and physics?  snigger, snigger, snigger!)  During this time at Stanford, she played four years of collegiate tennis.  It’s obvious she couldn’t have had a double major, and a difficult one at that, AND play four years of college sports – it’s very clear she didn’t do all that without substantial help.  Especially since, if someone hadn’t strung those tennis racquets she bought, she wouldn’t have been able to play tennis anyway.

In 1977, Sally read that NASA was finally going to start accepting female members, which led her to apply for the program.  She ended up being accepted in 1978 as one of only 6 women among 35 trainees, but she didn’t get that acceptance letter on her own.  Had someone not printed out the newspaper in which she read of the program, she would never have embarked on her future journey.  Had someone not handed her the application, she would have never filled it out and been considered.

In 1983, Sally was a crew member on the Challenger shuttle – and in so doing, hit two milestones – she was the first American woman, and the youngest American, to fly in space.  But we mustn’t give these milestones too much weight, however, as we’ve already seen how much help she had along the way.  In 1984, Sally again flew on the Challenger.  She had extra help that time, as the people around NASA already knew who she was – that gives someone an extra advantage that other people don’t have.  I even found photographic evidence that she had help:

In 1986, Sally was appointed to the presidential committee which was tasked with investigating the Challenger disaster.  She was “appointed”.  Enough said.  She didn’t have to do anything to get on this fancy sounding resume-filler.

In 1987, Sally retired from NASA after being with them about a decade.  She had just published the first of her seven children’s science books.  Yeah, she had help with these, too – she had a co-writer.  Here’s a photo of a youngster who was inspired by one of these books:

In 1988, Sally was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.  Again, notice the words.  “Inducted”.  Enough said, again.

In 1989, she obtained employment at the University of California San Diego in their California Space Institute.  She became director of the institute and also a professor of physics.  Obviously, she must have had truly important people smoothing the way for her.  And she would never have been able to move into her new offices if someone hadn’t cleaned it up for her after the last tenant.  And there must have been somebody tasked with keeping her office supplies filled up and organized.  And somebody probably explained to her where to park her car when she came to work, and how to find the bathrooms in the building.  Again, all of these people deserve equal credit, because she didn’t do it without them.

In 2001, Sally founded Sally Ride Science, an educational company which promoted science among young students.  Well, sure, she probably had made an exhorbitant amount of money over all those years for not being any smarter or working any harder than anyone else, so what’s so hard about starting a company in your own name when you have lots of money?

In 2003, NASA appointed her to investigate the Columbia disaster.  “Appointed.”  Yeah, we know what that means.

Then it just gets embarassingly obvious that she was getting stuff she “didn’t do”:

2003  Inducted into Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center

2005  Awarded NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt “Teddy” Award, highest honor presented to a former student-athlete

2006  Inducted into the California Hall of Fame

2007  Inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame

2012  Awarded the National Space Grant Distinguished Service Award

Okay, back to reality!  Sally appears to have been a woman in the mold of Hillary and Geraldine – a real go-getter.  Regardless of who replaced the toilet paper in the bathrooms or kept her office supplies filled up, this woman quite clearly worked very hard.  She loved science, and sought to become educated in it.  She wanted to fly into space, and she made it happen.  She used her knowledge to investigate disasters to help improve the space program she so loved.  And she used her own time and money to create a program which would encourage other young girls contemplate careers in science and the space program.

Remember, this is a woman who could have made big bucks on a speaking circuit (Obama’s only future option).  But instead she shared her knowledge, and contributed back to the field that had given her so much.  This woman was the epitome of the work ethic.  She had dreams and goals, and the knowledge that hard work could help her realize them.  She didn’t live day to day, trying to find ways to live off the government.  She was the living embodiment of the American Dream.  And notice I didn’t even use accumulated wealth as one of the necessary ingredients of the American Dream.

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Heck, even an ice cube can have dreams and goals!  So, what’s the problem with so many people today?

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Here’s hoping we start finding more Sally Rides in our midst, because Obama’s vision of America does not seem to match the one we grew up with and Sally epitomized.

R.I.P.  Sally Ride – smooth flying.

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