I need a hero

The words "hero" and "brave" seem to be used all too often these days to describe people who are overcoming personal adversity or illness. There's a particular habit of calling babies and children with long-term, life-threatening or debilitating diseases as brave or heroic. While these kids are undoubtedly going through a tough time and are often desperately ill, more often than not their illness or disability is something that they've endured since birth. Children are extremely resilient and are excellent at "getting on with it". Having a terrible illness and "getting on with it", or taking time to highlight a particular problem and raise charitable funds does not make a person brave or heroic - this is altruism, selflessness and is utterly admirable.

Bravery and heroism come into play when a person potentially puts the safety of others before their own. Heroism is going back into the field of battle to rescue your comrades who are coming under fire. I guess bravery is putting yourself in the position where you might come under such fire in the first place. Some might call that stupidity!

There are some things that we take for granted and one of them is the Fire and Rescue Service (incorporating Coastguards plus volunteer organisations like the Lifeboats). The Fire Service is there to cut you out of your mangled wreck of a car after an accident, they'll clean up the chemical spillages on the carriageway too, ultimately Fire personnel can be called upon to enter burning buildings to rescue people and bring them to safety. In a desperate time of need, that's what the Fire Service is there for.

What the fuck am I on about today?

Well, have a look at this (excerpt below):

"Stone-throwing gangs have attacked firefighters in Northumberland for the third night in a row.

The firefighters attending calls in Blyth on Tuesday night came under attack, and a missile was thrown at the fire appliance.

The previous two nights, firefighters in the Ashington and Blyth areas were targeted by gangs throwing stones.

Two firefighters were hit by the missiles on both occasions, although they were not seriously injured."

How angry does this sort of thing make your average person feel? I must point out that this sort of event happens quite regularly in most British cities, it's not just restricted to the area mentioned here.

What's wrong with these fucking numpties, and what sort of initiatives might stop this sort of behaviour?

Well personally, I'd like to see these people rounded up, locked inside a derelict building and torched. Perhaps if their families were locked in a burning building while they were made to watch them scream for help at the windows? That might have an impact. Even better, how's about locking them in a car, slamming into it with a huge wagon and seeing if they could get out without the use of cutting equipment.

Tossers.

Of course, some junior Home Office minister will come up with some fantastic plan to introduce educational programmes in these "deprived" areas, to try and teach these poor, unfortunate and hard-done-to wretches the error of their ways. They'll probably give them an iPod if they attend the whole course. Of course, it's all down to deprivation and you can't blame these "kids" because it's due to their poor start in life. It's just a shame that it's only the privileged and wealthy that know that you shouldn't try to stop the Fire Service going about its duty. Of course, those living in deprived conditions in Kashmir would've acted the same towards their fire and rescue service as they tried to retrieve the dying and injured from the flattened houses - had they had a fire and rescue service.

Makes my blood BOIL!