Now most of you are too young to remember, but at one time America flew a man to the moon and back safely – actually, we flew three men to the moon on Apollo 11, but Michael Collins only purchased the Super Saver, middle seat ticket, so he only got a fly-by while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin got to go down and hit balls on the Sea of Tranquility moon-base driving range.
But since we now live in conspiratorial times, let’s give a nod to the outside possibility that America, a well known David Blaine apologist, perpetrated an elaborate hoax in lieu of an actual moon shot, which might have been an even harder trick, come to think of it, what with all the mirrors, sleights of hand, and Cronkite duping that such an elaborate ruse would’ve required.
Whatever the case, because we had accomplished such a seemingly impossible goal, the standard refrain when anything earth-bound and banal was not achieved in an appropriate manner – like taking the trash out on time – was, “if they can put a man on the moon, why can’t you do X?”
It was a simple equivalence on par with parents asking children, “If Johnny jumps off the Grand Canyon, does that mean you have to, too?” Of course, if parents remembered anything about childhood friendships and double-dares, in fact, it did mean you had to make the leap or forever live in upper-arm-punching ridicule.
But since 1969 we have not been able to plant a dude on the moon – though Elon Musk is taking a Tesla and a crash-test dummy all the way to the sun, though I’m sure we could all nominate a more worthy passenger. Notwithstanding, everything possible today has been reduced by a quarter million miles across the board.
So maybe we shouldn’t be that confounded that we can’t seem to govern ourselves or keep the Russians from choosing our leaders for us. With all the technology that we have at hand, you’d think we could keep track of who had won, even if it’s by one vote. But, evidently, we are a hanging chad or two away from such competence.
Bringing matters into the world of running, we have seen these kinds of problems all the time in NCAA cross country.
The NCAA D1 Cross Country Championships always seem to produce compelling competitions and high drama. But that drama is immeasurably enhanced every few years by the interminable wait for team results. Most famously in 2012, there were all kinds of errors that had officials declaring Oregon as the women’s champs, then Providence, and finally the Ducks one more time after the technology failed to account for several finishers. The grass at the Lavern Gibson XC Course had measurably grown in the interim.
So, what is it with technology that can be so impressive in almost every regard – men to the moon and back without Boingo wifi!? – but it can’t count several hundred runners going 10 mph over an open grass field, or figure out how to protect an election process?
With that in mind, let’s take the outrage down a notch or two and give the kids in Washington a break. I think a few hours of cable-TV news viewing shows fairly clearly that the phrase “Best and Brightest” is hardly applicable to either end of Pennsylvania Avenue these days.
But when you realize that the USATF Board of Directors can place its president, Vin Lananna, on administrative leave amidst a federal investigation, makes you wonder why can’t we do something similar with our own bossman in D.C. as special counsel Robert Mueller tries to pin down Putin‘s prerogatives. “Out to pasture” or “To the moon!” both have a nice ring to them, don’t you think?
END
WANDERING IN A RUNNING WORLD 
Toni:
Enjoyed your perspectives in the blog above. I am old enough to remember the live coverage by Walter Cronkite on CBS when Armstrong took mankind’s first step on the lunar surface. Absolutely no one wondered if it was “fake news” back then because “Uncle Walter” was trusted by all. I miss those glorious days when America was still pushing the envelope in space exploration. But, it was also a time of political and social and civil unrest in our country back on this planet as well. Let’s not forget racial tension, too! While NASA may have been kicked to the curb in our national spending priority presently… we are still dealing with a climate of unrest in our country right now… just a different set of issues and a different cast of characters. If you had written a blog back then and had implied disgust or disagreement about President Johnson’s or President Nixon’s respective policies… or our tactics/strategy in Vietnam….or the bitter division in our country regarding racial inequalities and rights…. I am sure you would have received replies of disagreement and accusations of being “unpatriotic” back then, too. In a few years…. if our country is lucky and blessed enough to survive all this present scenario… we will be able to look back through the prism of time and hindsight … on the Trump administration and our inept/polarized/gridlocked Congress controlled by their respective special interest “masters” and the wide public distrust of our government that exists today….and everything will be much more clear to both sides of the liberal vs conservative schism in our country…so we can pass fair and final judgement accordingly. Just like with Vietnam… for better or worse…the truth will be known eventually.
Thanks, Craig, for the long view response. Distance runners seek perspective from afar.
Toni
Toni, keep it ALL going, your political writing is just as great as your running writing (5 stars!).
And, yes, too bad we can’t send that orange melon to the outer fairways of the moon.
Appreciate the vote of confidence, Mike. But I understand my views are not everyone’s cup of tea. Kind of which makes the running crowd interesting. We know they all think on their feet, meaning many a different perspective will emerge. Glad to hear from both yay and nay sayers alike. Thanks for contributing.
Toni
I do enjoy reading your take on things political, Toni. I consider you a sane voice in a sea of insanity. I’ll happily keep reading.
Thanks, Brian. You almost don’t count, because you are always so positive in your critiques. Stay warm.
Toni
Actually 12 American men have walked on the moon:
These men were, by mission:
Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong (civilian, pilot, former U.S. Navy) and Buzz Aldrin (U.S. Air Force).
Apollo 12: Charles “Pete” Conrad (pilot, U.S. Navy) and Alan Bean (pilot, U.S. Navy).
Apollo 14: Alan Shepard (pilot, U.S. Navy) and Edgar Mitchell (pilot, U.S. Navy).
Apollo 15: David Scott (pilot, U.S. Air Force) and James Irwin (pilot, U.S. Air Force).
Apollo 16: John Young (pilot, U.S. Navy) and Charles Duke (pilot, U.S. Air Force).
Apollo 17: Ronald Evans (pilot, U.S. Navy) and Harrison “Jack” Schmitt (civilian, scientist).
James,
Thanks for the complete history. I was just talking Apollo 11 in my article, but it is interesting to see how far those folks went in an analog world. Mighty impressive.
Toni
Toni, love your articles and writing when you focus on running. Many of those I agree with but even with those I don’t, at least they make me think. So, please keep up the good work on running and leave the political discourse to others.This article accomplished neither.
Kurt,
Thanks for reading and responding.
TR
Toni, enjoy the running related posts & subjects. Not interested in more divisive political discouse. There is already enough of it out there.
Frank,
Appreciate the feedback. Keep reading (like writing, it’s a dying art)
TR