China condemns Taiwan coastguard...

[MABinPengChau]

Seriously two dead Americans and the world would be at war by now, not second guessing their swimming skills

Americans do stupid stuff in foreign countries and get imprisoned, shot, whatever. And our government will do...nothing, I promise you that- not even get you out afer a natural disaster unless you are a diplomat.

Two survived and were rescued, most likely related to, uh, somehow staying ABOVE the water so that they CAN be rescued.

[drumbrake]

Perhaps a more neutral report here.
https://time.com/6695206/taiwan-coas...a-condemnation

[MABinPengChau]

Umm, they capsized THEIR OWN BOAT! Not like anyone shot them down or anything. And the Coast Guard boat RESCUED THEM!! I mean, the ones who could swim.

It's like being stopped by police for a traffic infraction and asked to show your license and registration. If you speed off and crash into a tree, that's kind of on you...

[hullexile]

Perhaps a more neutral report here.
https://time.com/6695206/taiwan-coas...a-condemnation

No evidence of a preference for diplomacy in the SCS.

[GentleGeorge]

No evidence of a preference for diplomacy in the SCS.

Well they have to test their super soakers

[hullexile]

Well they have to test their super soakers

Like little kids with their toys. Sorry don't mean to offend Xi I know he is very sensitive.

[hongkongmusic]

Like little kids with their toys. Sorry don't mean to offend Xi I know he is very sensitive.

Harmed feelings.

[huja]

The surprising thing about fishermen in this part of the world, in fact anyone working on boats, it's very rare for them to know how to swim.

Yes, I had pretty much heard about this- and THIS is why they drowned, not because TW LET them drown. They panicked and drowned the minute they hit the water. I mean, you could have been RIGHT NEXT TO THEM, they were STILL going to drown. If you have ever jumped in the water with all your clothes, well, they DO drag you down, very quickly, and if you panic, you are a goner.

I know a graduate from the US Naval Academy - a very prestigious institution - and she told me she didn't know how to swim. When I asked her about that she said, "The whole point is to stay out of the water." I was dumbfounded then as I am now that the f*cking NAVAL Academy would allow a someone to graduate without even basic swimming skills.

[MABinPengChau]

The whole reason my father was adamant about his kids learning to swim was his memory of Marine Corp training at age 17 getting tossed into the water and NOT knowing how to swim.
MIT...of all places, has a SWIM test you had to pass to graduate..or take a class if you couldn't pass. Apparently related to some Massachusetts law that was passed by a family of some college student who drowned because she didn't know how to swim. I passed but somehow they lost the result, not to mention that I taken a specialty swim stroke clinic. So I was told I wasn't going to graduate, wandered over to the pool a week or so before graduation swam a few laps, told them I wanted some kind of signed receipt this time, I didn't suffer through academic hell on earth to NOT graduate due to a....swim test, pretty sure my parents would not have been pleased as the hotel room was already booked for graduation.
Edit: Hmm, maybe not MA law, just some MIT thing although pretty sure the drowned person is the reason.
https://alum.mit.edu/slice/mits-wettest-test

more edits...apparently drowned person reason is a myth, whatever. A strange graduation requirement then, but, whatever, easier than multivariable calculus, at least for me, and that is also a graduation requirement even if you are a music major.

[huja]

The surprising thing about fishermen in this part of the world, in fact anyone working on boats, it's very rare for them to know how to swim.

The whole reason my father was adamant about his kids learning to swim was his memory of Marine Corp training at age 17 getting tossed into the water and NOT knowing how to swim.
MIT...of all places, has a SWIM test you had to pass to graduate..or take a class if you couldn't pass. Apparently related to some Massachusetts law that was passed by a family of some college student who drowned because she didn't know how to swim. I passed but somehow they lost the result, not to mention that I taken a specialty swim stroke clinic. So I was told I wasn't going to graduate, wandered over to the pool a week or so before graduation swam a few laps, told them I wanted some kind of signed receipt this time, I didn't suffer through academic hell on earth to NOT graduate due to a....swim test, pretty sure my parents would not have been pleased as the hotel room was already booked for graduation.
Edit: Hmm, maybe not MA law, just some MIT thing although pretty sure the drowned person is the reason.
https://alum.mit.edu/slice/mits-wettest-test

more edits...apparently drowned person reason is a myth, whatever. A strange graduation requirement then, but, whatever, easier than multivariable calculus, at least for me, and that is also a graduation requirement even if you are a music major.

Really odd requirement from MIT. Useful skill but really odd that it was mandated.