Thank You Australia

Pakistani Taliban descended on a school

Where they opened fire and, as blood began to pool,

Hunted down the children so the death toll's very high...

I can't think about it anymore.  It makes me cry.

Hostages in Sydney (to a Muslim with a gun)

Could have led to riots before all was said and done.

'til the offer thousands of Australians all made;

"I'll ride with you" if you're feeling nervous or afraid.

When the tidings of the Season start to make me blue

I'll think of Australia's act of human kindness, too;

Answering a crime of hate with generosity.

And, if you're in Massachusetts, you can ride with me.

Malaysian Airlines MH370 - Progress?

Chinese "ping detector."

After weeks of searching and not finding anything,

2 teams looking for the missing aircraft heard a ping.

Chinese took a microphone, attached it to a stick,

Stuck it in the water, hoping that would do the trick.

They think they heard something at the proper frequency

For the black box of a plane that has been lost at sea.

Experts don't know what it is the Chinese may have heard;

Could have been a pod of whales, a migratory bird,

Could have been an echo from a distant shipping lane,

But they doubt the Chinese ping is coming from the plane.

Further south, about 300 miles, another ship

(This one, the Australians') has also heard a blip.

It is towing special sensors, built for hearing pings.

I'm afraid the Chinese sailors just imagined things.

Even if Australia's on to something and they find

Wreckage from the aircraft, it will not bring peace of mind.

Data may show how and where the plane fell from the sky

But it isn't likely that it's gonna tell us why.

That's a secret someone's taken with them to the grave;

Burying the answers underneath the bounding wave.

U.S. Navy "ping detector" being towed by Australia's Ocean Shield.

Malaysian Airlines MH370 - An Update

Possible wreckage.

13 days since it took off and started for Beijing

Searchers for the missing aircraft may have found something.

Satellite reconnaissance shows pieces of debris

Floating near Australia and not the China Sea.

"How can we just lose a plane this day and age?" asked I.

Learned it's not impossible, but someone has to try.

Had to know the circuit breakers that they'd have to pull.

Had to plan how they'd subdue a plane that's almost full.

Seemed to know the traffic patterns other aircraft flew.

Tried to hide from radar but it's better than they knew.

Even though they climbed, then dove below 5,000 ft.,

They were not completely hidden from the U.S. fleet.

Satellites show something near where our N.T.S.B.

Said they thought the wreckage of the aircraft had to be.

Even if this is the plane we still may never know

Why someone would choose to strike this devastating blow.

What did all those passengers and loved ones ever do?

Who was flying?  Was it really someone from the crew?

Did they have to do it?  Was a gun held to their head?

Sadly, there's no question - 2 weeks later - they're all dead.