America's Reactive Spirit

Been noticing a trend with the tragedies we've experienced as a country lately. There have been calls from politicians (big surprise), celebs and just general folk, who make note of the "American Spirit." That call to arms, that unyielding drive to help. To support and give back in the face of evil. This is America, they say. But then there's that annoying fact - this spirit, this goodness, seems to rarely present itself sans tragedy. Sans American troops blown to hell, burnt and bugged out. Sans boys bred on Wonderbread and Fourth of July, who visit schools and gatherings -- and marathons, brutally murdering fellow Americans. So what is our American Spirit? Is it purely reactive? Send the boys over the berm and when they get chewed up by the Maxim's, the toe-poppers, IEDs, then - THEN - we'll come together and help out. Once the kids have ceased to twitch in pools of their own blood, then we will step in. It's a strange dichotomy, for sure. Kinda like supporting the troops, but not the mission. I guess I shouldn't complain. But I still do...