I was inspired by the progress in China with implementing high speed rail and made a post on facebook (oops I said the F-word). This started a heated discussion among members of a family with opposing political viewpoints. Two of them reside in South America and them and another relative have rode the rails in Italy and other European destinations.
Are we falling behind? Should we care? Do we want more rail? Would anyone use it? What does USA stand for? Is Europe better, more fun, cool, sick, whatever?
Let’s hope we do a better job with those automated speed controls that let the driver run blind. Blindly into a concrete wall.
And please if you’re going to f*ck up and kill some people, don’t do it to pilgrims arriving at a sacred site. That’s not spiritual.
Jose Garzon, driver of the train, is led away after helping search the wreckage for survivors.
Danny the Grim 
Well now that I’ve checked out your post here and have checked into things, I’ve learned that I apparently live under a rock. Albeit a slightly more informed rock thanks to your post and a few alternate news sources, http://www.euronews.com/2013/07/25/spain-rail-crash-track-lacked-high-speed-protection-system/. I think this disaster could provide an easy lesson to other nations interested in developing high speed rail systems, “the club house corner is NOT the home stretch!!!” If this is the same circumstance that was reported by the “euro news” source, (mentioned above) then it actually was the fault of the conductor, rather than as I had expected, a glitch in the navigation controls of the train? I was surprised to learn that the train went into an eighty kilometer per hour curve doing 190 km/h and that the train was because of it’s model, only monitored at checkpoints, rather than having continuous monitoring of its rate of travel, as in the case of “high speed trains’ rather than the unfortunate case of this “high performance train.” To answer a few of your other questions, yes a high speed rail system for the US infrastructure would be SICK!!! And I would definitely love to know how it feels to whisk into Seattle or San Francisco doing 250 km/h or I could finally travel the Appalachian trail (in a few days!) With regard to your use of foul language, and since I’ve recently been assigned to duty’s that are in many ways as powerful, is not more so, than those relegated to the archbishops of Spain and/or Rome, I’ve decided that a suitable penance for your use profanity (in the eyes of our our lord,) you are to report directly to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (if you pass GO-> do not collect $500.00) whereupon you will then recite 2013 “hail marys” for being such a foul mouthed fucker! Peace be with you!