Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Cabby on February 22, 2001, 05:24:00 PM
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From the Boston Herald(A Liberal rag if there ever was one):
"It's a death race: Nothing heroic about Earnhardt tragedy
by Gerry Callahan
Tuesday, February 20, 2001
Dale Earnhardt, who drove into a wall Sunday afternoon and died at age 49, is survived by his third wife, Teresa, and his four children, Kerry, Kelly, Dale Jr., and Taylor, who is only 12 years old. Somewhere down south, the youngest Earnhardt is mourning the loss of her dad today and hearing the same twisted logic that the auto racing zealots whip out each time one of their heroes drives into a wall and dies.
Oh well. At least he died doing what he loved to do.
That she lost her father is a horrible tragedy for a 12-year-old girl. That poor Taylor Earnhardt must bear her burden while surrounded by these delusional racing people makes it even more excruciating.
They indoctrinate them young in auto racing circles, so Taylor probably already has learned the lines and tried in her own mind to attach some glory and meaning to her dad's death. But it would be a great victory for common sense and clear thinking if she stood up in the crowd and shouted: Doing what he loved? What about me? What about mom? What about life? Isn't dying still dying, even if it comes with some grand adrenalin rush? What is wrong with you people?
It doesn't matter if it's a legend like Earnhardt or a kid like Adam Petty, who drove into a wall in New Hampshire last May 12 and died at 19. It could even be some poor slob who never made a buck or got his face on the side of a Big Gulp at 7-Eleven. If he was driving in circles on some dirt track in North Gout, N.H., and hit a wall, well, dammit, at least he died doing what he loved to do. How gallant.
Maybe it just makes people feel good to envision Petty or Earnhardt as some kind of modern-day Slim Pickens, riding valiantly on the back of the bomb, saving our democracy from . . . from what? From boredom at home on a Sunday afternoon? From golf on ABC maybe? From what? What makes this anything more than a senseless, stupid death of a father and husband?
Of course, no such questions will be asked because the daredevils who drive fast cars in circles have been assigned a measure of romance and credibility that somehow doesn't apply to rock climbers and hang gliders and other X-Game crazies who occasionally die doing what they love to do.
The car crowd has raced out of the deep south and into the mainstream, and gained a level of respect from the same sports media that think the XFL is an affront to common decency because guys write silly things on their backs. They're on Page 1 of the New York Times, doggone it!
Minor league football is treated like it's some kind of televised prison rape, but NASCAR, the sport that has lost four drivers in the last year, is a stylish network presentation. How's that work, exactly?
As they attempted to explain the tragedy yesterday, many racing fans said it was like losing Michael Jordan or Pedro Martinez during a championship game. Sure it is. If Pedro jumped in a car on the mound and drove 180 mph into the Wall in the middle of a playoff game. All sports include an element of risk, but none, at least none on network TV, feature the very real prospect of instant death, even death of its greatest competitor, just like that.
``It's just the way this sport is,'' said Todd Parrot, the crew chief for Dale Jarrett. ``That's the chances you take. It's unfortunate it happened to him. It just doesn't seem right. You don't think things like that will happen to drivers of his caliber.''
Things like that, apparently, are only supposed to happen to lesser drivers, younger drivers perhaps. People like Petty or Kenny Irwin, who also lost his life in Loudon last summer. It is not supposed to happen to Earnhardt, even though he was blocking the path of another driver when he was bumped and turned into the wall.
It is an unfair cliche to say that most auto racing fans lack teeth, but it is perfectly accurate to say they lack common sense. The letters and e-mails to follow will serve as proof. Maybe it's the fumes or the noise that saps these people of all perspective and sends their priorities spinning out of control like Tony Stewart's car Sunday afternoon.
But you can bet on this: They're coming, all the same sorry explanations, the excuses, the cliches that serve as a temporary sedative until the next guy drives into a wall, leaving a wife and family behind.
We can hear them now . . . Old Ironhead Earnhardt. He made his own choice. He lived his life to the fullest. He held nothing back.
He died doing what he loved to do.
What a load of crap.
What a cruel thing to do to a 12-year-old girl."
The above article is another example of why Liberals haven't a clue. And why they should never be placed in positions of power. This moron obviously doesn't have the slightest idea about living life to the fullest. What a drag it must be to go through life with this guy's attitude.
And these are the same people who call the likes of Eminem "artists". Amazing.
Cabby
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That article really pisses me off. He did die doing what he loved to do! My god my father took 6 months to die from cancer I would have much rather had him die doing something he loved to do. As a matter of fact he loved to drive so there you go. I would have been much easier on him to hit a wall at 200mph and die instantly. Sure the family will miss him very much but thank god they didn't have to see him go through cancer and slowly waste away. Man this guy is a freak that wrote this. He must be pushing for brownie points with the family or something. I guess he's never watched anyone go the hard way.
[This message has been edited by Jimdandy (edited 02-22-2001).]
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I am not one to follow any party line or anything, but ill tell you this, whoever wrote this is an amazinhunk!
Ya Jim, Ive had to watch 3 people go the slow way..the way the guy above seems to think is th right way, 1 from AIDS, one from Cancer and one form a complication of Heart Disease, there is no "GOOD" way to go, but there sure as hell are some bad ones. AIDS was the worst, the final stage took him about 9 months to finally pass, nobody deserves 9 miniutes of what he went through, much less 9 months.
[This message has been edited by TheWobble (edited 02-22-2001).]
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Just another imbecile with another deadline to keep so he doesnt lose his job at the paper.
The only valid point I do concede to him is the media show being dumped on the children. Nothing worse than losing a loved one and then being exposed to relive the loss of it on every corner, paper, news channel and street talk. The media is a heartless rating pimping potato.
[This message has been edited by Tac (edited 02-22-2001).]
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"A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
-Oscar Wilde, from Lady Windermere's Fan"
Now a cynic, according to Merriam Webster, is a faultfinding captious critic; especially : one who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self-interest.
I had to look up captious... it means "marked by an often ill-natured inclination to stress faults and raise objections".
Clearly, the writer of this article is a cynic.
Just as clearly, he knows the price that Earnhardt & Family paid.
It is crystal clear that he knows "the value of nothing."
Perhaps Gerry Callahan will live long enough to die drowning in his own fluids as his lungs fill in a hospital ward. Perhaps he'll wonder about Earnhardt then.
But I doubt it. It never works out like that except in movies. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
Just my .02
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I have my reservations about NASCAR. I happen to think that drivers crashing (and dying) is part of their business model. There is a lot of evidence of this.
But that is a moronic article, period!!!
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A couple of appropriate quotes from two of the greatest drivers who ever lived:
To race is to live. All the rest is simply waiting. - Rudolf Caracciola
Am I afraid of dying in a race car? If you believe you will die in your
bed, then why are you not afraid to climb into it each night?
- Tazio Nuvolari
Nuff Said
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...because there is always the chance of dying in the middle of a wet dream? (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
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You guys cannot express your point without using bad word ?
Man this guy is a freak
whoever wrote this is an amazinhunk!
It doesn't mean I'm ok with this article but that's part of freedom of speach and think no ?
If you are not ok with the others opinion got live in Iraq you will be pretty happy (provided your are in the Baas party)
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Straffo, perhaps you'd be happier if we simply called him an imbecilic,attention-grabbing media vulture, with the morals of a stale ham sandwich and the intellect of a common household appliance? The man's own writing is an insult to Dale,his family,and people around NASCAR in general, He's little more than the journalistic version of the flame troll, you can clearly see he not only expects vitriolic responses,he's waiting in avid anticipation, perhaps in France you would not refer to such a being in so crude a form, but We Americans aren't known for being stylish with insults.
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pzvg- "5 years and I still can't shoot"
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Originally posted by pzvg:
Straffo, perhaps you'd be happier if we simply called him an imbecilic,attention-grabbing media vulture, with the morals of a stale ham sandwich and the intellect of a common household appliance? The man's own writing is an insult to Dale,his family,and people around NASCAR in general, He's little more than the journalistic version of the flame troll, you can clearly see he not only expects vitriolic responses,he's waiting in avid anticipation, perhaps in France you would not refer to such a being in so crude a form, but We Americans aren't known for being stylish with insults.
Well you should understand that when I'm reading it I read in french and think as a frenchman
And with my not so good English I can make :
- loose subtility of the language
- do wrong translation
- get completly wrong of the meaning
Btw I've seen article realy more rude (harsh ?) in France.
Lastly I don't understand why it as to be politic related because if your are an idiot you can be either a liberal or not idiot in all case your are an idiot.
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Living in the Boston area, I will tell you that Gerry Callahan is not a liberal. In fact, he very much the conservative in supporting Bush, the death penalty and other conservative causes.
He is both a columnist and radio sports talk show host in the Boston area. You can write to him directly at www.weei.com (http://www.weei.com) if you want.
Ram1
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Don't worry Straffo, if they can't come up with anything else, they'll attack your nationality in one breath and bang on about liberty and freedom of speech the next.
lol RAM1! From what you say, Cabby ought to do his homework a little more thoroughly before committing himself to yet another acidic post.
But I seems he believes there's 'commies' everywhere, even in the Republican Party. But absolutely no idiots. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
[This message has been edited by Dowding (edited 02-23-2001).]
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I'm not sure what this has to do with political philosophy... to me once you become a parent, your body is really not your own. I don't take the chances today that I took before I became a dad, because I've got a job to do that I consider more important than almost anything else, raising my kids.
I don't speak for anyone else, those are just what my priorities are. For that reason, I can understand the author's basic point. But the tone of the article sucks. Its unecessarily sarcastic and purposely controversial and inflamatory. I hope Earnhardt's family doesn't read it.
Gunthr
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and the dudes a pro bush conservative im dieing.
attack attack dont think you might become a liberal.
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Thanks for the info Ram1.
I was just scrolling down through the thread, waiting to read all of it before I posted.
As a card-carrying, tree-hugging, bleeding-heart, bunny-hugging liberal, I really resent automatically dubbing someone a "liberal" because they take the opportunity to try and gain popularity by invoking the heart strings of the people, and lambasting a sport that I have watched with some intensity for many, many, years.
I mean, journalistically speaking, it's kind of a no-brainer to point to an incident where someone died, and say, "My God! That's dangerous!"
Talking about Kelly was pretty low too.
The only thing that's worse is when people make up complete lies, like the thread circulating around that Jane Fonda was responsible for having POW's killed, and even using specific servicemen's names, which, by the way, the servicemen do NOT appreciate.
People who traffic in this trash aren't liberal or conservative, they're just plain...well...what Wobble said.
So let's leave politics out of assininity. It has nothing to do, at least as far as I'm concerned, with the fact that this guy voted for Bush.
Now that I know that the reporter was a conservative, I'm not going to lambast Republicans for his outburst. Hell, Dubya had a representative at the funeral yesterday.
I didn't get to watch the whole thing...but the part I did get to watch, well...some stuff kept getting in my eyes.
Anyway, after all that's gone on in this country for the last few months, let's not drag the fight over into our love of NASCAR racing.
And obviously, that journalist (and I use the term loosely), knows absolutely nothing about race car drivers.
The quotes posted by funked were pretty much spot-on. Of course you have to take Nuvolari's comments with a grain of salt...he was truly a madman!
Anyway, let's all try and stick together while we try and heal from this thing. It hasn't been easy for any of us, no matter who we voted for, or our political leanings. Let's keep politics out of this, and try and put it back together as best we can.
I have to work all day Sunday, but I'll tape the race, and I'll probably wait until I get the 4 year old to bed before I watch it. I'm not sure how I'm going to react, and I think I just want to be alone while I watch it.
Mk
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The Liberal "Mind"
Sounds like an oxymoron to me. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
Wab
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Thanks, Raml. I know little about the Northeast. By choice. However, if that Callahan is a so-called "conservative", he's a phony one.
Cabby
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Originally posted by Dowding:
Don't worry Straffo, if they can't come up with anything else, they'll attack your nationality in one breath and bang on about liberty and freedom of speech the next.
[This message has been edited by Dowding (edited 02-23-2001).]
Who's doing the nationality attacking here???
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Hhhmmm,
Interesting posts here. I have a couple pennies so here's my position on it.
I dislike the tone of the guys article. Even if he hated racing he should have had a bit more sensitivity to the fact that there was a death.
Having said that.... I agree with the premise that the reaction by the general public kind of baffles me. This is because I am not sports oriented. I like seeing some of them a bit. I don't follow any particular sport, team or individual. I consider them entertainers and can appreciate the skill they have developed.
The part that truly baffles me is why, we as a society, seem to think that someone who has demonstrated a high degree of skill at a sport is particularly worthy of the amount of attention they get. This is to include the compensation as well. I cannot understand where a sports personality and their skill is really worth money in the millions of dollars. (I have to lump actors in here as well) I think that the entertainment factor is nice but these people aren't doing much to really improve the well being of their fellow man. They are good at a sport or pretending to be someone else in front of a camera or audience. This is not a feature that I see as having exceptional intrinsic value. As such, I feel actors or sports personality endorsements are pretty worthless.
I think the members of our society the deserve recognition are those who work putting their lives on the line for others, care for others, help others or in some way make this a better place to live. Those folks to me are the hero's. They do things that are real. They don't pretend or just play a game.
I am sorry that Earnhart (sp?) has died. I suppose he might have wanted to go that way but I will never know. I won't spend any time worrying about it or grieving. I will, instead, say a prayer at the "wall", the monuments to fallen soldiers, firemen, police officers and others who dedicated their lives to something real, not a game or a pretend occupation. Those are the people, that to me, are deserving of recognition for what they did.
If my opinion rankles some who are, in fact, grieving over Earnhart's (sp?) passing, sorry. I just think there are others who did more to deserve the attention than just providing entertainment.
Mav
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We're seeing the same dung that flew around when a certain baseball umpire died of a heart attack in the middle of the game.
Remember how many HUNDREDS of times the last 10 seconds of life of that man were replayed over and over and over on tv like a bad rap video?
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How in the heck could anyone discern that journalists political ideology from that article? (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
The thing the author missed, and it has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative, is that you cannot provide your children with a world where death, tradgedy and loss don't exist -- even if you were to never leave the house lest something tragic were to happen. You can only hope to instill the character within your kids to allow them to confront and overcome the inevitable hardships and tradgedies of life.
Dale Earnhardt didn't fail as a parent by being in a high-risk entertainment industry. He would only have failed as a parent if he has not raised his kids to be able to handle his inevitable death -- be it on the track or in his bed at 90. Judging by the reactions and statements of his son, it would seem he did a good job.
Gordo
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Curl up in in your house with the doors locked.
go to the doctor everyday to make sure yer not sick.
dont go outside (might get hurt)
crawl around on the ground, dont stand up (might fall)
get a job doing something from your computer so ya dont have to leave the house.
dont dare get a car (obviously)
dont eat greasy (good) food
get yeself a colanostomy (sp) every few months.
Well there ya go, you will most definatly live to be over 100 years old, and look at the wounderful life you have had!
[This message has been edited by TheWobble (edited 02-24-2001).]