Thanks Doug for that forward, those are great thoughts, pray that the world
may return there someday soon.
John Backus
----- Original Message -----
From: Doug Anderson
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2001 9:11 PM
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Subject: Fwd: Daytona 500
Subject: Daytona 500
Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2001 17:55:31 -0500
I had a thought as I watched the last few laps of the 500 today. NASCAR is
the fastest growing spectator sport in America today. What I saw on
television between Michael Waltrip driving the lead car and his brother
Darrel up in the announcing booth is perhaps a major part of the attraction.
These are real down to earth folks, not ashamed to tell their "momma" that
they loved her on national television, humble enough to credit the Good Lord
for their win, comfortable enough to reminisce that their "daddy" would have
been proud of the victory, and both shed some tears of joy. I don't believe
for a minute this was a put-on show for the media. Compare this with the
professional athletes of baseball, football and basketball. The murderers,
the persons who die their hair unnatural colors, tattoo their bodies like
some aborigine, use obscene and foul language and sexual innuendo in any
setting and at all times; all from people who earn outrageous sums of money
and have relegated those sports to the level of the WWF at times. Deep in
us all that are old enough to remember Arthur Godfrey and the white
margerine bags that had the yellow pill you broke and kneaded to turn the
butter substitute a golden color is a deep yearning for civility and
friendliness in an ever increasingly hostile world. We yearn for the
Eisenhower days when you could let your kid ride his bike all over town
knowing that he could knock on any door if he had a problem. Ah for those
days when you entered a business establishment and someone asked if they
could help you instead of the glance of annoyance you get today from a clerk
who has more metal piercing their face than it would take to make the grille
of a '53 Buick. When folks didn't have to fear road rage from someone with
a short fuse because you are going the speed limit and they are in a hurry.
The days when a car full of high school girls behind you didn't make obscene
hand gestures at you when you do a full stop at a stop sign, especially when
you have your three year old grandchild sitting next to you.
When Normal Rockwell cover illustrations were of the world around us, not a
world gone by. Maybe NASCAR offers us a time machine in some way, to those
days when we see folks like the Waltrips. Sure NASCAR has its tragedies and
injuries and there are those who revel in this fact alone. But for others,
it is a competition among men who still value God, country and personal
honor. We would do better to have more of this in our country today.
regards, John Linville
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