To the Racing community.

[TRACK ANNOUNCER]

One of the United States most historical dates is upon us as of September 11th. This being the 5 year anniversary of 9/11.

 

Terrorist set out to change our life style. Our enjoyment of freedoms. And most of all.... to set terror in our mind set. Is it just by circumstance or was it a deliberate act that they had done this on above all days...."Patriot Day"? Yes, Patriot day. A recognized holiday here in the USA. Isn't it strange that if you took the first three letters out of the word Patriot and you come up with the word riot? I find it odd that this recognized date is also that of the same numbers we dial for emergency assistance...911.

 

Now to my point. Time has past since that war like attack on our country. But I for one sure as hell have never forgotten what this date means to me. I am more patriotic than ever before. My small business carries the american name in it. I will be presenting a award soon that utilizes our national emblem. ( The American Eagle ) I love our country and I show it. I am asking you in the racing community to show it also this weekend and up through the 11th. And when that day ends. Continue to do so till you live out all of your years. Or until you think there is a better country to live in. And when you reach that point. Get the heck out of here and take other's just like you with you.

 

9/11 is a time of sorrow. A time of grieving. And a time to reflect. To me it is much more than that. It is a time to look back on and provide me the reason why we are chasing down terrorist and why we are at war with them. Those that are against the war on terrorism need to explain themselves to the countless people who were related to those that died that day on 9/11. Don't be surprised if you are found to be discusting to these people. 9/11 is Patriot day. And like I said above. If you take the first three letters out of the word Patriot. You get the word riot. I say let's give those terrorist a riot day, compliments of the good ole USA. And give em one like they could never have imagined. Let's also use those first three letter's as well. "P.A.T." Let's use those letter for reasoning as to this. "Patriots Attacking Terrorist"! Don't think of me as a war hungry man. But of a man who was appalled that people would attack our very core of life and what we stand for. My opinions have been set into motion the day these terrorist set out on there mission on 9/11. And it has not wavered one bit since then.

 

I am calling out to you folks for help. Just like you would when you call 911. I ask that you all show your colors of RED, WHITE and Blue this weekend at your local raceway. Bring your signs showing support to the troops that are laying there lives on the line in the fight against terrorism. Bring your american flag and show your american spirit and pride of the USA. Say your prayer's for the families, friends, co workers and others associated with those that lost there lives in the twin tower's, in the Pentagon and those that were aboard the plan that crashed in a field in Pa. As these people lost a spouse, a father or mother, a child, relative or someone they worked along side of. These people will once again have to face the loss of a loved or respected one. Yes. I ask you all to show your pride. This is now our time to be "Patriots Attacking Terrorist" But in the most meaningful way. And that is by showing our pride, our love and our backing of the USA. No matter what terrorist do to us. The will NEVER be able to take this out of us.

 

I hope to see many of us at the raceways this weekend showing your support and pride in what the USA stands for. Like I said. Show your colors of RED, WHITE and Blue this weekend at your local raceway. Bring your signs. And provide your prayers. After all. It is PATRIOTS DAY that we all should be celebrating.

[txtom]

TA,

Your post here reminded me of an email I received a few days ago, here is the text of that email. It is a column written by Ben Stein, who we know as a comedian and actor. This last column of his completely reflects my feelings about actors, pro sports figures, and the celebrity life in general.

 

For many years Ben Stein has written a biweekly column called "Monday Night At Morton's." (Morton's is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to be frequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.) Now, Ben is terminating the column to move on to other things in his life. Reading his final column is worth a few minutes of your time.

 

 

Ben Stein's Last Column...

============================================

How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?

 

As I begin to write this, I "slug" it, as we writers say, which means I put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is "eonlineFINAL," and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end.

 

It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person and the world's change have overtaken it. On a small scale, Morton's, while better than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to. It still brings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars. I saw Samuel L. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit, and right before that, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty in an elevator, in which we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a super movie. But Morton's is not the star galaxy it once was, though it probably will be again.

 

Beyond that, a bigger change has happened. I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to.

 

How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in insane luxury really be a star in today's world, if by a "star" we mean someone bright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails.

 

They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world.

 

A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a road north of Baghdad. He approached it, and the bomb went off and killed him.

 

A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad.

 

The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish weddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists.

 

We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die.

 

I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.

 

There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament...the policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery; the teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children; the kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards.

 

Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of a real hero.

 

I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters. This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it another way. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as Olivier or as good a comic as Steve Martin...or Martin Mull or Fred Willard--or as good an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a writer as Fitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them.

 

But I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, above all, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to be my main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty well with my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister's help). I cared for and paid attention to them in their declining years. I stayed with my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into a coma and then entered immortality with my sister and me reading him the Psalms.

 

This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the soldiers in Iraq or the firefighters in New York. I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human.

 

Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will.

By Ben Stein

 

 

This text had the following picture attached to it. It gives me chills every time I look at it.

Vets

[Budman]

Thank You Tom.

[Texas Terror]

As a veteran who has seen both Afghanistan and Iraq, It touches me when you do see people who express the feelings that I have read here. I always had trouble comming up with a response when people would say Thank You. The best I ever came up with was"You are welcome and I would still be there if I hadnt been hurt."

 

If I could say one thing to those of you who wish to do something for the Men and Women overseas it would be this: Dont forget about them! In addition to Afghanistan and Iraq, we have troops in over 15 countries presently. Dont ever let them feel forgotten! Nothing made me feel worse than thinking that my country didnt care about us.

 

I also think it is very important to make a HUGE distinction here. You can disagree with WHY we are there all you want. I will not begin to venture into the realm of politics here. If you dont like why we are there, that is fine. At the same time you can disagree with why we are there, you can SUPPORT the VOLUNTEERS who are over there. Those Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are all there of their own free will. If you disagree with why they are there fine. However, any REAL American should desire that those who agree to protect your freedom be given the best support and materials that they can receive in order to do their job. All too often I have encountered people who think no more money should be spent on the soldiers overseas. That is the worst possible position you could take for our military.

 

Now that I have gotten all of that out and stepped down from my soapbox, I will leave you with this:

 

A college professor of philosophy was giving his opening lecture on religeon. He claimed that he was an Atheist and belief in God was rediculous. He went on for half an hour explaining that there could be no proof shown that God existed. He then said that he would proove that there is no God. He dramatically closed his lecture notes, spread his arms wide and looked to the cieling. "God, if you are there, I invite you to knock me off of this podeum. I will even wait here 10 minutes for you to do so."

 

The class set there in total silence. Every minute that passed the professor would declare, " I am still here God. Where are you?"

 

9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,and finally he called out the one minute mark.

 

At thirty seconds left, a former Army Ranger who was sitting in the front row stood up and walked to professor. He quickly knocked the professor out with a right cross. Then the Ranger quietly turned around and returned to his seat. The rest of the class sat is shock and silence after witnessing this. At about 5 minutes left in the class, the professor regained conciousness and got back up. He looked at the Ranger in shock recalling what had happened to him.

 

"Why in the hell did you do that?" the professor asked.

 

"God told me that he was busy protecting the men and women overseas who are defending the freedom of (insert vulgarity here. Normally starts with "A" and ends with "E") like you to say stupid things like that. So he sent me instead!"

 

 

 

hope you liked it......

[ACE44]

The Budweiser Story (not a joke) This is TRUE!

 

 

 

How Budweiser handled those who laughed at those who died on the 11th of September, 2001...Thought you might like to know what happened in a little town north of Bakersfield, California.

 

After you finish reading this, please forward this story on to others so that our nation and people around the world will know about those who laughed when they found out about the tragic events in New York, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon.

 

On September 11th, a Budweiser employee was making a delivery to a convenience store in a California town named McFarland. He knew of the tragedy that had occurred in New York when he entered the business to find the two Arabs, who owned the business, whooping and hollering to show their approval and support of this treacherous attack.

 

The Budweiser employee went to his truck, called his boss and told him of the very upsetting event! He didn't feel he could be in that store with those horrible people. His boss asked him, "Do you think you could go in there long enough to pull every Budweiser product and item our beverage company sells there? We'll never deliver to them again." The employee walked in, proceeded to pull every single product his beverage company provided and left with an incredible grin on his face. He told them never to bother to call for a delivery again.

 

Budweiser happens to be the beer of choice for that community. Just letting you know how Kern County handled this situation.

 

And Now The Rest Of The Story:

 

It seems that the Bud driver and the Pepsi man are neighbors. Bud called Pepsi and told him. Pepsi called his boss who told him to pull all Pepsi products as well!!! That would include Frito Lay, etc. Furthermore, word spread and all vendors followed suit! At last report, the store was closed indefinitely. Good old American Passive-Aggressive A$$ Whoopin!

 

Pass this along, America needs to know that we're all working together!

 

If you can read this... Thank a teacher!!!!

 

If you are reading it in English.... THANK A SOLDIER!!!

 

God Bless America !!

 

If you do not send this you have no soul!!!!

[Crazyhorse]

this is a very cool thread , thank you guys for taking the time to bring it to us.

thank a soldier , thank your neighbor , and thank god you get to be called an american.

...........and to all the arm chair presidents out there , if you don't love it GET THE [edited out by Nick Holt, 9/8/07] OUT!

[NeilTPS]

I knew it all along ... many of these racing folks have red and white and blue flowing through their veins.

 

I am pleased to say that the posts in this thread prove it.

 

Thanks to these All American - All Americans.

 

Neil Upchurch

[speed demon 7]

I don't reply much to posts, but 911 holds a special meaning to me. I have had to listen to people tell me that it was a government conspiracy and that the plane that hit the pentagon was not a plane, but one of our own missles. I hear them say that the whole deal was brought together by Bush so he could go to war. How those people can talk like that and still reap the benefits of living in the USA, and probably collecting some kind of public assistance from the very Government they bad mouth. It is very disturbing.

 

Now, I would like to Thank Texas terror for his service and every other soldier who voluntarily serves our country. I could go on and on, but I won't. I just want to say thank you. 911 is a special day for me because in 1999, I married my wife Jennifer. So, I have to celebrate and at the same time remember what happened 5 years ago.

 

Again, thank you Texas Terror and everyone else who has served, is serving, or plans on serving our country.

[HiTech]

I get a tear in my eye as i do now .just to think of all those brave men and womem who fight and

loose thier lives for us .cuz .one man who i never knew his name was at a store one day years ago .and he had lost a arm both legs lost a lung and a shoulder blade in a bombing . vietnam .and he was haveing trouble reaching a can of tomato juice . so i helped him out .well we got to talking . and what he told me ill never forget . he said he would do it all again if given the chance proudly even in the state he was in . i told him how proud i was of him .and as we parted ways he told me one more thing . and that was .BEING CALLED A BABY KILLER EVEN FROM HIS OWN FRIENDS . folks that hurt .but he still said he would go fight for his country .i myself never served our country in any shape or form like he and others did and do now. i was hit by a car when i was 15 and no service would take me .but id be damned if i would ever step so low as some so called people of this country nore would i ever stand by and let anyone ever talk down our brave men and women who give up every thing for you me and those sob.s out there . those same pople who blaimed our goverment for not stopping 911 before it happend . now are the same who bitch about our forces over there .just cant make them happy .i dont know desert cop .but that man and his men and all forces will for ever have my thanks and i will always call them my brother and sister .for they .protect i my wife and my son with thier lives . so the only thing i can do is support them . THANK YOU VERY MUCH FROM LONG AGO WARS AND TODAYS .

[zoom]

I received this in an email

 

Fly The Flag

>

>

>Please join us in this FLY THE FLAG campaign.  We have about one week and

>counting to get the word out all across this great land and into every

>community in the United States of America .  If you forward this email to

>least 11 people and each of those people do the same...you get the idea.

>

>THE PROGRAM IS THIS:

>

>On Monday, September 11th, 2006, an American flag should be displayed

>outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States in

>honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and

>loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are

>fighting

>at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

>

>In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in

>American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood

>shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but

>disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it

>shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American

>flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over

>terrorism

>of all kinds.

>

>Action Plan: So, here's what we need you to do...

>

>(1) Forward this email to everyone you know (at least 11 people).

>Please don't be the one to break this chain. Take a moment to think back to

>how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

>

>(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11.  Honestly, Americans should

>fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority

>on this day.

>

>Thank you for your participation.

>

 

 

Will you show your colors?

[NickHolt]

Our family has proudly flown the flag of the United States of America ever since I got out of the service in 1971. We purchase a new one every 3-4 months since we fly it 24/7.

 

Wal-Mart has very some nice, inexpensive flags. Buy the one with the embroided stars. It lasts a lot longer than the one with the printed on stars. They usually stock two different sizes.

 

A few years ago I was looking around the internet and found a US flag that an antique dealer had for sale. It was one of the US flags my great-grandfather - a sea captain for most of his life - flew on his three-masted schooner, the Helen G. Moseley, back in the 1870's. He would run lumber from Ellsworth, Maine, to ports all over the world and return home with a load of whatever that part of the world was offering for sale - china, sugar, rum, coffee or whatever. On the hem (grommet) edge of the flag was his name - Capt. Allen Holt - and the name of the ship - Helen G. Moseley - and the date - which I can't remember now since the flag stored at our old family home in Maine.

 

Most expensive flag I ever bought!

 

Nick Holt

[Definitive]

I have read up about insurections and revolutions in different countries through history.What I hear from certain politicians scares me.We have a growing way of thinking in this country that by now would have overthrown most smaller countries.I wish everyone would seriously rethink the meaning of our "freedom of speach".It will be the "only" thing that topples this country.For ABC to bow down to threats of a law suit from one of the most criminally political families in our history,is just scary.If this anti-American sentiment continues to grow,will the Americans with the traditional American beliefs be able to fight back?They obviously won't have much of a media outlet to do so.

 

God bless America....and all of it's patriots...even those of you that haven't worn a uniform.

[Texas Terror]

I am very happy to read of those of you who are as patriotic as you are. That makes me feel good. Turbo, I agree, you didnt have to serve your country in the military to have served. People can serve their country by simply being good Americans. I will not comment on the ABC issue. I worked for ABC and then NBC in San Antonio for about 4 years before the Military recalled me for Afghanistan. Just suffice it to say that I dont like where journalism is going. My father was a reporter at the same station I worked at in San Antonio so I grew up in News stations. It does make me sad to see what has happened to it.

 

For those of you who live in San Antonio, Dixie Flag is where I bought all of my flags. I bought a box of 10 flags that went to Afghanistan with me. I took all of them to places to have them flown. We even flew them on top of Osama's old house in Jalalbad. I flew all of them over 23 different locations in Afghanistan and Iraq and have certificates for them. Of all the things I have from my military days, MY flag is my favorite. It will be burried with me.

 

On to more light conversation: After seeing all of your posts yesterday, I decided I wanted to do something different with a NASCAR model I was building. Here it is:

 

 

 

Hope you like em.

[nightmoves 99]

thank you!!!!

[HiTech]

SHARP .

[HiTech]

now whats wrong with me i cannot get away with just one word. thiiiiiiiiiiiierrrrrrrrrrrrr great .now do you do this just for you are can you do that for someone else if so how much .

[Texas Terror]

If you mean customize racecar models? sure I can do it. Hell if you buy the car and the paint, I will do it for free. Just let me know what yopu are looking for. I have done nascars, sprint cars and my wife and I like buying regular models and making them race cars. I actually am going tomorrow to get the stuff to make the custom decals. That way i can make the numbers and sponsor stickers too.

 

I will try anything ya want...

[HiTech]

ill get back with you on that may have three to do and by the looks of it .youll do a fine job mike knox i think does cars for driver like that .and gharges so i and we dont have a problem paying .

[Texas Terror]

I am sure we can work something out......

 

I will take it out in trade once I get my car ready for a track....I will charge you advice......

[HiTech]

i dont know if i can help you everyone thinks im a do.do bird. anything i can try and help you with i will do .

[Texas Terror]

Even if that is the case, you are still a doo doo bird that knows the local tracks and setups a hell of a lot better than I do. When I used to run dirt up in San Angelo, that was the only setup i knew. Well, that and Abilene. So I will take a doo doo bird anyday that has some doo doo advice.

[bubbac]

Thank you Texas Speed Zone for allowing this topic to continue. I too am a Vietnam vet who believes deeply in our freedoms and I would also be proud to serve again, even though I lived with the stigma from being a Vietnam vet.

 

I too have to agree with Ben Stein about the "Stars" in this country. Another thing that gets my blood flowing is the people in our government that call us to serve, then turn around and eliminate the benefits needed for our veterans to survive, all the while ensuring their future for their "service to our country" with very plush retirement benefits. I better stop now.

 

One thing I haven't done previously is to vote, that is going to change with the up coming elections. I pray that everyone eligible to vote to get involved. This is the only way, other than revolution, to change this country's path.

 

Texas terror, I agree that our news outlets are not what they should be. But I believe the bigest thing about the ABC situation was the threat of a lawsuit. ABC surely knows that they could not have won. Maybe our legal system, or the people in it, needs to change. I better stop again.

 

Anyway, thank you to all the Men and Women serving in our military services. Keep yor head up and be proud, this is still the greatest country on earth.