Yellow Journalism
By M.L. Morgan
Well, race fans, our recent tragedy has once again brought the parasites out from under their rocks.
This time it involves a reporter (?) from the Orlando Sentinel who filed suit in Volusia County (Daytona) to gain access to the Earnhardt autopsy photo's, claiming he had the right to see them under the Freedom of Information Act. We think this is despicable. This is not journalism - this is pure b.s. This pathetic person is doing nothing but staking his claim to his "15 minutes of fame". This person might be a reporter, but he is NO race fan. He is a maggot.
The saddest part is this person may win. The lawyers for the Earnhardt family are allegedly negotiating terms and conditions under which this leech can view the photo's. The most recent reports we've seen make it appear the Earnhardt lawyers are conceding defeat. We are not lawyers so we can't comment on the validity of this suit. But, as race fans, we will shout to the world that this deal sucks.
We wonder how this idiot's rights to access can outweigh the rights to privacy of a grieving family. There is a lot wrong with that scenario.
Dale Earnhardt was a very public figure, but he was also a husband, a father and a grandfather. When he wasn't wearing his driving suit, he was just another man with a family. Now some moron refuses to allow this family to mourn in private.
Less than a year back, we faced a similar situation after Kenny Irwin and Adam Petty were killed at Loudon, NH. Another newspaper reporter, I won't use his name, decided he wanted his 15 minutes. He wrote some scathing pieces about how terrible Nascar racing was. He was another total fool who didn't know the difference between a race car and a race riot. But he got his 15 minutes.
Race Views was not the only outfit to condemn this man's opinions. He deserved much more than condemnation for being so insensitive. At the time, we suggested castration, but acknowledged we were probably too late.
Now we have someone in Florida who is equally insensitive. We hate that people like that are allowed to breathe the same air as race fans. It's a crime. If we put up a notice asking for volunteers, I doubt we could get more than a couple million race fans who would gladly help us reduce this punk's need to breathe our air. But Race Views is not violent and race fans are not, either.
Our sport is often violent. The fans and the participants are all too aware of it. When something terrible happens, we band together to mourn. We would never sensationalize a tragedy.
We offer this advice to those would try to promote themselves in the wake of a tragedy : Go straight to Hell - Do not pass Go ! And don't come back. We welcome all race fans, but we have no time for carpetbaggers.
I rarely speak out of character but this deal is so offensive I will. I know this moron's name but I refuse to use it. It repulses me that idiots of this magnitude are afforded the same rights as sensient humans.
So many of us are still trying to function with wet eyes and yet assholes like this show up. I don't want to hear about First Amendment Rights. I want to hear about showing respect to a grieving family. And I want to hear nothing more from this moron in Orlando.
I'm not always delicate. Perhaps I'm rarely delicate. But I'm always honest.
We hated what happened but we hate the leeches even more.
We are not very tolerant. Are we supposed to be ?
Don't think so
Mike Morgan
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