The place - Winter Garden, Florida, a working class suburb of Orlando that I drive through every day. A disproportionately large percentage of the town’s residents were born and raised in Central Florida – there’s not too many Yankees among the city’s population.
The scene - Since the crash at Daytona some months ago, perhaps the largest collective demonstration of grief towards the death Dale Earnhardt of any town in the United States. Memorials can be found in car an truck windows, on residential garage doors, worn on t-shirts and caps, plastered on billboards, and so on.
What’s wrong - after the WTC bombing, these ‘necks are STILL driving these rolling memorials to Dale Earnhardt. CONFEDERATE BATTLE FLAGS are flying from vehicles in the town, instead of the Stars and Stripes. With the exception of some American flags along the town’s main street, it seems as if nobody gives two GPCs about the WTC/Pentagon disaster. The town’s priorities seem screwed up – who cares about the 10,000 or so potential fatalities that Tuesday. After all, there’s a trajedy that’s far worse --Da-yul ain’t gonna’ rayce no more!!
Hey, Winter Garden … there’s more important things to think about right now! Peel those massive “3” stickers off your cars and trucks, and get your priorities in order!!! Yes, Dale Earnhardt was a great man and a good racer. Yes, you have the right to display a symbol that represents the pride you have in your Southern heritage. Don’t you think, though, that the death of countless police officers, firemen and innocent civilians, in the country you and your family live in, is a far greater loss?