NASCAR fans are a loyal bunch who thrive as much on the adrenaline of a fast paced, leader-changing race as much as the drivers of these near-million dollar cars are.  It’s the most recent near-tragedy that’s brought a controversy back into the spotlight and has the drivers, fans and NASCAR executives debating once again.  Restrictor plates, which basically ensure each driver isn’t driving too fast, has long since been a thorn in the collective side of NASCAR drivers.  They insist, and many agree, that it forces them to drive too close

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together since no one can get an upper edge in terms of speed.  Very few drivers believe it serves any purpose other than to provide too much danger due to the increased risk of crashes.  This is exactly what happened in Talladega, AL yesterday.

The world famous track has long since been at least partially blamed for the mandatory restrictor plates, especially after a particularly spectacular crash in the late eighties involving Bobby Allison.  He was running at 200+ mph, his crash sent him airborne and nearly resulted in his death.  He crashed into the fence and sent pieces of his car into the crowd.  NASCAR’s response was the development of the restrictor plates.  They insisted the insanely fast speeds had a lot to do with both Allison’s injuries as well as the spectators who were injured.

Yesterday’s crash that sent Carl Edwards airborne also sent debris flying into the spectator area, just as it did with Allison over twenty years ago.  This, of course, has many opponents arguing that the restrictor plates aren’t doing everything they’re designed for after all.  Yesterday’s fright only seems to back up these arguments.   Amazingly, Edwards walked away from the crash and actually crossed the finish line (the crash happened in the last lap) on foot.  He was battling for first place with Brad Keselowski, who ended up winning the race.  Although Edwards was uninjured, several fans weren’t so lucky.  Flying debris isn’t uncommon at these races and die-hard fans know it’s a risk they take.  Rarely are there lawsuits that result.  This time, there’s one fan who’s still in the hospital with a broken jaw.

Even Dale Earnhardt, Jr., whose father was killed in 2001, says the restrictor plates are celebrated, both by the media and networks, because it increases the chances of “the big one”, referring to a major crash that would most likely end the career of a beloved driver.  It’s not unheard of; some of the best have lost their lives on the tracks and every famous NASCAR family, including the Allison family, the Earnhardt family and the Petty family, just to name a few, has its own heartbreak over losing a family member.

Perhaps it was best said by Edwards himself after the race, “I don’t know if I could live with myself if I ended up in the grandstands.  We’ll race like this until we kill somebody, then NASCAR will change it.”

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Sexting, which is defined as distributing pictures of teens caught, via cameras in cells, in compromising positions, such as stepping out of the shower or other nude situations, and distributed via text messages is a new term that is being hotly debated in Pennsylvania these days. 

Two 13 year old girls were photographed in their panties and bras during the summer of 2007.  From there, the camera picture was forwarded to countless people.  The girls, including the two photographed and the one who took the picture, insisted it was nothing more than a typical girl’s sleepover.  The truth is, there are few women who don’t have similar memories from their own teenage years.  Whether it’s skinny dipping in the pool after the parents have gone to bed or goofy pictures taken with two inches of goop on our faces, rollers in our hair and robotic movements because we’ve painted our toes and don’t want to disturb that hard work, we all have pictures similar to that in long-forgotten scrapbooks.  The district attorney in Allentown begs to differ.  The ACLU has now asked a federal judge to block his attempts in filing charges against these three girls.

George Skumanick, Jr. the D.A. in Wyoming County, has promised to file felony charges (including child pornography) against the girls unless they participate in an after school program and then probation.  The girls and their parents are more than a little upset.  There was no intent to distribute these pictures (it’s not known how they got out), nor are they in any way indicative of child pornography.  The parents and ACLU are accusing Skumanick of abuse of authority.

Another girl and her lawyer has since came forward and joined the lawsuit.  She was threatened with the same repercussions when pictures surfaced of her as she stepped out of the shower. 

The district attorney’s office says its only goal is to protect these girls and educate them on the probabilities of the photos being “out there” forever.  Their offer of no charges being filed provided they attend sexual harassment, sexual violence and gender role courses simply isn’t flying with many.  The D.A. then goes on to say, “If we were just out to be nasty about this, we would have just charged everybody.”  He says the pictures weren’t as innocent as the parents are insisting they are; of course, he can’t show them because he’d then run the risk of being charged with a felony for distributing, in his words, child pornography. 

There is a definitive need for laws to protect kids - even from themselves - when it comes to sexting; this, however, appears to be overkill.  In fact, there are questions now being raised as to whether or not pictures of girls in bikinis are next, especially since it’s been said the bras and panties weren’t any more revealing than most bathing suits that grace the beaches.

In typical fashion of a thirteen year old girl, one laughs it off and says it was “an old grandma bra”.