Dale Earnhardt's Family needs a hand!

[Suicidal]

They should just bottle up the bits that are left over, kinda like they did with the Berlin Wall. They can market them as "Champion Chunks" or something.

 

[cxim]

The family needs a new mortician...

how the heck did they lose his hand ?

 

[przero]

And e-mails in the Clinton white house, donor list to the Clinton Library, et.al. UG they ain't gettin them, why Earnhardt's autopsy photos. 'Cause they can get those, or what. And it begs to question your constitutional view of Amend.#2 and #10, but hey maybe another thread.

 

[UG]

Pray-tell. Give us the facts.

 

[Rudee]

How exactly did he die? Did something impact his head or did his neck break on impact? I never did figure it out...

 

[Midnight Rambler]

A lap belt failed. He then hit his chin and chest against the steering wheel, resulting in a skull fracture from front to back. He also had severe injuries to the chest area which might have killed him if the skull fracture had not already done so.

 

[przero]

The attending emergency room physician was on seen at the accident. After Dale's death he stated there was no facial trauma and that a "full face helmet" would have made no difference whatsoever. then the broken lap belt theory arises. Now he hit his chin hard enough to induce a basal fracture of the skull. Odd to say the least.

 

[AU Tiger]

Earnhardt makes plea to public

 

[UG]

Every other person in Floriduh is subject to the State's Sunshine Laws. So, too is Earnhardt.

Earnhardt, just because he was a public figure feeding at the public money trough, should receive no exemption from the law, no exemption otherwise not available to any other person in Floriduh.

If Earnhardt didn't want to be subject to the laws of Floriduh, he shouldn't have come to Floriduh.

 

[przero]

UG, Dale wasn't at the public trough. People paid to watch him, not with "public" funds. The problem is not about laws or such, it's about decency. No greater good will be served. I realize you could care less and that's fine. You speak of rights and laws and such, but you never temper that with good common decency. If it was your spouse or father then decency would make a difference. But now maybe we will see if fans can convince some people to change their mind. Perhaps a few well placed calls will put this behind us. I hope we don't have to see anyone's autopsy photo in any newspaper. it's beneath most us.

 

[btac]

pczero, I can understand your aggravation and I am also of like mind. This is not about the law or what's legal, or what is constitutional - it's about what is decent, as you said. UG, you seem more concerned about the constitution losing something here but remember - pczero is only exercising HIS constitutional right to disagree with this newspaper effort. He doesn't need to debate rights or law here - just decency. The Orlando Sentinel positions itself as some sort of "investigative" reporter trying to do some foggy sounding "community service" project by trying to improve the safety of auto racing. I guess everybody needs a niche market. But the fact of the matter is - it's racing and it's dangerous. It gives folks a thrill to see it - not to mention the feeling it must be to tool around at 200+. But the danger there is obvious. Death can and does occur and most of us familiar with Nascar have found out the last several years. But this effort by the Sentinel has obvious holes in the surface structure. It's easy to accuse someone of wrongdoing, hiding truth, or cover- up. It's a lot harder to defend oneself against those things when it's a newspaper making the suggestion. In this case, the Orlando Sentinel is only creating controversy to sell papers, imho. There is no controversy except the ones the Sentinel will use to sell papers. To wit, the last part of their "settlement" with the Earnhardt estate:

"We reaffirm that we are satisfied that the Court order precludes any copying and we will not ask the Court to lift that restriction. Today we are inviting both representatives of the Earnhardt estate and the Court itself to accompany our medical expert when he reviews the photographs to ensure that no copy could ever be made.
Newspapers are not always popular; sometimes newspapers have to ask hard questions; this is one of those times. But our mission to the community is to contribute to the debate on how race-car driving can be made safer. We have already contributed to the debate with our six-month investigation into race-car safety and the cause of death of three other drivers in less than a year. We think having our medical expert review the photographs -- without any copying or publication -- could help foster the debate on new ways to make racing safer."
Three key phrases - (1)"Newspapers are not always popular" (no kidding)
(2) "Mission to the community" - should be reporting - not creating
(3) "We have already contributed" - in whose opinion?
It's kind of an "In Your Face, Nascar" effort. Nascar has never had, nor do they now have, anything to hide. The Orlando Sentinel is just a poor news provider. I've sent my email to them too.

 

[przero]

Well said. That is my point exactly. Thanks.

 

[UG]

przero,

<...UG, Dale wasn't at the public trough...>

No? You're playing with semantics. He was no different than a movie star. Without the public buying tickets and buying into the Earnhardt image franchise, he'd not have been a legend.

btac,

<... This is not about the law or what's legal, or what is constitutional...>

Not if you prefer to ignore them in the name of convenience of selective decency.

You advocate interpreting law differently for different people. What's with that?

 

[przero]

UG, two things.
1. The public is (was) at Dale's trough as they are Madonna, et.al, not like some politician at the public's trough. (No need to name 'em.) The phrase &quot;public trough&quot; would me to me the use and/or benefit of public funds, and for NASCAR drivers that is not the case.
2. I am not for selective decency, no one's autopsy should be published.

 

[btac]

I'll say this again - it's NOT about the law or the constitution. It's about decency. If you don't get that part, the rest of it is moot. The Earnhardt's use of the legal system to stop the story was their only way out. It may or may not work. Regardless of their success or failure, the effort by the Sentinel is still obnoxious. As a newspaper, they enjoy rights guaranteed by the constitution - so does everyone else, including pczero. You're trying to tell pczero that he shouldn't complain about what he believes is repulsive, obscene behavior by a newspaper. In my opinion pczero is right. A boycott, or any other legal, constitutional effort at causing the Sentinel lost business or their demise is appropriate. The Orlando Sentinel's behavior, not their legal status, is what's on the table.

 

[UG]

przero,

1.) More semantics.

2.) Sunshine laws, such as Floriduh's, exist to ensure that the public has the same information as the government, so that the public can assure itself the government is operating in the best interests of the public and not in it's own. What do you imagine might have been the Floriduh legislature's motivation for enacting the Sunshine Laws in the first place? Hmm?

Autopsies in Floriduh are public record for a reason. All autopsies. Earnhardt's, too.

The claim of injured decency is not sufficient reason to compromise the public's right to moniter the activites of its government. If you think it is your are in blissful error.

 

[ToBeMe]

• LAS VEGAS, March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued today by Teresa Earnhardt:
  
  Thank you for joining us here today on such short notice. I want to
  acknowledge several people in the audience including NASCAR President Mike
  Helton, and Dale Earnhardt Incorporated drivers Steve Park and Michael
  Waltrip. Seated next to me, of course, is Dale Earnhardt Jr. On behalf
  of him, and my other children Kerry, Kelley, and Taylor, I have something
  very important to say -- not just to the NASCAR family and its millions of
  supporters, but to every family in America.
  It was just two weeks ago today that my husband died doing what he loved.
  We all miss him terribly and can never fully express how grateful we are
  to everyone who has shown us their support during this especially
  difficult and emotional time. The outpouring of affection for Dale and
  our family has been overwhelming. Since that day, we have received
  thousands of letters, phone calls and e-mails from all around the world
  offering sympathy and support.
  Thank you so much.
  
  However, I am here to tell you that the trauma we have suffered has only
  grown since that tragic day two weeks ago. In fact, I have not even had
  time to caringly unpack Dale's suitcases from Daytona, let alone have time
  to grieve for him. The main reason is because we have been caught up in
  an unexpected whirlwind as a result of efforts to gain access to the
  autopsy photographs of Dale.
  We can't believe, and are saddened that anyone would invade our privacy
  during this time of grief. I want to let you know that if access to the
  photos is allowed, others will demand them too. And make no mistake,
  sooner or later the photos will end up unprotected and published ... and
  most certainly on the Internet.
  We are thankful to the Florida court, which has denied access to these
  private photos for the time being. We hope it will order that these
  images remain where they belong -- in the medical examiner's confidential
  records. Ensuring that the media or others cannot violate Dale's dignity
  and our family's privacy will make the healing process possibly less
  painful.
  But there's a larger issue here. As our family has learned, the laws
  differ from state-to-state concerning accessibility to autopsy photos.
  The deceased have a right to their dignity and loved ones have a right to
  be free from exploitation. Allowing access to these photos will only
  cause more distress and emotional harm. I'm sure every family in America
  can understand this.
  Even people in the public eye have a right to privacy. This right is more
  important than the desire to exploit a tragic situation -- especially when
  no public good is being served. There is nothing to be gained by the
  release of these images from Dale's autopsy.
  Releasing the pictures will serve only to violate the privacy of our
  family and the integrity of Dale's legacy. Our family knows that what is
  happening to us is wrong and we don't want any other family in America to
  go through what we're going through.
  This is the first time I've spoken in public since we've lost Dale.
  Honestly, I'm not very comfortable being here. It's too soon. But this
  issue is of vital importance -- not just to my family -- but to anyone
  ever faced with being exploited after losing a loved one.
  I am grateful to be among friends, and hopeful that my difficult decision
  to come here today will make a difference.
  I ask anyone, who feels as strongly as we do, to let your voices be heard.
  Over the next few days, please contact the Speaker of the Florida House of
  Representatives and the President of the Florida Senate, both of whom are
  in Tallahassee, and will hopefully be taking up this issue shortly. Ask
  them to protect the privacy of citizens by preventing the publication of
  autopsy photos. Then do the same in your own state. Please also contact
  Florida Governor Jeb Bush and then contact your own governor. Finally, we
  encourage you to let the Orlando Sentinel know how you feel about this
  unfortunate situation.
  Hopefully, something positive will come from our efforts ... for Dale's
  sake. He was a wonderful husband, father, son, and brother, as well as a
  national role model for so many. That's the way he should be remembered.
  Please help us by speaking out. We need you right now.
  Thank you for your support.
  

 

[przero]

UG,
1. What did you MEAN by the phrase &quot;public trough&quot;?
2. If you really think for a second that you would support this action if it was a photo of your mother ,naked on a coroner's slab, about to be published on the front page of a newspaper, you, my friend are in &quot;blissful error&quot;. I state again it's about decency. Also, I state again, I have the right to adopt and/or lead any boycott, e-mail, or other action to prevent this &quot;rag&quot; from proceeding their planned course of action.Perhaps you would be more agreeable to our position, if say a 1,000 fans filed &quot;amicus&quot; briefs with the court?

 

[beamrider]

I have to say that no one should be an exception to any law, no matter how it may cause others grief. However, I do understand the point trying to be made. I guarentee they don't want the pics for their own information, investigation, etc. And I also guarentee the pics will end up published in some public forum, whether it be a newspaper, or over the internet. No one wants to or needs to see those pictures. Sounds like just another attempt by the press to sell papers.

 

[przero]

Exactly.

By the way would YOU tell UG that's what we are saying.