Not that anyone noticed, but I have been (uncle?) remiss in not commenting in a more timely fashion on Bacalove’s Friday posting of the Gail Collin's NYT opinion piece on GOPosition to Minnesota rep. Terry McCollum’s temerity in suggesting Pentagon funding for NASCAR sponsorships be included among the flotsam and jetsam in the current national budget cutting avalanche.
Unfortunately, the weekend has been completely preoccupied with monitoring the highly competitive bidding on some 100 Dale Earnhardt memorial wall calendars currently being offered this weekend on eBay.
But playing devil’s advocate here, and patriotic southern white boys no doubt still being our military recruitment’s most sought after (albeit no longer necessarily primary) demographic, I’d have to agree the Pentagon’s $7 million dollars spent on NASCAR racing sponsorships might actually be one of this country’s better and more effective advertising buys. (Embarrassed to continue admitting better them than me.) Depending, of course, on how much of the sponsorship $$$ might go for TV commercials and how much just for an army logo appearing on some faux-satin jacket or car hood decal?
On second thought, the latter apparently being directed more at brand recognition than actual call-to-action, I guess it’s at least better to have young NASCAR afficionistas enlisting in the US army than somebody else’s? For example, it is my understanding that Khadafi’s Niger, Mali, and Chadian mercenaries reportedly having taken the money and run at the first sign of actual fisticuffs, virtually all of the colonel’s military recruitment dollars are now being poured into decals for Moroccan NASCAMEL racing? Or maybe that’s just the Yemeni Khat-daffy talking? Er, sorry.
Is it a boon to recruitment that the only way one can now race a new HUMMER is by joining the service? Coincidence? And is it just me or does anybody else agree that the Libyan strongman’s most likely chance at a victory would come for already most actually resembling a likeness in Mme. Tussaud’s Wax Museum?
Perhaps the reason the Toyota Camry may very possibly be the only foreign brand stock car now on the NASCAR circuit is that it poses no danger to national security -- Japan still limited to only having a “self-defense” force rather than actual standing army to compete with our own. Ironically the Camry is also the stock car with the best chance of actually having been assembled in the U.S. – the Fords and Chevys all apparently boasting a Mexican or Canadian provenance -- see NAFTACAR racing?
A side note: Many years ago I was present at a large gathering where the meteorologist of a local TV station was presented with an award from our area's Clean Air Coalition. Honest to God, the event was the groundbreaking dedication for Fort Worth’s NASCAR Texas Motor Speedway.