Was anyone else as uncomfortable as I was...

[david ring]

I have to back what an earlier person said about Qatar being our ally-we have military bases there and the country is quite ok with that.

[Tom P]

Like Mr Lyons says above, it was obviously the last and only qualifying session. Nobody should have counted on another pass Sunday since they were so far behind.

Hard to believe that was 4 days ago and the race still isn't over yet.

[treessavoy]

Originally Posted by Smitty

I don't think these guys hate americans as it seems they have surrounded themselves with some of the best american racers out there. But to anwer your questions, yes alot of the mid east folks dislike americans and will always do that, we can only hope AJ's alliance will help bridge that gap.

Sorry to bust your bubble but we (americans) are hated all over the world. I spent 24 years in the Army and lived all over the world and the only people that seemed to like us were the Germans and Japanese.....go figure.

Hell even the Mexicans and Canadians don't like us...if ya can't get along with your neighbors how do you think others feel.

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Smitty

Because Alan Johnson's owns the rights to the mold for Toyota just as John Force does for Ford and Chevis out of money and who knows what the deal is with Chrysler. The Big three is strapped so why run something that want pay you or assist you? Running a Big three make doesn't make you more american or put money on the table.

Actually I beg to differ with you Smitty, because there's plenty of people around the country who (for several weeks/months/years) have had to modify how they put money on the table, because so many of us "SO-CALLED AMERICANS", have imbraced the Toyota's, Nissan's, and other's of their ilk in to our driveways, garages, and parking spaces. Furthermore, since our good old government lifted the tariffs on their products (all-the-while) knowing that countries such as Japan, don't allow imported products to be sold at competitive prices compared to their products there! Yet our govt. (for some warped minded reason) does it here! That's why I don't like (and won't root for) any race car that has Toyota on it---and as long as fair trade doesn't truly exist (as it should), then I'll always feel that way...I also haven't forgotten Senator McCains comments about "those manufacturing jobs are gone, and won't be coming back"!!?? After reading that, "THANK GOD THAT HE WASN'T ELECTED PRESIDENT", because he certainly doesn't care for the American auto worker, and those businesses who were supported over the years by the wages those fine folks earned (with a comment like that)!!!

[John Warehime]

Mitsubishi manufactured the Zero fighter planes that bombed Pearl Harbor, and Suzuki was a Jap general, during World War Two,that called for the arming of every Japanese man, woman, and child to kill as many Americans as possible during the pending invasion of Japan. We dropped the A-bomb and that invasion never took place. It's like buying Osama Bein-Layden(? spelling) mini vans after the September 11 attacks on New York.

[Ed Fernandez]

Originally Posted by Mr Warehime

Mitsubishi manufactured the Zero fighter planes that bombed Pearl Harbor, and Suzuki was a Jap general, during World War Two,that called for the arming of every Japanese man, woman, and child to kill as many Americans as possible during the pending invasion of Japan. We dropped the A-bomb and that invasion never took place. It's like buying Osama Bein-Layden(? spelling) mini vans after the September 11 attacks on New York.

And they never apologised for Pearl Harbor................................

Ed F.

[Rick Carlson]

I believe the Toyota body that the AJ/Dixon/Sheik F/C uses is a "Solara", which is a 2 door based on the Camry. Hmmmm...where do you suppose the plant is located that builds the Camry/Solara?

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Rick Carlson

I believe the Toyota body that the AJ/Dixon/Sheik F/C uses is a "Solara", which is a 2 door based on the Camry. Hmmmm...where do you suppose the plant is located that builds the Camry/Solara?

I could care less where the plant is...the fact that it's a Non-American branded/produced product (over and beyond the fact that when the final buck stops, it's still not here in our country), when there's a monopoly of trade over there with regards to our products (and even Europe's as well), doesn't make it ok. One (if not the primary) of the reasons that plant exist's here, is to allow Toyota (and others of their ilk) tariff-free importing---I wouldn't want to know how many of their component parts are imported to that plant, from their home country! What happened to Pittsburgh Steel being used to make cars and trucks???

Before you go blasting me for the American products that are made in foreign soil, let me say that I'm against that too, and I wish our govt. would've penalized the big-three for exporting those jobs away as well.

To any of you who live near Janesville, Wi., I hope you thank those folks for me because of the great work they did on mine & countless other Chevy Cavalier cars over the years...given how well my car can run against the standard of Stock Eliminator (the rear-wheel-driven American Car/Truck), and how much more successful it's been in class racing as opposed to the Mitsubishi's (that tried & failed to compete), I feel even more patriotic that I've won races with the now Chevy Cobalts Father (the Cavalier), and it's great-grandfather (the Vega).

Bottom line, I (unlike too many in this fine country) believe in YOU..THE AMERICAN WORKER! I want to drive what you designed, engineered, & manufactured...by doing that for decades, America became the great country it was, and still can be...BUT WE NEED TO BELIEVE IN/SUPPORT EACH OTHER (OUR FELLOW AMERICANS, & OUR COMPANIES/BUSINESSES FIRST!!! To use poker terms...I'M ALL IN!!! HOW ABOUT YOU???

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Smitty

Once again everyone is entitled to their opinion however you two are basically saying all men from the mid east are the same in so many words. How much do you really know about their culture? You can't generalize a person based on what their culture does, not everyone follows suit. So for you to say she should be uncomfortable around them is a out of line because you or Julie don't know the owners/partners in Al-Anabi racing.
I try to give everyone a fair shake and not judge then by their "culture". So let me get your's and Julie's thought process correct using myself as an example; I have a friend who has several Confederate Flag's on his vehicle and tow vehicle, should I as an African American be uncomfortable around him because of this? this is basically what you said that because of the way people in the mid east treat their women she shouldn't be comfortable. If I missed something let me know.

Smitty, I understood (just like Bunkster), exactly what Julie meant by what she said, but to answer your questions about your friend with the confederate flags, it depends on why he has them all over his vehicle:

1. Is it because he has southern pride, and wishes to uphold the down home friendly values so noted with southerners, plus even the joy of watching the General Lee Dodge Charger of The Dukes of Hazard, leaping around Sheriff Boss Hog?

or

2. Does he hold to any degree the mindset prevalent amongst those who wish segregration, and any kind of dominance of whites over blacks (and in some places still does) exist. Beyond the notion that a persons ethnicity determines whether they're an equal or not? I thought it was interesting that a racer who displayed those flags around his trailer (and even placed a large one high in the back of the grandstands at last Nov.'s LODRS DIV 7 race at Las Vegas), had to remove them due to the possible ironics between that and the presence of several racers at the event who happened to be black (I being one of them).

As long as this Al-Anabi relationship becomes good for American relations with our Arabic allies, then I'm for it (just as I'm sure Julie is). My only problem is accepting his placing a Toyota body, on his funny car...I was always told that the best way to deal with a problem is to confront the problem and find ways to fix it, not run away from it---especially if it's fixable, and our economic problems are fixable, but it starts with taking care of our own first, then going global once we're ok...not bringing ourselves down to make others good...look where that's gotten us???