Straight Line
By Jim Jack
The Crime of the Century
Contents
If asked , “ What do you think is the crime of the century ?”, we ’ d all probably have a different answer , depending on our age , environment , family heritage , and how much education we ‘ ve experienced .
If you grew up in the mid-to-late twentieth century , your answer would vary from those who grew up in the mid-to-late ninetieth century . Strange as it sounds , many people today do not know anything about world history ( or biblical history either ).
Since organized drag racing is not yet a century old , it really can ’ t claim to have a crime of the century — but it does have some history of catastrophes . Someone outside the world of drag racing would be unable to answer an inquiry if drag racing was the premise of the question .
A sad pronouncement is many people in this day-and-age really don ’ t give a hoot about what happened in the past — good or bad — even if it affects them personally .
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Drag racing has had plenty of misfortune in its history , but you really couldn ’ t say a crime took place . The blemishes of racing incidents can ’ t be described as criminal , but to a surviving loved one it feels like they were violated , and the violation can feel like a crime .
If we look back in world history , the crime of the century , in the twentieth century , may well be the horrors of the Holocaust , or the hideousness of Hiroshima . Maybe in the ninetieth century it was the Civil War , or in the eighteenth century the Revolutionary War and so on as we delve back into history .
I ’ ve been attending drag racing for almost six decades and the only crimes I know about happening at the races are fights , robberies , drug abuse and drug transactions . Sad to think these crimes could be committed at a drag race , but unfortunately , there are sinister people everywhere you choose to go .
Many racers throughout the years have felt they were figuratively beaten , robbed or raped , thus outwardly repulsed because they were denied a victory . People need to understand when bad things happen , it has the outward appearance of being unfair at the time of the incident , but no one is guaranteed a perfect life without any problems .
The phrase things happen for a reason is a misnomer ( but too many people believe this statement is fact ). Things happen because ; First : You reap what you sow , if you sow good things you may reap good things , but if you sow bad things you may well reap bad things . Second : Other people also sow good and bad , and fortunately , or unfortunately , you may be the recipient of reaping their good or their bad . Third : We live in a fallen world , so things will happen , things will break , and things will simply let you down with no reason !
In drag racing , sometimes you win , sometimes you lose , and sometimes you just have to get by singing the blues . When it ’ s your weekend to take home the trophy , things fall in place and your hot rod simply runs to [ almost ] perfection . When it ’ s not your weekend , stuff happens , things break , nothing seems to go your way — but that ’ s how racing goes . No reason needed !
Why do unpleasant things happen ? Because no one knows you ’ re going broke … or you committed a small offense after you woke … you said it was only rum and coke … you indulged in a small toke … you think your child deserved a minor poke … you faked the impression of being the best bloke … so following worldly things is no laughing joke .
Because of mankind ’ s fallen nature and living in a sorely depraved world — after sin entered in — there ’ s only been one innocent crime , and it took place back in the first century . The corruption and rebellion continued to escalate between the Garden of Eden and the Garden of Gethsemane . God knew it was time to sow His grace and truth . It was not only the crime of the century . It was the crime of eternity happening right be-
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