Friday, January 11, 2013

Getting real...

So originally I was gonna scribble another rant about how gOOgle keeps screwing with the blind & visually impaired, constantly changing their myriads ‘O Internetz applications, i.e.; Gmail, Blogger, etc - and how exasperated they made me feel by just simply deleting another important function without any warning! As I literally wanted to hurl ‘Somme-thun at my ‘Confuzer; I mean HELL! I almost felt like the guy in North Carolina who shot up his Earnhart memorabilia display after becoming so despondent over his pet snake done died, I means Y’all did hear ‘bout that right?


As this further push to make every-thingy “smartfone Friendly,” i.e.; smaller ‘N LESS user friendly to the visually impaired - as Y’all know just really pisses me off; as it almost seemed like some type ‘O divine retribution that I fell afoul of this latest change on the very day I posted my latest ventings upon the very subject.

Yet, listening Tuesday evening to Autosport Radio, specifically for Bob Jenkins, leave it to Bob to once again teach us what’s really important in life - as he’d wanted to talk to Art Carter instead of shining the spotlight upon himself, even as he’s still grieving over the loss of his wife of 45-years...

And what a wonderful treat it was for Don Kay to arrange this meeting of two true gentlemen, as you may be asking like I first did, just who is Art Carter? Well he’s one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen, and is now 90-years old, and according to the Indianapolis Recorder, Carter was the lone remaining Indianapolis Tuskegee Airman a year ago when the George Lucas movie I’d never heard of; Red Tails came out...


And Messer Carter painted a pretty bleak tale of life and what it was like being a black man during World War II, no less as an enlisted pilot, as he painted a very somber picture of what life was like in a segregated world - not to  mention the pass-me down aircraft they were forced to fly. Noting how when they finally got their aircraft they were Curtis P-40 Warhawks from the Flying tigers, and they were full of bullet holes and completely shot up, requiring them to repair them before flying!

He also told the brief story of how Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. persevered through four-years of the silent treatment at West Point and having to eat his meals on the cafeteria floor because none of the whites would allow him permission to sit at their tables! Yet Davis Jr. not only was one of the first five black pilots to be  commissioned at Tuskegee, he’d go onto become the Air Force’s first ever black Brigadier General...


As all of this was very moving and Bob Jenkins seemed overly content to just listen to Carter’s story instead of joining in upon the interview. But what about Bob? Well it was announced that Jenkins has just been announced as the “Silver Voice” of this year’s Silver Crown Sprint Car series and will cover eleven races for them, along with doing his annual PA duties at Indianapolis, a few features for NBCSN IndyCar broadcasts and would be glad to help fill-in on the IMS Radio Network broadcasts if so needed - so never fear, Jenkins isn’t disappearing completely from the motor racing scene.

When asked how things were going in general and how the dogs are doing, Jenkins said the one dog misses his wife but the other doesn’t mind too terribly as long as it gets fed twice a day...