Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

[cjforumadmin]

http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Opinion-JC-France-Drug-Arrest-Shouldn-t-Be-Mocked.html

[38P]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

Brian France on drugs (if true) would go a long way to explaining some of the idiotic decisions of NASCAR. ;)

As to the J.C. France brouhaha . . .

"The only reason why last Thursday?s drug arrest made news outside of Daytona is because of the name: J.C. France is the son of Jim France, a NASCAR board member, the grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., and the cousin of NASCAR Chairman Brian France."

1. Mr. Woody (stop snickering) understates the facts. J.C. France is a professional racing driver in his own right (albeit the France family name and fortune likely played a role in opening the necessary doors). As such, if the press did its job, France's arrest should have been news, at least in the motorsports community.

2. Mr. Woody is correct that the reason we're interested is because of his NASCAR connections.

To try to somehow taint NASCAR?s ruling family with J.C. France?s drug charges is absurd. Is it embarrassing for the family? Certainly. Is it hurtful and painful? No doubt.

No, it's ironic.

J.C. France is able to wheel around in an exotic Lambo and allegedly throw his name around because of his membership in "NASCAR's [dictatorial] family." It's certainly possible that the money the accused allegedly used to "score" came from connections he made as part of "NASCAR's [dictatorial] family." Most certainly as racing driver competing in events staged in part by "NASCAR's [dictatorial] family," and contested at some tracks controlled by "NASCAR's [dictatorial] family," the logic that NASCAR uses for its "zero tolerance policy" would apply equally to J.C. France.

While it might be unfair to "taint" the parents of wayward youths with the iindiscretions of their offspring, it's human nature to notice irony and to be amused by it.

It's also not unreasonable to rebuttably presume that the bad acts of the kids highlight deficiencies in values, maturity and/or upbringing. Most certainly there are children who are brought up "right" who still choose to do "wrong." But far more often, the seeds of criminality and substance abuse were sown and not uprooted long before adulthood.

Whether he likes it or not, J.C. France is in the public eye and should conduct himself accordingly. He, of course, is entitled to be presumed innocent until proven guilty (just as Mr. Mayfield is).

"NASCAR's [dictatorial] family" should be consistent in dealing with all competitors, including ones that are related by blood or marriage.

[SpiderGearsMan]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

coppers should have given him a wooden shampoo
give him the beatdown that his daddy avoided , as he was too busy counting all that nascar money over the years , to be raising his snot nosed spoiled brat
you would think the lil turd , with an access to all areas badge , would have hungout with elliot , earnhardt , allison , petty and some of the more quality people in the garage area and learned something

[38P]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

coppers should have given him a wooden shampoo
give him the beatdown that his daddy avoided . . .

That's ridiculous! Even arrogant, name-dropping, Lambo-driving (or perhaps "weaving") alleged hop-heads have fundamental rights to due process.

And there is no legitimate principle of justice that permits actively punishing children for their parents' alleged misdeeds (certainly children almost always bear the consequences of their parents' transgressions)

Rogue "coppers" meting out "roadside" corporal punishments is hardly the mark of a civilized society.

you would think the lil turd , with an access to all areas badge , would have hungout with elliot , earnhardt , allison , petty and some of the more quality people in the garage area and learned something

No you wouldn't. Associating with the oft-pampered celebrities of motorsport is hardly a substitute for the hard job of parenting. It's likely that young J.C. developed an abnormal sense of entitlement from his association, if any, with these fawned-over celebrities. It's also likely that he witnessed plenty of irresponsible behavior and substance use, if not abuse.

Undoubtedly he was bombarded with advertising for a plethora of "adult" products without contemporaneous parental guidance (e.g. Winston used to hand out free smokes at the track, Elliott and Bobby Allison were sponsored by alcohol manufacturers, some of NASCAR's most celebrated drivers were bootleggers) . All of that would be confusing at best and corrosive to self-regulation at worst.

It's also not very likely he saw any of these "stars" actively engaged in parenting. At the track, they're "on stage" and their children tend to be marginalized.

Thus, I can't see how "all access . . . [to] quality people in the garage area" would have influenced J.C. to avoid substance abuse or impaired motoring.

[SpiderGearsMan]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

thank you mr aclu
I didn't say junior johnson

last i looked alcohol and tobacco were still legal

[SpiderGearsMan]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

you know jc ?

[Schtauffer]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

I doubt that there?s a family anywhere that hasn?t been touched by the poison of drugs, and just because someone doesn?t care for NASCAR is no reason to find glee over yet another family?s pain.

There's plenty of good families out there with no drug activity whatsoever. That statement is ridiculous. It might just tell something of the social circles the author travels in.

My thoughts: Compassion and forgiveness do not equal looking the other way. Justice must be served. If a France throws his name around trying to bluff his way out of a screw-up, he should not whine when a firestorm of protest comes from everybody else, who were not born into a rich, famous family with connections. Who would this guy be if it were not for his family's name and money? The same place as the rest of us, probably. There are two kinds of rich people: the kind that earn it and the kind that inherit it. People that inherit it are... well, the results are obvious.

[38P]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

thank you mr aclu
I didn't say junior johnson

last i looked alcohol and tobacco were still legal

To suggest that motorists (even obnoxious ones) should not be unlawfully beaten by the police hardly makes one "Mr. (or Ms.) ACLU."

The legality of a particular drug is irrelevant. Most certainly parents have a more difficult task inculcating restraint or abstinence when a particular "adult" substance is "legal." They have a harder task when the use and/or abuse of any substance (legal or otherwise) is demonstrated without consequences. The hardest task of all is when parents are in the position of advocating "do as I say, not as I do."

Legality vs. illegality is not really a determinative factor until the youngster begins sufficiently sophisticated moral reasoning to appreciate governmental limits on liberty. Social disapprobation, instilled values, and direct consequences are far more important.

Even when prospective miscreants can appreciate the illegal status of "forbidden fruit," humans have an incredible ability to rationalize away compliance with society's expectation (e.g. "A little reefer ain't no worse that the suitcases full o' Old Milwaukee that Mom guzzles" or "I'm a trained professional driver, so I can handle a little cruise after a couple of forties").

Thus, it's likely that a kid who grows up mostly unguided in a celebrity-charged, consequence-free environment where some substance use/abuse is promoted (or ignored) may not develop a strong conscience about avoiding substance abuse, regardless of legal status.

BTW, why is it that nobody has noticed J.C. is a Porsche racer but was "pinched" in a Lambo? How's that for promoting your sponsors? It would seem that he apparently didn't learn the cardinal rule of NASCAR -- promote your sponsors' products. . .

[SpiderGearsMan]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

guess you never got a smack with a billy club ?
not saying it wasn't deserved when I got it
nascar owns the grand am series - seems to be the only place porsche wins anymore

[38P]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

[ If a France throws his name around trying to bluff his way out of a screw-up, he should not whine when a firestorm of protest comes from everybody else, who were not born into a rich, famous family with connections. Who would this guy be if it were not for his family's name and money?

Another point that Mr. Woody ignores is that J.C. will likely be able to tap into that vast wealth and power of the France family in obtaining the best legal counsel and other services useful for avoiding or minimizing his legal jeopardy. Thus, the public should be entitled to scrutinize him in a different light than just an ordinary private figure stopped by the police, who, because of economics and low social position, would be at the mercy of the prosecutors.

[NITMARE]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

I doubt that there?s a family anywhere that hasn?t been touched by the poison of drugs, and just because someone doesn?t care for NASCAR is no reason to find glee over yet another family?s pain.

There's plenty of good families out there with no drug activity whatsoever. That statement is ridiculous. It might just tell something of the social circles the author travels in.

Agreed, with the exception that simply because single member of a family gets involved with drugs would make them as a whole a "bad family". But yes, there are still many non affected families out there.


And as far this guy getting public ridicule who cares? Several years ago I got caught up in some vehicular hyjinx in my street racing days. As part of my punishment aside from probation I had to attend a weekend class dealing with working out in a group format why it is we feel the right to break laws etc, etc. My situation (which was that I was present at a street racing gathering) was very minor compared to the people that I was in attendance with. Most of them were repeat offenders for DUI whether it be alcohol or drug related and some were there for eluding the police.

I remember one of the guys was going on about how unfair it is that in Iowa when you get a DUI that they put it in the paper. He said it's not fair that because he makes a mistake in his personal life that the everybody he knows gets to find out and harass him about it. The instructor went on to explain that the whole point is that it induces public humiliation with the hopes that it prevents further behavior that wound you up in the situation in the first place. It was one of the "steps" of the judicial systems reform plan (I can't remember them all) and it happens to be proven to be more effective then a couple days in jail or a hit in the wallet.

So, no different for this guy. He just happens to be more publicly recognized then the average Joe so that's his burden to bare....

[38P]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

guess you never got a smack with a billy club ?
not saying it wasn't deserved when I got it
nascar owns the grand am series - seems to be the only place porsche wins anymore

Wrong! Porsche is doing quite well in American LeMans Series competition:

October 11, 2009 - Salinas, California - Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long brought the Flying Lizard No. 45 Porsche in for a hard-fought win at Saturday's Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The team swept the 2009 ALMS GT2 titles: Bergmeister and Long won the Drivers' Championship, the Lizards won the Team Championship and the No. 44 Porsche, which finished fifth in GT2 in the race, won the Michelin GreenX Challenge Championship for the GT class.

[Flying Lizard Motorsports press release]

And won LMP2 at Le Mans http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-retrospective

[38P]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

And as far this guy getting public ridicule who cares? Several years ago I got caught up in some vehicular hyjinx in my street racing days. As part of my punishment aside from probation I had to attend a weekend class dealing with working out in a group format why it is we feel the right to break laws etc, etc. My situation (which was that I was present at a street racing gathering) was very minor compared to the people that I was in attendance with. Most of them were repeat offenders for DUI whether it be alcohol or drug related and some were there for eluding the police.

I remember one of the guys was going on about how unfair it is that in Iowa when you get a DUI that they put it in the paper. He said it's not fair that because he makes a mistake in his personal life that the everybody he knows gets to find out and harass him about it. The instructor went on to explain that the whole point is that it induces public humiliation with the hopes that it prevents further behavior that wound you up in the situation in the first place. It was one of the "steps" of the judicial systems reform plan (I can't remember them all) and it happens to be proven to be more effective then a couple days in jail or a hit in the wallet.

So, no different for this guy. He just happens to be more publicly recognized then the average Joe so that's his burden to bare....

Another irony is that Mr. Woody's article is entitled "France Drug Problems A Sign of Times."

In times past, pervasive social disapproval of drug use (e.g. public criticism, public humiliation, family humiliation)was a prime factor in discouraging drug use. But Mr. Woody seems to be suggesting that such social disapproval is now "off-limits."

Could it be that J.C.'s alleged drug problem IS a "sign of the times" but for a far different reason than Mr. Woody believes (i.e. the breakdown in social regulation of selfish and self-destructive behaviors)

[horsewidower]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

This guy is no kid, he's 43 years old. I doubt that he's a paid driver for Brumos Porsche, he probably bought the seat. He is, in effect, the sponsor. Porsche is probably happy as all get out that JC got caught racing a Lambo while under the influence instead of a Porsche.

[38P]

Re: Opinion: JC France Drug Arrest Shouldn't Be Mocked

"True dat!" ;D