I will not go quietly into that goodnight!!!!

Hot August Nights is here in Reno again, and again I'm disappointed. For years we had cool car related events, and first-class entertainment. Parades, burnout contests, drag races, and concerts featuring Rock and Roll Icons like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, The Beach Boys and The Righteous Brothers. Even the smaller casinos had people like Mitch Ryder, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Van Morrison, and Eric Burdon ( The Animals ) . Even after Bobby Hatifield died, Bill Medley still appeared, and sometimes Steve Miller or Davy Jones ( The Monkees ), or Elvin Bishop would appear. You know, people that actually had hits on the radio and did concerts in the '50's, '60's and '70's. Not so the last few years. The promoters and the casinos have gotten cheap. I realize there's a recession on, but Hot August Nights has always been a huge cash cow for the Reno-Tahoe area. More than 150,000 people visit for a week, and want to be entertained, if you can't ante up for this event, then turn out the lights. That would be like New Orleans getting lackadasical about Mardi Gras, or Sturgis slacking during the annual biker rally that attracts 400,000 people. I can't name an act that's appearing this year. I'm not kidding. These must be local garage bands or bar bands out of Sacramento. No one's asking for John Fogerty or Paul McCartney or the Eagles, but at least in years past, we got people like John Kay ( lead singer of Steppenwolf ), Mickey Thomas ( lead singer of Jefferson Starship ) , Gary Puckett ( "Woman,Woman", "Young Girl " "Lady Willpower" ), or even people like Peter Noone ( Herman's Hermits ). Again, you know, people who had recognizable hits that fans actually want to hear. I have absolutely no interest in a bunch  of  unknown 60 year old guys playing "Rock Around the Clock", or some clown who can't even get a job in a dive Vegas lounge with big sideburns murdering "Heartbreak Hotel" and making me wish Andrew "Dice" Clay would actually cut a CD of Elvis songs. And now there doing 1/8 mile drag races in Casino parking lots. Arrrrggghhhh!!!  This is so wrong. The reason is this really handicaps the really fast, big block cars. You don't even get out of second gear, and a lot of big-block cars, especially with street tires, spin the tires most of first gear. In a 1/4 mile drag race, a small-block car like a 327 Nova or 351 Mustang can get 2 car lengths off the line, and a 440 Road Runner or 454 Chevelle can catch it, pass it, and win by a car length and a half, as they pass through the traps around 90-110 mph. The race requires driving skill, managing shift points, and is an exciting duel of men and machine. Cut the distance in half- and here's what you have- who cares about a race where the guy with the holeshot automatically wins. Depending on axle ratio, some people might not even have to shift once, much less two or three times. I could enter my four-wheel drive Chrysler Magnum V8 engined Jeep Cherokee, put it in 4WD low range, and smoke 95% of the contestants to 45-55 mph!!!  That's not competitive drag racing, that's automotive masturbation. Again-the organizers and casinos being cheap. The insurance would be higher if they ran a full 1/4 mile. So ante up, and do it right. Or charge contestants more to cover the insurance costs. Top Gun Raceway, and Reno-Fernley Raceway both have full-on 1/4 mile drag races almost every weekend and are both less than 50 miles from Reno. In years past-they'd rent the old Reno-Stead Airport and do full-on 1/4 mile races there. No, were too cheap for that. And of course the rap that 1/8 mile races are safer because of the lower speeds. Who wants a slower, safer RACE??  I don't want to play or watch football on a 50 yard field and I don't want to play or watch basketball with a 5 foot high hoop, or baseball where pitchers can only throw the ball 50 mph, and I don't want to watch a boxing match where they guys don't hit each other in the head. I'm sick of the safety Nazis and Politically Correct groups ruining everything. I have to Quote Evel Knieval when he was guest-voicing on an episode of the "Simpsons". He told kids to stay in school and go to college and not count on sports or being a Daredevil to make money. Bart corners him after the speech and says "Evel, that was some load of crap you laid on the school board and the parents." "What's the real story?"  Evel looks around, and seeing no parents or school administrators, tells Bart-"Ok, here's the real scoop." "Bones heal, Chicks dig scars, Daredevils make tons of money, and America has the highest doctor-to-daredevil ratio in the world."  Bart says "Cool! Thanks Evel! " and of course decides to be a daredevil, much to Homer's dismay. I't s a joke, but we laugh because it's funny and we laugh because it's true. "Public Safety' is how the Nazis took over Germany. Don't let the bastards do it here.  Mastermind