Article

2004-10-28 International-UN-NGOs

Texas Gov Perry refuses to recognize United Nations Day

Republican Gov. Rick Perry refused to honor United Nations Day, even as President Bush signed a U.N. proclamation, because doing so would be inconsistent with the governor's views, his spokeswoman said. In his proclamation, Bush also had urged governors to "honor the observance of United Nations Day," which was celebrated Sunday around the world to commemorate the date the organization was founded in 1945. "It was a conscious decision to not issue the proclamation out of concern over the lack of support the U.N. has shown for United States efforts to bring freedom and democracy to the world," Perry spokeswoman Kathy Walt said. The president of the Texas division of the United Nations Association called Perry's decision an embarrassment to the state and a slap at an organization that is focused on eliminating unequal treatment of women around the world, The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.

I must have missed the UN condemming the treatment of women in islamic countries.

"We're very disappointed and embarrassed that the governor would do something like this," said Beth Weems Pirtle. "Rick Perry is trying to make the United Nations a political football, and it's not a political football. It is a nonpartisan organization that helps people all over the world."

Then her lips fell off

The Republican Party of Texas has long been hostile to the United Nations. The party platform has stated that the GOP "believes it is in the best interest of the citizens of the United States that we immediately rescind our membership in, as well as all financial and military contributions to, the United Nations."

I knew I liked them.

Pirtle said she believed the governor would sign the U.N. Day proclamation after she submitted it more than a month ago. Walt said there was never any promise to issue the proclamation, though she acknowledged that Pirtle was given wrong information that it had been sent out by the governor's office.

"We meant to say thrown out."

"That employee of the governor's office is not involved in deciding whether to issue proclamations. That may be the source of the confusion," Walt said.

Posted by Steve 2004-10-28 3:31:32 PM|| || Front Page|| [8 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Republican Gov. Rick Perry refused to honor United Nations Day,..

Can this guy be a future prospect for the WH?

"It is a nonpartisan organization that helps people all over the world."

Oooooo, such lofty-sounding words. Too bad the reality is something far less.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2004-10-28 3:52:37 PM|| 2004-10-28 3:52:37 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 Last sunday was U.N. Day?

Ah... yesss... I 'dumped' a particulary runny load that day as I recall...

Posted by CrazyFool 2004-10-28 3:58:43 PM|| 2004-10-28 3:58:43 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 The president of the Texas division of the United Nations Association - Beth Weems Pirtle?

Does that name bring up a visual for anyone else?

Posted by Frank G 2004-10-28 4:22:20 PM|| 2004-10-28 4:22:20 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 ROFL, Frank! Why, um, yes, yes it does, lol!

Posted by .com 2004-10-28 4:23:52 PM|| 2004-10-28 4:23:52 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 And if you say it really fast...

Posted by .com 2004-10-28 4:24:33 PM|| 2004-10-28 4:24:33 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Mid-Town Manhattan has always required additional convention/hotel resorts. The UN complex would be perfect.

Posted by Mark Espinola 2004-10-28 5:01:02 PM|| 2004-10-28 5:01:02 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Damn... I knew there was another reason why I liked living in Texas, besides an amusing Legislature and breakfast tacos, the food of the gods. Even far, far away from it, they recognize the UN for what it is!

Posted by Sgt. Mom 2004-10-28 5:48:43 PM|| [http://www.sgtstryker.com] 2004-10-28 5:48:43 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 LOL Frank, I take the vim and vigour remark back.

Posted by Shipman 2004-10-28 6:04:31 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:04:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 BTW, what in the hell is vim? (yes I know something to be found in the dictionary) but it could be a plural... vims... or an only past tense vimed...

Posted by Shipman 2004-10-28 6:06:08 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:06:08 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 You know i am leaning towards moving to Texas after reading this. I am STRONGLY in favor of dumping the entire un and tossing that bunch of kooks out of our country.

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2004-10-28 6:10:17 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:10:17 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 No state income tax, open shop law, and concealed carry permits.

Posted by .com 2004-10-28 6:12:42 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:12:42 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 At least it has something to do with the thread, but you're right Shipman, look it up.

If its synonym is vigor then is one with vim said to be vimous?

Posted by Mrs. Davis 2004-10-28 6:15:28 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:15:28 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Governor Perry sounds like a total dude! - just checked his website, he doesn't wear a cowboy hat :( but looks very young so he could be a contender for the Oval Office BAR...

As for Ms Pirtle, well just admitting to being a member of the United Nations Association is enough to make me guffaw!

What's an 'open shop law' .com?

Posted by Tony (UK) 2004-10-28 6:21:38 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:21:38 PM|| Front Page Top

#14 Tony, you got home ok? Open shop has to do with unions, I think...

Posted by Seafarious 2004-10-28 6:29:13 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:29:13 PM|| Front Page Top

#15 Tony (UK) - It is also known as a right to work law. An example of the language is this excerpt from Tennesee - the one I found first when looking it up:

It is unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or association of any kind to deny or attempt to deny employment to any person by reason of such person's membership in, affiliation with, resignation from, or refusal to join or affiliate with any labor union or employee organization of any kind. Therefore, as a "right-to-work" state, enforced total unionization of the work force is prohibited.

And in some states (dunno about TX, today), where unions do insert themselves into a workplace (getting some employees to sign up), non-union employees of that shop can get (from the union) all of the benefits of union membership - but they do not have to pay dues. Rather punishes the union, no?

Use "right to work" in searches and you'll get more hits. Open shop is the term in use when I was a youngster sorting pkgs for United Parcel and the toadies of the Teamsters tried to recruit us. Told 'em to piss off (voted them down) 4 times while I was there.

Posted by .com 2004-10-28 6:36:38 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:36:38 PM|| Front Page Top

#16 actually (Federal) Beck vs Electrical workers union decision allows all members of unions which disagree with the political activities of the union to withhold those dues above and beyond legitimate negotiation, admin, representation costs. Nationwide. I do so

Posted by Frank G 2004-10-28 6:43:22 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:43:22 PM|| Front Page Top

#17 So, if the union is politically active, they effectively open themselves up to the same punitive situation as exists in open shop states... Lol! Love it!

Posted by .com 2004-10-28 6:47:30 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:47:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#18 Yes Seafarious, got home fine (to grim grey weather, but what can you do about that? :) and slept like a log. DC was a fine place, and for the last days events we went to George Mason University having been bussed through Fairfax which looked like the quintessential American town (I did notice a Bush-Cheney sign on someones lawn which brought a wry smile to my face! :) Thanks for the dinner offer SF, I'll do my best to give more notice in future (why I didn't before going, I dunno...)

.com - yes, it all makes sense now. In my younger days I worked for British Rail (BR) for a while, and can still remember the shop steward from ASLEF (the train drivers union) standing in front of all us new recruits saying that it wasn't *them* that demanded we joined the union, it was BR and that if we didn't join the union it wouldn't be ASLEF that was sacking us, but BR. The fact that ASLEF had made BR a closed shop through previous strike action wasn't mentioned...the logic was not lost on this young shaver!

I should have guessed from 'open shop' - I guess I had blotted out that time in my life! :)

Posted by Tony (UK) 2004-10-28 6:52:19 PM|| 2004-10-28 6:52:19 PM|| Front Page Top

#19 No state income tax, open shop law, and concealed carry permits.

.com, you are correct, but our property taxes are confiscatory, as they effectively double every seven years. Perry (and the rest of the Republicans in Texas) was pretty slow to address the issue until a Houston radio station formed a PAC and stormed Austin. Perry is not WH material, for this and other reasons. (Besides, in Texas the lieutenant governor has all the power.)

Posted by John L 2004-10-28 9:20:59 PM|| 2004-10-28 9:20:59 PM|| Front Page Top

#20 Our Guv is quite the raconteur. And speed-freak.

As I recall, his State Limo was pulled over by a DPS trooper for speeding! And, he was also clocked by Austin PD on his Harley at over 100MPH.

Oh, and he does have a pair of boots (required in Texas).

Posted by Brett_the_Quarkian 2004-10-28 9:31:34 PM|| 2004-10-28 9:31:34 PM|| Front Page Top

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