Bizarre story from California :: RunningForums.com

Quote:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office continued to back embattled Education Secretary Richard Riordan on Thursday amid growing outrage and demands for Riordan's resignation over his bizarre comment to a 6-year-old girl.

Riordan, a former Los Angeles mayor long known for occasionally making off-the-cuff comments that offend some people, was under attack for telling the youngster at a Santa Barbara library reading program last week that her name, Isis, "means stupid, dirty girl."

A Schwarzenegger spokesman said Riordan and the governor spent time together last weekend and that Schwarzenegger has no plans to ask him to resign.

"The governor appreciates the mayor's commitment to education, to reform and to children and looks forward to him continuing in his job," Rob Stutzman said. "That's the end of the issue, as far as we are concerned."

But instead of disappearing amid the ongoing budget talks and other Capitol business, the controversy escalated Thursday with several groups demanding Riordan's resignation.

"It is abusive to use such language toward a child, regardless the gender, race, socioeconomic background or national heritage," Alice A. Huffman, president of the California State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said in a statement.

"To say that he was only kidding or joking suggests that Mr. Riordan, who is in charge of developing education policy for our children, knows nothing about children and has even less respect for them."

The NAACP and other civil rights groups had planned to attend a Capitol news conference Thursday called by Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, D-Compton, who was demanding that Riordan step down. Dymally's office abruptly canceled the event, however, after learning that the girl is white.

Dymally, who is African American, was quoted in Thursday's San Jose Mercury News stating that the girl was African American and asking whether Riordan "would ... have done that to a white girl?"

The NAACP, the California Coalition for Racial Equality and a spokesman for League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation's oldest Latino civil rights group, continued to call for Riordan to step down, but Dymally changed his mind.

"Mayor Richard Riordan has extended another apology ... and expressed his regret to me by way of a Los Angeles bishop," Dymally said in a statement. "To err is human; to forgive is divine. I have requested a meeting with Secretary Riordan to further discuss the issue."

That prompted a reaction of disbelief from the girl's mother, who had been avoiding media calls to shield her daughter. She said she felt compelled to speak out after Dymally's comments.

"If he feels the man should step down, why does it matter if my daughter is white?" Trinity Lila of Goleta said in an interview.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/9933357p-10855351c.html

There's a video of it on http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0709041riordan1.html . Dumb thing to say, yup. Should he be crucified for it? Nope.

I'm confused. In the clip it seems he is talking to a white girl, but in the article I thought it said he was talking to a little black girl. Yes, it was a stupid thing to say, but call for his resignation. ?? Or have my reading skills regressed.

Did I mention I got very little sleep last night?

I understand, the guy was protesting because he thought the girl was black (not many white girls named Isis, i imagine) and was racially offended and questioned whether or not that would be said to a white girl. Upon learning it was a white girl (and thus okay), that individual backed down.

Orange Bubble wrote:

The child in question is white. He was talking to a white child all along. The Dymally & the NAACP got their panties in a wad when they mistakingly thought the child was black. When they discovered their error, they put down their pitchforks. Neutral

sonnylax wrote:

Orange Bubble wrote:

because its okay to tell a white kid that her name means "stupid, dirty girl."

Good thing i'll have a mixed race child so that calling her stupid and dirty won't be as acceptable.

Pug wrote:

because its okay to tell a white kid that her name means "stupid, dirty girl."

Where did I say that?

sonnylax wrote:

Pug wrote:

because its okay to tell a white kid that her name means "stupid, dirty girl."

Where did I say that?

You didn't. You missed my above post, too. It is the implication from the guy who was protesting when he thought the girl was black but backed off when he found out she was white.

Pug wrote:

sonnylax wrote:

Pug wrote:

because its okay to tell a white kid that her name means "stupid, dirty girl."

Where did I say that?

You didn't.

Then I would appreciate it if you didn't put words in my mouth.

Pug wrote:

You missed my above post, too. It is the implication from the guy who was protesting when he thought the girl was black but backed off when he found out she was white.

We posted at almost the same time with similar messages. Our posts were one minute apart.

sonnylax wrote:

Pug wrote:

sonnylax wrote:

Pug wrote:

because its okay to tell a white kid that her name means "stupid, dirty girl."

Where did I say that?

You didn't.

Then I would appreciate it if you didn't put words in my mouth.

I didn't.

Quote:

"To say that he was only kidding or joking suggests that Mr. Riordan, who is in charge of developing education policy for our children, knows nothing about children and has even less respect for them."

This is the crux of the issue to me.

Does he have tourette's?

bonobo wrote:

Dumb thing to say, yup. Should he be crucified for it? Nope.

I think that was more than a dumb thing to say... It's completely unacceptable. No matter what race a child may be.

Pug wrote:

Good thing i'll have a mixed race child so that calling her stupid and dirty won't be as acceptable.

I have mixed race kids and they're lucky if get stupid and dirty on a good day. Wink

Bizarre story from California

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK