Posted on 09/26/2006 1:05:12 PM PDT by WestTexasWend
-Burnt Orange Report provides recording of 1980 show in Houston-
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura helped Kinky Friedman rally college students for his independent gubernatorial bid Monday as more recordings surfaced that capture Friedman lofting a range of racially tinged comments.
The comments came in an 84-minute audio recording of an April 1980 Houston performance made available to reporters by a pro-Democratic blog, the Burnt Orange Report. The recording features Friedman making nine comments touching on racial topics interspersed with 14 songs. The blog posted an excerpt last week.
Friedman said then that he didn't remember the comments specifically but that he intended them to lampoon racism.
The latest remarks and song lyrics disparage people of various ethnic backgrounds, slighting Jews (he is Jewish) and African Americans. They include a reference to one of his favorite books as "Black Yachtsmen I Have Known," a joke suggesting that Abraham Lincoln was drunk when he freed the slaves and several uses of "Negro" or n——-, including a joke referring to his receiving a blood transfusion from a Negro and another referring to two black prostitutes.
Karl-Thomas Musselman, who owns the Web site, said the recording came from a Houston man who is unconnected to any gubernatorial campaign and who asked not to be identified.
"While he was a fan of his music, he wasn't exactly a fan of (Friedman's) bid for office," Musselman said.
Observers including the head of the Texas NAACP have objected in recent days to Friedman comments referring to remaining hurricane evacuees in Houston as "crackheads and thugs" and a subsequent vow not to pander to Jews or residents of ghettos and barrios.
Last week, independent candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Democratic nominee Chris Bell also took issue with Friedman's gibe in the 1980 concert suggesting that Houston bowling alleys lacked balls since people threw them in the sea thinking they were "n——- eggs."
According to the recording released Monday, Friedman followed the bowling comment with: "You folks know the Friedman family motto now: The Jews own the world. The Catholics run it. The Protestants work it, and the n——— and Mexicans enjoy it, basically."
Phillip Martin, who posted the bowling comment on the Burnt Orange Report on Thursday, is chief of staff to state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston. Coleman, a Bell supporter, last week objected to Friedman's "racist mindset" and said he should leave the governor's race.
Friedman did not forswear his comments Monday, and campaign spokeswoman Laura Stromberg said the blog's circulation of the recording did not hurt Friedman's campaign.
"They've helped us reach record days of online merchandise sales and contributions coming into the campaign, and we've seen more volunteer sign-ups last week than any week since Kinky announced his candidacy in (February) 2005," she said.
"Their spin has backfired," Stromberg said.
Ventura, a retired professional wrestler who won election in 1998 as a third-party nominee, said he's not in step with Friedman on all fronts.
In an interview, Ventura disagreed with Friedman on the Texan's vows to bring prayer and the Ten Commandments into public schools.
Friedman foresees Texas schools having a revolving prayer along the lines of "may the God of your choice bless you."
"But what if there is no God of your choice?" Ventura asked Monday.
"If there is no God," Friedman said, "the kids will find out sooner or later. But (for) the time being, let's let them believe in something."
Ventura said government should not define marriage, solely recognizing civil unions between people and leaving marriage to be governed by churches.
"Not a bad idea," Friedman said. "We'll take it under review."
They are scheduled to visit Trinity University, Texas State University-San Marcos, the University of Houston and Texas A&M University in College Station today and Wednesday.
I think a guest worker program is not defacto amnesty.
I do think that amnesty for the crime of being illegal in the past is ok provided that they register for the appropriate papers in the future and provided that this is the only crime they have commited.
I am not in favor of citizenship for illegals simply because they have been here a long time.
So you would support Kinky's amnesty position?
he still shook things up in a positive way.
Really? Name two. Jesse is like a certain president in the 90's with both of them it's all about Me Me Me.
You da man Hydroshock; you da man.
GO KINKY!!!
I don't know kinky's positions on anything.
I dont think Kinyk started out to accomplish anything. His popularity was as much a surprise to him as it was to anyone else. Now that he is starting to looklike a legitimate runner he may start looking into accomplishin something. Most votes for Kinky are protest votes. Votes against both parties.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.