Posted on 01/18/2007 6:44:09 AM PST by 2dogjoe
AUSTIN — At his inauguration, after being sworn into office by the first black chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court — a man he appointed — Gov. Rick Perry spoke wistfully of a tolerant Texas, where "no one is invalidated because of their heritage, but valued because of their humanity."
If you ask critics, the spirit of unity didn't last through the governor's $75-a-ticket inaugural ball, held later Tuesday night at the Austin Convention Center.
Rocking the house as the night's final act was singer Ted Nugent, a friend of Perry's known as the "Motor City Madman." Nugent appeared onstage wearing a cut-off T-shirt emblazoned with the sure-to-draw-headlines Confederate flag and shouting some unflattering remarks about non-English speakers, according to people who were in attendance. His props were machine guns.
Spokesman defends event Perry's spokesman, Robert Black, downplayed the incident.
"Ted Nugent is a good friend of the governor's. He asked him if he would play at the inaugural. He didn't put any stipulation of what he would play," Black said. He added that "Most people had a really good time and enjoyed the show."
However, some within Perry's party said the appearance was unbefitting a governor who may have national ambitions. "I think it was a horrible choice," GOP strategist Royal Masset said. "I hope nobody approved it."
The black-tie ball was just hours after an inauguration notable for its conciliatory tone. Perry was sworn into office by Wallace Jefferson, who descended from slaves to become the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
In his speech, Perry extolled the virtues of bipartisanship, compassion for the poor and racial and class unity. The rhetoric was so moderate for a Republican governor from Texas that some news stories speculated Perry must have vice-presidential ambitions.
News of Nugent's appearance drew barbs from Democrats and civil-rights leaders.
"Whenever someone sports the Confederate battle flag, many Texans will be offended, and rightly so, because of what it symbolizes — the enslavement of African-Americans and more recently the symbol of hate groups and terrorists," Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, wrote in an e-mail. "The politics of the Confederacy and the Old South are out of step with mainstream America."
State Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said the choice of entertainers reflected poorly on the Republican Party, and Perry in particular.
"This is clearly not the behavior of someone who's ready for the national stage. It's a sign of the times for the Republican Party. It's a divisive party. Perry knows his views and to feature him front and center, that alone says a lot."
Shocking people is nothing new for Nugent, and he's done it before in Texas. In 2000, he was banned from performing in The Woodlands after he let loose an expletive-filled tirade about illegal immigrants.
A hunting and gun-rights advocate, Nugent could not comment on his appearance at the inaugural; he was hunting, a spokeswoman said.
lsandberg@express-news.net
Joaquin, bite me.
Or in Spanish, muerde mela.
Ted Nugent is a bit over the top for me at times, but that doesn't make me love him any less LOL. God bless him for having the stuff and getting up there with no fear!
Castro.......figures........
Take a step back and realize that symbols of American history and enforcing our laws are considered hate in the media. Wow.
Need more Ted Nugents as voters. I admire his boldness.
Ah, that's right. I remember now seeing the Stars and Bars flying over that Al Quida camp our guys knocked over in Afghanistan last week.
Thanks for the reminder.
Senor Castro secretly wishes he had just one-tenth the cajones that Nugent has.
Funny I feel the same way about the Nation of Islam flag they do about the Confederate one. Seeing as the NoI has routinely called European Americans "white devils" in their hate-speech filled propaganda for years I expect they will be sympathetic to insisting that it never be seen in public again.
After Perry's doublecross on the border security issue, he deserves a political kick in the nuts. If Ted's antics provide that, he has my thanks.
If Nugent wore a Mexican flag, the MSM would fawn all over him .
ping
Heh! Give Gov Perry a break. Maybe Maya Angelo was busy that evening.
Blue eyed white devil checking in. If I had known the Nuge was going to play, I might have actually gone to Perry's little soirée.
Thanks groanup.
Nugent seemed out of place as the men in tuxedos and women in evening gowns pressed in to see him. He came out waving an American flag and wearing a ripped confederate flag shirt -- with a stars-and-stripes guitar, a 50-millimeter machine gun onstage, as well as a skull with an American Indian headdress.
I have to wonder why they focused only on the shirt. Seems to me Nugent is an equal opportunity offender.
K M A Castro(D)!
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