Posted on 06/08/2023 1:05:44 PM PDT by PallMal
James “Jim” Watt, a former U.S. Secretary of the Interior from Lusk, died recently at the age of 85 in Arizona.
Born, raised and educated in Wyoming, Watt rose to national prominence when President Ronald Reagan nominated him for the high post at Interior in 1980.
(Excerpt) Read more at wyofile.com ...
I remember him, when he made the comment about "cripples". That basically ended his career.
But he had a diverse staff.
He was a winner-sarc.
“I have a black, I have a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent.”
RIP my man.
Didn’t want the Beach Boys at the Washington DC 4th of July celebration, because he didn’t want to attract “That kind of people there.” Unaware that they were personal friends of the Reagans................
Pat Robertson died today as well. Two old conservative warriors, who have now met their Maker.
Yes, the Beach Boys were then invited to play a White House gig in 1983.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdXGlcwUvRA
There are other videos of that day. A visibly drunk Dennis Wilson was all huggy-huggy with Nancy Reagan. Poor Dennis his lifestyle would catch up with him barely six months later.
That was Earl Butz, Secretary of Agriculture.
My only recollection of Watt!
He was an early target of the neo-totalitarian ministry of truth which has now become the norm.
First thing I thought of.
I believe that was a guy named Butz and was a cool place in the shade
Didn’t want the Beach Boys at the Washington DC 4th of July celebration, because he didn’t want to attract “That kind of people there.” Unaware that they were personal friends of the Reagans..............
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Respectfully, you are repeating the leftist media fairy-tale. The true story was that the band “THE GRASS ROOTS” played the warm-up act for the Beach Boys. Dozens of families complained b/c this band, as its name would suggest, attracted hippie-type weed smokers who smoked their weed while families with kids tried to enjoy the 4th of July music. Watt had no clue who the Beach Boys were. He just didn’t want the pot-smoking losers on the Mall. I don’t know of ANY conservative Republican who ever had an issue with the Beach Boys.
This guy dies, but Kissinger lives on.
Jim Watt was one of the people most responsible for saving Union Station, which the Carter bozos had ruined with “the pit,” for reclaiming Lafayette Square and for putting a brake on the Mitch Snyder era takeover of DC’s public places by the street people. The Secretary of the Interior holds a lot of power when it comes to public lands, and DC is chock full of public lands. (The NPS is part of DOI.) A Secretary of the Interior who is willing to damn the torpedoes and wade right in can have a big impact in DC, and Jim Watt did.
He is also the wit who observed that you don’t have to go to Russia to see the failures of socialism; just go to an Indian reservation. The left HATED him for that, but it was of course true.
He was a pillar of the Western land rights movement, which pushed back against the idea that the Western states, much of which are owned by the fedgov, should be managed primarily as recreational areas for vacationing bicoastal liberals.
I think that’s the only thing we remember about the man and we admired his honesty and courage in that city!!! We could use more like him..There was one in Congress - Senator Proxmire who gave out “golden fleece awards” about wasteful spending by the government. Senator Kennedy of LA is about the only one we have today who isn’t bashful to telling it “like it is”....a treasure!!
“”A visibly drunk Dennis Wilson””
I watched “Love and Mercy” earlier this week about the Beach Boys. I never saw it before and I didn’t remember that Dennis Wilson was that troubled. Great music tho’ and a great time!!!!
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