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Friday, February 29, 2008

Unruly baby heckles Governor Rick Perry at Dallas book-signing

by Chad Jones

Lead photo of Perry by Laura Evans.

At 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening, Texas Governor Rick Perry made a stop at Borders Books at Preston & Royal to promote his new book, On My Honor.

The work apparently "takes dead aim at the moral relativism of the secular humanist movement." Translation: it's a book bashing those who criticize the Boy Scouts of America and their policy of excluding homosexuals or the non-religious from membership.

Roughly 200 folks turned out for the seven-minute speech and book signing, which took a sour note early into Perry's opening remarks when an unknown man suddenly hollered out "It's a homophobic group!"

Unphased,* Perry kept on talking (maybe he didn't hear), while a murmur/groan trickled through the crowd. The man made no further interruptions.

However, this display of contempt soon spread to a nearby baby, who from the refuge of its stroller would stop at nothing to deride Perry's every remark, to stifle him at every turn (or until someone tickled its chin).

Governor grapples with chiding cherub

With subtitles for your convenience.

Actual protests, mainly gay rights groups, have taken place at other signings somewhat regularly — but this instance may in fact mark the first time a human under the age of "dis many" fingers was utilized as a political weapon.

With a foreward by Ross Perot and an endorsement from FOX News' Sean Hannity, Perry's book provides, he says, "support for an organization that has been under increasing pressure to modify its long-held principles." The net proceeds will be given to the Boy Scouts of America, probably to buy ropes and tie them all different ways.

P.S. Before the speech, a sleep-deprived Borders employee wondered aloud whether Perry's various stops and rhetoric might be promoting more than just the book, if you catch the drift...

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

JW Richard, says:

Why is Rick Perry talking about this and why now? Is he planning to be over the Boy Scouts soon? Oh, and Perry heard that man and that's why he made the "guy looking for a cookbook" comment.

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1 year, 9 months ago
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Chris Kidd, says:

Wow,even the baby saw through Rick Perrys line of crap. Why didnt anyone else last election??

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1 year, 9 months ago
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Kevin Kunreuther, says:

Yeah, RP's been puttin' feelers out since mid-January. McCain does have Perry on his shortlist. Do we really want another Republican Texas Governor in the White House?

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1 year, 9 months ago
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kirk, says:

Another good question: Do we want another Texas Republican as governor?

Anonymous

1 year, 9 months ago
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chretienne, says:

It's "unfazed." http://dictionary.reference.com/brows...

Anonymous

1 year, 9 months ago
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Peter Stawicki, says:

Honestly Kirk - do we need to make it a party issue. I will support anyone in the office that says what they are going to do (Hmm border security, education funding, easing up on stupidity taxation (like the driver responsibility surcharges), spend responsibly) and then follows through with it. Someone who will hold the State Politicians feet to the fire, who won't sell our infastructure to foreign countries, and who wont pimp our daughter out to drug companies as test dummies.

As nice a guy as he seems, Kinky Freidman just isnt what Im dreaming of here.

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1 year, 9 months ago
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John McClelland, says:

Yes we need to make it a party issue when his party is the one coming up with nonsense such as this.

Also, please refer to Perry with his proper name-- Governor 39%.

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1 year, 9 months ago
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Chad Jones, says:

Thang ewe phor yur kommint, chretienne.

Thoz en phavor uf "unphased": <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1772614/posts">NYTimes</a>, <a href="http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=52e4e3b1-cfd8-4af5-85ef-14c78ef0cbce">The Montreal Gazette</a>, <a href="http://www.nba.com/aroundtheassociation/080209.html">NBA.com</a> and the <a href="http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/23/Sports/More_colleges.shtml">St. Petersburg Times</a>. Thoz en phavor uf "unfazed": <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iO0eFfNka8YaYdT8ew9lxg72qgPwD8USV9AG0">Associated Press</a>, dictionary.com, my 10th grade English teacher, you, etc.

It's kinda like "color/colour" or "theater/theatre." Maybe.

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1 year, 9 months ago
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xdavidwattsx, says:

I, too, am amazed that Perry was re-elected. As amazed at Bush getting a second term I suppose. When you look at the long list of items that Texas ranks near the bottom of then perhaps we may one day realize we've headed down the wrong path for too many years.

or not.

Anonymous

1 year, 9 months ago
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Alex Bentley, says:

Well, no offense, Chad, but I'm siding with chretienne here. What exactly is the "un," um, undoing here? Being phased? <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/phase">If that's the case</a>, then Perry was not planning or carrying out systematically by phases, or not setting or regulating so as to be synchronized. If that's the case, I salute you, sir.

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1 year, 9 months ago
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Scott, says:

This should go in the Pegasus News hall of fame. Brilliant work.

Anonymous

1 year, 9 months ago
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kirk, says:

Chad:

Sorry, but it is "unfazed." "Unphased" is argot used mainly in genetics and IT. If those sources used it in a story, their copy desk must have been partying last night.

Peter:

It is not so much a party issue, as a quality of candidate issue. Can it be that the best Texas has to offer are Rick Perry, Chris Bell, Carol Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman?

And on a more basic level: Who's responsible for the fact that voters had to choose among that group in 2006?

Anonymous

1 year, 9 months ago
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Catte_Nappe, says:

New York Times re unphased/unfazed debate. It used the "unfazed" spelling http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/01/23/... The incorrect spelling in your link is from the copy someone posted at FreeRepublic.

Anonymous

1 year, 9 months ago
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Chad Jones, says:

As no amount of spin or magicianry will endear this midnight typo to you all, it now remains out of sheer defiance.

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1 year, 9 months ago
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Chris Kidd, says:

If Mccain picks him as Veep, expect alot of people to jump to the Obama bus.

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1 year, 9 months ago
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Rawlins Gilliland, says:

I want Chad to stand his ground no less than our Governor Rick Perry, whose keen intellect and remarkable ability to prioritize meaningful issues like gay boy scouts has made him my nominee as the first recipient of my soon-to-be-created new 'Green' honor: the Molly Ivins Rotting Compost Vegetation Award.

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1 year, 9 months ago
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Mike Orren, says:

I've said it before / will say it again:

Citizen Journalists are largely mythical -- But <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/blogs/pegasusnewsblog/2007/feb/01/copy/">Citizen Copy Editors</a> are a force not to be trifled with.