home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Newsgroups: tx.politics
- Path: sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!sgiblab!swrinde!news.dell.com!natinst.com!cs.utexas.edu!news.uta.edu!hermes.chpc.utexas.edu!cfi.org!dogface!sooner!dewey
- From: dewey@sooner.ctci.com (Dewey Coffman)
- Subject: Lt. Gov Bob Bullock remarks..
- Message-ID: <1993Jan22.135746.3374@sooner.ctci.com>
- Sender: dewey@sooner.ctci.com (Dewey Coffman)
- Organization: CTC, Inc., Austin, TX. U.S. of A. 78757-3109
- Distribution: tx
- Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 13:57:46 GMT
- Lines: 48
-
- Official's "Joke" Spurs Uproar, Austin, Texas (AP)
-
- The lieutenant governor faced an uproar Thursday after he said a
- state senator could get any legislation passed if she "cut her skirt
- off about six inches and put on some high heels."
- A women's rights group and the state Republican Party criticized
- Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock for making the remark about Democratic Sen.
- Judith Zaffirini.
- But Ms. Zaffirini, who was present when Bullock made the comment
- before more than 100 people at a Texas Chamber of Commerce meeting,
- said it was just a joke and that she wasn't offended.
- And she noted that Bullock, also a Democrat and the Senate
- president, has appointed her chairwoman of the Senate Health and Human
- Services Committee.
- "I know hatred when I see it. I know bigotry. I know chauvinism.
- This was not any of those," Ms. Zaffirini said.
- Bullock was participating in a panel discussion on the legislative
- session when he said, "I told Senator Zaffirini if she'll cut her
- skirt off about six inches and put on some high heels she could pass
- anything she wants to."
- Bullock's spokeswoman, Sydney Rubin, said, "One can question the
- lieutenant governor's choice of words, but you can't question his
- support for women or women's issues."
- Some did.
- "It's absolutely outrageous that someone who claims to be a friend
- to women's causes still doesn't quite get it," said Hannah Riddering,
- co-chair of the Austin chapter of the National Organization for Women
- "We encourage him to attend a few of our meetings. After all,
- they're quick to call us when they're campaigning. Perhaps it's time
- they call for a little consciousness-raising," she said.
- She asked how Bullock would feel if someone in his position said
- the same thing about any woman in his family.
- Karen Hughes, executive director of the Texas Republican Party,
- said Bullock should apologize for the "blatantly sexist" remark.
- If Bullock believes what he said, Ms. Hughes said, "he has no place
- in a position of public trust." She speculated that Ms. Zaffirini may
- have said she wasn't offended because she has to work with Bullock.
- Bullock's spokeswoman said many men his age make similar comments
- in jest. Bullock is 63.
- "As long as he's there supporting women's issues, promoting women
- into positions of power, then, you know, I would give him a little
- latitude," Ms. Rubin said.
- ###
- --
- Dewey Coffman dewey@ctci.com All opinions expressed are unrelated to reality.
- CTC, Inc. "That voodoo stuff don't do nothing for me."
- "If you fail to plan, plan to fail" PANIC: waiting for a good idea.
- "He who relies on USENET as their only info source is both a fool, and idiot."
-