Guest guest Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 Santa Barbara - State Education Secretary Richard Riordan has apologized for joking that a child's name meant "stupid dirty girl." In a videotaped exchange at the city's central library Thursday, a girl asked Riordan if he knew that her name meant "Egyptian Goddess." Riordan, who apparently believed he'd been asked what her name meant, replied: "It means stupid, dirty girl." Some in the room laughed nervously, and the girl again told Riordan the meaning of her name. "Hey, that's nifty," he said. .... On Friday, Riordan issued a statement saying he had "teased" the girl, who was not identified. "I immediately apologized to her, and I want to do so again for the misunderstanding," he said. Gov. Arnold Schwartzeneggar, a longtime friend who appointed the former Los Angeles mayor to his cabinet, said in a statement that the comments were "unacceptable in any context." "We must always focus on encouraging and supporting children. I've known Dick Riordan for a long time, and I know tht he would never knowingly or intentionally upset a child." I thought that Richard Riordan's comments were bad enough to warrant contacting the governor's office and asking for action. Not sure if many of you know this, but Governor Schwartzeneggar took sensitivity training as a way of answering the public outcry against his groping women he didn't know whenever he felt like it in public (which outcry did not cost him the election). >From Governor Schwartzeneggar's website: "The Governor appreciates hearing from concerned and involved Californians, as well as from individuals all over the world who have an interest in California." If you think Riordan's comments warrant action on the gov's part, you can let him know at: http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov_homepage.jsp Thanks for reading this. Mary Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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