Perdue scolds Houston mayor over language
September 23, 2008 at 12:08 pm by Thomas Wheatley in NewsIt’s amazing the things a governor will take the time to do and the things he’ll choose to ignore.
For example, Gov. Sonny Perdue recently wrote a letter to Texas Gov. Rick Perry about some “salty” words uttered by Mayor Bill White of Houston toward two female Georgia Forestry Commission employees helping out with Hurricane Ike clean up.
So reporteth the Houston Chronicle:
After receiving a complaint Friday from Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, Gov. Rick Perry yesterday asked his staff to investigate comments White made to two Georgia Forestry Commission employees who came to Houston to help manage the distribution of federal and state supplies to area residents hit hard by Hurricane Ike. Perdue said in a letter to Perry that White had “verbally and profanely abused” the women.
A witness said White told the women, “You need to be getting these (expletive) trucks out of here.”
The mayor then began arguing with a Harris County sheriff’s deputy over whether trucks full of Federal Emergency Management Agency supplies had been delivered to a distribution site, the witness said. White told the deputy he had just been to the site and about 3,000 people were waiting for supplies.
White went on to say that if nothing was delivered soon, they were ”about to be in a (expletive) riot,” the witness said.
I’m all for the proper treatment for state employees. And these two workers deserve nothing less than the utmost respect. But it was also a stressful environment.
Let’s put all those arguments aside for a moment and just sit back and bask in the wisdom of crowds — aka the comments section on the Chronicle’s article — to get the final word on ExpletiveGate 2008.
(Photo by CowboyPoetry)
cajuntx wrote:
Who is apologizing to the people who were left waiting for hours for these trucks to arrive?
9/23/2008 12:43:05 AMRedhawk wrote:
These incompetent bureaucratic bunglers needed a “fire lit under their butts”. I am proud of Mayor White for attempting to do so. If Governor Perdue’s state is perfect in every way,then let him “throw the first stone”. If not (and we know its not,then shut the(expletive deleted) up !
9/23/2008 12:58:01 AMjustmama wrote:
Don’t mess with Texas or we’ll kick ass
9/23/2008 1:01:36 AMFuturama wrote:
RickPerrywas on videotpe yelling at a female DPS trooper for pulling his vehicle over for speeding back when he was Lt Governor. Any other citizen would have been arrested for the way he acted towards a police officer in that situation.
9/23/2008 1:17:33 AMdoofus wrote:
Perdue and Perry seem to be two Peas in a Pod.
Thank God Mayor White actually cares about citizens, even if they’re just poor folks! I cannot believe these two self-righteous Republicans would show outrage over an F bomb but no compassion for people’s suffering.
9/23/2008 1:45:45 AM
And the best:
RandallRHemenway wrote:
You know…. I hate Bil White but darn! Somtimes people need a boot in the ass and it sounds ike this is exactly what he was doing!
George Bush hates white people…
9/23/2008 3:02:58 AM
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
These fine citizens saw Ike coming for over a week and they didn’t prepare to care for themselves why?
The level of gratitude from these fine citizens of Houston seems to indicate that they do not want or need anyone from Georgia to help out. Maybe we should just bring them home.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:58 pm
See what happens when a good ‘ole boy mayor has to actually get off his fat a*s and do some work. Best just let ‘em sit at City Hall and eat doughnuts. Counsel their kids about marrying coke dealers… stuff like that.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
We don’t need Georgia volunteers or any other who come here to supposedly help and sit on their butts and make life more miserable for people suffering. These PODs were to open at 9–at 11 the Mayor went over and found they weren’t open yet, and the trucks were still sitting around in the parking lot at Reliant. What were these Georgia folks doing? Nothing. Mayor White and County Judge Ed Emmett are showing something that perhaps Governors Perry and Perdue could take a lesson from–it’s called “leadership.” When people aren’t doing their jobs, you light a fire. Emmett then went and spent that night working hard to straighten out the mess that FEMA and the Georgia lumberjacks caused. Goes to show indeed that if you want something done, you do it yourself. Mayor White for president!
September 24th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
AB – your Mayor was a jerk to two line level employees, not the managers he should have been addressing.
Your facts are wrong. The Mayor was bitching about the trucks not arriving at a distribution pint (TCU?). The two women were logging the trucks that were leaving the facility. The Sheriff (deputy? not sure) explained that three trucks were actually at the very place the Mayor was talking about. The Mayor then went off on the Sheriff who stormed off while his bodyguard apologized for his boorish behavior.
The Judge did help. he has a background in transportation and helped draw out a logistical plan for the trucks that actually helped. He did that without yelling at people who left their homes and families to help him.
BTW, this was only three days after the storm hit, why were people, according to the Mayor, about to “riot”? Can Texans not take care of themselves for a few days? Was the storm a surprise and they weren’t able to get a little food and water together? Maybe go visit their cousin in another town? I thought you guys were tough and independent? All that “Don’t mess with Texas” crap….
September 24th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
correction – the Mayor went off on the Sheriff and then THE MAYOR stormed off while his bodyguard apologized to the Sheriff.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Hey dummy. The 2 women in question are 2 of the finest volunteers in our state and have been out there over 4 times since Feburary to help gladly with the forest fires in Texas. So before U run your mouth know what you are talking about. I have had the pleasure of associating myself 4 times with some of your Texans and have been treated with respect, and appreciated for the work we provided on forest fires. Your Mayor is out of line and needs to follow the directions, and then the supplies will be delivered as needed.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:12 am
“The Mayor was bitching about the trucks not arriving at a distribution pint (TCU?). The two women were logging the trucks that were leaving the facility.”
They didn’t arrive at TSU because these people had not let them leave Reliant. Obviously, if you can’t get the name of the university right, you don’t know what you are talking about.
“The Sheriff (deputy? not sure) explained that three trucks were actually at the very place the Mayor was talking about. The Mayor then went off on the Sheriff who stormed off while his bodyguard apologized for his boorish behavior.”
And the sheriff’s deputy didn’t know what he was talking about because the mayor had just come from that place.
Mayor White is a hero.
People were likely to riot because they had been promised that these places would be open at 9, both the previous day and that day. These trucks were supposed to be prepositioned so that they could arrive when the hurricane ended. They didn’t They sat around. And then when they got here, they sat around some more because incompetent folks didn’t care enough to send them where they needed to be.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:14 am
“Your Mayor is out of line and needs to follow the directions, and then the supplies will be delivered as needed.”
It was because these half-assed volunteers weren’t following directions that he had to come in and get food and ice and water to our people.
Mayor White GIVES the directions. He doesn’t take them from country volunteers or from FEMA or state bureaucrats.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:34 am
“These fine citizens saw Ike coming for over a week and they didn’t prepare to care for themselves why?”
We’re told to provide food and water for 3 days. This was the end of that period. It’s nearly two weeks since, and half a million people remain without power. Show a little sympathy to suffering people, why don’t you?
September 25th, 2008 at 9:26 am
sounds like a bunch of nothing to me. These people are so arrogant in their dealings with each other that they probably deserve each other!