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politics and politicians Title: Perry says he opposes Confederate license plate Weighing into a racially charged controversy for the first time, Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that he opposes the creation of a Confederate license plate in Texas. "We don't need to be scraping old wounds," Perry told Bay News 9 in Tampa, Fla. With a decision on the vanity plate pending before the state Department of Motor Vehicles' governing board, made up of Perry appointees, Wednesday's development hinted that a vote by the panel that had been expected next month might not occur. Board officials gave no indication whether it would still be on the agenda, as was earlier announced. With the support of Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, the specialty plate has been sought by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, an ancestral history group involved in several issues over the display of the so-called Confederate battle flag in state buildings and public monuments. Petitions containing about 22,000 signatures opposing the plates had been submitted to the motor vehicle board last month, as it pondered a second vote on the proposed tag. A vote in April ended in a 4-4 tie. The plate also has been opposed by an assortment of lawmakers, mostly Democrats , and other groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who say it is a symbol of slave-era racism that has no place on state tags. Supporters, including Patterson, say it is a historical symbol. The growing issue over the plate had put Perry in a tough spot, proponents and opponents agreed, because its approval might raise a new issue for him in the presidential campaign. But his comments Wednesday may not do much to avoid that, because South Carolina — which is a key state in his White House ambitions, with its January primary — is among several that already have approved a similar plate. In an interview with the Florida station, Perry said the proposed plates would bring up too many negative emotions. Before Wednesday, he had not made his views on the issue known. Patterson said that while he disagrees with Perry, he thinks the governor's comment may remove the issue from the campaign. He earlier said he thinks it will have to be resolved in court, where the right of free speech may come into play, rather than before the DMV board. "They have created a controversy where none really existed," Patterson said of the opponents. "It's pretty damn disgusting, actually." Proceeds from the proposed plates would raise money to place markers on the graves of Confederate soldiers and create monuments for Confederate heroes, according to the Confederate ancestry group. A similar request was rejected two years ago. Matt Glazer, executive director of Progress Texas, a group that has led a statewide campaign against the flag plate since last spring, said Wednesday's comments could indicate the board may not vote again on the issue. "Since the governor appointed all nine members on the DMV board, we hope he makes sure they vote down the state-sanctioned use of this racist relic," Glazer said. "I don't understand why Jerry Patterson, who is running for lieutenant governor, is interested in spending taxpayers' time and money on getting the approval for this plate with a flag that never flew over Texas," he said. "The reason it was approved in other states was because it had historical context. It does not have that historical context in Texas."
Poster Comment: Wow, first he gives the finger to the birthers, now this. His constituency isn't going to like this one bit.
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#1. To: Skip Intro (#0)
Given his 'base' appears to be shrinking by the hour, and is measured in single digits...it doesn't matter.
Proxy IP's are amusing.....lmao
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