• 2006.09.22: September 22, 2006: Headlines: Figures: COS - Malaysia: Writing - Malaysia: Humor: Election2006 - Friedman: Racism: CBS News: Comedian and independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman defended his use of a racial slur during a performance at Houston nightclub 26 years ago after an audio clip of the standup routine was posted on the Internet.  Thursday, October 05, 2006 - 9:28 am [1]

Kinky Friedman a racist? Nah. He messes with everybody



Still, I'm getting a kick out of these other candidates for governor who are painting Kinky as racist. I know Kinky Friedman, and he is no John Kennedy. Then again, he's no David Duke, either. Suddenly, the opposition has conveniently discovered, with an election around the corner, that Kinky Friedman has been making outrageous comments for the past four decades. Author, Musician, and candidate for Governor of Texas, Kinky Friedman served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malaysia in the 1960's.

Kinky Friedman a racist? Nah. He messes with everybody

Kinky Friedman a racist? Nah. He messes with everybody
Tuesday, September 26, 2006

In the name of full disclosure, let me say up front that gubernatorial candidate and big tent insultor Kinky Friedman has asked me if I want a position in his Cabinet.

This happening is highly unlikely. For one thing, I doubt Kinky Friedman is going to have a cabinet unless he goes out to Lack's and picks one up. Also, my idea of hell would be trying to explain to the press what Kinky really meant when he used the expression "n——- eggs" 26 years ago in a comedy routine.

Still, I'm getting a kick out of these other candidates for governor who are painting Kinky as racist. I know Kinky Friedman, and he is no John Kennedy. Then again, he's no David Duke, either.

Suddenly, the opposition has conveniently discovered, with an election around the corner, that Kinky Friedman has been making outrageous comments for the past four decades.

I suspect the reason for this startling revelation is that Kinky is hanging around in the polls. One recent poll showed him at 22.4 percent and Gov. Rick Perry leading at 30.7 percent.

Let's put this in perspective. If Richard Pryor were running for president and he got within 9 percentage points of first place in a poll, the other candidates would suddenly remember he's sexist because he shot his wife's car instead of his own.

And now people are all over Kinky for jokes. Which makes you wonder: Should comedians be excluded from politics? Isn't it refreshing to have a candidate who's actually smart enough to be a smartass? It's been a long time coming.

"I don't eat tamales in the barrio; I don't eat fried chicken in the ghetto; I don't eat bagels with the Jews for breakfast," Kinky said. "That, to me, is true racism."

That line has been labeled as racist. I read it another way: It attacks hypocrisy.

You know how your phony candidate sucks up to the public by pumping gas for two minutes in front of a TV camera to pretend he's the working man? You know how political candidates eat the food at the picnic of the group they're trying to get votes from to show they're one of the gang?

That's my take on Kinky's tamale, bagels and fried chicken remark.

Kinky Friedman goes after everybody. He would insult your grandmother regardless of her menu choices. Yes, he can be a pain in the butt. I know because he's turned on me. He can be an annoying, temperamental jerk on occasion. But it doesn't last long, and the smoke clears quickly.

Actually, there are two Kinky Friedmans: the real Kinky and the stage Kinky. The stage Kinky puts on a Texas howdy accent, smokes large smelly cigars and leaves inappropriate messages on his answering machine at home that indicate size matters, to put it politely.

The real Kinky is soft-spoken and puts steaks on the floor of his living room for his dogs.

Kinky is also an entertainer who once had a band called the Texas Jewboys, whose goal was to make people squirm. You can dig up all the lyrics you want on the Internet. Don't take my word for it: Ask his opponents. Heck, I'll bet they'll gladly provide you with a link.

John Kelso's column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Contact him at 445-3606 or jkelso@statesman .com.

When this story was posted in October 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

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He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

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Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

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Support the US-Peruvian Trade Pact Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, the Peace Corps President, has been lobbying both Democratic and Republican legislators to support the US-Peruvian trade pact before July 28, when his term ends and a US congressional recess begins. If President Bush fails to get approval before Congress goes on recess, it will be a case study proving that the United States does not reward its friends. Please call your representatives.

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History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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