Wonky Muse

July 9, 2004

The Other Dick

Dick Riordan, the state's Secretary of Education and former Republican mayor of Los Angeles is in the hot seat. While attending a summer reading program in Santa Barbara, a little girl named Isis D'Luciano asked him if he knew that she's named after an Egyptian goddess.

Good 'ol Dick inexplicably replied, "it means stupid dirty girl".

Collective gasps and nervous laughter in the room. He apologized to the girl later, but the furor caused some groups to ask Riordan to resign.

According to Steve Lopez of the L.A. Times, this isn't the first time Dick has embarrassed himself, including the time he greeted hunger strikers outside of city hall while munching on a hamburger.

The Govehnuh chastised Riordan and sort of defended him a little--being that they're good friends--with no plans to give him the pink slip.

I think he should give Riordan a less visible position. Where they won't have to bring him out in public. Ever. Who knows what he'll do or say next?

According to the Sacramento Bee, Isis' mom Trinity Lila said the little girl was pretty cool about it:

"I let my daughter go to story hour and figured she'd be safe in a room full of librarians and parents and other children and the secretary of education," Lila said.

"If I was in the room, I would have defended her. But she did OK without me. I'm really proud of her for standing up for herself. She's OK. She's moved on. It's not like I'm going to sue to pay her therapy bills."

...Lila said her daughter didn't correct Riordan because "she told me she didn't want to hurt his feelings. I got the impression she just didn't think he was very bright."

"I really didn't know much about the man, so I wasn't aware of how socially inept he is," she said. "He's a bureaucrat and I guess he's a grandfather. But it doesn't seem like he's had a lot of exposure to kids. It was really a stupid thing to say."

posted at 10:44 PM by Wonky Muse

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