Schwarzenegger to Hometown: Remove My Name

[Dr. Shane]

Schwarzenegger to Hometown: Remove My Name

Quote:

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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday told officials in his hometown in Austria to remove his name from a sports stadium and stop using his identity to promote the city. The governor's request came after politicians in Graz began a petition drive to rename the stadium, reacting to Schwarzenegger's decision last week to deny clemency to condemned inmate Stanley Tookie Williams. Opposition to the death penalty is strong in Austria.

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Quote:

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In the letter, Schwarzenegger also said he would no longer permit the use of his name "to advertise or promote the city of Graz in any way" and would return the city's "ring of honor."

The ring was given to him in a ceremony in Graz in 1999. At the time, Schwarzenegger said he considered it "a token of sincere friendship between my hometown and me."

"Since, however, the official Graz appears to no longer accept me as one of their own, this ring has lost its meaning and value to me. It is already in the mail," the governor wrote.

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[Neil D]

All this attitude over the killing of a man....

Something doesn't sound right here...

[Dr. Shane]

"Killing a man?" Is that a reference to the man Tookie Williams killed? Or is that a reference to the execution of the convicted killer?

"Attitude?" Is that a reference to the Schwarzenegger's attitude or that of his hometown?

I didn't quite understand the post.

[Neil D]

1][:"red"] Opposition to the death penalty is strong in Austria. [/]

2] politicians in Graz began a petition drive to rename the stadium, [:"red"]reacting to Schwarzenegger's decision last week to deny clemency to condemned inmate Stanley Tookie Williams. [/]

3] Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday told officials in his hometown in Austria to [:"red"]remove his name from a sports stadium [/] and [:"red"]stop using his identity [/] to promote the city.

The reason for Arnold's reaction is this-

[:"green"]In a letter that began "Dear Mister Mayor," Schwarzenegger said he decided to spare the Graz city council "further concern" should he be forced to make other clemency decisions while he's governor. Another inmate is scheduled to be executed in California Jan. 17.

"In all likelihood, during my term as governor, I will have to make similar and equally difficult decisions," Schwarzenegger said in the letter. "To spare the responsible politicians of the city of Graz further concern, I withdraw from them as of this day the right to use my name in association with the Liebenauer Stadium." [/]

And because of the differences of opinion between Arnold and his hometown city, he is severing ties as evidenced by this little revelation-

[:"green"] "Since, however, the official Graz appears to no longer accept me as one of their own, this ring has lost its meaning and value to me. It is already in the mail," the governor wrote. [/]

If I were Arnold, I would have ignored the whole fiasco....

All of this nitpicking over the death of a man.....

[Dr. Shane]

When I read the story it seemed to me that Arnold appeared to be emotionally hurt by his hometown's rejection of him and this is his way of dealing with that pain. Doesn't everyone want to be the hometown hero?