[PAA-Discuss] Perry, White Speak at Former Candidate's Event

[Ron and Kris Graham]

Why were Deb Shafto, Green for Governor, and Kathy Glass, Libertarian for
Governor, not invited to AACC to talk to people?! Do their voices not count?
Have Arab Americans never heard of Greens or Libertarians? What's the deal?

 

Kris

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7210222.html

 


Perry, White speak at former candidate's event


Farouk Shami spotlights his Arab American Voters organization


By JOE HOLLEY
HOUSTON CHRONICLE


Sept. 20, 2010, 11:03PM


After a six-month sabbatical from the public spotlight, Farouk Shami, the
Houston hair magnate who aspired to be governor of Texas, re-emerged Monday
night in a big way. 

Hosting the inaugural event of his new organization, Arab American Voters,
Shami welcomed both Gov. Rick Perry and former Houston Mayor Bill White to
the chandeliered ballroom of the Arab-American Cultural Center, where the
two gubernatorial candidates addressed - at different times - an audience of
more than 200 people. 

"Frankly I was hoping he'd be introducing me," Shami, who challenged White
for the Democratic Party's spot on the gubernatorial ballot, told the
audience as he introduced Perry.

"Arab American Voters originated," Shami said in an interview afterward,
"because of my loss of an election. Necessity is the mother of invention. I
didn't win."

Jamilah Shami, Farouk Shami's niece, is the executive director of the
non-profit, non-partisan organization.

Its purpose is three-fold, she said: to get Arab Americans registered to
vote, to get out the vote and to educate members of the Arab American
community about becoming politically active.

Twenty-two nations are represented in Houston's Arab American community,
Jamilah Shami said. 

"Approximately 120,000 Houstonians are Arab American, but not all of them
are documented citizens," said Dr. Semil Tuma, a physician who serves as
president of the Arab-American Cultural Center. "But of those who have the
right to vote, only 15 to 20 percent actually vote."

Tuma said that low number is the result, in part, of experiences many Arab
Americans have had in their countries of origin. 

"In many countries, getting involved in politics can get you in trouble
somehow," he said. "We want to increase the awareness of the right to vote
for all people of Arab American heritage."

Both gubernatorial candidates relied on versions of their standard stump
speeches, although White was able to remind his audience that they had
worked together during his years in the mayor's office. 

"We've been through a lot together," he said.

He also reminded his audience that Shami was willing to debate during the
Democratic primary, while Perry has refused.

"We need our state government to be run as an efficient organization using
customer-service principles," he said.

Perry spoke of the four principles of government that he said have guided
his administration during his decade in the governor's office: "Don't spend
all the money, have a tax and regulatory policy that are fair and
predictable, have a legal system in place that does not allow for over-suing
and appropriately fund accountable public schools."

"Here in Texas," Perry said, "you're free to keep the money that other
states would take as income tax. You're free to worship as you choose. This
state is plenty big to embrace many faiths."

Mark Shabib, 41, a Sugar Land insurance agent who describes himself as a
political independent, gave the governor's speech a mixed review.

"A lot of people in that audience are scared because of 9/11 and what's
happened since," said Shabib, who is of Palestinian descent. "I wish he had
addressed that issue and had reminded us that we are all Texans who look out
for each other. I agree with him on one thing though. Texas is the only
state where you can prosper and succeed. Texas is the land of opportunity."

joe.holley at chron.com 

 

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