Per Arnold Schwarzenegger's request, Graz, Austria has removed his name from a city soccer stadium. Officials in Schwarzenegger's hometown loudly threatened to take his name off the sports complex in response to his refusal to stay the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams. But city officials very quietly removed the name on Christmas night. This is because Schwarzenegger called the Graz politicians on their grandstanding. They wanted to posture rather than to act. Arnold called their bluff.
Schwarzenegger wrote to Graz's mayor: "In order 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. You will receive related correspondence from my legal counsel shortly. I expect the lettering to be removed by the end of 2005, and in the future, the use of my name to advertise or promote the city of Graz in any way is no longer allowed."
The Terminator continued: "I have also learned that a proposal has been proffered to rescind from me the city's ring of honor. It was a beautiful day in 1999 when I received the ring at City Hall and I assumed at the time that it would be 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."
Graz needed Schwarzenegger more than Schwarzenegger needed Graz. Now they can't use his name to promote their city. Now politicians can't abuse his name to promote their careers. To paraphrase a past politician who failed in his bid to win the office Arnold now holds: Graz won't have Arnold Schwarzenneger to kick around any longer--nor will the city have his name as a tourist magnet. John Matrix, Ben Richards, and Conan didn't lose on the big screen. Did you expect the real-life Arnold to lose to a bunch of Austrian girly-men?
Just read the article on this. Ahnold is typically deliberate in this matter and the wishy washy Greens, Socialists and Communists officials that made their stand (against the will of 70 percent of the citizens) have been exposed by the Governator.
Got to love this guy. Even when pi$$ing against the tide of state Dems (see: Mitt Romney) while trying to get control of an out of control California he still maintains his principles and stays strong.
Screw principles, I want another Conan movie.
"Conan, The Barbarian" is some of Arnold's finest work. "The Destroyer" is pretty aweful... I blame Wilt.
It is interesting to see how Europe has fallen apart. Greens, Socialists and Communists running the show? Guess all of that war and emmigration seems to have watered down the gene pool significantly.
asdf, you said it. I came across this article yesterday: Why European women are turning to Islam
This is the killer: "I was looking for a framework; man needs rules and behavior to follow. Christianity did not give me the same reference points."
Hey Ralph, you my be right. But the hot little blond chick make me watch it all the time.
Kudos to Arnold! He has adhered to his principles, no matter what obstacles he faces, unlike 100% of the other politicians in the world today. That kind of integrity is a rare thing, these days. Too bad he can't run for the presidency; I'd vote for him in 2008, in a heartbeat!
What I find the most interesting about that is that many women work to essentially throw off, what THEY consider, the bonds of societal structure and male dominance that is just men being men by simply taking some control. Then, they wonder why they are confused and their lives are in chaos when they don't get what they expect should be instinctive behavior.
Western women have worked to make their men more 'sensitive' and have attemped to be more dominant and in doing so, have weeded out the very traits that they admire in other cultures. Makes sense then that they would be drawn to the male dominated culture/religion that is Islam.
I always say that society goes as women go and now that American and European women have become "liberated", they have lost their center and so goes some Western societies.
"I hate Maaahss"!
Gee, what a hardass Ahnold is; a real he-man. Could it be he cut off his nose dispite his face? Could it be that his balls are just way too big and cutting off blood to his brain? I'll bet so. Maybe we will get the same luck when Bush retires from politics so we can't name prisons and torture chambers and baseball stadiums after him. Do you think we will get that lucky? Well, do you? One can only hope. Maybe the Democrat-controlled government will pass a bill banning the use of his name on public buildings and roads. I'll vote for that. Maybe they'll even strike his name from all government records and replace it with 'The Little Liar' or 'Bullshit Man' or 'Chicken Little Lite'. I like the last one because he's always clamining 9/11's coming again and it never does.
Hey, GaL, that would be "cut off his nose TO SPITE his face". The rest of your post was just as lame. Too much protein in your diet I think.
Ahnoold made a good move in cutting ties with his home town. He should renounce the country too.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2005-12-28T235430Z_01_KNE885975_RTRUKOC_0_US-AUSTRIA-POSTERS.xml&rpc=22
