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Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 05:03:25 AM EST
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Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is being criticized by a few school officials, who sound like MADD-types. We're with Oscar on this one.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman told a group of fourth graders on Monday that if he was marooned on a desert island the one thing he would want to have with him is a bottle of gin. And when a student quizzed Goodman about his hobbies he replied that "drinking" was one of them, said Mackey Elementary School Principal Kamala Washington, who was present for the mayor's visit.

Goodman was unapologetic for his comments that came during his visit to the elementary school in North Las Vegas. "I'm the George Washington of mayors. I can't tell a lie. If they didn't want the answer the kid shouldn't have asked the question," Goodman said. "It's me, what can I do?"

If you read through the article, it was no big deal to the kids, only to the school administrators. Oscar is a devotee of gin martinis. In 2002, he was a spokesman for his favorite, Bombay Sapphire.

We happen to know Oscar has a favorite candy, too. Tootsie Rolls. I bet if Tootsie Roll Industries asked, he might make them the official candy of Las Vegas.

Oscar for Governor.

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    Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth | 35 comments (35 topical)
    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#1)
    by bad Jim on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 12:54:24 AM EST
    Like chastity, gin is its own punishment.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#2)
    by kdog on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 05:53:06 AM EST
    I like this guy. For a poltician, honesty and candor are rare.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 06:04:04 AM EST
    I'll give you 3 to 1 he'd say it again. Only in LV. You gotta love it.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#4)
    by Lora on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 06:15:14 AM EST
    Um, really poor taste in my opinion, for a public official/role model to share that particular hobby with fourth graders. I think I would draw the line at that one. I don't know the entire context, however (your link didn't work, btw). I mean, if a 4th grader asked a question, "Do you drink alcohol? What's your favorite drink?" in his shoes, I might answer "yes" to the first question and "gin" to the second and move on to a different topic. But to volunteer that information, even if it is true, seems a bit over the top. What message are you sending children, and why? In the interest of truth? Come on, there are some things you wouldn't share with 4th graders (think 'hobbies'...wink, wink) no matter how much you might enjoy them. It just isn't appropriate. Neither, in my opinion, is a frank discussion of how much you enjoy alcohol.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 06:15:51 AM EST
    I gotta say I admire a politician with the stones to say what's on his mind. So rare and so refreshing. However, I have to question his judgment about saying it in front of a group of 4th graders who expect to see a role model. Voters don't appreciate lies and doublespeak, but they do expect a certain amount of tact from public figures. Everybody knows Martha Stewart picks her nose, but that doesn't mean they expect to see her do it while folding charming little rosettes out of imported filo dough.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#6)
    by lonestar on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 06:45:45 AM EST
    Martha Stewart picks her nose????? I didn't know that.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#7)
    by kdog on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 06:53:25 AM EST
    He has nothing to hide, and isn't ashamed of his vice. Good for him. I think the 4th graders can handle it. If we were more frank w/ children regarding alcohol, maybe so many wouldn't binge drink in high school and college. If they are exposed to discussion of adult vices as children, the allure and mystery of it loses some luster. But make sure it's an honest discussion that includes the pros w/ the cons. Don't make the same mistakes that the DARE program did when I was in grade school. When I learned through experience how the DARE officer had lied to us about marijuana, I wondered if they were lying about cocaine and heroin as well. Propaganda-type drug education is worse than no education at all.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#8)
    by aw on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 07:03:59 AM EST
    Having a bottle of any kind of spirits on hand on a desert island is a good idea. He could have expanded on its medicinal uses as an antiseptic and anesthetic.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 08:10:40 AM EST
    I thought what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas?

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 08:19:18 AM EST
    I doubt such presentations are part of that school district's mission statement, and this should not have taken place without the parents' approval.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 08:40:29 AM EST
    Personally, I think this kind of honesty is more helpful to kids growing up to be responsible adults than the utter B.S. of pretending that vices like responsible drinking are entirely outside the normal and acceptable range of adult behavior, which seems to be motivated by the same kind of mindlessness that gets us ineffective "abstinence only" sex ed. "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 08:50:49 AM EST
    My dictionary defines vice as: an immoral or evil habit or practice. After seeing several people call his enjoying gin vice, I think I understand why so many are upset by it. Because people are stupid.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#13)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 08:57:04 AM EST
    If it was "refreshing" and "honest" for the mayor to talk about his drinking in front of fourth graders, wouldn't it have been even more so if he'd cracked open a fifth and bubbled it?

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#14)
    by wishful on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 09:02:44 AM EST
    "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."
    That is exactly the quote used by Paul O'Neil discussing when he was forced to resign as Treasury Secretary for the Bush Administration, upon their discovery that he could not be persuaded to lie to us.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#15)
    by wishful on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 09:03:50 AM EST
    I meant to add that the new PC speech is CC speech--conservatively correct. That is all.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 09:13:58 AM EST
    First I have to say that when I drink, which isn't very often, my drink of choice is Bombay Sapphire Martinis. An attaboy to Mayor Goodman for his good taste in spirits. Second, this is, after all, Las Vegas. If the mayor's favorite hobby was shooting craps, or frequenting the Mustang Ranch, which are both legal, even though the "Mustangs" have been put out to pasture, one could hardly call him out of step with his constituency. Additionally, there seems to be a huge amount of confusion around the idea that anything that is legal is therefore, by definition "sanctioned" by the government. The opposite is in fact true. The government imposes limitations on individual freedom where it finds the need for them. So you can't blame the school for "sanctioning" alcohol consumption which is perfectly legal nor the mayor for advocating consumption. With that said I agree with Lisa who felt that this mayoral visit was in
    really poor taste in my opinion, for a public official/role model to share that particular hobby with fourth graders.
    His claim is that he's an open, honest kind of guy. Well, that's true, as long as he revealed his love of Bombay Sapphire Gin to likely voters during his election (which would surprise me greatly). Also, if the school department knows they've got a boozer for a mayor who says unpredictable things, why put him in front of a bunch of fairly impressionable 10 year olds? He can say and do whatever he wants, but not in front of my kid, who may not have the understanding of adult behavior to put Mayor Goodman's comments in context. I'm not buying his crappy justification - did anyone breathalize him at the time?

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 09:36:35 AM EST
    Well anyone who invites Oscar Goodman to speak and doesn't expect him to say something controversial is an idiot. The guy is the personification of Las Vegas. Remember he was a mob lawyer before he turned to politics. He defended the likes of Meyer Lansky and the character portrayed by Joe Pesci in Casino. He's even a paid spokesman for Bombay Sapphire Gin.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#18)
    by Dadler on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 09:36:54 AM EST
    funny guy, but not the best audience to celebrate his "hobby". there's being more honest with our kids, and then there's being more honest in a completely ineffective way. but he's the mayor of vegas, so i don't expect him to be a deacon. what better type to have for mayor of sin city than a guy who admits he loves sin. how to raise your kids in sin city, however, is a much tougher proposition. little league craps tournaments anyone? also, liquor on a desert island would be a suicide choice. dehydrates you faster than anything. call me crazy, i'd stock up on the bottled agua.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#19)
    by kdog on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 09:59:17 AM EST
    Maybe if I were a parent, or if I wasn't sneaking sips of the old man's brews in 4th grade myself, I'd feel differently. To me, a good parent will ask their kid what they did in school, and when the kid says "the mayor came and said he likes gin", that seems to be the perfect lead-in to explain to your kid what alcohol is, what it does to you, the pros and cons of it's use, etc. Better that than the first time they come across the subject is at a 6th or 7th grade party, when someone offers them a sip. I'm sure "sin city" is similar to NY in that kids come across alcohol sooner than you think. Get them some facts before all they know of alcohol is "Joey from gym class says it's cool." Best of all though, I appreciate the "straight dope" from a politician for a change. An honest question got an honest answer. I much prefer that than Bush's way, skirting the issue and dodging questions about his drug use "for the kids". I disagree with Col. Jessup...."They CAN handle the truth."

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#21)
    by scarshapedstar on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 11:26:48 AM EST
    Ah, please. The kids thought it was hilarious, and the odds of a 4th grader liking Bombay Sapphire are pretty slim. (vegas pun unintended)

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 11:29:23 AM EST
    wishful - You gotta be a true Bush Hater At Work - BHAW - to bring that in. No context at all. mfox - Hey, drink as much and as often as you like, no need to hedge about it. No one here cares. As for "sanction" and "legal" " to make valid or binding usually by a formal procedure (as ratification) 2 : to give effective or authoritative approval or consent to synonym see APPROVE" DA - Your Mother was very wise.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 11:34:54 AM EST
    "We would remind the individual that employees are not supposed to share personal opinions in that manner, particularly when it's something that has the potential to offend a great many people." So what are they supposed to 'share' if the matter comes up? Some false piety and lies? If the parents want to keep the kids from ever being offended I reccommend the bung-hole method of child rearing... stuff the little brat into a barrell and feed him through the hole 'till he's 18 (then drive in the bung ;).

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#24)
    by kdog on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 11:40:14 AM EST
    Sarcasto...great point.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#25)
    by kdog on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 12:18:02 PM EST
    I wish there was a political fantasy league where I could trade Mayor Bloomberg and a city councilman to be named later for Goodman.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#26)
    by wishful on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 12:37:35 PM EST
    PPJ, read much? cmdicely brought up the "truth will set you free" quote, and I brought up the related issue of another politician having recently been done in by telling the truth. Now, if you think it is Bush Hating to bring up the truth about the truth, well, if the shoe fits...

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#27)
    by jimcee on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 01:33:04 PM EST
    kdog has it about right, be honest with the kids and answer their questions as best you can to their level. The DARE program is one of the most invasive propaganda machines out there. They tell kids to rat out their own families for the public good and that is irresponsible and disgusting. It is up to families to educate their own kids about these matters and not have some sort of "Hitler Youth/Red Guard" nonsense be formed for the "good of the community". Teach the kids to read, write and do math and leave the social engineering out of the schools.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#28)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 02:11:51 PM EST
    So if the mayor's hobbies included kinky (but legal) sex, it would have been appropriate to share that with the fourth grade class too?

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#29)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 02:37:14 PM EST
    While I agree with your opinions kdog (Haven't heard a bad one yet!)I do take issue with this guy, while I defend the right of Ward Churchill to say what ever he wants. My point is, he didn't just say that he likes to drink. He said that if he were stranded on a desert island the only thing he would need is a bottle of gin (maybe because Bombay Sapphire would be the only ones attempting rescue?). I am extremely open about my personal foibles with my five year old (you know what they are, kdog *winking*). I have no problem explaining alcohol and drug use to him. However, if my son came home from school and said that the mayor had spoken to fourth-graders and told them that he only wanted gin if stranded on a desert island, how do I explain this "joke" (?) to him. Gee, the guy loves alcohol sooo much he'd rather drink than eat or f**k. Do I try to explain the definition of "functional alcoholic" to him. Similarly, I have no problem with the mayor telling my five year old that he likes sex. Telling him that he likes to pick up hookers, tie them up and tell them how bad they are while he's screwing them would be (similarly, IMHO) way off base. Part of the Vegas problem is that the partyers are not the constituents, who tend towards the conservative but depend on the income from the debauchery on the strip. Catch 22 anyone?

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#30)
    by Che's Lounge on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 02:37:29 PM EST
    Wishful, You got dinged by a BLOD: (Bush Lover On Drugs)

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#31)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 03:45:34 PM EST
    I think he understands what is coming down in our little non nation, good for you Oscar keep it up. To hell with the lies and bull for our non political leaders who lie just to do it and see whats going to happen, once more Think you Mayor Oscar Goodman.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#32)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 04:18:19 PM EST
    Anyone want to guess what mfox's last job was?

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#33)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 11:31:54 PM EST
    I'm thinking mfox may have been an elementary school guidance counselor. But seriously, I think he was off base. I have my own thoughts about saying that kind of thing in front of 4th graders. Our society yanks the childhood out of them way too fast as it is, IMO. No need to hurry. But that's not as big an issue to me as the judgment that led him to make a political blunder like that. That said, I will say that if he's as notorious as some have said, then the school should have known of his reputation and therefore bears some of the responsibility. You don't invite Hannibal Lechter over for dinner and complain that the fava beans he brought over taste a little off.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#34)
    by pigwiggle on Fri Mar 04, 2005 at 06:13:34 AM EST
    There are a great many things we don’t allow kids to do until they are a certain age, things that are completely appropriate for adult hobbies and pastimes. I love whisky and indulge almost nightly in a glass or two of john walker or the like. What makes this different than say, motocross, mountain biking, climbing, carpentry, or any other high-risk hobby? Well it seems the most obvious are puritanical sensibilities and religious tenets; as evidenced by one post…. “So if the mayor's hobbies included kinky (but legal) sex, it would have been appropriate to share that with the fourth grade class too?” OK, the most obvious answer is that anyone who transfers sexually explicit matter to a child would be breaking the laws of almost every state. Put it in a letter or do it over a long distance call and you are likely breaking federal law as well. But law is often arbitrary, as is what offends folks. Really though, what can you say to the person who finds discussion of drinking as offensive as describing gratuitous sexual acts to a child?

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#35)
    by Lora on Fri Mar 04, 2005 at 06:57:42 AM EST
    There's nothing wrong with sex, or drinking, per se. There's nothing wrong with letting children know that adults do these things. There is something wrong with coming out strongly in favor of either one of these fine activities without an appropriate context or setting. I think a general discussion in a fourth grade class by a mayor of the city doesn't qualify. Now I don't give equal weight to both subjects (drinking and sex), and I would certainly provide a more carefully thought out context and setting for the discussion of sex, but they are similar: They are both adult activities (or should be), they both have the potential for abuse, they are both fun and tempting to children, and the misuse or abuse of both activities causes untold damage and heartache. Neither subject is appropriate for a full-hearted endorsement by a public figure in front of young children without an appropriate setting and context.

    Re: Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth (none / 0) (#36)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Mar 04, 2005 at 06:22:11 PM EST
    I teach in Las Vegas. I can pretty much guarantee that fourth graders there have no clue what the word "gin" means. They probably thought he meant a genie in a bottle.

    Mayor Oscar Goodman Tells the Truth | 35 comments (35 topical)