Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who amused the nation with his political gaffes during the presidential race, is at it again.
While speaking on the Family Research Council's Stand With Scouts Sunday program, he injected slavery into a discussion about the Boy Scouts' ban on gays, The Advocate reports. He said that Americans must resist "flavor of the month" pro-gay views and called on proponents to exhibit "principled leadership." Perry argued that Civil War-era Texas Gov. Sam Houston did it in 1861 when he withstood calls for secession over slavery.
"[Houston] made a powerful decision that cost him his governorship," Perry said, according to the Huffington Post. "He was against slavery, and he stood up and passionately said, 'Texas does not need to leave the Union over this issue of slavery.' But that's the type of principled leadership, that's the type of courage that I hope people across the country [will show] on this issue of Scouts and keeping the Boy Scouts the organization that it is today."
This type of comment was standard fare for Perry while he was a GOP presidential candidate, Mediate points out. During his last debate, he called Turkey's leaders Islamic terrorists and said they should be kicked out of NATO.
Read more at The Advocate, the Huffington Post and Mediaite.
