Kinky Friedman Visits Waco's Baylor University

Kinky comes to Baylor on campaign stop

Thursday, April 27, 2006
By Tim Woods
Tribune-Herald staff writer

Kinky Friedman’s campaign stop at Baylor University on Wednesday afternoon was interrupted by a surprise visit from the NoZe Brothers, an underground group of student pranksters.
Though the independent gubernatorial candidate addressed serious issues like immigration, education and renewable fuels — specifically biodiesel — the mood at the event was light and upbeat, thanks to Friedman’s often humorous delivery and the appearance of some NoZe members who “indicted” Friedman into their group.
They dubbed him “Bro. Yellow NoZe of Texas.”
Friedman took the interruption in stride, calling it “the most satisfying award I’ve received in my whole life, being inducted into the NoZe Brotherhood.”
Baylor student Justin Woods said he planned to vote for Friedman in November.
“I like his approach to education and especially his approach to alternative fuels because I think that’s one of the biggest issues we’re facing right now,” Woods said.
Friedman’s appearance was part of a whirlwind two-week tour through Texas as he tries to collect 45,540 signatures to be put on November’s ballot. He will make nine more stops at various cities between now and May 4, but said at a reception before Wednesday’s event that he was confident that campaign workers already had collected more than the requisite number of signatures. Friedman joked that he could not give an exact number because he has “a very young, ill-tempered campaign staff, and they don’t tell me how we’re doing.”
“But, I expect to have over 100,000 (signatures) by May 10,” Friedman said, referring to the date when the signatures must be turned in to Secretary of State Roger Williams for verification.
If Friedman gets on the ballot, he reiterated, people need to take his candidacy and message seriously, though he said he does not consider himself a politician.
One of the centerpieces of Friedman’s platform is education reform. He said he would increase teachers’ pay, which currently stands at $6,000 below the national average, by legalizing casino gambling and applying revenues to education.
Friedman said legalized casinos would net an estimated $4 billion, money that he said now is being spent by Texans in neighboring states where gambling is legal.
“We invented Texas Hold ’Em, and we can’t even play it here in Texas,” Friedman said.
Wednesday’s appearance was organized by Baylor Independents, a student organization that received its charter from the school earlier this month, according to group president Benny Barrett.
Barrett said his interest in starting the organization spawned from a meeting with Friedman last July at a Willie Nelson concert and that the organization now has between 60 and 80 members.
Though many of the nearly 100 in attendance voiced their support for Friedman and his stance on key issues, a few were clearly taken aback by some of the things he said, especially when Friedman touched on marijuana laws.
“I’m (in favor of) medicinal marijuana. But I’ll tell you, with Willie Nelson in my Cabinet, it’s going to be hard to crack down on marijuana,” Friedman said sarcastically.

twoods@wacotrib.com
757-5721
source: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/04/27/04272006wackinky.html