Posted on 12/15/2006 7:40:53 AM PST by jamese777
Former transportation secretary and San Jose mayor Norm Mineta joins the likes of Ronald Reagan, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other well-known leaders Friday when President Bush bestows on him the nation's highest civilian award.
At a White House ceremony, Mineta and nine other luminaries will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- an award to honor those who have made an ``especially meritorious contribution'' to the security or national interest of the United States, to world peace or to other significant cultural endeavors.
According to a news release issued by the White House, Mineta ``worked to improve the security of our transportation system and restore our confidence'' in air travel after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
``There is no question that I'm very elated to be receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom,'' Mineta said in a telephone interview Wednesday night. ``I'm really overwhelmed by the generosity of the president, especially when I look at that list of honorees and all of the accomplishments that all of the folks have. I'm really humbled to be on that list.''
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
This is a joke, right?
This is just not right.
Humbled or ashamed?
But still no MOF for Rick Rescorla - the man who saved 3,000 on 9-11... Bush discredits himself everytime he overlooks Rescorla
Shake down old ladies at airports and get the nations highest award. Wow, so simple and yet so brilliant!
If this guy tried his "no profiling" crap during WWII he'd probably gotten charged for treason. Today he gets a medal of freedom.
Unbelievable.
A gold watch and a kick out the door....
The President truly has lost his mind!
Norman Mineta? This loser should have been on the street September 12, 2001, and I have never understood the President's loyalty to him!
I think I am going to throw up. Pass me some dramamine, please. This guy thinks political correctness is more important than security on airplanes. He did every thing he could to retain the pre-9/11 status quo. It is his fault American grannies and little kids are pratically strip searched at airports, while obvious towel-heads with nefarious plans slide onto planes unimpeded.
Has Bush started drinking again ???
Very much the opposite.
This award is a BIG mistake...Mineta catered to the butt-pirates and the rainbow folks,etc.
Looking for the Onion reference......
Scrappleface?
No?
Dec 12, 2006 9:38 am US/Pacific
Bush To Award Former SJ Mayor Medal Of Freedom
(BCN) SAN JOSE Norman Mineta, who began his career as a San Jose city councilman and later served as mayor, congressman and U.S. Secretarys of Commerce and Transportation, will receive the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, this week.
Mineta served as mayor of San Jose from 1970-74 before being elected to Congress representing San Jose and western Santa Clara County.
He remained in Congress until 1995.
He worked in the private sector in Washington D.C. until 2000 when President Bill Clinton appointed him Secretary of Commerce.
Mineta became the only Democrat in President George W. Bush’s cabinet when Bush appointed him Secretary of Transportation in 2001.
Mineta played a crucial role in the federal government’s response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 when he ordered the Federal Aviation Administration to ground all civilian aircraft that morning following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
“We’re lucky to be sharing a moment in time with a person who will have a whole chapter in history,” Mineta Transportation Institute Executive Director Rod Diridon said.
The Mineta Transportation Institute was created by Congress in 1991 and is affiliated with San Jose State University.
During his years in Congress, Mineta had a profound impact on public transportation in the South Bay, according to Diridon.
“We would not have our airport. We would not have a significant portion of our transit programs without him,” Diridon said.
In November 2001, the San Jose City Council voted to rename the city’s airport the Mineta San Jose International Airport in Mineta’s honor.
Bush will present Mineta, and nine others including blues legend B.B. King, with the Medal of Freedom on Friday at a White House ceremony.
http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_346124018.html
Thus diminishing further the award.
Underperformin' Norman should have gotten the boot, not a medal. So, what else is new?
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