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01/22/2005 Archived Entry: "Politician wants Schwarzenegger to lose citizenship"

Posted by steve @ 07:41 PM EST [Link]

NO LONGER AUSTRIAN: Arnold Schwarzenegger's refusal to grant clemency to a man who murdered two women triggered a small protest in Austria where a Green Party politician called on the government to strip him of his Austrian citizenship.

Peter Pilz, a top official with the environmentalist Green Party, said the Austria-born Schwarzenegger no longer is worthy of citizenship in his homeland because he broke the law by clearing Donald Beardslee's execution on Wednesday.

Capital punishment is illegal here, and Schwarzenegger -- who holds dual U.S.-Austrian nationality -- should be stripped of his Austrian passport for "heavily damaging the reputation of the republic," Pilz said.

No offence to Mr. Pilz, but I doubt most Americans even know that Der Governator still holds his Austrian citizenship. I've been to Austria and I like the country a lot but anyone there worried about this smearing their reputation should chill out.

The backlash against Schwarzenegger underscores how he has lost popularity in his homeland over his support for the death penalty. Most Austrians -- and many other Europeans -- abhor capital punishment as cruel and inhumane.

Unless it's directed at Jews and other undesirables.

Read on.