Gov. Brewer opinion on emergency unemployment insurance benefits
June 8, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Gov. Jan Brewer has consistently stated that she supports a one word amendment to Arizona's unemployment insurance statutes to continue an additional twenty weeks of emergency federal assistance for those whose unemployment benefits are set to expire at 79 weeks. This federal stimulus program is set to expire at the end of … Read more
Questions about Turkish-connected charters in Texas
June 8, 2011
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by David Safier Tucson's Sonoran Science Academy charter school gets a fair amount of praise for its students' academic achievement as well as criticism for its connections to the Turkish-based, moderate Islamic Gulenist movement. Yesterday's NY Times has a long, critical article about the 33 charters in Texas with similar ties. [NOTE: Before I go … Read more
Tucson City Council Election Update: Add Pat Darcy to petition challenges
June 8, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: I told you that Pat Darcy used paid petition circulators in recent weeks to collect his signatures. "Generally speaking, paid petition circulators have at best a 60% valid signature rate of return, which could leave Darcy short of the number of valid signatures required to qualify for the ballot." Tucson City Council … Read more
Another indication private schools [and, by extension, charters] do not provide superior education
June 8, 2011
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by David Safier You'd think if you sent your child to the private Riverdale Country School in the Bronx to the tune of $38,800 a year, that would be all the top flight education your child would need. But you would be wrong. According to today's NY Times story, you could be spending as much … Read more
In Memoriam: Bob Bland, Cochise County Democratic Party Chair
June 8, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: It is with sadness that I post about the untimely death of Bob Bland, Cochise County Democratic Party Chair. When I last spoke to Bob he was planning a cross-country drive to visit his mother back East and visit friends and family along the way. Then came the e-mail that he had … Read more
Gun violence prevention groups join in call for stronger gun laws after Al Qaeda video
June 7, 2011
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by David Safier The video by Adam Gadahn urging American-based terrorists to take advantage of the gun show loophole has led five national gun violence prevention organizations to sent a joint letter to the President Obama. Fourteen state and regional groups signed the letter as well. Here's the money quote from the letter: [W]e call … Read more
Scofflaw Russell Pearce and his friends put the “F” back in Freedom
June 7, 2011
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by David Safier How can I pass this up? Pearce is being helped in his fight against the recall effort by his buddy-in-racism, Tom Tancredo. Pearce figures he can take corporate donations, even though the state says he can't. [S]tate elections officials say Arizona law bans corporate and union donations to influence an election, and … Read more
About that reprimand of Ethnic Studies’ Sean Arce
June 7, 2011
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by David Safier Here's the basic story: TUSD Assistant Superintendent Lupita Cavazos-Garcia formally reprimanded MAS Director Sean Arce for canceling an awards ceremony for Mexican-American students. Arce wrote a formal response to the reprimand through his lawyer. Cavazos-Garcia then made the reprimand official. I read Cavazos-Garcia's reprimand and Arce's response. From my vantage point as … Read more
