Featured Stories
Religious extremists cause foreign policy crisis, are embraced by the Romney campaign
September 12, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
By now you have heard that a dedicated public servant, U.S. Ambassador to Libya John Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, were killed Tuesday in an assault on the American consulate in the city of Benghazi, Libya. U.S. ambassador to Libya, 3 other Americans killed in Benghazi – The Washington Post.
What you probably do not know is why this happened, as the reporting has been sketchy at best and is coming from multiple news sources that need to be pieced together to tell a comprehensive story. This is the best I have been able to piece together so far.
The attacks on U.S. embassies in Egypt and Libya on Tuesday apparently were prompted by outrage over an amateur, anti-Muslim film made in the United States, "The Innocence of Muslims," of which an Arabic translation of the movie trailer was posted on YouTube. The movie was written and directed by an anti-Islam "filmmaker" (sic) Sam Bacile, a California real estate developer who described himself as an Israeli Jew. Anti-Islam filmmaker in hiding after deadly protests in Egypt, Libya; blames lax security – The Washington Post.
The Lede at the New York Times fills in the missing pirces of the story. Obscure Film Mocking Muslim Prophet Sparks Anti-U.S. Protests in Egypt and Libya:
A 14-minute trailer for the English-language film, which was posted on YouTube in July, attracted little attention until last week, when a version dubbed into Arabic was posted on the same YouTube channel and then copied and viewed tens of thousands of times more.
Although there was initial confusion about who made the film, The Wall Street Journal reported that the drama, titled “Innocence of Muslims,” was produced and directed by an Israeli-American, Sam Bacile, a California real-estate developer who called Islam “a cancer,” in an interview. Mr. Bacile told The Journal that he raised $5 million from about 100 Jewish donors and shot the two-hour movie in California last year.
Do Great Hearts charter schools charge “optional” $1,200 tuition?
September 12, 2012
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by David Safier I've heard stories of charters like BASIS expecting parents to give the school a donation as a non-obligatory part of enrolling their children, though I haven't gotten any absolute confirmation. Now it looks like Great Hearts charter schools are doing something similar. This is wrong on at least two counts. First, while … Read more
More Romney police uniform capers
September 12, 2012
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by David Safier Remember how Romney used a police uniform his dad gave him to terrify a young woman making out in a parked car? Good times. Now a NY Times article mentions an incident at Stanford where Romney bragged about using the same uniform to speed to the airport. In Mr. Romney’s dorm closet … Read more
K12 Inc. under investigation in Florida. Board Member Craig Barrett silent.
September 12, 2012
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by David Safier K12 Inc., the country's largest online school corporation, is in trouble again, this time in Florida. It's being investigated for using uncertified teachers and telling its certified staff to provide cover. K12 officials told certified teachers to sign class rosters that included students they hadn’t taught, according to documents that are part … Read more
Gov. Brewer bails out of Gabriela Saucedo Mercer fundraiser
September 11, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Religious bigotry McCarthyite Gabriela Saucedo Mercer, the Tea-Publican candidate running against Rep. Raúl Grijalva in CD 3, is now being abandoned by her friends who want to distance themselves from her. Talking Points Memo reports Brewer Bails On Az. GOPer In Wake Of Racial Remark: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has bailed on … Read more
Pennsylvania Supreme Court to hear voter ID case this Thursday
September 11, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The suprising, and wrongly decided Pennsylvania superior court decision on voter ID, will go before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court this Thursday. Voter ID law set for review by state Supreme Court | PennLive.com:
Pennsylvania will take its place as a battleground state on a different political front this week as supporters and opponents argue the validity of the state’s new voter ID law before the state Supreme Court.
Oral arguments are scheduled for Thursday in Philadelphia. They will be televised live on Pennsylvania Cable Network at 9:30 a.m.
The six-member court — evenly split between Democrats and Republicans — will be tasked with reviewing Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson’s August ruling that permitted Pennsylvania’s new voter ID law to be implemented for the Nov. 6 election. If the justices are deadlocked, Simpson’s decisions will stand.
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Plaintiffs in this case say the state, as of Tuesday, had issued nearly 7,000 nondriver’s license photo ID cards since March, when the law was enacted. That proves their point that with at least 100,000 voters needing IDs, there’s strong evidence that “you are going to have tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, without ID on Election Day,” said Witold Walczak, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania’s legal director.
Retired Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Stanley Feldman to speak against Prop. 115
September 11, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
If you are a citizen who is concerned about the independence of the judiciary and attempts by extremists to undermine the Judicial Merit Selection System and to politicize the selection of judges in Arizona, you will want to attend the Pima County Democratic Party Nucleus Club meeting this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Viscount Suite Hotel, 4855 E. Broadway Blvd. in Tucson.
The featured speaker is retired Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Stanley Feldman, who will speak against Prop. 115 on the topic: ”Is our judicial system becoming over-politicized?”
I posted about Chief Justice Feldman's opposition to Prop. 115 earlier this year when it was still working its way through the judiciary committees of the Legislature. Arizona's Judicial Merit Selection System Threatened.
Prop. 115 represents an act of craven cowardice by the State Bar of Arizona, the Arizona Judges Association, and the Arizona Judicial Council who caved under threats from extremists like Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy and Tea-Publicans in the Legislature who wanted to put the full repeal of the Judicial Merit Selection Sytem on the ballot in November.
This so-called "great compromise" is in reality a "great capitulation." It should result in the replacement of the board members of the State Bar of Arizona, the Arizona Judges Association, and the Arizona Judicial Council for such cowardice in failing to stand up to extremism. This is what lawyers and judges are supposed to do – we are the last line of defense. I am ashamed for my profession.
The Arizona Republic reports Proposition would give Arizona governor more power in judge selection:
A ballot proposition going before Arizona voters this fall would, if approved, give the governor more power and discretion in the process of selecting judges in large counties.
The Final Race to The Finish
September 11, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The final vote count from the Primary Election has now been certified for the General Election ballot. There were only a handful of close races decided by late ballots, and only a few write-in candidates from minor parties who qualified for the General Election ballot. One legal challenge remains: Darin Mitchell, a Republican candidate for the House in LD 13 who upset incumbent Republican Rep. Russ Jones, apparently was not a resident of the district and is being challenged on residency grounds by Russ Jones.
See the Secretary of State's web site for the Full Listing of candidates.
So who made it to the starting gate for the final race to the finish?
U.S. President/Vice President
Barack Obama/Joe Biden (D – Inc.)
Willard Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan (R)
Gary Johnson/James Gray (LBT)
Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala (GRN)
U.S. Senate
Richard Carmona (D)
Jeff Flake (R)
Marc Victor (LBT)
U.S. House – Dist. 1
Ann Kirkpatrick (D)
Jonathan Paton (R)
Kim Allen (LBT)
U.S. House – Dist. 2
Ron Barber (D – Inc.)
Martha McSally (R)
U.S. House – Dist. 3
Raúl Grijalva (D – Inc.)
Gabriela Saucedo Mercer (R)
Blanca Arsenia Guerra (LBT)
U.S. House – Dist. 4
Johnnie Robinson (D)
Paul Gosar (R – Inc.)
Joseph Pamelia (LBT)
Richard Grayson (Amer. Elect)
U.S. House – Dist. 5
Spencer Morgan (D)
Matt Salmon (R)
U.S. House – Dist. 6
Matt Jette (D)
David Schweikert (R -Inc.)
Jack Anderson (LBT)
Mark Salazar (GRN)
U.S. House – Dist.7
Ed Pastor (D -Inc.)
Joe Cobb (LBT)
U.S. House – Dist.8
Gene Scharer (D)
Trent Franks (R – Inc.)
Stephen Dolgos (Amer. Elect)
U.S. House – Dist.9
Kyrsten Sinema (D)
Vernon Parker (R)
Powell Gammill (LBT)
