Idiocy sqared

by David Safier

Question: which is harder to define, obscenity or political speech? It's a tough one. Both are in the eyes and ears of the beholder. But if I had to make a choice, I'd say political speech is the slipperier of the two.

If Lori Klein's two bills become law, both obscenity — whatever that is — and political speech, or, as it's referred to in the bill, "partisan instruction" — whatever that is — will be banned from Arizona classrooms.

I wrote about Klein's anti-obscenity/indecency/profanity bill a few days ago, and it's made the Rachel Maddow show since then. The "partisan instruction" bill, SB1202, is a new one.

A teacher's certificate will be revoked, the bill says, if he/she "uses partisan books, promotes any partisan doctrine or conducts any unipartisan exercises in school." There's more, but that's enough.

And if an administrator knows, or should know, a teacher is guilty of promoting partisan doctrine, the adminstrator will have his/her certificate revoked.

And if a school, school district or charter school knows of an infraction and doesn't act within 60 days, 10% of its monthly apportionment will be withheld.

Are you scared yet? Believe me, if you're a teacher or an adminstrator, you're nearly wetting your pants at the thought of this bill becoming law.

Imagine members of our legislature or Ed Supe John Huppenthal having the final say on what is "partisan instruction." The mind boggles, and the body trembles.

According to the Capitol Times (subscription required), a Tucson group, TU4SD — Tucsonans United for Sound Districts — helped draft the bill. The group's head, Lori Hunnicutt, hates MAS with a vengeance, and the bill is intended to stop the ex-MAS teachers from continuing to teach as they were before. A Howie Fischer article mentions Gabriela Saucedo Mercer, a Republican who is running against Grijalva for his House seat, as being deeply involved as well.

It's hard to imagine either of the bills making it through both House and Senate [he said hopefully and, perhaps, naively] or being signed by Brewer if they do. If they somehow become law, I don't see how they would pass the laugh test if they were challenged in a court of law.

Didn't Republicans say awhile back, all they cared about was Jobs, Jobs, Jobs? It looks to me like all they care about is hobbling Tucson and siccing the Thought Police on our schools.