By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings
When reports surfaced that he stormed into a school in Yuma, scaring a teacher and a classroom full of students, State Sen. Don Shooter (R-Yuma) chose to remain silent, declining to comment when reporters contacted him.
He changed his mind on Friday.
From the Arizona Capitol Times, written by Ben Giles –
A visibly upset Sen. Don Shooter entered a classroom against a school official’s will and verbally confronted a teacher during class, frightening the students and the teacher, Yuma police reported.
The teacher is pursuing an assault charge against the senator, according to the police report.
Shooter initially declined to comment. This morning, he issued a statement saying: “Don Shooter, as a concerned grandfather, went to his grandson’s school to discuss several incidents of alleged bullying by a teacher. Mr. Shooter has since spoken to the principal and both parties are working to help his grandson.”
That's niiiiiice.
Here it is, March of 2013, and there's a grandfather who is willing to go to any length, face any foe, no matter how young or how frightened, to protect his (allegedly) bullied grandson.
Of course, in March of 2012, that grandfather was nowhere to be found when SB1462 came to a vote.
[cue up the irony]
That bill was designed to address bullying in schools.
[end irony]
Apparently, Shooter's grandson wasn't an issue in 2012; Shooter voted against the measure.
Now, Arizona's Republicans shouldn't fret – this incident, no matter how it plays out, shouldn't affect Shooter's work in the state senate. He probably won't lose his committee chairmanship.
After all, he's the chair of the Senate "Appropriations" Committee, not the Senate "Appropriate Behavior" Committee.
Note1: If such a committee actually existed, they'd have to dig deep to find enough Rs to serve on the committee.
Note2: In 2012, SB1462 passed the Arizona Senate, only to be publicly, and painfully, killed by lobbyist/unelected but de facto legislator Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Theocracy Policy.
Who has been busy this year, too.