Unofficial Results - Tempe Elections, March 11, 2008

Results courtesy of the City of Tempe -

Early Votes, Total, %

Mayor Hugh Hallman 9371, 11622, 81.66
Write - in 529, 849, 5.96

Council race

Hut Hutson 4615, 5864, 41.20
D. Jacobson-Barnes 2294, 2947, 20.71
Julie Jakubek 4477, 5522, 38.80
Mark Mitchell 6295, 7927, 55.70
Joel Navarro 4507, 5901, 41.46
Rhett Wilson 2018, 2527, 17.76
Corey Woods 4810, 6360, 44.69

Because they were selected on more than 50% of the ballots cast, Hugh Hallman (mayor) and Mark Mitchell (city council) automatically win election.

Two council seats will appear on the ballot for the general election, so the next 4 candidates in terms of votes received in the primary will contest those seats - Corey Woods, Hut Hutson, Joel Navarro, and Julie Jakubek.

Other notes, based on the unofficial results -

Tempe had a voter turnout of 21%; almost 79% of those were early ballots. Wow! Expect the fall campaign season to feature a big push by both parties for early voters.

For those of you Arizonans who hate campaign-oriented junk mail and robocalls - return your early ballot as soon as you make your voting decisions - when you are listed as someone with an unreturned ballot, you will be inundated with campaign materials; once your ballot is returned, they will focus their resources (i.e. - mail and phone contacts) elsewhere.

Later!

In case you missed it...

...sort of like "Short Attention Span Musing" but covering stuff that happened this past weekend (aka - my workweek :) ) -


...OK, OK, I can appreciate that it's a scandal and all, and that Governor Spitzer (D-NY) should probably resign, but where's the fairness? Senator David Vitter still has his day job, doesn't he?

By now, everyone has heard about Eliot Spitzer of New York's patronage of a high-end prostitution ring, and how he was recorded on an FBI wiretap discussing and arranging an encounter.

Given Governor Spitzer's high profile and the salacious nature of the allegations, this was sure to be big news.

Given the fact that the news broke on a very slow news day (more people dying in places like Pakistan and Iraq? Yawwwnn...), the story was sure to be HUGE news, and justifiably so.

I've got to ask one question, however.

Lost in all of the calls for Spitzer's resignation and threats to impeach him (mostly from the GOP)is the ongoing silence regarding Sen. David Vitter's involvement with a D.C. madam.

U.S. Rep. Peter King weighed in on Spitzer's situation (courtesy the WaPo article linked about -

"He's compromised himself and the entire state," he said. "So there's no way that he can stay on. And I think it's only a matter of time before he resigns, and I would say the sooner the better for him and for the state."

He could have uttered *exactly* the same sentiments regarding Vitter, but he hasn't, and something tells me that in their glee over Spitzer's stepping on his zipper, the rest of the GOP won't either.


...In a sign that November of 2008 may be far worse for Congressional Republicans than November of 2006, Democrat Bill Foster defeated Republican Jim Oberweis in a special election held to fill former Speaker Dennis Hastert's seat. The seat was vacant after Hastert resigned late last year.

The district was solidly Republican - Hastert had held the seat for 21 years and Bush won the district in 2004 with 55% of the vote.

The area had been represented by a Republican since at least 1959.

Today, Foster was sworn it, and the 14th is now represented by a Democrat.

The force of the wave of change flowing over electoral politics that is washing Reps out of office all over the country may be mitigated here in Arizona by John McCain's presence at the top of the November ballot.

However, before AZ Republicans (specifically John Shadegg and downballot legislative candidates) start breathing a little easier, they might want to consider the fact that Democratic and Independent voters have been energized by both Senators Obama and Clinton in a way that hasn't been seen since the 1960s.

It's going to be an interesting fall, both nationally and here in Arizona.


...Is "diarrhea of the mouth" covered under the Congressional health plan?

From AP via Yahoo! News -

An Iowa Republican congressman on Monday defended his prediction that terrorists would celebrate if Democrat Barack Obama were elected president, despite a rebuke from aides to John McCain, the GOP's apparent presidential nominee.

"(Obama will) certainly be viewed as a savior for them," Rep. Steve King told The Associated Press. "That's why you will see them supporting him, encouraging him."

Apparently the Republicans are using "fear and smear" tactics in trying to keep the White House, as well as regain control of Congress.

To be fair to Congressman King, his medical condition is one of the "chronic" variety not the "sudden onset" variety, as illustrated by this post. At this point, it seems likely that he just can't help himself, kind of like an inveterate alcoholic.


In pop culture news...

...What's next? Are they going to elect Joe Montana to the Baseball Hall of Fame?

From CBSNews.com -

Madonna, pop music's quick-change artist, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Monday and paid tribute to people who encouraged her and even critics who panned her for helping drive her career.

I'm not trying to insult Madonna - she's a great entertainer and a talented and skilled businesswoman, but she's as much a "rock-and-roll great" as Joe Montana is a "baseball great."

She's not a rock and roll artist; she doesn't serve as an inspiration for rockers (Looking for inspiration? See "Blues, The.")

When

Just venting... :)


...Always knew that "looks" and "personality" weren't the only reasons that "Mary Ann" would inevitably win the great "Ginger or Mary Ann" debates - "cool" counts, too. :)

From AP -

DRIGGS, Idaho (AP) — Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," is serving six months' unsupervised probation after allegedly being caught with marijuana in her car.

Rumors that the initial plea offer from the prosecution included community service and a three hour tour could not be confirmed. :))

Later!

Hey Tempeans!

Vote today!

Unless, of course, you are one of the many who have already returned their early ballots. :)


For those of you who haven't voted already -

Sample ballot from the City of Tempe here;

Candidate info here;

Polling place locator, from the Maricopa County Recorder's Office here;

Voter ID requirements here.

Later...

Candidate update - Maricopa County Board of Supervisors

Lost in the hubbub of the campaigns for President...and Congress...and State Legislature...and County Sheriff...and County Attorney...and City Council...and even certain JP and Constable seats...have been the races for County Supervisor. That's unfortunate, because outside of certain statewide offices, county supervisors have the most practical political power in the state. They certainly have more day-to-day impact on folks than any member of Congress, even though those races get far more attention.

Traditionally (well, in recent years, anyway :) ), the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has almost exclusively been a playground for Republicans, except for Mary Rose Wilcox in District 5 (southwestern Maricopa County - it's not a perfect match with Congressman Ed Pastor's CD4, but it's close).

The county supervisors oversee an annual budget of $2.5 billion, but do so with very little oversight (little oversight *of* them or *by* them.) For instance, it's been years since the MCSO was subject to an independent audit, something that some of the members of the board have made noise about, especially in the weeks since the Great Honduras Junket...errr..."Training And Professional Exchange Program" came to light.

But they still haven't done anything to bring fiscal responsibility to the MCSO.

Their reason? It would take too much effort for them to do their jobs.

From the Phoenix New Times -

...Because the sheriff's $241 million budget is the biggest in the county, such an audit would undoubtedly require the entire 18-member audit staff working for months on end.

"It would take the board to come and tell us they wanted us to spend our resources onto such a big audit," says County Auditor Ross Tate. "They haven't done that."

Jim Bloom, chief of staff for Supervisor Andy Kunasek, echoed Tate. "If we were to audit the Sheriff in totality, it would take not only our entire audit staff, but a lot of his staff, too," he says. "It wouldn't make any sense. If we did an audit that big on his operations, in the meantime, we wouldn't be doing an audit on anyone else."

Change is coming, however.

This year, at least three of the supes face Democratic challengers and at least one faces a challenger in the Rep primary.

In District 1, the normally unopposed Fulton Brock is facing Ed Hermes, a former member of the state Board of Regents and current Vice-Chair of the LD17 Democrats. He has also worked for the Arizona Department of Agriculture and served in Governor Napolitano's Smart Growth Cabinet.

In District 2, Don Stapley faces lawyer Joel Sinclaire (D) of Scottsdale. No campaign website yet that I could find; research indicates that he is active in the Sierra Club.

In addition to facing a Democratic challenger in the general election, Stapley faces the prospect of a primary challenge. Cassandra Perkins (no website found), also of Scottsdale, has filed organizational paperwork. All I could find on her is that she is heavily involved in education.

That's not entirely a positive, however - she was President of the Governing Board of the Christopher Verde School District. That's the district that was formed as a tax dodge (i.e. - the school district without schools.) She moved to the Cave Creek Unified School District board when Verde was forced to merge with Cave Creek.

In District 3, Andy Kunasek is facing Marilyn Fox (no website yet), a legislative candidate in 2006 and current chair of the LD7 Democrats. Background on Kunasek and why he is unfit to be a county supervisor here and here.


Note: it's possible that I've missed a couple of candidates here. My research was through the Maricopa County Recorders Office website, and while that website has many strengths, it has a singularly *horrible* committee search function. You have to know all or part of a candidate's name.

I searched by vowel and tried to sort through every county registered committee.

There are a *lot* of JP, constable, and school board candidates this year. :)

Later!

Schapira named "Legislator of the Year" by American Cancer Society

...Courtesy an emailed press release -

The American Cancer Society has awarded David with its annual 'Arizona Legislator of the Year' honor for his "leadership, dedication and commitment to eliminating cancer as a major health problem through legislative initiatives."

David, a cancer survivor, sponsored legislation last session to mandate that all health insurance companies in Arizona cover crucial screenings for breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer. The bill was heard in the House Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and passed by a 5-4 vote. David’s bill was the first of its kind to pass in a committee vote.

This session, he sponsored two bills relating to cancer issues. One would require that insurance companies disclose their coverages of vital cancer screenings to the state. The other bill would have made it illegal for an adult to smoke in a vehicle with a child. Both bills were killed by the chairmen of the House committees to which they were assigned.

"My goal is to work myself out of a job when it comes to fighting cancer," David said after accepting the award. "I hope that my grandchildren or great-grandchildren will not know the word 'cancer' other than as a term in history books."

Congratulations to Rep. Schapira on the recognition of his efforts on behalf of cancer victims in his district and in the state.

Rep. Schapira's campaign website is here.

The ACS Arizona Action Center website is here.

Later!

Pot, Meet Kettle

What are they going to do in the general? Refer to John McCain as "the boogeyman"??


Generally, I write this type of post calling out some Republicans on their more hypocritical mutterings; it pains me to now have to write it about a Democratic campaign.

Earlier today, Samantha Power, an unpaid foreign policy advisor to the Obama campaign, resigned from her position because of the uproar over a comment that she made.

She referred to Hillary Clinton as a 'monster' in this interview published in a Scottish newspaper.

The comment that caused the furor -

"We f***** up in Ohio," she admitted. "In Ohio, they are obsessed and Hillary is going to town on it, because she knows Ohio's the only place they can win.

"She is a monster, too – that is off the record – she is stooping to anything," Ms Power said, hastily trying to withdraw her remark.

There's no question that the comment *was* inappropriate, and the resignation an appropriate punishment/corrective action.

However, the Clinton spokesman leading the attack on Obama for Powers' comment, Howard Wolfson, had earlier in the week equated Senator Obama to former independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr.

Starr was the partisan witch-hunter/attack dog that the Republicans set on the Clintons during the 1990s. In short, he truly *was* a monster, rampaging across the fields of democracy, intent on only achieving his goal of smearing the Clintons without regard to the relevance or even truthfulness of his accusations.

Senator Clinton's response was to rationalize, not apologize.

From the Washington Post -

Asked to compare Power's calling her a monster with her adviser saying Obama was acting like Ken Starr, Clinton said "One is an ad hominem attack and one is a historical reference."

To both campaigns - the Republican campaign is over, and all attention will be on you. *Nothing* is going to slip by unnoticed, especially if you are going to call out your opponent over every single word uttered by a minor staffer.

Expect to be held to the same standard.

Even greatness comes to an end

And this Sunday, the best television show of its generation, and perhaps *ever,* comes to an end.

After five seasons, HBO will broadcast the final original episode of "The Wire."

For fans of police procedurals, it doesn't get more realistic than The Wire; for fans of stellar acting and nuanced and riveting writing it doesn't get better than The Wire.

It's not an *easy* show to watch.

It's not the show for people who can't see shades of gray - the "good guys" are nowhere near saintly, and the "bad guys" are nowhere near purely evil. '24' fans need not apply.

It can be harshly stark in its depiction of life in Baltimore (serving as a proxy for modern urban America), and it always requires its audience to be actively and intelligently engaged (fans of 'Deal or No Deal' and 'Don't Forget The Lyrics' would have seizures if they watched The Wire), but it's worth the effort.

If you subscribe to HBO, watch the show.

Better yet, get the DVD box sets and watch the show from the beginning.

They're worth the price.

Trust me. :)


Many epic novels have been made into movies or TV series (to mixed success), but this is the one show that would make a great epic novel.


Blog posts/articles on this topic from ADemLament, David Sirota, and In These Times.

Later!

CD5 field thins - Hatch-Miller out

One of the Republicans trying to become Harry Mitchell's challenger has dropped out of the race for the nomination in CD5.

From the EV Tribune (actually Paul Giblin's blog at the Trib) -

Arizona Corporation Commission member Jeff Hatch-Miller is dropping out of the crowded Republican primary race for the GOP nomination in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District.

Hatch-Miller told the Tribune he expects to issue a formal statement late today or Friday.

He made the decision after losing two key campaign staff members just as he was preparing to ramp up the campaign. His campaign coordinator died unexpectedly Friday, a day after his speech writer told him she had to cut back her work because of other commitments.

Expect at least one or two more of the erstwhile Republican challengers to drop out before the primary. Even with Hatch-Miller's withdrawal, there are five Reps in the race (counting the 'exploring' Susan Bitter Smith), and some will find that there isn't enough support to go around.

Business as usual at the Arizona legislature...

...With the emphasis on 'business'.

In the conflicts and controversies surrounding the state's budget deficit and the harsh nativist measures proposed by Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) and his fellow travelers, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that even the so-called "moderate" Republicans in the lege don't care about their constituents, just their campaign contributors.

From AZCentral.com -

Arizona businesses are pushing state legislators to alter workers' compensation laws in ways they say will save them money.

One measure set for House debate would allow the Industrial Commission to reduce an injured employee's benefits if he or she were fired for misconduct. Rep. Michele Reagan, R-Scottsdale, said this is designed to prevent what she said are abuses of the system by some workers.

The article goes on to describe some of the more regressive measures in the bills, HB2828 and HB2829. They would...

...allow companies to compel workers' physicians to disclose their patients' private medical info;

...allow an employer to decrease an injured worker's benefits if it can find a lower-paying job for that injured worker to do (they would get to pay benefits based on the lower paying job, not the job the worker was doing when he/she was injured);

...greatly broaden the definitions of "misconduct" or other reasons that employers can terminate employment and employees' benefits.

In short, there's nothing in the bills that even hints of concern for the average Arizonan or of simple fairness. The bills are strictly brazen gifts to business interests, especially the insurance industry.


Is it any great surprise that the campaign finance reports of the two people that the article cites as pushing these measures (McComish and Reagan) show that they've each received thousands of dollars from industry PACs or that their lists of individual contributors read like "who's who" lists of lobbyists, lawyers, and CEOs, especially for those in the insurance industry? And that's just in their current reports?


Interestingly enough, McComish *did* propose one bill modifying workers' comp in a way that seems to favor workers, HB2835. The provisions of the bill would make heart disease and certain other related cardiovascular issues covered under workers' comp.

Of course, other provisions in the bill would apply the changes only to firefighters/EMTs, and then only to those working for the "state or any political subdivision of this state".

FF/EMTs who work for Rural/Metro or private ambulance services?

They're screwed - they work for private employers.


In the interests of openness, I should note here that the bill that actually helps Arizona's workers (or at least a miniscule percentage of them) isn't going anywhere - it hasn't even been assigned to a committee, much less heard in committee. Generally speaking, if that hasn't happened by the end of February, a bill is dead.


The Arizona AFL-CIO's February 25, 2008 Legislative Update is here; an evaluation of HB2829 is halfway down the page.

Later!

Vermont earns its "Smartest State" ranking

From AP via ABC News -

Vt. Towns Approve Bush 'Indictment'

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. Mar 4, 2008 (AP)

Voters in two Vermont towns approved measures Tuesday calling for the indictment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for what they consider violations of the Constitution.

More symbolic than anything, the items sought to have police arrest Bush and Cheney if they ever visit Brattleboro or nearby Marlboro or to extradite them for prosecution elsewhere — if they're not impeached first.

The measures had solid support - 53% in Brattleboro and 63% in the much smaller Marlboro.

The measures are almost purely symbolic - Bush and Cheney have yet to visit Vermont during their terms of office.

Still, it's a nice gesture, and one that is another piece of evidence that supports the conclusion of this 2006 report that found that Vermont is the smartest state.

And that was *before* they elected Bernie Sanders to the U.S. Senate.

(Of course, another major piece of evidence that supports the conclusions of the report is the fact that it ranked Arizona as the 50th smartest. :) )

Legislative candidate update

After reading this post at SeeingRedAZ about how Congressman Jeff Flake's brother-in-law has filed to challenge Russell Pearce in the LD18 Senate primary, I realized that it's high time to check for active candidate committees. All info courtesy the Arizona Secretary of State's website. I cross-checked the names at the Clean Elections website, but there were no names on the CCEC list of candidates that weren't also on the AZSOS's site.

(* = incumbent)


LD17 Senator (Tempe, South Scottsdale) -

Democrats - Meg Burton-Cahill*

Republicans - None yet


LD17 Representative -

Democrats - David Schapira*, Ed Ableser*

Republicans - Wesley Waddle, Mark Thompson (exploratory)

...This district is almost certain to have the hardest-fought general election. While the voter reg trends in the district favor Democrats (whoooo hoooo!), it's still almost evenly split in this district. I have heard of a couple of other possible Rep contenders, but they haven't announced yet, and since I'm not a Rep, I don't exactly have stellar sources among them in order to confirm/refute the rumors. :)



LD18 Representative (West Mesa) -

Democrats - Tammie Pursley

Republicans - Cecil Ash, Joe Dobbins, Steve Court, Kanani Henderson, Ron Middlebrook


LD18 Senator -

Democrats - Judah Nativio

Republicans - Russell Pearce, Kevin Gibbons

...Hmmmm....Both of LD18's Republican primaries look to be dogfights - 5 candidates running for two spots in the race for state rep, and Jeff Flake's brother-in-law running against Russell Pearce in an apparent bit of payback for Pearce's abortive primary challenge of Flake for the CD6 seat. There are no incumbents running in LD18 because Russell Pearce is term-limited out of the House, Karen Johnson has stepped aside to allow Pearce to run for the Senate seat that she currently holds, and current state representative Mark Anderson is running for the Republican nomination to challenge Harry Mitchell in CD5.



LD8 Senate (North Scottsdale, Fountain Hills) -

Republicans - Carolyn Allen*

Democrats - None yet


LD8 Representative -

Republicans - Michelle Reagan*, John Kavanagh*

Democrats - None yet


...Expect Democratic candidates to step forward in LD8; I know of a couple of folks who are mulling over a run, but have yet to announce. Anybody who is interested in running should contact the LD8 Dems at (480) 596-8350.


Later!

LD17 legislators in the news

State Senator Meg Burton-Cahill -

...Sen. Burton-Cahill attended a forum in Tempe regarding health concerns at Corona del Sol High School. From the AZ Republic -

A forum organized to ease the minds of the Corona del Sol High School community turned to outrage as teachers, parents and students stood one after another to describe tumors, cancers, asthma attacks and other diseases plaguing their bodies since coming to the school.

The Tempe Union High School District had hoped to quell fears and rumors about an aging ventilation system partly to blame, according to a 2006 health study, for causing mold, raising carbon dioxide levels and spurring health complaints from staff.

{snip}

"This is not a taxpayer problem. This is a Legislature (problem). Where is . . . District 17 and 20 representatives," [Resident A.J.] Lafaro asked.

District 17 representative Meg Burton Cahill was the only one to announce her presence.

"We don't have the numbers (of votes)," she said. "We need (legislators) who do more than say they support schools. We need (legislators) who say they support funding schools."

...Burton-Cahill was mentioned in an ASU Web Devil article about her bill to regulate tattoo parlors, SB1321. No quotes, though.

...She was also mentioned in an AZ Rep article about the lege's consideration of Sen. Jack Harper's bill to block local ordinances restricting the activities of sign walkers, SB1076.

From the article -

A state senator wants to prevent local governments from stopping someone like Jim Torgeson from twirling a sign to promote a business.

Torgeson, owner of Jet Media Promotions, spoke on Monday in favor of a bill that would restrict a city or town's right to regulate so-called "sign-walkers."

Promoters say it's about free speech and earning a living. Those voting against it said municipalities should have local control.

"We make the public policies for the state," said Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, who sponsored Senate Bill 1076.

{snip}

Sen. Meg Burton Cahill, D-Tempe, said Harper's bill interferes with local control.

"I do not think that we should mandate cities and towns at the municipal level about commercial advertising," she said.

Burton Cahill, who voted against the bill, said that Torgeson's primary interest is financial and not based on freedom of speech.

...She was also in articles about a measure to stop state investment in Sudan because of the Darfur genocide (AZ Capitol Times) and another article about the move to regulate tattoo parlors (Glendale Star). Both of those sites require a premium login to view their content.


State Representative Ed Ableser -

...Ableser has been receiving a lot of coverage of his bill to require hybrid vehicles to make more noise, for the safety of blind pedestrians.

From the AZ Daily Star -

...[O]ne state lawmaker, alarmed that hybrid cars are getting too quiet, is seeking to actually make them noisier.

The concern is centered on the danger quiet hybrids could pose to the blind — with their technology so good at muting sound that they have become unnoticeable to the ear.

"Hybrid cars are amazing, and I think one of the unintended consequences of this new technology is that it is so effective in reducing noise on the streets, the fear is that our blind citizens are in danger crossing the road," says state Rep. Ed Ableser, D-Tempe, who is pushing a bill in the Legislature to require hybrids to make more noise. "If you drive a hybrid, you're not going to want someone who is listening to cars stepping out into the road in front of your hybrid."

...He was featured in an ASU Web Devil article about Tempe's Fifth Annual Regional Unity Walk.

From the article -

Rep. Ed Ableser of Tempe, an ASU public administration and justice studies doctoral student, walked Saturday for the fifth time.

"Keeping [the walk] in Tempe is so much more effective," he said. Ableser said Tempe is one of the most diverse cities in Arizona, adding that more than 80 languages are spoken here.

"Where better to have a walk [focused on] diversity and acceptance and multiculturalism?" he said.

...From a Tucson Citzen article about legislative proposals to assist deployed troops -

Rep. Ed Ableser, D-Tempe, introduced HB 2519, which would require health spas and clubs to allow suspension or cancellation of membership for the duration of a service member's deployment. The bill, which Paton also is sponsoring, is moving toward a vote by the full House.

Ableser said he wrote the bill after a former House page serving in Iraq with the Air Force accrued two years of health spa fees while away.

...From an ASU Web Devil article about a bill [HB2230] that would require textbook publishers to disclose information about prices, editions, and copyrights -

Ableser, an ASU instructor, told the committee he voted for the amendment to move the bill forward, but said he remained concerned.

"We would be faulty to assume that [students] have much choice in the bookstore," he said. "They're held hostage in what they have to buy."

The amendment that Ableser expressed concerns with weakened the bill, changing the bill to call on publishers to reveal that info only on written request.

Note: The Web Devil piece cited the relevant bill as HB2736 in error. That bill references early graduation scholarships.


State Representative David Schapira -

...Schapira was quoted a number of times in this Yuma Sun article regarding HB2713, a bill that purports to protect students' rights to express their religious viewpoints. The wording of the bill actually protects, among other things, a student's ability to answer scientific questions with religious answers.

It's an interesting article; I suggest reading it in its entirety.

...The Wickenburg Sun ran a piece about HB2008, Schapira's bill renewing alternative graduation requirements for students who don't pass the AIMS test, but meet a list of other requirements.

From the article -

“This is an urgent issue. As a high school teacher, I met countless students who proved themselves proficient in course work, but had difficulty performing on high-stakes tests. Many of these students are college-bound,” Rep. Schapira said. “If the legislature fails to approve this bill, thousands of students will not graduate. By depriving a hard-working student of a high school diploma, we are putting their future and quality of life in jeopardy.”

Note: the previous alternative standard expired last month.

...Schapira was featured in an AZ Daily Star article about committee passage of HB2557, a bill that would bar local school districts from dropping elective courses such as PE, Art, and Music without permission of the Arizona Department of Education.

From the article -

Rep. David Schapira, D-Tempe, said the ability to drop programs with permission of the state Board of Education ensures that no district will be unnecessarily burdened.

I won't do this sort of post regularly, but I do expect to do a few more before the end of the legislative session.

Later!

When are the Bushies going to learn?

The coverup is *always* worse than the crime.

From AP via GovExec.com -

Agriculture orders auditors to stop questioning employees

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Agriculture Department abruptly ordered congressional auditors to leave its headquarters and told its employees not to cooperate with them.

"You are hereby instructed not to meet with any member of the (Government Accountability Office) today, or until this matter is resolved," Michael Watts, a top USDA attorney, wrote to employees Wednesday in an e-mail obtained by The Associated Press.

The auditors were seeking information for an ongoing audit on Agriculture's office of civil rights and its handling of discrimination complaints. Specifically, they were investigating allegations that the department had previously provided false information for the audit.

All this does, this stonewalling of Congressional investigators (the GAO is the investigative arm of Congress), is to attract more investigative attention.

Lesson for the Bushies - there isn't a surer way to tell investigators that you have something to hide than to act like you're hiding something...


Background on Ag Department discrimination complaints -

GovExec.com article from 1997 detailing some of the history of Ag Department discrimination here

OxFam America press release backgrounder/press release here

NY Times article on the settlement of a lawsuit in 1999 here

NPR report on discrimination against Native American farmers (and a lawsuit) here

Another lawsuit filed (AP via Santa Fe New Mexican)

Fear and Smear: The Republican Campaign To Regain Control Of Congress Has Begun

By now, we've all seen the ads targeting Harry Mitchell as well as Gabrielle Giffords and other freshman Dems in the House.

You know, the spots that open with ominous music then slickly warns folks that the law that allows the U.S. government to eavesdrop on terrorists has expired because the House didn't vote on and approve the Senate-passed expansion of the FISA act. It then goes on to recommend that viewers to call their Congressional representative and urge them to pass that Senate-approved bill.

It very effectively plays on viewers' fears.

However, as FactCheck.org documents here, the spot is more than a little light on facts and heavy on misinformation and outright lies.

The biggest lie is also one of the first ones in the piece - FISA, the law that allows for surveillance of foreign terror suspects has *not* expired; only the temporary expansion that was passed last summer has.

Another lie, or at least a misstatement of the truth, is that this is all the House's fault. In fact, the House passed a long-term expansion and update of FISA in November. The Senate is the group that waited until the last minute to pass an amended version.

One that needed to go to conference to resolve the differences. One of those differences is that the Senate version includes retroactive immunity for telecoms while the House version does not include it - and the White House desperately wants it. In fact, they are so desperate that Bush has pledged to veto any bill that does *not* include a retroactive immunity provision.

The spots were created by an extreme right-wing front group named Defense of Democracies. That group is an offshoot of another far-right group, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). The FDD is headed by a former spokesman for the RNC (Clifford May) with directors that include former GOP candidates for president (Steve Forbes, Jack Kemp.)

On its website, the group professes to be "non-partisan" but the spots only target Democrats.

One of those targets, CD5's Harry Mitchell, has weighed in on the topic of the spots and the FISA expansion issue itself in a campaign email -

Dear Friend,

Old Washington politics and special interests are back at it again. And, they are willing to do anything - lie, cheat or steal - to beat me this fall.

You've probably seen the ads on TV, deceptive and sickening ads. I am one of 15 Representatives in the country they are spending millions of dollars on to spread this filth.

I can take a lot of criticism. As an elected official and a leader, I expect it.

But I won't stand by and let someone attack my patriotism. It's my love of this country that compelled me to teach government for so many years and eventually run for office.

I believe in service. I believe in America. And I refuse to be anyone's rubber stamp.

If we are going to infringe on privacy rights because we believe there is a necessary security issue, then we must carefully consider and debate the issue.

This extremist fear machine, funded by some of the most radical elements of the far right, would have you believe that my rational position helps Bin Laden. That's just disgusting.

Let's be clear. These ridiculous accusations are not about a policy or even how I may vote.

This is scaring the American public for one reason - to stop positive changes from happening in Washington, DC.

Enough is enough.

Help out Harry or Gabby - they're going to face tough, nasty, and just plain dirty tactics this year as the Republicans desperately try to retake control of Congress.

As an aside, many Republicans have said that telecoms that allow or facilitate the wiretaps do so out of patriotism.

What they don't say is that corporate patriotism only lasts as long as the bills are paid, as this article (AP via MSNBC) indicates -

Telephone companies have cut off FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals because of the bureau's repeated failures to pay phone bills on time.

{snip}

In at least one case, a wiretap used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act investigation "was halted due to untimely payment," the audit found.

The DOJ audit is here.

CrooksandLiars.com's take on the spots here; SourceWatch's wiki on the Foundation here.

So maybe the AZ Republicans in Congress really do represent their constituents' attitudes toward children

I know that many people will try to call this an isolated occurrence, but it really does highlight the attitude of too many people here in AZ...

From the Arizona Republic -

Parents alerted about armed HOA guards

There is nothing that prevents Avondale homeowner's associations from hiring armed guards, the Police Department says.

The issue came up this month when Collier Elementary School Principal Pat Bentley sent a letter home to parents, alerting them that the Coldwater Springs homeowners association has armed security guards. He described their presence and focus on students as "a major issue."

In the letter, Bentley said the guards carry guns, look for people damaging public property and that the Coldwater Springs president and security director had blamed Collier Elementary students for the damage.

Yup - I'm definitely not in small town Massachusetts anymore. In the neighborhood that I grew up in, there weren't any sidewalks, so we were *encouraged* to walk across our neighbors' yards for safety's sake.

Not threatened with armed rent-a-cops.

It seems that here in AZ, the attitude is "Safety be damned! We want walls and guns to deal the hordes of marauding six-year olds and their backpacks full of books and other dangerous stuff!"

On the other hand, if state Sen. Karen Johnson and state Rep. Russell Pearce get their way with their "guns in schools" bill, those security guards might be in for a bit of a surprise the next time they try to intimidate a bunch of kids on their way home from school. :))