A delegation in Tucson this weekend from Cal State Northridge, home of banned book author Rudy Acuña, has come to support the Chicano Studies program in Tucson.

Professor Rudy Acuña still active in fighting for justice in America.

With them they brought a box of banned books, free for the students.

After last night’s talk, which ended sometime after 9pm, a group of MAS students swarmed the box as if it was Christmas time with the American flag as the tree.

It was a really beautiful sight, so I got out my cellphone to record their reactions.

They were like starving kids that were craving the food of knowledge that TUSD is now depriving them of; an aid shipment from our neighbors to the west breaking through our book banning blockade.

Thank you CSUN for the gift!

By Pocho.com

Did you know that when TUSD boxed up the books, in front of the students, and told teachers they could not teach out of these banned books anymore, and they would be monitored to ensure this, that the boxes were had the label “banned books” on the side?

Isabel Garcia lets the TUSD school board have it at their February meeting.

Video above.

Jan Brewer

Jan Brewer loves to complain, but now that she has been invited to discuss the nation’s broken immigration system in front of the US Congress, she is declining.

Brewer’s spokesman blamed congressional inaction for the necessity of the Arizona law.

“As you frequently ask the President to visit the southern border to discuss border security, we expect that you will be eager to engage in a productive dialogue with the Congressional Committee responsible for acting upon any border security recommendations you provide,” [Charles Schumer] wrote.

via Ariz. governor won’t appear in hearing on immigration law – The Hill

It’s easier to wag your finger than to try to solve the problem in conjunction with the feds; then again, Brewer was probably afraid of another brainfreeze moment.

The Cherrybell post office that is open the latest in Tucson and the one that is open until midnight on April 15th, collecting your tax reforms until literally the last minute. Tucson will no longer have this facility.

While many people have moved to online payments for bills, keep in mind the others that do not have computers or internet, and even if they did they don’t have the credit/debit cards to make the online purchases/payments. And without bank accounts and direct deposit, it is the poorer people of Tucson that still rely on checks for things such as Social Security or tax refunds.

Tucson city councilmember Regina Romero expresses vehement objection to the closing of Tucson’s mail processing facility at the Cherrybell Station.

As a member of the Tucson City Council and elected representative of the residents of Tucson, I must vehemently object to the announced closure of the United States Postal Service (USPS) Cherrybell Station.

Tucson is a city of nearly 500,000 residents, and part of a greater metropolitan area of nearly one million, with Southern Arizona residents in communities spanning hundreds of miles across the state being severely affected by these dramatic service cuts.  A metropolitan area of our size and scope deserves the services appropriate for a community of our population, and the removal of the Cherrybell distribution station would demonstrate an absolute disservice to the taxpayers in our region.

Allowing this station to close means the loss of employment for over 300 workers that earn a living wage for their families and contribute to the vitality of our local economy.  Businesses will suffer delayed deliveries and services, and affects to our local elections conducted by mail as well as equity and access issues presented by the loss of service to Native American tribal lands in our region have yet to be formally assessed by the USPS.

With pending legislation moving through Congress and a number of questions yet to be addressed and analyzed, I must adamantly oppose this move by the USPS.  I encourage all Tucson and Southern Arizona residents to contact their Senators and Congressional Representatives to speak out in opposition to this premature and ill-considered action.

Tucson councilmember Richard Fimbres is also outraged at the closing of Tucson’s mail processing plant.

Since the United States Postal Service announced the closure of the mail processing plant in Tucson, several local leaders have spoken out against the decision.

Tucson City Councilmember Richard Fimbres, whose office started an online petition against the closure, released the following statement:

“This was expected since they way the U.S. Postal Service scheduled the meeting during the Christmas Holidays, limiting the time of the meeting, making people pay for parking, cutting off public comment at the meeting, as well as asking for only written comment for two weeks afterward,” Councilmember Richard Fimbres said. “Despite this, more than 600 people attended and more than 1,200 people wrote in. This showed that Tucson and Southern Arizona are opposed to the closure.

via KVOA-4.

From KPHO (Phoenix CBS), Nurse says she was fired for educating patient

PHOENIX (CBS5) – Inside Banner Del Webb Hospital in Sun City West, nurses are constantly tending to sick patients.

That’s what Amanda Trujillo said she was doing last April when she spoke with a patient on the eve of their surgery.

“I discovered that they had a very big misunderstanding about what they were about to participate in,” Trujillo told CBS 5 News.

Trujillo, a licensed nurse in Arizona since 2006, said she advised the patient of possible complications.

The patient decided to delay the surgery and reconsider his or her options.

Trujillo said she also ordered a case management consult for the patient to be educated about hospice care.

“The doctor, ultimately, is the focal point that directs care for patients,” said Banner spokesman Bill Byron, who said company policy prevents nurses from ordering a case management consult.

“This is what we go to school to do. We are licensed to teach our patients, we are licensed to advocate,” said Trujillo.

Right after that conversation, Trujillo said she was let go and a complaint was filed against her with the Arizona Board of Nursing.

Now, Trujillo said she is fighting to clear her name – not just for herself, but so other nurses aren’t afraid to do their jobs.

“What this hospital is doing is establishing a culture of fear, and what the board is doing by supporting that is they’re setting that example that the education of a nurse is not valued,” said Trujillo.

The Arizona Board of Nursing said they will discuss Trujillo’s case at their next meeting in March.

From In the Footsteps of Rosa Parks.

Rosa Parks made history when she refused to move to the back of the bus and she was persecuted for her actions. She wasn’t trying to start a movement when she refused to move. She said that she was tired and just trying to get home. Amanda Trujillo wasn’t trying to start a movement either.

Amanda Trujillo

Now Amanda is being persecuted for her actions. A lot of people have asked me why the Amanda Trujillo case resonates with nurses. It’s because nurses are tired of being treated like second class citizens.

Nurses have few rights and little protection in the workplace. We are abused and bullied by nurse executives who cherish corporate profits.

Frankly, we’re tired of being told to go to the back of the healthcare bus. And God help the nurse who says no, they aren’t moving. He or she is ridiculed, fired, dragged before the state board of nursing and threatened with the loss of their nursing license.

Now, with the support of others, Amanda is fighting back. She isn’t doing this for herself, she is fighting for our patients and the nursing profession. Great changes begin with one person.

Rosa Parks said that you must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right. Amanda is doing the right thing and she will win, and by doing so, we will all win in the end.

Please visit Nurse Up! to learn more about the Amanda Trujillo case.

Links to more about the Amanda Trujillo case are below:

The most up-to-date list of links on the Trujillo case can be found at NurseUp!

What if halfway through a course, the UA suddenly forbade Mark Stegeman from continuing his lessons that he has taught for years?

What if the state of Arizona passed a bill saying that since it was economists that created these dangerous derivatives and other financial instruments of economic destruction but that made extreme wealth for the 1%, that since this field and these teachers of this field almost destroyed America, any further teaching of their theories from their authors and from their books is banned?

It doesn’t matter if this is true or false, it’s state law now!

What if they were in the middle of a book, and the UA said that monitors would be sent in to check on him to make sure he never teaches from that book again, nor any other books in a list of banned books?

What if the UA made it known that Stegeman could be reprimanded or fired if he does teach from these books?

What if there was an uproar against this type of censorship and book banning, and in response the UA said that they haven’t “banned” the books, that there are one or two books available in the library to satisfy all Mark Stegeman’s students in the lecture hall?

Would Mark Stegeman and the Eller College complain, or start teaching from the government approved list without a peep, never once complaining about academic freedom? What if the government demanded real-life proof of pure capitalism working without any government interference, without any bailouts, without any defense contracts, pure privatization of everything?

Not abstract mathematical models that assume infinite-resources and infinite-money that grows exponentially into infinity, but real-life capitalism.

What if Mark Stegeman was treated by the UA as Mark Stegeman treats Mexican American Studies?

Who is Jon Hulburd?

A supporter of SB1070 who also opposes the DREAM Act!

What's the difference?

As for Hulburd’s support of SB 1070, and his opposition to the DREAM Act, his campaign spokesman, Josh Abner, tells New Times:

“Jon supports SB 1070 because it finally woke up the federal government to act on improving the situation with our nation’s southern border. Jon is not willing to consider any piece of comprehensive immigration reform [like the DREAM act] until the nation first acts to bring operational control of the border.”

Hulburd’s ad says, “Anyone can recite the correct talking points, but that doesn’t mean they have the maturity and life experience required to represent me and my family in Congress.”

Similarly, anyone can put a (D) next to their name in a Congressional race, but that doesn’t mean he’s a real Democrat.

I was excited when David Schapira entered the race against anti-immigrant bill author and Russell Pearce-loving Kyrsten Sinema, but now there’s another Democrat in the race.

If Schapira is going to sell-out to the pro-SB1070 and anti-DREAM Act wing of the Democratic party then it will be hard for Latinos to support him.

I will also have to reconsider my support.

We may not be “Platinum” supporter, but us Bronze and Copper-toned ones add up to a lot of votes.

The video above by Citizens for a Better Arizona tackles the question of Arpaio being “tough.”

Sheriff Arpaio would have you believe that making a bunch of buff brown guys wear pink underwear is tough.

Sheriffs Paul and Joe. Image: Robert Haasch.

Muy macho!

While Arpaio and his supporters love all the tents that get pitched in Tent City, there are crimes against children that go ignored by “Arizona’s Toughest Sheriff,” a favorite guest on Fox News but who is slowly coming in behind to the rising Paul Babeu who can be just as stiff on Mexicans entering his backyard.

As Arizona’s economy continues to crumble, all of the violations by Arpaio’s office add up, and so far he has been bailed out to the tune of over $50,000,000 by taxpayers. That’s your money.

How is it tough on crime to ignore child abusers and to keep getting fined millions of dollars?

What part of illegal is illegal does Sheriff Arpaio not understand?

I’m an exact example of the FACT that racyism [sic], as much as you want to say is about your color, it is not now. It’s about the level of your education.

- Dr. Lupita Garcia, who John Pedicone chose to supervise the Mexican American Studies program against the Latino community’s objection to putting an anti-MAS person in charge of MAS.

Dr. Lupita Garcia, it is under her supervision that MAS classes have ended.

Dr. Lupita Garcia subscribes to the same school of thought that Tom Horne does, that racism doesn’t exist, that we live in some magically color-blind world, and as long as you study and get educated, discrimination is a thing of the past for you.

Racism is not about color, it’s about how many college degrees you have?

Contrast this pendejada to what the Special Master that has been appointed to fix TUSD’s racism problem has to say:

School leaders must be aware of what McKenzi and Scheurich (2003) call “equity traps.” Equity traps include the desire among educators to believe that discrimination is a thing of the past and the related belief that interactions with and among students should be color-blind. Such beliefs undermine educators’ abilities to diagnose existing and potential sources of student misbehavior, disengagement, and underperformance.

- Professor Willis Hawley aka “Special Master” for TUSD.

Paul Babeu sues Catholic priest for sexual abuse.

Former Berkshire County Commissioner, Paul Babeu, is suing a former priest, accusing him of sexual abuse.

The suit was recently filed by Babeu who now lives in Arizona. It is the eleventh lawsuit filed this year against the Rev. Richard Lavigne.

Springfield Diocese Bishop Thomas Dupre has begun proceedings to defrock Lavigne, who recently completed a ten-year probation sentence.

from December 18, 2002.

How did that lawsuit turn out?

SPRINGFIELD – Former Berkshire County Commissioner Paul R. Babeu has reached a settlement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, Vt., in a lawsuit stating that he was abused by a Montague native who was serving as a Vermont priest at the time of the alleged incident.

In exchange for Babeu agreeing to drop his suit against the diocese, the Vermont church has agreed to pay “a low amount” of money to Babeu, according to his lawyer Thomas C. Bixby, a member of the Brattleboro, Vt., law firm McCarty Law Offices.

Babeu, 34, who works as a police officer in Chandler, Ariz., said his suit was never about the money.

“Nothing can truly erase the harm done by the sexual abuse. I feel the settlement is an acknowledgment of their responsibility in what happened to me,” Babeu said yesterday.

Babeu said that at age 15 he was transported by Springfield diocesan priest the Rev. Richard R. Lavigne to northern Vermont where he was left overnight with the Rev. George Paulin, who sexually abused him.

“When Lavigne dropped me off, and I fought off his advances, he said, ‘Apparently Father Lavigne hasn’t broken you in,’” Babeu said.

from October 16, 2003.

Speaking out about this event within the last year:

“I was a victim of sexual assault when I was a young boy, actually by a priest back in Massachusetts,” Babeu told the website. “That was something that had a dramatic impact on me and my life.”

Babeu said the abuse began at age 11 and continued for several years. He reported the abuse, which altered his views of people in positions of power.

from March 3rd, 2011.

Agreed. People in positions of power, especially in Arizona today, can really use their power to screw you over, including the Mexican American children of Tucson Unified School District.

h/t to Anna Johnson who has a complete timeline of events.

“I endorse Paul Babeu based on his distinguished record of service to his country both in the military and as a law enforcement officer,” Kolbe said. “I think he has a solid understanding of the short and long-term economic problems that face this country and is willing to make the necessary, tough decisions to tackle them.”

In the New Times piece, Jose, whose last name wasn’t disclosed, alleged Babeu threatened him with deportation after their relationship soured. The article included shirtless photos of the candidate allegedly sent to Jose and a picture that appeared to be his adam4adam profile.

via Outed GOP sheriff finds gay support.

This news should not be shocking considering that, according to text messages, Paul Babeu was at Jim Kolbe’s house and spent the night and at 12:31 AM was “talking about politics.”

Earlier that evening on April Fool’s Day it appears “Jose” was the one being fooled and suspected Sheriff “Palito” was fooling around. Ay papi!

From Phoenix New Times

From Phoenix New Times

Terri Proud

PHOENIX – The state House voted 42-15 Tuesday to allow high schools to teach elective courses on the influence of the Bible on Western culture and civilization.

Tuesday’s vote came over the objections of House Minority Leader Chad Campbell. The Phoenix Democrat said limiting schools to using the Old and New Testaments “is going to run into a constitutional challenge.”

But Rep. Terri Proud, R-Tucson, who wrote HB 2563, said she does not see a problem. She said the language allowing the use of the texts for non-religious purposes has been approved by others.

via House OKs Bible course in schools.

I wonder if these same Republicans know that teaching from the Bible surely violates HB2281, the “Ethnic Studies ban.”

– It promotes Ethnic Solidarity, and many Arizonans will never part of the “chosen people” for not being circumcised.

– It promotes Ethnic Resentment, where the Infinitely Good and Almighty God allows his chosen people to leave not even the women and children alive after a city rampage of enemy territory.

It also suggests the ultimate resentment by suggesting eternal damnation for these other people. If God wants nothing to do with them for eternity, then in this world why should we bother with them, and what’s a bunch of radioactive uranium-tipped weaponry to them anyways?

Class lesson, Genesis 19

The Sodom (where the word Sodomy comes from) and Gomorrah story in this chapter is usually used to condemn homosexuality by Christians.

This will provide for some interesting reading in elementary schools as students ask the following questions that will naturally arise. For example, in verse 8 how does Lot respond to the evil towns people who want to have “fun” with his angelic guests (hence the homosexuality is bad connection)?

“No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. ⁸ Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

Nice. It is better for Lot to offer up his two virgin daughters for the townspeople to “do what you like with them” all night long, but heaven-forbid (literally) they do anything with his grown men who are visiting.

That’s the way Yahweh rolls. It gets even better!

After they leave the city and God destroys it and Lot’s wife turns into a pillar of salt for turning and looking at it (yes it all happened! God wrote this book!), the juicy part begins:

³³That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

³⁴ The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” ³⁵ So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

³⁶ So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. ³⁷ The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. ³⁸ The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

I have much to comment about the rest of Genesis 19, but I’m sure you can imagine what underage schoolchildren will be asking.

Terri Proud must be very proud of introducing these new texts to our children. It will surely benefit them in society.

Not those other texts of more recent history that TUSD has banned; those were filled with too many facts about history. What we really need in Arizona is more Genesis 19, maybe even a play based off this Holy passage from the Holy Bible?

Make us proud Arizona!

“After a tortuous process and long hours for the board-appointed committee which advised the Pima County superintendent of schools, Dr. Linda Arzoumanian, I was happy to learn that she had appointed Dr. Alex Sugiyama to be our new board member. Dr. Sugiyama, like me, teaches economics in UA’s Eller School of Management. (I play no role in his supervision or evaluation.) Whether this strikes you as good news or bad news probably depends upon whether you think it is good or bad to have people who think like economists governing school districts.”

- Mark Stegeman, TUSD board president.

What do you think? Do we need more economists governing school districts?

They have done a wonderful job with the US economy and their mathematical models of derivative destruction for society, but extreme wealth for the 1%.

Lack of empathy and white privilege allows white leaders to disregard the 61% Latino schoolchildren they are supposed to be helping.

Economists have the mind power to choose a threat of money loss over the children it affects, an ability like the Beautiful Mind’s John Nash to think in terms of numbers only.

Nobel Prize winner in Economics John Nash, who studied game theory just as Stegeman does, was asked why he believed such preposterous things outside of his field of knowledge.

He responded that they came from the same place his other knowledge came from, and since he was praised for being brilliant in math and economics (both abstract fields not always applicable to reality), he thought his other crazy ideas were valid as well.

In math departments you can find plenty of brilliant people with beautiful minds who tend to be on the spectrum, and I’m not talking about eigenvalues.

That’s what Beautiful Minds will do, and it will also not allow you to see the disaster that TUSD is in and that you have helped cause; how the nation and world and top intellectuals such as Noam Chomsky view it, and how someone like Mark Stegeman can continue to pretend there is nothing wrong… nothing in terms of racism at least.

One number that is conveniently ignored is the $63 million in desegregation money TUSD gets and in return it must follow federal court orders which require MAS classes be taught. Another number that was ignored was the higher graduation rates for MAS students.

Somehow Mark Stegeman thinks a lowly administrative law judge who mostly hears insurance and liquor license cases supersedes Federal Judge Bury who is also acting under orders from the Ninth Circuit Court ruling last year saying TUSD has a racism problem.

Things are so bad that the leaders of TUSD cannot even fix the problem that they make worse, so a Special Master has been appointed to fix what Pedicone and Stegeman have worsened.

Mark Stegeman

Consider the following from his Stegeman’s webpage:

[Stegeman] knows that TUSD must provide teachers the tools and support they need and let them teach!

With an exclamation point even! Let them teach!

Unless they are Mexican American teachers, and then not even the books can be in the classroom letting the teachers teach as they always have. The irony is surely lost on Stegeman due to his active role in stopping MAS teachers from letting them teach!

Stegeman’s lack of understanding of this hierarchy may be why he pretends a tenured professor has no influence over a lecturer in his department, as if department heads exist in isolation without any input from faculty colleagues.

I have two questions for Stegeman.

1. Did Sugiyama reveal that he could not attend any of the TUSD meetings on Tuesday on time when being interviewed? Now the ENTIRE community must wait for meetings to start late because of Sugiyama’s schedule?
2. Why has Sugiyama shown ZERO interest in TUSD before this? No committees, no attendance at board meetings, nothing? Why the sudden interest, and why him over all the other much more qualified candidates? As much as I disagree with the Hunnicutts, at least they show up and show an interest over time; an interest is being anti-Latino, but that’s a different story.

Surely it has nothing to do with being a few doors down from you at the UA Eller College?

After the nation’s Palinsanity when one of the two political parties actually considered the former less-than-one-term Alaskan governor as a great and qualified Presidential candidate, the nation was consumed (I guess, since I don’t follow sports that closely) by “Lin-sanity.”

Palinsanity

The spectacular New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin just made more headlines by leading his team to victory over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, with twenty-eight points and a career-high fourteen assists. But that’s not the only reason Lin is in the news.

Outrage erupted when ESPN’s website posted a headline about the NBA’s first American player of Chinese origin that read, “Chink in the Armor.” Seriously.

via The Nation.

Was this a racist headline by ESPN?

There are only two conclusions one can draw from all of this. Either ESPN has a group of stone racists sitting at the SportsCenter Desk, hosting their radio shows and writing headlines (doubtful), or they have no anti-racist mental apparatus for how to talk about an Asian-American player. As a result we see again that people of Asian descent are subject to a casual racism that other ethnic groups don’t have to suffer quite as starkly.

No one at ESPN would talk or write about a lesbian athlete and unconsciously put forth that the woman in question would have a “finger in the dike.” If an African-American player was thought of as stingy, it’s doubtful that anyone at the World Wide Leader would describe that person as “niggardly.” They would never brand a member of a football team as a “Redskin” (wait, scratch that last one.)

They wouldn’t do it because a mental synapse would spark to life and signal their brain that in 2012, unless you’re speaking at CPAC, that’s just not OK.

via Jeremy Lin and ESPN’s ‘Accidental’ Racism | The Nation.

Mickey Rooney

Consider Mickey Rooney’s performance as the Japanese neighbor upstairs to Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

That was over 50 years ago!

Not much has changed when it comes to how Americans think of Asian Americans.

They better figure this out soon, because they are the ones owning more of America everyday to fund our wars, buying many of the foreclosed homes, and as the last Super Bowl demonstrated, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and other foreign auto manufacturers are making their presence known.**

P.S. I know there is LOT more about this issue that I’m not covering. This was just intended as a quick blog and to encourage you to read the entire The Nation article linked to above.

Warning: All anti-MAS right-wing haters of true facts of American history being taught, please read no further as this will only challenge the indoctrination you yourself have received in American history.

President Andrew Jackson, founder of the current-day Democratic Party, makes the top of this new list of worst US Presidents released on this President’s Day 2012.

This is no big surprise considering he was the President who signed the Indian Removal Act into law, America’s own Ethnic Cleansing history and Democrats stood by and let it happen as many do today, the only difference is that back then they took the lead in these acts against humanity on American soil.

The founder of the Republican party also makes the list.

What many may not know is the anti-Native American history of most American’s favorite president, Abraham Lincoln.

What about the rest of Lincoln's history?

The Navajos were subjected to a similar situation as the Sioux, as were others. Lincoln followed his “American System” through battles in the Plains, South and Southwest crippling tribes and forcing them from their lands.

Before he was president, Lincoln was the attorney for the railroads, which in order to be completed, the Indian “situation” had to be taken care of—a belief Lincoln carried into office with him. His railroad connections according to United Native America would lead, not only to the attempted annihilation of the Indian, but to tremendous scandals in the administration of another of Lincoln’s war criminals, Ulysses S. Grant.

Author David A. Nichols when describing how Lincoln handled the conflicts with the Indians in The Other Civil War: Lincoln and the Indians addressed it by saying, “in his response to these crises, Lincoln was instrumental in determining the fate of Native Americans in the years following his death.”

via Indian-Killer Andrew Jackson Deserves Top Spot on List of Worst U.S. Presidents.

Of course, Abraham Lincoln is known as the Great Emancipator, but keep in mind that even though he disagreed with slavery, he allowed it to continue for many years under his watch, and compromised with the South to keep it if it would keep the union together.

Abraham Lincoln allowed slavery under his presidency for years, and would have kept it were it not for the Civil War. He proved how easy it was to free the slaves; so why not do so as his first act in office, or even in his first year in office?

He forbid the freeing of slaves by the Union even in captured territories when the war began, and had the following to say about his priorities:

If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery.

If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it.

via Abraham Lincoln, 1862.

Annihilator of the American Indian and keeper of slavery; a few things you won’t hear about Abraham Lincoln this week as we celebrate President’s Day.

President Obama awards one of the highest honors to a Chicano Studies professor.

Meanwhile, John Pedicone and Lupita Garcia continue their assault on Chicano Studies, banning books from the Chicano Studies classroom in TUSD and continuing their attack on the MAS teachers and director.

Pedicone’s posse, and their apologists, will be on the wrong side of history when this chapter is written.

Chicano studies prof wins National Humanities Medal

Ramon Saldivar and President Obama

Stanford professor and Brownsville native Ramón Saldívar was among the nine winners of the National Humanities Medal last week. It’s an award given to “individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities.”

The selection of a Chicano studies scholar is timely, as Chicano and Mexican American studies are under attack in Arizona and as anti-immigrant, anti-Latino tones continue to be struck across the country. Saldívar’s scholarship is around globalization, transnationalism and Chicano studies.

President Obama called his exploration of identity along the border “bold.”

“In his studies of Chicano literature and the development of the novel in Europe and America, Dr. Saldívar highlights the cultural and literary markings that divide and unite us,” the president said.

read the rest at Chicano studies prof wins National Humanities Medal

Jefferson County is the most populous in Alabama, home to Birmingham and comparable in size to Arizona’s Pima County containing Tucson which is a bit bigger.

They are the focus of a NY Times article that shows how bad things have gotten economically, and the reason why they are in such dire straits may surprise you.

Note the similarities with Arizona, private prisons, etc. Alabama is also home to the anti-immigrant HB56 which passed last year which was stricter than Arizona’s SB1070.

In Alabama, a County That Fell Off the Financial Cliff

ONE county jail here is so crowded that some inmates sleep on the floor, while the other county jail, a few miles down the road, sits empty.

There is no money for the second one anymore.

The county roads here need paving, and the tax collector needs help.

There is no money for them, either.

There is no money for a lot of things around here, not since Jefferson County, population 658,000, went bankrupt last fall.

There is no money for holiday D.U.I. checkpoints, litter patrols or overtime pay at the courthouse.

None for crews to pull weeds or pick up road kill — not even when, as happened recently, an unlucky cow was hit near the town of Wylam.

“We don’t do that any more,” E. Wayne Sullivan, director of the roads and transportation department, said of such roadside cleanup.

This is life today in Jefferson County — Bankrupt, U.S.A. For all the talk in Washington about taxes and deficits, here is a place where government finances, and government itself, have simply broken down. The county, which includes the city of Birmingham, is drowning under $4 billion in debt, the legacy of a big sewer project and corrupt financial dealings that sent 17 people to prison.

via Jefferson County, Ala., Falls Off the Bankruptcy Cliff – NYTimes.com.

So how did this all happen? Why doesn’t the county just raise taxes to get itself out of this mess?

If you want to take a broad view, the trouble really began with the Constitutional Convention of the State of Alabama in 1901. The document that emerged there — written to empower business interests and disenfranchise African-Americans and poor whites — gives towns and counties little authority over local issues.

Local taxing power rests with the state, though state lawmakers are loath to wield it today, in an age of anti-tax populism. Last summer, the Supreme Court of Alabama struck down a tax that was a crucial source of revenue for Jefferson County, finally pushing the county over the brink.

via Jefferson County, Ala., Falls Off the Bankruptcy Cliff – NYTimes.com.

How ironic that people talk about class warfare from the wrong point of view.

With slavery, segregation, and current immigration laws that enslave human beings to pick our crops not as underpaid migrant workers anymore, but as prisoners getting paid even less, it should be clear all along that the warfare has been from the 1% against the rest of us.

Racism is a convenient tool. Religion also.

Alabama's Roy Moore. Photo: Jim van Anglen.

No matter how poor whites get, they can always have something in common with the 1% – a lighter shade of skin color – and no matter how bad things get, or more to the point, no matter how much they let things get, all that really matters is that you love Jesus, so who needs healthcare and good schools teaching Darwin’s devil-ution?

And who needs to cut profits even more just to save the environment when the Second Coming of Jesus is near and He’s gonna fix all the things we broke?

Plus, what really matters is having the Ten Commandments in government buildings in Alabama. That will fix the problems, and sadly, many Americans actually believe it will.

Was Paul Babeu spending the night at former Tucson Congressmember Jim Kolbe’s house also?

See text messages below.

At least Kolbe is a Republican. Democratic representative from the southside of Tucson, Matt Heinz, should have known better! Breaking ranks with Democrats to give Babeu millions for border security even though Pinal is not a border county, and having the white supremacist radio show guest over for dinner and ice cream, followed by spending the night?

Would it be acceptable to have Karen Handel feeling right at home at the Democrat’s home? I wonder how women would feel about that?

Not cool Heinz. Not cool at all.

Was it worth it?

Matt Heinz is running for Kolbe’s former seat (altered by redistricting) which was recently held by Gabrielle Giffords.

From Phoenix New Times

From Phoenix New Times

From Phoenix New Times

It is with some sadness but a great deal of excitement and anticipation, I write to you today to inform you that I will be stepping down as Executive Director at the end of the month. We have experienced incredible highs and yes, a few humbling lows together and I would like to take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished together these past three years.

Working with an outstanding leadership team, we have emphasized a grassroots field program, increased fundraising and outreach among political allies and allied organizations, successfully engaged officers, donors and table partners in reworking the county party’s strategic plan and we have engaged and supported Democrats running at every level throughout Pima County. And working together to improve our party infrastructure has yielded positive results.

In 2009 we won two of three council races and defeated by a 2-1 margin, Prop 200, a well-funded ballot initiative that likely would have bankrupted Tucson. Our mobilization efforts in 2010 brought in over 12,000 new Democratic PEVLs in Pima County, which played a critical role in the reelections of Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. And last fall, we helped to elect the first Democratic Mayor of Tucson in twelve years and swept the city council races for the first time since 2005. These were hard-fought victories that we all should be proud of.

On a personal note, I would like to thank the hundreds of precinct committee people, thousands of volunteers and donors, elected officials, fellow staffers and party leadership for creating a supportive work environment that presented me with a tremendous opportunity for personal and professional growth. In particular I would like to thank Jeff Rogers for his leadership and guidance over the past three years. Our community could not ask for a stronger, more dedicated or courageous leader.

I am excited about building on our successes and working together as we continue to move Arizona forward.

Best regards,

Adam Kinsey

At one time one of the Three Sonorans was this fellow named Science Sonoran.

Lots of BS on the streets of Tucson this week

His voice ended up taking a backseat in the wake of SB1070 and HB2281, and other right-wing pendejadas in Tucson and Arizona.

The political Sonorans have decided to head to the rodeo this week (yes, Tucson has an official rodeo holiday this week), finding less bullshit there than in politics, so it is time to revisit some science and math for the next few days.

The falling chain, part I

Here is a science experiment that you can try with your own necklace (chain).

Chain falling over an edge of a table

Consider a chain of length L with a proportion α hanging over the edge.

If the variables scare you, just suppose we have a 6 foot chain with 5% of it hanging over the edge.

What happens next?

Well that all depends on the friction. If we denote the friction between the table and the chain as μ, then there is a critical proportion, α_c, which is the maximum value that the chain remains stationary which can be calculated as

α_c – (1-α_c)μ = 0,  thus α_c = μ/(μ+1)

Let’s consider the two extreme values of μ, 0 and 1.

If μ = 1, then the critical proportion will be 1/2, which means that if more of the chain is hanging over the table, then the chain will fall off and pull the rest behind it.

If μ = 0, or very close to zero, then this corresponds to there being zero or minimal friction, and thus if even the smallest part is hanging over the edge, the entire chain will fall over.

You can try this for yourself using a necklace. It turns out that μ will be very small in these cases, and it doesn’t take much for the “chain” reaction to get started, thus pulling the entire thing off the table.

To make this even more dramatic, you can coil the chain upwards into a tower or ball, and even just the smallest part going over the edge will pull the entire thing over the edge.

I wish there was some way I could apply this science experiment to real life, but I can’t. I just know that when it comes to chains, or rather being linked together, we want to make sure nothing you are attached to goes over the edge. You can be at the completely opposite end of the chain, but eventually the links will apply to you and off you go also.

The trick is to not have anything at risk of falling, but if you are in the situation try to construct a high friction coefficient so that even if some are hanging of the edge, at risk of falling forever, there is a safety “anchor” to keep them from the plunge.

If we were to coil the chain downwards so that the entire weight of the chain causes more friction then this could solve the problem. The trick is to form a “community” of links to anchor down those that have gone astray, dangling over the edge and hanging on for dear life… but just remember, if they fall, then so do you, since we are all links in the same chain.

The falling chain, part II

The second chain science experiment threatens the famous Galilean principle that, absent of air resistance (feathers and paper), two objects of different mass will fall at the same rate.

In other words, if you drop a marble and a bowling ball at the same time, and to make this dramatic you can choose to drop them off the Leaning Tower of Pisa which is what Galileo was rumored to have done, then you will see that they both hit the ground at the same time.

Now certainly if we had two weights with the same mass that were dropped at the same time, they were surely fall at the same rate.

Now what if you attach a chain to one of the weights? No big deal right?

Wrong!

It turns out the weight attached to a chain, which is not falling itself except for the parts attached to the weight, then it will fall faster than the freefall due to gravity.

In case you are confused, the video below has a demonstration of the setup, combined with slow motion and replays, and an explanation as to how this happens.

This also doesn’t have an application to society, but for some reason weights that have strong links to other seems to fall faster than those that fall alone.

Perhaps chains can symbolize other things also?

It’s time to let the status quo fix the problem Tucson is in.

I think we are running out of water.

I think an energy crisis is coming.

I think we are racist as hell.

I think Dems have sold out.

I think Tucson is not sustainable.

Now is a time to see how you fix the problem without my criticism.  You are in power, so use your power for good.

Best wishes.

The Phoenix New Times has a huge story on Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu’s former gay lover, who was Mexican and:

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu — who became the face of Arizona border security nationally after he started stridently opposing illegal immigration — threatened his Mexican ex-lover with deportation when the man refused to promise never to disclose their years-long relationship, the former boyfriend and his lawyer tell New Times.

via Phoenix Paul Babeu’s Mexican Ex-Lover Says Sheriff’s Attorney Threatened Him With Deportation – Phoenix New Times.

What this story reveals is disturbing for many reasons.

First of all, though every person I ever talked to about this already knew Babeu was gay, and there is nothing wrong with that, I wondered how the right-wing could suddenly turn off their own criticism of homosexuality just this once (still hating other members of the GLBT community) when it came to the Republican front-runner for the new CD4.

Then we remember that the newly elected Sheriff shot into the national headlines after he went on a white supremacist radio show. Some people were appalled by this; yet for others this is what they needed, a new Fox News right-wing star to replace the aging Arpaio.

Complete with Mexican-hating and skin-head.

Except for when Paul Babeu doesn’t hate Mexicans, but loves them all night long. But even in gay-love, Babeu’s evilness comes out when he uses his position of power to threaten his undocumented Mexican lover with deportation.

Two quick things are wrong with this. One is that Babeu knew the immigration status of Jose (read the New Times article to learn more about Jose, the pics and the text messages) and as the top law man in Pinal County, the new toughest sheriff in America did not report Jose to ICE. I would actually applaud for Babeu for this but he was not doing this out of kindness for immigrants, but in exchange for a sex slave.

Mitt Romney and Paul Babeu. Photo: Gage Skidmore

And this is the second thing (among many other things) that is wrong. Paul Babeu had his own private immigrant sex slave operation going on, and he’s supposed to be the Sheriff.

So why is Paul Babeu the front-runner for CD4, and why is he the new darling of the right-wing and Fox News? Jon Justice loves him too even as he hates Pima’s Dupnik.

What this reveals to me is that in Arizona, the hatred for Chicanos and Mexicans is so great that right-wing haters are willing to overlook all other things as long as you hate brown people as much as they do.

This brings me to my further disappointment with the Democrats (some of them).

It has also been rumored for a long time that Matt Heinz may have been involved with Paul Babeu. This story seems to verify that, and even worse is the tit-for-tat involved more anti-Mexican policies:

Openly gay Tucson state Representative Matt Heinz was one of two Democratic lawmakers who broke ranks with the party in March 2011 and voted to give Babeu $5 million to combat border violence. Other lawmakers opposed the measure, in part, because Babeu’s county is at least 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. The measure finally was pared down to $1.7 million and passed by the Legislature.

About a week after Heinz’s nod to Babeu, the sheriff spent the night at Heinz’s home, text messages that Jose shared with New Times show.

“I’m at Mat Heinz and his boyfriend for dinner & ice cream . . . we are going out to bar and . . . to their house. [Am] staying over,” Babeu texted to Jose at 1:04 a.m. last April 2.

Heinz didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking confirmation of the sleepover.

On October 23, Babeu announced that he was considering a run to represent Arizona’s newly formed 4th Congressional District, which includes parts of La Paz, Yavapai, Mohave, and Pinal counties. (Heinz announced recently that he’s also running for Congress — to fill Gabrielle Giffords’ vacated seat.)

via Phoenix Paul Babeu’s Mexican Ex-Lover Says Sheriff’s Attorney Threatened Him With Deportation – Phoenix New Times.

Just to reiterate, I see nothing wrong with same-sex relations, but I see something VERY wrong with a Democrat selling-out Latinos with the “new Arpaio,” one of the most vile racists in this state!

I guess their plan was to go to DC together representing the new CD2 and CD4?

While I applaud Heinz for speaking up at the TUSD meeting, after these revelations there is no way in hell I will ever vote for Matt Heinz. Would it be okay to have dinner, ice cream, and a sleepover with Sheriff Arpaio?

No Democrat should be sharing Babeu’s ICE cream.

Heinz words at TUSD were just words, whereas his vote as a lawmaker gave Babeu $5 million to go after Mexicans, and his county doesn’t even share a border with Mexico!

So will the Republicans continue their gay-bashing and keep up their support of Babeu because of the Mexican-bashing? As the top law man in Pinal county, what part of “illegal is illegal” does Babeu not understand?

That’s what happens when you screw over Mexicans. A lesson to all that do so. Justice always wins in the end.

And no matter what Babeu does in his non-border district with all the money Matt Heinz gave him, the future of Arizona is a browner one. You can secure the borders all you want, but we are having more kids and as the recent Census shows, more babies (hence the next generation) are non-White, and it’s not just Arizona.

Twelve states and the District of Columbia now have white populations below 50% among children under age 5 — Hawaii, California, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Maryland, Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Mississippi. That’s up from six states and the District of Columbia in 2000.

via USA Today.

I suggest you learn to love us rather than hate and fear us. And hopefully that love is real love; sex slavery does not count.

It is ironic that right-wing haters out there lie about MAS classes in Tucson, saying that they teach hatred.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Especially when you consider how racist and homophobic uneducated people (of all races) tend to be. Especially when you consider that in poorer parts of town there are almost as many churches as liquor stores, and sometimes being more conservative teaches you a few things such as:

1. Don’t marry other races. Sometimes this is indirect by enforcing the “don’t marry or date outside the church.” And if you do, sometimes the punishment is thought to be (since no one really knows) eternal damnation in hellfire.
2. Homosexuality is evil. There are many variants of this, from the extreme “God hates fags” to “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” Either way what they are teaching is that being a member of the GLBT community is not cool with JC.

I’ll be the first to admit that Mexicans are very racist, just as other races are. Growing up in rural Marana, not a day would pass without racial jokes from all parties; white, mexican or black. One thing we all did have in common, however, is that we were all poor, and somehow this racism was allowed to be joked around about and still able to work and live together, rather than inciting racial violence.

This is nothing compared to what the white leaders of TUSD and Arizona are doing to Latino schoolchildren because of their preconceived and backwards notions and white privilege.

Nico loves you!

That MAS teaches hate, that it teaches resentment towards other races, etc. is ironic, since the MAS classroom welcomes all races and all students, straight or gay, and despite being constantly the target of right-wing hate, from Glenn Beck, Jon Justice, and Garrett Lewis radio shows, to Fox News, to the editorial pages of the Arizona Republic and Arizona Daily Star… the students in the MAS classrooms are still filled with love and want to make the world a better and more accepting place for all peoples.

Rather than address this in depth in writing, I will suggest you learn about one MAS student named Nico who is featured in the video above.

As many MAS students know, from middle school to high school, if you ever see someone that no one loves, just remember, Nico loves you.

Nico also addressed the TUSD school board this week, the first regular board meeting after his classes and book were banned, boxed up in a box that said “banned books” on the side. What he has to say is pretty amazing!

Nico is also a plantiff on the Save Ethnic Studies lawsuit, and he may soon be part of a historic Supreme Court victory dealing with civil rights.

Mark Stegeman wants to talk to the former African-American TUSD desegregation representative about “unfairness”… of course the irony is lost on him due to his white privilege.

Original email is here.

February 17, 2012
Dr. Stegeman:

I received your comments via email February 15, 2012 about my letter to Dr. Alexandre Sugiyama. Your email is found below this response.

You state that many of the things I have written are unfair about Dr. Sugiyama. It is interesting that you would use the word “unfair” about my statements, when what I have described and questioned Dr. Sugiyama about in my letter are all linked to a type of unfairness that impacts the entire school district and beyond. I am a strong advocate of fairness which is what drove me to write the letter to Dr. Sugiyama. You addressed three points in your comments to me and I have responded to each below. I am not interested in debating this matter with you; I anticipated your total support for Dr. Sugiyama.

You said that you have no supervisory power whatsoever over Dr. Sugiyama and stated, “I can not tell him what to do, even if I wanted to”. It seems to me that someone can always tell another person what to do; whether they do it or not is a horse of a different color. We will probably never know what discussions you and Dr. Sugiyama have had going into the Board appointment selection process or since then.

Mark Stegeman:
1) We both have the same supervisor, the chair of the UA of economics dept.
I have no supervisory power whatsoever over Dr. Sugiyama. I cannot
tell him what to do, even if I wanted to.

Response:
I never stated that you were Dr. Sugiyama’s “supervisor”. I said that you are a faculty member and that he is a lecturer. That is a fact. I said that as a professor/faculty member you are in a superior and influential position over Dr. Sugiyama as a lecturer. I said that that this is important in the university pecking order (hierarchy) since the status of a professor is recognized as being higher and one that has influence over that of a lecturer. This is fact. I also said that the two of you have offices which are close to one another and that you both work in a small department. These are facts. These facts raise many questions; as they should. That is only fair!

A question was posed by me about Dr. Sugiyama’s full disclosure about his working relationship with you at the University of Arizona Eller School of Management- Economics Department to the Pima County School Superintendent.

Dr. Stegeman:
2) Mr. Cuevas’s term as president expired, as usual, at the end of the year. So the board had to elect leadership at Dr. Sugiyama’s first meeting. He did nothing to cause that vote to happen.

Response:
Dr. Sugiyama seconded the motion by Mr. Hicks to elect you as Board President.

You can hardly count this as “nothing”. I am aware that the election of Board President and Clerk occur at the beginning of the calendar year. I have been told by former governing board members that these elections do not occur in a vacuum.

Dr. Stegeman:
3) At last night’s meeting of the board, there were split votes on two substantial issues, and Dr. Sugiyama and I cast opposite votes in both cases.

Response:
Clearly the two most significant votes for you, within 2012, have been regaining the role of Board President, after you were ousted from that position last year, and the dismantling of Mexican American Studies. Dr. Sugiyama seconded the motions in both of these matters. This is a fact.

The facts are the facts and unfairness is unfairness.

In all fairness,
Frieda Baker

Dear Ms. Baker,

You have written many things which I think are unfair to Dr. Sugiyama. I won’t go through your letter point-by-point but want to mention three things.

1) We both have the same supervisor, the chair of the UA economics dept. I have no supervisory power whatsoever over Dr. Sugiyama. I cannot tell him what to do, even if I wanted to.

2) Mr. Cuevas’s term as president expired, as usual, at the end of the year. So the board had to elect leadership at Dr. Sugiyama’s first meeting. He did nothing to cause that vote to happen.

3) At last night’s meeting of the board, there were split votes on two substantial issues, and Dr. Sugiyama and I cast opposite votes in both cases.

- Mark

Sean Arce, co-founder and director of the MAS program. Photo: Diana Uribe.

Let us now praise what’s right with Arizona — starting with one nationally celebrated Tucson educator who has steadfastly defended the interests of school children and held his ground amid the swirl of crazy national headlines and relentless attacks on Tucson’s acclaimed but now outlawed Mexican American Studies: Program co-founder Sean Arce.

[snip]

“The gifts that Mr. Arce and the MAS teachers have given to my daughter, my family, and so many others, will last a lifetime,” Harvey concluded, “and though they gave without a thought of repayment, we owe them: our gratitude, our voices and our support. As I watch my child continue to grow, find academic success, and master life skills like critical thinking and compassion, it’s a debt I’m honored to pay.”

via Let Us Now Praise What’s Right With Arizona: Nationally Celebrated Tucson Educator Sean Arce.

This is the February 2012 TUSD meeting in the video above (unedited audio in excerpt above).

This is the first regular meeting since the MAS ban, and furthermore the first meeting since the district went in with boxes that said “Banned books” on the side and took books out of the MAS classroom.

It’s about a minute long. Enjoy.

February 13, 2012
Alexandre Borges Sugiyama, Ph.D.
Tucson Unified School District
Governing Board Member
1010 East 10th Street
Tucson, AZ 85719
RE: Open Letter to Dr. Alexandre Borges Sugiyama, Ph.D.

Dear Dr. Sugiyama:

I am a very active community member and have been involved in TUSD issues for about thirty years. I am a former TUSD teacher, parent, and citizens’ desegregation oversight committee member to list some of my involvement.

TUSD board members Sugiyama and Stegeman violate federal court orders to comply with racist state laws against Latinos.

I had hoped that my first communication with you would be to congratulate you on your appointment to the Board but the circumstances make that impossible. Although I could not, for the life of me, figure out what your TUSD involvement had been prior to your appointment.

I wondered, “Where in the world did this person come from!?” Typically, those seeking to serve TUSD as Board Members have acquired some depth of understanding about the District through their visible and active involvement as parents or community members- they attend Board meetings, public hearings, and usually are involved in various committees.

This was not the case with you. TUSD-involved individuals had never heard of you or seen you. But I had decided to go ahead and give you the benefit of the doubt, thinking that perhaps someone with minimal history in his involvement with the District could bring a new outlook. Well, I was wrong; you have simply adopted- hook, line and sinker, all of Mark Stegeman’s positions. I thought this was very strange. As the weeks have gone by since your appointment things have become clearer.

Recently I noticed that Tucson Unified School District Governing Board meetings have started later than had been the practice. This means that the meetings end later at night. This is not considerate of constituents: parents and students, those who have young children and/or have early work and school schedules as well as many others. It also puts a strain on the Governing Board staff and other TUSD staff, since their work days have become very long.

I have inquired about what caused this disruption to the traditional meeting times and I have come to learn that it is based on your work schedule. Didn’t you consider this when you applied for the appointment to the Governing Board seat? Perhaps you were unaware of the hours since you had seldom, if ever attended a Board meeting. At least I had never seen you at a Board meeting and I have attended dozens upon dozens of Board meetings.

It seems to me that if you could not meet the minimum requirement of attending the meetings as they traditionally have been scheduled, you should have disqualified yourself from consideration for the Governing Board appointment process; end of discussion!. Why is everyone bending to one person’s schedule? It may appear as a minor issue to you but I believe it is very significant. The hours during which the Board meetings take place are important and based on your schedule you have tampered with hours that worked best for the most people involved. Less people now have access to the public meetings due to the late hour of convening the meetings.

As I was inquiring about the Board meeting scheduling changes, many individuals shared their concern with me about your employment status in relation to Dr. Mark Stegeman at the University of Arizona. I did not go looking for this information but it is the “buzz” in the District and everywhere I go it is mentioned. I was shocked to learn that Dr. Stegeman, as a faculty member at the University of Arizona Eller College of Management – Economics Department, is in a superior position to yours – lecturer.

This is important in the university pecking order (hierarchy) since the status of a faculty member is recognized as being higher and one that has influence over that of a lecturer. As someone told me, “The faculty member has all of the power and the lecturer must do what is asked of him in order to advance.” Faculty members often have significant impact on the career paths of those who are subordinate within the same Department. The Economics Department is a small department; professors, associate professors and lecturers and others have offices in one wing of the building and are almost next door to one another. It is likely that everyone within the Economics Department knows one another.

So, the pressing questions are: How has Dr. Stegeman’s superior position over you influenced you to: apply for the Governing Board position and to vote lock and step with his positions? (Believe me I am not expecting full and honest disclosure from you; it would be professional suicide for you to do so.)

If Dr. Stegeman is in a position which has any influence over your career path in the academic world, starting with your role within the small Eller Economics Department many questions must be raised relative to the ethical conflicts that exist in your current role as a TUSD Governing Board Member.

I would like to know how it is that you became interested in becoming a Board Member- out of no where? It seems to me that with Dr. Stegeman’s office and yours being obviously close, it is very likely that you were recruited or persuaded to apply for the position. Coincidence is not likely. You are in office # 401 H and he is in office #401 FF (I know my alphabet and I would call that close!). Your “over-night” passion for TUSD governance has struck me and others as less than genuine and as your relationship with and ties to Dr. Stegeman unfolds – speculation swells about your true interests in seeking the Governing Board appointment. Is it just a means to an academic professional end?

At the first Governing Board meeting that you attended after your appointment – you were instrumental in the Board actions that resulted in Dr. Stegeman’s return to the role of Board President from which he had been ousted. This was within minutes after you were sworn in as a Board Member. By the second week in office, you had taken action to dismantle the core of the Mexican American Studies Program; you seconded the motion to the resolution read by Mr. Michael Hicks. This was a critical vote and you made similar arguments that Dr. Stegeman and Mr. Hicks made in justifying their votes without conducting any known independent inquiry on the matter.

If you are not aware, I was one of the candidates who was considered for the Governing Board appointment. When I examined the list of candidates, I was surprised to see fifty-four names. It was promising! The list had so many people on it that had in-depth knowledge about TUSD and I felt that no matter what- we would wind up with someone who had genuine interest, commitment and expertise to serve on the Board. Most of these individuals were disqualified from consideration! I learned that the selection committee did not want someone with very much TUSD involvement. I thought it was bizarre to have such a bias. Would your Economics Department hire someone with no knowledge in economics?

So I looked further into the composition of the selection committee.

Five people were appointed to serve on the selection committee after a great deal of dissention on the Board. Mark Stegeman essentially appointed two individuals (Juan Ciscomani and Michelle Harbor); Michael Hicks appointed Charles Weisel; Adelita Grijalva appointed Steve Holmes; and Miguel Cuevas appointed Tola Barker. This means that Dr. Stegeman appointed 40%; Michael Hicks appointed 20% as did Adelita Grijalva and Miguel Cuevas. However, together Dr. Stegeman and Mr. Hicks appointed 60% of the selection committee. Ms. Grijalva and Mr. Cuevas appointed 40% together. I recognize that Mr. Cuevas conceded to Mr. Ciscomani’s appointment- but the original nomination was made by Dr. Stegeman. Although I am not a math whizz it is very clear that with 60% influence over what type of selectee Dr. Stegeman and Mr. Hicks were seeking- the process tilted in their direction.

It is no wonder that the results were as they are. No matter how it is explained away; Dr. Stegeman, a faculty member and your superior at the Eller Economics Department had 40% influence over the selection process and Mr. Hicks had an additional 20%. I am told that two individuals basically ran away with the selection process (Mr. Ciscomani and Mr. Weisel) and when Ross Sheard surfaced as a top candidate, near the end of the process, he was disqualified because he had a “conflict of interest.”

How convenient; why wasn’t he disqualified from the “git-go”? This disqualification upset at least one selection committee member a great deal. It only left you to be selected. I am writing you in this public manner so that you and your colleagues are made aware that the “dots have been connected” by many, so that you are aware that there is public scrutiny and accountability.

I have been warned that challenging you and therefore, Dr. Stegeman – two Ph.D.’s from our local university will result in brutal attacks on me and my credibility. It is also likely that Mr. Hicks will support Dr. Stegeman and you. I am not looking for an intellectual battle or for any attacks. I am searching for the truth about your appointment and about the ethics involved in your appointment and in your votes.

If you can, disconnect the factual dots. Would you have been appointed by the Pima County School Superintendent had she known about your employment and academic status in relation to that of Dr. Stegeman’s at the Eller Economics Department? Did you do full disclosure with her office? Was she aware of the off-set composition of the selection committee in having two Board members appoint 60% of the committee? I recognize you may have had nothing to do with this but you should be aware of the appearance of manipulation in the appointments of the committee that selected you.

I know that all of the truth will be kept hidden. Your private conversations with Dr. Stegeman can not be validated; any “coded’ deal that may have been cut will be denied. There seems to be a lot more to Dr. Stegeman’s argument not to disclose his email communications having to do with what resulted in your appointment. But here is the real deal: I am watching you and now, so is the community. Perhaps an official investigation into these matters should be launched.

Sincerely,
Frieda Baker

I got the following message today:

“Richard Miranda (D) resigns from the House – effectively February 20, 2012.”

Martin Quezada speaking at the state capitol.

John Loredo, former Minority Leader of the House issues the following endorsement:

I’m supporting Martín J. Quezada for appointment to the LD 13 vacancy in the Arizona House of Representatives! He has the legislative experience to hit the ground running right now and will be an excellent State Representative.

I agree with Loredo. Martin Quezada would make an excellent choice and he has my endorsement as well.

These are the witnesses testifying on the birth control benefit right now on Capitol Hill. What is wrong with this picture? From Planned Parenthood Facebook page.

From Nancy Pelosi’s Facebook page (image below):

Right now at a House Oversight Committee hearing, House Republicans have called five men to testify on women’s health. My colleague Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) who is on the committee, looked at this panel (from which a woman who was the Democratic witness was excluded by the GOP) and asked: where are the women? That’s a good question.

The Mexican American community, political leaders, teachers and students stand behind the co-founder and director of the Mexican American Studies program, Sean Arce.

Below are letters of support.

HAND DELIVERED
Dr. John Pedicone, Superintendent
Tucson Unified School District
1010 E 10th St.
Tucson, AZ 85719

February 3, 2012

Re: Letter in support of MAS Director Mr. Sean Arce

Superintendent Pedicone,

We are reaching out to you today on behalf of the community in support of Mr. Sean Arce, director of the Mexican American Studies program in TUSD.

The community demands that MAS co-founder and director Sean Arce keep his job.

The Mexican American Studies program in the Tucson Unified School District under Mr. Arce’s leadership is the only program in TUSD that has been proven to close the achievement gap for Latino students, and per the districts own data has shown an increase in standardized test scores and improved graduation rates.

At sixty percent Latino enrollment TUSD has a dismal record with respect to Latino student equity and achievement, as demonstrated by the long-standing desegregation order imposed upon the District. We need Latino role models for our children and Mr. Arce is one of those much needed role models. He is a scholar respected in his field and someone who has demonstrated time and time again his commitment to the well being and academic advancement of our children. It is a shame that Mr. Arce has had to endure harassment from the District and his superiors.

While TUSD administration and the Arizona State Legislature are politicizing our children’s education, our only desire is to see them graduate, thrive, and contribute to our community. We need to ensure that our children receive equitable educational opportunities in Tucson and throughout Arizona, and it is critical and proven effective that they see themselves in their high-school curriculum and in those that they admire.

Mr. Arce’s decision to join the ten educators that have brought a lawsuit against the State of Arizona in Federal District Court should in no way result in retaliation against him or the other teachers. We are proud that Mr. Arce brought his concerns to the Department of Education at the White House Summit this week, and his comments simply echoed those of the community when he did so. He is defending our children and we will defend him. If TUSD continues on this path of not serving our Latino and minority students it brings into serious question the legitimacy of TUSD receiving any further desegregation funds.

Sincerely,

Las Adelitas Arizona

Estimadas/os: Tucson Unified School District and its Superintendent John Pedicone apparently don’t like uppity Mexicans who dare to exercise their American right of free speech (maybe it’s `cause they don’t see us as bona fide Americans?). Consider the following pattern:

This picture was taken by Salomon Baldenegro in the 1960s outside TUSD HQ.

*   On May 3rd, Pedicone had over 100 police officers in riot gear at the school board meeting to assure that supporters of the Mexican American Studies (MAS) curriculum didn’t go crazy with that free-speech nonsense. Pedicone’s crowning achievement that night: he had seven (7) women arrested for the “crime” of wanting to address the school board in support of MAS.

*   Circa January 12-13, TUSD “sentenced” MAS students to perform janitorial duties (which include cleaning toilets) for the “crime” of exercising their first amendment rights by protesting the dismantling of the Mexican American Studies curriculum and the banning of the MAS books. (This is discussed in more detail below.)

*   On January 27, Pedicone sent a letter to Dr. Antonio Estrada, asking Estrada to rein in University of Arizona MAS faculty members who committed the “crime” of exercising their first amendment rights by participating in the recent “Teach-ins.” (That letter is discussed below.)

*   On January 31, Sean Arce, the TUSD MAS Director, was written up for having attended—along with circa 400 invited guests—the January 30 White House Hispanic Community Action Summit and for having committed the “crime” of exercising his first amendment rights by expressing his thoughts in an educational workshop at the Summit.

By way of context: José Rico and Gabriel Sandoval, Executive Director and Senior Advisor, respectively, of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, were at the Summit specifically to discuss educational matters with local educators, parents, students, etc. The Summit was a TUSD-approved activity in that many TUSD teachers/administrators attended, as well as TUSD Superintendent Pedicone, TUSD Board President Mark Stegeman, and TUSD Board member Adelita Grijalva.

Of all the TUSD people invited to and who participated in the Summit, only Sean is being forced to justify his presence there, under threat of being reprimanded.

A Summit workshop led by a TUSD teacher (and attended by several TUSD teachers and top TUSD administrators) focused on the TUSD MAS situation. During the session, Sean—a TUSD PARENT, keep in mind—expressed his thoughts about TUSD’s actions, re: the MAS program, its teachers, and its students and the banning of MAS books.

It is these remarks by Sean that are the basis of his being written up.

Anticipating this action against Sean by TUSD, I put a resolution on the floor, which was passed UNANIMOUSLY by the approximately 150-plus people present, asking—actually, I used the word “demand”—that TUSD not punish Sean for exercising his first-amendment rights in responding to a question put to him in a public forum.

And the U.S Department of Justice representatives at the session that Sean and 150-plus people participated in assured everyone that no retaliation would occur as a result of people’s comments at the session.

However, neither those who voted for the resolution nor President Obama’s representatives know the depth of Pedicone’s hate for Sean and MAS…nor do they know how nasty Pedicone plays, especially when it involves uppity Mexicans.

Prediction: Pedicone and his agents will box Sean in and do a “Gotcha” on him

If Sean says he took a Personal Day to attend the Summit, Pedicone will find a technicality to say he was not approved for a Personal Day and therefore did not have authorization to attend…

If Sean says he was invited to, and attended, the Summit as an educator, Pedicone will use what Sean said at the Summit against him on the basis of…whatever Pedicone conjures up.

But whatever contorted logic Pedicone uses to punish Sean, the fact is that Sean will be punished for having exercised his constitutionally-protected right of free speech.

About the letter TUSD Superintendent Pedicone sent to Antonio Estrada, Director of the University of Arizona Mexican American Studies and Research Center (MASRC):

Pedicone chastises MASRC faculty and asks that they be reined in.

In his letter, Pedicone chastises MASRC faculty for having interacted with students at the recent “Teach-ins” at the El Casino facility and in the UA’s Chavez building and appeals to Dr. Estrada to consider discussing the matter,

“…with your faculty and encouraging them to support our efforts to keep students at school and not engage in activities that will cause us to take disciplinary action consistent with our policies and procedures.”

Pedicone is also pressuring other UA administrators to lean on Dr. Estrada to rein in his faculty.

When we founded the Mexican American Studies program in the 1970s, in addition to its scholarly functions, we intended it to be a bridge between the university and the community. Having MAS faculty interact with students who are engaged meaningfully in their education and who are actively working to improve their educational situation is precisely the kind of bridge the MASRC founders envisioned.

Pedicone’s meddling in the MASRC’s affairs and in effect asking that the MASRC faculty be reined in with regard to their interactions with high-school students should be very troubling to anyone who subscribes to the principles of free speech and academic freedom.

Pedicone’s double standard: MAS students ordered to do janitorial work for missing school… non-MAS students can “ditch school” with impunity…

Superintendent Pedicone’s stated concern for students staying at school and not engaging “…inactivities that will cause us to take disciplinary action consistent with our policies and procedures” rings hollow in light of TUSD’s tradition of “Senior Ditch Day,” which allows senior students to ditch school WITH NO PUNISHMENT LEVIED ON THEM. In fact, Senior Ditch Day is not only tolerated by TUSD, it is an accepted tradition that TUSD promotes.

Here is a link to a posting by Abie Morales, aka “Three Sonorans,” juxtaposing TUSD’s actions, re: Senior Ditch Day at Cholla High School on January 11 and the Cholla students who walked out of school on January 12 and walked five miles over a period of two hours to TUSD headquarters to discuss educational matters with TUSD administrators.

(The TUSD Associate Superintendent who met the students told them that if they wanted to study Mexican history they should “go back to Mexico”—@ 13:10-13:21 of the video embedded in the “Three Sonorans” posting.)

Although Abie’s posting focuses on Cholla’s Senior Ditch Day, every TUSD high school has a Senior Ditch Day.

The qualitative difference between Superintendent Pedicone’s and TUSD’s view of students who ditch school for Senior Ditch Day and students who miss school so as to promote an educational program and to participate in learning activities could not be starker:

Students who ditch school for Senior Ditch Day can stay home and sleep all day, go to the movies or the mall, go to a park, play video games, or do whatever they want to do. And they receive no punishment for missing school.

In contrast, the Cholla students who missed school so as to go to TUSD headquarters to express their deep desire to be able to take MAS classes and to be able to study and learn without harassment by the state were punished by being ordered to clean toilets and perform other janitorial duties at Cholla High School on January 21.

On January 19, TUSD rescinded the toilet-cleaning punishment ONLY after TUSD found out that the parents of the students and other community members were going to show up at Cholla on Jan. 21. But the fact that the punishment was levied in the first place is telling, re: TUSD’s attitude toward, their view of, MAS students. (In lieu of cleaning toilets, the students had to attend a “detention [aka “restorative”] conference” for a scolding.)

Pedicone’s contradiction (hypocrisy?) is staggering:

Although I focus above on the Cholla students, Wakefield Middle School MAS students were suspended from school for having missed classes to participate in First Amendment-protected educational activities.

The suspended students were prohibited by TUSD from attending school. So, rather than staying home, they attended classes at a “Teach-in” at the University of Arizona. Pedicone is actually objecting to the students being in a learning environment on a school day rather than hanging out at home, or wherever. Incredible!

(Shamed by the students’ desire to learn rather than stay home, TUSD rescinded the suspensions.)

Instead of going around asking that people be punished for exercising their first amendment rights, Pedicone should justify his obviously biased and discriminatory attitude and actions regarding MAS students who miss school to engage in educational activities vis a vis students who ditch school for Senior Ditch Day.

Salomon

Dear Tucson Progressives,

This letter is to affirm that we the members of the TUSD Mexican American Studies (MAS) Advisory Board unequivocally support the Director of the MAS program, Sean Arce. Recently he has come under fire because of some decisions he has made as the director. The MAS Community Advisory board stands by Mr. Arce and absolutely trust his judgment and leadership.

Community comes out to support Sean Arce, MAS director.

Many of you know that Sean is a well known and respected community leader that has passionately fought for the education of local Mexican American children for the past couple of decades. He was among the top leadership responsible for successfully advocating for the program back in the 1990′s. He was a leader of the organization CONMAS that lead the the creation of MAS. He later became part of the MAS staff and then promoted to his current position as the director of this program.

The MAS advisory board is very concerned about the lack of support and outright hostility Mr. Arce is experiencing from his superiors at TUSD. Dr. Pedicone has, against our wishes, appointed Dr. Garcia as Mr. Arce’s immediate supervisor. We take issue with the recent reprimand she gave Mr. Arce because of his cancellation of the MAS Awards Ceremony. Mr. Arce is a professional and we will not second guess his decisions or question his devotion for our youth. He has more than proven his commitment to our community and our children over the past two decades.

In closing, while Mr. Arce’s successful advocacy for the creation of the MAS program was only possible on the shoulders of many community leaders from the 60′s and 70′s, no one else deserves more credit or recognition for the nationally recognized success and innovation of this current program. He has stood by our community and has guided the initial creation and current defense of MAS without hesitation and we stand by him. We ask that you continue to join us in our absolute support of Mr. Sean Arce.

Sincerely,

The MAS Community Advisory Board
Elizabeth Soltero, Co-Chair, elizsoltero@gmail.com
Raul Aguirre, Co-Chair, reaadvertising@aol.com
Antonio Estrada, Ph.D.
Beto Guerrero, Ph.D.
Darlane Santa Cruz
Gustavo Chavez
Hon. Regina Romero
Hon. Richard Elias
Isabel Garcia, Esq.
Julio Cammarota, Ph.D.
Kim Dominguez
Lupe Romero, Ph.D.
Miguel Ortega
Pepe Barron, Ph.D.
Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith
Roberto Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Ruben Reyes
Wesley Narro