Latest lunacy from the left invades news, ASU

We read the AZ Republic so you don’t have to

The Hillary-endorsing Arizona Republic newspaper appears to be on a quest to outdo its own excesses.

First, a bit of levity which is deserving of being called, “a good for a laugh” headline:

“As Sen. Jeff Flake stokes White House speculation, his political brand seems in tatters.”

No kidding? Flake is not running for reelection to his single term senate post due to 18% approval ratings, no doubt exacerbated by his relentless brutalization of President Donald Trump. As Trump’s numbers continue to soar, Flake’s have tanked. If he can’t generate support in his home state, it’s unlikely he’d fare better elsewhere, though he’s irrationally been to the primary battleground state of New Hampshire twice recently.

On Saturday, as the Supreme Court confirmation vote was taken, one of the radical hooligans in the senate gallery yelled out, calling Jeff Flake, “a coward.” These are the same people he has actively courted, and are now turning on him. No wonder his eyebrows are down-turned and his perpetual smirk has been replaced by the pained look of a man with inflamed hemorrhoids.

Moving right along, we’ll give you a front page headline under a photo of a person resembling the newspaper’s editorial page editor, Phil Boas, though sporting long hair. You’ll remember him as the man responsible for overseeing the in-tandem opinion pieces — some masquerading as reports — persistently hammering and working double-time to remove Sheriff Joe Arpaio from the elected office he held for an unprecedented six four-year terms. Arpaio is Boas’ father-in-law.

But, no. The photo is not Boas, but a person named Natalie Diaz. Below the photo is this headline: “ASU poet gets MacArthur ‘genius’ grant, worth $625 K.”

Turns out the “genius” is “one of only 25 people nationwide to receive such a bounty. And what sets this poet who works in the ASU English Department apart from the academic herd?  According to the report, “Her poetry draws on her experiences as a Mojave American and Latina to challenge the mythological and cultural touchstones underlying American Society.” There’s even more that makes Diaz so deserving of the prize money.

In addition to Latina, Diaz self identifies as ‘queer and indigenous” expressing hope “to offer visibility to queer people and show how they have been hurt and erased. Also how they deserve and express love.”

If you thought the English Department was a safe space for your college students, think again. There is probably an assignment on “Toxic Masculinity,“ which is actually being considered as a course for integration into Minnesota kindergartens.

 The Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a “philanthropic” organization with assets of approximately $7 billion that supports the promotion of leftist causes such as “over incarceration, global warming and nuclear risk,” as it “continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsible and responsive democracy.”

Get it?

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AZ Republic views ethnicity as top attribute in Gov’s race

Although Arizona’s newspaper of record is still in the thrall of mourning over the passing of John McCain, it has found room on Page One to gear up for Nov. General Election. In the Sunday edition, the Periódico de la República de Arizona  (Arizona Republic) briefly cast aside its grief and all but gave an early endorsement to David Garcia, the Democrat gubernatorial candidate, in an zealous paean that filled a third of the jump page.

There was the cursory, ‘He’s good on education,’ spew that pales in comparison to Gov. Doug Ducey falling on his sword and ponying up the 20% pay hike demanded by the teachers who walked off their jobs for a week. They deserved to be fired rather than rewarded for abandoning over 800,000 students statewide in violation of their contractual agreements.

The teacher’s unions — whose members work 8½ months a year — should consider Ducey their hero.  Instead, they’re enraged that their latest extortionist ploy — #InvestInEd, an irreversible constitutional amendment slated to be on the ballot as Prop. 207, a Marxist redistribution of wealth ‘tax the rich’ scheme — was deep-sixed by the Arizona Supreme Court. They hold Ducey, not the justices responsible. That these educrats who lack a basic grasp of the three distinct branches of government, are teaching Arizona’s students, should concern us all.

What sets Garcia apart isn’t his choice in food or drink, described in minute detail, including his refusal to drink milk at someone else’s home, as his campaign bus hit the political trail. His major accomplishment, over which he has no control, is his ethnicity.  Being a Hispanic running for governor appears to be his major attribute, according to reporter Richard Ruelas. The headline topping his report reads: “Aiming for historic win, Garcia gets on the bus— Democrat would be 2^nd Latino governor of Arizona.”

We’ve already had four women governors so gender politics has lost its panache.  In over his head, after serving less than half of his four year term, Arizona Gov. Raul Castro eagerly accepted the offer of President Jimmy Carter to take the post of ambassador to Argentina and was gone in a flash.

Garcia lost his 2014 bid for Superintendent of Public Instruction and now is now focusing his gubernatorial campaign on recklessly abolishing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) leaving our southern border even more vulnerable to criminals. Garcia is also opposed to constructing the much needed wall along our southern border.

His extreme views mirror those of the left-wing, Hillary-endorsing Arizona Republic, but not the voters of the state of Arizona who overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Divisive identity politics is all David Garcia has.  Running the state requires far more than he offers.

The differences couldn’t be more clear. The wise votes will go to Gov. Ducey. Even Mario Diaz agrees.

AZ Gov poll: Unreliable data given nod by leftist AZ Republic

This sample of the skewed polls conducted by the left-of-center Public Policy Polling (PPP) should give anyone paying attention a solid basis for doubting the veracity of the company’s conclusions. The liberal, Hillary-endorsing Arizona Republic newspaper, however, engaging in wishful thinking, runs with the survey’s findings.

 The newspaper headlines its report, “Doug Ducey, David Garcia neck-and-neck in governor’s race, according to post-primary poll.” Omitted is the fact that it editorially endorsed Democrat David Garcia in the primary election — though admitting PPP did not clarify whether those surveyed were “likely voters,” which is a defining element of such polls.

Seeing Red AZ has not always been on-board with Gov. Ducey. His pandering to Arizona striking teachers demanding a 20% pay hike as they abandoned over 800,000 students in a week-long #RedsForEd*protest and in violation of their contractual agreements, was infuriating. Ducey likely thought his acquiesce would pull the satisfied teachers into his corner.

In fact, just the opposite was true.  They were emboldened by the pay raise, rather than satisfied. Their next effort was #InvestInEd, an extortionist Marxist redistribution of wealth initiative— an irrevocable constitutional amendment —– recently removed from the November ballot by the Arizona Supreme Court, for not accurately representing key elements of the “increased tax burden on the affected classes of taxpayers.” It was slated to appear as Prop. 207. The unionist teachers, who obviously confuse the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government, are misdirecting their ire on Ducey.

 The permanent funding stream would have been in addition to other subsidies already in place. Passage of ballot propositions — 301 in 2000 increasing the state sales tax and 123 in 2016 a grab from the state land trust — guaranteed more money for education, which apparently is never enough for the teachers who work 8½ months a year. School districts routinely hold budget overrides and bond elections to “get more money into the classroom” —- eduspeak for bolstering teacher’s salaries. A major premise of passing the Arizona Lottery in 1980 was that money from ticket sales would fund schools.

Despite our differences with Gov. Doug Ducey, he is a far superior November General Election candidate than reckless, radical open border supporting David Garcia, who has made getting rid of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a top priority of his campaign. He’s a liberal DACA proponent, who also opposes construction of a border wall. Garcia is a single issue candidate whose focus is not Arizona citizens.

 *SRAZ added the “s” on Red since the teachers are led by a 24-year-old hip-hop music teacher and self identified socialist — acclaimed by the Socialist Worker publication, who coordinated Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in Arizona.

AZ Guv Ducey dogged by dicey problems

When Arizona teachers marched off the job following a self-identified socialist pied piper as they abandoned 800,000 students statewide this past Spring, they were demanding higher pay.  Though they work approximately 8 1/2 months a year, they wanted salaries commensurate with other jobs where employees are expected to work in the summer and are only allowed Thanksgiving Day off, having to be back at their post the following day. Winter and Spring breaks, previously referred to as Christmas and Easter before the educrat PC Police neutered the holidays are two full weeks. Days off for “Fall Break” are in October. A weeklong “Spring Break” is separate from “Spring Holiday.” A week for “Fall Break” is separate from Thanksgiving.

Do you get an early release from work so you can “collaborate” with your colleagues? Bet not. Twenty-one days in the school year are so designated. How about those half days off for “planning“? This school district calendar was randomly selected.

Still, the teachers whined, threatened and left. Had Ducey possessed the cajones of Ronald Reagan when the demanding PATCO union air traffic controllers walked out, canceling over 7,000 flights, the outcome would have been much different. Reagan fired 11,345 unionists (1 min. video), who refused to return to work. The world continued to spin on its axis and flights flew with senior management taking the reins.

Following his acquiescence to the RedsForEd 20% pay hike, during which he claimed there would be no accompanying tax increase, Ducey is being vilified by the same marauding teachers, who now blame him that their latest money stream scheme InvestInEd (Prop. 207) — an irrevocable constitutional amendment funneling an additional $700 million yearly to further pad salaries — failed to qualify for the Nov. ballot. It wasn’t Ducey, but the AZ Supreme Court which declared the sponsors misrepresented its actual intent in the proposition‘s ballot description. In fact, it is a Marxist redistribution of wealth scheme based on placing onerous tax burdens on small business owners, other job creators and many two salaried professional families, the teachers view as “the rich.”

Now Ducey is also charged with the duty of replacing a newly constructed deity, albeit a perpetually deceptive one, with feet of clay. Ducey, up for reelection on the Nov. ballot is being challenged by reckless, radical Democrat David Garcia, who will win the support of the far-left unionist teachers.

And now, with John McCain buried after numerous funerals, it falls on Ducey to name his successor. That could be dicey for Ducey. He needs to be mindful of the conservatives, so despised by McCain, but whose votes he desperately needs in November.

Marxist InvestInEd Prop 207 off Nov. ballot

Arizona’s Supreme Court has acted in the interest of the state’s taxpaying citizens by rejecting the latest curare arrow in the quiver of the educrat unionists. The Invest in Education Act, was a redistribution of wealth measure, that would have made Karl Marx proud.  It was crafted specifically to “tax the rich” — who already pay the highest tax rates. In its sights were job creators, often small business owners, dual-earner families, and even some retirees who made smart investments while living slim during their working years.

This is the order, reversing a trial court’s judgment, and signed by Chief Justice Scott Bales.  He wrote, “The description did not accurately represent the increased tax burden on the affected classes of taxpayers” and “failed to reference the elimination of bracket inflation indexing.”  All of the previous actions going back to the trial court case can be seen here.

This extortionist measure was endorsed by the same RedsforEd* public school teachers who abandoned their students for a week in April, violating their contractual agreements, while striking for a 20% pay increase. They marched in lockstep following pied piper Noah Karvelis, 24, a hip-hop music teacher and self described socialist, who was Bernie Sanders 2016 Arizona presidential campaign organizer.

Gov. Ducey, initially asserting he would not meet their demands,  rashly acquiesced to the teachers, providing the launching pad for the newly titled, Prop. 207. As a constitutional amendment, its tax penalties amounting to around $700 million annually would have been unalterable. But that wasn’t enough for the teachers. They are now protesting against Ducey.

The permanent funding stream would have been in addition to other subsidies already in place. Passage of ballot propositions — 301 in 2000 increasing the state sales tax and 123 in 2016 a grab from the state land trust — guaranteed more money for education, which apparently is never enough for the teachers who work 8½ months a year. School districts routinely hold budget overrides and bond elections to “get more money into the classroom” —- eduspeak for bolstering teacher’s salaries. A major premise of passing the Arizona Lottery in 1980 was that money from ticket sales would fund schools.

Arizona’s Supreme Court Justices deserve accolades for seeing through this deceptive con and acting in the interest of taxpayers.

* SRAZ added the “s” on Red for a more accurate description.

UofA pays radical Hezbollah-supporting Noam Chomsky, 89, $750k to teach “politics”

This preposterous story is factual and happening right here in Arizona.  And guess what?  You’re paying for it with your tax dollars.  Judicial Watch reports that  the University of Arizona — a public university —  hired 89-yearr-old radical leftist Noam Chomsky at an outrageous salary of $750,000 a year. Chomsky, who supports Hezbollah, will teach his famously leftist brand of politics.

The information was obtained by Judicial Watch after a months-long battle with the taxpayer-funded institution for access to its records.

Judicial Watch launched an investigation after the University of Arizona (UA), located in Tucson with an enrollment of about 40,000, announced that it hired Noam Chomsky to teach a general education course for undergraduates titled “What is Politics?” In the announcement UA describes Chomsky as a “world-renowned linguist” and one of the “most cited scholars in modern history.”

The reality is that Chomsky is an extreme leftwing propagandist who defends communist regimes—including those in Vietnam and Cuba—and openly supports the anti-Israel and anti-U.S. terrorist organization Hezbollah. In fact, Chomsky met with Hezbollah leaders n Lebanon even though the State Department lists the group as a terrorist organization and the elderly professor has publicly supported the militant group’s right to be armed.

At the time Chomsky was a professor of linguistics at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a private institution that can hire whoever it wants with no public accountability. However, UA is funded with taxpayer dollars and must comply with public-records laws meant to keep government transparent. It still took UA four months to provide Judicial Watch with the records of Chomsky’s outrageous deal.

The records show that the university’s relationship with the decrepit academic began several years ago while he was still teaching at MIT. Chomsky delivered guest lectures at UA, mostly in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the university eventually hired him as a “consultant” for $65,000. His consultant duties were to show up only six times for a politics class with only 38 students, which means he received north of $10,000 a lecture.

 The class met for 7 ½ weeks and Chomsky was to attend only on Thursdays for a total of six sessions, the contract obtained by Judicial Watch shows. UA subsequently hired Chomsky to teach for three years—from 2017 to 2020—at an annual salary of $250,000. The money comes from tuition dollars, grants, contracts and other funds generated by the public institution, the records show.

Pouring salt on the wound, UA lost nearly $25,000 hosting lectures (“THE HAURY CONVERSATION: NOAM CHOMSKY TALKS WITH TONI MASSARO”) featuring Chomsky. The school promoted one of them as an event in which Chomsky would speak on “a range of topics that could include the refugee crisis, political conflict, democracy, capitalism, climate change and social inequality.”

The records show that the outlay expenses by UA for both lectures totaled $17,007.01. An invoice for $12,687.16 dated April 30, 2018, appears to be a payment to Eventbrite from the university for the second of the two Chomsky lectures. Ticket sales came in at $12,385 and ticket costs totaled $7,683.24. When combined with the original outlays, UA lost $24,992.41 on both of the Chomsky events. It should be noted that UA has not hosted similar events for any other academic in the past 24 years, making the Chomsky fiasco a unique, one-time production at a loss to taxpayers for a radical leftist political activist.

The university’s arrangement with Chomsky has outraged many, especially those with connections to the school. Bevan Olyphant, a former Green Berets who taught a leadership class in the honors program at UA, got paid $1,500 a semester and says a full engineering professor at UA receives an average annual salary of $80,000.

This is enraging considering the university is paying Chomsky an astounding quarter of a million dollars a year. Olyphant, who owns a ranch in southern Arizona, said this is the response he got from the president of UA when he requested that the university bring in conservative speakers: “We can’t do that! We would have a riot,” Olyphant told Judicial Watch. As part of the investigation into Chomsky’s egregious deal, Judicial Watch requested records of UA’s contracts with other speakers and lecturers and none were conservative.

Harassment claims lobbed, $$ demanded: Who are the victims?

Claims of sexual harassment rock a Valley charter school

The facts of the case are obscured by “she said” allegations in this age of #MeTooism, but the report in the daily newspaper raises red flags on several fronts.

Charter schools have been in the newspaper’s sights editorially, in contrived news reports and gnawed on by the toady columnists, seeking job security, awaiting their retirement and Social Security checks to kick in.  Parental choice in the education of their children is deemed risky and inappropriate.

Charters, which frequently outperform government schools, (US News and World Report clearly shows AZ Charter high schools topping the national list) are the go-to, reliable whipping boys when there is no actual news. Those in charge of the schools earn “too much,” a mantra never sung about the overpaid university presidents at ASU, UofA or NAU.

Now a lengthy headline blasts this accusation, “Glendale charter school teachers accuse principal, vice principal of sexual harassment.”

Despite the headline, the report makes it clear that these two women, now issuing a multi-page demand letter for $200,000 each, were less than victims. One went out for drinks with the man she now accuses of drugging and sexually harassing her. The other engaged in a consensual sexual relationship, only complaining after the ongoing liaison concluded. They were so damaged that only a couple of hundred thousand dollars and the firing of the principal and vice principal, effectively destroying their careers, will make the women whole again.

The two men and the school are named in the second sentence of the news report. The women are referred to as “the women.” As is too often the case, allegations carry the same heft as guilt.

Cold cash and retribution appear to be the most soothing balms.

The school’s superintendent said she received no complaints of harassment from school employees, including from the two teachers, who have since left their jobs.

An attorney for the school says an investigation of the women’s claims in underway, but added that they have “serious credibility problems” and the school “disputes nearly all of the factual allegations” in the demand letter.

The actual facts of the case have yet to be established. But the principal and vice principal are already guilty as charged by “the women.” They are toxic men, after all.