This week, yes, we finally dish out endorsements. Yes, I know, not every office is given its due, but we’ve taken a few shots at offices that we know some people are still scratching their heads over, such as the Pima County Sheriff’s race and yes, TUSD school board.
There are a few other races there and reminders, such as the fact that Pima County Superintendent Ally Miller has a Dem challenger. Like our political cartoon master Rand Carlson said a couple of weeks ago in Random Shots: Ally is the pickle, so you know, vote for Bickel. It’s the right thing do folks.
Less crazyland in Pima County is better for everyone. TUSD is one of those difficult endorsements and it has been for many an election season. We are asking you to vote for incumbents Kristel Foster and Cam Juarez, but with some trepidation recognizing that they have challenges, but knowing they can do better. Please, this time round, if elected, do better. We know you can. Betts Putnam Hidalgo, however, needs your vote, deserves it and the district will only flourish, including the current board majority, with her leadership. There’s more … and here’s an extra for good measure … retire McCain. It’s time.
Kirkpatrick isn’t my favorite Democrat and she has some explaining to do here and there, but I think she can easily handle the office. McCain, however, needs to retire and write a book about his days when Republicans were real and not just a mythology that comes up when we think about Goldwater. And let me be clear from my last diatribe complaining about the state of national politics.
I am voting Hillary Clinton. I’m not angry that my Bernie didn’t win. I’m no third party person, hanging on to Gary or Jill. No way. I wish Clinton was less hawkish, but I recognize what we have before us. I’ll be proud to see a woman make it to this office, especially someone who has dedicated her life to public service. Enough arguing around the dinner table. Vote. If your uncle tells you he voted for Jill and not Hillary, give him a hug. Let’s move on and put this state of Trump and white nationalist bullshit we’ve been dealing with behind us.
— Mari Herreras,
mherreras@tucsonweekly.com
This article appears in Oct 20-26, 2016.
Said like a true confusionist. Hillary has dedicated her life to public service? She has dedicated her life to her bank account from cattle futures to the Clinton Foundation. She consistently lies and cheats. Without repurcussion.
But hey, she’s a woman. Maybe next time we can raise our standards but for now we will drag the bottom of the barrel. If she wins can she avoid prosecution for four years? Hard to say.
It has nothing to do with the fact that HRC is a woman. It has to do with the fact that she is a better (although not the greatest) choice than an egotistical, xenophobic, racist, misogynist, accused child raping hothead.
It’s already a fact though. Chump’s gonna lose. Stock up on the Blue Bunny and facial tissue, because you and all the other Chump lovers are gonna need it.
Crying shame. (Not really.)
Hillary must have been born under a lucky star. Handed the opportunity to run against the single most preposterous Republican candidate in our history, it looks as if she might scrape through to victory on the reality behind the reality star, Trump is Mencken’s imbecile and a deviant to boot.
Watching the final debate last night I watched Clinton repeatedly freeze when questioned or attacked on her dismal performance as Secretary of State and on the family profiteering under the auspices of the Bonnie and Clyde Global Initiative. And no, I haven’t forgotten about the “damn emails.” With every new leak I realize exactly how corrupt she and her gang truly are but I guess that’s what the meaning of “quid pro quo” is (sort of like what the meaning of “is” is).
Let’s not be naïve. Politics is, by its very nature, corrupt. It always has been and always will be. The most effective President will be the one who can best game the system.
How truly disappointing da coach.
Why not settle the Russian controversy? Podesta could turn his computer and all emails over to Congress, or even Comey’s FBI. Let’s see if the Russians actually changed or forged them. I would bet they are verbatim. The DNC tried to lie their way out of it last night.
Try lying to the IRS on YOUR taxes.
I also watched Hillary last night and I lost even more respect for her. Either way we are going to be greatly troubled with the outcome.
Do we deserve this?
George S that begs the question, can Hillary be more disappointing than Barack Obama?
While Betts has done many good things, she has also:
1. Publically endorsed a campaign with Holocaust-denier [ADL] Norman Finkelstein.
2. Participated in an event using the IPMN “Steadfast Hope” curriculum. Dexter Van Zile from Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) reported extensively on the “Steadfast Hope Curriculum” as full of lies, and supportive of terror. The JCPA (nationwide umbrella organization for bi-partisan Jewish Community Relations Councils) condemned the IPMN as antisemitic. The JCPA’s Ethan Felson conducted a training in Tucson showing the IPMN to regularly invoke racist, antisemitic, tropes.
3. Publically expressed solidarity with John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, authors who allege that the US government is controlled by pro-Israel lobbyists.
4. Picketed The Jewish Festival at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, demonizing Jews and Israel and frightening preschool children. (I was the staff photographer who took photos of her picketing.)
5. Self-identified as a member of Women In Black, an organization that is viewed by many as crossing the line between being anti-occupation and demonizing Israel and holding Israel disproportionately responsible for the conflict.
Sources:
http://normanfinkelstein.com/…/a-call-for-justice-and-dece…/
http://azactionnetwork.org/…/Perspectives-on-Peace-and-Just…
http://www.archipelago.org/vol10-12/freesp…
Thanks for that info, MJ.
Is that true Betts?
I am ashamed that I have not heard or learnd of any of these affiliations about Betts and am happy for the comments found here. I was just about to fill out my ballot but have now put it aside and also ask Betts for full disclosure with regard to the above listed affiliations and endorsements. It needs to happen sooner than later because without a response, I simply will not vote for her. Hate begets hate and if she has not learned this critical lesson in her role as an activist at her age, there really is no hope for her. I will NOT vote for Juarez or Foster. The District has declined more than can be told under HT Sanchez and his iron fist. Foster and Juarez have empowered the HT fist. Mari, they have wasted four years, which amounts to an entire high school experience. For my granddaughter who began Kndg. during Sanchez’ first year, it has meant her most formative educational years. Our family has purchased pencils, paper, Kleenex, crayons, and donated in many other ways in order to compensate for what the District has failed to supply to her school. We have all read how much money is being funneled to less important places, including Sanchez bank account. I am disappointed with you Mari. Giving these incompetents another chance is irresponsible. Your initial MAS connection to them has tainted your perception and you have believed their shallow commitments as they have expressed to you that they have learned lessons. This is not on the job training. Both are unethical. Both are liars.
Norman Finkelstein is not a “Holocaust denier,” both his parents were Holocaust survivors. That took about 3 seconds of research to find, btw, I’ve never even heard of this guy before. If that’s your lead point, I’m concerned with the credibility of the rest of your post.
Give me a break. This trumped up crap about Betts Putnam Hidalgo is not only a complete fabrication, but it also has ZERO to do with TUSD.
She’s the most qualified governing board candidate this troubled district has seen in ages.
Enough lies, MJ. We’ve heard it all before, and it’s getting a bit stale.
Dear “Try Using Google”.
Reading past the first few lines of his wikipedia entry one will find that Finkelstein (who Betts has aligned with) does indeed have parents who survived the Holocaust. He talks about them in his book “The Holocaust Industry”, which led the Anti-Defamation league called him a “holocaust denier”.
The debate in academia and the Jewish community is whether he denied the Holocaust outright, denied aspects of it, trivialized it, or minimized it.
Whether Finkelstein is a Holocaust Denier, or a “Holocaust Minimizer”, “Holocaust Revisionist” or “Holocaust Trivializer.” as is the position of the ADL, American Jewish Congress, Alan Dershowitz, and the Jewish Virtual Library, which writes:
“Whereas hard-core deniers posit that the Holocaust is fiction…Finkelstein accepts that the mass murders did occur, but then joins the deniers in claims that Jews are collectively abusing this history for evil purposes.”
OR
For more defenses of Finkelstein, you can visit David Dukes’ website, which contains 10 articles that defend Finkelstein.
David Duke or 100 Jewish Organizations?
____
Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dershowitz%E…
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsour…
http://davidduke.com/?s=norman+finkelstein
Bob –
My connection of Betts with Holocaust Deniers, Anti-Semites and Anti-Zionists is clearly documented in my sources.
I am not questioning her other qualifications. Betts has many great qualities, and could be a great board member for a district with no Jews, Israelis or Zionist Christians.
I am saying, these ties have EVERYTHING to do with TUSD, because Jewish students attend TUSD.
As we have gotten rid of the anti-black, and anti-Hispanic board members, we cannot replace them with people who will not treat Jewish, Zionist and Israeli students equally.
________
Your allegation “we’ve heard it all before” instead of an appeal to actual facts is exactly what the Trump supporters say.
As I say to the Trump supporters, “Hatred is hatred, facts are facts, past associations matter. Words matter.”
Trump and Betts have been seen Jew-baiting and aligned with Holocaust-Deniers, anti-semites and liars.
Trumps’ Jewish son-in-law doesn’t mitigate that. Nor do Betts’ good qualities.
MJ,
Your wild-eyed conspiracy theories–complete, of course, with the requisite links to multitudinous crackpot sources–is all a bit much. It certainly has no place in this board race. I’m sorry that you apparently have some axe to grind, or suffer from a bit too much free time. But I think you should give it a rest. And offer an apology to Betts Putnam-Hidalgo.
MJ,
Such utter crap. Grijalva, Jaurez, Foster crowd taking you out to lunch? Literally and figuratively?
Right on, Carrie. One wonders which of the two TUSD board incumbents put MJ up to this. Both Cam Juarez and Kristel Foster have already distinguished themselves by running the sleaziest reelection campaigns in the history of the district.
Well, one thing for certain – hate is alive and well in the pages of the Weekly, and fostered by Mari Herreras who has a long personal history of shunning Jewish people and making remarks that are hostile to the Jewish community. I feel she is urging violence against the Jewish, Black and NAtive American communities. Any person with moral standards, or love for our community will not advertise in the hate rag called the Tucson Weekly.
Barry Goldwater?
On the Clinton health care proposal: “If you made it law, it would cost as much as the whole country is worth. I would have to sell my automobile, my house, my property, everything, and contribute it to that, and you know that’s not going to happen.”
When the senator’s comments on health care are repeated to Susan Goldwater, she says, “He’s so ill-informed about it, and he shouldn’t even talk about it.”
Turns out that he was right. 25 years ago.