By: Vince Yanez

In the 1480’s, Leonardo da Vinci conceptualized how a helicopter would work, it took 300 years before someone was able to actually build one. Jules Verne, in 1865, put humans in a rocket and sent them to the moon; it took us 100 years to catch up. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. talked about a day when black and white could see each other as equals. 47 years later, well, just turn on our television and see how far we haven’t come.

When I was a young lad, if you had asked me what the world would look like in 2010, I would have said we would all be flying around in cars, using jet-packs, our meals would be pills and we would be able to read each other’s thoughts.  I would have said, by 2010, we would have figured out time travel and movie theaters would have smell-o-vision. Buck Rogers and the 21^st Century showed us we’d be hanging out with robots, wearing silver clothes, shooting lasers and flirting with aliens from other worlds. 2010 was a long ways away.

I wonder, in 1963, if you had asked those people on the steps of the Lincoln memorial if we’d ever have an African-American president, would they have laughed at you or would they have said, ‘Maybe?’ If you asked a Vietnam Veteran in the late 70’s, ‘would the American people ever allow the government to put our men and women in harm’s way without a plan or exit strategy?’ Would they have laughed at you or would they have said, ‘Maybe?’

If you were told, back in 1983, 1995 or even in 2001, that we would still be hearing racist remarks shouted from the pulpit, a news organization, a political movement, the mayor of a New York town or the legislature of a Southwestern state, would you have thought ‘No, not our America, not that far into the future’, or would you have thought, ‘Maybe?’

I am naïve. I live in a country that put a man on the moon, builds nuclear submarines, invented the internet and eradicated polio. I assumed we would be using flying cars and jetpacks by now. I would have thought, in the 21^st Century, an African-American president would be no big deal (or a woman or a homosexual). I would have figured that by 2010 we would have realized the strength of our Republic lies not in its military might, but in educating its citizens, and in my optimistic-youth, I would have imagined that we would have gotten past the ignorance, fear and hate known as our Racism Problem in America.

It appears I was wrong on all counts.

By: Linda Gross

(This op ed piece launches a new series looking at local and national politics. We invite guest columnists and ask readers to weigh in on their thoughts as we head into the Fall. )

The rhetoric of politics will soon take center stage in our lives as we head into mid-term elections. And the question we ask readers this week is when does rhetoric become reactionary?

Remember the Gangsta rap of the 1990′s which was accused of inciting violence against a host of evils including policemen and women? And planting seeds in young people which lead to bad things for society?

Communities of God-fearing folk and the FCC stepped in and censored some of the most onerous speech. Maybe it’s time we look at the consequences of political rhetoric.

Last week a lone gunman in LA was stopped by a CHP offer before he was able to carry out his mission to kill folks at the Tides Foundation; an organization whose mission “is to partner with philanthropists, foundations, activists, and organizations across the country and across the globe to promote economic justice, robust democratic processes, and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected.”

It is one of those progressive organizations which some on the Right love to hate. Especially Glen Beck, the Fox News talk show host who included Tides in his flow chart of conspiracy theories about the Obama administration. He says they are “pulling the strings of the Obama organization.”

While gansta rap is an expression of anger and frustration over white America, personal injustices, wide scale discrimination and dealin’ with “the man,”  the political rhetoric of  Beck and others find their audience by creating demons out of  “the gov’mt”, an America of Color, and godless folks.

Both make BIG money off their ability to whip up an audience without much thought given to consequences.

However, it is the consequences, which prompt God-Fearing folks to lobby the FCC to put a lid on rap music, citing it “… uses language that actively incites crime, for example encouraging weapons use, spousal abuse or homophobic attacks. Secondly, it glorifies a lifestyle that is rich with imagery of criminality (e.g. gun use and drug dealing) and this sends out a subconscious but consistent message affirming criminality…

This last week, police arrested a man on an LA freeway who admitted he was on his way to kill people at the local ACLU and Tides offices. He repeated many of the “talking points” of the Glen Beck show in which Beck includes these two organizations in his Good-n-Evil flow Chart. Beck, who makes hay whipping up his audience with his conspiracy theories and self-serving vision of truth would make any gansta rapper proud.

That white boy is on steroids when it comes to rappin’ fever.

Consequences of our speech? Nonsense.

We want to hear from you this week. Let us know if you think political speech can cross the line to gangsta rap.

By:VYanez

by Darin Lowery

Darin Lowery: Local writer and resident shares his views on Livin' Local

My high school English teacher was a pleasant man by the name of Mr. Beatty. He was slim and wore tweeds and had an amiable, professorial air. He put up with a lot from me, as most of my papers dealt with hookers, cheap drunks and nightclub singers- unusual material for a sixteen year old boy.

I’ll never forget his puzzling words after reading my first essay. “Darin,” he said, “almost every one of your sentences begins with an ‘I’. ‘I saw’, ‘I did’, ‘I went’- it just goes on and on. Perhaps you can use a different perspective.” Seeing as how ‘me saw’ sounds very much like a Vietnamese curry dish, I promptly forgot his suggestion. It just didn’t work for me. Besides- his class was the only one I excelled in. I flunked every other subject except Art.

And I loved the demimonde.

Welcome to DarinLand- the first in a series in weekly columns by yours truly. While I tend to be egocentric and self involved (but I really am trying to work through this, Oprah) there are times that my eyes do rise above my navel. On those days, moments in Life (mine, yours and ours), suspended like bits of reality in amber, seem so vivid they must be addressed.

DarinLand, if you will, is a collage, a mosaic, an amalgam of ideas and images and sometimes, a play of Dark against Light. It’s more a state of mind than a place; more a place than a fantasy. Sometimes it’s a prison; other times a church. It can be ‘sophisticated’ in its true sense, meaning ‘artificial’ (look it up) but it can also be as down and dirty as a bar brawl.

DarinLand is my life and all those who enter it. Welcome to my perfect world. Welcome to my nightmare.Living in the Globe-Miami area for five years now has definitely made me a sunnier, more affable guy. Perhaps it’s the light- that clear, swirling watercolor wash we call our sunsets. It reads a salmon pink and blood orange, and the trace of lemon yellow in the sky means that when a GlobeMiamiTimes article calls for a photo shoot, my editor Linda and I always opt for an after-seven snap session during the summer.

The photographer Annie Leibovitz, who shoots for Vanity Fair magazine, adores this type of light but I’ve never seen her or her camera on Broad Street.

The wind, too, has had an effect. Oh, you’ve seen movies where some wizened old duffer crawls off a porch, hair on fire, screeching, ‘The wind is a demon, the wind is ALIVE! I’ve gone mad in the last hour from this howling devil’.

Um, yeah.

The night air which rolls over my hill is actually a strong breeze, and with it comes coolness and the scent of pines and sweet four o’clocks. At times it also amplifies my neighbor’s musical choices, but we have similar tastes. When my pal Molly lived here, she always said she loved the way the loose shade on the old light post in back would rattle at night. For me, however, it only means the Earth is still spinning, and we each have a new opportunity to rise in the morning and begin again, fresh and clean and hopeful.

By: Linda Gross

The $500,000 Dog Park Challenge

The news spread rapidly when Purina/Beneful announced a half-million dollar contest for a dream dog park in May. All the lucky winner had to do was to submit a 2 minute video showcasing why they were the most deserving of such largess. The winning entry would get a $500,000 “extreme make over” which would obviously result in one amazing facility for dogs and dog-owners. The contest began in May and this August viewers will vote for the winner.

You won’t find the Globe Park video in this coveted circle. And maybe you will decide after looking at the entries, that we didn’t deserve to be in the final ten. But like the award winning  ALLY BANK commercials which drive home the point about fair play and transparent communication, we found the Beneful contest rife with potholes for contestants trying to play by the rules.

Instead of generating good will and positive branding for the Beneful/Purina name, our experience through this process soured our opinion about the company.  Here’s why.

1: Releases.

One of the contest rules was that if you used any music in your video, it had to be copyright free, and if you used other people in your video you had to have releases from every individual. So, we used a public-domain jingle from Apple which has no copyright issues according to the Apple folks. We also included photos of 3 individuals who we were going to submit releases for, but when we searched on-line for where to provide those releases and had to call the company to get clarification on how to submit the releases,  we were told by the company rep that NO RELEASES were needed with the submittal.

Only “when we won, would they ask us for that documentation.”  What?

There was no avenue in the submittal package itself to provide this information. So how did Beneful know the music was copyright free or that the individuals in the video would approve their images? Based on what the rep told us – Beneful would ask for that information AFTER the video had been selected?

Isn’t that like telling a Miss American contestant that a background check would only be performed if she won?

2: Problems with the Upload. “Others are having problems.”

We attempted 3 times to upload the QuickTime movie clip via a MAC on both Safari and Firefox to no avail.

We called customer service who informed Darin they would look into the problem and get back to him. And at the time confirmed that “we were not the only ones having problems.” No one ever called.

We then tried uploading via a PC and Internet Explorer. This time it went through and we got the message, “Thank you for your submission.”

Yet, after 2 days when we still didn’t see the video posted on Darin’s profile we called again. It would seem that even if the video was not accepted for the public contest, it would still be viewable on the contestants page. Our concern increased when Darin got an email – after this submission – saying his profile had not yet been completed.

3: “We are not responsible for the problems you are having with our contest”

Another call to the company connected us to Mark in Customer Service.  His response to a known problem should become a textbook example of BAD form and what not to do when faced with a problem. Darin carefully outlined our process to date, our problem with submitting release forms, our problems with the upload, our concern that our entry was not even received by the Company’s website and the lack of follow through so far of anyone we’d talked to. His request to have Mark simply check to see if our video had been received met with this canned response.

Mr. Customer Service began to read a prepared script which began “Thank you for your interest in Beneful..” and proceeded to outline that part of the contest rules which said the company wasn’t responsible for anything. It was implied that this covered even problems with the Beneful system which was set up to accept contest entries.

It was a clarifying moment. And one which didn’t put Beneful in a positive light.

4: Final wrap up… Thanks for playing

We made two final attempts to confirm that YES our video had been received. We were not angling for anything more than a shot at being IN the contest. This proved to be too much to ask. In talking with Mandy of Consumer Affairs- Darin was assured that if we had gotten the message “thank you…” then it was submitted and would be reviewed before being posted to the website.

She added that if it never showed up on the website then it was likely  disqualified for some reason.

Although, this seemed more of a guess on her part than actual knowledge.

On the final day of the  contest cut off, we again asked another customer service rep if it wasn’t reasonable to expect the video to at least show up on our profile indicating it HAD made it to their servers. This was impossible she said.  She could fill out a report. We reiterated the urgency of the matter.  I asked to speak to her supervisor, to which she informed me that she “was the only one here.”

I pictured a call center meant for 500 with one lone employee manning the Beneful phones during the last day for contest submittals.

One person manning the phones on the final day of a national contest which promised a $500,000 payoff seemed like incredibly lame planning for a big-time corporate brand – or a total disregard for those you have invited to the table to play your game.

5: Another Black Eye

Beneful may have hoped to counter-act the negative press they’ve had recently regarding their dog food by putting up money for a Dream Dog Park, but if our experience with the contest is indicative of how the company deals with it’s audience, then they just succeeded in creating another public relations black eye.

What’s been your experience with Beneful Dog Food? Or the Beneful/Wagworld Dog Park Contest. We’d like to hear from you.

By: Linda Gross

(Reprint from GlobeMiamiTimes-Summer Edition)

The first faces to greet you as you walk into Past Times Antiques are rescue dogs – every one. Toby, Lucy and Benji were all rescued by Cheryl and Richard Brazell, just hours before they were to be put down. The story repeats itself further down, where the owners of the Drift Inn, already parents to two dogs- and adamant about not adding a third, found themselves with a little white fluff of a dog when the animal control worker placed “Claraclause” in Lisa’s arms just before Christmas last year and said, please take this one. It’s her last day.

Benji, Toby and Lucy of Past Times Antiques

Marvin was once a street dog, but has adapted nicely to couch sitting.

Here in Globe-Miami, the animal shelter is located up by the Old Cemetery. It was built by the Humane Society over 30 years ago and by some accounts might be considered one of the “most challenged” facilities in the state. It is small, hardly adequate for the volume of homeless dogs which find themselves behind bars because a former owner found them inconvenient, or a good Samaritan found them wandering the streets and brought them in. the facility is tucked away from public view, making it less likely that animals are viewed by the public – and thus adopted- before having to be euthanize.

Last year the Shelter euthanized nearly 15 dogs/cats a week. This year they are averaging 12 dogs/cats a month.
The Society has been around since 1965. It began to deteriorate in the 1990’s but was revived again in June of 2000 when Shannon Coons took over as president. Although they began with a new Board and several volunteers at the time, over the last ten years the lions share of the work has been done by Shannon herself and local business owners, Laurie Manzano and Jon Stahlnecker of the Blue Mule, who volunteered their building, a lot of their own money and most of their personal time to take care of, house and show the cats.
The numbers tell the story. Since 2000, the Shelter has placed 400 dogs. A majority of the dogs that go through the Shelter are not that lucky.  Dogs which are brought in by their owners are euthanized almost immediately. Dogs which are “found” and brought in are kept for 3 days. It is simply a matter of not enough funding, staff or volunteers to do otherwise.

Laurie Manzano has rescued over 2000 cats and kittens in the last ten years

The outlook for cats is significantly better thanks to Laurie and Jon who not only show the cats in their art studio, but spend hundreds of hours socializing wild, Ferrel kittens, tending to wounds and diseases, and personalizing their stories in a way that invites good homes. To date, they have placed over 2100 cats. “Those are just the cats we track through the vet,” Laurie says, “but there have been hundreds of others over the years which she has fostered putting the number closer to 3000.
“The animals we take in just need time and visibility,” says Laurie. “Then we can do something with them. That is the challenge up there,” she says, indicating the dog shelter which sits up at the Old Cemetary. Out of sight. Out of mind. Most dogs don’t have a chance. Claraclause, Drifter, Benji, Toby, and Lucy have been among the most fortunate.
This year, the local Humane Society is facing several changes in the coming year, which could bode well for the dogs. Maybe. The facility where the Shelter is now standing is land which the City would like for the Cemetery. While, there are lots of moving parts to this equation, overall it might afford an opportunity to create a better shelter, with more visibility in a new location.

In addition, after ten years of managing the reins of the group, Shannon Coons will be stepping down. It’s a job with its share of burn-out and still, she and her group have had several successes to point to: the Gila Humane Society helped the community spay and neuter a few thousand dogs and cats with money from Elizabeth Williamson, and local/corporate donations.

In 2004 they began helping those in the community that really couldn’t get their animals fixed. And in 2007 they paid the Arizona humane Society to bring their van up to spay 198 animals. If it sounds like all the Humane Society does is focus on Neutering and Spaying, it might be because this is the leading cause of pet over population which creates “throw-away” lives. If they could get one point across and have it stick, it would be this: If you have an animal get it fixed. Don’t add to the cruelty.
Laurie, who has seen everything in her ten years of dealing with this problem says, “…even those who are feeding wild cats out of the kindness of their hearts don’t realize they are contributing to the cruelty and slow death of the street.” Both Blue Mule and the Society offer to loan out traps. “And a hungry cat will go in one,” says Laurie.  If you need to get a cat off the street Laurie will do what she can to help. Just remember- this is not her “job.”

She is just one woman fighting a tidal-wave of mis-guided and blantant irresponsibility when it comes to caring for these animals.

She is currently taking care of 40 cats at the moment.

There is the ten-year-old gray long-haired female which Laurie named “Grandma” who was obviously someones pet at one time (she was de-clawed). Found wondering on the street with most of her teeth gone, Dr. Eubanks of Samaritan Vet Hospital (who has worked closely with the Human Society for years) went ahead and managed to pull the rest of her bad teeth- leaving her with her canines. She eats just fine, Laurie says, and has earned the blue ribbon award for “ Super Friendly.”

Then there is the little grey striped kitten which is the only one to survive out of a litter of wild kittens. His mother was caught in a trap and left in 90 deg heat before the owners brought her in to Laurie. “She was dehydrated and I put her in the bathtub to cool her down and gave her a solution-but it all just ran out both ends. She died a few hours later. “

It was Laurie who went up to trap the remaining kitten and bring him back to the Studio. Today, you pick him up, he purrs, his belly has a nice soft round feel and he is in good hands. Soon, he’ll be in a good home.

After posting this sign, there has been a reduction in the number of animals which have been dumped on Laurie's doorstep.

Asked how she ended up with all these cats and the keeper of their futures, she laughs. “ I told people when I was young, I was going to end up with a Cat House. And here I am, living in an old Bordello, surrounded by cats!”
As a well known artist in the area, Laurie’s paintings reflect both a social and environmental theme. Her artwork has been used to raise funds for the Humane Society and other local causes, though she has little time for painting these days.
She put a sign up several months ago because she was overwhelmed with the number of people who would just drop off bags, baskets and boxes of kittens and cats. There has been no “dumping” since she put up the sign.
The new president of the Humane Society, Cherly Brazell says one of her key projects will be to establish an outreach program to kids to teach them responsibility toward pets, and to show the the consequences of over-population- perhaps by even letting the older kids visit the shelter. “We also want to see what could be done in stopping the practice of selling puppies in parking lots. Maybe this will slow down the backyard breeding. And ensuring that all dogs which leave the shelter are actually spayed and neutered. “

Every cat and kitten gets their story told at Blue Mule.

Anyone who has spent time working for or volunteering for the Humane Society know the demands of being at the front lines where a humane society meets up with inhumane treatment and attitudes. Yet, it also has its rewards. It is found in the eyes and wagging tails of cats and dogs who have homes- and lives – because folks like Shannon, Laurie, Jon, Lisa, Eileen, Cheryl, Richard and others cared enough to stand up for them.

**This Summer, The Humane Society was chosen by 5 merchants as their Charity of Choice for the 1st annual Five and Dive Tour. Riders will be asked to contribute a $1 or more at each of the five locations and all monies collected during the 12 week tour will go towards the needs of this organization.

Plus, our friends over at The Blue Mule Gallery have agreed to host a photo contest for rescue dogs. We’re calling it the, “Rescue Dog Days of Summer – a Wall of Fame for those who Cared .” The display will show case photos of all the dogs who have been adopted by our participating merchants, as well as any local resident or visitor who would like to contribute a photo of their “rescue dog!”

It’ll cost you a $1 (donation) to enter your photo into the Wall of Fame, which you know goes towards a good cause, and your photos will help drive home the point that no dog should go homeless! Please bring us your favorite photo!

We have seen the enemy, and he is us.

Before the Senate went home for their Independence Day Holiday Weekend, they refused to pass the extension of benefits for jobless Americans. Normally, unemployment benefits last 26 weeks, a little over six months is seen as a good amount of time to find a new job…in normal times.

However, these are not normal times. This country has been in a recession since the last President went back home to clear brush and learns how to eat pretzels. We have the highest unemployment since the Great Depression, with the average unemployment lasting from 9 months to a year. A recession, I remind you, that came to play with a Republican President and a Republican Senate. So technically, they bring us to the brink of collapse, we are narrowly avoiding a Depression and yet they cannot find it in their hearts/brains to help those Americans who are nothing more than victims to their idiocy.

Oh, one more fact. The unemployed are pretty equal as far as party lines, half of them are Democrat, half are Republicans. So the interesting question I have, are those Republicans who are now on the verge of losing their benefits, losing their homes and losing their livelihood still going to vote for their Republican candidates when the time comes? The Republican Senators don’t seem too worried.

Well, keep in mind that the Republican Party also fought against healthcare reform, every last one of them. Providing healthcare to all Americans was called ‘socialism’ and socialism is bad. Of course, these same Americans who shouted ‘Down with Socialism’ are the same ones that say Support our Troops, call our Firefighters and Police Officers heroes and like to pick up their mail each and every day. They also enjoy things like Social Security and Medicare, ALL which are socialist programs. So, they either really don’t like the military, fire department and hate their mail, or, they just didn’t understand what they were mad about.

And when the elections came, those Republican candidates who wanted to win talked about how they FOUGHT AGAINST the Obama Socialism of Healthcare. Funny thing is, of the 36 to 50 million Americans who are in need of healthcare, it is pretty evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. So once again, a group of people were shouting against something that they themselves needed as well.

Republicans also love to shout that they want lower taxes, they want less government involvement and that Americans need to stop expecting handouts and ‘pull themselves up’ by their own bootstraps.

We laughed at you when you said government intervention wouldn’t work and then pointed to the government run Medicare to make your point.  We chuckled when you said socialized healthcare wouldn’t work then refused to acknowledge that our military, which has one of the greatest healthcare systems in America, is actually a socialized healthcare system. We shake our heads when you fight for your gun rights so vehemently, that you give criminals access to things that not only endanger our law enforcement, but your family as well.

What we don’t laugh at is this.

‘…of the 32 states receiving more in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes — 76% are Red States that voted for George Bush in 2000. Indeed, 17 of the 20 (85%) states receiving the most federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid are Red States.’ ~ Taxprof.com

Yup, that’s right, those people who love to shout that people who want healthcare reform are ‘lazy Americans looking for a handout’, who vote for a party who refuses to help its own citizens who are trying to survive a recession that THAT PARTY is actually responsible for…are the ones who are sucking on the government teat more than anyone.

So here are my questions for Republicans. Why are you shouting against things you obviously need in order to live a better life? Why are you calling the rest of America lazy and socialists when you are taking more than anyone else? Why are you allowing your leaders to make decisions that are hurting you and your kids and in the case of guns, actually endangering your family? What’s the win?

Is it merely to keep President Obama from succeeding during his time in office? Are you so willing to give up the American dream because you don’t agree with a leader who was democratically elected? Are you so afraid of SOCIALISM that you aren’t willing to educate yourself on what it really is and how we are already using it in many ways? Is the constitution really that important to you when it comes to guns and taxes, but not so much when it comes to racial profiling and ‘anchor babies’?

You vote in people who represent your ‘views’, and by allowing them to stay, you become responsible for their actions. So I ask you, when did your political party become more important than your health, your job, your home, your family and your way of life? When did allowing your fellow Americans to lose their jobs, lose their unemployment and possibly lose their lives due to lack of healthcare, become patriotic?

Oops, that’s a lot of questions. Let’s just boil it down to one.

Why are you so willing to vote for someone that is willing to screw you so readily? We’re all curious.

The GUSD Board met on Tuesday to discuss Trent's request for retirement, indemnification of possible criminal charges, and to recind 44 days of vacation pay to John Marquez.Shown here: Board President,Cayci Vuksanovich, Members,Anna Harmon & Dale Fletcher. Photo by: LeeAnn Powers

This week, Dr. Timothy Trent  submitted his request for early retirement to the Globe School Board, after spending over a year on home assignment while an audit of financial, procurement and HR records was conducted by Education Review Group.

The results of the audit were posted on local radio station, gila101.9 in March, (and again here – see below).  During the year long process, the School Board studiously refused to discuss the audit or any findings with the public.

The audit was completed in March and it appears that the Board was scheduled to present the findings in a public forum earlier this month when the meeting was canceled at the last minute.

When faced with the option of  reviewing all charges using a mediator or taking early retirement, Trent and his attorney opted to go for early retirement which negated the public airing of charges.

While this closes one chapter of the saga, it does not wipe the slate clean. There is the on going investigation by the state’s attorney general and the lawsuit which has been filed by the couple against the School Board and individual members. All of this serves to keep the results of the audit on the table and promises to air additional grievances on both sides of the table as the legal machinations gear up for yet another chapter.

In Tuesday’s meeting, Trent also requested that the Board pay for his defense in the AG’s investigation, which they roundly denied. It is one thing to indemnify an employee for mistakes or mis-steps they make while discharging their duties, and quite another to indemnify criminal actions. The AGs office does not investigate mis-steps.

The degree to which this whole case has embroiled the parties in legal proceedings, seems excessive when compared to other brouhaha’s regarding dis-enfranchised Superintendents and their School Boards. Take the recent case of a Utah school district where … two of three candidates for Superintendent have backgrounds in which they were placed on leave. One candidate left his former position before his contract expired – “…forgoing any salary or benefits for the remainder of his contract in exchange for the Boards agreement not to fire him and to take a neutral position in discussing his job performance.” Utah’s search for Superintendents.

In that same case, State auditors found “improper and potentially fraudulent payments” totaling more than $88,000 to his buddy, the business manager.  The business manager has reimbursed the district for $55,522 of that amount. No criminal charges were filed. This Superintendent is re-applying to the Utah Board for a position and says his former performance should not impact the Boards decision.

The local case involving Timothy Trent and the Globe School Board involves bigger “improprieties.”

Just consider this from the audit:

An excerpt from the 47 page procurement report “… revealed millions of dollars spent on contractual services for technology services and equipment. Of the services, much of it was illegally paid from the improper accounts. Change orders authorizing extra payments were signed by Dr. Trent, and documentation on several of the agreements were not able to be found. In one instance, the auditors could not find in the school board minutes any authorization for technology services in the amount of $56,910. The auditors suggested in the report that “due to the amount of money GUSD spent and due to violations of procurement and lack of documentation… the Reviewers strongly recommend that an investigative unit of the Auditor General’s office or the Attorney General’s office investigate these expenditures.”

The local case also has more than it’s share of lawsuits flying around. The most recent to be filed is by Trent and Flores against the District and each Board Member.

So, instead of walking away with the salary he has been paid for the last year to be on home assignment  ($100K plus), Trent and local-county-attorney, legal-eagle wife (Daisy Flores), have deemed it necessary to sue the local school District for the audacity of investigating these things and causing ‘them’ distress. Trent’s new job appears to be as victim, and he and Flores, are asking the School District to pay out $2million in damages, including reimbursing the power-couple for a $9000 European vacation which they say was ruined when they discovered the bad news about the home assignment.

Ahh the wheels of justice – how they turn.

Let us know what you think!

********************

For those who want to track the issue, we have provided a time line of events with corresponding documentation.

June 2009: School Board votes in special session to re-assign Dr. Timothy Trent and Supervisor of Facilities, John Marquez to home while an independent audit is performed. Initially thought to be a three month process, the audit took nearly a year during which both men continued to receive their reg. salaries, but were precluded from coming on District grounds.

Nov 2009: Daisy and Trent file a letter of Notice of Intent.   2010_01_07_Trent Complaint

Jan 2010: A class action lawsuit is filed by teachers and administrators alleging that Trent “…engaged in a campaign of harassment, fear and intimidation…”Globe_20091119145048

March 2010: The 90-page Audit report is released to the press. It covers Finance, Procurement and Human Resources. See below:

GUSD Audit Review_Table of Contents

GUSD Audit Review_Finance

GUSD Audit Review_Procurement

GUSD Audt Review_Human Resources Part 1

GUSD Audt Review_Human Resources Part 2

GUSD Audit Review_Human Resources Part 3

GUSD Audit Review_Human Resources Part 4

GUSD Audit Review-Human Resources Part 5

June 28th, 2010 – In a special session, the Globe School Board accepts Dr. Trent’s retirement request.

However, they  deny his request to pay for his defense in the on-going investigation by the State’s Attorney Generals’ office and and to indemnify him against possible charges stemming from this investigation.

This last weekend, Dik Mickle, who owns the Howlin’ Javelina in Miami AZ opened up his bar early and invited his friends over for an early morning jam session for riders who are participating in the Five and Dive Summer Tour.

I took the opportunity to catch the group on a video clip which includes Dik Mickle, Dan Corradi, David Cluff, Sal Pizzo and Tim Hileman. Drummer/Songwriter, Tim Hileman toured nationally before coming back to his roots in Miami, and Dik Mickle and Sal Pizzo both used to play in various rock-n-roll bands in and around Tempe as far back as 1967. Although they knew of each other – they hadn’t met until now, but give that feeling of having played together for years. Dan Corradi, on electric guitar relocated to Globe several years ago where he and wife opened up a Radio Shack store, but music is still his passion. And the youngest member of the group – David Cluff- moved here from LA  to “take a break”.  He fills in with base guitar when needed, but can play anything.

There are others who join the core group for Fourth Friday’s including some ‘famous’ folks. Several months ago, Amy Schugar, sat in with the group. You just never know what talent will show up on stage at the Javelina….but it’s a show you don’t want to miss. Everyone has a good time and it’s hometown entertainment at it’s best!

And I shall name him, Pinocchio.

Brewer

Non-elect Governor Brewer has recently stated that most illegal immigrants entering Arizona are being used to transport drugs across the border. The Associated Press has demanded hard facts to substantiate such a claim, others are demanding she apologize for lying to the public, yet again (news.yahoo.com).

You and I both know her apology will be coming soon, and will most likely contain the words ‘I was misunderstood’.

Kyl

Senator Kyl recently stated that Obama said “the problem” with border enforcement measures is that “if we secure the border then [Republicans] won’t have any reason to support comprehensive immigration reform.”  The White House denied any such thing was said. Kyl didn’t budge, at first, but is now saying that his words were taken out of context (dailykos.com).

Sad how often he is misquoted with his exact words.

McCain

Senator McCain is running a Spanish-language ad that says then-Senator Obama tried to kill immigration reform. Just a few years ago, McCain actually thanked then-Senator Obama for his support of comprehensive immigration reform. He states that “Obama…is ready to block immigration reform, but not ready to lead.” Strange that McCain is acting as if he WANTS immigration reform in these Spanish-language ads, but in his English-language ads he’s talking about ‘Securing Our Borders.’ (alternet.org).

Sounds like someone can’t figure out who to pander to.

Arpaio

Sheriff Arpaio’s ‘immigration sweeps’ claim to be taking care of the ‘illegal problem’, but there is no actual data that these sweeps have done anything in combating major crimes and may actually be taking resources away from ‘actually’ combating major crimes.

Arpaio and others claim this new law is not going to ‘racially profile’ Hispanics, yet, dozens of officers are stationed in ‘Hispanic neighborhoods,’ ready to enforce the law and hopefully catch some illegal immigrants in the process. In April, 29 people were detained on ‘suspicion of being illegal’, but were actually legal residents of the U.S. One man, who showed officers his AZ I.D. card, proof of insurance, a passport and a visa, was still booked on ‘suspicion’ and held for 13 days because he could not pay bond. He was a legal resident of the U.S. (azcentral.com).

I wonder how many illegal Norwegians his officers have detained.

Crime

Supporters of 1070 have been screaming about the horrible crime due to these illegal immigrants in Arizona. Non-elect Gov. Brewer said, on Fox, “We’ve been inundated with criminal activity. It’s just – it’s been outrageous.” Unfortunately, the only thing that has been outrageous is the lies she is willing to tell to make a misguided point. FBI and border-town reports have shown that violent crime has actually DECLINED in the last two years. The rancher that was (supposedly) killed by an illegal immigrant has been touted as some sort of proof of this horrible crime wave. If it is proven that he was killed by an illegal immigrant, it will be the first murder by an illegal immigrant in the Tucson sector in at least a decade. Research and FBI statistics also show that those cities with the LARGEST illegal immigrant population have the least amounts of crime.

Seems the more illegal’s in your town, the safer your town (newsweek.com).

Money

Illegals are draining our economy! We’re paying for their healthcare, schools, etc! More screams from the 1070 supporters. According to a Fox Business article, even with the cost of health, education and safety, cities actually PROFIT from the tax revenues of said population (foxbusiness.com).

The New York Times shows that illegal immigrants are putting an estimated $7 BILLION dollars toward Social Security. (Nytimes.com).

Money that they will never see, but you will happily accept.

But the PEOPLE want…

When 1070 first reared its ugly head, supporters claimed that 70% of Arizonan’s wanted this bill. On April 27th, that number had dropped to 55% once people started finding out the truth, not only about the bill, but about the questionable people behind it. On April 28^th polls showed that 57% of Arizonan’s favored an immigration policy that welcomes all immigrants (morrisoninstitute.asu.edu).  Oddly, these ‘facts’ are never brought up by the supporters of 1070; they only cling to the old data that better supports their cause.

Here are some other interesting ‘facts’ both from public records and from the Morrison Institute at ASU (morrisoninstitute.asu.edu). http://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu/publications-reports/2010-illegal-immigration-perceptions-and-realities-1

Most violent crime is committed by undocumented illegals. In fact…between 1999 and 2006, states like Arizona with high numbers of immigrants, witnessed a greater percentage drop in all types of crime than the national average.

Arizona’s prisons are bursting with undocumented immigrants. The Dept. of Corrections states that about 15% of their inmates are ‘criminal aliens.’ National Correction records from a few years ago, show that illegal immigrants make up 4% to 8% of our inmates in America. Of that percentage, 47% are African-American and 36% are Caucasians.

Those ‘lazy’ illegal immigrants are feeding off of good, hard working Americans, taking our jobs and bringing down our way of life. Keep in mind, these are the same people that shouted that healthcare reform was ‘Socialism’ and they didn’t want to have to ‘pay for those who milk the government.’ Studies show the states that receive the MOST federal dollars for the LEAST taxes paid (essentially not doing their part, yet expecting the rest of us to carry their ‘lazy asses’), are Red States. 17 of the top 20 states taking more than they’re giving are Red States. 76% of federal dollars go to states that voted George Bush for president. Seems those who scream the loudest about government handouts, lazy Americans and socializing out country, are the most likely to go home after their tea-party rallies to pick up their unemployment, disability or other type of government-provided assistance (taxprof.typepad.com).

So what’s my point? Lying, that’s my point.

Dr. Spock says that children will lie when they wish something is so. Dr. Quek, a psychotherapist and counselor in Toronto, states that there are four reasons for lying: fear, habit, modeling and over-prediction (Dr. Quek).

So when it comes to Illegal Immigration and all the lies that are floating around in Arizona in order to create a sense of fear, hate or panic, you must wonder why? Why, if your cause is just and your reasons valid, must you lie in order to win?

Is it fear? Are you afraid to lose an election? Are you afraid of those people who don’t look like you or are afraid that people that DO look like you are becoming the minority in this country?

Is it habit? Technically, Brewer, Pearce, McCain, Kyl and Arpaio are politicians, and thus, lying is nothing new (though, I’m sure they call it ‘looking at things a different way’), which is funny that it usually happens around election time.

Is it modeling? Were your mom and dad liars and you just continued this way of living?

Or, is it over-prediction? That is when a child ‘assumes’ an adult will say “NO”, so they lie to change the outcome. Is this what is happening? If any of these politicians (the child) were to just, plain and simply state, ‘We realize undocumented immigrants don’t cause more crime, they don’t cost more money and they aren’t taking jobs from Americans …but we just want them gone anyway.’ Are you afraid that the voting public (the adult) will say “NO”, so instead you lie, in hopes the public won’t educate themselves on what is really happening?

I think it’s the last one, and Kudos to them for doing whatever they feel is necessary to get a win. I mean come on, they ARE politicians after all, duh! The real shame is on those of us that don’t educate ourselves enough to find the facts, to ask the questions and who will, lock-and-step, choose party rhetoric, fear or hate over true morality, values and honesty.

Dishonesty, regardless of outcome, lowers us all as a society. Ignorance keeps us there.