Tom Horne and John Huppenthal's Ethnic Studies War: Fate of MAS in Federal Judge's Hands, Yet Again

By Stephen Lemons Thu., Dec. 13 2012 at 1:16 PM

DA Morales of Three Sonorans fame channels Isaiah (beard and all), and gives the TUSD board an Old Testament-style tongue-lashing

Will the anti-Mexican machinations of Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne and state schools Superintendent John Huppenthal be thwarted, at long last, by a federal judge?

They certainly could be, given the details of a desegregation plan for the Tucson Unified School District pending in federal court, part of which calls for the development of "socially and culturally relevant curriculum, including courses of instruction centered on the experiences and perspectives of African American and Latino communities."

The so-called "proposed Unitary Status Plan" is the offspring of a federal civil rights case stretching back nearly four decades, Fisher, et al v. Tucson Unified, et al. In January, Judge David C. Bury ordered the appointment of a "special master" in the case, who developed the USP with significant input from the community.

Read the draft Unitary Status Plan for TUSD.

If implemented, the USP is a disaster for Horne and Huppenthal, the primary pimps of House Bill 2281, the anti-ethnic studies law, specifically crafted to crush TUSD's MAS program, a bugbear of far-right Mexican-haters in this state.

(Note: That language was the subject of a confusing Tuesday vote of the Tucson Unified School District's governing board, now a point of contention between the various factions involved. More on that further down.)

Indeed, to peruse Horne's hysterical amicus objection to the USP, filed with the court at the end of November, you'd think the mere reading of the proposal had set Horne's hair on fire, and Carmen Chenal's coal-black-dyed locks along with it.

Horne tells the court that its requirements concerning this new curriculum "will violate Arizona law, promote segregation, and prompt the return of the discredited Mexican-American Studies (MAS) Program."

The AG further admonishes Judge Bury that, "no authority allows a federal court to disregard this Arizona law."

Maybe they didn't cover the U.S. Constitution, Brown v. the Board of Education, the Supremacy Clause, and the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause back when Horne was at Harvard Law.

Or maybe he was too busy chasin' skirts and getting banned for life by the Securities and Exchange Commission to notice.

Read Horne's frothing, maniacal objection to the Unitary Status Plan.

In fact, Horne's "objection" is actually a very un-lawyer-like political screed, regurgitating all the tired, hateful shibboleths he's been peddling for years now, shibboleths he used to help get him elected back in 2010.

As is common practice among those who traffic in racial stereotypes and scapegoating, Horne refers to the MAS program as "racist and oppressive," deriding its "barrio pedagogy" and labeling its administrators and teachers "radical socialist activists" hell-bent on promoting an "an anti-capitalist and anti-Western Civilization ideology."

That's like David Duke calling Jesse Jackson a racist, a tactic only effective in the mind of David Duke, and those who think like him.

Tags:

David Abie Morales, Dennis DeConcini, John Huppenthal, nativism, Richard Martinez, Three Sonorans, Tom Horne, TUSD

bigmama

It did not get in because of all the objections. Mexican-American Studies is a Communist, anti-white, anti-American Program which teaches hate and to wage a war against the U.S. It is treasonous and really ugly! Mexico owned the SW of the U.S. the least of everyone - from 1824 - 1848 and they stole it from Spain who owned it for 300 years before them. There is not even any proof they were ever up here - just legends! Their books have horrible stuff in them teaching "hate" in our public schools against white people.

DPSnAZ

2 Like

@cugagcmu80 Thank you for an excellent post. I come from a diametrically different angle, but I share your point of view 100% ! It's as simple as this: The more you know each other, the more you understand each other -- the more comfortable you feel around each other, and, most importantly, the less you will be likely to fall for the haters among us, who preach their hate in ever so subtle ways!

cugagcmu80

2 Like

I'm a retired GA high school social studies teacher who taught ethnic studies for 10 years during the 33 years I spent in the classroom, and my students enjoyed learning about different races, religions, governments, etc. My classes were multicultural, composed of students of different races, religions, ethnicities, etc. In the 10 years during which I taught the course, not one student, parent, or administrator ever complained that the class encouraged students to "hate" the state/federal government, none said the class caused them to develop racist attitudes toward any group in the country, or that the course curriculum was "oppressive." In fact, most of my students enjoyed the class immensely and thanked me for exposing them to the cultures of groups with which they weren't familiar. Of course, I'm one who thinks that the more a person knows about the world and the people who live in it, the better because it allows a person to realize that although people differ in some ways, the majority of them have a lot in common.

shadeaux14 topcommenter

5 Like

Mr Lemons, I have come to the conclusion that you're wasting your time writing articles such as this. The re-election of Arpaio and the election of throwbacks like Horne, Huppenthal, Brewer and Montgomery has proven to me that Arizona is populated by a bunch of ignorant sick fucks who will never be able to see past their tiny racist mindset. Arizona is truly a place that the United States of America could easily do without. If ever a state, and it's people deserved to be kicked out of the union, it is the future RepubliKKK of Dumbfuckistan.

leonardclark

3 Like

Thanks Mr. Lemons for another very informative article keeping us up to date on the racist shenanigans of Horne and Huppenthal ! And, I second what Dennis20 says about the human rights activist DA Morales.Leonard Clark

dennis20 topcommenter

3 Like

DA Morales has been a thorn on the side of racism and injustice in Tucson. He's stayed on one important issue thats been difficult to follow unless you are active in TUSD, He's paid the price personally and yet never gives up. I like the guy.

teknik

6 Like

These racist revisionist pricks make me want to puke.

mikefrombisbee topcommenter

5 Like

MAS isn't discredited. The Horne Dogg is discredited. He went after a successful TUSD program because the children who took MAS classes didn't buy into his bullshit. What empirical evidence is there to demonstrate that the MAS program promoted race hatred or advocated violence or disloyalty? What empirical evidence is there to show that Horne is a sleazy political hack who thinks with his dick? As for Huppenthal, that Goober never spent a day in public school. He's a good catholic boy.

david_saint01 topcommenter

7 Like

lol and the judicial branch saves the day again! Id just like to take a moment and thank the Founding Fathers for their brilliant decision to separate the 3 branches...and thank the judges for bringing a little sanity back to our state. Wed be screwed without them!