e Schooling a threat to APS' model

There are three basic mechanisms used to present information to students;

1. their teachers can recite it to them, or
2. they can read it in a textbook, or
3. they can sit with a keyboard and a window to the entire universe of knowledge.

The leadership of the APS is fond of teachers and textbooks,
the enormous funding required to support them, and
the huge bureaucracy necessary to administer them.

Charter schools don't share those priorities, and have invested in the opportunities of e schooling. They are in some cases, on the cutting edge.

APS is at best, being dragged kicking and screaming into
the future of education.

APS has some e school programs. Rather than buy off the shelf
commercial e curricula, APS leadership decided to write create
their own. Not surprisingly, their product is inferior to many of
the readily available and thoroughly vetted programs.

The worst part of the whole situation is, the leadership of
the APS is trying to compel APS Charter Schools to adopt
APS' inferior e school software.

The charters are understandably upset.

The fundamental justification for the widely accepted concept of
charter schools, is control over curriculum. All public school
curricula must meet certain government standards.
Having met those standards, charters are free to design specific
curricula that meets their individual learner needs.

APS' interference in charter e school software is completely indefensible.

File this story under "a" for, Another story, you won't read about
in "education"section of the Journal.

Janice Arnold-Jones needs your help.

She needs more signatures to stay in the debate.

Because she didn't garner 20% of the delegate votes at the pre-primary, she has to turn in twice as many signatures as those who did. I thought she already had the necessary signatures, but apparently not.

There are reasons to give her your signature even if you intend
to vote for someone else for Governor.

What?

In the first place, if your candidate deserves to win, they will.
So it's not like you are betraying them by keeping their feet to the fire.

If Rep Janice Arnold-Jones is on the ballot, things will get talked about that won't get talked about otherwise.

Who else is better advocate for transparency than the person who brought webcasting into the legislature. New Mexico was the 47th state to begin webcasting, and it's not being done right; there still is no archive.

Who else is a better advocate using state employees to end the cultures of corruption and incompetence, than Rep Janice Arnold-Jones who said, before even the regular session began, that, we need to get state employees in front of legislative committees to expose the corruption and incompetence in state government.

No one else .

The character of the race
will be diminished greatly,
if Rep Janice Arnold-Jones
is not part of the debate and if the
issues she champions loose their voice.





If you think we deserve robust webcasting to an archive,
of every deliberative meeting about the public interests,
you need to keep her in the debate.

If you think state employees should be given the help they need to clean up the governmental agencies they work in,
you need to keep her in the debate.

Otherwise, it's going to be the same old, same old,
I'm gonna fix this, I'm gonna fix that, and nobody ever
really fixes anything at all.





photo Mark Bralley

NMRP; Gays not entitled to civil rights.

The Equal Rights Plank of the New Mexico Republican Party proclaims vigorous support of not only the letter, but the spirit of Civil Rights laws for different races, different genders, different handicaps, different religions, and different national origins.

They just can't see their way clear to granting civil rights to people of different "sexual orientations".

Civil rights are based on human rights. Gay people are being denied protection of their human rights.

And nobody seems to care. NMI was at the convention, the Journal was surely there. TV news was there. There must have been a lot of media there, and not one of them wrote that the NMRP delegates are a bunch of bigots.

And what about the candidates they endorsed?
Are they bigots as well? Is Colonel Allen Weh a bigot?
How did gays fair under his commands?

Is District Attorney Susana Martinez a bigot?
I haven't heard her say otherwise.

Is this a legitimate question to ask the front runners;

Are you about bashing gays, or do you thing the
Republican Party Equal Rights Plank should
protect people with different sexual orientations?

Opposing opinions "a cheap and juvenile prank".

An unknown number of delegates at the Democrat Pre-Primary Convention cast protest ballots against incumbent Rep Martin Heinrich by "writing in"Republican Jon Barela's name.

The actual number of ballots cast for Barela is being kept
secret by Democrat Party leadership.

The protesters believe that Heinrich is a Socialist who has lost touch with his party and, they are entitled to their opinion.

If "the system" allows them no means of dissent, then their dissent outside the box is not only legitimate, but critical to the process.

State Democratic Party Chairman Javier Gonzales doesn't see it that way.

"What a few fringe individuals who have a history of supporting Republican candidates did is nothing more than a cheap and juvenile prank."

OK, Javier, what ever.

"Zone of Tolerance" or "Culture of Corruption"

Monahan was busy handicapping the various candidates for state office this morning, link.

When he got to Secretary of State Mary Herrera, he addressed the probable effect that her current problems, hiding public records and allegations of ethical misconduct in her Office bordering criminal, might have on her effort to be re-elected.

He wrote;

Recent ethical charges leveled against Herrera aren't pleasant, but insiders say they don't violate what is a pretty broad "zone of tolerance" around here.

Another name for "a pretty broad 'zone of tolerance'" of ethical and criminal misconduct in the highest offices of state government is "a culture of corruption".

There is a culture of public corruption and incompetence in NM state government. You can call it a "zone of tolerance", but what it really is, is corruption and guilty knowledge of corruption. When public trust is the foundation, there isn't one wit of difference between those who are personally corrupt, and those who turn a blind eye to the corruption around them.

The highest ranking members of NM state government are,
in the words of Democrat State Senator Tim Eichenberg,
complicit or complacent, in the culture of corruption;
they are complicit in the corruption, or their complacency,
their "zone of tolerance", enables it to flourish.

Lt Governor Diane Denish would like voters to believe that
for eight years, there was simply nothing she could do about
the sea of corruption and incompetence swirling around her.

I think we should take her word for it.

We need a Governor with a narrower "zone of tolerance"
than Lt Gov Diane Denish's.

"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of
men living together in society, they create for
themselves in the course of time (a zone of tolerance
that enables it,) a legal system that authorizes it,
and a moral code that glorifies it"

Frederic Bastiat - The Law

We can accept neither complicity, nor complacency,
about public corruption and incompetence.

The culture of corruption, the zone of tolerance of it, must end.

It must end at once, and for all.

Herrera hiding more letters.

AJ Salazar was not the only subordinate to hand in a letter of resignation to Secretary of State Mary Herrera.

Apparently his letter was not the only letter to point to serious problems in the Office.

Which explains why those letters too, are being hidden from public knowledge feigning some boggle over what the law actually requires, according to NMI's Gwyneth Doland, link.

The sitting Attorney General, Gary King, the author of the Inspection of Public Records Act, says letters of resignation are
public records.


Herrera sez,
what the hell does he know.




photo Mark Bralley

Rep Anna Crook steps up with Janice Arnold-Jones

State Representative Anna Crook has joined the campaign.

Rep Anna Crook is serving her eighth
term in the legislature. Rep Crook
serves on the Taxation and Revenue
Committee with
Rep Janice Arnold-Jones.

Rep Crook pointed to the remarkable progress and momentum in Rep Arnold-Jones campaign in spite of the interruption of the regular and special legislative sessions.

She said Rep Arnold-Jones knows how to get the job done.

Rep Crook is the ranking Republican Gentle-lady. The ranking Republican male, Rep Keith Gardner, is endorsing DA Susana Martinez in the run for the Governor's seat.

I have never felt really comfortable with Gardner's commitment to transparency, it seemed a little hinky. He certainly wasn't making any waves over webcasting and archiving. Apparently he is comfortable with Martinez' agnosticism on the subject.

Rep Crook in contrast, can be found helping Rep Arnold-Jones keep camera pointed at the people's business during their committee meetings.

Rep Janice Arnold-Jones said.

“I am truly honored to have such an esteemed colleague endorse my candidacy,” “Not only is Representative Crook dedicated to serving the people of her district, she was my mentor on the Taxation and Revenue Committee.

I am proud to have her on our team.”

photo Mark Bralley

The Republican Party Plank; the one that didn't pass.

There was an amendment offered that would have stricken "sexual orientation" from the list of human conditions which the party will continue not only to disrespect, but flat out not tolerate.

The amendment was struck down nearly unanimously.

Let's say you were a conservative, looking for smaller
government and fiscal restraint, and at the same time,
let's say you were also willing to concede that any one of us
could have been born into a different set of shoes,

where does that leave you in the NMRP?

Why would you join a Party that wouldn't welcome your child?

How did "Allen Weh vote on that amendment?

How did Susana Martinez vote on that amendment?

Will gay Republicans ever be welcome in their Party?

Allen Weh continues to dodge assault allegation.

Colonel Allen Weh still has not
stepped up to allegations that
he lost his temper and physically
assaulted, link, a staff member of the
Bernalillo County Republican Party.

If he is unwilling to hold himself honestly accountable for his conduct and competence as a candidate, why in the world would anyone believe he would hold himself honestly accountable when the stakes are higher and the accouterments of power in Santa Fe include even greater immunity from accountability for one's conduct and competence?

And what about the leadership of the Republican Party,
are they willing to let what might well be a criminal assault
go unacknowledged, simply to win in November?

And that would set them apart from Democrats how, exactly?

Allen Weh has two choices;

• candid, forthright, and honest, and


• anything less than candid, forthright and honest.

... and one choice to make between them.





photo Mark Bralley

Party convention results, who cares?

Sure, it would have been nice to have come out on top.

We didn't. What now?

There is still the message;

Government should be transparently accountable
to the people.

It is still the most fundamentally important issue of all.

That is not a message you will hear from the folks who
run and attend pre-primary conventions.

The "Party of Transparent Accountability" doesn't even
have a governmental transparency plank in its platform.

Republican Party insiders, the heavy hitters that wield the power and resources, don't want anyone to take back the power they have usurped. They don't want anyone to end their illegitimate privilege any more than the heavy hitters in the Democrat Party want anyone to end their control over their political machines.

Pre-primary party conventions are about battling machines.

While there is a correlation between the power of a political machine, and the likelihood of it being able to install a candidate, there is no claim made that the process will identify the best candidate, only the one more likely to win.

Rep Janice Arnold-Jones would be a better Governor than Diane Denish, Susana Martinez, or Allen Weh.

The pre-primary convention process ignores that dimension.

In some respects, Janice Arnold-Jones is the better for the loss; birds of a different feather, don't flock together.

The most important things that Janice Arnold-Jones will do as Governor, will likely happen in a room adjacent to the Governor's Office. It accommodates an enormous round table.

The idea behind a round table, is to pretend co-equal influence at the table. In theory, no one sits at the head of the table.

In practice, added influence sits in the chair with the Governor in it.

Now imagine, seated around the table, twenty or so legislators with deeply held disparate interests.

The Governor is charged with ending the discussion in consensus.

Now imagine each of the remaining candidates sitting in the Governor's chair. How might things be different?

In the first place, if Janice Arnold-Jones is at the table,
you will be at the table as well.
The meeting will be robustly webcast to an archive.

Allen Weh will not webcast the meeting; he hasn't had a
single word to say, throughout the whole fight over webcasting.
Neither has Susana Martinez. Neither has Diane Denish.

Beyond that, the Governor is charged with facilitating the meeting.

If she has done a good job, people leave the meeting feeling that their side has been heard, the truth is on the table and, a reasonable compromise was reached.

Allen Weh cannot lead that kind of meeting. He has made it as clear as it can be made, he take his seat after first placing his baseball bat on the table in front of him.

Everyone will leave the table unsatisfied; even his "friends".

I don't know if Susana Martinez can draw consensus from opposing opinions or not. Same with Diane Denish. They are unproven in what might be considered the most important gubernatorial skill of all.

Many of Allen Weh's supporters tout his successful experience as a businessman. Susana Martinez' supporters sing praise of her success as a prosecutor.

Do we need business acumen in the Governor's seat?
Aren't the business principles involved, common knowledge?
Do we really need a rocket scientist of a business man?
Does anyone really believe that the cultures of corruption and
incompetence flow from the fact that there is no one in Santa Fe with business skills enough to end them?

And with respect to Susana Martinez' prosecutorial skills, does anyone really believe that the cultures of corruption and incompetence flow from the fact that there is no one in Santa Fe with prosecutorial skills?

The skill set that plays is legislative.

Diane Denish, arguably has a legislative skill set equivalent to Janice Arnold-Jones'. Others would argue that a ceremonial figure head, even if they occasionally cast tie breaking votes, hasn't the same experiential background as someone who has crossed the aisle on many occasions to create support for worthwhile legislation.

And then there is grace; an elemental personal trait,
utterly essential in consensus building.

The results of the pre-primary conventions don't tell the whole story, and anyone who bangs on them too loudly, does so because it's there only drum.

Rep Janice Arnold-Jones;

proven competence,

proven character,

proven courage,

and abundant grace.




photo Mark Bralley

It's National Sunshine Week

Heath Haussamen has posted a commentary by Sarah Welsh, link. She is the Executive Director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.

She focused on the apparent successes in opening up NM state government. Yet she was forced to admit in her closing;

It still takes months, and sometimes years, to obtain important government documents or to overturn illegal closed-door actions. It also takes money, time and a big chunk of sanity.

However close we are, we are not close enough.
We are nowhere near done. We cannot rest on our laurels.

The fight is still on, the final battle is yet to be fought.

GOP picking on me, whines Denish.

The Journal reports "breaking news" this morning, link;
Republican Gubernatorial Candidates are "ganging up"
on Lt Gov Diane Denish.

Wow, imagine that, candidates seeking public office,
all attacking the person and policies they are trying to unseat.

"The expected Democratic nominee for governor, Diane Denish, played Charlie Brown in fundraising efforts last week, pointing out to potential donors that everyone seemed to be picking on her.

"I now have five — yes, five — Republican opponents. Instead of campaigning on their own ideas, most of them are running their campaigns on one central message: Attacking me ... attacking us."

Well, duh.

Denish's campaign spokesperson Chris Cervini noted;

"Nasty personal attacks like (Domenici's) only serve to remind New Mexicans why they're sick of politics as usual ...".

Domenici's "nasty personal attack";

"There are three things wrong with our state: a fiscal crisis, an ethical crisis and Diane Denish," "And these are all the same problem."

A fiscal crisis, an ethical crisis, and Diane Denish;
are New Mexico politics as usual.

I don't see their beef.

Susana Martinez' perspective on surrendering public records

Gubernatorial Candidate and District Attorney Susana Martinez is the subject of a backside discussion on Haussamen's site, on public records surrender, link.

One of her defenders argued;

"... she is doing what she thought was within the bounds of the law."

To begin with, I am not comfortable with one of the highest ranking members of law enforcement "thinking"she is following a law, that she might actually be breaking.

More fundamentally, her apologist expressed a disturbing philosophical premise; she can do anything to obfuscate the surrender of public records, as long as it's "legal".

That is a far different concept than a public servant surrendering every record that the law will allow.

There is no such thing as ethical reform that doesn't rest on the foundation of the fundamental ethic; truth telling;

as much as the law will allow.

Republican Party cover up?

Everybody seems to know about, but nobody
seems to want to talk about, an altercation between
Colonel Allen Weh and members of the
Bernalillo County Republican Party staff.

There are allegations of a "physical attack".

I think there is truth being hidden.

There is a fine line, determined according to due process,
between the truth that should be told and
the truth which is rightfully hidden from stakeholders.

If there is wrongfully hidden truth in the leadership of the
Republican Party of New Mexico,
they ought to be held accountable for it.

Otherwise, we are a Party sanctioning wrongful cover ups
as well.

And, there really is no difference between the Parties.

The truth needs to come from retired
Marine Corps Colonel Allen Weh.

Will he raise his right hand, perhaps put his hand on a bible,
and promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth, (so help him God),
and then tell the truth about his conduct that afternoon.

Will he hold himself honestly accountable as role model for his "troops"?


Is Governor Weh going to be
manhandling state government
employees?

Should state government
employees be afraid
of their Governor?





photo Mark Bralley

DA Susana Martinez way off base on Inspection of Public Records compliance

Haussamen reports this morning, link, on a tussle between District Attorney Susana Martinez and the Democrat Party. The Dems claim she "hiding" records, though they have actually inspected all of the (tens of thousands of) records they asked to see. The disagreement centers around making the copies they want.

The devil, as usual, is in the details.

In the first place, DA Martinez apparently ordered her records custodian to sit and watch as the records were being inspected. At some point, the watcher is accused of telling the requester, he was "a pain in the ass".

There is no reason for a records custodian to sit and watch an inspection; in particular if they are allowed to harass the requester. If nothing else, it is intimidating. If they are really concerned that a record might be stolen, simply surrender the records in an electronic format; they could scan the document themselves, in less time than it takes to add it to the stack to be inspected, and later re-file it. Simply pull it, scan it, re-file it. It would actually save money. If there is a need to actually handle an original, then move to the more cumbersome process.

If the requester were allowed to scan records, there would no point in stealing one. Yet Martinez chose to disallow scanning or photocopying. According to Haussamen;

"Martinez said her office didn’t allow the party to bring its own scanner or camera because she wanted to ensure the documents were in their entire and true form when they left her office."

This argument is nonsense.

If a requester wants one page of a two page record, does Martinez seriously intend to force them to pay to copy both pages?

If they then, throw the unwanted copy in a trash can,
is she going to make them pick it out and take it anyway?

And, how does a scanner or camera produce an "untrue"
form of a document? If an "untrue" document could be
produced, of what use would it be in comparison with the
"true" document?

The real reason the record holder wants to do the copying, is to make two copies; one for the requester, and one for their lawyer, who will then know which records will be used against his client's interests.

Haussamen reports;

Phil Sisneros, spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, said scanners and cameras should be allowed. The public records act, he said, “requires the custodian of public records for a public body to ‘provide reasonable facilities to make or furnish copies of public records during usual business hours.’” “This office’s position is that this provision permits a requester to use his or her own equipment to make copies of public records,” Sisneros said.

Though that position is eminently logical, Martinez argued that the literature, the Attorney General's Compliance Guide, doesn't spell it out exactly enough; she wants a court decision.

Clearly a choice is being made; make it easy for the public
to inspect and copy public records, or, make it difficult.

There is no reason to make it difficult,
except to discourage further requests.

Susana Martinez should reexamine her position.

Democrats cheered Herrera, at the Dem Convention

despite the current outrage over
allegations that she used the
Secretary of State's Office
for politicking.

Steve Terrell interviewed
a few delegates about
Sec of State Mary Herrera's
misconduct and whether it
should count against her in
the election. link.

"... several delegates interviewed said they doubted it would play out that way.

"What politician doesn't do politics in the office. Come on!"
one man said, laughing."

Many of the delegates, if asked, would proudly admit,
they went to Manny Aragon's big send off to prison party,
or wished they had.

And yet, we are supposed to believe that electing Democrats,
is going end the culture of corruption.




photo Mark Bralley

Journal editors take their turn at charter bashing

The Journal editors surfed the third wave in the campaign to diminish the standing of charter schools in the community, link.

They would like to encourage your upset over the fact that one charter school superintendent and principal, is making too much money.

They would not like to encourage your upset over APS Supt Winston Brooks' 1/2$M golden parachute.

In fact, according to their record,
they don't even want you to know about it.

"I see nothing"

"I for one will not enforce any rule on my campus.
The referral fairy always runs away with the referral.

I will not enforce the "dress code" or no kids in the hall, or
no I pods, or no jet cards. I'm finished being APS' fall guy.

They hang us out to dry on a regular basis.

No more chances APS. You can make all the rules you want.

I see nothing"

The greatest consequence in writing rules they have no intention of enforcing, is that the "leadership" push good staff members into positions where they feel like the staff member, who wrote the above comment in response to my post on the APS cell phone policy, link.

It would be simple to quantify and qualify this problem
by surveying those they expect to do the enforcing.

Precisely why the issue was not addressed in their survey.
It never has been addressed in a survey, and
it never will be addressed in a survey.

Four real choices for Governor. One stands out.

Doug Turner lacks the gravitas.

Pete Domenici lacks the charisma.

There are four; Lt Gov Diane Denish, District Attorney Susana Martinez, Representative Janice Arnold-Jones, and retired Marine Corps Colonel Allen Weh.

For me; the choice is based on three elements; competence, character, and courage.

Though I am a conservative, I would support a liberal with competence, character, and courage, before I would support a Republican who lacked any one of them.

A rising tide lifts all boats. There is no legitimate agenda, conservative or liberal, that does not move forward on the day that the people, liberal and conservative, regain control over power and resources that are fundamentally their own.

Regaining control begins with transparent accountability to meaningful standards of conduct and competence for politicians and public servants within their public service.


Competence;

Representative Janice Arnold-Jones record is self evident. Point to an example, where in her public service, she dropped the ball. Or, admit to her competence.

I believe, none of them is more competent to be governor,
than Rep Janice Arnold-Jones.

Character;

Rep Janice Arnold-Jones can stand again, on her record. Point to an example, where in her public service, her character was found wanting. Or, admit to her character.

Courage;

If they gave medals for courage in the Roundhouse, Rep Janice Arnold-Jones would wear one for carrying the first web camera into the legislature. Point to her cowardice or, admit to her courage.


Rep Janice Arnold-Jones brings
something else to the table.

She brings it in an abundance,
she brings more to the table
that all of her opponents combined;

grace.





She can bring the best people together from both sides, and extract from them the best solutions to the problems in government. She, and they, will find the ground in the middle, without wasting time and without the puffery.

She has a goal; government that is transparently accountable to the people.

She can achieve that goal without a baseball bat.

In fact, she can achieve that goal because
carrying a baseball bat to a negotiating table,
would never occur to her.



If government doesn't work,
no legitimate agenda moves forward.

When government does work,
every legitimate agenda moves forward.




photo Mark Bralley

Momentum will keep Rep Janice Arnold-Jones in the race.

A lesser person might have called it quits today, but not
Rep Janice Arnold-Jones.

District Attorney Susana Martinez had a great day.

Colonel Allen "I'm no Mr. Congeniality "Weh
had a better day than he should have.

And, Janice Arnold-Jones came in third.

Third, despite the fact that when the legislature was in session, not only could she not solicit campaign contributions for more than a month, but just as importantly, she obviously couldn't be campaigning for delegates.

It bears noting, I have not seen Susana Martinez in a debate with Janice Arnold-Jones. Let's see them together a few more times before we vote.

The fourth and fifth candidates are going nowhere;
one lacks the gravitas, the other the charisma, to be elected.

Third will become second, when people start thinking about
whether as uncongenial a Governor as one can imagine,
can really point a baseball bat at corrupt and entrenched
politicians and public servants and expect them all to turn tail.

They'll fight at every turn. They will override his vetoes
with the largest majorities in legislative history,
just to show him whose boss.

It will also dawn on people, that Weh hasn't said a word during his campaign about robust webcasting to an archive, or about public records, or about Open Meetings.

He's not accustomed to subordinate review, or to negotiation.

The words "open meetings" are an anathema to the Colonel;
open meetings aren't his long suit, link.

Amid all this, the Republican Party decided
it was going to torment gays for at least another election cycle.

And last but not least, the "party of transparent accountability"
does not have a transparent accountability plank in its platform.



The best thing I can say about the whole day?

Rep Janice Arnold-Jones
still has some fight left in her.




photo Mark Bralley