(Cross-posted from The Free Speech Zone)
TUCSON – The class began with a Mayan-inspired chant and a vigorous round of coordinated hand clapping. The classroom walls featured protest signs, including one that said “United Together in La Lucha!” – the struggle. Although open to any student at Tucson High Magnet School, nearly all of those attending Curtis Acosta’s Latino literature class on a recent morning were Mexican-American.
For all of that and more, Mr. Acosta’s class and others in the Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican-American program have been declared illegal by the State of Arizona – even while similar programs for black, Asian and American Indian students have been left untouched.
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In Mr. Acosta’s literature class, students were clearly concerned. They asked if their graduation was at risk. They asked if they were considered terrorists because Mr. Horne described them as wanting to topple the government. They asked how they could protest the decision.
Then, one young woman asked Mr. Acosta how he was holding up.
“They wrote a state law to snuff this program out, just us little Chicanitos,” he said, wiping away tears. “The idea of losing this is emotional.”
And then…
U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head while holding a public event in Tucson, National Public Radio reported Saturday.
Other news agencies reported up to 11 other people had been injured after an unidentified gunman ran up and began shooting indiscriminately as Giffords addressed supporters.
Giffords was shot point blank in the head, according to Fox News.
Giffords, who was re-elected to her third term in November, was hosting her first “Congress on Your Corner” event at the Safeway in northwest Tucson, NPR reported.
The gunman was in custody, according to media reports.
Giffords, 40, a Democrat, is married to U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly. She took office in January 2007, emphasizing issues such as immigration reform, embryonic stem-cell research, alternative energy sources and a higher minimum wage.
Right-wing nutjob did it most likely to “send a message”, either way, this is America now. Even the semi-liberal in Arizona are not welcomed and will be shot.
The Federal Government can no longer ignore the radicalization going on down there, it must step in and take charge like it did in the civil rights era.
If not, fuck it, i’ll go down there.
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riding in on a burro might get me killed.
The more the better.
Let’s hope she survives. Her family must be going through hell right now, too…
Cannot confirm this from any other source, but The Lincoln Tribune is reporting that:
“Giffords Shooter Named”
It took more than ten minutes to open the Tribune’s web page… they must be getting hundreds of thousands of hits, with that headline.
to the time stamp of my last diary to check on why I was so fucked up to see if it matched the approximate time of this event. Kind of a psychic thing. Ok, so she is going to pull through and that’s nice but watch the spin on this one. Arizona, guns are icky, we need more “hate” crime legislation and by all means don’t listen to the alternative news who will peg the shooter as a CIA mind control manchurian for a news soundbyte perfectly timed.