SB1108 - Assimilate and revoke free speech!
Senate Bill 1108 allows a mayor, county sheriff, police chief or county supervisor who is required to serve on a Homeland Security Regional Advisory Council to appoint a designee to serve in their place.
Summary of the proposed strike-everything amendment to SB 1108:
The proposed strike-everything amendment to SB 1108 states that a primary purpose of public education is the promotion of the values of American citizenship.
History
Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.), Title 15, Section 721 states that the governing board of a school district is required to approve the course of study of a common school, including the basic textbook for each course and all other units recommended for credit prior to implementing the course in the school. A.R.S. § 15-722 grants the same authority to a governing board to approve the course of study and textbooks of each course for a high school.
A.R.S. § 15-705 grants the governing board, in consultation with parents and teachers, to adopt policies and procedures relating to pupils’ participation in extracurricular activities. The State Board of Education is also required to prescribe rules for policies regarding pupils’ participation in extracurricular activities, including minimum statewide requirements.
Provisions
- States that the primary purpose of public education is the inculcation of the values of American citizenship.
- States that public tax dollars used in public schools should not be used to denigrate American values and the teachings of Western civilization.
- States that public tax dollars should not be used to promote political, religious, ideological, or cultural values as truth when such values are in conflict with the values of American citizenship and the teachings of Western civilization.
- Prevents public schools in Arizona from including any courses, classes, or school sponsored activities within the program of instruction that feature or promote as truth any political, religious, ideological, or cultural values that denigrate or overtly encourage dissent from the values of American democracy and Western civilization, including democracy, capitalism, pluralism, and religious toleration.
- Requires a public school to provide copies of curricula, course materials and syllabi to the superintendent of public instruction, upon his or her request. After a hearing is conducted, if a public school is found to have included such courses, the superintendent of public instruction may withhold a proportionate share of state monies and take reasonable and appropriate regulatory actions.
- Allows for the inclusion of diverse political, religious, ideological, or cultural beliefs within the program of instruction provided that the course, class, or school sponsored activity as a whole does not denigrate or overtly encourage dissent from the values of American democracy and Western civilization.
- Prohibits public schools in Arizona, universities under the jurisdiction of the Arizona Board of Regents, and community colleges under the jurisdiction of community college districts in Arizona from allowing organizations to operate on the campus of a school, university, or community college if the organization is based in whole or in part on race-based criteria.**
- Defines public school.
Amendments
Appropriations
The strike-everything amendment was adopted.
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What does this mean? Although the local hired petitioners are touting this bill as "anti-discriminatory," it's quite the opposite. Based on the wording of the bill, anything that goes against "American values" and "Western civilization" could be slashed from any public funding, including most college student organizations (except for, like, the Young Republicans) and education courses that don't promote total assimilation into the colonizer's lifestyle (white patriarchy, of course).
They are targeting the Chicano/a student orgs in particular, but it does affect everyone. American Indian courses could be seen as "anti-American" since it seeks to reclaim the heritage many of our ancestors were denied and punished for remembering. Women's Studies courses could be seen as "anti-Western civilization" since it rejects patriarchy. This is scary stuff. One of the Chicano student orgs is supposed to start contacting other multicultural student orgs to band together against this.
**Apparently they'll be amending that last part, the "if the organization is based in whole or in part on race-based criteria," not that I think it makes much of a difference.
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http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/48leg/2r/summary/h.sb1108_04-17-08_caucuscow.doc.htm
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/17/20080417unamerican0417.html