Me Israelite

Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir,
So that every mouth can be fed.
Poo------r
Me Israelite. Aah.

1. The great Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker has died, in England, at age 64.

His song "The Israelites" (1968) was my introduction to reggae. Yours, too, I'll bet.

I was just a kid. The song annoyed me. A few years later, I loved it. People don't change, I guess, but their ears sure do.

I recall seeing Gus Van Sant's wonderful Drugstore Cowboy (1989). At one point in the film, we hear "Israelites."

At that moment, swoonage is inevitable.

2. Enron

For a delicious recounting of Mr. Bush's relationship with Enron, go to the Center for Public Integrity website (Enron Backgrounder)

Have I mentioned that the President is a rat bastard from Hell?

3. Hastert and Fuentes

C’mon, reach over mama,
An’ hand me my travelin’ shoes
I want you folks to know right now,
I’ve got the Statesboro Blues

Yes, my mama had ‘em,
My sister had ‘em
My brother had ‘em,
My daddy died with ‘em

When I got up this morning,
The family had them weary blues…
I poked my head down in the corner, an’
Grandma had ‘em too

—from David Bromberg’s Statesboro Blues

Speaking of delicious, here's a tasty schadenfreudular factoid. As you know, Dennis Hastert appointed our man Fuentes to the EAC. That's just swell.

Recently, ABC News reported that Mr. Hastert is among those being investigated by the FBI with regard to the Abramoff corruption scandal. The Justice Dept. denies this. ABC is thusfar sticking to its guns.

In any case, here's the factoid: the day after Abramoff pleaded guilty (in January), Hastert gave to charity $60,000 in campaign contributions given to him by Abramoff's clients.

Give me back the hat I bought you, the big umbrella
Give me back the shoes, I want the dress ‘an
--Ah, if you don’t like your daddy, woman
You’ve got no right to stand and squall

Gimme back the wig I bought you
Now that your goddam head go'd bald

Hey, I did more for you woman, away last winter
I suffered through the summer, an’ I scuffled through the Fall
--I done more for you woman than
The good Lord ever done

Hell, I put hair upon your head, an’
You know, he never give you none

4. Flake bombs

In today's edition of What's New, Bob Park reports:

The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), one of the countless independent, nonprofit, public policy research institutes in Washington, reported last week that the Pentagon will spend $30 billion on classified programs in FY 2007.

Why? In a new book, Imaginary Weapon: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld, Sharon Weinberger peeks behind the curtain at hafnium bombs, "remote viewing," telepathy and all the rest and concludes secrecy is mostly to avoid rational oversight.

D'oh! I'd rather pay for John Williams' Orlando junkets than for this nonsense!

For a rational discussion of "remote viewing," go to Remote viewing

Explaining Babs Beno?

Back on the 9th, the Berkeley Daily Planet published an article, "Accrediting commissions provokes critics", that might help explain “Babs” Beno’s curious behavior last month.

Babs, of course, is the president of the Accrediting agency, ACCJC, a division of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Last month? Well, despite several public displays of trustee contempt for the ACCJC and its recommendations (No, it's macromanagement!), Babs declared that she saw "a lot of progress."

Listen:

(Babs' "progress" remark comes at the beginning.)

Progress?

Evidently, our trustees listened closely to Babs' baneful babblery. They're feelin' mighty relieved about now. Those of you who attended Monday’s board meeting probably noticed the absence of any mention of the ACCJC's recommendations, which have occupied this body for months. It’s like the whole accreditation worry has magically disappeared! Poof!


What gives? Well, Babs and her close ACCJC associate Debora Blue are in retreat. Turns out they're in dutch with some districts, in part because the ACCJC’s harsh actions against those districts looks like payback. Here are some excerpts of the Daily Planet article:

A statewide education revolt is growing against the agency that accredits California community colleges in part because of recent actions the agency has taken against the Peralta and the Compton Community College Districts.

Linda Handy, the president of the Peralta Board of Trustees, said that ACCJC operates “without a lot of oversight,” and said that the accrediting organization backed off of its warning to pull the Peralta colleges’ accreditation only under the threat of a discrimination lawsuit by Peralta.

And Michael Mills, the president of the Peralta Federation of Teachers union, says that the leading administrators of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) have a vendetta against the Peralta college district, and that the ACCJC is “operating like a star chamber” with a “process that is out of control.”

The top two staff members of the ACCJC are former Peralta staff members who reportedly left under less than amicable circumstances. ACCJC President Dr. Barbara Beno is a former president of Vista College in Berkeley (now Berkeley City College). The ACCJC Vice President, Dr. Deborah G. Blue, is a former president of Laney College in Oakland.


…[T]he ACCJC commission is largely a self-appointed body, with the commission chair holding the power to appoint three of the seven-member body that selects commission members.

Last March, that led the California Federation of Teachers [the teachers union that competes with CTA] to pass a resolution at its annual convention calling the ACCJC “a private organization that is accountable to no one it serves” and charging that the organization “often causes colleges to implement changes that reflect the current biases of the accreditation team.” The CFT resolution called on the California Community College System Office and “other appropriate bodies” to “investigate the operations of AACJC-WASC and consider possible alternatives for evaluating and accrediting the state’s community colleges.”

A spokesperson for the CFT said by telephone that the “other appropriate bodies” was meant to refer to the state legislature.

Late last month, the California Community College Academic Senate passed a resolution “in support of the [CFT] and other . . . bodies who have expressed their unhappiness with the ACCJC,” and joined the call for an investigation into alternatives to the organization.

Representatives of the ACCJC could not be reached in connection with this article.

The lengthy article goes on to explain that ACCJC’s troubles began with its harsh action against Compton Community College in August of 05. Initially, in view of the very real problems at Compton (concerning trustees and top administration--fraud and corruption), State Chancellor Mark Drummond stepped in, replacing Compton’s trustees with a single state trustee.

Oddly, that was not enough for the ACCJC, which pulled Compton’s ticket anyway.

That led to the AFT and State Senate resolutions.


As near as I can tell--based on conversations I've had over the last year--the problem here isn't simply that ACCJC does not respond reasonably to meaningful efforts to fix what is broken. The problem is also that ACCJC takes harsh action against colleges that are working at the level of instruction--and that's what they're there for--but not at the level of administration or trusteeship. You know, the "Raghu" and the "Terrible Tom & Dandy Don" levels.

Why, some ask, are faculty and students made to pay the price for the failures of others—i.e., trustees, presidents, and chancellors? Why should a college that essentially works be shut down owing to the abject pinheadery of overseers? Surely, there is a better way to handle these situations!

You'll recall that the ACCJC had nothing but good things to say about instruction at Saddleback and Irvine Valley colleges. As far as teaching goes, our colleges are tops!

The Chancellor and trustees were another matter entirely. They suck, or so said ACCJC. Untl last month.

Evidently, a year before the Compton ticket-pulling, the ACCJC issued warnings against the four Peralta colleges. According to a Peralta official, the colleges were placed on warning status “because of unfunded medical liabilities by the district, for ‘micromanaging’ by the district board, and for not having a strategic plan.”

Micromanagement. Inadequate planning. Those are issues for us, too.

“None of these were accreditation standards,” said the official (according to the article).

Further, many community college districts are burdened by unfunded liabilities, but only Peralta was dinged by ACCJC on that score.

Even after a majority of Peralta trustees were replaced in elections, the “micromanagement” warning stood.

What's a college to do?

According to at least one Peralta official, the reason for all this is that Beno and Blue, who come from the Peralta district, have axes to grind.

You’ll recall that, during the time that our own SOCCCD board battled with ACCJC/WASC, a similar conflict of interest objection was raised re the involvement, in the accreditation process, of a former president of Saddleback College, Constance Caroll.

No doubt, our trustees are crowing about this Accredular brouhaha. ACCJC is retreating because it's been bad. Nya nya nya nya nya!

But let's not lose sight of the real issues in our benighted district. Sure, at the instructional level, our colleges work. Just like always. But micromanagement, inadequate planning, and a "plague of despair" are genuine problems, whether or not they are listed among the ACCJC/WASC's standards.

And whether or not the people who run ACCJC are real a**holes.


P.S.:

I went to lunch with my best friend today. I told him about the above. I said, "So the watchdog shot himsef in the foot. --No, that ain't right. What's the right metaphor?"

After about three seconds, my friend said: "The watchdog has chewed off his balls."

I rejected that one. "I can't write that," I said.

But now I'm thinkin' that, really, it's spot on.

I can't help it if these people do something to themselves as awful as that!

More on Fuentes' appointment

I learned a bit more about Mr. Fuentes’ appointment to the Elections Assistance Commission (EAC).

I am bothering with all this detail because, as we've pointed out on this blog more than once, there's good reason to be very concerned about election fraud. (See the Conyers Report. For a brief discussion of its conclusions: Conyers Report.) The EAC has an important role in the larger "watchdog" mechanism of federal elections.

And now our man Fuentes is part of EAC.

The recently-sent “board highlights," referring to Dave Lang's remarks, inform us that

Trustee Thomas A. Fuentes...was on his way to Washington, D.C. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert appointed Trustee Fuentes to the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission Board of Advisors, succeeding U.S. Congressman J.C. Watts.

Remember: Fuentes has been appointed specifically to the EAC’s Board of Advisors. That's the smaller of EAC's two boards.

On the EAC website (EAC), one learns that

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 provides for the establishment of two boards to advise the EAC: the EAC Standards Board and the EAC Board of Advisors.

The Standards Board (acting through its Executive Board) and the Board of Advisors review proposed voluntary voting system guidelines and EAC technical guidance. They play a role in recommending candidates for the EAC Executive Director. They also may hold hearings and take testimony related to carrying out the provisions of the Help America Vote Act [HAVA].

The EAC Standards Board is composed of 110 members drawn from State and local election officials…The EAC Standards Board is required to select nine of its members to serve as the Executive Board of the Standards Board….

The EAC BOARD OF ADVISORS [Fuentes' group] comprises 37 members drawn from various national associations and government agencies who play a role in the implementation of the Help America Vote Act and from science and technology-related professionals appointed by Congressional members. Members of the Board of Advisors serve two-year terms and may be reappointed.

The Help America Vote Act requires that these boards have partisan and geographic balance. Members of the boards are not compensated for their services, but their travel costs are paid in accordance with federal law.

Watts, former Congressman from Oklahoma, whom Fuentes is replacing, is a conservative Republican.

It appears, then, that Fuentes has been appointed to the smaller of two EAC boards. On the other hand, he's not among the EAC's four Commissioners. (One resigned recently.)

On the EAC website, I learned that the Commission and its boards are meeting this very week. the Advisory Board met yesterday and will finish today. Their meeting is open to the public.

We're told the purpose of the meeting:

The U.S. EAC Board of Advisors, as required by HAVA, will meet and receive updates on EAC research projects and activities and discuss other relevant matters pertaining to the administration of federal elections. The Board will receive an update regarding recent work conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on the voluntary voting system guidelines. The Board will elect officers and consider the appointment of a proxy committee and the appointment of a resolutions committee. The Board will receive reports of committees and discuss other administrative matters.

If you’re a complete loon, you’ll want to read the Board of Advisors’ agenda, too:

Agenda (This is a pdf file.)

Last night's board meeting (+AUDIO)

At last night’s meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees, the board was up to its old tricks. Despite the process whereby the decision to cut tennis teams at IVC having been carefully explained to them--a process involving several parties, including PE faculty—the board seemed inclined to substitute that process and its result with their whims, or whatever they were, to the contrary.

No decision has yet been made, but expect one next month.


The new student trustee was sworn in. Her father was there to videotape the whole meeting!

Several persons were honored, including the exiting student trustee, classified employees of the year, and faculty of the year. (Perhaps I've left someone out.) No doubt all of them were deserving of recognition.


During public comments, Saddleback College’s Academic Senate President, Bob C, noted that there are two persons notably absent from the list of honorees, namely, former SC Academic Senate President Claire C and former Faculty Association President Lewis L.

I guess the board doesn't like 'em.

Listen to Bob's remarks:

Also during public comments, Irvine Valley College Academic Senate President Wendy G explained that, contrary to what trustees seem to be hearing (from you-know- who), faculty do not seek to control district planning. The issue is simple: Title 5 and board policy give to faculty (senates) a role as participant in the development of the process whereby district planning occurs. In fact, however, Chancellor Mathur has developed his own highly Mathurian process and has not brought faculty to the table during developement.

Hence, the district is in violation. (See earlier post: Title 5)


Wendy reminded the board that we've been down this road before--with the faculty hiring process, which, initially, was developed without faculty input, contrary to statute. Must we seek intrevention once again?

Listen to Wendy's remarks:

Karla Westphal made a plea that the trustees cease engaging in prayer during district and college events--such as the recent commencement ceremonies. (This particular night, Dave Lang led the group in a kind of poetry reading instead of a prayer.)

Listen to Karla' remarks:

The calendar issue was discussed (I left before that occurred). Evidently, the trustees exhibited no hostility to the idea of putting the two colleges on different calendars. No decision has yet been made. It is difficult to judge where this issue is going. My guess is that nothing will change and the two colleges will limp along as always.

Mr. Fuentes goes to Washington (again)

Later, I’ll post a fuller report on last night’s meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees, but I did want to report one factoid that was revealed last night that doesn’t seem to be reported anywhere else.

At the start of the meeting, by way of explaining Trustee Tom Fuentes’ absence, board president Lang informed the crowd that Fuentes had just been appointed

“to the United States Elections Assistant [sic] Commission Advisory Board. Trustee Fuentes is the designee of the Speaker of the House of Representatives on this federal panel, which meets in the nation’s capitol. As you know, Trustee Fuentes also serves as a member of the Bush Administration, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Service Corporation by appointment of the President.

All of us offer our congratulations and best wishes to our colleague on this new national assignment.”

I could find no mention of the appointment in any of the local papers. Nor could I find any mention of it in local political blogs.

Finally, I went to the website of the Clerk of the House of Representatives (May 19), which provides a summary of actions for each day.

For the Legislative Day of May 19 (Friday), the Clerk reports:

3:04 P.M. –

Election Assistance Commission Board of Advisors - Pursuant to Section 214(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15344), and the order of the House of December 18, 2005, the Speaker appointed Mr. Thomas A. Fuentes, Lake Forest, California.

This might be much ado about nothing. I’ll look into it.

It is no secret that Mr. Fuentes’ relationship with the Bush administration has been stormy. Hence the poor appointment (Legal Services Corp.) Fuentes was handed after the first Bush presidential victory in 2000.

Is this appointment any better? More later.

P.S. (9:54)

I gather--based on a point made in an old OC Reg article--that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission is the agency that "certifies" electronic-voting systems.

Uh-oh.

More later.

P.S. (10:02 a.m.)

There's an organization named the "Verified Voting Foundation." Its website (VerifiedVoting.org) reports that the vice chair of the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) recently resigned:

This week Ray Martinez, 2006 vice chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, submitted his resignation to President Bush. In his letter he cited family considerations as his primary reason for stepping down and lauded his colleagues at the EAC and the agency's staff for their continued work on behalf of the nation.  Commissioner Martinez' resignation is effective June 30, 2006.  He was appointed to serve as one of two Democrat Commissioners mandated by the Help America Vote Act.

Verified Voting then suggests some people to fill the vacancy. Fuentes isn't mentioned.

In Wikipedia's entry concerning "electronic voting" (Electronic voting), I found this remark:

In December of 2005 the US Election Assistance Commission unanimously adopted the 2005 Voluntary Voting System Guidelines, which significantly increase security requirements for voting systems and expand access, including opportunities to vote privately and independently, for individuals with disabilities. The guidelines will take effect in December 2007 replacing the 2002 Voting System Standards (VSS) developed by the Federal Election Commission.

Evidently, EAC was created by HAVA (Help America Vote Act). HAVA exists to replace paper voting with electronic voting (among other goals). Yikes!

Here's a link to a recent angry letter to the EAC from various organizations: letter

P.S.:
Matt Coker has picked up our little story. See Tom Fuentes taking 2000 Florida vote nationwide?

Mathur runs for ACCCA chief

1. MATHUR RUNS FOR ACCCA CEO. Check out the website of the Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA): Annual Election of the Board.

There, ACCCA members are informed:

Following are the brief biographical summaries and campaign statements of your peers who have chosen to run for the open positions on the ACCCA Board of Directors. If successful, these individuals will represent you on the ACCCA Board for a term of three years.

One then finds summaries and campaign statements for four candidates for CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,” including—you guessed it!—Raghu P. Mathur:

Dr. Raghu Mathur, Chancellor
South Orange County CCD

Candidate’s Statement

"I am interested in serving on the ACCCA Board in order to better serve all students through empowerment and collective wisdom and contributions of administrators and managers. I would like us to continue to effectively address challenging issues such as adequate funding for credit and non credit courses/programs, including equalization; construction and renovation of much needed facilities; enhanced learning opportunities for students through distance education; state-of-the-art technology; instructional equipment; enhanced student services through categorical programs; professional development; increased opportunities for students to either secure employment or transfer to 4-year college/university after community college education; promotion of greater partnerships with businesses; and increased focus on student success in a diverse environment."

Does anyone know if this is a full-time gig?

2. ANOTHER FUENTES CRONY IN ETHICS TROUBLE. In this morning’s LA Times (Controversy Colors Race for Treasurer), Jean O. Pasco and David Reyes report on the candidacy of Fuentes crony Chriss Street for County Treasurer:

What otherwise promised to be a low-key race for Orange County treasurer/tax collector has been anything but, with one candidate stung by allegations that he mismanaged the assets of a bankrupt trailer company, resulting in a district attorney's investigation.

At a time when first-time candidate Chriss W. Street should have been introducing himself to voters and building support, he has lost three key endorsements — including one from Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas — amid the controversy.

He has also found himself deflecting charges that his friend and political mentor, Treasurer/Tax Collector John M.W. Moorlach, bent county hiring rules in January to bring Street on as his assistant, giving him a leg up on the job.

...The allegations about Street's business dealings have dominated the campaign.

They involve a dizzying burst of claims over the fate of Fruehauf Trailer Corp., which filed for bankruptcy in 1996. None of the claims have been ruled on by a judge.

After bankruptcy was granted in 1998, Street took over a successor company formed to liquidate Fruehauf's remaining assets as well as its pension plan. He resigned in August 2005, replaced by a new trustee, Daniel Harrow.

On March 15, five days after Street filed his candidacy papers to run for Moorlach's seat, Harrow filed a 63-page statement with the Bankruptcy Court in Delaware accusing Street of "mismanagement, conflicts of interest and greed" while in charge of the trust.

Naturally, Street blames all this hubbub on “the unions.” But it’s Street who is under investigation by the DA:

Supervisors Bill Campbell and Chris Norby endorsed Street, but withdrew support once the district attorney investigation began.

But the endorsements remain listed in Street's candidate statement and on some campaign literature.

Check out Street’s website. Tom Fuentes is still listed among Street’s chief supporters.

Rackauckas, Carona, Street—that Tom sure knows how to pick ‘em!

3. HEADS UP on tonight’s board meeting. On the agenda:

CLOSED SESSION:

…..
2. Property – Use of Portion of …(ATEP) Property …Agency Designated Representatives – Dr. Raghu Mathur, ATEP; Negotiating Parties for 1) United Veteran Organization of Orange County (UVO) and American Museum of Military History (AMMH); 2) GEAR MONKEY;...

Gear Monkey?

Conference with Legal Counsel …:
1. Existing Litigation … - a. Mora v. Mathur b. Gensler v. SOCCCD

The “Mora” suit concerns an allegation of discrimination. As IVC President, Mathur opted to hire the manifestly incompetent and unstable Rodney Poindexter for a dean post—over the amply qualified and respected Cely Mora, a woman.

CONSENT CALENDAR:

2. SADDLEBACK COLLEGE: OXFORD SEMESTER ABROAD IN OXFORD, ENGLAND…Study abroad program for Spring 2007.

Don’t be surprised if Fuentes dings this program on account of the acute unAmericanness of boiling meat.

18. IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE: AWARD OF BID FOR EXHAUST FAN RETROFIT IN B-200 BLDG.
Bid 277 to Allison Mechanical, Inc., in the amount of $39,250 and approval of construction agreement.

We at IVC hear persistent rumors that the air in B200 is dicey somehow. It glows or something. So I guess they’re puttin’ in a bag new fan. Anybody know the details?

30. TRUSTEE TRAVEL TO CONFERENCES AND/OR PERSONAL MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT
Requests to attend upcoming conferences and events and/or local mileage reimbursement.

I’ve got exactly one comment: JOHN "Orlando" WILLIAMS.

CHANCELLOR’S ITEMS:

…..
34. FALL 2006 IN-SERVICE KEYNOTE PRESENTERS
Presentations by Lucy Dunn, Dr. Warren Johnston, and Kathleen Rigo, and performance by vocalist Robbie Britt and accompanist Betty Wooldridge.

Anybody know about these people?

40. SOCCCD: REVISION TO BP 109, BOARD EDUCATION; BP 3210, INTERDISTRICT ATTENDANCE; BP 3320, TELEPHONE; AND BP 5408, CLASSROOM SUPERVISION Acceptance of board policies for review and study.

This one’s for “review and study,” but it’s important. Especially BP 109, which, as I recall, concerns faculty involvement in policy-setting.

INFORMATION ITEMS:

53. SOCCCD: 2007-08 ACADEMIC CALENDAR
Recommendations by SC and IVC.

Soon, Mathur will make a recommendation regarding whether the two colleges should have differing calendars!

57. SADDLEBACK COLLEGE: ACADEMIC STIPENDS
Summer 2006.

58. IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE: ACADEMIC STIPENDS
Summer 2006.

Stipends are a hot-button issue.

59. IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE: ANNUAL ACCREDITATION REPORT
For submission to ACCJC as required.

60. IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE: DISCONTINUED MEN’S AND WOMEN’S INTERCOLLEGIATE TENNIS
Information as requested.

Those who attended the last board meeting know that this action re tennis gets lots of people excited.

And the Accred report? Could be interesting.

Apparent Lariat retraction

8:51 a.m.:

This morning, we received a letter--apparently from the Lariat editor-in-chief to IVC baseball coach Kent Madole--retracting the claim, made in the last issue of the Lariat, that coaches knew about steroid use among student athletes. In this letter, which popped up as a "comment" on our blog (see Apparent letter of retraction), that claim is described as "false." Further, the Lariat acknowledges that it was "misled" by "sources" and that it erred in not seeking the coaches' side of the story. (See DtB's original story: Premature congratulation)

If this is a genuine letter--it was sent anonymously--we at the Dissent wish to congratulate the Lariat for doing the right thing and learning from mistakes.

12:09 p.m.
P.S.:

Evidently, Matt (Coker) received the same email this morning. His response (on his blog):

How do you know the coaches were unaware? If you have players on the record saying coaches were aware, and coaches telling you that’s not true, that does not necessarily mean the players’ allegations are not true. Unless, of course, your reporters or sources have admitted to lying.

Clockwork Orange