Tucson Citizen Blogs

U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva absolutely went off on the folks who are holding up a GI Bill of Rights that would improve education benefits for troops leaving the service.

He blasted the opponents, whom he says have "once again placed their political priorities above the needs of our veterans." Moreover, the people he's talking about want to offset improved veterans' benefits with spending cuts elsewhere, a practice known as Pay as You Go. "Their claims of fiscal responsibility by requiring pay-as-you-go rules be applied to funding our veterans’ education in the expansion of the GI bill contradicts their irresponsible approach to sending our troops to war on faulty intelligence, and their continued funding support of an open end war in Iraq time and time again."

Guess what. Grijalva is blasting Democrats. Namely the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democrats, who act as a cool-kid fraternity/sorority and a thorn in the side of liberal Democrats. The Blue Dogs are serious about wanting fiscal discipline to the chagrin of their party some times. Reps must apply for membership and some are accepted. Some aren't. Gabrielle Giffords is a member. Harry Mitchell was not selected.

The Blue Dogs want the budget balanced and argue Congress can't do that if it exempts expensive popular programs from pay as you go rules.

It's not certain if the Blue Dogs demand for "pay as you go" rules will derail a plan Mitchell helped introduce into the House. A senate version was introduced by Virginians Jim Webb and John Warner and has 51 co-sponsors.

And no, the war is not subject to Paygo rules.

Blake Morlock

I'm pretty sure Hillary Clinton knows that cross burning is not a viable campaign strategy. Then again, there she is saying stuff that would get any Republican bounced from the presidential sweepstakes. Imagine John McCain standing in front of voters and saying: "I am the candidate of the white man!" Or if he said it to a journalist. The Racial Outrage Machine would sputter to life and drub him into oblivion.

Well, Hillary Clinton told USA Today that she had a better chance to win because she had the support of the white voter, to suggest that Barack Obama could not win these folks. It's akin to typing "Blacks Need Not Apply" on presidential filing papers.

Pundit Extraordinaire Eugene Robinson puts it in perspective pretty darned well.

Hillary's people betrayed her with other-worldly incompetence and it cost her the election. Mitt Romney's folks did the same to him. But Romney then didn't say: well, McCain isn't conservative enough and I'm going to stick around and bleed him so I can win on the second ballot in St. Paul.

There's a bizarre abundance of entitlement over in Camp Clinton. They've emptied the kitchen sink. They're still losing. Now they're cutting down trees in the back yard.

Blake Morlock

If you still plan for a special day out for Mother's Day, act fast.

As of this writing, 14 of the 31 Tucson restaurants on Open Table are booked.

Check the list at opentable.com.

This is a small sample of Tucson restaurants, for Taste Plus's listing of nearly 50 Mother's Day dining options, go here.

DINA

Since the Arizona Greyhound Rescue is among the contributors to our Pet of the Week, we're in contact with these folks quite a bit and know how hard they work. We also see a lot of repeats, because it can sometimes take a while to place these sweet guys into the right homes. That means the foster homes are working overtime and are in continual need of help for food and all the other expenses that go along with caring for a pooch.

So, the group is holding a fundraiser May 16, and it's a low-cost one compared to most: just $10. That includes a booksigning by Ted Kerasote, who wrote "Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog," which explores both Kerasote's specific relationship with his canine as well as more general animal behavior. But that's not all: You'll also enjoy Nicaraguan refreshments, included in admission. It all happens 7 p.m. at Clues Unlimited 123 S. Eastbourne St. (near Country Club and Broadway). Call 326-8533.

Dogs are welcome, of course, especially greyhounds. And, speaking of those gentle giants, here's Hobo, who's available for adoption:

For more on this guy, head on over to www.tucsoncitizen.com/weekend. And you can always reach the Greyhound Rescue at 886-7411.

-polly

May 9, 2008

How often does an American teenager awaken to the sun shining on Mt. Kenya; teach in a school with 60 students in classroom, few books, and dirt floors; see a Colobus monkey while wading down the Naro Moru River; and conclude the day with a genuine Kikuyu meal at one of the headmaster’s homes? I have never been on a trip so filled with, even driven by, opportunities for authentic cultural exchange–indeed, my days are filled with more time spent in conversation with Kenyans than Americans.

As the previous blogs can attest, no amount of reading could have prepared us for the dichotomies that we would witness here. Here are some thoughts:

(1) In a country that can claim both a Nobel Prize for environmental restoration and ecotourism as a driving force in their economy, there are no laws protecting air or water quality. Today, I observed Drew teaching a lesson on water conservation in a classroom across from a perpetually flowing spigot!

(2) While the American media eagerly portrayed the isolated pockets of violence following a contentious presidential election, the people with whom we have spoken have been quick to assure us that Kenya is a peace-loving country, and the only fearful moment I have experienced this week was flying down the zip line. This is a country of poor but happy and warm people.

(3) Coming from a consumer-driven, technology-based, disposable society, it is almost unfathomable how self-sufficient and efficient the Kenyan people are. They produce nearly all of what they eat on their shambas (garden plots, most of which were purchased after the successful struggle for independence), walk or bike everywhere, and waste nothing (there are no trash cans anywhere, except at Batian’s View to cater to us wasteful Americans!). Here’s the catch: although many still rely on face-to-face communication, people of even modest means have cell phones!

(4) Most significantly, while their schools are nominally state-funded (but inexcusably under-resourced), the children view education here as a privilege. It has been wonderful to watch our students reflecting on the Kenyans’ enthusiasm for learning, intellectual curiosity, and appreciation of the power of knowledge. Perhaps we should send all of our incoming freshman here for a few weeks prior to the start of each new school year?

We have much to learn from the Kenyans: their faith in democracy is genuine, their willingness to fight for their convictions is inspiring, and their attitude about education and family is unlike anything I have witnessed previously. Most notably, we are learning that contentment is about “who” and not “what”, and that today should not be sacrificed in hope of a better tomorrow.

Corinne Dedini, teacher at Rocky Hill School in Connecticut, participating in the St. Gregory trip to Kenya

Scott Kennedy, 42, died May 7 when the van he was in rolled over on Interstate 8, a Department of Public Safety spokesman said.

Kennedy had been one of the passengers in the van containing his four children and driven by his wife, Officer Bart Graves said.

The Kennedys had been heading west in their 2001 Ford on Interstate 8, between Gila Bend and Yuma, when another vehicle merged from the incoming ramp, Graves said.

The wife took "evasive action" to avoid the other vehicle, which sent their vvan off the left shoulder and into a median, where it rolled three times, Graves said.

The four children, ages 8 through 13, and the wife were treated at the hospital and released, Graves said. The father had been the only passenger not wearing a seat belt, he added.

Do you know anything about Scott Kennedy? Please e-mail rynski@tucsoncitizen.com

Danielle Mason, 22, died May 5 from injuries incurred a week prior after her boyfriend shot her in the head, a Tucson police spokesman said.

Boyfriend Anthony Sylvia, 23, who said he had been playing with the .22-caliber handgun when the incident occurred, was arrested May 6 and charged with second-degree murder, Sgt. Mark Robinson said. Sylvia also told police he had been smoking marijuana before he shot her, court records show.

The couple had been in their home in the 2600 block of North Stone Avenue when Sylvia said he "had the gun on safety" then pointed it at Mason and pulled the trigger, Robinson said.

UPDATE 5/9/08:

One woman’s death is leaving a gaping void this Mother’s Day for her three daughters and the two women she called “mom.”

Danielle Mason, 22, was shot in the head April 28 by her boyfriend, Anthony Sylvia, who told officers he was playing with a gun, Tucson police reported.

Jail records show Sylvia, 23, was arrested Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder and is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond.

Mason was taken off life support Saturday night, said Caroline Johnson, one of the women Mason knew as “mom.”

The other woman she called “mom,” adoptive mother Katie Fackler, who lives in Texas and raised her from age 11 through 18, was also at her side.

“We hand brushed her hair out,” Johnson said, adding Mason was always concerned about her hair and nails.

“We wanted to say, ‘Baby girl, this is the last thing we’re doing for you, something you like,’” Johnson said.

Johnson first met Mason about six years ago, before Mason formed a relationship with Johnson’s son, TJ, 30.

“Life was rough for her but she was so alive,” Johnson recalled. She said Mason loved country music, going to the movies and could spend 24 hours doing her hair and nails.

She also had a lot of love, Johnson said, and furiously sought love in return.

“She was always searching for that mother’s love,” she said. “Katie gave it to her. I gave it to her.”

Johnson said Mason came from a broken home and stayed in a series of foster homes until she was adopted by Fackler a little more than a decade ago.

She also had a criminal past, Johnson said and court records confirmed, showing Mason was once listed as a wanted fugitive from Texas, with no further details, and pleaded guilty to issuing a bad check in 2007.

“She may have done whatever she did,” Johnson said, “but she was trying to turn her life around and make it right. She made mistakes in her life but she tried really hard.”

Making it right meant working hard, being honest and trying to hold together the home with her boyfriend, Sylvia, and his pet dogs.

“She loved dogs,” Johnson said, “just like she loved kids. But that didn’t mean she was emotionally equipped to take care of them.”

Mason’s eldest daughter, 5, was adopted by a family that cannot be named. Johnson took in Mason’s middle child, 3, and Fackler has her 1-year-old youngest daughter.

“The important thing to know is kids need to be nurtured,” Johnson said. “Whatever happens when they are young is going to effect everything.”

Johnson’s dream was to reunite Mason with her daughters once they graduated high school, when she could tell them why she wasn’t strong enough to be there for them before but can be now.

But that will no longer happen, she said.

“I want her legacy to be that the person who killed her didn’t just take away her life,” Johnson said. “He took away some of our lives, too.”

Do you know anything about Danielle Mason? Please e-mail rynski@tucsoncitizen.com

While driving south on Stone Avenue at the break of dawn, the car in front of me came to an abrupt stop. What the heck? I wondered. This isn't Brooklyn where cars stop to double park in the middle of the street just because a nearby store is having a sale.

My wondering turned to disgust when I saw why the car stopped.

A man was riding his bike against traffic barely in the bike lane with a small puppy tethered to a leash being half-dragged, half-pulled along.

The puppy was trying to run vigorously to keep up with the bicycle man. The puppy was weaving into traffic.

Not only should people need to pass traffic safety classes to ride bicycles properly, some should also have to take a stupidity test before owning any type of animal, even a pet cockroach.

-Ryn Gargulinski

Several southern Arizona high school softball teams play Friday in their respective state softball tournaments, headlined by the Class 4A Division I state title tilt between Sahuaro and Canyon del Oro.

4A Division I championship

• Who: No. 7 Sahuaro vs. No. 1 Canyon del Oro
• When: 5:07 p.m.
• Where: Rose Mofford Softball Complex in Phoenix
• TV: Cox Cable channel 7
• How they got here: CDO beat No. 4 Sandra Day O'Connor, Sabino and Glendale Apollo in the first three rounds; Sahuaro beat Cienega, Scottsdale Chaparral and Lake Havasu.
• Of note: Sahuaro has won eight state softball championships, the last in 2001. . . CDO has won four state titles, the last coming in 2007. . . The two teams played once this season, with CDO winning 3-1.

Class 2A semifinals (story)

• Game 1: Pusch Ridge vs. Phoenix Northwest Christian
• When: 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Rose Mofford
• How they got here: Pusch Ridge beat St. Johns 7-2 in the quarterfinals and Hopi 13-2 in the first round; Northwest Christian beat Bourgade Catholic 1-0 in the quarterfinals and Greyhills 10-0 in the first round.
• Of note: Northwest Christian beat Pusch Ridge 15-1 in the season opener. . . Pusch Ridge pitcher Shawna Bleyl, who will attend West Point and pitch for Army next year, pitched in a 1-0 state championship loss to Scottsdale Christian as a freshman in 2005.

Class 2A semifinals

• Game 2: San Manuel vs. Benson
• When: 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Rose Mofford
• How they got here: San Manuel beat Willcox 2-1 in the quarterfinals and Morenci 3-1 in the first round; Benson beat Miami 2-0 in the quarterfinals and Superior 11-0 in the first round.
• Of note: San Manuel has won seven state softball titles, the last in 1994. . . Benson won the 2006 state title 5-4 over Scottsdale Christian.

– Geoff Grammer

Three Tucson baseball teams play in state semifinal games on Tuesday in the Phoenix area.

4A Division I semifinals (story)

• Who: No. 7 Catalina Foothills vs. No. 3 Phoenix Sandra Day O'Connor
• When: 4 p.m.
• Where: Tempe Diablo Stadium
• How they got here: Foothills beat Sabino 5-4 in the quarterfinals and Goodyear Millennium 7-1 in the first round; S. D. O'Connor beat Scottsdale Saguaro 15-5 in five innings in the quarterfinals and Nogales 9-3 in the first round.
• Of note: Foothills has played in three state title games (2002, 2004, 2005), losing all three. . . . Foothills has won 14 of its last 15 games.

4A Division II semifinals

• Who: No. 10 Catalina vs. No. 6 Cottonwood Mingus
• When: 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Phoenix Municipal Baseball Stadium
• How they got here: Catalina beat Douglas 4-2 in the quarterfinals and Page 6-4 in the first round; Mingus beat Scottsdale Arcadia 9-0 in the quarterfinals and Phoenix Moon Valley 5-4 in 10 innings in the first round.
• Of note: Catalina won its only state baseball title in 1967. . . . Senior shortstop Shaun Cooper, a University of Arizona signee, tied the Class 4A career home run record of 37 during Tuesday's quarterfinal win over Douglas.

Class 1A semifinals

• Who: St. Gregory vs. Gila Bend
• When: 4 p.m.
• Where: Tempe Diablo Complex
• How they got here: St. Gregory beat Bagdad 10-9 in the quarterfinals and Williams 3-1 in the first round; Gila Bend beat Salt River 5-3 in the quarterfinals and Fredonia 2-1 in the first round.
  Of note: St. Gregory has won one baseball state championship, 12-2 over Mayer in 1999.

– Geoff Grammer