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Not many devils here in Arizona aside from the 'Sun Devil' variety (Arizona State University).
Too damn hot
In fact, Phoenix gets SO HOT, that the other day, Sheriff Joe Arpaio was reportedly seen chasing an illegal down the street, and they were BOTH WALKING !!!
In fact, Phoenix gets SO HOT, that the other day, Sheriff Joe Arpaio was reportedly seen chasing an illegal down the street, and they were BOTH WALKING !!!
As a Native American (you're a Native American, right?), you have every right to protect your freedoms and deck from bird sh*t. Immigration is a cut and dry issue and you've summed up my sediments exactly: Foreign immigrants are poison, every last one of them.
I'm ashamed to admit that my great grandparents, once immigrants themselves, were drawn to America by the wealth of cheap Oregon desert farmland being given away by the US government. (They may have farmed in other areas of your great land but, sadly, other "birds" took up nest there.) You see, my great grandparents were selfishly hoping for a fresh start and a rich life, something they could not get in their native land. Poor and uneducated, as so many of those feeble immigrants are, they were determined to survive. I'm sure you can guess what happened next--they greedily started a family. Wanting to give more to their children than they had, it wasn't long before my relatives spread out to other areas of the Pacific Coast Northwest (an area you might have known as Mexico until the mid to late 1800's) with a malicious intent to dive bomb all Native Americans and eat their feeders dry.
As the most powerful nation in the world, it would be a burden and not worth the time for America to improve its foreign policies and in the long run, help strengthen other nations' economies. We're not in a position to help. Everyone knows, smart, long-term policies take too long. The short-term, "me, mine" mentality works much better. My hope is that many Americans and even our government will get the word to continue dehumanizing today's immigrants, easing our minds as we deport a mother hoping to feed her children. (Why are those animals always wanting to improve their quality of life?) Take away all the bird feeders! Otherwise, along will come a robin, then a sparrow and before you know it...a squirrel! Those nuts are ours!
If you agree, pass this letter on to California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a true Amercian, and let him know how you feel about immigrants taking over your land and soon government. If not, continue cleaning up the bird sh*t, or get your housekeepers and gardeners to do it. Oh wait, they won't be here.
What message indeed? Let's see what the Bible has to say on the subject, shall we???
Biblical immigration
Deut. 19:14
Quote:
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
("Landmark" refers to territory, boundary, or border.)
Moses further declared in Deut. 27:17
Quote:
Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Deut. 32:8
Quote:
When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people.
(Notice that God "separated the sons of Adam." God "set the bounds of the people.")
Acts 17:26
Quote:
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.
(There's those pesky borders and boundaries again. )
Titus 3;1-2
Quote:
Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Luke 2;1-5
Quote:
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
(Even Jesus' parents followed the secular law and submitted themselves to the taxing authority of Rome.)
Acts 24;16
Quote:
I am exercising myself continually �of committing no offense to GOD and men.
(That means not breaking man's laws.)
Rom 13;1-4
Quote:
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Will you not then be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and you shall have praise of the same. For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid: for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon he that does evil.
1Pet 2;13-15
Quote:
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well-doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
This last one kinda sums the whole thing up for me...
Lev 19:33-34
Quote:
And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
So the contrast here is between the rules that apply to 1) the stranger passing through, versus the rules that apply to 2) the stranger who was dwelling with the Israelites.
The point of the passage was INTEGRATION into the Israelite community by the stranger.
The passage is saying not to apply the same criteria to the one who is merely stopping in versus the stranger who is to be considered a part of the community.
Now here is the point that matters: in order for the stranger to be considered part of Israel, the attitude of the Israelites was that they were required to "love him as thyself"...which is a high standard.
What did that "Stranger" have to do in order to be considered PART OF ISRAEL FIRST?
The answer is that the stranger had to:
1) Become an Israelite
2) Agree to be Bound by ALL the laws of Israel
3) Agree to follow ALL of the rules of Israel
4) Agree to the SAME penalty as those who were part of Israel.
That may sound casual to those who read this today, but there are two very important points:
1) Part of the Israel Law had "Death by Stoning" for many offenses, so joining the tribes who will stone you to death for breaking the rules has serious consequences.
2) The other part - is that in order to join Israel, he had to be circumcised.
So, instead of the responsibility being on Israel to treat that PERMANENT stranger as part of the tribe, YES - that is what they had to do,
But ONLY AFTER that stranger had agreed to abide by ALL OF THE LAWS OF ISRAEL, with death following shortly for many infractions.
Ahhhh the Bible. The novel written by Kings to get people to do what they want.
Schools struggle to pay for English-learner program
Schools struggle to pay for English-learner program by Ray Parker - Aug. 10, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Arizona public schools have struggled with how to pay for a new state program teaching immigrant students English, especially since districts requested around $300 million but received only $40 million.
At Arizona's largest district, with 73,000 students, for example, Mesa Public Schools administrators received $1.8 million in state money for the new English-learner program, but they expect to spend about $7 million.
It meant digging to find another $5.2 million out of a slim budget, which already had to be cut by $13 million. More than 100 district positions were left unfilled, including associate superintendent and school librarians.
This school year, 140,000 Arizona students not proficient in English will be given four hours a day of language instruction. That is slightly more than 10 percent of Arizona's 1 million public-school children in about 330 districts and charter schools.
Arizona is under a court order to improve instruction to children struggling to learn English.
The new English-learner program calls for:
•* Four hours per day of English instruction in speaking, listening, grammar, reading and writing.
•* English-learner students must be kept out of mainstream classes during those four hours.
•* Students must be grouped according to four levels of English proficiency.
•* Classes will be taught by highly qualified teachers or those certified to teach English as a second language.
Before the new program, many districts would put English-learner students in mainstream classrooms for the majority of the school day, while providing about 30 minutes of "pull-out" English instruction.
State-education officials said students could spend six or seven years in the old program before becoming proficient in English, while the new model means a much shorter track for learning English: about a year, especially for elementary students.
Tom Horne, state superintendent of public instruction, said: "They'll learn English quickly and then be able to compete with other (mainstream) kids in academics."
State funds fall short
For months, Arizona administrators have complained about the state's new English-language-learner funding.
Chris Thomas, president of the Madison School District school board, was among those frustrated by the state's $40 million for the new program, arguing it's too small and shortchanges some districts that have many English learners, while giving a windfall to others.
District administrators had originally requested $275 million to $300 million for the program.
At Chandler Unified School District, officials expect to spend $3 million on the new program, while receiving $1.6 million from the state.
Officials said they didn't expect class sizes to increase, but that won't be known until the school year gets under way.
The new program means changing classroom logistics for 3,500 English learners in the 35,000-student district.
It means hiring about 36 new teachers for English learners.
"This is the biggest change mandated from the state in my memory," said Susan Eissinger, associate superintendent for instruction. "We believe it's going to cost more than the allocation (from the state)."
At the Buckeye Union High School District, officials originally requested $600,000, which included construction money for additional classrooms at Buckeye Union High, where classrooms already were at capacity.
The district received $40,000. It covers hiring one English-language teacher, mileage reimbursement for travel between campuses, partial funding to hire substitute teachers to cover staff training, and computer-software licenses.
Adapting program to kids
The Legislature passed the 2006 law to try to resolve a 1994 lawsuit challenging Arizona's English-learner programs as violating federal mandates for equal opportunities in education.
The law called for a nine-member committee called the Arizona English Language Learners Task Force, which has created the new curriculum, called English Language Development models.
Districts submitted estimated budgets to the state about the cost of starting the new program, and some even retooled their expenses to align their cost with the state model.
"We were rejected several times," Thomas said. "We had to cut down a number of our costs."
Chandler Unified officials said the state money would cover hiring new ELL teachers.
But Eissinger said the district submitted additional expenses, such as for new course materials along with more training for current educators. The state did not cover those costs.
And there were other complications.
Districts sought alternatives to the state's English-learner teaching mandate. So far, the task force has approved three alternative models, which can be used by other districts under similar circumstances:
•* The Higley Unified School District alternative: If there are fewer than 20 English learners in a three-grade span, such as grades K-2, then educators can use an individual language plan for those students.
•* The Glendale Union High School District alternative: If English learners who are juniors and seniors pass the state language test at the "intermediate" level and are on track for graduation, then those students can spend fewer hours per day in the English-learner program.
•* The Phoenix Union High School District alternative: When teaching the reading portion of the English-learner program, educators can use other academic material, such as history or social studies.
Chandler educator Tim Brethauer teaches an English-learner summer-school program at Willis Junior High.
He said the new program should conform to student needs.
"It should be based on the individual and choice," Brethauer said. "One size does not fit all."
Humberto Rosales, 17, has spent the past two years in the English-learner program and needed the summer-school credit to graduate his coming year at Chandler High, when he'll be enrolled in regular English classes.
"A lot depends on the teachers," he said. "I think (the new program) is OK if they don't speak English at all. It depends on the student." Charlie Leight/The Arizona Republic
Juan Jose Barrera Ronquillo, 7, gets help with an English-learner assignment at Chandler's Galveston Elementary School. Chandler Unified School District received about half of what it thinks the ELL program will cost the district. More on this topic
Task-force timeline
In 2006, the Legislature mandated a change in the way Arizona districts teach English to immigrants and formed a nine-member task force to work out the details.
Sept. 21, 2006: Task-force members' first meeting, and it starts looking into history of Arizona's English-language learner (ELL) program, including participation, testing programs and monitoring procedures.
October 2006: Twenty-four school district and charter schools testify, representing various geographic areas, sizes and programs.
November 2006: Hears testimony from experts in the field and in academia.
January 2007: State Department of Education officials explain how state and federal laws affect ELL instruction, along with nine other school districts testifying. Surveys 107 districts with effective programs.
April 2007: Hires a consultant to help process testimony, while officials conduct phone surveys of over 100 schools. Over the next three months, consultant holds six meetings dealing with various ELL models.
May 17, 2007: Chino Valley School District curriculum specialists testify about its four hours of instruction.
Aug. 1-2, 2007: Public hearings held in Tucson and Phoenix on ELL models.
September 2007: State Department of Education starts a series of presentations around the state to inform districts of their options.
January: Arizona School Administrators put cost of new ELL program at about $300 million.
April: Legislature approves $40 million toward new ELL program.
New English model
The Arizona English Language Learners Task Force, consisting of nine people, has mandated that all students not proficient in English have four hours of daily instruction devoted to English. It begins this school year.
State officials contend the four-hour model, or a majority of the school day, is essential to provide English-language learners with a strong push toward proficiency. Some districts contend it's an unwieldy mandate that the state is underfunding.
The Legislature passed the law mandating the change in 2006 in order to resolve a 1994 lawsuit challenging Arizona's English-learning programs as violating federal mandates for equal opportunities in education.
To view the task-force meeting agendas and minutes, log on at ade.az.gov/ELLTaskForce.
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The cost to our children and us.
