The road home for the holidays is paved with extortion -- LAT
Despite sending money south all year to aid families, fund public projects, O.C.'s Mexican nationals find themselves prime shakedown targets in their homeland.
In Afghanistan, lessons in the face of violence -- LAT
Educators persevere despite the constant threat of Taliban attacks.
Rumsfeld memo called for new Iraq strategy -- LAT
Days before resigning, the secretary urged new strategies, including troop reductions.
For soldiers' families, it's lights, camera, love -- OCR
Emotional wives, children and parents of troops in Iraq videotape heartfelt messages for the holidays.
New citizens to be civics-savvy -- OCR
Prospective Americans will face a more meaningful naturalization test starting next year.
Locked into problems -- OCR
Governor, Legislature, prison guards and inmates all have different priorities and suggestions.
Today's editorial: Signs that CUSD has learned its lessons -- OCR
New leadership of Capistrano district admits mistakes, changes controversial policy
Teens dance, adults frown -- OCR
Booty shorts, stripper poles and bellybutton rings are mainstays at one local teen dance club
Chai ecstatic with win -- DP
FOOTBALL: UCLA starting center, a Newport Harbor High product, revels in Bruins' upset of USC.
Don't bet on any real meaningful change coming from CUSD while the 4 remaining incumbents are still on the board. I hope I am wrong, but I suspect real change is still 2 years away when the remaining incumbents lose their seats in the next election. One real test will come when they select the new permanent superintendent. We'll see how that turns out. There are also the indictments coming from the Grand Jury investigation. We will be watching everything very closely from here on out.
The Majority Who Are Disgruntled And Worse By CUSD
Posted by: Tigers Don't Change Stripes | December 03, 2006 at 01:39 PM
The editorial published in the Commentary section of yesterday's OC Register ["Signs that CUSD has learned its lessons"] was bitter sweet, but mostly bitter.
True, there have been encouraging changes at CUSD in response to the recall/reform efforts of the CUSD Recall Committee, the ABC Reform Slate and numerous volunteers, and the efforts of Interim Superintendent Charles McCully. The problem with yesterday's editorial, is that it ends by supporting the new CUSD agenda (and likely, new mantra), "It's time to move on."
Granted, the editorial qualifies its position on the condition that CUSD must tow the reform line. But this is naive and begs the question of how to properly address CUSD's continuing defiance evidenced by numerous examples of arrogance since the landslide reform victory in November. The reality is, the incumbent trustees have never admitted blame for any of the problems at CUSD and they stubbornly and arrogantly refuse to acknowledge the electorate's clear mandate for reform. At this point there is no excuse for the incumbent's to remain another day.
The recall campaign was based on a platform of restoring honesty, integrity and accountability to CUSD. A simple apology by David Doomey about the district misinforming the public about the financing of the new administration building without designating and addressing blame, is meaningless. This new "move on" agenda is designed to avoid such accountability and is the easy way out for the incumbents who wish to avoid responsibility and McCully, who has probably gotten in over his head.
Those who try to block reformers from completing the job -- whether conflicted incumbent trustees or an over-burdened interim superintendent -- are doing a tremendous disservice to the parents and taxpayers who have waited for answers for years and who have sent a clear mandate that real change, lasting change, will not happen without real accountability. If that means heads must roll and examples must be made, then so be it. The corruption runs too deep and must be dealt with appropriately, whether McCully understands it or not.
Posted by: Reform must include "accountability" | December 04, 2006 at 03:35 PM