Alejandrina Cabrera, Arizona, and English competence: Point of inquiry

It appears that after a substantial legal battle, Alejandrina Cabrera will not be allowed to run for the San Luis City Council because she is not sufficiently competent in English. In a video statement, she expresses her disappointment in the Hispanic mayor for suing her off the ballot in this nearly overwhelmingly Spanish-speaking city, and her lawyer argues that the standards set for competence in the English language are too vague to be enforceable.

However, the city's lawyer defends her removal, citing state law that was passed in 2006 requiring a candidate to read, write, speak, and understand English without the aid of an interpreter. This law was passed under the aegis of the 1910 Enabling Act, which requires those qualifications of state office holders as part of the conditions for Arizona becoming a state.

I inquire: How do you think the Arizona Supreme Court should have ruled in this case?

Susan G. Komen, Planned Parenthood, and arrogance: Point of rage

And you thought that the Susan G. Komen foundation was only a bully toward mom and pop charities using "For the Cure" or the color pink.

Now they've decided to pull their funding for Planned Parenthood. Ostensibly, this decision was made because Planned Parenthood is under Congressional investigation, and the Komen foundation recently passed rules barring grants going to organizations being investigated by Congress. They insist that this rule ties their hands, and that they're working to partner with new organizations to ensure that women will still get breast health screenings and the like.

They insist that politics have nothing to do with this decision.

No, clearly not. Their new VP for public policy didn't have a failed run for governor in Georgia on a strict anti-abortion platform promising to defund Planned Parenthood.

This decision didn't seriously frustrate one of the Komen foundations' chapters.

Pro-life groups, who should ostensibly cheer an organization that has 16% of its services devoted to cancer screenings (vs. less than 3% of its services represented by abortions), aren't cheering all over the blogosphere at this development.

The Komen foundation didn't make a Facebook post a few days ago about how big gaps exist in screening rates for breast cancer in minorities, the kinds of folks Planned Parenthood helps.

Nope, no politics at work at here at all.

It seems this action has caused an overnight spike in donations to Planned Parenthood. It may also end up biting the Komen foundation in the butt. The perceived politicization of cancer screening funding may also wind up making the Komen foundation a target of Congressional inquiry itself.

I rage against the mingling of politics with charity.