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Monday, November 7, 2011

SECB Fucks Up School Board Endorsement!!

Posted by on Mon, Nov 7, 2011 at 12:09 PM

Remember how we endorsed Harium Martin-Morris for Seattle School District Position No. 3? Holy fuck, were we ever stoned.

Now we’ve put down the bong and are saying that you should vote for Michelle Buetow. Why? It turns out, as we reported on November 4, that Martin-Morris is trying to pass new rules that grant principals wide discretion to censor student newspapers for bullshit reasons. Specifically, Martin-Morris would prohibit everything from libel to content that promotes “widespread shouting or boisterous conduct.” In other words, student newspapers couldn’t report news that makes people, say, upset or joyful. He insists that the district currently doesn’t have rules prohibiting students from libel and defamation—but he’s wrong. The district already has rules in place, rules that place less ambiguous restrictions on student speech. We don’t buy his argument that we need new rules that suppress student speech, particularly from someone who doesn’t even know what the existing rules are.

When told that libel is already illegal in school newspapers, like every other fucking newspaper in the country, Martin-Morris replied, “That may be true but…when you write it down, it’s real.” Clearly, Martin-Morris doesn’t think state and federal laws are “real” enough. We sincerely apologize for endorsing this frothing idiot. Vote Buetow. Here's our new-and-improved, frothing-idiot-free cheat sheet:

new_cheat-sheet-570.jpg

All of our endorsements are explained here.

UPDATE: The school district has deferred voting on this measure until next year. But we're still hatin' on Martin-Morris.

 

Comments (32) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
chimsquared 1
as i have already voted, mostly following your suggestions, this information is less than useful for me.
Posted by chimsquared on November 7, 2011 at 12:18 PM
Akbar Fazil 2
after you saying no to 1183, I am not sure I can ever trust your suggestions again.
Posted by Akbar Fazil on November 7, 2011 at 12:21 PM
3
I already voted, but fortunately I went with Cliff Mass on this one. http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/10/tr…
Posted by yuiop on November 7, 2011 at 12:22 PM
4
Ditto #1; I literally just put my envelope in the mail slot!

Grrr! And, I really had to hunt to find the cheat sheet on Slog.

Almost everyone I now references the slog endorsements to some extent.
Posted by Atl2Sea on November 7, 2011 at 12:24 PM
Cato the Younger Younger 5
Kinda late for me..my ballot was mailed last week.
Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on November 7, 2011 at 12:24 PM
6
That does it. I'm cancelling my subscription.
Posted by Nezz on November 7, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Will in Seattle 7
So, basically, none of the incumbents at all?

Wowsers.

Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on November 7, 2011 at 12:29 PM
8
Thank you to The Stranger.

One, for reexamining their endorsement based on new information. Two, for probably being the only media outlet in this town that would admit a mistake in judgment. You will NEVER see this from the Times (which makes The Stranger all the more credible).

I join them wholeheartedly in this endorsement (although I endorsed Buetow from the start).

Posted by westello on November 7, 2011 at 12:35 PM
9
Yeah I agree with #2. I won't be following your advice ever again. Such a wrong call on this one, no doubt pushed by that Goldy hack.
Posted by LORD ZOD on November 7, 2011 at 12:37 PM
michaelp 10
It's good to see y'all coming to your senses on this one.

I, for one, would have thought his support of lowering standards for graduation, or belief that the School Board should be for enacting Administration policies, not oversight, or his blind, steadfast support for Goodloe-Johnson should have been enough.

But all the same, good job! I just hope enough folks that rely on the Stranger cheat sheet haven't voted the wrong way...
Posted by michaelp on November 7, 2011 at 12:42 PM
11
hmmm, too bad I mailed my ballot this morning. But I'm with @8 - kudos for re-examining and correcting your voting card, even if it's too late for many voters.
Posted by genevieve on November 7, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Catherwood 12
Seriously, that dumb-ass liquor initiative has people's panties in such a wad that they'll NEVER TRUST YOU AGAIN!

It was just stupid: BOTH sides. I wanted to vote to send them all to their rooms without dinner. But it's just one frickin' initiative: you're going to throw EVERYTHING out because of an even-more-stupid-than-usual initiative? Sheesh.
Posted by Catherwood on November 7, 2011 at 12:50 PM
13
Heh, I wonder why they don't open the "which one voice on the SECB was absolutely insistent on ignoring Buetow in both the primary and the general, the one challenger endorsed by all Democratic legislative district executive boards in Seattle" poll.
Posted by I suspect M. Maddux and I know anyway on November 7, 2011 at 12:53 PM
Fnarf 14
Which one was the one whose signs read "Vote For The Mom"? I want her to lose. Nobody cares if you're a mom or not. There is no reason to think that being a parent would make you a better school board member.

If I ever run for school board my platform will be "not a parent, but an administrator; and if elected parents will be forbidden to enter school grounds or contact school officials in any way".
Posted by Fnarf http://www.facebook.com/fnarf on November 7, 2011 at 12:59 PM
DowntownTaylor 15
Crap! Too late for my ballot. I don't suppose I can walk into the Elections Department and ask for a re-do.
Posted by DowntownTaylor http://www.digitaltaylor.com on November 7, 2011 at 1:15 PM
DOUG. 16
Don't trust The Stranger. Doug's Voter's Guide is never wrong.
Posted by DOUG. http://www.dougsvotersguide.com on November 7, 2011 at 1:18 PM
17
“That may be true but…when you write it down, it’s real.” Clearly, Martin-Morris doesn’t think state and federal laws are “real” enough.

Check the State Auditor's reports ... This Board on several occasions did not follow laws or policies. /// Martin-Morris doesn't think often enough. He prefers to spin yarns around subjects like TFA and New Tech Network contract instead of following laws.
Posted by WestSeattleDan on November 7, 2011 at 1:26 PM
18
Here is yet another voter's guide

As long as too many voters choose to:
cast their votes founded in opinions formed by myths and half-truths, rather than the facts,
we will continue to have legislative bodies filled with purveyors of half-truths.

In an effort to counter the dissemination of half-truths and myths I present:

Seattle School Board 2011 Voter's Guide -- - an evidence filled voters guide.

Posted by WestSeattleDan on November 7, 2011 at 1:33 PM
19
This is why mail-in voting sucks. And why I always wait 'til the last minute (not to see if The Stranger staff comes to their senses, but to see if any candidates make last-minute bonehead moves).

I'm with michaelp--there were plenty of reasons befoer this not to endorse Martin-Morris. Glad you finally saw the light, but it was already blazingly bright.
Posted by fruitbat on November 7, 2011 at 1:33 PM
20
Could you at least say you are sorry? Sheesh.
Posted by Gato on November 7, 2011 at 1:44 PM
Fnarf 21
@16, I like your voter's guide a lot, but the lack of red check marks and dotted line is too confusing for me.
Posted by Fnarf http://www.facebook.com/fnarf on November 7, 2011 at 1:44 PM
22
Could you at least say you are sorry? Sheesh.
Posted by Gato on November 7, 2011 at 1:46 PM
23
KUOW had a good piece lately -- might even have been on your friend Steve Scher's show -- that by involving the administration in content decisions, it opens the district to liability, which they are (apparnetly) exempt from. So even from just a plainly practical standpoint, its a stupid idea.
Posted by moretent on November 7, 2011 at 2:26 PM
24
Well, I guess that makes me happy that I totally ignored you all on that one.
Posted by lopes on November 7, 2011 at 2:45 PM
Will in Seattle 25
Wait ... there's an election?

I thought all America cared about was MJ's doctor?
Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on November 7, 2011 at 3:15 PM
Machete 26
Good thing I voted YESTERDAY.
Posted by Machete on November 7, 2011 at 3:24 PM
27
Really, do some of you people just pull out The Stranger's cheat sheet and fill it out down the line as they prescribe?

I mean, I know that you do, but I still find it unbelievable and kinda sad.

To all of you who blindly followed The Stranger endorsements and are annoyed that you already voted... HA! Maybe next time you'll do your own research, and if you haven't researched an issue/candidate, you'll not vote in those races and stick to voting in the ones you have.
Posted by lopes on November 7, 2011 at 3:32 PM
28
If you guys had been paying attention, you'd have realized that HMM had checked out a looong time ago. Well, better late than never - unless it's too late for people to change their votes.
Posted by Swanky Modes on November 7, 2011 at 3:50 PM
seandr 29
Your fucking right principals should have the final say in what goes into a school newspaper, just like Tim Keck has the final say in what goes into this piece of shit rag.

Don't like it? Start your own fucking newspaper.
Posted by seandr on November 7, 2011 at 4:11 PM
undead ayn rand 30
"after you saying no to 1183, I am not sure I can ever trust your suggestions again."

Nice counterargument, dimbulb.
Posted by undead ayn rand on November 7, 2011 at 5:05 PM
31
Congratulations, SECB for recognizing your error and correcting it.

Now if we could just get through to the Seattle Times...
Posted by Charlie Mas on November 7, 2011 at 5:59 PM
tedb310 32
They say better late than never, but sometimes it not much better.
Posted by tedb310 on November 7, 2011 at 6:19 PM

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