Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was booed and jeered when he walked into a public hearing Thursday on his plan to end affirmative action programs for women and people of color in state university admissions and contracts. The crowd's reaction was so loud it drowned out the hearing chairman's pounding gavel.
State Sen. Kendrick Meek was joined by his mother U.S. Representative Carrie Meek on stage to speak out against Bush's plan. "The pain the governor feels is a self-inflicted wound," said Carrie Meek.
The hearings were held in response to a sit-in staged last month by two legislators wherein Bush agreed to delay his order to end affirmative action for women and people of color until the matter was brought before the public. Opponents of Bush's plan argue that it will not encourage diversity nor would state lawmakers would approve the $20 million to $30 million in financial aid required to boost needy minority students' ability to attend college.
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
6/18/2013 Pakistani Women's University Bus, Hospital Bombed - A bus for a women's university in Pakistan and the hospital that treated victims from the blast were bombed on Saturday, killing 14 students and 24 others at the hospital.
The bus was transporting female students and teachers from Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University in Quetta, located in the southwestern part of Pakistan. . . .
6/18/2013 Taliban Attack In Afghan Capital As NATO Transfers Power - Yesterday, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) transferred responsibility for the country's security forces to the Afghan government after a bomb blast targeting a political official left three civilians dead in Kabul. . . .
