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THE WEIRS TIMES & THE COCHECO TIMES, Thursday, December 1, 2011


Guest Editorial CHOICE IS THE REAL HOPE


by Ken Gorrell Contributing Writer


American Fed- eration of Teach- ers – New Hamp- shire president Laura Hainey re- cently defended her October 20th anti-school choice op-ed in the Con- vord Moni tor (“Vouchers offer false hope”) dur-


ing an on-air debate on “The Advocates,” Niel Young’s talk radio program (WEZS Laco- nia). Unfortunately for children poorly served by public schools, Ms. Hainey made it clear she re- mains opposed to real education reform. In her op-ed, Ms. Hainey equat-


ed education vouchers to a doc- tor’s prescription for medica- tion that doesn’t work, and to a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit. But as anyone with high blood pres- sure knows, different medica- tions can be prescribed for that ailment because patients are


different; one pill does not fit all. And what parent sees a child as an interchangeable puzzle piece? “Vouchers” enable choice in edu- cation, offering hope to parents who believe that their child is unique, not a piece to be placed in someone else’s puzzle. The author’s claim that “stud-


ies consistently conclude that vouchers don’t improve student achievement” is false. Providing a smattering of negative studies cherry-picked to suit her purpose does not change the fact that vouchers have a mixed record success. Studies of a number of different programs in many different school district show some positive or neutral results. While these reports are readily available, teachers unions would rather accentuate the negative than admit to any successes for reforms that don’t fit into the public education box. That is unfortunate. America’s


public K-12 education system See GORRELL on 31


THE SEARCH FOR MARIZELA: A THANKSGIVING NOTE


On March 5,


by Michelle Malkin Syndicated Columnist


my 18-year- old cousin dis- appeared from her University of Washing- ton campus in Seattle. Mari- zela Perez -- 5-foot-5, 110 pounds, short black hair with br own/ r ed highlights and


bangs cut into an asymmetrical bob, wearing a dark hooded jacket, jeans and light brown suede boots -- was last seen at a Safeway grocery that fateful Saturday afternoon. Marizela walked


out the door and up Brooklyn Ave., and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Civil War historian


Drew Gilpin Faust once described the “aching hearts” of families of the missing “in which the dread void of un- certainty” remains. In the first days and weeks after Marizela went missing, this feeling completely engulfed her parents, relatives and friends near and far. How to express the inexpress-


ible? You try to breathe, but all that


fills your lungs is that smoky, sti- fling uncertainty. You try to eat, but all you can taste is indigestible fear. You try to sleep, but all that comes is fathomless fatigue. Your heart is weighted with grief, but your soul refuses to mourn. You cling to hope and faith, tie a


knot at the ends, and hang on with raw, blistered desperation. Whoever said “time heals all wounds” has only known super-


ficial hurt. Sharp pangs of panic have metastasized into deep an- guish over the past eight months. There have been no investigative leads. No witnesses have come forward. To the police department, as is the case with so many others like her, Marizela is just another bureaucratic burden. In fact, for five full months, the


Seattle police shockingly violated state code requiring law enforce- ment agencies to submit her DNA information and dental X-rays to the Washington State Patrol within 30 days of her disappearance. Af- ter raising a ruckus, we were informed in late October that this legally mandated task was assigned to a “light duty” officer (never identified) who let it slip through the cracks. No one was held accountable for this negligence. Along the way, how-


Marizela Perez


ever, the kindness of complete strangers has been boundless. This holiday season,


our heartfelt gratitude goes out to each and every person who has contributed to the search for Mari- zela, including: -- Ned Cullen and the generous


folks at ClearChannel Outdoor, who donated digital billboard space for missing persons alerts about Marizela all over the West Coast, from the Seattle area to Salem, Or- egon, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Ve- gas. -- The staff of the King County


Superior Court and the staff of the King County Medical Examiner’s office, foremost among them foren- sic anthropologist Dr. Kathy Taylor for her professionalism, dedication to and compassion for families of See MALKIN on 36


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