He was mocked, called names, shouted down and vilified by a hostile crowd Thursday during the hourlong debate on bilingual education. But as he arose from this veritable lion’s den, Ron Unz was still all smiles.

“About average,” he said.

He’s used to crowds like these.

He faced the same arguments, personal attacks and criticism two years ago in California, where he sponsored a similar ban against bilingual education. Taking this criticism is nothing new.

It’s just baffling.

Unz would seem to have no dog in this fight.

He has no children. He doesn’t live in Arizona. He is not a teacher.

But yet, he has almost single-handedly financed Proposition 203, the initiative that would ban bilingual education in this state.

His passion for the issue wasn’t obvious during the debate at Armstrong Hall at Arizona State University.

Unz argues with numbers, spitting out test scores and transition rates and poll results.

These statistics don’t just illustrate his point. They are his point.

Unz doesn’t get all doe-eyed talking about immigrant children. Heartfelt concern about their futures doesn’t seem to be his primary motivation.

He says he got into the fight against bilingual education because he says he was “flabbergasted” by the numbers coming out of California’s bilingual programs.

He got involved in Arizona after two Tucson teachers called and asked if could bring his successful “English for the Children” campaign here.

And his checkbook.

But Unz hasn’t spent much time here, where his initiative threatens to upend the education system.

Thursday’s debate was the only one in which he agreed to participate in Arizona. And he was back on a plane to California by late afternoon.

After the debate, Unz was told about test scores put out by the Arizona Department of Education. Ones that show students do better in bilingual programs than they do in English-only programs.

Unz couldn’t refute those numbers.

“I don’t really know about the programs in Arizona,” he says.

“I’ll tell you, if they are (working), then they are the only ones in the country.”

He doesn’t live here, doesn’t educate children here, and doesn’t know about the programs here.

So what makes him tick?

“It’s a challenge,” he says. “Why do people become Olympic athletes?”

So, it comes down to the thrill of competition.

Unz likes winning. That could be why he’s using his money to make his view the law across the country.

New York is the next battleground. Other states are sure to follow.

“It would be neat if people said, ‘There’s that guy who got all those programs eliminated.’ ”

Unz considered a U.S. Senate bid earlier this year, but dismissed the idea. For now.

But asked if he’d like to eventually run for something, his smile gets even wider.

If he wins again this Election Day in Arizona, it’s sure to feed his victory fetish.

After all, it’s not everyday a software salesman can feel like Misty Hyman.

Reach Ruelas at [email protected] or (602) 444-8473.



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