Next salvo in the Arizona Republicans' war on brown people targets *everybody*

The Republicans in the Arizona Legislature have done as they threatened promised and introduced bills attacking the 14th Amendment and birthright citizenship for children born in the United States.

The Senate version is SB1309, introduced by Sen. Ron Gould and sponsored/cosponsored by nine other Republicans, including Senate President Russell Pearce.

The House version is HB2561, introduced by Rep. John Kavanagh, and sponsored/cosponsored by 26 other Republicans, including a number of legislators whose names are on the Senate version (Pearce, Harper, Bundgaard, Klein).

Both contain language that limits citizenship rights for babies that will be discussed at length here and elsewhere, but there is one clause in it that should worry *everybody* -

D. CITIZENSHIP OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA SHALL NOT CONFER UPON THE HOLDER THEREOF ANY RIGHT, PRIVILEGE, IMMUNITY OR BENEFIT UNDER LAW.

Based on that clause alone, if this garbage is enacted, long before it reaches the federal court system over the contradictions with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, it may not survive a challenge in *Arizona* courts.

I'm sure folks will come up with a much longer list of "rights" exclusive to citizens that the above clause would remove, but the first that comes to mind is

Voting.

Trent Franks: cut from the same intellectual cloth as Jan Brewer

Apparently, Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ2) has been getting his information from the same impeccable sources as Jan "headless bodies in the desert" Brewer.

From an interview with Franks in the Arizona Republic -

2. Will you be a leader on immigration?

{snip}

Even as the radical Iranian regime grows ever closer to a nuclear-weapons capability, some of the very terrorist organizations that are trained, funded and armed by Iran have increased their activities just miles from our southern border.

Sometimes, one of Arizona's electeds says something so perfectly inane that adding a punch line would be redundant.  And unnecessary.

In a (not) shocking development, Franks didn't offer any evidence to support his statement.

For the sake of journalistic standards, I've got an email out to the Department of Defense's press folks seeking confirmation of Rep. Franks' statement.

I'll update if anything comes through.  Though to be honest, I don't expect anything.

Later...

Press release of the day...

...Didn't have to look far for this one - it's from the Republican caucus of the Arizona State Senate...

From the press release -

Senate President-elect Russell Pearce recently received a coveted national award for his dogged efforts to fight illegal immigration. Sen. Pearce nabbed “Daring the Odds: The Annie Taylor Award” from The David Horowitz Freedom Center. A ceremony was held for Sen. Pearce and other courageous award winners at Restoration Weekend 2010 at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida.

OK, I'm not one who describes hatin' on brown-skinned people as "courageous" but given the makeup of the GOP caucus in the lege, we probably should be happy that white robes and hoods haven't replaced the bola tie as Arizona's signature clothing item.  Yet, anyway.

The fun part of the press release came later, in the last paragraph...

The Annie Taylor Award is named for Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She braved the falls in 1901, in a barrel she designed herself. When she exited the barrel, she said “No one should ever do that again.”

Ummm...if I understand all this correctly, they are crowing about Russell Pearce receiving an award that equates Pearce's nativism with climbing into a barrel and going over Niagara Falls in that barrel.

Now, going over the Falls in a barrel is a great metaphor for what the Republicans are doing to Arizona, except they aren't the ones in the water, we are, and we don't even have a barrel to protect us (safety measures being signs of "creeping socialism" or some such blather).

Something tells me that there is going to be an opening in the communications office of the Republican caucus of the Arizona State Senate in the near future.

BTW - At least Ms. Taylor had the wisdom to realize that maybe what she did wasn't bright.  So far, there's no evidence that Pearce and his ilk have any such wisdom.

More on the Horowitz awards/Restoration Weekend here, courtesy the Canadian blog Enormous Thriving Plants.

Arizona is picking up where the rest of the country is slacking off...

...unfortunately for Arizonans, this isn't a good thing...

From the Phoenix New Times -

Joe Arpaio, Russell Pearce and Jan Brewer's Arizona: Hate Crime Stats Climb

As if you need more proof that Arizona is the "state of hate," look no further than the FBI's recently released hate crime report.


From 2008 to 2009, Arizona's number of reported hate crimes increased by more than 18.3 percent. This is up over the year prior, 2007 to 2008, which saw a 14.9 percent increase in hate crimes statewide.

The numbers themselves show the creep upward. In 2007, there were 161 incidents reported in Arizona; in 2008, 185; in 2009, 219. This bucks the national trend, which shows reported hate crime incidents declining nationwide.

Most of the data is pre-SB1070, but well into the rise of nativism as a political force in Arizona. 

By contrast, Texas (just about as nutty as AZ) reported 262 hate crimes, approximately 50% more than Arizona.

Of course, Texas has a population that is more than 400% more than Arizona's.

Yippee.

Welcome to health care "reform" Arizona-style: BrewerCare

The term "BrewerCare" gleefully stolen from friend and strong Veterans and YD activist Cole...

Republican "governance" in a nutshell, using Arizona as an object lesson:

- Push for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, while heavily pimping a sales tax hike that disproportionately affects poor and working families...

- Embrace an anti-immigrant law that would be utterly ineffective at reducing the number of undocumented immigrants crossing the border, but would directly benefit Jan Brewer's (and Shadow Governor Russell Pearce's?) advisers/puppeteers from CCA

- Push for cuts to Arizona's Medicaid program, AHCCCS, that caused a patient, one already prepped for life-saving liver transplant surgery, to be discharged from the hospital because AHCCCS now won't cover the cost of the surgery (for a liver donated specifically to him by a dying family friend)...

- - The Democratic caucus of the Arizona House of Representatives has a press release containing some of the history behind the specific cuts here.

...Just a little sneak preview of what 2011 will hold for Arizona and the country with the Republicans running things...

New committees and chairs announced for the AZ legislature

...and there is going to be a LOT of subject material for wiseass bloggers coming out of 1700 West Washington in 2011...

Info courtesy AP via the Arizona Daily Star.

HOUSE
Agriculture and Water, Russ Jones

Appropriations, John Kavanagh

Banking and Insurance, Nancy McLain

Commerce, Jim Weiers

Employment and Regulatory Affairs, Bob Robson

Education, Doris Goodale

Energy and Natural Resources, Frank Pratt

Environment, Amanda Reeve

Government, Judy Burges

Health and Human Services, Cecil Ash

Higher education, Innovation and Reform, Steve Court

Judiciary, Eddie Farnsworth

Military Affairs and Public Safety, David Gowan

Rules, Jerry Weiers

Technology and Infrastructure, David Stevens

Transportation, Vic Williams

Ways and Means, Jack Harper

Nothing too shocking in the House here; a couple of new committees to make room for legislative returnees Farnsworth (yes, he got Judiciary, which already exists, but Court got one of the new ones to make room for Farnsworth on an "old" committee) and Robson.  Otherwise, every committee chair went to someone who was a legislator in 2010.

SENATE



Appropriations, Andy Biggs

Water and Rural Development, Gail Griffin

Border Security, Federalism and States' Sovereignty, Sylvia Allen

Economic Development and Jobs Creation, Michele Reagan

Commerce and Energy, Al Melvin

Education, Rich Crandall

Finance, Steve Yarbrough

Government Reform, Frank Antenori

Healthcare and Medical Liability Reform, Nancy Barto

Judiciary, Ron Gould

Natural Resources and Transportation, John Nelson

Public Safety and Human Services, Linda Gray

Veterans and Military Affairs, Adam Driggs

Banking and Insurance, John McComish

Rules, Russell Pearce


Oooooh.  The Senate is going to be fun this year!

Perhaps the toughest assignment goes to Michele Reagan - "Economic Development and Job Creation"??

She may be the Senate member on the steepest upward trajectory politically, and this assignment could put her over the top for whatever office she wants after her stint in the Senate, if she succeeds.

On the other hand, if this assignment is Pearce's way of setting up a patsy in case the Rs experience an epic failure to produce an economic recovery in Arizona (not exactly out of the realm of possibility), a failure in this assignment could stall or stop her political ascension and open an opportunity for fellow LD8'er (and Pearce friend and acolyte) Rep. John Kavanagh.

Of course, the balancer to that is the Sylvia Allen assignment, "Border Security, Federalism and States' Sovereignty."  Like Kavanagh, Allen is a friend and acolyte of Pearce; unlike Kavanagh, she isn't burdened by a surfeit of intelligence.

In other words, this assignment is perfect for her.

Expect most of Pearce's anti-immigrant bills to be funnelled through this committee (they'll be his, even if he has another senator put his/her name on the measures.)

Bring your own popcorn; Kool-Aid IVs will be provided...

Steve Yarbrough's assignment to the Finance committee is also supremely interesting, in an "indictment waiting to happen" sort of way.

Senate Finance is roughly analogous to the House's Ways and Means Committee and is responsible for taxes and tax credits and the like.

When Yarbrough was in the House, he pushed through and protected Arizona's infamous school tuition tax credit law, a law that takes money out of public schools and transfers it to private schools.

And funnels it through an organization that Yarbrough controls where he takes a hefty cut of the money for himself.

For the last couple of years, most of my legislative coverage has focused on the Senate because that is where the conflict was - a couple of the members thought the devastating cuts of the last two budgets weren't harsh enough and would vote against any budget that left the state operational.

It looks as if the next couple of years will be spent with the same focus - this time because the clown cars have surrounded the Capitol, and the clowns have made the Senate building their headquarters.

Russell Pearce showing his eloquence and poise in the face of dissension

Thanks go out to Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times for the heads-up on this video of Pearce's response when he was confronted by a supporter of the DREAM Act.



In summary:  Pearce has nothing more than bumper sticker slogans to buttress his nativist ideology.  The man loves to spout "the rule of law!" when talking about oppressing people with brown skin (as he does in the above video), but when dealing with well-connected white people, DUI convictions are just minor details, and should be removed from the driver's record.

Something tells me that I'm going to have a lot to write about over the next two years...

Well, that took long enough - National media finally notices the SB1070/private prison lobbyists connection

...and in case that title makes me sound like a jerk, let me say this up front: NPR did a great and thorough job with this. 

NPR has released the results of its investigation into the behind-the-scenes machinations during the crafting and passage of Arizona's infamous SB1070.  And the relationship between Jan Brewer's staff, many of whom are lobbyists for private prison companies

From the report - 

Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law

{snip}

NPR spent the past several months analyzing hundreds of pages of campaign finance reports, lobbying documents and corporate records. What they show is a quiet, behind-the-scenes effort to help draft and pass Arizona Senate Bill 1070 by an industry that stands to benefit from it: the private prison industry.


The law could send hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to prison in a way never done before. And it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars in profits to private prison companies responsible for housing them.


Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce says the bill was his idea. He says it's not about prisons. It's about what's best for the country.


{snip}

It was last December at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. Inside, there was a meeting of a secretive group called the American Legislative Exchange Council. Insiders call it ALEC.


It's a membership organization of state legislators and powerful corporations and associations, such as the tobacco company Reynolds American Inc., ExxonMobil and the National Rifle Association. Another member is the billion-dollar Corrections Corporation of America — the largest private prison company in the country.

It was there that Pearce's idea took shape.


"I did a presentation," Pearce said. "I went through the facts. I went through the impacts and they said, 'Yeah.'"

The 50 or so people in the room included officials of the Corrections Corporation of America, according to two sources who were there.

Pearce and the Corrections Corporation of America have been coming to these meetings for years. Both have seats on one of several of ALEC's boards.

To sum up: the seed of Pearce's SB1070 may have been planted by his unrelenting hatred for people with brown skin, but it was germinated in the hothouse of corporate ideology known as ALEC.

Still, the scheme needed to be nurtured before it could bloom.

As soon as Pearce's bill hit the Arizona statehouse floor in January, there were signs of ALEC's influence. Thirty-six co-sponsors jumped on, a number almost unheard of in the capitol. According to records obtained by NPR, two-thirds of them either went to that December meeting or are ALEC members.


That same week, the Corrections Corporation of America hired a powerful new lobbyist to work the capitol.

The prison company declined requests for an interview. In a statement, a spokesman said the Corrections Corporation of America, "unequivocally has not at any time lobbied — nor have we had any outside consultants lobby – on immigration law."

At the state Capitol, campaign donations started to appear.

Thirty of the 36 co-sponsors received donations over the next six months, from prison lobbyists or prison companies — Corrections Corporation of America, Management and Training Corporation and The Geo Group.

By April, the bill was on Gov. Jan Brewer's desk.

The "powerful new lobbyist" hired by CCA in early January?  Highground Inc., operated by one J. Charles Coughlin.

As in J. Charles "Chuck" Coughlin, Jan Brewer's campaign manager and "former" policy adviser.

Consider it nurtured and bloomed.

Also on Brewer's staff and CCA's payroll?  Communications Director Paul Senseman.  He "used" to lobby for CCA; now, his wife is the Senseman household's "official" CCA lobbyist.

For his part, Russell Pearce has denied that ALEC or CCA played any part in the development of SB1070, claiming that he has proposed the bill many times before the ALEC conference late last year.

Granted, that *could* be interpreted to mean that he hatched his scheme free of undue or improper outside influence. 

It could also very reasonably be interpreted to mean that he has been in the pockets of the private prison industry for many years, or just that he is a shameless opportunist, using the corruption indicated by industry lobbyists running the governor's office as a catalyst for turning the darkest of his private hatred into the vilest of public policy.

It may take a federal investigation, indictment, and trial, and a few years, but something tells me that in a generation, Arizonans will snicker at the words "Jan Brewer" the same way they do when the hear the words "Ev Mecham."

Turns out that Russell Pearce is far more well-rounded than I gave him credit for...

...I thought he was just a thoroughgoing bigot, but according to someone who knows him better than I do, he is also petty, vindictive, and prone to violence.

Earlier, I put up a post that covered State Sen. Russell Pearce's (R-National Alliance) attempts to interject himself into a legal conflict between the Tohono O'odham nation and the City of Glendale over a proposed tribal casino on the edge of Glendale.

At that time, I speculated that Pearce's interest in the situation stemmed from a basic dislike of Native Americans (they may be "Natives," but they aren't "natives," ya know what I mean?), but thanks to Greg Patterson at Espresso Pundit, I humbly stand corrected.

From Patterson's post on (roughly) the same topic (he started off talking about an anti-Prop 302 mailer) -

...But that's only one reason why Legislators like Pearce are ticked off. Look who else sponsored the mailer...that's right, the tribes. If you are new to the legislative process, you may ask yourself what the Tohono O'odam's opposition to Prop 302 has to do with the Tohono O'odam casino in Glendale? The answer is that it has everything to do with it. Everything in the Legisature is connected. That means that if the Legislature creates Prop 302 in order to avoid steep cuts in services and the Tohono O'odam use Indian Gaming money to kill that Proposition, then the Legislature is likely to go after the Tohono O'dam's casino.

Seriously, did you not even watch one episode of the Sopranos?

Prop 302 is likely to fail. So the legislature is going to have a $400 million hole in its budget. Naturally, they will use the cover that Eddie and Nadine Basha have provided and cut as much as they can out of the budget.

But they will still need revenue...and they sure as heck aren't going to raise taxes. So they are out of borrowing capacity, and they can't have the First Things First money because their first proposal was shot down by the Tribes. So what's left?

Well, Indian Gaming is left. Of course they can't take the money from the tribes...but they can COMPETE with the tribes.

Something tells me that real-life mobsters will be insulted by the comparison...
Apparently, free speech protections only apply to people who agree with Pearce and the other small "n" nativists. All others should just take the abuse, shut up, and like it.


So, in one brief passage, he details how Pearce (and his colleagues in the R caucus of the lege) is going after the Tohono O'odham because they've dared to oppose his move to defund and destroy early childhood education in Arizona in order to pay for corporate tax cuts.  And he compares his fellow Rs to mobsters.

Nice.

Russell Pearce: the man who wants to be shadow governor also wants to be shadow dictator of every city in the state

Russell Pearce may deride the U.S. government, saying that "states' rights" supercede any central authority, but he doesn't hold the same for Arizona's cities and towns in their dealings with the central authority of the Arizona state government.

First, his SB1070 would have shanghaied municipal police officers into his anti-immigrant purging force, no matter what the elected leaders of those municipalities thought their employees should be doing (you know, like preventing or investigating crimes in their jurisdictions).  It may still do so, but the law is winding its way through the courts.

Then, perhaps feeling that the City of Glendale is lax in fighting against the encroachment of Native Americans upon the Valley (yes, that's sarcasm.  Native Americans of one tribe or another were here long before the first settler with European roots.  Pearce is a small "n" nativist, not a capital "N" one.), Pearce has tried to interject himself into Glendale's legal conflict with the Tohono O'odham over a proposed tribal casino next to that city.

Pearce doesn't represent any part of Glendale (of course, that's a minor detail, considering that he doesn't actually work to represent his "official" constituents in West Mesa), nor is the legislature or the state government involved in the fight, but he still wants to meddle in the affairs of Glendale and the Tohono O'odham.

Finally, this past spring, he pushed through a bill, SB1108, that allows people to carry concealed firearms without a permit or even training.  Beside that, it included a provision requiring that legitimately confiscated weapons be sold to gun dealers, unless such action would violate "FEDERAL, STATE OR LOCAL LAW."

He thought he had ensured a steady supply of low-cost product for local gun dealers.

Until a number of municipalities started passing ordinances requiring that confiscated weapons be destroyed (the "local law" segment of the above provision).

Now, he decries the "loophole" in the law (a law that he wrote and was the sole sponsor of) that allows cities and towns to determine their own procedures and governance, and has promised to "fix" the law so that cities and towns have no option but to put forfeited weapons back into public circulation.


So the man who doesn't help Mesa, even though he has been elected to represent part of it,  wants to interfere in  the local affairs of *other* cities? 

It's time for the voters of LD18 to make a change and elect somebody who will actually represent them.

Vote for Andrew Sherwood for State Senate.

It's getting Ugly out there...

As we approach Election Day, any Republican facade of civility is sloughing off in the heat of the races.

Witness recent developments:

- A conservative astroturf group, "Latinos for Reform" released a Spanish-language TV spot that attempted to suppress Latino voter turnout...

- GOP/tea party operatives are running voter suppression efforts in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, and elsewhere that are specifically targeted at Democratic-leaning minority communities...

- Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) has announced his latest effort to inflict his vision of ethnic purity on America - he's targeting the 14th Amendment and its provision that grants citizenship to children born in the USA.

It won't succeed, and I suspect Pearce knows that, but it keeps the conversation on a topic that the Rs think they can win on - demonization of the "other" - and may provide the fading Jan Brewer an SB1070-like bump at the polls.

- A Pearce clone in Florida, State Rep. William Snyder, has proposed a version of the infamous SB1070, one that carves out an exemption for white people in the form of a presumption that anyone from Canada or a "visa waiver" country is in the U.S. legally. 

The vast majority of the countries that are part of the visa waiver program are European; none are Latin American.

- Then just yesterday, Congressman Raul Grijalva's Tucson office was shut down and evacuated after someone sent it a swastika-covered package containing a toxic substance.

Lies, hatred, threats of violence - the Rs are pulling out all the stops this year, and the only way to stop them is to urge your family, friends, and neighbors to stand strong for their community against the Republicans, their contempt for civility, and their fear-mongering.

Everybody who can vote, *should,* and they should be able to exercise their rights free from intimidation and fraudulent attempts to stifle their participation America's political process.


Note:  The Arizona Humanities Council will present a screening of the documentary 9500 Liberty on Tuesday evening at the Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe.  9500 Liberty covers the effects (and failure) of an SB1070-like law in Prince William County, Virginia.

Details:

Tuesday, October 26, 2010


6:00-8:00 pm

Arizona Historical Society Museum

1300 N. College Avenue

Tempe, AZ 85281
 
 
Later...

Jan Brewer and failed leadership: This week's lession

Jan Brewer has staked out "border security" and immigration as her signature issue during her campaign for a full term as governor of Arizona, hence her now-infamous signing of SB1070.

She hasn't anything substantial on the matter (even SB1070 turns out to have been somewhat unconstitutional), but her speeches on the subject have been paragons of bluster and bloviating, which was likely the real purpose of the whole "sign SB1070"/"embrace the nativists" two-step.

And when she has the chance to engage is something a little more substantial than speeches as local Republican organizations, well, she doesn't.

From the Arizona Republic -

Brewer not at U.S, Mexico governors meeting

SANTA FE, N.M. - U.S. and Mexican border governors are gathering in Santa Fe to focus on border security, economic development and energy.

Gov. Bill Richardson and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are co-hosting the event scheduled to begin Sunday.

{snip}

The governors of Arizona and Texas have said they will not attend.

Contrary to the rumor circulating around the internet (a rumor that I may be starting right now :) ), she didn't pass on the conference because New Mexico has border checkpoints* to keep the riff raff out.   She didn't want to be embarrassed when she failed the literacy test by failing to correctly spell "Albuquerque."

Nope.  This conference was originally scheduled to take place in Arizona.  Some of the Mexican governors who were scheduled to be in Arizona expressed objections to SB1070 and were going to boycott the conference.  Brewer objected to their objections and cancelled the conference.

And now that they are holding it anyway, she refuses to attend, even to discuss economic issues, something that the [alleged] leader of the 2nd-poorest state in the nation should pay attention to.

Or would, if she had any "leader" in her personality.

Response to John Kavanagh's comment

Earlier today I wrote a post about the recently-released 2009 crime statistics and how they serve to undermine Jan Brewer's campaign plank of "Fear The Dastardly Brown-Skinned People."

That post elicited a comment from LD8 State Representative John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), a comment that deserves a post of its own in response.

First, his comment -

It is all but impossible to use statewide crime statistics to measure the impact of a "shadow group," such as illegal immigrants, on crime. Of course if you were so inclined, the decrease in crime between 2008 and 2009 is consistent with illegals causing more crime because that is when the jobs and illegal immigrants both began to leave Arizona. But again, it is stretching the data to arrive at any conclusion.

A better indicator, although once again not a complete one, is to compare the number of known criminal illegal aliens with their portion of the population. Using the often cited Pew estimate of 500,000 illegal immigrants in Arizona, we can conclude that they comprise about 7.7% of the population. However, they make up about 14% of persons “booked” into Maricopa County jails and constitute about 14.7% of Arizona’s prison population. Thus, known data supports the view that illegal immigrants commit more crime, beyond being here illegally, than legal residents.

State Rep. John Kavanagh

My response:

Let the spin begin.

OK, that's too snarky.

First, I want to thank Rep. Kavanagh for his comment. 

I may disagree with him on pretty much everything that Ds and Rs can disagree on, but his comment was a serious one and deserves the courtesy of a serious response.

His first paragraph was actually correct, as far as it goes - the data gathered and published by the FBI doesn't specify the demographic origin of the people who committed the criminal acts that make up the statistics.  The criminals behind the acts could be undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, citizens (native born or naturalized), or little green men from Mars*. 

Nor does the data explain the reduction in criminal activity, only that there *was* a reduction.

However, he should have left it at that.  While Kavanagh feels, perhaps with some justification, that the crime data released by the FBI is incomplete, he tried to buttress his anti-immigrant rhetoric with statistics of questionable provenance.

He cited statistics generated by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) to prove his point that undocumented immigrants commit crimes at a rate out of proportion with their numbers in society as a whole.

Specifically, he trots out the percentage of undocumented immigrants booked into county jail as proof of his position.

The problem with that?  MCSO targets undocumented immigrants (and documented immigrants, and citizens who happen look like they have ancestors with some familiarity with the Spanish language) for harassment and arrest out of proportion to their numbers in Maricopa County as a whole, to the point that MCSO has sacrificed service of felony and misdemeanor warrants, a prime function of sheriff's offices all over the country, in order to divert resources and personnel to headline- and camera-grabbing anti-immigrant sweeps.

The stats coming out of the MCSO may be accurate in terms of what the MCSO does, but that doesn't mean that those stats accurately reflect Arizona or even Maricopa County as a whole.

In other words, while undocumented immigrants may make up 14% (or more) of those arrested by MCSO, they aren't necessarily responsible for 14% (or more) of the crimes committed in Maricopa County.


* - If little green men from Mars are involved, the Men In Black want to know. :)

Jan Brewer admits that SB1070 is bad for Arizona...

...but instead of using her words to do it, she's using our money...

From ABC15's website -

The state hopes a public relations agency can convince people to travel to Arizona despite concerns they might have about the state’s immigration law.


The Arizona Governor’s Task Force on Tourism and Economic Vitality hired HMA Public Relations to come up with a campaign to help tackle any negative backlash caused by Senate Bill 1070.

The PR firm's press release on the subject is here.

It turns out that the $100K contract is for outreach to "traditional media relations in targeted domestic markets as well as Mexico City and Northern Mexico." (emphasis mine)

Jan and her clan have spent months (hell, *years*) demonizing Mexicans and anybody with skin that is a shade other than lily-white, and now that she has figured out that perhaps her kowtowing to the nativist wing of her base has done severe damage to Arizona's national and international image, she wants to spend our money to clean up her mess?

Jon Kyl: Republican campaigner-in-chief

I don't like Jon Kyl - his politics are repugnant and he is far more interested in protecting the interests of Big Business than in protecting and representing the his constituents, the people of Arizona.

However, that doesn't mean that anyone should discount his intelligence or political acumen.

He knows that the one issue that the Rs can win on this fall is immigration, and as long as the average American is distracted by undocumented immigrants and not paying attention to the Republicans' efforts to obstruct an economic recovery for the middle and working classes, cut taxes for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, to foment a full-fledged return to the disastrous Bush-era policies that created the mess that we're in, they stand a very good chance of gaining control of one or both chambers of Congress in November.

So the following story in the Arizona Republic should come as no surprise -

U.S. Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl on Sunday expressed support for hearings on the 14th Amendment's guarantee of birthright citizenship to U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.

{snip}

"Well, actually there is a constitutional provision in the 14th Amendment that has been interpreted to provide that if you are born in the United States, you are a citizen no matter what," Kyl, R-Ariz., said Sunday on CBS' Face the Nation. "Now, there are limitations on that. For example, for the children of diplomats and so on. So the question is, if both parents are here illegally, should there be a reward for their illegal behavior?"

The quote from Kyl came Sunday on CBS' Face The Nation.  CBS News coverage of Kyl's appearance here.

The part of the Constitution under attack from Kyl (and Russell Pearce, and the rest of the nativist of the GOP) is the first clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which reads -

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

In his appearance on Face The Nation, Kyl alluded to the fact that the amendment doesn't apply to those, such as diplomats, who are immune to (not "subject to the jurisdiction" of) American laws.

Since the ability of Joe Arpaio et. al. to arrest, detain and harass brown-skinned people continues unabated, and I expect that lawyer-by-education-and-experience Kyl is cognizant of that fact, Kyl's intended targets for selective application of the Constitution are obviously *not* immune from American laws.

As such, no matter how much the nativists wish otherwise, the Fourteenth Amendment applies to undocumented immigrants.

Unless, of course, he wants to propose granting them diplomatic status...

OK - probably not. :)

Anyway, if any of Kyl's proposed hearings take place, you can be certain that Fox News and the rest of the R echo chamber will do everything that it can to ensure that the cacophony surrounding them drowns out discussion of any issue other than immigration.

BTW - I'm not sure that a minority party Senator can call hearings on a given topic.  However, the Senate's rules can be rather arcance and antiquated ("antiquated" as in "harkening back to the time when there was less pure partisanship in D.C.") - so anything is possible.

Protected Speech 101: Words - yes; terrorist acts - no

From website of the Arizona Republic -

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., has closed his Yuma district office for the day after staff discovered that a bullet had shattered a window earlier Thursday.



A news release from Adam Sarvana, Grijalva's spokesman, says police are investigating the vandalism and have not released details about a possible motive. Grijalva will re-open the office as soon as possible, his office said.

This isn't the first time that one of Grijalva's offices has been targeted, though it was just with threats last time.

Funny, but when someone disagrees with them, the first reaction of the "what part of 'illegal' don't they understand?" crowd is to break the law.  (Yes, I'm making the assumption that the person on the other end of the bullet was a ticked-off nativist.  The violence fits the M.O.)

Why is that?  Could it be that maybe their anti-immigrant fervor is rooted less in "respect for the law" and more in "hatred for people with brown skin"?

Yuma Sun coverage here.

Later...

Breaking: significant parts of SB1070 blocked by federal judge

This fight is hardly over, and the Republicans/nativists are sure to appeal the ruling, but this is still great news...

From the Arizona Republic -

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton has issued a preliminary injunction preventing several sections of Arizona's new immigration law from becoming law, at least until the courts have a chance to hear the full case.

Key parts of Senate Bill 1070 that will not go into effect Thursday:

• The portion of the law that requires an officer make a reasonable attempt to determine the immigration status of a person stopped, detained or arrested if there's reasonable suspicion they're in the country illegally.

• The portion that creates a crime of failure to apply for or carry "alien-registration papers."

• The portion that makes it a crime for illegal immigrants to solicit, apply for or perform work. (This does not include the section on day laborers.)

• The portion that allows for a warrantless arrest of a person where there is probable cause to believe they have committed a public offense that makes them removable from the United States.

Parts of the law will remain in effect, including provisions allowing individuals to sue law enforcement agencies/political subdivisions who don't enforce immigration law enthusiastically enough and those making it a misdemeanor to harbor or transport undocumented immigrants.  Full hearings on the law will take place in the near future.

Terry Goddard, Arizona's Attorney General and a candidate for governor issued the following statement:

Jan Brewer played politics with immigration, and she lost.
Rather than providing the leadership Arizona needs to solve the immigration problem, Jan Brewer signed a bill she could not defend in court which has led to boycotts, jeopardized our tourism industry and polarized our state.

It is time to look beyond election year grandstanding and begin to repair the damage to Arizona's image and economy.

Perhaps now we in Arizona can focus on effective steps to fight border crime and keep our families safe. Now we can focus on steps, such as the ones I have been taking, to go after border crime and cut off the cash that flows to organized criminal cartels that smuggle thousands into the U.S.

Now, we should start making smart decisions about immigration - beyond sound bites, fear mongering and political stunts.

There were expected to be protests in downtown Phoenix, expressing objections to the law.  Now, however, the protests are expected to be from those opposed to the ruling.

Breaking news in a breaking news post:  I'm not sure if it is related to the ruling, though the timing is certainly eyebrow-raising, but the Downtown Justice Court building (NOT the federal court or Maricopa County Superior Court buildings in Phoenix) has been locked down due to a suspicious package.  No one is being let in or out of the building.  The MCSO has been called.  More info as it becomes available. (confirmed by a call to the Justice Courts administration office)

The text of the judge's ruling, courtesy the Arizona Republic, here.

Arizona Capitol Times coverage here.

CNN coverage here.

Stopping drug smuggling cartels: Terry Goddard's testimony before Congress

Goddard's work combatting the cartels by going after their money isn't sexy (hey, anything that involves accountants tends to be pretty boring :) ), and it certainly isn't the policy of "brown skin - kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out "deport all people with brown skin" favored by Jan Brewer, Russell Pearce, Paul Babeu and the rest of the nativist wing of the GOP but good public policy and effective governance usually isn't sexy.

AZRep coverage of the efforts of the Attorney General's office here; Voice of America coverage of Goddard's testimony to Congress here.

Republican mayor says U.S. in a civil war

...While the neo-Nazi Mexican hunting squads "patriotic citizen anti-immigrant patrols" may not have made it to the area around Yuma as yet, Yuma is a lot closer than Fort Sumter.  Maybe MCAS-Yuma should be on alert...

From the Yuma Sun -

Yuma mayor at immigration forum: SB 1070 has created a civil war

America is in a civil war, said Yuma Mayor Al Krieger ­— and it's over SB 1070.


At an immigration forum Tuesday evening, Krieger and other panelists discussed the controversial law that will go into effect July 29. The law would make it a state crime to be in the country illegally, enforced by local law enforcement, a job currently done by federal law enforcement.

{snip}

Krieger said the definition of a civil war is when the states and federal governments differ (in opinion). “So we basically have an undeclared civil war today.”

Krieger apparently has confused "civil actions" with "civil wars".


Civil actions - the lawyers get thousands of billable hours

Civil wars - the morgues get thousands of dead people


Guess which one is going on right now?


Of course, perhaps this all should be taken with a grain a salt.

This is the same Mayor Al Krieger who used a speech given on Memorial Day. a day to honor fallen members of America's military branches, to deride gay members of the military as "lacy-drawered" and "limp-wristed." 

It could be that Krieger is just a loud-mouthed bigot looking to get attention any way that he can, and has found that spouting incendiary statements brings that attention to him.

Breaking news: Federal Government Sues AZ Over SB1070

....OK, OK, that is hardly breaking news - everybody expected a lawsuit was coming as soon as Jan Brewer signed Russell Pearce's anti-immigrant measure into law in late April.

How about this for a title?

Breaking News - Republicans Freak Out Over Federal Lawsuit To Block SB1070

...OK, OK, that's hardly surprising either.  They freak out whenever somebody calls them out on their garbage.

Anyway, on to the main part of the post.

From the Arizona Republic -

The Obama administration filed suit today against Arizona's landmark immigration law, alleging it was unconstitutional and a U.S. District Court judge should keep it from going into effect July 29.

The suit, filed in Phoenix, claims Arizona's new law "will conflict and undermine the federal government's careful balance of immigration enforcement priorities and objectives," and divert resources from the "dangerous aliens who the federal government targets as its top enforcement priority."

{snip}


Gov. Jan Brewer, who is named as a defendant along with the state, called the lawsuit "a terribly bad decision.

"It is wrong that our own federal government is suing the people of Arizona for helping to enforce federal immigration law. As a direct result of failed and inconsistent federal enforcement, Arizona is under attack from violent Mexican drug and immigrant smuggling cartels," Brewer said in a written statement. "Now, Arizona is under attack in federal court from President Obama and his Department of Justice.

Other reactions:

Congressman Harry Mitchell, from a press release -

"I am extremely disappointed that the Obama Administration has decided to file a lawsuit against Arizona to try to overturn our state's new immigration enforcement law, SB 1070. This is the wrong direction to go. I urged President Obama and his administration against doing so because I strongly believe their time, efforts and resources should be focused on securing our border and fixing our broken immigration system. Arizona needs Washington to take action, but a lawsuit is definitely not the kind of action we need.

Attorney General Terry Goddard, from a campaign press release -

"What we need are solutions, not lawsuits. Until we get real solutions, more states will turn to band-aid remedies to address this very important issue," said Attorney General Terry Goddard. "It is disappointing to see the federal government choosing to intervene in a state statute instead of working with Arizona to create sustainable solutions to the illegal immigration issue that our state and country so desperately need."

State Senator Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) calls the lawsuit an "insult" to Arizonans.

U.S. Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl, from a McCain press release -

“The Obama Administration has not done everything it can do to protect the people of Arizona from the violence and crime illegal immigration brings to our state. Until it does, the federal government should not be suing Arizona on the grounds that immigration enforcement is solely a federal responsibility.”

My take:

The law is bad, the lawsuit is necessary, and any sort of immigration policy that doesn't address the underlying cause of immigration from Mexico to the U.S, the economics, whether it's Russell Pearce's version of "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out" or some kind of "comprehensive reform" is doomed to fail.

And all of the blathering about "insults" and "attacks" and "secure the border first" won't change that.

BTW - The best quote about this wasn't actually said about this mess. 

In 2007, the late, great Molly Ivin wrote "Conservatives have been mad at the Supreme Court since it decided to desegregate the schools in 1954 and seen fit to blame the federal bench for everything that has happened since then that they don't like."

Look for Brewer, Pearce, and the other nativists suffer from fits of apoplexy if/when a federal judge blocks their police-state law.


The text of the legal filing can be found here, courtesy AZCentral.com