Not by a long shot...
Many of the more vocal opponents of Russell Pearce's SB1070 (the "show me your papers" law) have likened him, Governor Jan Brewer, and the other supporters of the law to the Nazis.
Brewer finds this analogy so offensive that it caused her to stick her foot in her mouth, inflating her father's record of service during WW2 in order to bask in some reflected Nazi-fighting glow.
The analogy is such a powerful one that even Pearce himself has taken to "disavowing" any connections to white supremacists or Neo-Nazis. Of course, given his history of anti-immigrant rhetoric (Operation Wetback, anyone?), nativist legislation (SB1070 and many, many, more), and "curious" campaign activities (like emails touting a white separatist website), Pearce's protestations seem more pro forma than substantive.
Even Jewish commentators have objected to the analogy, mostly expressing the idea that the "Nazi" analogy and related rhetoric is overheated in this case and only serves to minimize the evil of the Nazis and the Holocaust.
While I understand the commentators' reluctance to give credence to the analogy (and also why Pearce and Brewer don't want to be equated to the greatest evil of the 20th, and perhaps any other, Century), it fits.
The Nazis started slowly, and legislatively, enacting a series of laws meant to demonize and isolate Jews and other "non-Aryans" from German society, economically, legally, and socially.
To whip up public support for the ever-stronger anti-semitic laws, the Nazis ratcheted up their rhetoric, blaming Jews for all that ailed Germany in the post-WWI era, economically, socially, and intellectually.
There were laws to remove Jews from Germany's civil service, restrict the number of "non-Aryans" in schools (both as students and as professors), forbid Jewish physicians from treating non-Jewish patients, and more, culminating in laws revoking the citizenship of Jews.
And that was just the start, when the Nazis were still attempting to put a civil face (of sorts) on their pogrom.
Here in 21st Century Arizona, the state's nativists, led by Russell Pearce and Jan Brewer (and Joe Arpaio and Tom Horne and Colette Rosati and Ron Gould and so many others), have trod a similar path, starting with laws restricting, underfunding, or even defunding English Language Learner classes in AZ's public schools, blocking the poor from taking advantage of public services and benefits unless they prove their U.S. citizenship first, banning ethnic studies courses, removing teachers with accents from classes, and the now-infamous SB1070 "show me your papers" law.
Now Pearce wants to follow up his recent successes with moves to deny citizenship to babies born to undocumented immigrant parents and to force the children of non-citizen parents to pay tuition to attend Arizona's public schools.
Combine that with an escalating anti-immigrant (mostly anti-Hispanic immigrant) rhetoric (like blaming undocumented immigrants for crime in Arizona, even though actual statistics show that those claims are false), such as that which resulted in demands that the faces in a mural at a school in Prescott Valley be lightened because they weren't white enough.
Update: During the writing of this piece, news started hitting the internet that the decision to force the artist to lighten the faces has been reversed. Apparently, being the epicenter of worldwide outrage over a blatantly bigoted decision was too much for the powers-that-be in Prescott. (Further background from Prescott eNews here)
The laws, proposed and enacted, and the rhetoric both demonize and isolate Arizona's immigrant community, just as the Nazis' Nuremburg and eugenics laws did more than seven decades ago.
I understand the reluctance of many observers to accept the Nazi/SB1070 analogy - no one wants to believe that their friends and neighbors (or even themselves) are capable of great evil.
And to be sure, Arizona's nativists haven't racked up the body count the way that Germany's Nazis did.
Yet.
One should remember that the Nazis were in power for more than a decade before their "Final Solution" of assembly-line efficient genocide was fully up to speed; Jan Brewer ascended to the Governor's office less than a year-and-a-half ago.
And one should not confuse "lack of time" with "lack of desire."
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Services set for Councilman Tony Nelssen
From the City of Scottsdale -
Memorial services to be held for Councilman Tony NelssenOn Tuesday, the Scottsdale City Council will consider possible processes for filling the open seat on the Council, including the possibility of simply appointing Mayor Jim Lane's nominee Marg Nelssen, Tony Nelssen's wife. AZ Republic coverage here. Full Council agenda here.
Memorial services for Councilman Tony Nelssen will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 8, at WestWorld’s Equidome, 16601 N. Pima Road.
Councilman Nelssen passed away May 26 at his home after battling cancer.
For safety purposes, those attending are being asked to dress appropriately. Temperatures are expected to exceed 110 degrees on Tuesday, and the Equidome is a shaded, outdoor, dirt-floored structure that will be cooled by swamp. If comfortable, those attending can honor Councilman Nelssen’s memory by dressing in Western attire.
Access WestWorld by either Bell or Pima roads. Follow the signs to the Equidome. Parking, including handicapped, will be available in the “H” lot. Attendees may then enter the Equidome’s west side for the services.
The program will include the reading of a poem written by Bob Frost, a former city employee and Parks and Recreation Commissioner. Eulogies will be given by Mayor
W.J. “Jim” Lane, Councilman Bob Littlefield, family friends Amy Ganley and John Washington, and Nelssen’s children, Hannah and Ian.
Friday, June 04, 2010
Cliche time: Politics makes strange bedfellows
Earlier today, John McCain brought his Senate reelection campaign, and his newest best buddy Mitt Romney, to Mesa.
Romney was effusive in his praise for McCain today, which may have surprise long-time (and not-so-long-time) observers who remember the 2008 presidential campaign.
Some of those observers are at the DNC, and they put this together -
Romney was effusive in his praise for McCain today, which may have surprise long-time (and not-so-long-time) observers who remember the 2008 presidential campaign.
Some of those observers are at the DNC, and they put this together -
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Apparently, being a Republican hasn't immunized Jan Brewer from "foot-in-mouth" disease
From the AZ Republic -
There's just a couple of problems with those last two sentences, as the Rep piece goes on to point out - Brewer's father didn't actually serve in Europe, he worked in a defense plant in Nevada, nor did he die in that service. To be fair, her father died because of lung disease that could have had its roots in the working conditions in that plant. Still, that isn't dying while "fighting the Nazi regime in Germany."
Still waiting for the R echo chamber to excoriate Brewer the same way they did the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Connecticut when he overstated his service record...
BTW - Nothing in this post is meant to minimize the contributions that Mr. Drinkwine and millions of others made to the effort to defeat the Nazis. In their own way, they were just as vital to the war effort as were the soldiers, sailors, and marines who did the actual fighting.
Without the munitions, equipment, and supplies that Drinkwine and all of those others made (including my grandfather, who worked in the Navy yard in Boston during WW2), the servicemen on the line wouldn't have had anything to fight with.
However vital though, "working in a defense plant" is not the same as "serving in Europe."
Gov. Jan Brewer, who has been the subject of some unflattering criticism since signing Senate Bill 1070 into law on April 23, appears to have misspoken about the death of her father and his war service in a recent interview with The Arizona Republic.
Her comments have led some media outlets and political opponents to speculate that she lied about her father's service in World War II, or deliberately inflated it — an allegation her office is denying.
In The Republic interview, Brewer talks about how hurt she has been by remarks that have likened her to a Nazi, and comments that her action on the state's tough new immigration law makes her akin to “Hitler's daughter.”
In the interview, she says the criticism has been especially painful because her father, Wilford Drinkwine died trying to fight the Nazis.
"The Nazi comments...they are awful," she told The Republic. "Knowing that my father died fighting the Nazi regime in Germany, that I lost him when I was 11 because of that...It hurts. It's ugliness beyond anything I've ever experienced."
There's just a couple of problems with those last two sentences, as the Rep piece goes on to point out - Brewer's father didn't actually serve in Europe, he worked in a defense plant in Nevada, nor did he die in that service. To be fair, her father died because of lung disease that could have had its roots in the working conditions in that plant. Still, that isn't dying while "fighting the Nazi regime in Germany."
Still waiting for the R echo chamber to excoriate Brewer the same way they did the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Connecticut when he overstated his service record...
BTW - Nothing in this post is meant to minimize the contributions that Mr. Drinkwine and millions of others made to the effort to defeat the Nazis. In their own way, they were just as vital to the war effort as were the soldiers, sailors, and marines who did the actual fighting.
Without the munitions, equipment, and supplies that Drinkwine and all of those others made (including my grandfather, who worked in the Navy yard in Boston during WW2), the servicemen on the line wouldn't have had anything to fight with.
However vital though, "working in a defense plant" is not the same as "serving in Europe."
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Munger out: and the weeding out begins
From the Tucson Citizen -
More likely, he realized that he isn't making any headway among Republican primary voters, and isn't in a position to do so - Jan Brewer may be an unelected incumbent, but she is still the incumbent with an incumbent's stage and as much money as Munger has, it's nothing compared to what Buz Mills has spent and is willing to spend.
Look for few, if any, other significant withdrawals at this point. For most of the candidates, the heavy lifting part of the primary campaign, getting organized enough to gather the sigs to get on the ballot, is over. Perhaps in the U.S. Senate races, where Deakin (R) is getting lost among the clutter of the McCain/Hayworth tiff, and one of the four Ds may fall off after a few weeks of trying to make headway (or maybe not, I'm not sure).
(PHOENIX, AZ) June 1, 2010 – Republican Gubernatorial candidate John Munger released the following statement today:Now, the reccnt court ruling upholding the matching funds provision of Clean Elections *may* have played a part in Munger's withdrawal, but that may just be a convenient excuse that will be swallowed whole by the average Republican.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to leave in place the “matching funds” provision of Arizona’s so-called Clean Elections law presents an insurmountable obstacle to my
campaign for Governor. As I have previously stated publicly and in legal
filings, these dollar-for-dollar taxpayer matching funds create an unequal playing field by discouraging financial contributions to traditionally-funded candidates.
More likely, he realized that he isn't making any headway among Republican primary voters, and isn't in a position to do so - Jan Brewer may be an unelected incumbent, but she is still the incumbent with an incumbent's stage and as much money as Munger has, it's nothing compared to what Buz Mills has spent and is willing to spend.
Look for few, if any, other significant withdrawals at this point. For most of the candidates, the heavy lifting part of the primary campaign, getting organized enough to gather the sigs to get on the ballot, is over. Perhaps in the U.S. Senate races, where Deakin (R) is getting lost among the clutter of the McCain/Hayworth tiff, and one of the four Ds may fall off after a few weeks of trying to make headway (or maybe not, I'm not sure).
Encouraging the use of fireworks in Arizona: Another chapter in Republican legislative brilliance
Earlier this year, the Arizona legislature passed and Jan Brewer signed HB2246, a measure that deregulated "consumer fireworks" (legislative fact sheet on the bill, including a list of consumer fireworks, here). Under limited circumstances, individual municipalities and counties can create some regulations within their jurisdictions.
However, at this point in time, none have done so.
That may change after events on Monday.
From the Arizona Republic -
My predictions: body count between 20 and 25, and acres burned between 10,000 and 20,000.
However, at this point in time, none have done so.
That may change after events on Monday.
From the Arizona Republic -
Two homes were damaged Monday by a brush fire sparked by firecrackers. There were no injuries, but a dog died in the incident, said Deputy Chief Fire Marshall Jim Ford, of the Scottsdale Fire Department.Anybody want to start a pool predicting how high the body count/acres burned totals will get before the lege takes another reexamines the wisdom of deregulating fireworks in a state so totally prone to wildfires?
My predictions: body count between 20 and 25, and acres burned between 10,000 and 20,000.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Familiar names running for unfamiliar offices
Every election cycle, a lot of attention is paid to elected officials attempting to move up a level.
Look at the amount of coverage that Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords received during their moves from the state lege to the U.S. Congress in 2006, or that Ann Kirkpatrick received while making the same move in 2008. Even this year, some of the most covered candidates are those like Jonathan Paton, Pam Gorman, Jim Waring, and Sam Crump, all of whom are attempting the same move. In addition, due to term limits (both in the lege and in statewide offices), a number of legislators (and other "big names" politically) are trying to move to statewide offices - Verschoor, Huppenthal, Leff, Thomas, Lujan, Garcia and more.
Perhaps lost in the clutter this year is the number of legislators looking to step "down" a level (though to be fair, many observers think that the AZ lege is so low, any move away from it is a step "up").
- State Sen. Jay Tibshraeny (R) is running for mayor of Chandler
- Rep. Ben Miranda (D) (or someone with the same name at the same address) is running for constable in the South Mountain Justice Precinct
- former State Rep. Mark Anderson (R) is running for Justice of the Peace in West Mesa
- State Sen. Meg Burton Cahill (D) is running for Justice of the Peace in the University Lakes justice precinct (aka - East Tempe)
- State Sen. Ken Cheuvront (D) is running for Justice of the Peace in the Encanto Justice Precinct
- Radio and internet talk show host Jeff Farias is running for Justice of the Peace in the Downtown Justice Precinct
- And in a blast from the recent past (non-lege genus), Daniel Washburn, the pro-tem Justice of the Peace who gave John Huppenthal, then a state senator and now a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, a complete walk on political sign tampering and misdemeanor theft charges is running for a Superior Court judge position in Pinal County. Reading his campaign finance reports should be interesting. Fun, even, especially if the name "Huppenthal" (or anyone affiliated with Huppenthal) appears on his list of contributors.
This should be an interesting year with some interesting stories, and not just in the high profile races. Stay tuned...
Most candidate status info courtesy the unofficial list of candidates published by the Maricopa County Recorder's Office; more info gathered from the list of candidates published by the Pinal County Recorder's Office. Many (but not all) of the other counties in Arizona have similar lists up, but I didn't notice any really familiar names on those.
Look at the amount of coverage that Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords received during their moves from the state lege to the U.S. Congress in 2006, or that Ann Kirkpatrick received while making the same move in 2008. Even this year, some of the most covered candidates are those like Jonathan Paton, Pam Gorman, Jim Waring, and Sam Crump, all of whom are attempting the same move. In addition, due to term limits (both in the lege and in statewide offices), a number of legislators (and other "big names" politically) are trying to move to statewide offices - Verschoor, Huppenthal, Leff, Thomas, Lujan, Garcia and more.
Perhaps lost in the clutter this year is the number of legislators looking to step "down" a level (though to be fair, many observers think that the AZ lege is so low, any move away from it is a step "up").
- State Sen. Jay Tibshraeny (R) is running for mayor of Chandler
- Rep. Ben Miranda (D) (or someone with the same name at the same address) is running for constable in the South Mountain Justice Precinct
- former State Rep. Mark Anderson (R) is running for Justice of the Peace in West Mesa
- State Sen. Meg Burton Cahill (D) is running for Justice of the Peace in the University Lakes justice precinct (aka - East Tempe)
- State Sen. Ken Cheuvront (D) is running for Justice of the Peace in the Encanto Justice Precinct
- Radio and internet talk show host Jeff Farias is running for Justice of the Peace in the Downtown Justice Precinct
- And in a blast from the recent past (non-lege genus), Daniel Washburn, the pro-tem Justice of the Peace who gave John Huppenthal, then a state senator and now a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, a complete walk on political sign tampering and misdemeanor theft charges is running for a Superior Court judge position in Pinal County. Reading his campaign finance reports should be interesting. Fun, even, especially if the name "Huppenthal" (or anyone affiliated with Huppenthal) appears on his list of contributors.
This should be an interesting year with some interesting stories, and not just in the high profile races. Stay tuned...
Most candidate status info courtesy the unofficial list of candidates published by the Maricopa County Recorder's Office; more info gathered from the list of candidates published by the Pinal County Recorder's Office. Many (but not all) of the other counties in Arizona have similar lists up, but I didn't notice any really familiar names on those.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Supporters of SB1070 showing their true colors
From AZFamily.com -
The video at the story link shows that the vocal fan of Hitler quoted in the story is someone familiar most readers of this blog - J.T. Ready, neo-Nazi and friend of the author of SB1070, Russell Pearce.
Rallies were held for supporters on both sides of Arizona's immigration law on Saturday. The "National Day of Action against SB 1070" rally took place in downtown Phoenix Saturday morning. And the "Stand with Arizona" pro-SB 1070 rally was held at Tempe's Diablo Stadium Saturday evening.
Both events were peacful, passionate gatherings of like-minded individuals in support of their respective positions. However, a few supporters of Arizona's new immigration law were also on-hand at the anti-SB 1070 rally.
Two men carrying loaded weapons and waiving a confederate flag said they were there to support SB 1070. One man was carrying a loaded shotgun and wearing a White People's Party shirt. The other said he was a big fan of Hitler, calling him a "great White civil rights leader."
The video at the story link shows that the vocal fan of Hitler quoted in the story is someone familiar most readers of this blog - J.T. Ready, neo-Nazi and friend of the author of SB1070, Russell Pearce.
The coming week...
As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, except where noted, and subject to change without notice.
...At the federal level, both the U.S. House and Senate are on a break. They'll be back in session next week.
...Back here in Arizona...
- The Arizona Corporation Commission doesn't have any regular meetings scheduled, however they will be travelling to gather public comment on specific issues.
-- On Wednesday at 1 p.m., they will be holding a special meeting in Tucson to solicit public comments on line extension policies for Arizona utilities.
-- Later on Wednesday, they will hold two public meetings in Nogales. The first will start at 6 p.m. and will concern Rio Rico Utilities rates; the second is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will concern Valle Verde Water Company rates.
-- The ACC's hearing schedule is here. Most of this week's hearing activity involves Arizona American Water (a name near and not-so-dear to Scottsdale readers :) ).
- The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will meet on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. It's a special meeting with one topic - a settlement with the Department of Labor over MCSO's forcing detention officers to work unpaid overtime. AZ Republic coverage of the matter here.
- The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will have a busy week.
-- On Tuesday at 1 p.m., there will be a meeting of the Project ADD Water group.
-- On Thursday at 9 a.m., the Board's Public Policy Committee will meet.
-- After the committee meeting, the full Board with hold a regular meeting. The highlights of this meeting will be the setting of property tax and service rates.
- The Tempe City Council isn't meeting this week; the Council Calendar of events is here.
- The Scottsdale City Council also isn't meeting this week; the City of Scottsdale's Community Meeting Notice is here.
Note: When memorial service arrangements for late Councilman Tony Nelssen are announced, an update will be posted.
Not meeting this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Arizona Board of Regents
...At the federal level, both the U.S. House and Senate are on a break. They'll be back in session next week.
...Back here in Arizona...
- The Arizona Corporation Commission doesn't have any regular meetings scheduled, however they will be travelling to gather public comment on specific issues.
-- On Wednesday at 1 p.m., they will be holding a special meeting in Tucson to solicit public comments on line extension policies for Arizona utilities.
-- Later on Wednesday, they will hold two public meetings in Nogales. The first will start at 6 p.m. and will concern Rio Rico Utilities rates; the second is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will concern Valle Verde Water Company rates.
-- The ACC's hearing schedule is here. Most of this week's hearing activity involves Arizona American Water (a name near and not-so-dear to Scottsdale readers :) ).
- The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will meet on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. It's a special meeting with one topic - a settlement with the Department of Labor over MCSO's forcing detention officers to work unpaid overtime. AZ Republic coverage of the matter here.
- The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will have a busy week.
-- On Tuesday at 1 p.m., there will be a meeting of the Project ADD Water group.
-- On Thursday at 9 a.m., the Board's Public Policy Committee will meet.
-- After the committee meeting, the full Board with hold a regular meeting. The highlights of this meeting will be the setting of property tax and service rates.
- The Tempe City Council isn't meeting this week; the Council Calendar of events is here.
- The Scottsdale City Council also isn't meeting this week; the City of Scottsdale's Community Meeting Notice is here.
Note: When memorial service arrangements for late Councilman Tony Nelssen are announced, an update will be posted.
Not meeting this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Arizona Board of Regents
In any other state...
In any other state, would a candidate for state treasurer tout the endorsement of someone who is fighting an investigation into the fiscal mismanagement of his department?
Just one question - do Verschoor's signs in other counties contain the part about the endorsement, or is that a Maricopa-only phenomenon?
Scottsdale's election picture comes into focus
With the passage of Wednesday's deadline for submitting nomination petitions, the ballot for this fall's City Council election has been set.
There had been 10 candidates with open committees for the race for the three open seats, and six candidates will appear on the ballot.
Of the other four, incumbent Tony Nelssen passed away earlier this week, businessman Bill Crawford ended his candidacy months ago, attorney Jose Luis Penalosa, Jr. has since set his sights on the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic incumbent Ed Pastor in CD4 (as "Joe Penalosa"), and Sean Shepherd..well, I don't know. He didn't turn in sigs and won't be on the ballot, otherwise I don't know anything about him.
The candidate list in Scottsdale, courtesy the City of Scottsdale's website -
Note: The way that I read the section of the City Charter related to the filling of a vacancy on the Council, the remaining members will vote to appoint someone to serve out the remainder of Tony Nelssen's term, which expires at the end of the year. I'm not sure who is likely to get the spot, or even likely to apply for the job, but it seems unlikely that the Council will appoint one of the current candidates for election - doing so could unfairly give that candidate an advantage this fall.
Note2: Petitions could still be challenged, so it is possible that one or more of the candidates above won't be on the fall ballot, but that seems unlikely at this point.
When candidate forums are organized and announced, the schedule will be posted here.
There had been 10 candidates with open committees for the race for the three open seats, and six candidates will appear on the ballot.
Of the other four, incumbent Tony Nelssen passed away earlier this week, businessman Bill Crawford ended his candidacy months ago, attorney Jose Luis Penalosa, Jr. has since set his sights on the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic incumbent Ed Pastor in CD4 (as "Joe Penalosa"), and Sean Shepherd..well, I don't know. He didn't turn in sigs and won't be on the ballot, otherwise I don't know anything about him.
The candidate list in Scottsdale, courtesy the City of Scottsdale's website -
Wayne Ecton
Ecton for City Council
Phone: (480) 488-1033
Email: elect@wayneecton.com
Website: www.wayneecton.com
Bob Littlefield
Vote Littlefield
Phone: (602) 288-9145
Email: bob@boblittlfield.com
Website: www.boblittlefield.com
Linda Milhaven
Milhaven for Scottsdale
Phone: (480) 295-3275
Email: Linda@MilhavenforScottsdale.com
Website: www.MilhavenforScottsdale.com
Ned O'Hearn
Committee to Elect Ned O'Hearn
Phone: (480) 661-1314
Email: Ned@NedForCouncil.com
Website: www.NedForCouncil.com
Guy Phillips
Committee to Elect Guy Phillips
Phone: (480) 560-6124
Email: guyrphillips@gmail.com
Website: www.electguy.intuitwebsites.com
Dennis Robbins
Robbins for Council 2010
Phone: (480) 994-0302
Email: azdrob@aol.com
Website: www.votedennisrobbins.com
Note: The way that I read the section of the City Charter related to the filling of a vacancy on the Council, the remaining members will vote to appoint someone to serve out the remainder of Tony Nelssen's term, which expires at the end of the year. I'm not sure who is likely to get the spot, or even likely to apply for the job, but it seems unlikely that the Council will appoint one of the current candidates for election - doing so could unfairly give that candidate an advantage this fall.
Note2: Petitions could still be challenged, so it is possible that one or more of the candidates above won't be on the fall ballot, but that seems unlikely at this point.
When candidate forums are organized and announced, the schedule will be posted here.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Perhaps we should judge SB1070 by what it *doesn't* contain
Much of the furor over the passage of SB1070 (and its modifier, HB2162) has been rooted in fears that the new law creates a legal cover for ethnic profiling and discrimination on the part of Arizona officialdom.
Defenders of the measure try to deflect such concerns by citing the line in SB1070 that reads -
That clause *does* sound good, until you compare it to the other clauses in the measure, the ones that have caused so much angst across the country and across the globe.
- There are the commandments (explanation of the use of the word "shall" by David Safier at Blog for AZ here) for all police officers and other government officials, no matter their level, to enforce immigration laws and to verify the immigration status of any member of the public with whom they have contact, followed by the section that allows any resident of AZ to sue if he or she doesn't think that an official/political subdivision is enthusiastic enough in toeing the nativist line -
There are civil fines created to serve as punishments for entitities, with the monies collected and reserved for anti-immigrant activities by the Department of Public Safety.
- There are also a myriad of felony and misdemeanor violations created for various acts and missteps by immigrants (failure to carry the proper paperwork at all times, roadside solicitation of unemployment, etc.) and anyone who attempts to aid one in any way (even taking an injured undocumented immigrant to the hospital is a crime), each of which comes with its own punishments.
So what does the measure *not* have?
Any sort of penalties for the violation of the "no profiling" clause, or for falsely arresting someone for a violation, or incorrectly deporting someone, or...
Why do I not think that this particular omission was an accident?
Defenders of the measure try to deflect such concerns by citing the line in SB1070 that reads -
A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE MAY NOT SOLELY CONSIDER RACE, COLOR OR NATIONAL ORIGIN IN IMPLEMENTING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SUBSECTION EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY THE UNITED STATES OR ARIZONA CONSTITUTION.Sounds good, doesn't it?
That clause *does* sound good, until you compare it to the other clauses in the measure, the ones that have caused so much angst across the country and across the globe.
- There are the commandments (explanation of the use of the word "shall" by David Safier at Blog for AZ here) for all police officers and other government officials, no matter their level, to enforce immigration laws and to verify the immigration status of any member of the public with whom they have contact, followed by the section that allows any resident of AZ to sue if he or she doesn't think that an official/political subdivision is enthusiastic enough in toeing the nativist line -
A PERSON WHO IS A LEGAL RESIDENT OF THIS STATE MAY BRING AN ACTION IN SUPERIOR COURT TO CHALLENGE ANY OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE THAT ADOPTS OR IMPLEMENTS A POLICY OR PRACTICE THAT LIMITS OR RESTRICTS THE ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAWS TO LESS THAN THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY FEDERAL LAW.
There are civil fines created to serve as punishments for entitities, with the monies collected and reserved for anti-immigrant activities by the Department of Public Safety.
- There are also a myriad of felony and misdemeanor violations created for various acts and missteps by immigrants (failure to carry the proper paperwork at all times, roadside solicitation of unemployment, etc.) and anyone who attempts to aid one in any way (even taking an injured undocumented immigrant to the hospital is a crime), each of which comes with its own punishments.
So what does the measure *not* have?
Any sort of penalties for the violation of the "no profiling" clause, or for falsely arresting someone for a violation, or incorrectly deporting someone, or...
Why do I not think that this particular omission was an accident?
Friday, May 28, 2010
Response from decertified Clean Elections candidate
Earlier this week, I posted about a Republican candidate for state senate in LD7, Robert Green. He was decertified as a Clean Elections candidate and fined due to some rules violations.
Green contacted me later in the week and asked for an opportunity to explain his position on what happened.
As I firmly believe in fairness, I agreed to put publish a brief statement written by Mr. Green.
I take no position on the correctness CCEC's decision or Mr. Green's response, other than to say he was very civil when we spoke and deserves a chance to have his take on the matter heard.
From an email -
Green is still running for Republican nomination for the state senate in a four-way race against Nancy Barto, Ray Barnes, and Brad Buch.
I have emailed the Citizens Clean Elections Commission to offer them the opportunity to put forth a statement on this. I don't expect them to do so, but will publish their response if they send one.
Later...
Green contacted me later in the week and asked for an opportunity to explain his position on what happened.
As I firmly believe in fairness, I agreed to put publish a brief statement written by Mr. Green.
I take no position on the correctness CCEC's decision or Mr. Green's response, other than to say he was very civil when we spoke and deserves a chance to have his take on the matter heard.
From an email -
In March, I turned in 265 Clean Election Qualifying forms. Of those, approximately 75 were gathered by employees that I hired from Craigslist to do temp work for my business. Since they were well paid, 3 of them agreed to volunteer to help get signatures. The initial report back from the County Recorder said 136 signatures were invalid. After a visual inspection of each one, I filed 2 appeals to have the signatures reviewed. Before the 2nd appeal, I was informed that CCEC was doing an investigation and felt that all 136 were invalid. Due to my efforts, about half of those have since been ruled valid. Many of the remaining were ruled to be invalid, all of those gathered by 2 of the volunteers. The forms were turned in to me without a signature from the solicitor; my error in judgment is that after verifying the voter registration, I signed the forms and turned them in, making me responsible.
Prior to being informed of an investigation, I turned in another 160 CCEC forms of which over 140 were valid, putting my final total of valid forms to be approximately 340, well over the 220 minimum requirement.
While I do respect the CCEC decision on decertification, I do feel it was excessive and punitive; I am responsible for the volunteers and signing forms that I should not have, however, there is no way for a candidate to check signatures prior to submission to the Secretary of State - we can only check if voter registration and address is valid. I did not falsify any information or break any CCEC rules.
I will file an appeal, however, given the late date, it is unlikely that a decision in my favor would come in time to help my campaign. I will continue to campaign with a very limited budget and hope that voters will consider my experience, knowledge, and desire to help Arizona recover when it is time to vote in the primaries.
Bob Green
Green is still running for Republican nomination for the state senate in a four-way race against Nancy Barto, Ray Barnes, and Brad Buch.
I have emailed the Citizens Clean Elections Commission to offer them the opportunity to put forth a statement on this. I don't expect them to do so, but will publish their response if they send one.
Later...
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wow. There are going to be a *lot* of primaries in AZ this year
Based on a quick perusal of the Secretary of State's webpage of candidates, which isn't necessarily final, depending on successful challenges to petition sigs (rare, but not unheard of) or successful write-in candidacies (rare to the point of being unheard of).
However, the primary ballots for all of the parties has pretty much taken shape, and there are some surprises.
Quick takes on some of the aforementioned primaries -
- Democratic, US Senate - Five weeks ago, Rodney Glassman looked like a shoo-in, as he was the only active D candidate (Rudy Garcia had formed a committee, but that may have been the high point of his campaign, as he didn't even file sigs.) Then John McCain started looking very vulnerable against JD Hayworth, and suddenly there were three other D candidates gathering signatures, and they all filed - Cathy Eden, Randy Parraz, and John Dougherty all submitted sigs.
For now, Glassman remains the favorite because he has had feet on the ground for months, but that hardly assures his victory.
- Republican, CD1, U.S. Congress - Nine, count 'em NINE, Republicans are running for the chance to oppose incumbent Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick. I've got no idea who will come out of the primary here, but the most familiar names are Sydney Hay, the mining industry lobbyist who was the R nominee in 2008 and former legislator Rusty Bowers.
- Republican, CD3, U.S. Congress - There are TEN Republicans who filed sigs in this race to replace the soon-to-be retired John Shadegg. If any of them receive over 30% of the vote, it will be considered a landslide victory. Democrat Jon Hulburd awaits the winner of what is expected to be a brutal primary campaign.
- Republican, CD5, U.S. Congress - A mere six Rs have filed sigs in this race to face Democratic incumbent Harry Mitchell in November. This one will probably come down to David Schweikert and Susan Bitter Smith, like it did in 2008.
- Republican, CD7, U.S. Congress - Five (huh?) Rs have filed to go up against Democratic incumbent Raul Grijalva. I'm not sure why. I'm sure I don't care.
- Republican, CD8, U.S. Congress - Five Republicans have filed to challenge Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The highest profile R candidate here is former state senator Jonathan Paton, a supporter of SB1070 and the payday loan industry.
- Libertarian, Governor - Everyone has been aware of the primary on the R side of the ballot (six filed sigs, with unelected incumbent Jan Brewer as the current favorite), but FOUR Libertarians have filed. ????
- There are primaries on one or both sides of the ballot for most of the statewide offices. Nothing unexpected though, so I'll cover those in a later post.
- The same with state lege, though I will mention a few of the more interesting ones here -
- Republican, LD5, State Senate - Sen. Sylvia Allen and Rep. Bill Konopnicki are going at it here. Allen is a darling of the flat Earth/Tea Party contingent; Konopnicki would be considered a right wing whackaloon almost anywhere else, but since he actually proposes a few decent, "good government" pieces of legislation each session in the House, he is considered a RINO (Republican in name only). No idea who will win this one.
- Democratic, LD13, State Senate - Former state representative Steve Gallardo is challenging incumbent Martha Garcia. Don't know the district or either candidate personally so I don't have a clue about this one.
- Republican, LD30, State Senate - Appointed incumbent Frank Antenori and former legislator Marian McClure face off here in what could challenge LD5 for primary of the year (legislative edition). Antenori is a part of the southern AZ contingent of hardcore nativists/Tea Party types in the lege and has a tendency to spout off threateningly to the Board of Supes, media, other legislators, or anyone who crosses him. McClure is overwhelmingly conservative, but civil and thoughtful.
She could be electoral roadkill this year.
- In Maricopa County, the biggest race will be the R race to serve out the last two years of Andrew Thomas' term as County Attorney. He resigned to pursue the greener pastures of the state Attorney General's race.
Three Republicans have filed - Boyd Dunn, mayor of Chandler, Bill Montgomery, 2006 R nominee for AZAG, and Rick Romley, former CA and current interim CA. I expect it will come down to Romley (anti-Arpaio) and Montgomery (pro-Arpaio) but those two could slice each up enough to give Dunn a shot at this one.
More this weekend when I have time to go into more depth on a couple of the races...
-
However, the primary ballots for all of the parties has pretty much taken shape, and there are some surprises.
Quick takes on some of the aforementioned primaries -
- Democratic, US Senate - Five weeks ago, Rodney Glassman looked like a shoo-in, as he was the only active D candidate (Rudy Garcia had formed a committee, but that may have been the high point of his campaign, as he didn't even file sigs.) Then John McCain started looking very vulnerable against JD Hayworth, and suddenly there were three other D candidates gathering signatures, and they all filed - Cathy Eden, Randy Parraz, and John Dougherty all submitted sigs.
For now, Glassman remains the favorite because he has had feet on the ground for months, but that hardly assures his victory.
- Republican, CD1, U.S. Congress - Nine, count 'em NINE, Republicans are running for the chance to oppose incumbent Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick. I've got no idea who will come out of the primary here, but the most familiar names are Sydney Hay, the mining industry lobbyist who was the R nominee in 2008 and former legislator Rusty Bowers.
- Republican, CD3, U.S. Congress - There are TEN Republicans who filed sigs in this race to replace the soon-to-be retired John Shadegg. If any of them receive over 30% of the vote, it will be considered a landslide victory. Democrat Jon Hulburd awaits the winner of what is expected to be a brutal primary campaign.
- Republican, CD5, U.S. Congress - A mere six Rs have filed sigs in this race to face Democratic incumbent Harry Mitchell in November. This one will probably come down to David Schweikert and Susan Bitter Smith, like it did in 2008.
- Republican, CD7, U.S. Congress - Five (huh?) Rs have filed to go up against Democratic incumbent Raul Grijalva. I'm not sure why. I'm sure I don't care.
- Republican, CD8, U.S. Congress - Five Republicans have filed to challenge Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The highest profile R candidate here is former state senator Jonathan Paton, a supporter of SB1070 and the payday loan industry.
- Libertarian, Governor - Everyone has been aware of the primary on the R side of the ballot (six filed sigs, with unelected incumbent Jan Brewer as the current favorite), but FOUR Libertarians have filed. ????
- There are primaries on one or both sides of the ballot for most of the statewide offices. Nothing unexpected though, so I'll cover those in a later post.
- The same with state lege, though I will mention a few of the more interesting ones here -
- Republican, LD5, State Senate - Sen. Sylvia Allen and Rep. Bill Konopnicki are going at it here. Allen is a darling of the flat Earth/Tea Party contingent; Konopnicki would be considered a right wing whackaloon almost anywhere else, but since he actually proposes a few decent, "good government" pieces of legislation each session in the House, he is considered a RINO (Republican in name only). No idea who will win this one.
- Democratic, LD13, State Senate - Former state representative Steve Gallardo is challenging incumbent Martha Garcia. Don't know the district or either candidate personally so I don't have a clue about this one.
- Republican, LD30, State Senate - Appointed incumbent Frank Antenori and former legislator Marian McClure face off here in what could challenge LD5 for primary of the year (legislative edition). Antenori is a part of the southern AZ contingent of hardcore nativists/Tea Party types in the lege and has a tendency to spout off threateningly to the Board of Supes, media, other legislators, or anyone who crosses him. McClure is overwhelmingly conservative, but civil and thoughtful.
She could be electoral roadkill this year.
- In Maricopa County, the biggest race will be the R race to serve out the last two years of Andrew Thomas' term as County Attorney. He resigned to pursue the greener pastures of the state Attorney General's race.
Three Republicans have filed - Boyd Dunn, mayor of Chandler, Bill Montgomery, 2006 R nominee for AZAG, and Rick Romley, former CA and current interim CA. I expect it will come down to Romley (anti-Arpaio) and Montgomery (pro-Arpaio) but those two could slice each up enough to give Dunn a shot at this one.
More this weekend when I have time to go into more depth on a couple of the races...
-
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sad day in Scottsdale
From guest writer John Washington, on his friend Tony Nelssen -
Good night...
On a bright, clear morning in Scottsdale that was so dry the desert sky couldn’t conjure up a cloud—let alone a tear—a giant has fallen. Councilman Tony Nelssen passed away at his home this morning, after a brief and valiant battle with cancer. Even after Tony told us about his diagnosis, I could not bring myself to believe it was possible he might not survive. It is difficult to imagine Scottsdale without Tony.
If anyone deserved the description “larger than life,” it was Tony. Had he lived a thousand years ago, he would have been a Viking warrior. Tony was a big man, but because of his quiet presence you would never know that if you had not stood next to him or shaken his hand. That stoic Scandinavian nature did not incline him to talk of how he suffered with arthritis in the last few years, nor the pain of his disease for the last few weeks.
Always a voice for the residents and the natural beauty of our community, Tony fought for us for twenty-five years. With almost a century-and-a-half of family history in the Valley, Tony’s legacy knowledge of this area was unmatched and irreplaceable. Tony never sought fame or personal gain from his position. He sacrificed thousands of hours of his time to try to keep Scottsdale special.
Tony also worked tirelessly to help others see what he valued. As a photographer, Tony tried to capture the essence and beauty of our community to share with those who could not experience it directly, and for those who might have otherwise missed it. As a photography instructor, he tried to help each student interpret that beauty in their own way.
Tony’s family was with him this morning, along with two childhood friends who’d come to help during Tony’s convalescence. Tony’s wife Marg, son Ian, and daughter Hannah are grateful for all your support over the years, and during this trying time.I miss my friend. Adios, Tony.
Arrangements are pending.
John Washington
Good night...
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