Brewer and legislative Republicans kiss and make up: Arizonans still screwed

From the Arizona Republic, written by Ginger Rough -

Gov. Jan Brewer spent some time last week mending fences with some key Republican lawmakers, days after her hastily called special session on extending unemployment benefits ended abruptly with no action.

The Legislature's adjournment - and the governor's comments on the impasse - had prompted speculation that relations between her executive branch and legislative Republicans had turned sour.

On Thursday, Brewer and House Speaker Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, sat down for an hour to discuss the session and pledged to work on their respective communication styles.

Given that what we saw from West Washington when they got along - pension "reform" that devastates public employees, an official state gun instead of an official state jobs bill, corporate tax cuts that push more of the state's tax burden onto middle-class homeowners - could basically be summed up as "screwjobs by acts of commission", should anybody be surprised that what we saw from West Washington when they weren't getting along could be summarized as a "screwjob by act of omission"?

Either way, Arizonans, at least those who cannot abbreviate their last names "corp", "inc", or "LLC" are seriously underrepresented at the Capitol.

Clarence Clemons passes away

Clarence Clemons, the physically imposing (6' 5", 270 lbs) saxophone player with a smile and personality that could brighten the darkest corners of any club, arena, or stadium, has passed away due to complications from a stroke he suffered a week ago.

While a noted and in-demand musician in his own right, he is easily best known for his decades of work with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, where his soaring solos became the hallmark of Springsteen's sound.

Many people have something to say on Clemons' passing -

USA Today has an obit/story here.

Rolling Stone has a story here.

From Bruce Springsteen's website -

It is with overwhelming sadness that we inform our friends and fans that at 7:00 tonight, Saturday, June 18, our beloved friend and bandmate, Clarence Clemons passed away. The cause was complications from his stroke of last Sunday, June 12th.


Bruce Springsteen said of Clarence: Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years. He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band.

All I can say is -

Damn.


My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and many, many fans.

Short Attention Span Musing

...Is Frank Antenori angling for a promotion...or just another electoral beat-down?

H/T to The Range at the Tucson Citizen (Mari Herreras and Dan Gibson) , AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona and Tedski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion for spotting this...

State Sen. Frank Antenori (R-Tucson)  has all but announced that he will run for Congress next year by posting a faux-poll on his Facebook page asking for "advice" from readers.

He wanted to know if they thought he should run for Congress or stay in the Arizona Legislature.  Maybe someone should remind him what happened the last time he ran for Congress.

In 2006, he came in fourth in a five-way R primary in CD8, looking to replace the retiring Jim Kolbe, a spot eventually won by Democrat Gabrielle Giffords.

He received 4.12% of the vote.


...It looks as if Hugh Hallman is getting out of Tempe while the getting is good...

From the East Valley Tribune, written by Garin Groff -

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman said he’ll stay involved in civic issues and is open to seeking another office after stepping down next June.


Hallman announced he won’t seek a third term while decrying the state of politics in Arizona. He’d like to address challenges he sees at the state and federal levels, though he hasn’t decided just how yet.

It's long been rumored that Hallman has his eye on higher office.  It appears as if he is setting up a statewide run for 2014, though run for Congress or Fulton Brock's seat as a Maricopa County supervisor next year isn't out of the realm of possibility.

Note: Neither Hallman nor Antenori has an active campaign committee at the federal, state, or county levels that I can find, as of this writing.


...Russell Pearce may not be toast yet, he's definitely feeling the heat.

Word has gotten out that the Maricopa County Recorder's Office has unofficially validated more than enough petition signatures to force a recall election.  Most electeds in his position would at least pretend to care about their images, but not Pearce.

Nope.  He went on KAET's Horizon on Thursday and started spouting outrageous, and more importantly for the people who have united to unseat him, easily disproven lies about those people.

This on top of a week spend dealing with criticisms over his handling of the "special session to nowhere," the special session called to change a single word in Arizona law that would have allowed 15,000 Arizonans to continue receiving federally-funded unemployment benefits?

The "special" session where the Republicans in the legislature refused to act to help average Arizonans who need the help, unless the corporate benefactors of those Republicans got another big tax cut?

Not a good week for Pearce.


...Not a good week for John Huppenthal, either.

To great fanfare, the man who is Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction pronounced that Tucson's Mexican American Studies program is illegal and must be changed or shut down.

As part of his supporting "evidence" he cited an audit conducted by a private firm.

The problem?  The audit he cited actually found that the program didn't violate the law.

Though as Huffington Post's Jeff Biggers points out here, Huppenthal may have done so himself.

Oopsie.

Later...

Arizona Legislature abandons unemployed Arizonans

On Friday, we know this was coming, but there was always a spark of hope that someone would sit them down this weekend an gently explain to them the PR benefits of making a one word change to Arizona law so that 15,000 of Arizona's long-term unemployed could collect extended unemployment benefits.

Or maybe someone would explain to the legislative types how the money wouldn't come from the state but would add more than $3 million per week to Arizona's cratered economy.

Note that I'm not mentioning the fact that it was simply the right thing to do, because that's a moral and ethical argument, and those hold no sway at 1700 West Washington.

From the Phoenix New Times, written by Stephen Lemons -

The state Legislature recessed indefinitely today from its special session without making a minor change in state law that would allow some 45,000 unemployed Arizonans to continue to receive unemployment checks.


Around 15,000 out-of-work Sand Landers will receive a check this week, and then no more. The Arizona Department of Economic Security estimates that another 30,000 would qualify for the federal extension by the end of the year.

From the Arizona Capitol Times, written by Luige del Puerto -

...Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City, was even harsher in criticizing the governor.


“She did it just to spite us,” he said. “She’s created a bunch of grief for us by calling us into a special session that had no deal, on 24 hours’ notice, (on) the day before the deadline, so she could throw us under the bus on Saturday morning.”

{snip}

But Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, said it would be disingenuous for legislators to complain about federal overspending but take every dollar offered to the state.


“Almost every day we’re here, we complain about the federal government spending,” he said. “But when they’re willing to give us some of that money, we say, ‘Oh, we’ll take it.’”

The vote to adjourn the special session was along party lines, with 16 Republicans voting to go home without working to help their constituents, 5 Democrats voting to stay at work until the job was done right, and 9 members from both sides of the aisle absent for one reason or another.

I wonder if the 45,000 Arizonans thrown under the ideological bus by the Republicans in the legislature (15K now, and another 30K by the end of the year) will remember this when they have a ballot in their hands next year?

Bonus "I wonder":

I wonder who's going to break the news to Rep. Farnsworth that he's part of the *Arizona Legislature,* not the *U.S. Congress*?

Later...

Sylvia Allen: shilling for Big Business by blaming environmentalists and other scientists for wildfires

From KTAR -

Environmentalists are the target of a blame game as wildfires rage through Arizona forests.

State Sen. Sylvia Allen, a Republican from Snowflake -- a town in the White Mountains not too far from the huge Wallow fire -- says misinformation, lawsuits and lies have been used to promote unhealthy forest environments and those philosophies have made their way into federal policies.

An interview with Allen is part of this segment of (Phoenix) Channel 12's Sunday Squareoff -



This is the same Sylvia Allen who calmly proclaimed that it OK to strip mine uranium because the Earth is 6000 years old and doing fine.

This is the same Sylvia Allen who called for destroying trees because they "suck water" out of Arizona's water supply.

This is the same Sylvia Allen who argued during a committee hearing that the legislature and the people should focus on helping the wealthy.


Something tells me that Allen's plan to end the existence of forest fires would include paying lots of taxpayer money to Big Business to end the existence of forests themselves.

Pictures of a smiling Gabrielle Giffords released

Gotta love the smile...

From her Facebook page, pics taken by P.K. Weis of SouthwestPhotoBank.com.


Gabby Giffords with her mom, Gloria

Giffords

Arizona Republic coverage here; BBC coverage here (yes, it's an international story).

Update: Campaign Committees

Things continue to be quiet on the new candidate front, as most potential candidates seem to be waiting for the redistricting process to finish.

However, there have been a few new committees formed at the legislative level.  While all list their current district for the office that they are seeking, that will change after the new districts are laid out later this year.

New committees:

James Bearup, Republican for LD6 House

Pat Fleming, Democrat for LD25 Senate.  Fleming is a former member of the House.  The current LD25 Senate seat is held by Republican Gail Griffin.

Bryan Kilgore Sr., Democrat for LD12 House.


Other committees -

Patriots for Pearce, supporting Russell Pearce/opposing the recall of Pearce


City of Scottsdale/City of Tempe -

No new committees that I could find.  That should change in Tempe first because their election is in March and May, while Scottsdale's in August and November.


City of Phoenix update:

The following candidates have been certified for the ballot -


For Mayor

Anna Brennan
Wes Gullett
Claude Mattox
Peggy Neely
Greg Stanton
Jennifer Wright


City Council, District 1

Bill Barker
Eric Frederick
Gary Whalen
Thelda Williams


City Council, District 2

Bryan Jeffries
David Jones
Jim Waring


City Council, District 3

Bill S. Gates
Steven Gross


City Council, District 5

Charlie Ellis
Eric Sloan
Brenda Sperduti
Daniel Valenzuela


City Council, District 7

Janet Contreras
Michael Nowakowski
Arthur Olivas Jr.


Later...

Howard Fischer goes after David Schapira, and blurs the line between professionalism and partisanship

Last night, I put up a post that quoted from a story written by Howard Fischer of Capital Media Services.

Actually, I should just say "written by Howard Fischer" because he *is* Capitol Media Services.  It's a one-man operation where he is reporter, photographer, editor, business manager, chief cook, and bottle washer.

He is called the "Dean of the Capitol press corps" for a good reason.  He's earned it with decades of tireless coverage of the Arizona Capitol.  He's good at the job, and most of the state's media outlets use his stories.

He's a Republican (I think so anyway, based on some of the things that I've heard him say at the Capitol), but he is willing to grill electeds regardless of their party affiliation.

If most of his stories seem to be a little R-centric, well, there are a LOT of Rs in and around the Capitol.

However, on occasion, his partisan preferences burst into view in one of his stories, and yesterday's coverage of the "special" session was one of those occasions.

Professional journalists aren't supposed to editorialize in "news" pieces, and they are supposed to be even-handed.

From his story on the special session, published by YourWestValley.com -

Senate Minority Leader David Schapira, D-Tempe, said those who have been out of work for more than 79 weeks need help now.


"Maybe in another year a legitimate argument could be made that these folks just really need to try harder at getting jobs,'' he said. But he said Arizonans are hurting now.

More to the point, Schapira said they are entitled to the benefits.

"People who qualify for unemployment are people who have worked for years, who have paid into a system for years, who have invested in a system for years,'' he said.

"This is not simply welfare, this is not a give-away, this is not a handout,'' Schapira continued. " This is a return on investment into a system that people have paid into throughout their careers.

But Schapira is wrong on two fronts.

The first 26 weeks of jobless benefits comes from a state trust fund which is financed by a tax paid not by workers but by their employers. Premiums are based on how often companies lay off workers and vary from as little as $2 a year to as much as $378.

And all benefits beyond 26 weeks, both one program which provides another 53 weeks and the extended benefits program at issue here which covers another 20 weeks, are financed totally from federal tax dollars.

This post isn't meant to point out that the last two paragraphs in the quote point out that his point about Schapira being wrong is wrong itself (you can tell I don't work for a "professional" media outlet like Fischer or anybody from the Arizona Capitol Times or the Arizona Republic - this sentence would never make it past an editor :) ).

This is meant to point out that he took the time to refute a statement from one of the subjects of his story, something that professional journalists aren't supposed to do.  It's not an absolute prohibition, but when a journalist does, he has to be right when he calls out someone as wrong.

He also unfairly took pains to specifically criticize a Democrat, while allowing statements from Republicans to go unchallenged.

Also from his story -

 "The real issue is we have destroyed thousands of jobs in Arizona and also in America because of progressive socialist principles that have been used in the last 20 years that has changed our country,'' said Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake. "The real root of the problem is this country's in desperate need of jobs.''

{snip}

Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, said there is some evidence that what the governor wants actually would hurt the economy.


"Studies have been done ... controlling all other variables found that when you do extend unemployment benefits you have an effect of increasing the overall unemployment rate,'' he said.

Fischer left those statements from Republicans unchallenged which, as a professional journalist, was the correct thing for him to do. 

The problem is that he ignored the standards of his profession when he went after Schapira's statement, and he compounded the problem when he gave the Republican subjects of his piece a free pass.

Now, an amateur journalist (like me!) would have pointed out to Sylvia Allen that over the last 20 years, the Republicans have controlled one or both chambers of the US Congress for more the 12 out of the 20 years, the White House for approximately 1/2 of that period, and the Arizona Legislature for ALL of that time (no room for "progressive socialist principles" there) or that Andy Biggs didn't produce the unnamed studies that he cited (or the unmitigated arrogance of someone who literally made a fortune by opening his mail one day having nothing but contempt for Arizonan who work, or want to work, for a living).

Amateurs, such as those at Sonoran Alliance, can take an op-ed piece written by Schapira and published in the East Valley Tribune and give failed 2010 state senate candidate Wendy Rogers a platform to refute Schapira's statements (even more incorrectly than Fischer did, but that's my opinion, which I'm free to express here :) ).

Amateurs, such as me, Ted Prezelski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion, the team at Blog for Arizona, Greg Patterson at Espresso Pundit, the folks at Sonoran Alliance and the rest aren't professional journalists who aren't held to the same standards.  In addition, we are open about our partisanship.

Note my own partisanship expressed in the above paragraphs - links to the Democratic-leaning blogs, but none for the Republican-leaning ones.  Not trying to be subtle here.  :)

Generally speaking, Fischer doesn't cross the line. 

Yesterday however, he crossed it, and it wasn't by a baby step.  He took a running start before long jumping over it.

On the other hand, at his age (and mine!), "long jumps" aren't so long anymore.  He's not going to need binoculars and a GPS unit to find the line again.  :))

Pearce Republicans fiddle while Arizonans burn

...not the best title ever written, but it's better than the original - "Ya gotta be [bleepin'] kiddin' me!"

On Friday, the Arizona legislature was supposed to meet to make a change to Arizona law that would allow nearly 15,000 of Arizona's long-term unemployed to collect an additional 20 weeks of jobless benefits.

They could have done this during the regular session in March or April, as asked by the Democrats, but instead chose to work on more important things, like naming an official state gun and passing a bill aimed to help a particular rancher in southern Arizona escape from paying for his abuse of some undocumented immigrants.

Still, better late than never, right?

Well, forget the "late" part - Senate President Russell Pearce, House Speaker Andy Tobin, and the rest of the Rs doubled down on "never."

From a story published in the Yuma Sun, written by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services -

Republican legislators balked Friday at a proposal by Gov. Jan Brewer to keep extended jobless benefits flowing, leaving nearly 15,000 Arizonans unsure if the unemployment checks they get this coming week will be their last.


Senate President Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said a majority of his caucus could not support making the change necessary to have the federal government continue funding benefits for those who have been out of work for more than 79 weeks. Some lawmakers said the plan by the Republican governor was little better than the liberal policies they say got the country’s economy where it is today.

Pearce said there still is a chance lawmakers could approve the plan on Monday — but only if the governor agrees to add provisions he said would prevent fraud. And House Speaker Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, wants the package to also include tax breaks for business he said are needed to stimulate job growth.

{snip}

“The real issue is we have destroyed thousands of jobs in Arizona and also in America because of progressive socialist principles that have been used in the last 20 years that has changed our country,” said Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake.

Ummm...yeahhhhh.

It wasn't just Pearce, Tobin, and Allen, either.  Other Rs made their contempt for their unemployed constituents pretty clear -

- Sen. Don Shooter (R-Yuma) showed up for the session in a costume - a sombrero, serape, and a half-filled bottle of tequila in a holster.

- Rep. Jack Harper (R-Surprise), always a favorite here, didn't even bother to show up, Tweeting from home that the Senate should remove Democratic Sen. Steve Gallardo, apparently for the crime of failing to kiss up to Republicans.

Harper's Twitter feed is here.  Be warned:  He *really* dislikes Sen. Gallardo.  And apparently he believes that good spelling is a communist plot to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.

The relevant bills are here - Senate and House - and they were written and sponsored by Democrats, because no Republican would put his or her name on any measure to help Arizonans.

Even if the measure would cost Arizona nothing.

Other takes:

Andrei Cherny, chair of the Arizona Democratic Party -

"Today, legislative Republicans once again put an extreme ideology ahead of what was good for Arizona. To refuse to make a one-word change to statute that doesn't cost the state a dime is mean spirited, short sighted and wrong. Because of what they've done, our Arizona economy will take another hit and families will be pushed into poverty. The Russell Pearce Republicans showed once again that they are the ones driving the state -- into a ditch."

Rebekah Friend, Executive Director and Secretary-Treasurer of the Arizona AFL-CIO:

"The legislature had a simple job to do today. Just a one-word change to state law would preserve unemployment benefits for 15,000 Arizonans who need a lifeline. But Republican leadership in the legislature and Governor Brewer failed to do even the most basic things we ask of our elected officials. The Governor failed to produce a proposal, and many legislators didn’t even bother to appear. After these same politicians gave away millions in tax breaks to large corporations, their adjournment of this special session without action is simply a dereliction of duty.


"I thank the legislators who showed up today so that our state could extend unemployment benefits. We need more heroes for the working class, like Senator Steve Gallardo, who introduced a bill to help 15,000 families immediately; like Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who rushed back to the state to cast her vote; and like Senator David Schapira and five others who sponsored a bill to withhold pay from legislators during this special session. I hope that all of our legislators will have the heart and the common sense to extend benefits on Monday so that the lapse in this lifeline will only be brief."

There have been hints that the Rs may be willing to try again Monday, but those hints are likely just for show - a number of legislators from both sides of the aisle will be unable to attend next week (hence the really unusual Friday special session).  Reports are that after today, it will be at least a couple of weeks before there are enough available legislators to try again.

On Wednesday, I wrote a post describing the Republicans in the AZ legislature as "soulless".

At the time, I thought it may have been a little harsh, but given their long history of disdain for their constituents, I thought it was merited, at least as a metaphor..

However, even I, cynical lege-watcher of long experience that I am, didn't expect them to prove me to be understating the situation.

Arizona's Republican legislators: The very definition of "soulless"

Late last month and early this month, the Republicans in the Arizona legislature refused to call a special session to enact a minor change to Arizona's law that would have allowed Arizona's long-term unemployed to collect 20 additional weeks of unemployement benefits.

Even though such a thing wouldn't have cost Arizona a dime.

Now, however, certain legislators are now saying that they are willing to make the necessary change, one that won't cost Arizona anything.

However, they are demanding a quid pro quo - more massive tax cuts for corporations.

Even though such a thing would cost Arizona hundreds of millions of dollars.


Note:  Governor Jan Brewer has called a special session of the lege to address the unemployment benefits matter.  There is a business tax cut clause in her proclamation, but it's very specific, and I'm not sure yet how much it will cost us.

And in case anyone thinks this anti-Joe and Jane Average bias is something new, just harken back through the mists of time, all the way back through the eons to last August.

On Tuesday, August 3, a judge knocked an anti-union ballot measure from the legislature off of the ballot.

By Wednesday, August 4, the Republicans in the legislature were already putting together a "special session" at the behest of their bribers "campaign contributors" from big business.

Guess who would benefit from the tax cuts that the Rs want as a condition for allowing Arizona's long-term unemployed to get a little relief?

Helping out those affected by the Wallow Fire in eastern Arizona

This is from an email plea from Andrei Cherny, Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, but this is something that goes beyond partisanship (I'll save that stuff for the next post :) ).

The email -

The Wallow Fire is now the second largest wildfire in state history. Residents in eastern Arizona communities are being evacuated and displaced into shelters and other areas of the state. They are losing their homes and in many cases, their livelihoods.

We may feel helpless as we watch the Wallow Fire tear through these beloved communities, but there are things we can do to help, right now. The Arizona Democratic Party is launching a donation drive for displaced residents who lack basic necessities. This week, we are extending the hours at AZ Dem state headquarters so people can drop off items during the day or in the evenings after they leave work. Items can also be dropped off at Pima County and Coconino County Democratic Party headquarters. The first delivery of donated items will be this weekend, but we will continue to collect donations throughout next week. Details below:

WHAT: Donation drive for victims of the Arizona wildfires.

WHERE TO DROP OFF ITEMS:

Phoenix -- Arizona Democratic Party headquarters, 2910 N. Central Ave.; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. today through Friday, and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon-Fri next week.

Tucson -- Pima County Democratic Party headquarters, 4639 E. First St., Tucson; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri

Flagstaff -- Coconino County Democratic Party headquarters, 201 E. Birch, Suite A (Historic Ice House); 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon-Fri.


ITEMS NEEDED:

• Gatorade (Liquid or powder)

• Bottled water

• Non-perishable snacks

• Soap

• Lip balm

• Razors

• Toothpaste

• Toothbrushes

• Toothbrush covers

• Floss

• Lotion

• Shampoo

• Conditioner

• Baby wipes

• Breathing masks


Let's show our fellow Arizonans that they aren't alone during this challenging time. We are all in this together. Thank you for helping out.

Sincerely,
Andrei Cherny
Chair, Arizona Democratic Party

The latest update on the fire from the Arizona Republic is here.

Pearce and Tancredo: Putting The "F" Back In Freedom

Wonder if Pearce et. al.  understand that his acting as if he is above the law just reinforces the reasons that people want to recall him?  He and his ilk would have everyone (especially their nativist followers) believe that it's all about immigration.  They want everyone to forget the arrogance, corruption, and the simple meanness that are the hallmarks of his Senate presidency.

Moves like this one won't help him.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary K. Reinhart -

A national fundraising effort to fight the recall against Senate President Russell Pearce may be running afoul of state campaign-finance laws.

Team America, a political-action committee headed by former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., sent an e-mail blast Friday soliciting corporate and private donations for Citizens Who Oppose the Pearce Recall.

"Russell needs a quick infusion of funds to get his campaign started," said the e-mail, from Team America co-chair Bay Buchanan.

"Because it is a recall effort corporate funds are welcome and contributions are unlimited!!"

But state elections officials say Arizona law bans corporate and union donations to influence an election, and that includes opposing a recall effort.

Really?!?  Sure Russell "The law is the LAW" Pearce and his supporters wouldn't do anything illegal, would they?

From ARS 16-919 -

A. Except as provided in section 16-914.02, it is unlawful for a corporation or a limited liability company to make an expenditure or any contribution of money or anything of value for the purpose of influencing an election, and it is unlawful for the designating individual who formed an exploratory committee, an exploratory committee, a candidate or a candidate's campaign committee to accept any contribution of money or anything of value from a corporation or a limited liability company for the purpose of influencing an election. This subsection does not apply to political committees that are incorporated pursuant to title 10, chapters 24 through 40 and political committees that are organized as limited liability companies.

B. Except as provided in section 16-914.02, it is unlawful for a labor organization to make an expenditure or any contribution of money or anything of value for the purpose of influencing an election.

{snip}

1. "Election" means any election to any political office, any election to any political convention or caucus or any primary election held for the purpose of selecting any candidate, political committee or other person for any political office, convention or caucus.

Seems pretty clear to me, but I don't expect Pearce and his allies will let minor details like the law get in the way of their grasping for money.

Tedski at R-Cubed has his take, with a copy of a fundraising email from Pearce, here.

David Safier at Blog for Arizona has his take, with a tie in to the movie referenced by the title of this post, here.

BTW - That referenced movie, Team America: World Police, is perhaps the single funniest movie I've ever seen.  It is also almost certainly the single filthiest mainstream movie ever made.  It is from the creative minds behind the TV show South Park and showcases what they would do if they didn't have Comedy Central's censors looking over their shoulders.

I heartily recommend the movie, with one caveat - don't be fooled by the presence of marionettes in the movie.  In no way, shape, or form is this a movie for the kids.

The not-so-fine line between "dumb" and "dumbass"

I was going to title this post "Well, didn't see that one coming" but we all saw "it", and that was the problem.

Today, Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) admitted that yes, he was responsible for the lewd pictures sent via his Twitter fieed to a college student in Seattle.  His original story that his Twitter account was hacked, well, that story was a lie.

He also admitted that he had a number of online "relationships" with women who he has never met.

That makes him dumb.  He's not the first guy to do something like that, nor is he the first to initially deny everything when caught.

However, when a high-profile public figure such as a member of Congress not only does that, but does it under his own name and with pictures and is expects to keep it a secret, that's the very definition of "dumbass".

Congressman Anthony Weiner is a dumbass.

I like him politically, and as DC scandals goes, this is pretty minor league.  I hope it doesn't lead to the end of his political career. 

I'm still happy that he isn't married to one of my sisters, however.


My advice to Congressman Weiner and all Democratic officeholders -

1.  Nothing, not phone calls, text messages, emails, Tweets, Facebook updates or whatever, is secret.  If it's embarrassing or can be spun in an embarrassing way, it *will* come out.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't use those forms of communication, but don't say, write, or send something that you wouldn't want on display in open church in front of your grandparents and fiercest rival.

2.  Don't try to tell jokes.  You can't do it right.  Ask John Kerry.  Or Barack Obama

Leave the jokes to the jokers.


My advice to Republican office-holders -

1.  Say what you want; do what you want.  For example (hypotheticall speaking, of course) -

- Like to hang out in airport restrooms?  Go for it.

- Have a habit of sending creepy emails to underage pages?  No one will care.  Trust me.

- Want to abandon your official duties in favor of a booty call in Argentina?  Your constituents will be cool with that.

- Want to boink the wife of a family friend, and use you parents to funnel hush money your girlfriend and her husband?  Sounds brilliant.

- Sending semi-nude pictures of yourself?  Not a problem.

2.  Tell all the jokes that you want.  The more off-color and bigoted, the better.  People will appreciate it, especially if they are the target of your joke.  You'll seem like "just folks."

Later...

Well, now we know why Sarah Palin moved to AZ...

...because if she moved to MA to run for their Senate seat next year, she'd have already lost the primary.



Ummm...yeah.

Not looking too Senatorial there, much less Presidential.

In the interests of educating the newest resident of the Lower 48, here's a little primer for her, courtesy The Poetry Foundation (not perfectly accurate historically, but it's a whole lot closer than that mess spewed by the wannabe president/senator/pundit) -

The Landlord's Tale. Paul Revere's Ride

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.


He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,—
One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said, "Good night!" and with muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.


Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street,
Wanders and watches with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.


Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry-chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade, —
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town,
And the moonlight flowing over all.
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night-encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay, —
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats.


Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry-tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns!
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet:
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders, that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.


It was twelve by the village clock,
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.


It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, blank and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon.


It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadows brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket-ball.


You know the rest. In the books you have read,
How the British Regulars fired and fled, —
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farm-yard wall,
Chasing the red-coats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.


So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm, —
A cry of defiance and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo forevermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

Did anybody notice...?

...that Rep. Paul "I'm a millionaire" Gosar (R-AZ1) pushed an anti-Davis-Bacon Act amendment to the Homeland Security funding bill passed by the House this week?  The Davis-Bacon Act requires that workers on public works projects are paid the "prevailing wage" in their area.  The amendment failed, even with the support of the other four Arizona Republicans in the House.

It's kind of curious that a wealthy Congressman who (allegedly) represents the people of Arizona's First district, which contains some of the poorest areas of the state, would be actively working to suppress wages in that area (and across the country).


...that Sen. Russell Pearce has a pattern?  He's all for the blind "rule of law" when it is applied to people with brown skin or who simply disagree with him.  But for people he likes?  Not so much.

Latest example:  His appointment to the state's Child Support Committee has a history of violence in front of children.

Pearce's response when his appointee's criminal record was brought to his attention?

From an Arizona Capitol Times story, written by Gary Grado -

Finding qualified people to sit on the multitude of committees that have many seats is a challenge, and disqualifying people on the basis of a criminal record would make it even more challenging, Pearce said.

The blasé attitude, while disappointing, is hardly surprising.  This is the same guy who pronounced that state senators are above the law barring the possession of weapons in public buildings and that his ally and fellow state senator, Scott Bundgaard, was actually the victim in a domestic violence incident that took place in February.

Despite the statement of the actual victim.

Despite the reports of the police.

Despite the statements of eye witnesses.


...that since she bought a house in north Scottsdale, Sarah Palin has been everywhere except for Arizona?  It seems like she hasn't missed a landmark, tourist trap, or truck stop in her presidential campaign bus tour through the northeastern U.S.

Well, just she doesn't slip from notice here (OK, so that's not going to happen.  It works as an excuse to write this blurb :) ), based on the address, here is a list of electeds who need to watch their backs.

President Barack Obama - it's hardly a secret that she wants his job.  OK, she probably just wants the title.  If she actually won, she'd probably quit a couple of years into her first term to find a better-paying job.

Congressman Jeff Flake - it's hardly a secret that she'd "settle" for the US Senate seat held by the soon-to-be-retired Jon Kyl, a seat that's coveted by Flake.

Secretary of State Ken Bennett and anyone else eyeing a 2014 run for governor.  Arizona is a bigger state than Alaska, and while she probably isn't interested in dealing with the AZ legislature, anything could happen.

Congressmen David Schweikert and Ben Quayle - her new home places her at the western edge of the current Fifth Congressional District.  After redistricting, she could end up in either Schweikert's or Quayle's freshly-redrawn district.  As first-termers running for reelection in somewhat unfamiliar districts, they'll be highly vulnerable to challenges.

LD7 and LD8 state legislators Heather Carter, David Burnell Smith, Michelle Ugenti are all first-termers in the lege.  While it is highly unlikely that Palin would be interested in a run at the lege, they would be vulnerable in the same way that Schweikert and Quayle are vulnerable.  Nancy Barto, Michele Reagan, John Kavanagh could be vulnerable to a primary challenge from a high-profile opponent, but they've been around long enough that they could weather such a challenge.  After redistricting, she could end up in the new version of either district.

Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley.  While he has survived the attacks from Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas, he has been scuffed up enough for a challenger to defeat him.  Not the highest profile position, but they get to deal with an annual budget of more than $2 billion, with minimal oversight.  With Palin's predilection for misusing office (Troopergate, anyone?), this one cannot be ruled out.

Desert Ridge Justice of the Peace Clancy Jayne...OK, this one is a bit of a stretch, even for a wiseass post like this one.  Maricopa County JPs are paid pretty well (~$100K) but it's a job that is actual work.  She would have to show up and do the job, not spend her time flying around the country trying to find the greatest concentration of TV cameras.

Desert Ridge Constable Cory Hazlett...lower profile and lower pay than the JP job, and the job requires working outside.  Not gonna happen either.

Cave Creek Unified School District Governing Board members David Schaefer, Mark Warren, Susan Clancy, Casey Perkins, and Stephanie Reese.  Probably too low-profile for Palin's taste, and she's not exactly a fan of public education (her oldest daughter was homeschooled, not sure about her other children), but school board members probably garner the most respect accorded any elected position in Arizona.  Quitting halfway through her term as governor of Alaska has left Palin a little light in the respect department.

Peak View precinct Republican PCs Melinda Gulick, Peter Kanton, Regina Knapp, Gary McCaleb, Gwenn McCaleb, Lawrence Wangler, and Verna Wangler.  Low-profile and unpaid, yet gaining one of these slots could bolster carpetbagger Palin's bonafides with the AZ GOP.  Could result in the first known case of a PC candidate having to file campaign finance reports.

Finally, Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane.  Not being snarky here.  It's high-profile enough to give her Arizona visibility for any 2014 or 2016 runs in AZ, yet part-time enough for her to keep her financially lucrative reality TV/faux news career going.  Plus Scottsdale has a recent history of elected women as its mayor (Mary Manross, Sam Campana).

Hmmm....

Later...