First, the Rs in the House tried to expel Rep. Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton, a Democrat and an ordained minister and, failing at that, censured her instead. Her offense, something that so ruffled the feathers of the Rs?
She hid some Bibles.
From KJZZ, written by Ben Giles [clarification/correction added by me] -
AZ Republicans try to and fail to expel Democratic lawmaker over Bible prank
Arizona House Republicans tried, but failed, to expel a Democratic lawmaker who admitted to a Bible-hiding prank caught on hidden camera.
Instead, GOP representatives could only muster a 30-28 vote to censure Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton on Tuesday.
Stahl Hamilton, a Tucson Democrat and ordained Presbyterian minister, has never disputed the facts of the matter — on three separate occasions, swiping Bibles from end tables in the Arizona House members’ lounge and hiding them under cushions, and in one instance, a nearby refrigerator. She has described her actions as a playful commentary on the separation of church and state and a protest against the weaponization of religion in politics.
But many Republicans were outraged by what they called the “desecration” of scripture — some commented that they may have unknowingly sat on the Bible when it was hidden under seat cushions.
“To do so is flagrantly offensive, and something the House needs to take seriously,” said Rep. Justin Heap, one of three Republicans who filed an ethics complaint against Stahl Hamilton over the incidents.
Heap, who voted for expulsion, said the matter “really comes down to a simple question: What do we as a body value more? The reputations of Arizona politicians or the reputation of God in the world?”
The vote for MIS013, the motion to expel -
The vote for MIS014, the motion to censure -
Turns out that there is an explanation for the hurt feelings of Heap and the others.
From the AZ Mirror, written by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy [emphasis added by me] -
Flag flown by extremists posted on AZ Senate security desk
A flag flown by extremists and Christian Nationalists that was quietly removed from a Senate security desk last session has been put back on display on a security desk out of public view, the Arizona Mirror has learned.
The white flag with a pine tree on it and the phrase “An Appeal to Heaven” was originally used by George Washington and the Continental Army. It was later adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as its naval and maritime flag from 1776 until 1971, when it was replaced by a similar flag that did not include the phrase “An Appeal to Heaven.”
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.The Secular Coalition of Arizona sees the flag as a violation of the constitutional doctrine requiring a separation of church and state.
“Though this was originally a revolutionary war flag, it’s been co-opted by white Christian nationalists, and was prevalent in DC on January 6th, 2021 To deny this is willful ignorance,” Secular Arizona Executive Director Jeanne Casteen said in a statement to the Mirror. “One’s governance should not be based on biblical principles or any other religious principles. The Constitution should guide one’s governance, and this flag is a signal that notifies people that any elected official who displays it will push evangelical extremism and the will of the few over what’s needed for the Common Good.”
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The flag was seen carried by a number of individuals during the violent events of Jan. 6, 2021. The flag has also been heavily adopted by hate groups and other extremist groups. The flag is mainly popular with Christian Nationalists and Christian Dominionists.
So does the R caucus in the Arizona Legislature qualify as a "hate group" or an "extremist group"? Or both?
Either way, if someone were to send them copies of the Koran and Torah (and other books considered to be holy in faiths of Islam and Judaism), the Rs would just consider them to be fuel sources for their book burning party.
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