Showing posts with label Russell Pearce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Russell Pearce. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and other lunacy in state politics

It wasn’t bad enough that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer issued an executive order that, even if young undocumented immigrants receive deferred action on deportation, they can’t have a driver’s license, The Arizona Department of Transportation agreed.  Many thought there was some leeway between Brewer’s order and what the state Constitution says.  The ADT conducted a review and the decision was also not to issue driver’s licenses.

Jan Brewer
Without them the immigrants cannot drive to work or school.  California will issue driver’s licenses for those in the program but, then, that state is light years ahead of Arizona in progress.  This edict would put 80,000 undocumented immigrants in the state in the position of either hitching a ride or just driving illegally.  Arizona will most likely face another lawsuit to add to SB-1070, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and others.  Just another stupid move by the wicked witch from the Southwest.

The Gov. recently stated she is 100 percent sure she knows just what Mitt Romney meant when he told a fundraising dinner that 47 percent of the country “believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them.”  The Gov. turned illusionist exclaimed he meant, “We want to make everyone successful.  We want everybody to be successful.”  This kind of statement is one you might expect from someone living on another planet.

But everything this fruitcake politician does cannot change the fact that she has pissed off many Hispanics in the state, and this kind of politics is projected to turn Arizona over to the Democrats in the not too distant future.  There are 589,000 Latinos registered to vote in Arizona and 265,000 of those are expected to vote Democrat. 

Depending on what poll you read, President Obama has a chance of winning Arizona.  To support that, he raised $859,000 in the state in August compared to Romney’s $676,000.  It was also his biggest month nationwide.

Jan Brewer and undocumented immigrant
And there are many ways that a governor can cast aspersions on the state they govern, one of them by insulting one of its largest corporations with corporate headquarters in the state.  It wasn’t bad enough that Brewer was blowing the state’s money needlessly on a trip to Paris, but she and two of her staff caused a $4,100 bill during the fiasco that included cancellation fees for a Best Western hotel where they thought the digs weren’t up to standard for such royalty. 

Moving on to the bigoted side of Jan Brewer and many state residents, she was asked not to attend the recent Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C.  This was because the organization that sponsored it, the Family Research Council, is said to have spread demeaning untruths about the lesbian and gay community.  But Brewer not only attended but said she was honored to speak.  And what might we expect?  Other speakers included Paul Ryan and Michele Bachmann.

And then there was the recent meandering interview with the New York Times where Jan Brewer showed the true colors of an Arizona fanatic.  Here are some excerpts.  She was hurt when wagging her finger in the President’s face on a Phoenix tarmac he walked off in the middle of her sentence.  Why Obama even took the time to acknowledge her at all is amazing.  She won’t even admit how stupid she was, which thoroughly irks several Arizona progressives.

Jan Brewer announcing
headless bodies
She admitted she didn’t have a clue where the U.S./Mexico border is when asked about her concerns over Arizona border violence; the FBI reported that violence had dropped.  She quoted figures for people who were murdered in Puerto Penasco, a full 60 miles into Mexico.  There was also the beheaded bodies found in the desert that weren’t really there.  And maintaining her stand on loose gun laws in the aftermath of Rep. Gabby Giffords severe wounding in Tucson.

But the clincher was Brewer’s reaction to the law she signed to allow concealed weapons in bars.  The interviewer questioned this reasoning and she replied, “I think a bartender knows who’s drinking and who isn’t.  But he doesn’t know who has a concealed weapon was the retort.  Her only answer was how responsible gun owners are, not how irresponsible they might become after a few drinks.

Arizonans have to live with this on a daily basis, and many still support this incompetent poor soul.  Unfortunately it has caused ridicule of the state that will take years to repair.  Disgraced State Sen. Russell Pearce, a Brewer buddy and author of SB-1070, was thrown out of office.  There’s still a chance for Jan Brewer and many progressives are looking for just that.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Hispanic demographics and voting aspirations remain strong for November

President Obama is winning the Latino vote by 70 percent to 22 percent for Mitt Romney going into the final months of the 2012 election.  When you break this down, Spanish dominant Hispanics come in 76 percent to 15 percent, foreign born 72 percent to 19 percent, Spanish dominant 76 percent to 15 percent and 66 percent to 28 percent of those English dominant.  In other words, if you are Latino and for Mitt Romney, you are simply out of the loop.

To begin with, I cannot understand how any Hispanic could think the Republicans have anything to offer them.  Look at the record.  The GOP is against anything Latino and has been for years with absolutely no evidence of changing.  And this is due to a constituency that borders on racism as confirmed by the Tea Party faction, emphasized by the emails of ousted state Senator Russell Pearce of Arizona.  He is also the author of the state’s anti-immigration bill, SB-1070.

In a study done at Arizona State University, the long contemplated impact of the Hispanic vote is expected to be felt this Nov. in the state, and there is reason to believe this could evolve nationwide.  Arizona is important for several reasons.  One, it will be necessary to convince even some legal Latinos that they are not in danger of being arrested when registering to vote, convincing others nationwide.  Two, the numbers are awesome, possibly changing Arizona from red to blue.

President Obama talks about Mitt Romney and Hispanics:

In an earlier post, I reported that Arizona’s Hispanic voting-age population has jumped from 455,000 nine years ago to 845,000 today, 19 percent of the state’s population eligible to vote. Taking Arizona in 2012 is not really that far-fetched considering Obama won 45 percent of the state running against McCain in 2008, coupled with the increased strategy of Latino activists to get out the vote. 

Democrats are hoping to register approximately 300,000 new Hispanics to vote prior to November 2012.

The Latino Decisions Poll says considering, “…voters with a validated vote history in 2008 Obama leads Romney 72% to 20%, and Latinos who reside in one of 13 critical battleground states (AZ, CO, FL, IA, IN, MI, MO, NC, NV, OH, PA, VA, WI) lean very heavily towards Obama, 71% to 21% for Romney.  The question is no longer just whether the general voters of swing states will come out for Obama, but also how many Hispanics those states can register.

As an example, the four swing states with the highest percent of Latino population are Arizona, 29.6 percent, Colorado, 20.7 percent, Florida 22.5 percent and Nevada 26.5 percent.  When you add up the five and ten percent states across the country, you begin to realize the potential of the Hispanic vote.  16.3 percent of the nation’s population is Latino and growing daily.  It is beyond me how the GOP can argue with these demographics.

I have a friend here in Arizona that I talked with just a week ago who is Hispanic and I asked her if she was going to vote.  Unfortunately she hasn’t achieved citizenship yet which means she can’t.  She indicated her husband would definitely vote and her daughters are out knocking on doors to help bring out the vote.  My friend is also actively advocating for Latinos to vote as well as her husband when he has the time.  My point here is…it is beginning to happen.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Will Arizona be the pulse of the Hispanic vote in November?

I raise this question because Arizona is the center of immigration reform on the state level with its first nationwide anti-immigration bill SB-1070 that is still before the U.S. Supreme Court.  Arizona v. United States was argued April 25, 2012, and the question presented was whether federal immigration laws preclude Arizona’s efforts at cooperative law enforcement and preempt the four provisions of S.B. 1070.  The high Court is expected to give its decision in June.

Arizona Federal Judge Susan Bolton blocked the most contested provisions of SB-1070 in July of 2010, shortly after the law was passed.  That is what sent the Arizona gang of autocrats gyrating to the Supremes.  There are no other officials in other states throughout the U.S. more vocal than those from Arizona, with their challenge to Judge Bolton’s decision as the centerpiece.  What the Supremes decide will have a definitive effect on Latinos in Arizona and across the country.

The villains in this whole fiasco are easily identifiable and are at the source of many of Arizona’s many problems.  These three, along with a state Republican legislature that is clearly on another planet, can also be credited for most of the ridicule that is regularly thrown at the state.  The terrible three are Gov. Jan Brewer, former state senator Russell Pearce, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  Together they resemble a very untalented Three Stooges.

Jan Brewer is laughable as perhaps the most incompetent governor to ever serve a state in this country.  Brewer is detested by most Hispanics for signing SB-1070.  Russell Pearce, the main supporter of SB-1070, was voted out as a state senator, primarily by Latinos because of racist and other extremist views.  Joe Arpaio has endeared himself to Hispanics with his regular sweeps that pick up illegals—and even legal citizens—for minor offenses of the law for ID.

NY Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer on Hispanic vote:
There are 1.8 million Latinos in Arizona in 525,000 households, just under 30 percent of the total population, with an average age of almost 26.  59 percent of this group is making more than $35,000 a year which puts them in a formidable position to determine the outcome of Arizona elections.  If they can be convinced to come to the polls.  But even some of the legal immigrants are scared to come to the polls because of the threats of Brewer, Pearce and Arpaio.

The fact that the Dream Act is still important to Hispanics is a recent protest in Phoenix, and it wasn’t against Republicans but aimed at democrats for not doing enough.  This only emphasizes what many Latino advocates have been saying of late.  It will make little difference if you get this group enthused over the November election if their concerns aren’t turned into priorities by both parties.  President Obama promised to overhaul immigration in 2008 and hasn’t fulfilled.

Another Hispanic concern is education, according to a poll from the American Federation for Children and the Hispanic Council for Reform and Education Options.  58 percent of Latinos in five battleground states want more on what the candidates will do, compared to 49 percent overall.  This parallels interests from African-Americans in the past because they wanted better educational standards for their children.  Jobs, the economy and federal deficit are also ranked high.

The NPR article above estimates that 22 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in November, with a potential voter turnout of up to 12 million.  This is a 26 percent increase over 2008 and would be a new record.  However, on Univision, the Velasquez Institute predicts that national Latino turnout this fall will be no higher than 10.5 million votes cast.  What makes all this important is the fact that President Obama was the first to win the office without the white vote majority.

Arizona is now a hub for protest for a pro-Hispanic ‘super PAC’ aimed at Mitt Romney.  At a fundraiser in Palm Beach, FL, Romney acknowledged the possibility of losing the Latino vote.  He said, “If its {Dems. momentum} not turned around, it spells doom for us.”  In the Los Angeles Times, a new national poll, conducted for NBC News, the Wall Street Journal and Telemundo, showed him trailing the president 61% to 27% among Latinos.

The liberal super PAC began airing TV spots in Arizona on May 24, where the strategy is to characterize Mitt Romney in the same light as two of the most “reviled” politicians in the Hispanic community: Gov. Jan Brewer and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  Brewer endorsed Romney just before Arizona’s February primary, Arpaio stayed neutral having endorsed Rick Perry who quit the race.  The ad runs several weeks in English and Spanish.

Arizona is clearly evolving from red to purple with the Latino population reacting to SB-1070 and the sweeps of illegals by Sheriff Arpaio.  That’s the best sign progressives have seen in Arizona for years but the question is whether they take full advantage of the situation.  There are non-Hispanic white and black populations that must also speak out in November.  They are there.  But apparently not as passionate as conservatives.  This needs to change now.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Gun nuts claim gun control advocates espouse an American Holocaust

This charge comes from a site called Front Porch Politics who says they believe in America.  Maybe, but as it turns out in this post and others like it, it appears to me that they believe in a dark America shaded by radical conservative causes.  As an example, another recent post was, “Barack Obama’s Lawyer Admits Birth Certificate is forged.”  I Googled the title and came up primarily with a bunch of wacko sites that appear to have little credibility.  Sites like TeaPartyTribune.com.

The blame for this accusation goes to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) and its Exec. Dir. Josh Horwitz who is quoted as saying: “The concept of a ‘monopoly on force’ might sound foreign or even frightening to Americans that take great pride in our revolutionary beginnings, but it is the fundamental organizing principle of any political entity, including the United States.”  What could anyone find wrong with that with even a minimum trust in government?

But the Front Porch fanatics do by calling Horwitz’s statement “foreign” and “frightening,” then proceeding to rewrite the Revolutionary War to show why every individual in America should be allowed to own and carry a gun, anywhere they want, and with absolutely no training whatsoever.  With the gun worshippers it always comes down to that.  Don’t you brain dead people understand that we are no longer fighting for our freedom.  Like the Civil War, it’s over.

However, the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) has managed to embed in these peoples’ minds the fact that we are once again fighting the U.S. Government in a 21st Century reenactment of the Revolutionary War.  We aren’t.  As an example, FP compares Josh Horwitz’s citing of Max Weber, a German political economist and sociologist as an example of extreme right politics because of Weber having been associated with Karl Marx.  So has Barack Obama which is also absurd.

If you want to see who Max Weber was, see it here on Wikipedia.  According to Wikipedia, Weber is often cited, with Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx as one of the three principal architects of modern social science.  The gun craze phenomena can certainly be considered an integral part of modern social science.  Horwitz is focused on his belief that if the Constitution is working, and we must admit it is except when we consider Congress, peaceful means should be used.


Arizona immigration sweeps

Horwitz’s opinion was in answer to a tweet that asked the question: “So govt rounding up citizens based on relig/ethnic id would not warrant armd resistance if courts bless as constitutional”  They do this every day in Arizona, at least pertaining to Hispanics, and so far I don’t see the gun lobby’s militia coming to their defense.  FP, quoting an Examiner.com writer by the name of Kurt Hofmann, would have Latinos in Arizona take up arms to fight their battle.

Arizona’s anti-immigration mess is tragic, but at least so far they have elected to take the peaceful way.  And that is in spite of the Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s and Russell Pearce’s who alone could provoke a revolution.  FP states that we have a “sacred” duty to check our government; there goes that biblical connection again.  We do and if we don’t like what it does, we vote to change things.  That’s where the Constitution works and if you don’t like it, change it. 

And of course no article about guns could be complete without waving the 2nd amendment in our faces.  FP says, “we possess a Second Amendment for a reason and it isn’t for hunting. It is for self preservation, for the protection of life and property and to keep tyrants in check.”  The last time I looked, we had a police department and the U.S. military to do that.  And where I come from they do it very well.

But here is a Front Porch statement that is alarming: “When they step outside of their bounds we must hold them accountable.  This is not that we take up arms against them every time they violate the Constitution. On most occasions, we simply seek to do it peacefully at the ballot box.”  It almost sounds like the initiation speech for a group of militants bent on overthrowing the U.S. Government.  Probably not but they bear watching.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

J. T. Ready had support of top Arizona politician

J.T. Ready with assault rifle
It is reasonably agreed at this point that well-known Arizona racist and neo-Nazi J.T. Ready killed four people including a 15-month-old toddler in Gilbert, Arizona on May 2, and then took his own life.  He was outfitted with body armor, which in itself raises questions since he shouldn’t have expected much opposition from his gun attack from family members, certainly not the child.  In my post yesterday I described the specifics of the massacre, including Ready’s NRA membership.

J.T. Ready was an avowed white supremacist who had been followed by the Anti-Defamation League, according to its director of investigative research, Marc Pitcavage.  Ready is described on their website as an “anti-immigrant extremist dating back to 2004.  His biography even stated that he believed in “lawful deadly force” to protect the Mexican border, as well as restoring America to a “White, European homeland.” 

Ready’s national attention may very well have contributed to the force behind a recent study by Pew Research that confirmed that only 29 percent of Hispanics think it is more important to protect gun control, compared with 57 percent of whites.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil-rights organization in Alabama that keeps track of hate and extremist groups, documents Ready’s background on its website.  He actually started his political career in the 2000s at Mesa, AZ Community College.  It says that he received a bad-conduct discharge from the Marines having been court-martialed twice, once for larceny and going AWOL, once for conspiracy and assault.  There was also a criminal conviction is 1992.

The hacker group LulzSec posted secret FBI documents online with suspicions neo-Nazi groups were planting “fairly complex” explosives along smuggling routes, according to the Christian Science Monitor.  J.T. Ready was once quoted as saying, “I firmly believe in having a minefield across the border.”  He was also known for wanting to militarize the border and had patrolled there repeatedly with his own militia group, U.S. Border Guard.

But the following must be one of Ready’s most bizarre statements: “Arizona Statues allow the fielding of most weapons short of nuclear weapons and certain chemical weapons.  Therefore we are already in contact with brokers concerning a .50 cal semi-automatic rifle and a MBT– Main Battle Tank.”


Russell Pearce paling with J.T. Ready

Some friends said the man was “cruel and controlling” and one of his victims, his girlfriend Lisa Lynn Mederos, may not have known of his troubled past with women.  In 2009, a Scottsdale woman filed an order of protection against him; in 2003 a woman in Ready's apartment complex accused him of stalking, spying, frequently calling and trying to kiss her.  Some family members hated him and Ready called the toddler, Lilly, he killed “50 % ugly” because she was half-Latino.
    

J.T. Ready was sponsored as an elder in the Mormon Church by former Arizona state Senator Russell Pearce, who was dumped from his job recently by voters, but not until he had authored the state’s anti-immigration bill, SB-1070.  And when it comes to the relationship between Russell Pearce and Ready I must defer to Phoenix New Times writer Stephen Lemons, who publishes the blog, the Feathered Bastard, and his dogged coverage of the two.

In a May 2 article, Lemons said, “Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Ready was his relationship with ex-Senator Pearce, who helped him join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and groomed him, according to Ready, for a possible run for the legislature.”  Their affiliation later soured when Pearce distanced himself from Ready and actually renounced him in 2008.

Best Buds J.T. Ready with Russell Pearce
In Lemons article on May 3, he accuses Russell Pearce of lying “again,” with documentation that is a must read.  The two were so close, he said, that Pearce ordained Ready as an elder in the Mormon Church’s Melchizedek priesthood for adult men in the church.  But Pearce continues to deny the closeness of their relationship. 

Krysten Sinema, former Arizona state senator, sponsored a 2007 event in the legislature on extremism in the immigration movement.

Lemons asked Sinema if it was possible that Pearce could not be aware of that seminar.  She answered, "I find that very hard to believe,” she told me in 2008. "The entire Legislature was invited to the event. The whole thing was videotaped, and you can watch it on our archive. And I reported it on the floor [of the state House]."  Pearce has been charged regularly by Democrats, the media, even fellow Republicans of misstating facts to make his points.

Video of Russell Pearce endorsing J.T. Ready

There’s more.  The Arizona regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, Bill Straus, says that he informed Pearce of Ready’s extremist activities as far back as 2006.  Once again, Pearce blatantly disputes the fact that the two had close ties.  He even told Lemons in 2007 at a roast of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio that he really didn’t think J.T. was a “Bad guy.”  When lemons questioned their on-going friendship, Pearce replied he didn’t hang out with Ready.

The “Bird” as the author refers to himself, quickly reminded the ex-senator that he observed him working side-by-side, arm-in-arm at a rally and had the photos to prove it.  Pearce replied, “I don’t push people away.”  This was in December of 2007 after being warned by Straus, also following Ready’s public outing as a white supremacist.  I urge you to read Stephen Lemons full account of the issue of Pearce’s lies in the above May 3 link.

So it is clear that defrocked Senator Russell Pearce was buddies with J.T. Ready until the extremist no longer served his needs, at which time he dumped him and tried to cover up the past with lies that have been confirmed as just that over and over.  It is ludicrous that Russell Pearce still has the unquestioned support of many of his fellow Republicans and has the arrogance to run for the Arizona Senate in the same general area that has already thrown him out of office.

Only in Arizona.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Arizona neo-Nazi murderer J. T. Ready was NRA member


J.T. Ready and pal Russell Pearce

Jason Todd ‘J.T.’ Ready was well known in Arizona as a confirmed racist and neo-Nazi who never missed the chance to demonize the Hispanic community, sometimes along with his pal, Russell Pearce.  See a list of my blog posts on Ready and Pearce here.  It was this past Wed., May 2, when Ready decided to end his career of terrorizing Latinos and shot five people including himself.  I have covered this man for the last three years and this was totally unexpected. 

There was Ready’s girlfriend, Lisa Lynn Mederos, 47, her daughter, Amber, 23, Jim Hiott, Amber’s fiancé, 24, and Amber’s daughter, 15 months.  There is total tragedy in the whole incident, which someone other than Ready should have seen coming, but the killing of a toddler makes it even more horrendous.  Another of Lisa Lynn’s daughters, Brittany Hazel Menderos, 19, was in a bedroom and heard the shootings and was first to discover the bodies. 

The Young Turks on Ready massacre:

For years J.T. Ready has conducted armed civilian patrols at the U.S. border with Mexico with the group he founded, U.S. Border Guard, and although saddened over the loss of their leader and his victims, say they will continue Ready’s work.  In the past, Ready has stated, “I firmly believe in having a minefield across the border.”  He added, “This is 100% effective.”  As a part of the Arizona militia scene he was known to take matters into his own hands.

Ready was a former Marine who started his militia activities after his bad conduct discharge from the service in 1996, preceded by two courts martial.  At one point he belonged to the National Socialist Movement which supports white supremacy.  In 2007 he marched in Omaha, Nebraska with a swastika banner with brown-shirted NSM members.  He was also a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corp. serving in their border project. 

In 2008, Ready became a Republican precinct captain in Mesa, AZ, further promoting his political career.  Republicans tried their best to get him removed from the position due to his extremist views but apparently Ready had deep support in the Arizona GOP that was able to help him survive.  There is probably another story in just who this was.  And he was currently a prospective candidate for Pinal County Sheriff, running as a Democrat.


J.T. Ready (2nd from right)
as neo-Nazi

Harry Hughes, regional director of the National Socialist Movement said Ready had left the organization two years ago but it is obvious that he left his imprint on the group from the following:  Ready said that only non-Jewish, white hetrosexuals should be American citizens.  Also, that all non-white people should leave the U.S.  Ready entered the news early when firing on a Hispanic man in 2006 with a BB gun while running for the Mesa, AZ City Council.

When police searched the house after the massacre, they found six 40 mm projectile grenades, which an Army surplus store manager said was not available in any store.  They had to be acquired on the black market.  Also found were two 55-gallon drums that the bomb squad said was no immediate danger.  And finally, authorities recovered 2 handguns and a shotgun.  It isn’t clear yet just what gun or guns Ready used on the victims and himself.


J.T. Ready protesting

And now to my headline signifying that J.T. Ready was a member of the National Rifle Assn. (NRA), which is true.  Back in 2010 I was doing several blog posts on Ready and Russell Pearce, the defrocked Arizona senator.  The comments, as usual, were vitriolic of me but in support of Pearce, even Ready, in his quest to rid Arizona of undocumented immigrants.  There is no compassion in that state for illegals, a stigma that remains until this day.

I have never minced words about J.T., and one of his supporters took me to task in a comment for berating him for his tactics.  It was posted on Facebook, where I had shared the post.  That same day, Ready posted another comment in reply to his supporter saying not to worry, it {me} was just sophomoric writing.  I couldn’t resist and headed over to Ready’s Facebook page and left him a message.  Ignoring his comment, I asked him point blank if he was a NRA member.

His exact reply was: “I am not current on my dues.  I hold numerous NRA instructor certificates.  You may see wahtwe(sic) do at:” and he directs you to this site.  Warning.  Page 13 has a gruesome picture.  But you can see from the pictures and captions, J.T. Ready was firmly against animal abuse.  Read more on the issue here, here, here and here.

It is not clear just how close Ready’s ties with the NRA were.  His statement above is proof of membership, but apparently he couldn’t or wouldn’t pay his dues.  Over the years I have covered Ready, I cannot remember the National Rifle Assn. ever even questioning his activities.  So far I have seen no statement from the NRA on the issue.  Read more about this on Common Gunsense. 

Since Ready is or was a member of the NRA, and because he operated in a state (Arizona) where the organization has been successful in forcing the loosest gun laws in the country through a clueless Governor and state legislature, I think we are due the consideration of a statement on how this man was armored up to the hilt and allowed to wreak havoc that killed 4 innocent people including a toddler.

More on J.T. Ready tomorrow including his close association with former Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce who was booted from office.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

The real downside of the Supreme Court and Arizona’s anti-immigration law

Are we sure why many of us disagree with Arizona’s case on illegal immigration in the Supreme Court?  After 40 years that brought 12 million Mexican immigrants into the U.S., more than half illegally, many have decided to shut their own door to the border and stay in Mexico.  A report by the Pew Hispanic Center says more illegals returned South of the Border in 2010 and 2011 than entered the U.S.  But Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer and Russell Pearce want them all out.


Russell Pearce with Jan Brewer

Russell Pearce is the author of Arizona’s anti-immigration law, SB-1070 and the former state Senator who was removed from office because of his radical views on immigration.  Yet he, along with Brewer, was in Washington last week pushing the Supremes.  It might have done some good, along with the fact that many of the Justices, including the liberal ones, don’t completely agree with the feds’ case.  It’s the old “States Rights” issue raising its head again.

The case is not a test of the legality of racial profiling in Arizona but rather a challenge to the federal government which says SB-1070 is unconstitutional because it preempts federal law.  In a Salon article there is a list of the four provisions for preemptive concern as outlined by Lyle Denniston of the SCOTUS blog.  They are:

  1. individual’s legal right to be in the U.S., if the officer has a “reasonable suspicion” of illegality.  If arrested, the individual cannot be released until his legal status is verified by the federal government.  That is the law’s Section 2(B).

  1. A provision making it a crime under state law for an individual to intentionally fail to obtain and carry legal immigrant papers with him while in Arizona (Section 3). 

  1. A provision making it a misdemeanor for an undocumented immigrant to apply for a job, publicly solicit a job, or actually work in AZ (Section 5[C]). 

  1. And, a provision that allows police to arrest without a warrant any person for whom the officer has “probable cause to believe” that the individual has committed any crime, anywhere, that would make that individual subject to being deported (Section 6). 


Hispanic Supreme Court Justice
Sonia Sotomayor

An editorial in the Phoenix Arizona Republic said, “This case is not about civil rights. It's about state vs. federal power. Chief Justice John Roberts made that clear as arguments began. Civil-rights questions are the subject of other lawsuits. ‘So this is not a case about ethnic profiling,’ Roberts said.”  That was followed by the following from the paper:

“Yet those are the deeply troubling aspects of SB 1070. The law put a shadow of suspicion over all Latinos, created painful divisions in our state and gave Arizona an ugly reputation.”

The implication is that many of us progressives disagree with the law, as well as those copy-cats in other states, due to their violation of civil rights.  It is a known fact that law enforcement in Arizona was stopping individuals simply based on the color of their skin, for minor violations, arresting many, some legal residents.  The feds have initiated a program of rounding up illegals but they are only interested in the ones with criminal records, turning minor offenders loose.

Fareed Zacaria of CNN wonders if Mexicans are “giving up on U.S?  He cites the delicate economy here and how NAFTA has made Mexico more competitive.  Some of their exports are even cheaper than China’s.  Zacaria thinks we are losing our “allure.”  He refers to our demographic advantage that is shrinking due to an older median age, which produces less needed young workers.  That had been satisfied to some degree by legal and illegal immigrants entering the U.S.

Illegals are scared to death in states with stringent immigration laws, afraid to leave home without the proper papers.  The issue has also caused a drop in citizens from Latino communities reporting crime, a reaction which has become a major problem for law enforcement.  But, again, this case is not about civil rights.  But it is for those who believe in human rights, so the question is what to do.  The Democrats plan to force a vote in Congress to invalidate Arizona’s SB-1070.

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York has announced his intention of bringing up his “fallback legislation” in the Senate if SCOTUS upholds the law  which probably has little chance of passing there or in the GOP House.  But it would certainly make points with the Hispanic community and act as the prelude to what the Dems might accomplish in November with Obama winning re-election and an increase in numbers in both the House and Senate.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

America’s toughest Sheriff Arizona’s Joe Arpaio…not so tough anymore?

Joe Arpaio: The people elected me
For two decades one of the biggest foes of illegal immigrants in the Grand Canyon State may be ending his law enforcement career with a whimper.  Along with his best buddy, former State Sen. Russell Pearce, he could also be voted out of office in November.  Pearce was dumped due to his radical views on immigration, and the same issue could be Arpaio’s undoing.  But the Sheriff is taking his regular arrogant stand indicating the people put him in office.

That arrogance could easily be shoved down his throat in the 2012 election if the “people” decide they are fed up with him too.  But Randy Parraz, the community activist responsible for getting rid of Pearce says, “The groundswell of people coming out protesting, we haven’t seen.  Anywhere else with this kind of stuff, he wouldn’t survive.  So true!  In Arizona they love their conservatives who, for the most part can do no harm.  But they did finally get fed up with Russell Pearce.

Arpaio will do anything for publicity.  Along with his immigration sweeps, he recently appointed a special volunteer cold-case posse to investigate Barack Obama’s birth certificate…AGAIN.  The Sheriff then reported that they had found probable cause to believe that the long-form birth certificate released by the White House last April was a computer-generated forgery.  Randy Parraz commented, “He retaliates against his critics.”


Sheriff Arpaio's Tent city

The group Citizens for a Better Arizona has been working against Sheriff Joe for some time now and recently asked former high-ranking officials from the state and local level about their impressions of Arpaio.  They are former U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton, former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley and former Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.  They came up with the following assessment:

“The men say their goal was to remove the politics and talk facts. They see those facts as years of the sheriff's abuse of power that have caused the state and city of Phoenix time and money and hurt its reputation.”  The $ figure is $300 million.  The damage to Arizona’s reputation is well known from the ridicule it has taken nation-wide.

Arpaio’s supporters have continued toppling since Russell Pearce. 

The latest is former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas who was disbarred April 10, “…for engaging in unethical conduct to intimidate and smear his and Arpaio’s political adversaries.”  A salon article reports that “…a three-member Arizona state Supreme Court disciplinary panel supporting the disbarment ruling also concluded there was ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ that Thomas had violated federal civil rights laws.”


Arpaio and Andrew Thomas

The Salon piece continues, “While Thomas, a Republican, has not been criminally charged, the opinion made it crystal clear that his unethical and allegedly illegal conduct was the result of his ‘unholy collaboration’ with Arpaio, also a Republican, to use their law enforcement powers to retaliate against critics.” This is powerful stuff for the Sheriff’s November opponents to take to the election but still may not convince some of his fanatical followers
 
However, there’s more.  Salon continues, “The Supreme Court panel’s opinion stated that evidence indicated Arpaio had conspired with Thomas and Aubuchon to file the charges against the judge and two supervisors.”  Lisa Aubuchon is a former assistant prosecutor for Thomas who was also disbarred.  Still not enough?  Well, former Governor and current Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has also withdrawn her support.

The Young Turks on Sheriff Arpaio:
One of the worst accusations against Arpaio is his department’s handling of more than 400 sex-crimes cases.  The New York Times reports, “His deputies failed to investigate or conducted only the sketchiest of inquiries into hundreds of sex crimes between 2005 and 2007, investigations by Arizona law enforcement agencies have shown. Many of those cases involved molested children.”  Arpaio responded, “If there were any victims, I apologize to those victims.”  “If”???  

Also important and certainly not forgotten is the demise and ultimate firing of the Sheriff’s longtime chief deputy David Hendershott who was a part of Arpaio’s campaign finance scandal which is yet another federal criminal investigation.  Arpaio is also being investigated by the feds for civil rights violations.  According to the Overthrow Arpaio movement, “Hundreds of current sheriff's office employees have expressed a vote of no confidence in Sheriff Arpaio.”

But there is one thing sheriff Joe Arpaio should be commended for and that is his devotion to helping animals through his no-kill shelter MASH, the old Maricopa County First Avenue Jail converted to an animal shelter which is air conditioned.  It has been confirmed that the deputies’ care of these misplaced pets is great.  But is that enough to get America’s toughest Sheriff reelected?  The “people” will decide in November.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Romney label by Arizona’s Russell Pearce could be damaging

Russell Pearce & AZ Gov. Jan Brewer
You remember Russell Pearce.  Arizona’s resident bigoted and racist state senator until the people of his district threw him out of office in disgrace recently for his extremist views.  Pals with the state’s best known racist and neo-Nazi, J.T. ready.  Pseudo-author of Arizona’s famous anti-immigration law.  Yes, this is the one, and now he has another notch on his gun.  He has placed GOP presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, in his despicable category.

Russell Pearce said that he and Romney have “identical” views on immigration.  For some, most specifically Hispanics, that is the kiss of death for the candidate.  Democrats have already jumped on the bandwagon to make Romney look like an extremist in his quest to unseat President Obama.  Although I am firmly behind the President, I’m not sure Mitt Romney is that much of a fanatic, although he may eventually have to be in order to enlist Tea Party support.

Romney’s campaign website “outlines an immigration policy that calls for securing the border by completing a high-tech fence and hiring border patrol agents. He also said he supports E-Verify and opposes ‘magnets’ for illegal immigration, such as amnesty programs and in-state tuition for people in this country illegally,” according to Cronkite News. 

But Pearce does claim that “…much of his {Romney’s} policy was modeled – by people who I’ve worked with – after my legislation.”


Mitt Romney on immigration

U.S. representatives Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, along with Charlie Gonzalez of Texas and Xavier Becerra of California comment that “Romney has allied himself with Pearce, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, former California Gov. Pete Wilson and other backers of stringent laws against undocumented immigrants.”  This is all followed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s endorsement of Romney back in February that just adds fuel to the anti-immigration fire.

Looking at President Obama’s position on immigration reform, there appears to be no change from his State of the Union speech in 2011 and 2012.  But there are also no bold moves to advance an aggressive agenda on the issue.  Lots of talk and no action.  This is what the Hispanic community is looking at, plus the fact that Obama is setting records on deportation.  However, the one real plus in the president’s corner is the mud-slinging against Hispanics by the GOP.

GOP Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich makes Obama's case:


Here are the President’s remarks on immigration in 2011:

Today, there are hundreds of thousands of students excelling in our schools who are not American citizens. Some are the children of undocumented workers, who had nothing to do with the actions of their parents. They grew up as Americans and pledge allegiance to our flag, and yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities. But as soon as they obtain advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us.

It makes no sense.

Now, I strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration. And I am prepared to work with Republicans and Democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented workers who are now living in the shadows. I know that debate will be difficult. I know it will take time. But tonight, let's agree to make that effort. And let's stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing our research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation.

And then in 2012:

Let's also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they aren’t yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.

That doesn't make sense.

I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That’s why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That’s why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.
The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now. But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let’s at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.


Barack Obama speaking to latinos

Very similar, but in 2012 condescending to the fact that the upcoming election will prevent real reform while making another pitch for the Dream Act.  Giving in to election year realities is expected these days but there is no excuse for the fact that nothing was started in the last 3-plus years.  A real shocker would be for Obama to propose and push his immigration plan right up to November showing the forcefulness he needs to exhibit, in the process locking the Hispanic vote.

Hind-sight is always 20/20, but I have always thought the President should have tackled immigration reform before health care, but, then, that is probably the reason I am not a White House advisor.

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