Arizona News

No, Really, Arizona Is Crazy

9:52 am EST May 11th, 2011 | News | 2 Comments

Liberals in Arizona are petitioning to have Arizona broken in two because the other half of the state is crazy conservatives. This is insane as well. What is it about that state?

47 years ago it brought us Barry Goldwater and the right wing crazies that eventually took over the Republican party, and still they push against the razor’s edge of rationality in America. Bizarre.

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Jon Kyl Retiring

10:27 am EST February 10th, 2011 | News | 3 Comments

Numerous sources are reporting that Arizona Senator Jon Kyl will be reitiring.

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Arizona & Secession & Unserious Conservatives

4:39 pm EST February 2nd, 2011 | Conservative | 93 Comments

Stupidity like this is why no matter how much political power they may gain, it’s nigh-impossible to take conservatives seriously.

Members of the state Legislature, including Arizona’s de facto governor, Senate President Russell Pearce, have introduced a bill that essentially would have Arizona secede from the union without having to do so officially. 

Really. 

It’s called SB1433, (See it here.) It creates a 12-member committee within the legislature that could “vote by simple majority to nullify in its entirety a specific federal law or regulation that is outside the scope of the powers delegated by the people to the federal government…” 

Committee members themselves would decide this, then pass along their recommendation to the full Legislature. If, in turn, a majority of state lawmakers go along with the committee then, according to the bill, “this state and its citizens shall not recognize or be obligated to live under the statute, mandate or executive order.”

No, you can’t secede. We had this discussion a while back. The “you can’t secede” guys won the argument.

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VIDEO: Jan Brewer’s Debate Fail

12:59 pm EST September 2nd, 2010 | Conservative | 32 Comments

The idea that this woman is at the tip of the spear for conservative action against immigration makes so much more sense now.

Detail:

But it was 13 seconds or so of silence that is being talked about more than anything else.

During her opening statement, Ms. Brewer began by defending her stewardship: “I have, uh, done so much and I just cannot believe that we have changed everything since I have become your governor in the last 600 days. Arizona has been brought back from its abyss. We have cut the budget. We have balanced the budget and we are moving forward. We have done everything we could possibly do.”

At that point, she stared down at the papers in front of her, clutched her hands together, laughed nervously but struggled to come up with anything more to say. It was painful to watch.

Finally, though, she recovered and said: “We have did what was right for Arizona.”

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Michael Steele Throws AZ Immigration Law Under The Bus

10:58 am EST August 24th, 2010 | Republicans | 5 Comments

It’s all strategic.

In an interview Monday with Univision, the nation’s largest Spanish-language network, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele distanced the Republican Party from SB-1070, Arizona’s controversial immigration law:

CMF: How do you say that Hispanics are relevant (important) for your party, when you just approved a law in Arizona against immigrants?

STEELE: Well, let’s be clear. The actions of one state’s governor is not a reflection of an entire country, nor is it a reflection of an entire political party. The governor and the people of Arizona made a decision that they thought was in their best interest, and that’s the beauty of a republic, that’s who we are.

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DOJ Release: Lawsuit Filed Vs. Arizona Over Immigration Law

4:37 pm EST July 6th, 2010 | News | 20 Comments

eric holderHere is the federal government’s position on the issue.

The Department of Justice challenged the state of Arizona’s recently passed immigration law, S.B. 1070, in federal court today.  

In a brief filed in the District of Arizona, the Department said S.B. 1070 unconstitutionally interferes with the federal government’s authority to set and enforce immigration policy, explaining that ‘the Constitution and federal law do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country.’  A patchwork of state and local policies would seriously disrupt federal immigration enforcement.  Having enacted its own immigration policy that conflicts with federal immigration law, Arizona ‘crossed a constitutional line.’ 

The Department’s brief said that S.B. 1070 will place significant burdens on federal agencies, diverting their resources away from high-priority targets, such as aliens implicated in terrorism, drug smuggling, and gang activity, and those with criminal records.  The law’s mandates on Arizona law enforcement will also result in the harassment and detention of foreign visitors and legal immigrants, as well as U.S. citizens, who cannot readily prove their lawful status.

In declarations filed with the brief, Arizona law enforcement officials, including the Chiefs of Police of Phoenix and Tucson, said that S.B. 1070 will hamper their ability to effectively police their communities.  The chiefs said that victims of or witnesses to crimes would be less likely to contact or cooperate with law enforcement officials and that implementation of the law would require them to reassign officers from critical areas such as violent crimes, property crimes, and home invasions.

The Department filed the suit after extensive consultation with Arizona officials, law enforcement officers and groups, and civil rights advocates.  The suit was filed on behalf of the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State, which share responsibilities in administering federal immigration law.

‘Arizonans are understandably frustrated with illegal immigration, and the federal government has a responsibility to comprehensively address those concerns,’ Attorney General Holder said.  ‘But diverting federal resources away from dangerous aliens such as terrorism suspects and aliens with criminal records will impact the entire country’s safety.   Setting immigration policy and enforcing immigration laws is a national responsibility.  Seeking to address the issue through a patchwork of state laws will only create more problems than it solves.’

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Phoenix Could Lose As Much As $90 Million Over Immigration Boycotts

9:20 am EST May 11th, 2010 | Politics | 9 Comments

Bad law has consequences.

Metropolitan Phoenix, which already has suffered convention cancellations because of Arizona’s new immigration law, risks losing as much as $90 million in hotel and convention business over the next five years because of the controversy, according to city estimates.

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Arizona To Become Slave State Next?

8:32 am EST May 1st, 2010 | Conservative | 24 Comments

That’s where they’ve got to end up, going backwards like this. Now they’ve banned ethnic studies and teachers with accents.

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Homeland Security: Arizona Immigration Law Could Stretch Resources

2:32 pm EST April 27th, 2010 | National Security | 56 Comments

As usual, Republicans think nothing of actual financesk

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says Arizona’s new immigration law could siphon federal money and staff needed to go after dangerous immigrants.

Napolitano says Immigration and Customs Enforcement fears it will have to use its stretched resources to deal with those arrested under Arizona’s new law. She testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

GOP: We only get things done about fake things.

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