More news on McClung's ties to extremist groups

Over on my Tucson Citizen blog, I have posted several stories about CD7 Republican Congressional challenger Ruth McClung and her ties to extremist and often blatantly racist groups who are fundraising and endorsing her.

Will the real Ruth McClung please stand up? first brought to light her endorsement by the right wing Republican Majority Campaign and the Grover Norquist TV ad on her behalf.

The sequel: Will the real Ruth McClung please stand up? (part 2) continues the discussion of her ties to Norquist and Sarah Palin. Even though McClung signed the Norquist pledge and spouted his soundbites at the CD7 debate, she claims not to know who he is.

Desperately seeking ‘Republican Majority Campaign’, signed RM further delves into the shadowy Republican Majority Campaign and its racist ties. The title is a take-off on the 1980s cult classic "Desperately Seeking Susan" where bored housewife (Rosanna Arquette) places a newspaper ad to find her wild-child friend, Susan, (played by Madonna). Like the bored housewife, McClung want to play on the wild side with the RMC.

CD7 debates: fiery ideology vs ideas and facts

Last night's Congressional District 7 public debate revealed the stark contrast between the candidates and their followers.

Here are 2 stories that I posted on my Tucson Citizen blog.

CD7 debate: Fiery ideology vs ideas and facts

Ruth McClung: Brought to you by the Republican Party Machine

The main blog link is here: Tucson Progressive.

Sky Bar out of touch with clientele on SB1070

What started as another xenophobic law proposed by wingnut Republican Russel Pearce, SB1070 could be labeled the Ultimate Law of Unintended Consequences.

In addition to helping our GED-toting, unelected governor vanquish her Republican primary opponents, the ill-conceived bill has become a national sensation, fodder for comedians, rationale for boycotts, and the deciding factor on where to buy pizza in Tucson.

In early July, the humanitarian group No More Deaths started We Mean Business, the business-friendly answer song to Congressman Raul Grijalva's call for boycotts of Arizona after passage of SB1070. Approximately 90 local businesses agreed to post anti-SB1070 We Mean Business or We Reject Racism signs in their establishments. The rationale was that flaming liberals like me who oppose SB1070 would know which businesses to frequent and which to... well... boycott. (For a list of these businesses and a map, click here.)

Given the huge economic impact of Mexican shoppers in Arizona-- $7.3 million per day-- it makes good business sense to oppose SB1070.

According to the No More Deaths website, businesses interested in participating in the We Reject Racism movement are asked to take the following three actions:

- Post the “We Reject Racism” sign to publicly oppose SB1070

- Not allow law enforcement into their business for the sole purpose of checking immigration status of people inside*

- Not financially supporting lawmakers who voted for SB1070

*Legally businesses have the right to prevent anyone from entering or ask them to leave. The exception for law enforcement is if they have a warrant for someone inside or believe an individual is an immediate danger to the public.

Tony Vaccaro, owner of Brooklyn's Pizza and the adjoining Sky Bar on 4th Avenue, was one of the Tucson businessmen who initially supported We Mean Business 2 weeks ago. In a turn of events, Vaccaro took the We Mean Business signs down this week and contacted the Arizona Daily Star stating his flip-flop support of SB1070.

Vaccaro is quoted in the Star as saying that after having read SB1070, he now agrees with it. The Star also quotes Vaccaro as saying, "...I do not believe that businesses should get involved in politics. That is for individuals, politicians and lobby groups. I feel that I have let some of my customers down by getting involved in the SB 1070 debate."

Businesses shouldn't get involved in politics? Has this guy been living in a cave? The corporatists control our elected officials, run our country-- and are trying to run our city!

I find it hard to believe that he really thinks he let his customers down by opposing SB1070 and racism. Vaccaro's 2 businesses-- Brooklyn's Pizza and Sky Bar-- are in the heart of the 4th Ave shopping district-- nestled between the University of Arizona, the downtown arts district, and Tucson High School (whose student population is less than 50% Anglo).

Personally, I liked (note the past tense) Sky Bar. The open, airy venue features affordable pizza and adult beverages, theme nights, eclectic live music, and dancing. The downtown crowd is far from white bread-- being diverse in race, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation. Vaccaro's new position on SB1070 is out of step with them.

Artists for Action, another anti-SB1070 movement that popped up in July, may give Vaccaro-- who hires dozens of musicians to play at his club and whose clientele includes local artists-- some heart burn.

Spearheaded by Calexico's John Convertino and Joey Burns, Artists for Action urges artists and musicians to take a stand against SB1070 and help educate the public. The group is not advocating boycotts; in fact, it is encouraging out-of-state musicians to come to Arizona and voice their opposition to SB1070 -- rather than boycotting in protest.

Who will win this tug of war? Hopefully, not the xenophobes or those who exploit immigrants (documented or not).

53,000 a day: Brother can you spare a dime?

53,000 people are losing their unemployment benefits a day, according to the Ed Schultz Show on Thursday.

While the Senate quibbles about how or if unemployment benefits should be extended, people's lives are being destroyed.

It's time that we ask everyone who is running for statewide or federal office:
How will you prevent joblessness from becoming homelessness?

A great follow-up question for candidates like J.D. Hayworth, who relies heavily on his "Christian values" in his advertising, would be:
What would Jesus do?

A follow-up question for the Republicans would be:
Do you really want to push unemployment higher to improve your election chances? (If so, that's despicable.)

Here is a list of candidates' websites. Go ahead, ask 'em! Call them! Write to them! Or better yet, ask them at a public event!

US Senate
Rodney Glassman(D)
Randy Parrez (D)
John Dougherty (D)
John McCain (R)
J.D. Hayworth (R)
Jim Deakin (R)

Arizona Governor
Terry Goddard (D)
Jan Brewer (R)
Buz Mills (R)
Dean Martin (R)

Congressional District 8
Gabrielle Giffords (D)
Johnathan "Payday Loan" Paton (R)
Jesse Kelly (R)
Andy Gross (R) (This guy needs a new webmaster. His campaign website doesn't come up.)
Brian Miller (R)

Congressional District 7
Raul Grijalva (D)
Ruth McClung (R)
Christopher Flowers (R)
Robert Wilson (R)

Brewer, beheadings, and those pesky facts

You're entitled to your own opinions but not your own set of facts.
-- Senator Harry Reid, during the televised bipartisan healthcare negotiations.

Those pesky facts. We don't like facts in Arizona-- or science for that matter.

Arizona Legislator Russel Pearce's penchant for making up facts about undocumented workers has catapulted him and his baby (SB1070) to national notoriety.

Not to be outdone, unelected Republican Governor Jan Brewer has started ginning up fear-mongering sound bites about beheadings and drug-smuggling illegal immigrants to keep ahead of her fellow reactionary ideologue Republican challengers in the governor's race.

Although right-wingers would like to blame convention cancellations and a tourism slump on Congressman Raul Grijalva's call for an Arizona boycott, Brewer is doing her part to further destroy the state's economy by signing SB 1070 and continuing to tell blatant lies about undocumented border crossers, the drug trade, and violence in Arizona.

Rather than rehash the facts -- or lack of them. Here are a few well-written blog posts on the subject:

Follow the Yellow Brick Road… “Gun-Fighting, Drug-Smuggling, Be-Headings, Oh My!”

Beheadings & Tourism. That's the Ticket.

Gov. Jan Brewer and Sen. John McCain lying with impunity
This one includes a video link to Brewer lying about illegals beheading innocent Arizonans.

Quick Thought of the Day

And here are 2 stories about the $250,000 public relations campaign-- started by Governor Brewer to combat the boycott Arizona fervor. Now it looks as if the PR folks also will be battling Brewer's own negative campaign tactics. (And this woman is somehow ahead in the polls???)

AZ battles negative image

JAN BREWER GETS $250K TO COUNTERACT HER OWN RHETORIC.

I hope Brewer enjoys the protest rallies at the governors' conference this coming weekend.

Tucson May Day March draws 1000s supporting human rights

Thousands of people marched through Tucson's south side to Armory Park to commemorate May Day and show their support for human rights and immigration reform.

The multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural crowd of an estimated 7000 marchers snaked through neighborhoods chanting and waving homemade signs. The crowd, which was approximately 30% non-Hispanic, was so large that it was impossible to see the beginning or the end until it dispersed at Armory Park to hear speeches and music.

Although May Day Marches have commemorated workers' rights for more than a century, they have evolved into celebrations of human rights in recent years. With the passage of Arizona's new strict anti-illegal immigrant bill a week ago, May Day Marches across the country focused on civil rights for everyone in the US--regardless of status. The march in Los Angeles was the largest.

Several speakers, including Dolores Huerta, Congressman Raul Grijalva, and singer Linda Ronstadt addressed the marchers in both Spanish and English.

Huerta, who organized migrant farm workers in the 1960s with Cesar Chavez, urged the audience to forget petty differences and work together for comprehensive immigration reform-- now. A life-long activitist, Huerta told everyone not to leave Arizona but to stay and vote Governor Jan Brewer and her cronies out of office.

Grijalva, who came under attack for his call for a boycott of Arizona due to SB1070, said that when reporters asked him who they would see at May Day March, he replied that they would see America-- a diversified country.

Across the street from the May Day rally, a small but noisy, all-white group of SB1070 supporters gathered. From behind the police line, they tried to provoke the May Day Marchers by flipping the bird and jeering, but their voices were drowned out by the Aztec drummers and dancers.

Pictures speak louder than words. Please check out the attached slide show and the KVOA video.

This article originally appeared in my Progressive Examiner column. To see the slide show and great video coverage from KVOA, click on the link.

Brewer steps into the eye of the hurricane and comes to Tucson

Governor Jan Brewer, who signed the highly controversial anti-illegal immigration bill (SB1070) last week, will be in Tucson today, and citizens are lining up to "welcome" her.

Brewer will be attending the 96th Arizona Town Hall, "Building Arizona's Future: Jobs, Innovation, and Competitiveness.

Derechos Humanos, a local civil rights organization, is calling for legal immigration supporters to protest Arizona's "un-elected governor". The rally will be noon - 3 p.m. outside of the Doubletree Hotel in midtown Tucson. Check the Derechos Humanos link for more information or join on facebook here.

According to National Public Radio, an estimated 3000 people rallied against SB1070 outside the capitol in Phoenix on Sunday, and 4500 rallied outside of Congressman Raul Grijalva's office in Tucson on Saturday.

This article originally appeared in my Progressive Examiner column. Click on the link to see a video of Brewer signing the controversial bill.

Anti-immigrant legislation sparks protests and rallies in Phoenix and Tucson

Passage of anti-immigrant legislation SB1070 by Arizona's Republican-controlled Legislature has sparked rallies and protests in Tucson and Phoenix.

On Monday in Phoenix, marchers-- both pro and con-- protested at the capitol. On Tuesday, nine activists were arrested in Phoenix after they changed themselves to the doors of the state capitol and called for Governor Jan Brewer to veto the anti-immigrant legislation. Brewer, who is running for re-election, has not said what she will do with SB1070.

In addition to the protests, multiple news stories, blogs, editorials, and Examiner articles have railed against Arizona for going too far. A facebook page for people against SB1070 also has been launched. You can join here.

Most notably, NY Times editorial writers said, "The Arizona Legislature has just stepped off the deep end of the immigration debate, passing a harsh and mean-spirited bill that would do little to stop illegal immigration."

"This legislation exposes ALL Arizonan's to unnecessary prejudice," says Grijalva, who even called on a boycott of Arizona if Brewer signs the legislation into law. (You'll remember that when Arizona was the only state in the US not to honor Martin Luther King Jr. with a holiday economic pressure was put on the state through boycotts.)

This coming Saturday, April 24, Congressman Raul Grijalva is sponsoring a rally at his Tucson headquarters, 452 S. Stone.

This article originally appeared in my Progressive Examiner column. Click the link to see the video of protesters chaining themselves to the capitol building.

Dueling press releases: Congressional Dems defend vote, blast Brewer's cold-hearted budget cuts

Less than 24 hours after the signing of the new federal healthcare reform legislation by President Obama, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer issued a statement voicing her opposition to the bill and parroting Republican talking points regarding cost.

"It will cost the citizens of the State of Arizona at least $1 billion in 2012 and more than $1 billion in 2013," states Brewer. In addition, she alludes to "the state deficit hole they have created" with healthcare reform. Of course, her statement doesn't mention any of the benefits of the bill for Arizonans-- particularly the hundreds of thousands of residents who were recently knocked off of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).

In a show of strength and solidarity, Arizona's for Congressional Democrats--Harry Mitchell, Ed Pastor, Gabrielle Giffords, and Raul Grijalva-- issued a joint statement on Tuesday, March 23 and answered charges made by Brewer and other Republicans.

Here are their main points:

- The bill will provide $2.5 billion in new Medicaid funding for Arizona.

- Arizona's Republican Governor and state legislature recently kicked approximately 400,000 Arizonans, including 40,000 children, off their health insurance.

- Slashing Medicaid and KidsCare like this puts Arizona at risk to lose billions in federal matching funds and kill over 42,000 jobs.

- The Governor's claim that the new federal legislation will "cost $1 billion or more to Arizona are hyperbolic and completely unfounded. They are thinly veiled attempts to divert attention from their misplaced priorities and poor judgment that will keep families from receiving the health care."

- The state budget cuts "will dig the state into a deeper budget hole by jeopardizing $7 billion in federal funds. These are funds that were paid by Arizona taxpayers and they should not be forfeited because of the ill conceived decisions made by the legislature and the Governor."

- The suggestion that this new legislation is responsible for Arizona’s budget crisis is "absurd." Arizona's budget crisis predates the health insurance reform bill and will continue for the foreseeable future.

- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AKA the Stimulus bill)-- supported by Mitchell, Giffords, Grijalva, and Pastor--has "provided Arizona with $1.2 billion in extra Medicaid funds with another billion on its way."

Who should you believe? Why not read the facts? Check out this official link.

This article originally appeared in my Progressive Examiner column.

Healthcare reform anyone?

Today is "the day" in a year of landmark votes on healthcare reform. As I write this on Sunday morning, National Public Radio is predicting the vote on reform in the US House of Representatives will come within hours.

This has been a week of arm-twisting, media hype, dueling polls, rallies, e-mail blasts, and facebook posts from both pro- and anti-reform camps. My personal survival strategy was to not watch television and limit my talk radio listening. Ed Schultz spent much of the week pushing for passage of the reform legislation but vowing to fight for more reform until a single payer system is achieved. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now aired several stories throughout the week, including an nterviewed Congressman Dennis Kucinich after he agreed to vote for reform. Kucinich also vowed to keep pushing for a single payer system, saying this bill is just the first step.

I was impressed with President Obama's use of social media to get the pro-reform word out to supporters. Move On and Organizing for America sent thousands of e-mails urging reform advocates to call their representatives and senators and to rally for reform.

On Friday, March 19, several of us from the local Drinking Liberally club joined other progressives for a Move On rally in front of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' Tucson office. Approximately 150 reform advocates waved signs, cheered, and chanted. (They were joined by 3 anti-reform protesters.) Earlier in the week the Arizona Daily Star reported that Giffords and Congressman Raul Grijalva would both vote for reform today.

Hundreds of lunch-hour motorists cheered and honked as they passed the marchers. If honks were votes, I'd say that there is strong support for reform in Tucson. What will happen today? Who knows, but since Barack is one of my friends on facebook, I'm sure he'll post the news on his wall.

This article was originally published in my Progressive Examiner column. To see a slide show from the Tucson rally, click on the Examiner link.