Arizona Reps. Gosar, Biggs Vote Against “NATO Support Act”

The U.S. House of Representatives voted tonight 357-22 to approve the bipartisan “NATO Support Act”. Arizona Reps. Paul Gosar (R-CD4) and Andy Biggs (R-CD5) were among the 22 Republicans to vote no. (149 voted “aye”.) Although the text is not yet available on Congress’ website, it was introduced last week by 5 Republicans and 5 Democrats on the House … Read more

The case to begin hearings to determine whether impeachment is warranted

The Constitution allows impeachment of the president for abuse of the authority of his office, and also for obtaining his office by corrupt means.

Cass Sunstein provided the history behind the impeachment clause in an opinion piece last year:

[The impeachment clause] says that a president may be removed only for “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” The reference to treason and bribery, together with the word “other,” suggests that the president must have violated the law — and that the violation must be quite egregious (“high Crimes”).

But the debates at the Constitutional Convention offer a radically different perspective. An early draft of the founding document said that the president could be impeached for “malpractice, or neglect of duty.” That draft provoked an extended debate, featuring three distinct positions.

An extreme view, attracting little support, was close to [President Gerald] Ford’s: The legislature should be able to remove the president at its pleasure. An equally extreme view, obtaining considerable support, was that the president should not be impeachable at all. The third position, which carried the day, was that the president should be impeachable, but only for a narrow category of egregious abuses.

Promoting that compromise in 1787, George Mason argued that the Constitution must allow a response if the president obtained office by corrupting his electors. That argument led other delegates to agree that impeachment might be permitted in situations of “corruption & some few other offences.”

James Madison concurred, pointing to cases in which a president “might betray his trust to foreign powers.” Gouverneur Morris added that the president “may be bribed by a greater interest to betray his trust; and no one would say that we ought to expose ourselves to the danger of seeing the first Magistrate in foreign pay without being able to guard against it by displacing him.”

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The battle over voting rights in the Arizona legislature

A battle is underway for the future of voting rights in Arizona, featuring Democratic lawmakers who want to expand voting opportunities fighting with Republican lawmakers who want to add new restrictions.

The Phoenix New Times reports, Arizona Legislators Launch Dueling Proposals on Voting Rights and Elections:

Democratic legislators unveiled a House resolution on Thursday that would create an “Arizona voters bill of rights,” and promised legislation to expand access to the ballot. At the same time, Republicans, who are in the majority, filed a flurry of bills during the first days of the legislative session that could make it more difficult for people to vote.

Representative Reginald Bolding of Phoenix, the Democratic co-whip, said at a Capitol news conference that Arizona law needs to include clear language on the right to vote.

“Over the last several years in this state, we’ve seen the headlines, we’ve read the stories, and unfortunately many of us have witnessed or experienced the attempts to put barriers or inefficiencies in place for individuals to participate in democracy through casting their vote,” Bolding said.

The proposed Democratic resolution on a “voters bill of rights” says that all voters in Arizona have the right to vote without facing unnecessary barriers, no matter where they live or what language they speak. Voters also have the right to propose and enact laws, vote by mail, and know that their elected officials are working for voters and not donors or lobbyists, the resolution says.

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The battle over voting rights in Congress

The Democrats’ first order of business as they took control of the 116th Congress was introducing H.R. 1, the colossal “For the People Act.” This 571-page bill covering voting rights, campaign finance reform, ethics improvements, and more.

Election law expert Rick Hasen wrote of H.R. 1, The House Democrats’ Colossal Election Reform Bill Could Save American Democracy:

By beginning with election reform as “H.R. 1,” Democrats signaled their priorities as they took over control of the House of Representatives. The bill now has 221 co-sponsors, all Democrats, including almost every Democrat in the House. It’s disheartening that bipartisan movement on election reform is no longer possible and that few of the significant improvements in the bill stand a chance of becoming law until Democrats have control of the Senate and the presidency. Even then some of its provisions could be blocked by a conservative-leaning Supreme Court. But if and when Democrats ever do return to full power in Washington, H.R. 1 should remain the top priority. Though there is room for some improvements, the “For the People Act” would go an enormous way toward repairing our badly broken democracy.

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Photo Gallery of 2019 Tucson Japanese Festival

Our Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition sponsored our 6th annual New Year’s Tucson Japanese Festival on Jan. 20, 2019 at the a new location, the lovely Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River  Rd. We seemed to have outgrown PCC Downtown where we hosted the 3rd, 4th and 5th festivals.

The highlight again was the mochi pounding (from rice), making and sampling.

This festival was a huge success with about 2000 people attending, and several dance/music performances, martial arts group demos, exhibitors (including Southern Arizona Koi Assn.), tea ceremonies, the art of kimono, children’s games (Go, kendama, fukuwarai), and of course, delicious Japanese food for sale and sample. As publicity chair, I was astounded at the # of attendees, considering that most information went out via FB or online, and not in print.

Photos below taken by M. Fumie Craig, founder of Tucson Origami Club and MC Louis Rivera, except for one by volunteer Teena Werley, which are all captioned.

Mochi display for New Year’s, courtesy M Fumie Craig
Volunteers serving mochi samples with kinako, courtesy M Fumie Craig
SAJCC Director Yuki Ibuki welcoming the audience, courtesy of Louis Rivera
koi on display by Southern Arizona Koi Association, courtesy of M  Fumie Craig
Tucson Japanese Language School display, courtesy M  Fumie Craig

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