Action Alert: Tell Governor Brewer to Veto HB 2729

April 13, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The "guns on campus" bill died for lack of support and was pulled by its sponsors some weeks ago.

But the bill for an "unfunded government mandate" to humor the tiny minority of gunowners who suffer from a superman complex so they can carry their weapons on public property, HB 2729, has passed the Arizona legislature and has been sent to the Governor. Arizona Senate OKs bill on guns in public buildings

The Arizona Legislature has given final approval to a bill that could allow guns on public property, including city halls, police stations, county courts, senior centers, swimming pools, libraries and the state Capitol.

[Yes, Guns at swimming pools? Seriously? "Is that a handgun tucked in your Speedo? Or are you just really happy to see me big boy!"]

Gov. Jan Brewer has five days to sign the bill into law, veto it or do nothing and allow it to become law. If the bill becomes law.

Arizona already ranks among the most pro-gun states in the nation. Arizona is one of only a handful of states to allow people to carry concealed weapons without a permit or training.

The bill is sponsored by Neoconfederate "states' rights" Rep. David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista, and is being pushed by the Arizona Citizens Defense League, a "happiness is a warm gun" group.

Arizona cities and counties are railing against House Bill 2729, saying they'll either have to let guns into buildings where the public would rather not have them or pay millions of dollars to provide the security required to keep them out.

Secretary of State Ken Bennett should reconsider his incorrect interpretation of the law

April 13, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: I provided the correct interpretation of A.R.S. §41-1202 in LD 29 voters disenfranchised by Secretary of State Ken Bennett (Updated), and the Arizona Senate agrees with me. As if intended to instruct the Secretary of State that his interpretation of the statute is incorrect, the Committee of the Whole (COW) of the … Read more

Hey Mittens! Thanks for the memories

April 12, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Now that Willard "Mittens" Romney has been declared the presumptive Tea-Publican nominee, the Obama campaign is welcoming Mittens to the general-election campaign with a video recounting some of Mitten''s greatest hits from the last year.

Video below the fold.

LD 29 voters disenfranchised by Secretary of State Ken Bennett (Updated)

April 12, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Oh geezus! Un-freakin'-believable!

I explained the proper way to understand A.R.S. §41-1202 in Rep. Daniel Patterson resigns after recommendation for expulsion (Updated), but our state's political media simply parrot Secretary of State Ken Bennett who ignores all other language in the statute to focus solely on four words "immediately before the vacancy."

For Secretary Bennett, disenfranchising the voters of Legislative District 29 and ignoring the will of the voters of the district who sent a Democrat to office is irrelevant. For him it's a shot clock violation like in basketball. Patterson's replacement will be an independent:

Secretary of State Ken Bennett said today that Daniel Patterson was an independent at 1:36 p.m. Wednesday — the official time he resigned from the House.

Bennett acknowledged that Patterson, who had been a Democrat until reregistering earlier this month, did go online and switch back to his party on Wednesday. But Bennett said the records from the state Motor Vehicle Division, which operates the web site, peg that action at 2:01 p.m.

Bzzzzzzt! Shot clock violation.

Bullshit alert! Here is Secretary Bennett's explanation:

"The law is clear that in determining the method of filling the vacancy, the political party of the person who vacated the office is the deciding factor in determining whether party officials select the nominees or whether the Board of Supervisors selects a citizen panel to do so," Bennett wrote this morning to Ramon Valadez, who chairs the board. And in this case, Bennett said, the records reflect that Patterson was an independent when he quit.

Secretary Bennett ignores the first part of his own statement, "the political party of the person who vacated the office is the deciding factor," and ignores the express language of:

A.R.S. §41-1202(A): If a vacancy occurs in the legislature and the vacant seat was represented by a political party that is organized pursuant to title 16, chapter 5, article 2 …

A.R.S. §41-1202(B): If the vacant legislative seat was represented by a political party that is organized pursuant to title 16, chapter 5, article 2 …

And A.R.S. §41-1202(C):

For the purposes of this section, "appropriate political party" means the same political party of which the person who was elected to or appointed to the office was a member immediately before the vacancy occurred."

The last time I checked, there is no such animal as an "Independent Party" organized pursuant to title 16, chapter 5, article 2. "Independent" is not a recognized political party in Arizona.