Let’s hope Librotraficante gets as much press in Destination Tucson as it has elsewhere
March 16, 2012
by David Safier
The Librotraficante Caravan should be pulling into Tucson some time today. A press conference is scheduled for 3pm, followed by a series of events Saturday (flier with details below the fold). Will our press give adequate coverage to this event which, after all, is a result of our school district's demolition of the MAS program and the banning of books used in its courses? We'll see.
Here's some of the press coverage in other cities in the past few days:
- Caravan brings book protest to Mesilla en route to Arizona (Las Cruces Sun-News)
- Group to Expose Arizona to Mexican-American Literature (My Fox Houston)
- Librotraficantes: Caravan moving through San Antonio on way to protest Arizona's dismantling of Mexican-American studies (San Antonio Current)
- Group Advocates Cultural Studies (Albuquerque Journal)
- 'Librotraficantes' Stop By El Paso To Protest Controversial Ariz. Education Law (KVIA El Paso [ABC])
There's been more far-reaching coverage as well, like the story in the NY Times (Books Without Borders), the story on Univision (Los Librotraficantes) and the story in Global Voices Italiano (USA: altri attacchi contro le culture degli immigrati messicani), which includes the Tony Diaz video and this paragraph:
Da questi segnali positivi si evince che l'onda di solidarietà guadagnerà sempre più forza e che sarà un valido antidoto contro l'abuso di potere, la paura e il razzismo. A marzo la carovana Librotraficante, che partirà da Houston per arrivare in Arizona, passando per il Texas, distribuirà i libri censurati.
Flier for Saturday's events below the fold.
Christian Taliban defunding of Planned Parenthood will cost Arizona federal Medicaid funds
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) aka the Christian Taliban assault on women's reproductive health care, in particular its attempt to defund Planned Parenthood this week, could wind up costing Arizona federal Medicaid funding, as it has for the state of Texas — not that these "legislative terrorists," as Sen. David Shapira called them, give a damn. Legislator David Schapira lambastes conservative lobbyist Cathi Herrod.
The Christian Taliban and its Christian Reconstructionist and Dominionist allies in our God's Own Party (GOP) Tea-Publican legislature passed HB 2800 through a Senate panel to defund Planned Parenthood this week. The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reports Senate panel votes to cut off Planned Parenthood funding – Arizona Capitol Times:
Arizona Republican legislators are seeking to accomplish what their party mates in Congress failed to do — stop public money from going to Planned Parenthood.
* * *
[Christian Taliban] lobbyists succeeded on March 15 in persuading a Senate panel to advance a proposal that would prohibit the state from contracting with any entity that performs an abortion or runs a facility where abortions are performed.
The prohibition would apply to Planned Parenthood, which performs other health services, including gynecological exams, testing for sexually-transmitted diseases and breast cancer screenings.
The measure, HB2800, would also require public funds for family planning to only go to certain places, such as state-owned health care centers and rural hospitals. The bill also specifies their order or priority.
No basic health care for you, ladies! (Can't you just hear Rush Limbaugh calling you "sluts" and "prostitutes"?)
Ah. Now we understand who the real bullies are
March 16, 2012
by David Safier State Republicans have killed the school bullying bill which would increase efforts to minimize bullying in schools. At the forefront of the effort was Center for Arizona Policy President Cathi Herrod. The bill, in her "Christian Values" eyes, is part of the gay agenda. Since gays and lesbians are often targets of
Marriage Equality – Time To Take a Stance
March 15, 2012
Posted by Bob Lord
So, if you believe this post, there’s a bit of a struggle over whether the Democratic Party platform will include a plank unabashedly supporting marriage equality.
This should be seen not as a challenge but as an opportunity. I needn’t dwell on the morally right position, correction, morally correct position. But that’s not why it’s such a golden opportunity. Politically, this could be huge.
Want to Repeal ‘ObamaCare’? Explain That to Her…
March 15, 2012
Posted by Michael Bryan
Seems like every Republican is rabid to repeal the Affordable Care Act, called derisively (but ironically sealing Obama's brand on what will be seen as a great, though flawed, legislative achievement) 'ObamaCare'.
Well, some of the things the Act does simply and directly save lives and protect Americans from abusive insurance practices. One is to abolish lifetime benefit caps. "So what?" you ask? Glad you did.
Watch how that made a difference in the life of one young Arizonan after the click…
Legislative Republicans, like scorpions, are what they are…
March 15, 2012
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings …and expecting them to be any different is a waste of time and a waste of energy… Among the things that the Rs in the Arizona lege have done just this week… …Passed out of committee HB2664, a bill to allow debt collection agencies to scam consumers
Is bullying a Christian value?
March 15, 2012
by David Safier Here's a scathing East Valley Trib headline on a Howie Fischer article: Christian values lobbyist blamed for killing anti-bullying legislation It seems Center for Arizona Policy President Cathi Herrod thinks anti-bullying legislation is part of the gay agenda, so she worked to kill the bill. These are the same people who howl
Texas moves to directly challenge Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act
March 15, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Last week the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Voting Rights Act objection to the new voter I.D. law of the state of Texas (DOJ had previously objected to the new voter I.D. law of South Carolina.)
Redistricting in Texas is curretly before a three judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court, because Texas opted for judicial review of redistricting rather than DOJ pre-clearance (as Arizona has done).
Texas did not waste any time. Michael Li, an election law attorney who writes the Texas Redistricting blog, reports on Texas filing a direct challenge to the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (which SCOTUS has always upheld an enforced since it was enacted in 1965). Texas goes big on section 5: Makes the constitutionality argument | TEXAS REDISTRICTING:
The State of Texas is seeking permission from the three-judge panel in the voter ID case to file an amended complaint that would directly challenge the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
(The amended complaint can be found here.)
The amended complaint explained in the introduction that – as an alternative grounds for relief – “the State of Texas seeks a declaration that section 5, as most recently amended and reauthorized by the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, exceeds the enumerated powers of Congress and conflicts with Article IV of the Constitution and the Tenth Amendment.”
With the filing, Texas now moves to the forefront, along with the Shelby County case out of Alabama, in re-raising the constitutional issue after the high court’s 2009 decision to punt the issue. [Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Holder (2009)]. However, because Texas’ case, unlike the Shelby County case, involves a three-judge panel, appeals from the case would go directly to the Supreme Court. That means Texas’ case has the potential for getting to the Supreme Court first, depending on how the timing works out. (Shelby County was argued in late January at the D.C. Circuit and is pending decision.)
