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
Keep your eye on this man
April 12, 2012
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by David Safier I just spent two hours talking with Cam Juarez, candidate for TUSD School Board, over coffee and tea at Raging Sage. Readers probably know I don't toss around superlatives lightly, but Cam is a truly extraordinary person, from his biography to his educational attainments to his work and volunteer experience to his … 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.
It’s never over until sine die – the Tea-Publican war on women returns
April 12, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Bad bills are never really dead until sine die. Political chicanery through back room deals and "strike everything" amendments allows bad bills that are dead to return to life. That is what happened today. The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reports Senate OKs bill to allow employers to deny contraception coverage; but … Read more
ALEC in Arizona — udated edition
April 12, 2012
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by David Safier Here's the hot-off-the-presses, 44 page long ALEC in Arizona, updated for the 50th legislature. It's put together by People for the American Way, Common Cause, ALEC Exposed and Progress Now. It's great to see the heavy hitters weighing in on this issue. The efforts are bringing increased national attention to ALEC — … Read more
Crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio soon has a date with Justice
April 12, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The "reign of terror" in the state of Maricopa recently documented by the ethics panel of the Arizona Supreme Court in the disbarment of former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas is unraveling.
"King" Russell Pearce has been disgraced in the first successful recall of a Senate leader in our nation's history.
Andrew Thomas and his accomplice in crime, Lisa Aubuchon, have been disbarred.
But the ringleader of this "reign of terror," Maricopa County Sheriff "Crazy Uncle Joe" Arpaio, so far has evaded Justice and being held accountable for his rank corruption.
Crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio soon has a date with Justice. Feds head toward lawsuit vs. Sheriff Joe Arpaio:
The lead attorney in the U.S. Justice Department's efforts to resolve a civil-rights complaint with Sheriff Joe Arpaio has cut off verbal communication with Arpaio's attorney, saying the entire affair is best left for the courts to decide.
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"It is clear that DOJ's concerted effort to attain voluntary compliance by your client has failed," Deputy U.S. Assistant Attorney General Roy Austin wrote to Arpaio attorney Joe Popolizio.
"It is also clear that we should not discuss anything else by telephone because you will not accurately portray those conversations," Austin continued. "At this point, it is best to let a court determine the appropriateness of appointing an independent monitor as well as imposing other relief in order to address MCSO's constitutional and federal statutory violations."
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A Justice Department spokeswoman did not comment late Wednesday on when the federal government would sue the Sheriff's Office.
One of the targets of Crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio's politically motivated witch hunts, County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, recently settled her claim against Maricopa County for a rumored $1 million. She had this to say to the Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required). Wilcox: Arpaio is ‘next big step’ after Thomas disbarment | Arizona Capitol Times:
Failed corruption investigations launched by America’s self-proclaimed toughest sheriff have succeeded in getting one of the lawman’s top allies disbarred.
And despite Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s efforts to distance himself from cases at the center of a legal ethics panel inquiry that cost a pair of former county prosecutors their careers — the fallout has moved closer.
“Sheriff Arpaio is the next big step,” said Mary Rose Wilcox, a Maricopa County official who has been at odds with the sheriff and his allies. “He will fall.”
Action Alert: Ask the Governor to veto the Polluter Protection Act, HB 2199
April 12, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Republican Governor J. Fife Symington III vetoed a similar measure back in the 1990s. Since his aide Chuck Coughlin is the shadow governor of Arizona today in Governor's Brewer's office, maybe another veto is possible. I will join in the Tucson Weekly's call to Stop the Polluter Protection Act! Call Gov. Brewer and … Read more
