AZ Congressional Delegation

Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission oral argument on March 2

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The_Gerry-Mander_EditThe U.S. Supreme Court announced its calendar for oral argument in February and early March last week. The Tea-Publican legislators of the Arizona Legislature challenging your voter-approved citizens initiative to create the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) for the purpose of redistricting in Arizona State Legislature v.  Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, has been set for oral argument on March 2. Docket for 13-1314.

The related appeal in Harris v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission has been briefed by the parties, but has not yet been assigned to the Court’s Conference Calendar for consideration of whether or not to grant oral argument. Docket for 14-232. (If granted, I believe it likely that Harris would be heard at the same time on March 2).

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Why are conservatives unwilling to admit that pulling “The Interview” was a business decision?

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Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, along with Rep. Paul Gosar have joined the conservative hand-wringing over Sony’s decision to pull the release of “The Interview”.

That move came after U.S. intelligence linked the North Korean government to hackers who made violent threats about the comedy film. In the movie, a TV crew travels to North Korea to interview dictator Kim Jong Un, and they are recruited by the CIA to assassinate Kim.

“It’s remarkable that a country like North Korea can have that capability,” McCain said. “If they are able to disrupt a film, you can imagine what they are doing or attempting to do to our national defense capability. This is deeply alarming.”

Flake added the hacking incident was a “huge wake up call.”

“If they can wreak that kind of havoc in the entertainment industry, then you’ve got to worry where else their reach is,” Flake said. “It’s very concerning.”

Gosar quipped: “Just show the movie.”

When Americans can’t see one particular Seth Rogen movie the terrorists have won! Like pretty much most people, I think Sony made a bad decision but it’s fairly obvious why they made it and, contrary to what the right wing perpetual outrage machine is spinning,

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Rep. Trent Franks dares to explain torture to Sen. John McCain

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Trent_FranksThere are many qualified candidates on the list for the “Worst Member of Congress,” but Arizona’s contribution to this list is Rep. Trent Franks, a Christian Right anti-abortion zealot ( he founded the Arizona Family Research Institute, the predecessor to Center for Arizona Policy) and an avowed Islamophobic bigot.

Arizona’s worst member of Congress dares to explain to Senator John McCain, the only member of Congress who was actually tortured as a prisoner of war, that he doesn’t know what he is talking about. Waterboarding is not torture according to this uninformed ideological extremist (more on this below). I’ll bet Arizona’s angry old man is scrapping to kick his ignorant ass!

The Arizona Republic reports, Franks says McCain wrong, waterboarding not torture:

U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., says the CIA’s use of waterboarding was not torture and that a scathing Senate report on the agency’s secret interrogations released Tuesday was politically motivated.

Franks added that he disagreed with the only member of Congress who has endured torture, Arizona’s senior Sen. John McCain. McCain has called waterboarding “an exquisite form of torture” that is “shameful and unnecessary.”

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Immigration: a clarifying moment for the GOP

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ImmigrantsThe demagogues of the conservative media entertainment complex are all hysterical over President Obama preparing to exercise prosecutorial discretion by executive orders to ease some of the unfairness created by our broken immigration system that Tea-Publicans in Congress have refused to fix.

These demagogues use loaded words like “lawless”and “shredding the Constitution” and refer to the president as an “emperor” (if Obama were an emperor, would not the conservative media entertainment complex all be locked away in a political prison somewhere, unable to spew their daily dose of hateful bile?)

This is, of course, is hyperbolic nonsense. The National Journal has a good historical piece on the use of executive orders by presidents dating back to FDR on immigration matters. Critics Say Executive Action on Immigration Would Be Unprecedented. They Forget Their History. If President Obama is an “emperor” for exercising prosecutorial discretion by executive orders then his predecessors including Saint Ronnie Reagan, “Poppy” Bush and C-Plus Augustus Bush were all emperors as well. Or is it IOKIYAR?

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The stupid stuff I read in The Republic editorial pages

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The Republic’s Laurie Roberts is either incredibly naive, or she is blindly delusional in support of her beloved GOP. In the past week she has written
Republicans could be the heroes on immigration and Here’s how GOP can get back at Obama on immigration.

Screenshot from 2014-03-18 12:40:34The premise of  her columns is essentially that the GOP can enact meaningful immigration reform, with a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented, and then Latino voters will permanently align themselves with the GOP out of eternal gratitude.

That is a rich fantasy life you live, Ms. Roberts. Ain’t. Gonna. Happen.

It didn’t happen in 1987 after the sainted Ronnie Reagan (in your eyes) gave undocumented immigrants actual amnesty.

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