AZ Congressional Delegation

The anti-gay campaign against Daniel Hernandez

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by David Safier

Daniel
Hernandez, who came to Gabby Giffords' aid when she was shot and has
become a national figure in the campaign for sane gun registration laws,
is also a member of the Sunnyside School Board. Right now, battling
school board recalls are going on, and one of them is directed at
Daniel. That's fine. That's politics. What isn't fine is the flier
attacking Daniel, saying, "Put a REAL Man on the Sunnyside Board." It
continues,

"Daniel Hernandez is
LGBT. We need someone who will support Sports and cares about our kids.
We don't need someone who hates our values. RECALL Daniel Hernandez
TODAY."

No one has claimed credit for the flier. You can see it below the fold.

The flier has gained national attention. Daniel was on MSNBC Live this morning
discussing the issue. The Pima County Democratic Party put out a media
release. Now Grijalva, who graduated from the Sunnyside School District,
has joined in.

Grijalva Calls for Joint Investigation of Attacks on Sunnyside School Board Member

Tucson,
Ariz. – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva will hold a press conference at 12:30PM
Arizona time to discuss the recent aggression directed at Sunnyside
School Board Member, Daniel Hernandez. The event is at The Historic Y
located at 738 N. 5th Avenue in the conference room. In advance of the
event, the Congressman released the following statement.

“As
a proud graduate of Sunnyside School District, I find myself deeply
offended and disgusted by the malicious attacks being directed at Mr.
Hernandez. In public life, we all endure some baseless personal attacks
but the trend to malign political figures based on race, gender, or
sexual orientation is unfortunately becoming a norm of campaigning which
has no place in our democratic process.

You can find Grijalva's entire media release, the Pima County Dem media release and the anti-gay flier below the fold.

Poverty, Hunger, Inequality, Violence: American Women Are Being Screwed

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Era58-sm72by Pamela Powers Hannley

It's time for a status update…

93 years after American women won the right to vote,

90 years after the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the US Constitution was proposed,

53 years after The Pill,

50 years after The Feminine Mystique awakened middle-class housewives from the slumber of the 1950s,

47 years after the creation of the National Organization for Women (NOW),

40 years after Roe v Wade legalized abortion in the US,

and 31 years after the ERA died because it fell short of state ratification by 3 state legislatures…

Where are we? Find out after the jump.


Grijalva discussing No Child Left Behind at the Loft Tuesday

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by David Safier Voices for Education is sponsoring a town hall with Raul Grijalva Tuesday, August 27, at 5:30pm at the Loft (3233 E. Speedway). It's free, of course. Grijalva sits on the US House Education and Workforce committee and keeps a close watch on education issues. No telling what the crowd will be, but … Read more

Valdez: ‘Let’s roll House Speaker John Boehner’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Arizona Republic's Linda Valdez joins the discharge petition movement today. Roll Boehner for immigration reform:

It’s called the discharge petition.

Under House rules, you need a majority
of the 435 members to bring a measure directly to the floor. With 200
Democrats currently in the chamber, only a few Republicans are needed.

* * *

President Obama says he’s “absolutely
certain” the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform bill would pass
the House if it came to the floor. Arizona Democratic Rep. Ann
Kirkpatrick told The Arizona Republic editorial board this week, “It would pass.”

So let’s roll Republican House Speaker John Boehner.

If Kirkpatrick and president are wrong, and the Senate bill fails, we can start over in two years.

This might not be a complete disaster.

For one thing, the GOP will get the
blame, and — as GOP Sen. Marco Rubio suggested — Obama can extend
deferred deportation to the parents of the Dreamers. This will help
Democrats in 2014 and anoint Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Rep. Matt Salmon on immigration reform – ‘no citizenship for you!’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

At least one editor of The Arizona Republic appears to be OK with the Republican National Committee (RNC) position of "no citizenship for you!" in immigration reform. The Republic editorials have previously been supportive of the "Gang of Eight" comprehensive immigration reform bill sponsored by Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake.

Joanna Allhands, writes Does Salmon have the right immigration answer?

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the immigration reforms most
likely to pass the U.S. House won’t involve a path to citizenship for
adults. Too many in the GOP simply won’t go for it.

But can reform still be meaningful without that piece?

U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, one of the Republicans who remains against the
path to citizenship, is pressing to grant undocumented adults a type of
provisional status that they can renew every few years. It would allow
them to get driver’s licenses and work here legally as long as they are
employed and don’t break the law. But it would just be that: presence,
not belonging.

When asked Wednesday during a meeting with The Republic‘s
editorial board if such a status would create a second class of
citizens, Salmon answered with a question: “Well, what are they now? …
They’re not really anything.”

Offering legal presence, he said, at least moves the ball up the field.