Civil & Human Rights

AZ Speaker of the House doesn’t know the difference between emergency contraception and the abortion pill

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Crossposted at DemocraticDiva.com

ICYMI, the March 10 Legislative Update on Phoenix Channel 8’s Horizon featured Speaker of the House Andy Tobin (R) and Senate Majority Whip John McComish (R) pontificating on a number of timely topics, one of which was recent abortion legislation. The whole episode is below and at about 7:30 in you can listen to two men – well, three if you include host Ted Simons – opine on the proper restraining of the female chattel as we audaciously insist on making reproductive decisions for ourselves. Watch Senator McComish defend surprise abortion clinic inspections because he and his barber discussed the matter and his barber’s shop is subject to surprise inspections and, by gum, that’s good enough for abortion clinics and their patients too!

http://www.azpbs.org/arizonahorizon/play.php?vidId=6611

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John Nichols of ‘The Nation’ Returns to Tucson for Progressive Politics & Book Signing (video)

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John Nichols
John Nichols speaking in Tucson in 2013

Author, historian, and humorist John Nichols of The Nation and MSNBC returns to Tucson on Saturday, March 15, 2014. This is the third year in a row that the PDA Tucson and the Pima Area Labor Federation have hosted an evening with Nichols at the IBEW Hall.

Nichols mixes political commentary with snippets of history and calls for progressive action. Join Progressive Democrats of America’s Tucson Chapter and PALF for an inspiring evening with a national figure. I guarantee that you will come away from this event inspired, informed, and maybe just pissed off enough to fight the forces of greed who are trying to destroy our country. [Video after the jump.]

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Teapublican Legislative Update: Guns, Gays, God, & Greed

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It’s so stressful when the Arizona Legislature is in session. It’s like living with an abusive parents because you never know when or where they will strike next– so, we live under a veil of paranoia, waiting for the old grizzled old farts to leave Phoenix and go back to their bunkers.

My head is spinning from all of the crazy bills they considering this spring. One thing predictable is that they are sticking with their long-time playbook: Guns, Gays, God, and Greed. Reading the list below makes me wonder what they have against children, wolves, and the unemployed. Brace yourself.

Thanks to the Pima Dems for compiling this list of bills that are in play. (I have highlighted a few key words to make this easier to sort through.)

In the Senate–

SB 1100: would requiring that school districts lease or sell unused/underutilized buildings to charter schools or private schools. Had its first floor reading Monday.

SB 1227: inspired by the conspiracy theory that the United Nations will order the U.S. government to raze housing developments that don’t meet U.N. environmental standards, this bill would prohibit counties and municipalities statewide from implementing “green” building codes. Had a first reading on the Senate Floor last week, no second reading scheduled yet.

SB 1281: Sponsored by LD-3 Sen. Olivia Cajero Bedford and LD-10 Sen. David Bradley, this bill would provide a back-to-work program for unemployed people needing a career change, including internships while still getting unemployment checks. Passed by a 22-6 vote Tuesday in the Senate and transmitted to the House. 

SB 1351: would allow residents of Pima County who do not live within the Tucson city limits to serve on the Rio Nuevo Board. Also removes the requirement for construction of a hotel at the Tucson Convention Center. Approved by the Senate Monday by a 25-0 vote.

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Lamda Legal files second lawsuit challenging Arizona’s same-sex marriage ban

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AzEqualEarlier this year in January, four same-sex couples filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Arizona, represented by attorney Shawn Aiken.  Their complaint argues that the federal courts must declare unconstitutional Arizona’s definition of marriage based on the Supreme Court ruling last year in the United States vs. Windsor case that deemed unconstitutional the denial of federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples. Suit filed to allow same-sex marriages in Arizona. “We’re saying, ‘Look, follow that rationale and make the same declaration as to the law in Arizona,’ ” Aiken said. “It’s that simple.”

Lamda Legal, the legal organization which has successfully litigated same-sex marriage cases across the country, has filed a second lawsuit in Arizona challenging Arizona’s same-sex marriage constitutional ban. With all due respect  to Mr. Aiken, this is the real McCoy. Lambda Legal files federal lawsuit challenging Arizona’s same-sex marriage ban:

Lambda Legal announced Thursday it has filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Arizona on behalf of seven same-sex couples and the surviving spouses of two additional same-sex couples challenging the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

In the lawsuit, Lambda Legal, joined by pro bono co-counsel from Perkins Coie LLP, argues that the Arizona constitutional amendment and state statutes barring same-sex couples from marriage violates the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

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Conservative women sure get away with being bossy

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Sheryl Sandberg has sparked a healthy debate with the campaign she started aimed at getting people to stop using the word “bossy’ to describe girls. While it may not seem like a big deal at first, when you think about it and look at the evidence, it’s clear that “bossy” is applied to assertive girls far more often than similarly outgoing boys and is really a euphemism for something else. As Amanda Marcotte puts it:

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