Civil & Human Rights

Chamber of Commerce to GOP: pass immigration reform or don’t ‘bother to run a candidate in 2016’

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue can’t make the imperative for the GOP any clearer than this: Chamber Of Commerce Head: Without Immigration Reform, Republicans ‘Should Not Bother’ To Run In 2016:

Image: Latinos protest in favor of comprehensive immigration reform while on West side of Capitol Hill in WashingtonU.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue said Monday that the Republican Party “should not bother to run a candidate” in the 2016 presidential election unless Congress can pass immigration reform this year. During an event on the economy and infrastructure, Donohue argued that it was necessary for the House to “do something rational” and that the Chamber of Commerce would “put a lot more” heat on Congressional members who are resistant to the idea of reform, Politico first reported.

When asked by a moderator what he deemed a “must pass bill … that’s crucial for the future of the U.S. economy,” Donohue insisted on passing immigration reform:

We’ll be absolutely crazy if we don’t take advantage of having passed an immigration bill out of the Senate. Going back and doing it again might be harder and do something rational in the House and put it together and let’s get the three or four things we really need there. And we’ve got a lot of heat on that and we’re going to put a lot more.

[…] If the Republicans don’t do it, they shouldn’t bother to run a candidate in 2016. I mean, think about that. Think about who the voters are.

Donohue’s comments prompted some audience members to say, ”Wow. Wow!” while the moderator told people to tweet the comments.

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Coming soon to an Arizona near you… Machiavellian Democracy!

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Cross posted from the Arizona Eagletarian

The cure for apathy is empowerment.

Let’s just figure that voter apathy, as a general condition, is a given. If you want me to expound on that point, challenge me in comments to this post.

We also know, from increasingly frequent reports over the last couple of years, that inequality has encroached upon America and Arizona in a pervasive manner.

Can the financial condition or situation the typical American finds themselves in reasonably be considered oppressive?  Should anyone working a full-time job be unable to pull one’s family out of poverty? Or be unable to keep up payments on an underwater mortgage? Or otherwise be unable to enjoy the fruits of one’s hard work?

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Arkansas judge strikes down state’s same-sex marriage ban

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EqualAs expected, a state court judge in Arkansas struck down that state’s ban on same-sex marriage on Friday. Somewhat unexpected, the judge did not immediately enter a stay order for the appeal that the state will file on Monday, allowing same-sex couples to wed this weekend. Arkansas judge strikes down state’s same-sex marriage ban:

A state judge in Arkansas has struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban as unconstitutional under the federal Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.

The judge wrote:

Regardless of the level of review required, Arkansas’s marriage laws discriminate against same-sex couples in violation of the Equal Protection Clause because they do not advance any conceivable legitimate state interest necessary to support even a rational basis review.

And responding to arguments that the ban was supported by a majority of voters:

Furthermore, the fact that Amendment 83 was popular with voters does not protect it from constitutional scrutiny as to federal rights. The very purpose of a bill of rights was to withdraw certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy, to place them beyond the reach of majorities and officials and to establish them as legal principles to be applied by the courts. W.Ya. State Bd. of Educ. v. Barnette,319 U.S. 624,638 (1943). The Constitution guarantees that all citizens have certain fundamental rights. These rights vest in every person over whom the Constitution has authority and, because they are so important, an individual’s fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections. Id. at 638.

Exactly right!

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‘Marijuana Refugees’ Move to Colorado for Cannabis Oil to Treat Epilepsy

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marijuana leaf

When I first heard Democracy Now’s headline about “marijuana refugees” moving to Colorado, I, of course, thought of stoners who want to freely buy weed from a retail outlet, but the riveting story on Democracy Now focused on families that are leaving their homes in other states to get access to a particular cannabinoid oil that has been shown to be effective in controlling epileptic seizures.

That’s just plain stupid. Not getting cannabis oil– but having to leave your home, your job, and all of your friends to move across the country to gain access to an herbal remedy that can help your child lead a normal life.

Little Madeleine, who was featured on the show, had exhausted the available medical therapies and was facing brain surgery to remove half of her brain, when her mother heard about cannabis oil and decided to move to Colorado to obtain it. With cannabis oil, Madeleine went from suffering hundreds of seizures per day to being able to function as a normal child. (Check out the video, and you’ll see Madeleine and her smiling, happy Mom.)

From Democracy Now…

According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, at least 115 “marijuana refugee families” from 43 states have left jobs, homes and family so they could obtain the cannabis oil to treat a variety of ailments.

The big controversy with this use of cannabis is that it’s not a research-based treatment and not controlled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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CD2 Candidates: Where Do Barber & McSally Stand on the Issues?

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Ron Barber vs Martha McSally
Venn diagram showing where CD2 Congressional Candidates Ron Barber and Martha McSally agree or disagree. (TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership)

Progressives have their hair on fire regarding Congressman Ron Barber’s (and Kyrsten Sinema’s) recent votes to help Teapublicans in the House of Representatives create a Congressional  witch hunt committee to re-investigate the the terrorist attack in Benghazi in 2012, when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. (Seriously, boys, if Benghazi and Monica Lewinsky’s article in Vanity Fair are all you have on Hillary, you’re in trouble. But I digress.)

On Facebook, Democrats and Progressives are vowing never to work or donate to Barber because of his Republican-lite voting record. Some say they may reluctantly vote for him but nothing more! I have often said that women’s issues (healthcare, choice, access to contraception, and equal pay) may save Barber, and that otherwise, he and challenger Martha McSally are pretty close in their views– particularly on the A-10.

Inspired by BfAZ blogger Donna Gratehouse’s Venn diagram earlier today, I offer the above Venn diagram to illustrate what issues Barber and McSally agree and disagree on. [Click on graphic to enlarge.] The information has been gleaned from statements, votes, news stories, and the candidates’ campaign websites. [NOTE: The Venn diagram includes an incomplete list of the “silent” issues. They also both void discussing: the environment; marijuana legalization; private prisons; undocumented workers; unemployment, food stamps, and other social safety net programs; and probably others I haven’t thought of.]

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