Civil & Human Rights

Peace activists speak out against the ‘militarization of education’ in Cochise County (video)

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Dronesby Pamela Powers Hannley

Fun! Food! Adventure! Smiling young faces!

And killing machines?

The poster pictured here advertises the Aviation Open House at Cochise Community College back in October 2012. The purpose of the open house was to showcase the college's new aviation classrooms, flight simulators, and training facilities. Jobs and education for rural Arizona youth– what could be more wholesome? Unfortunately, the open house also shined a spotlight on the college's cozy (and a bit creepy) relationship with merchant of death and destruction Northrup Grumman— as well as the college's disdain for freedom of speech.

Two local members of Women in Black attempted to protest at the event and were ousted– one for trying to distribute anti-war fliers and the other for posting anti-war fliers around campus. Both women– both teachers– say they were exercising their right to free speech and trying to educate college students about the not-so-rosy side of war and the drones they are being trained to built and fly. More details and a Loneprotestor video after the jump.  

Let DREAMERS drive: Protesters arrested at AZ State Capitol (video)

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Huelgaby Pamela Powers Hannley

Citizens for a Better Arizona (CBA) leader Randy Parraz and others protested Governor Jan Brewer's denial of Arizona drivers' licenses to undocumented people who are eligibile for deferred deportation under President Barack Obama's executive order regarding the DREAM Act.

"These people [DREAMERS] already have clearance to work in this state. What does she [Brewer] gain by denying them a drivers' license?" Parraz asked on Monday, January 14, the first day of the new legislative session.

"We want a new level of respect and civility in this state… I'm tired of second class citizenship [for DREAMERS]," he added. "They're good enough to graduate from ASU but not good enough to apply for a drivers' license? That type of mentality has to stop in Arizona."

For more comments and footage of DREAM Act protesters being arrested at the Arizona State Capitol, check out the video by Dennis Gilman after the jump.

Ward 6 Roast: From immigration reform to potholes, politicians answer voter questions (videos)

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K-r-g-b-712-sm72by Pamela Powers Hannley

Although gun enthusiasts threatened to disrupt last week's Ward 6 Roast, the event featuring a dozen politicians who represent midtown/downtown Tucson came off without a hitch. 

Organized by City Councilman Steve Kozachik and moderated by political cartoonist and commentator David Fitzsimmons, the roast featured local, state, and federal politicians answering questions from the audience, which numbered about 400. Rather than severely edit nearly two hours of video, I have created separate videos for candidate introductions, the immigration reform question, the gun violence question, the F35 question, and the neighborhoods/roads questions. Watch the first three videos after the jump. More to come.

For me, the biggest surprise of the evening– besides how outnumbered former State Legislator Frank Antenori and the gun nuts were– was Congressman Ron Barber. Check out his responses to the questions on immigration reform and gun violence; he sounds far less Republican than he has in the past on those issues. 

When Women Vote, We All Win Rally at the Capitol

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

“No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.”
― Mark Twain

In Arizona, no WOMAN is safe when the legislature is in session.

The Arizona legislature will convene on Monday. They will be greeted by a coalition of progressive women's groups who will remind them that When Women Vote, We All Win.

Uterus-stateThis progressive coalition will counter the extremist influence of Cathi Herrod and her Christian Taliban at the Center for Arizona Policy, and others, who want to declare a woman's uterus the property of the state. The CAP and the Arizona legislature have imposed more government regulations on a woman's uterus and her reproductive health freedom than the state of Arizona imposes on firearms. Think about that for a moment.

Evil twins ALEC & the NRA: Working to keep America safe for capitalism

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AZ-pl-2-nolayers-sm72by Pamela Powers Hannley

While many Americans are clamoring for gun control legislation on multiple levels, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) are working hard to maintain the status quo– which ensures the safety of gun manufactures and sellers– to the detriment of the American public. Tea Party minions– like former Legislator Frank Antenori [So, doesn't Raytheon find this employee's antics a bit embarrassing?] and the nuts behind this event— are marching in lockstep behind their corporate masters. 

For another look at the evil twins– ALEC and the NRA– check out this story from ColorOfChange.org…

Pressed hard for a response to the tragic shooting deaths of 20 young children and 7 adults in Newtown, the National Rifle Association (NRA) finally broke its silence to announce that the solution to gun violence is more guns. It just doesn't make any sense — unless you're in the gun business.

As a long-time funder of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — and co-chair of its Public Safety and Elections Task Force — the NRA has directly authored dozens of "model" gun access laws that fly in the face of commonsense efforts to reduce gun violence.1

And now, despite the wave of bad publicity ALEC's received for pushing Florida's NRA-drafted "Shoot First" law out to 25 other states, it's clear the NRA isn't prepared to clean up its act. 

More commentary and lots of links after the jump.