Civil & Human Rights

Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham: Screw the Constitution

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Posted  by AzBlueMeanie:

Remember just a few weeks ago when the right-wing was all in a tizzy about the village idiot Aqua Buddha, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), and his filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan for CIA Director over the use of drones in the U.S.? There was a lot of highfalutin talk from these right-wingers about the constitutional rights of American citizens on American soil — when they thought they were talking about far-right fringe groups like white supremacists, Christian nationalists, the militia movement, and gun worshipers and fetishists.

Then came the Boston Marathon bombing.

The 19-year old Boston Bomber suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is a naturalized American citizen. He possesses the same constitutional rights as any natural born American citizen. A naturalized American citizen does not lose his constitutional rights any more than a natural born American citizen who is a terrorist, Timothy McVeigh for example, loses his constitutional rights.

McCain-GrahamBut the "war on terror" twins, Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, are once again seeking to redefine the constitutional rights of American citizens under the rubric of their Neocon "war on terror." They would declare criminal actions an "act of war" for convenience sake and to declare American citizens on American soil an "enemy combatant" in order to deprive American citizens of their constitutional rights.

Americans have more to fear from the "war on terror" twins, Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, than any wingnut conspiracy theory about President Obama using drones to kill American citizens on American soil. This pair of assholes actually wrote their bastardization of the Constitution into law, and the U.S. Supreme Court took a pass on its constitutionality. This threat is genuine.

Tom Horne: Coward

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By Tom Prezelski Cross-posted from Rum, Romanism and Rebellion The Arizona Republic reports that scandal-plagued Republican Attorney General Tom Horne turned down a chance for a televised debate against once-and-future Democratic AG candidate Felecia Rotellini regarding his fit of rage over Bisbee’s civil unions ordinance. He said that he “didn’t feel comfortable appearing with Felecia.”  … Read more

GOP rebranding fail

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

New And ImprovedAfter the 2012 election "autopsy," the GOP decided that it would rebrand itself with fancy "new and improved!" packaging and soft-sell messaging, all the while retaining its poisonous product inside the box that it is selling to an unsuspecting public. So how's that working out?

Just last week RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, the guy who told Republicans that they need to stop being stupid and to "tone down the language" about things like "legitimate rape," returned to the GOP war on women with another attack on Planned Parenthood and Democrats. Priebus suggests Obama, Democrats 'endorse infanticide'. This is "toning down the language"?

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus suggested
that Democrats "endorse infanticide" by supporting women's
health provider Planned Parenthood.

In an op-ed posted on the conservative site RedState,
Priebus highlights movements made by state legislatures in North Dakota
and Florida over the past week to restrict abortion rights. And he
targets President Obama, congressional Democratic leaders and party
officials over their support for Planned Parenthood.

A Reason to Pick up the Tucson Weekly

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By Tom Prezelski Re-blogged from Rum, Romanism and Rebellion. In case you did not know, this here blogger got published in this week’s Tucson Weekly. Drop by Circle K and ask for it. After they complain that people keep asking for the Weekly, say “this should tell you something.” Then, go next door to Eegees, … Read more

‘Gang of Eight’ reaches immigration reform deal

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Jamelle Bouie reports at the Washington Post, “Gang of Eight” reaches immigration deal. But will GOP take it?:

According to the New York Times, the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” has reached an agreement on a comprehensive immigration reform plan.

By and large, the bill doesn’t depart from the framework established
by President Obama and seconded by Marco Rubio, among others. It
establishes a provisional status for unauthorized immigrants who who
pass background checks and fulfill other requirements, such as paying
fines and back taxes to the federal government. It also requires them to
wait ten years before they can apply for green cards, a change from
Obama’s plan, which proposed an eight year wait.

This is broadly in line with public opinion. According to the latest poll
from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, 64 percent of Americans
support a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants, a number that
jumps to 76 percent when a proposed pathway includes fines, penalties,
and a background check. It should be said, however, that few Americans
support the long timeline for citizenship —18 percent say
unauthorized immigrants should be immediately eligible for citizenship
if they have jobs, while 51 percent say they should be eligible have
jobs and have been in the country for five years. Only 12 percent agree
with the “Gang of Eight” that ten years is necessary before citizenship
can become an option.