Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Last week the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state of Ohio must make its early voting available to all voters of the state on an equal basis, and reinstitute early voting on the final weekend before election day. Equal protection . . . fairness . . . who would … Read more
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: President Obama on Monday designated the home of Latino labor leader César Chávez as a national monument, calling Chávez a hero who brought hope to millions of poor, disenfranchised farmworkers who otherwise might have remained "invisible" to much of the nation. César Chávez home a national monument: "Today, we celebrate César Chávez," … Read more
by Pamela Powers Hannley
Sunday, October 14, Occupy Tucson will celebrate it's one year anniversary. Occupy Tucson was one of the longest-running encampments in the history of the Occupy Movement.
Although Occupy Tucson was a peaceful encampment, at one point, the Tucson Occupiers had received hundreds of tickets, primarily for breaking curfew at local parks– more tickets than any other Occupy group, except New York City. Some of those tickets are still winding their way through the court system, but most have been dismissed (including mine).
Occupy Tucson may not be camping in the parks anymore, but the movement is far from dead. Occupy Tucson is housed in a small office in the historic YWCA on 5th Ave. You can find out more information by checking out their website and Facebook page.
For a walk down memory lane, check out these videos of Occupy Tucson. After the jump is background information on the Occupy anniversary celebration (complete with a General Assembly, of course.)
Organizing Occupy Tucson, Oct. 1, 2011
Occupy Tucson General Assembly, October 9, 2011
The Tucson Progressive gets a ticket at Occupy Tucson
El Tour de Rio Nuevo March, Tucson
Jobs with Justice, Occupy Tucson, and Union Workers march to save postal jobs
Arizona Unionists and Supporters Protest Proposed Anti-Labor Laws
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I have told you about The troubling Tyler Mott, the Tea-Publican running for state senate in LD 9, but what about his running mate for the LD 9 House, the equally troubling Tea-Publican Ethan Orr aka "E.Orr," the former Young Democrat?
The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reports House contest in Tucson pits 2 Democrats against a former Democrat:
Republican Ethan Orr spent the first half of his life as a Democrat, volunteering for the party on political campaigns, including Bill Clinton’s first presidential run in 1992 and Eddie Basha’s run for Arizona governor in 1994.
So it’s no surprise that when he’s on the campaign trail for a House seat in north Tucson’s new Legislative District 9, one of the state’s most competitive districts, he can talk the talk that the moderate voters there want to hear.
* * *
Orr says he fashions himself after moderate Tucson Republicans like former Reps. Pete Hershberger and Toni Hellon, and he hopes to work with the southern Arizona Democratic delegation to pass legislation that can help the people and Tucson.
Yeah, not hardly. Hellon and Hershberger were not culture warriors for the far-right social agenda. And aren't they dismissed today as RINOs by the Tea-Publican Party?
Orr’s Democratic opponents, Victoria Steele and Mohur Sidhwa, say Orr’s moderate rhetoric is false advertising.
Orr takes a strong stance on several social issues, including abortion, saying it should be illegal in all cases except when the mother’s life is at risk. He said he doesn’t support making gay marriage legal, but doesn’t support a constitutional amendment against it either.
[Note: Arizona voters already enacted a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman, Prop. 102 in 2008. Someone should ask him in upcoming debates how he voted on Prop. 102.]
Though he said he wouldn’t sponsor social bills himself, he said when it comes time to vote, he would vote with his party and his conscience.
E.Orr's stance on abortion means that he supports requiring forced birth for victims of rape and incest — the life of the mother is his only exception. Someone should ask him in upcoming debates whether he believes in Rep. Todd Akin's (R-MO) "legitimate rape" theory which is prevalent among the anti-choice Christian right.
E.Orr says he will vote with his party on social issues. Well, the 20 week restrictions on abortion, waiting periods and forced ultra-sound, the defunding of Planned Parenthood, and permitting employers religious institutions to opt-out of contraceptive coverage in employer-sponsored health insurance plans — all bills advanced by Cathi Herrod and her Center for Arizona Policy — were passed with near unanimous Tea-Publican support in the past legislature.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Once upon a time when I was young, I obtained a list of the most banned books in the U.S. and then set about to read every one, checking them off the list as I completed each book. Take that!
From Bookman's Book Store in Arizona, a celebration of Banned Books Week (Sep 30-Oct 6).
Video below the fold.