Immigration

Border policy myths, realities and faulty assumptions

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By Karl Reiner

Gov. Brewer recently asserted that Arizona's controversial SB 1070 served as the catalyst for the creation of the immigration legislation now in Congress.  Although much of SB 1070 was set aside by the Gov Brewer 1courts, the governor believes the law, costly legal fights and publicity helped start the momentum that led to the current bipartisan immigration proposal.

The governor has a point because the SB 1070 effort was not a low cost affair.  The publicity it generated saddled Arizona with a mostly negative reputation.  In far away Washington, Congress would have been aware of the SB 1070 tempest.  It could have encouraged senators to consider moving on immigration legislation.  

Sen. Jeff Flake now owns the dubious title of most disliked senator

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

In just three short months in the U.S. Senate, our boy Jeff Flake has managed to dethrone the Septegenarian Ninja Turtle, Mitch McConnell, as the most disliked senator among Americans. Getting caught lying to a grieving mother who lost her son to gun violence will do that. The Atlantic Wire reports, How Jeff Flake Became the Most Unpopular Senator in America:

Public Policy Polling, in their latest survey on the fallout of the recent vote on gun legislation, explains just how much people don't like Mr. Flake:

FlakeJust 32% of voters
approve of him to 51% who disapprove and that -19 net approval rating
makes him the most unpopular sitting Senator we've polled on, taking
that label from Mitch McConnell.

Since December, it was hard to imagine anyone unseating McConnell because, according to PPP and
despite the Kentucky Senator's internal numbers, the Senate Minority
Leader was always' the old curmudgeon who represented the laughable state of America's hatred toward Congress.

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So what happened to the junior Senator from Arizona? According to
PPP's polling, conducted April 25-26 in the aftermath of the gun vote
that killed legislation on background checks, it's blowback — Democrats
and independent voters have really flaked on Flake:

FlakePoll

Down with Drones: Protest at Ft. Huachuca Today

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by Pamela Powers Hannley Southern Arizona peace activists have organized a anti-drone protest outside of Fort Huachuca today, Monday, April 29. Drones are a big deal in Southern Arizona. Ft. Huachuca, Davis-Monthan, Raytheon, the University of Arizona, and Cochise College– all have a piece of the military industrial complex's drone pie, and if our esteemed … Read more

Rep. Raúl Grijalva on Senate immigration reform bill hearings

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Rep. Raúl Grijalva chastized Senate Republicans on
Monday for using the Boston Marathon bombing to fight against
comprehensive immigration reform. On Monday, Sen. Chuck Grasssley (R- iowa) threw a hissy fit trying to deny what he plainly said last Friday. POLITICO Tiger Beat on the Potomac reported, Terrorism enters immigration debate:

“We appreciate this opportunity to talk about immigration reform in
light of all that has been happening in Massachusetts,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee Friday at an immigration reform hearing.

Raw Story reports, Rep. Raul Grijalva blasts Republicans for using Boston bombings to stall immigration reform:

“To prey on the raw emotions of the American people right now, after
this tragedy in Boston, to prey on their insecurities and justifiable
anger, to try to delay a bill, stall a bill so nothing is done, is
nothing more than a tactic, and it’s very disappointing,” he said on
MSNBC. “If you want to have security in this country, part of the
package has to be comprehensive reform so the millions of undocumented
people out there come forward, we know who they are, and you begin to
cull who is eligible for a path to citizenship and who should not be
here.”