Russell Pearce: Dim Bulb

The Phoenix metro area's Wingnut in Chief, Rep. Russell Pearce, is at it again, this time calling for mandatory 3 x 5 American flags to be displayed in every classroom in the state.

"We live in a time when we need to recognize our heritage," he said during a hearing on the bill before the House Committee on Universities, Community Colleges and Technology. "The flag is a symbol of freedom, and we need to protect that."

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Pearce says he's not trying to be a patriotic bully.

"I'm not trying to cram patriotism down their throats, but I think everybody ought to appreciate our freedom and the sacrifices that people have made since the Founding Fathers," he said. "The flag represents our freedom. We have soldiers dying in Iraq every day and thousands of them serving for our freedom."

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The problem with people like Mr. Pearce is that they think their heritage is the only one worth honoring. His online bio states that he's a 5th generation Arizonan, his family founded the town of Taylor. That's great, but he is creating a legacy that is supportive of the extermination of the cultural diversity that exists in the region. He is the biggest supporter of militarizing the border, and has been a frequent guest of Lou Dobbs on CNN, advocating a xenophobic attitude towards illegal immigrants.

He is not a friend to the Latino people, and as someone who claims to be a proud Arizonan, his respect for the full history of our state is lacking. Don't believe me? Let's see if he would be willing to attach an amendment to his proposal honoring the Native American tribes that were here long before Taylor, Arizona was a glimmer in the eyes of the pilgrims' march West. I doubt he would have anything positive to say about their sacrifices.

And on a semi-related note, the Tucson Citizen has a great article about a UA doctoral student that is studying the methods used by the Hopi tribe to create pottery that dates between the years 1350 and 1630.