They Won't Even Spare Bambi!

Monsters

Game and Fish officers have shot and killed an entire herd of deer after a near-disaster involving an Army plane at Fort Huachuca.

A small plane, with two crew members board, was damaged the night of November 14th when it collided with a deer at Libby Army Airfield. Because of the incident, a decision was made to eliminate the herd because efforts to keep deer away from the airfield had failed.

Game and Fish says 29 deer were killed and the meat was donated to charities.

Haven't they ever heard of herd relocation? Oh right, this is yet another one of those circumlocutory National Security issues. It reminds me of cancer. Somehow anything and everything will give it to you if you search hard enough for a think-tank study.

Humane Borders Benefit Concert on Saturday

If you haven't acquainted yourself with Calexico yet, you should. Local band with a unique sound - highly recommend 'em for something different.

Aside from the rockin' tunes, they're supportive of the human rights movement along la frontera. This Saturday they'll be playing at the Rialto here in Tucson to benefit Humane Borders. Caliente has more:

Joey Burns is just like you.

He lives in Tucson, enjoys the local music scene and loves the city for all its different cultures.

Unlike you, he is in Calexico, a band that's coming off arguably its biggest year. It toured the world behind two critically acclaimed releases, the gorgeous EP "In the Reigns," a collaboration with Iron and Wine, and the band's equally eloquent "Garden Ruin," its fifth full-length album. The band played everywhere from the UK to the renowned "Austin City Limits" television show.

Despite the success, the Latin-infused dust rockers are still tied to Tucson and particularly concerned with issues on the border, a region that drew even more publicity this year than Calexico.

"I'm not a big fan of building a Berlin Wall in the middle of the desert," Burns said. "I find it's going in a backwards direction as to what this country stands for and what we're promoting worldwide."

The band kicks off a brief West Coast tour Saturday night with its fourth annual hometown benefit show. The proceeds will go to community radio station KXCI (91.3-FM), Solar Culture Art Gallery and the Humane Borders organization.

Along for the ride at the Rialto Theatre will be representatives from Music for America, a nonprofit group that encourages political awareness, and Humane Borders.

"If someone anywhere is in need of help, they should be offered aid," Burns said.

P.S. I would be a bad OzoHead if I failed to mention that Ozomatli is returning to the Old Pueblo for another show in December. Can't wait!

¡Felicidades Isabel Garcia!

Great news from Derechos Humanos:

Tucson, AZ--- Coalición de Derechos Humanos and other community allies will send off its own Isabel Garcia to receive the /Premio Nacional de Derechos Humanos 2006/ (National Human Rights Award 2006). The /Premio/, which is awarded by the /Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos (/National Human Rights Commission) is bestowed by the independent commission chartered by the Mexican Constitution upon individuals who have distinguished themselves in the promotion and defense of human rights. This is the first time that this award has been given to an individual not born in México, and speaks to the impact that Garcia's human rights work.

México's President Calderón will present the award in México City on December 13, 2006, in recognition of her passionate and effective organizing and advocacy for respect for human rights, particularly on behalf of migrants along the U.S.- México border.

"This award is a validation for all of those who have worked for over thirty years in this struggle" says Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith of Derechos Humanos. "The work of defending human rights belongs to all of us, and it is wonderful that Isabel's contribution is being recognized."

Members of Coalición de Derechos Humanos invite all friends and allies to come together to congratulate Isabel on this historic award, and to send her forth safely to receive this award at Los Pinos in México City.

Isabel deserves this award. Aside from Congressman Grijalva, she is probably the most targeted individual in Southern Arizona by the vigilante hate movement. Her diligence and passionate commitment to all human beings, regardless of which chunk of tierra they were born, makes the haters' heads explode.

I am glad that she is being recognized for having a fully-functioning human heart that keeps her in the streets working for dignidad y equalidad. Congratulations/Felicidades Isabel!

From the Tucson Human Rights Rally last March outside of Kyl's office

Using Water As A Weapon

Not all injuries come from bullets

I'm reminded of this because living in a desert climate, water can mean the difference between life and death.

Imams On A Plane - How Scary!

I'm so sick of being terrorized by terrorists. In fact, I was sick of them years ago; which is why their propaganda stopped working on me after 9/11.

Oh wait? Did you assume I was talking about Muslim "extremists"? No. No. I'm talking about the fear-mongers in control of the U.S. Government and media airwaves. Their constant barrage of Arab-bashing and dividing of humanity has caused plenty of people to still be afraid of their own shadows.

Omar Shahin, former director of the Tucson Islamic Center, was among the six detained Nov. 20 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He said they hadn't done anything suspicious. The imams had prayed on their prayer rugs in the airport before the flight.

After they boarded, a passenger, alarmed by their activity, passed a note to a flight attendant. The men were taken off the airplane, handcuffed and questioned.

"It was the worst moment in my life," Shahin said.

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I understand exactly why Shahin feels that way. Sideways looks, locking of the car doors, asking for citizenship status - there are some things that a huge chunk of this country experiences everyday in subtle forms that hardly ever gets talked about and addressed in a meaninful way that exposes its stupidity and offensiveness for what it is.

Racial Profiling has always been a blight upon the history of this country. My grandmother tells stories about those few months when her father was on an "extended vacation" because he got sent to one of the concentration camps for Italian immigrants during the Second World War. The same fate handed down upon the heads of Japanese immigrants after Pearl Harbor.

Oh, but think about National Security™, Man Eegee! Don't you want to protect the homeland?!? You should do your patriotic duty, as should the others, and make the sacrifice for the greater good.

I say, "What a load of macaca to that."

The day that the dominant race is rounded up like animals after another anthrax attack, or perhaps another bombing of a federal building in the heartland, or the next cult decides that their patron comet hath arriveth is the day that I'll eat plenty of crow and say - okay, now we're equal.

Until then, I'll join the six Imams along with the NAACP and other human rights organizations in praying for the day that justice is finally visited upon the heads of those who continue to treat people like dogs.

Beaner or Spic - Take Yer Pic

So let's see, how many names can a Proud Anglo call someone they've never met while they remain safely secure behind the cloak of anonymity?

Spanish-- yet ANOTHER reason to hate the Beaners

Patriotic Americans can rattle off any number of reasons to demonstrate how our Spic-- oh sorry, "Latino" infestation is the worst plague our country's had since AIDS. Here's another one-- Beaners have truly the worst, stupidest, lamest, laziest, most incompetent, ugliest, most useless f***ed-up language ever made. Spanish is a cultural abbomination that only the Spics could love.

Let's see, in English we have the great writers, and playwrights that everybody in the world wants to imitate, we have Milton, Tolkien, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Austen, the Brontes, Blake, Kipling, Whitman, Poe, Lovecraft, Mellville, Frost, Eliot, Emerson, even modern great writers like King and Grisham. We've got the greatest singers like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley, Aerosmith, U-2, Guns 'n' Roses, Streisand, Sinatra, Martin and Lewis, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey-- you name it, we Anglos dominate it. We've got the greatest TV shows and movies. In short, in all branches of literature, music, TV and movies, English just rules over the pathetic gobbledygook known as "Spanish," 'nuff said.

And in Spanish, what do the Beaners have to match up to English? They've got, oh, uh, lemme see here-- oh yeah, that's right, Julio Iglesias. Since they have such a brilliant-o great-o singer like Julio, this clearly goes to show the great artistic heights of Spanish and Spic culture. NOT.

Oh, yeah, Spanish can also take great pride in its ghetto-pimp, no-talent, ugly, sorry-ass hip-hop dumbass wannabes like Daddy Yankee and Don Ommar or talentless little sluts like Shakira or Paulina Rubia who stink up the airwaves emenating from an otherwise decent radio. Wow, we Anglos are all so impressed by your talent. NOT.

We Anglos-- or maybe gringos, you like that one better?-- we hate your sorry fat asses here in more ways than anyone can count, it's hard to choose, anymore. Spanish is nothing more than noise pollution, and we Americans look forward to the wonderful day when we wouldn't again have to hear any loser mumbling "por favor" or "gracias" here in this Anglo country anymore, that would be almost as great a day as the United States winning WWII since we'd finally get to rid our country of this infestation. And don't even start up with the BS about how "the border crossed us," oh boo-f***ing hoo, this is Anglo turf now-- you Beaners not only lost the Mexican War, you got your SORRY ASSES HANDED to you by the Anglos, no doubt while you were busy goofing around and babbling in your monkey tongue and screwing your senoritas while the Anglos were out there marching on Mexico City. You suck-- just deal with it.

I can think of nothing better than to dedicate myslef to eradicating this verbal diarrhea known as Spanish from the US, as should any patriotic Gringo. The sooner we can rid ourselves of Hispanic stench in all its forms, the better off we'll all be. Have a nice day and don't choke on your tacos, Beaners.

Signed,

Anglo and Proud of It, the Gringo who haunts your dreams at night
Proud Anglo | | Email | Homepage | 11.25.06 - 9:56 pm | #

Beaner and Spic - along with a whole other slew of adjectives that provided the warm salve of comfort to the rotting insides of whatever loathsome creature crouched at their keyboard to type such filth.

There was a time when my jaw would drop to the ground at such raw hate. Unfortunately, it is something that I come in contact with on a regular basis, more so now that the vigilante movements have been born from the ashes of the white supremacist movements.

The in-your-face macho tirade is not what worries me, however. This type of crap can easily be fought back by society (I think). It's the subtle fear mongering that keeps my mind racing at night. The politicians who advocate for English-only legislation because they pretend to have the best interests of the people at heart.

"Your children will be more productive workers and successful citizens if they speak English."

The forked tongues that spread that message to my grandparents and parents are the reason that my Spanish abilities come thanks to textbooks instead of oral history. I resent it.

There are scales in the eyes of Americans that must be lifted if we are to understand that this is not a country where equality through diversity is respected. The term assimilation is one that creeps me out to the bone because it is code for "assimilation to the Anglo culture". It is enforced as a means of stamping out any identity that comes from a persons' roots if they do not come from the same power structured-plant as the "Founding Fathers".

It's ironic that racism is getting another round of attention in this country - all thanks to a former television star. My small town family even discussed it over the Thanksgiving weekend. Perhaps through the dialog we'll move further down a path towards mutual respect that involves the honoring of all heritage - not just the dominant one.

sunday stroll downtown. and uptown. and inbetween town too!

It's Sunday again, and the end of a very full week! In more ways than one, for many of us! Not that I stuffed myself this Thursday or anything... I find that when one is the cook, the food just doesn't hold as much interest... of course, some might say that that is what everyone says, when the cook is me, but we won't mention that!

First up... gasp! Boran is having an art fair, and I went to Family Man's place to find out what it was all about (because he usually always has his finger on the pulse of the events and fairs) and.... there was nothing there! This is sheer pain for us nosy people! Thus, I am making a petition. Cover your ears!

Dear Boran (and Family Man too),

Please tell us what the Art Fair is all about.

Thanks!

Whew! Sorry about that. Now that that's out of the way (and once you recover), on with the tour!

Since we are already there, Boran has made progress on the painting of the stuff surrounding the car! More lights and shadows and stuff, and the beginnings of planting. Also, EPA 451... lol, took me a minute to get that one, but it works! And, tata, so long, seeya!

Whew! Family Man hasn't completely fallen down on the News for the Nosy job! Olivia (parvum opus) has made it to the second round of voting in the Canadian Blog Awards for best photo blog! Go vote! You can vote once for her EVERY DAY! Also, it may be just me, but I am not quite sure that Muciod Man will catch on... then again, some things do tend to spread like a virus! And his backup can be the Kleenex Brigade, who the evil NyQuillians are always trying to make redundant!

Speaking of Olivia (and we were), she has more inner bits! These ones remind her of mop heads, but they remind me of little dancers feet, doing floor exercises. What's your opinion? And, to top off her blog competition toppings, she has a bug! It's well known that no one can resist bugs (in photos, at least) so there's the winning photo right there! And, in case you've forgotten in the past 2 minutes... don't forget to vote! Parvum Opus, best photo blog.

This is going to be the first real test of the Eegeeroots! If she wins, Olivia promises to ... to... uh... to not be a politician! I bet none of the others have, so obviously the Eegeeroots choice is Olivia! Yay!

[UPDATE!] Original James has a Thanksgiving Weekend postmortem, chock full of interesting, informative and thought provoking posts. Also, the Iraq Week in Review. Over at Nothing Is (which is where Jazzy James hangs out) it's all about Sunny Murray! What a find... get yours here and here.

About catnip... I have good news and bad news. The bad news... she's too good! By getting herself on two lists for the Canadian blog awards, it appears that caused people to split their votes (or instead of and), and so she just missed out being in the top five. The good news is... she's still good! So next year she won't be on the best new blog list and we can concentrate the votes on the best liberal blog list. UNLESS... she goes and gets herself on the best blog list too. Sigh! Such a burden. Anyway, the Sunday Food for Thought today? All I can say is "awww". Also, she thinks that if Britain loves Ignatieff so much... they should have him! I agree! And it seems there is controversy over the burned mosques in Iraq... who is telling the truth? catnip investigates!

It's almost New Years! And you know what that means. Well, one of the things, anyway... time to visit katiebird! Well, not that we don't visit her every week, but still - it's not every week that she writes about the lean plate club holiday challenge! And New Years is a holiday! So... you see? Well, read the story and you will. Also, get firmed daily and if you haven't lounged about yet, well... why not? There's a magic moment in the lounge, even as we speak!

[UPDATE THE LAST! maybe] About Nezua's computer... it seems that the problem it's having is one that that model is known to have, so they are going to fix it for free! Hopefully. Yay! He's still not back yet, but did manage to sign on from another computer briefly, and has left us a diary entry (actual diary type, recording various thoughts, not article type scoop diary) and a story that just wants to make you go grrrr.

ILJ is taking a satirical look inside John McCain's brain! Gotta laugh, cuz otherwise it's scary in there!

Deano's back! And in the purple! Here is your chance to be an art critic, so toodle on over and critique!

All done! I think... some haven't updated, but if I've forgotten anyone, let me know!

Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Remember that the original holiday was meant as a celebration of unity and community. The Native Americans that met long ago with the immigrants in New England were very connected to the earth and understood the importance of fellowship. Let that spirit of Peace embrace you not only on the actual day, but during the preparation as well. Far too many people stress out with the cooking and cleaning - let those moments also be celebrations with loved ones.

Things I'm thankful for:

• the examples of Peace that have been given to us by figures such as Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Cindy Sheehan.
• my family - my roots - for all that I've been taught directly and indirectly
• my friends - in real life and on the web - for the dialogue, friendship and the occasional debate ;-)
• the voters - for taking the first baby steps in restoring the balance of power to this country. We have much work to do still.
• the Food Network - for the awesome recipes that I used this year to make two turkeys for a community meal aimed at the homeless and those without family to celebrate. The chocolate pecan pies are for my nana's casa so hopefully props will be deserving for those too. Heh

Have a safe and restful holiday weekend, everyone. I pray for safe travels of anyone who reads this humble blog as well as your family members who may be joining you for the holiday weekend. Paz ~ Man Eegee

Oh, and how could I resist posting this:

Vote early and often Sunday Tour!

I bet you thought all the voting was done and over with, didn't you? Little did you know! It's that time again... time for you to vote today, tomorrow and every day! Well, at least until we hear that...

"liberal catnip is voted best progressive blog and best new blog and Olivia (parvum opus) is voted best photo blog in the Canadian Blog awards!"

But we've not heard that yet and we have through Tuesday to get them through the first round. So... go vote! Daily! Just as if you were being firmed daily, as katie would say. If I was putting words in her mouth, that is. Just look for their blog names in those categories, click the little round thingy beside their names and then hit submit!

Okay and what else is going on... hmmmm,

Gasp! Nezua is having Troubles! Computer Troubles - the endless crash syndrome, to be specific. I know those well, sigh. Heh, as an aside, doesn't this sound familiar?

On one hand, I laugh. Because I've never felt confident in storing a combination of my address book, my recording studio, my drawing table, canvas, portfolio, novels-in-progress, file cabinet, record collection, and attic boxes o' memorabilia all together in one magical, untouchable, unknowable bundle o' electrons and silicon. And then on the other hand, because I do it anyway, I freak out when I'm done laughing.

It does to me! Anyway, he may be offline for a bit, sadly. It's at times like this when it seems like a really good idea to have capitalist friends! This reminds me that I'd love to start a "Emergency Bartering and Care and Feeding of Artistic, Clueless About Money Lefties Who Give Away Their Work For Free" fund (I'd be one of the customers!) because, boy, do we need one. And bartering skills and caring for one another is an age old (even though now much derided by some) thing in various communities. Anyway, it's not hobby horse time, it's tour time! So there is lots of new stuff there tho, scroll down, scroll down!

It's ILJ's one year anniversary! Happy Blogiversary! Finally someone has one close to tour time, instead of in the middle of the week! He has a wonderful retrospective on his past year, how it all came about, and goals and stuff. And I'm not just saying that because there is a note there for me, me, me! Go read!

I dunno... me, I think supersoling might be asking a bit much. Sure, it would be a much more pleasant... for someone... way of dealing with this, but... omg trying to imagine world leaders doing things the Bonobo Way. Gack! Also, this resonates, for sure.

[UPDATE!] Original James wonders who Jesus would audit? Definitely someone who is anti-war, no doubt. Or... maybe not. Also, even tho sometimes it seems as if progress is made by inches... those inches add up! News on the campaign against the School of the Americas (regardless of what they are calling themselves now). Over at Jazzy James, he has an album that is what it is, and which sounds interesting. Also, Marion Brown: Duets. And more stuff... go look! and listen! Reminds me of spending the day in one of those Music City store booths, headphones on and spinning albums.

How can you resist a story about Eat Watches? Working OR broken? You can't, so go read about katiebird's watch! Glycemic indexes may not be quite as fun, but are very useful! Also, don't forget to get firmed daily and to lounge around!

Sparks are flying from that fluffy pink house on the corner! And Janet has No Apologies! Good for her. Also, here (below) and there, she has an article that she wrote a year ago that is just as wonderful today. Read on!

[UPDATE AGAIN!] For a minute I thought that catnip was so excited about being up for Best New Blog and Best Progressive Blog at the Canadian Blog Awards (go vote!), that she forgot to think for Sunday... but I was wrong! She is indeed thinking lots of thoughts about Stuff this Sunday! Also, I love this tradition of wearing the clothing of the host country for photos at these summits... makes for a great time. For the viewers! And Kissinger is talking again, about the Iraq occupation. Worry.

Family Man has been really slacking off on slacking, lately! In fact, have you noticed that you can get exhausted just reading about his efforts to achieve slack time!?

Hot rod! Okay, well maybe not... but the car in Boran's painting is red! Woo hoo! Mind you, the hills are also red at this particular time, but still! What if the coal mine is the entire world? Who notices the canaries then? And shoo, you!

Where the META is MoBetta, catnip has a very interesting footnote to her "What is Progressive Politics, Anyway?" query. I need to get over there and comment... I've got stuff to say! I know, I know... hard to believe.

Olivia is stacking the deck! Surely no one else who is up for Best Photo Blog (go vote!) in the Canadian blog awards knows a thing about inner bits! This one reminds me of some sort of exotic sea creature. Also, the sun is posing! See? what did I tell you. Proof right there, Best Photo Blog!

Oh! Our Manny isn't feeling well but I'm sure it's not because he ate a whole orange cheesecake by himself! He probably shared some with Bud. Get well soon, Manny!

I forgot! I was going to do a plug... and now that I've remembered, I'm going to do it. I really like firefox, now that I've gotten it working for me, but there is an addon for it that I just love. Well, more than one, but if you do research or like to gather articles or even snippets of them and keep them all in one place... Scrapbook is the addon for you! There are others that save links online, and in sort of a community (think digg or furl, etc) type fashion, but this takes a snapshot of an entire page, and you can copy and paste from it, highlight stuff before (or after, I think) saving (offline), organize into folders, search the folders and all sorts of things. Such a time saver/organizer I've found it to be, so you might like it too! Okay, that's all.

All done! I think? Maybe. Unless I've forgotten you, in which case you should yell and stomp your feet and tell me so! Okay, well you can just leave a comment too.

A Diary From a Year Ago

I wrote this diary on October 20, 2005 on another blog. I've been wrestling with the same emotions ever since....

*YOU DON'T SUPPORT THE TROOPS*

This is really starting to hurt my soul lately.

I don't have a magnet or sticker on my car. I've been called names that would make you sick. I live in the Redneck part of a Blue State between "Bumfuck" and "You've Got a Purdy Mawf", California.

I've had some rather hairy scary encounters with some of these people who are going totally postal. Here's a snippet of another type of postal encounters.
Each morning I pin up another Whispering Campaign notice and as well as another "Bring Them Home Now" postcard on the USPS bulletin board that I received from Veterans For Peace at the UFPJ concert.

The gentlemen there treated me like I was a queen and gave me a stack of cards 2 or 3 inches thick that I carried all the way home to California. (Me meeting a new life-long friend, Jim Staro of VFP)

After some rather harrowing experiences with the Deliverance people around my county lately, most of which have never served a day in their life let alone served a hungry person a bowl of soup... I wasn't sure how a reunion would be with a certain young man I had watched grow up.

My young friend has been in Iraq since he turned 18. He spent 3 tours there. I was sure he had heard I had marched. I was sure he was told what a horrible person I am for not supporting Bush. I wasn't too sure if he would still like me. I wasn't sure of what I would or could say to him if we ever met.

As fate would have it... this is how we reunited.

Turns out I didn't have to say anything to him he had come up behind me as I was pinning yet another "Bring Them Home Now card on the board. Our eyes met. He just came up to me and hugged me. Then he cried. He came home after risking his life to find most of his friends and family hadn't even bothered to VOTE. He cried and said over and over again, "they don't care".

I've had people scream at me, call me names, try to rip flags from me... holding a Marine in my arms as we reassured each other and reunited... was almost like being in DC again. It was a "Welcome Home" for both of us to each other.

"If you don't support the War President you don't support the troops." What a complete crock of a mind fuck that is on American Citizens.

I dare anyone to say that the young man above doesn't support the troops. He was at the DC March. Along with hundreds of thousands of others who were there because they do support the troops. I dare anyone to say that Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, CodePink etc etc - do not support the troops. If one believes that then they are a blind fool.

Supporting the troops has NOTHING to do with one's dissent of this piece of shit President or fucked up Administration. In fact, if one actually did support the troops they'd be demanding answers from this government.

It's not just politics. It's also about HUMANITY.

I was asked at Camp Casey DC if I had lost anyone probably because I couldn't quit the flow of tears as I walked along the white crosses. I started to say no. Another man corrected me and said that we ALL lost them. That all those Soldiers and Marines are OURS. THEY ALL ARE OURS.

Time Warp.... to another morning...

I got my friend in touch with Iraq Veterans Against the War just now.... I hope he can find some peace and support there...

Drove over to the Post Office and found that my young friend was waiting for me there. He didn't have my phone number and figured that I'd show up at some point. This struck me hard -- he was just waiting.

He had some pictures he asked if he could show me. Some were of where some of his pals had spent their last minutes. He said that at the time he thought their loved ones might want to know where they had died and so went back and took photographs of the areas.... but that he can't ever give them up or doubts anyone will want to see them.

He said that in the short time he's been home he's never felt "so far away". No one wants to talk to him about anything. Just me and his Dad but says he's worried about freaking out his Dad all the time. Gave him my number and said he could call anytime.

I mainly just listened. There were times when I was even able to make him smile a bit. I hope I did alright.

*I see a kid of barely 21 and he now looks like an old man when he tries to smile.*

Mandarin Orange Cheesecake Open Thread

I feel like crapola, maybe some Vitamin C will help...


Click the pic for a recipe

The Electric Slide of Politics

Anyone else having a hard time keeping of track of which step we're on?

The country stepped to the left (marginally) last Tuesday with the Dems winning, trotted a few paces forward when Bush fired Rummy, then backtracked when he renominated John Bolton to the U.N. with a snowball's chance in hell of getting confirmed, and now Trent "I Heart Segregation" Lott is back in the GOP leadership saddle to fuck up the entire rhythm.

Sen. Trent Lott (news, bio, voting record), ousted from the top Senate Republican leadership job four years ago because of remarks considered racially insensitive, won election to the No. 2 post Wednesday for the minority GOP in the next Congress.

Lott returned to the center of power by getting the position of vote-counting GOP whip, nosing out Sen. Lamar Alexander (news, bio, voting record). Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record) told reporters that Lott beat Alexander by a 25-24 vote.

After an intense evening in which both men lobbied colleagues during floor votes, the Republican caucus elected Lott, a one-time whip and majority leader, by secret ballot. Lott will be the GOP's second-in-command to Sen. Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record) of Kentucky, who was elected unanimously to be the Senate minority leader in the new Congress.

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Secret ballot - how fitting. The racists do their best lurking in the shadows. And make no mistake, Trent Lott's only regret is that he was caught making his remarks four years ago that were offensive to a wide number of people. From the December 2002 issue of Time Magazine:

Lott...took the podium and declared, "I want to say this about my state: when Strom Thurmond ran for President, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."

The room, jammed with well-wishers, a handful of reporters and one of those ever present C-SPAN cameras, went silent for a moment. And so did the rest of Washington, for a few days. But Lott had set off a time bomb. During the 1948 race Lott was referring to, Thurmond had broken with the Democratic Party over President Truman's expansion of civil rights for black Americans. Thurmond ran for President as the nominee of the States' Rights Party, also known as the Dixiecrats. Its platform was built almost entirely around a pledge to uphold "the segregation of the races and the integrity of each race." Thurmond won 39 electoral votes on his vow that "all the laws of Washington and all the bayonets of the Army cannot force the Negro into our homes, our schools, our churches."

Lott's apparent nostalgia for the days of Jim Crow segregation was denounced as "fundamentally racist" by former Vice President Al Gore. In a terse written statement, Lott apologized to "anybody who was offended" by his "poor choice of words." But the Washington Post reported that Lott had used almost identical words in praise of Thurmond's segregationist campaign during comments in Mississippi in 1980. A slip of the lip suddenly looked like a pattern and opened a public exhumation of Lott's long record of votes and statements hostile to the civil rights movement.

Congratulations GOP, you seem to be following your conservative base's demands by returning to your rotted roots after losing badly in last week's election. You're going to find out rather quickly, however, that a majority of us have left the dance floor in disgust at your behavior.

Captain Obvious Strikes Again

But don't challenge the status quo! Dog forbid you call the inequality - Inequality. That just makes you a reverse racist.

Flawed government policies and negative stereotyping of minority men have limited their economic opportunities, a new study says. It urges improved health care and education for minorities and less media consolidation.

The study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a research and policy group that focuses on issues that affect minorities, examined the impact of U.S. policies on men of black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American descent.

It said the media and entertainment industries overrepresent minorities as criminals and whites as victims and law enforcers. Blacks are twice as likely as white defendants to be subject to negative pretrial publicity, it said. For Hispanics, three times as likely.

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Habeas Corpus Se Murió

More fallout from the bi-partisan Congressional action to destroy the Great Writ

Immigrants arrested in the United States may be held indefinitely on suspicion of terrorism and may not challenge their imprisonment in civilian courts, the Bush administration said Monday, opening a new legal front in the fight over the rights of detainees.

In court documents filed with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., the Justice Department said a new anti-terrorism law being used to hold detainees in Guantanamo Bay also applies to foreigners captured and held in the United States.

linkage

Repeat after me: immigrants are not terrorists.

Quit treating human beings like javelinas. You already hunt border-crossers like animals. Now you're going to cage them without an iota of justice to challenge their detention? What about the millions of immigrants who came here legally and have slipped through the cracks of your broken system and are living in the shadows? You gonna lock 'em up too?

Speaker-Elect Pelosi, I would like to suggest an addition to your agenda for the first 100 hours in power.

If this is truly an admirable society, worthy of the elitist mentality that dominates its citizens' arrogant view of the rest of the world, Habeas Corpus would be restored immediately as the rule of law. It worked perfectly fine for the past 701 years until George Bush threw his tantrum known as a second term.

Immigration News Roundup

What does abortion have to do with immigration reform? If you can contort your brain hard enough, anything's possible. I guess...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Republican-led legislative panel claims in a new report on illegal immigration that abortion is partly to blame because it is causing a shortage of American workers.

The report from the state House Special Committee on Immigration Reform also claims "liberal social welfare policies" have discouraged Americans from working and encouraged immigrants to cross the border illegally.

[snip]

The statements about abortion, welfare policies and a recommendation to abolish income taxes in favor of sales taxes were inserted into the immigration report by the committee chairman, Rep. Ed Emery.

All six Democrats on the panel refused to sign the report. Some of them called the abortion assertion ridiculous and embarrassing.

linkage

Ridiculous and embarrassing - that pretty much sums it up. If the GOP keeps it up (all 10 of them on the panel endorsed the report) they are going to become a permanent minority at all levels of government. Even the citizens of Nebraska believe in comprehensive reform - not the Minutemen-style of policy that has been coming down the pipe the past couple of years. Here are the findings from a recent poll conducted by the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

• Many rural Nebraskans are aware of recent Latin American immigrants living in their community.
• Many rural Nebraskans support allowing undocumented workers who have been working and paying taxes for five years or more to apply for citizenship.
• Most rural Nebraskans express agreement with policies that try to prevent illegal immigration.
• Opinions are mixed on creating a "guest worker" program.
• Many rural Nebraskans disagree with policies that grant citizenship or other benefits to young undocumented immigrants.
• Most rural Nebraskans are concerned with recent immigrants learning to speak English within a reasonable amount of time.
• Approximately one-half of rural Nebraskans do not see immigration from Latin American as being positive for rural Nebraska.
• Opinions are mixed on the reception Latin American immigrants receive from rural Nebraskans.

Hear that Texas? It's the sound of compassion - which is severely lacking in the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch

A Dallas suburb took the fight against illegal immigration into its own hands today when its city council unanimously barred landlords from renting to undocumented tenants, making it the first city in Texas to take such a step.

The six council members in Farmers Branch, an inner-ring bedroom community set just 11 miles from downtown, also unanimously resolved to make English its official language and voted to enroll police officers in a federal training program that will make them de facto immigration officials.

And since I'm a nice guy, I'll end this blurb-o-thon with a feel good story. An update of the story of Elvira Arellano, first reported here at this blog back in August - who has declared sanctuary at her church in Chicago. Her young son, a U.S. Citizen, is preparing to address the Mexican Congress to plead for their assistance with political pressure to keep his mother from deportation.

The boy said he planned to wear a new tan suit for a scheduled address before Congress on Tuesday. Several lawmakers who met with him informally said they would present a resolution asking their U.S. counterparts to stop Elvira Arellano, 31, from being deported, said Emma Lozano, the executive director of the Chicago-based immigration-rights group Centro Sin Fronteras who accompanied Saul on the trip.

[snip]

The single mother's fight is being closely watched by legal experts and immigration activists on both sides of the border as it could affect more than 3 million children who are U.S. citizens but who have at least one parent in the country illegally.

While his mother stays inside the church, relying on food and clothes brought by friends, Saul has taken her battle to the outside world.

Over the past few months, he has spoken at conferences from Chicago to Los Angeles and written letters to top U.S. politicians, including one to President George W. Bush, which he delivered to the White House last month.

linkage

It's amazing how much courage can be inspired by Love. The anti-immigrant forces will never be able to conquer it.

Border Patrol Checkpoint Politics

About that police state that doesn't exist?

Kolbe's replacement — newly elected Democrat Gabrielle Giffords — said this week that she plans to support the restrictions on permanent checkpoints. Constituents in Santa Cruz and Cochise counties have complained about delays caused by the checkpoints, she said.

[snip]

The local chapter of the Border Patrol's union, the National Border Patrol Council, said a combination of permanent and roving checkpoints would be ideal. Most importantly, agents want legislators to leave decisions to Border Patrol officials, which Kolbe didn't do, said Mike Albon, spokesman for Local 2544 of the National Border Patrol Council.

"The Border Patrol should run the Border Patrol, not some congressman whose constituents don't like to be stopped on the highways," he said.

Permanent checkpoints protect the safety of agents, their dogs and illegal entrants, Rod-riguez said. They also offer agents many of the same high-tech tools available at the legal ports of entry and better communication with law enforcement resources such as the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, he said.

linkage

I'm glad to see that Gabrielle Giffords will be supporting Jim Kolbe's stance on this issue. It is one of the few examples of the local population successfully using its leverage to oppose window-dressing efforts to deal with immigration reform.

We don't need more checkpoints, we need an honest assessment of what our economic policies have done to destroy the ability of working class people on both sides of border to survive. It's instinctive to follow prosperity - we're really not all that different than the Hohokam, Mogollon or Anasazi.

Sunday Tour - w00t! A Clean Sweep Edition!

What a week! An election that brought a world-wide sigh of relief, it seems. Might be a tad premature, considering, but there is no doubt that now is better than then!

And what better way to celebrate than to um... well, do what we do every Sunday anyway, and look at what everyone else is up to! Elections have in no way cured our nosiness!

Olivia has one of my mom's antique brooches! Or, at least it looks like one to me, only Olivia says it's really a flower... a fuschia. We'll let her keep thinking that. Also, if you've ever wondered what color delphinium blue was... well, now you know! And free as a bird...

Is there a better place to meta than at Mo Betta META!? If so, we don't know where it is. Right now, catnip is wondering about lots of stuff! Like, What is 'progressive' politics anyway? That's what I want to know! Also, who's pie hole should really be shut?

Janet has reminders of things not to forget once the partying dies down. We still have a long way to go, and she has some pointers of things that need to be done to get there. With pictures!

[UPDATE] Wow! Close call! Family Mom could have been known as Ambling Mom the other night! Luckily, she's okay, but the medication? It's outta there! And not only does Family Man now have an excellent Slackerly Manifesto (read it only when you are ready to get in touch with your Inner Napdom), but now he also has the perfect mascot! It sleeps 19 hours a day... and it's not a cat!

A third person speaking roo has been spied in the comments so we are making a trek over to see what's hopping at skippys! Veterans Day, characteristically generous pointers to other great sites and much more! Start at the top and scroll down! scroll down!

Original James has the Iraq debacle week in review and also points to the memorial being held for Malachi Ritscher, a fixture in the Chicago jazz scene who passed away earlier this month, this Sunday. Also, Fallujah as the US's Guernica? At the very least, I think. And over at Jazzy James', found treasures this week include Milford Graves and Don Pullen: Nommo and Charles Bobo Shaw and Lester Bowie: Bugle Boy Bop. Remember, you can download this music!

Nezua has the perfect Project for a New American Sitcom! I'm sure we'd all be happy to help write this script. Also,
More to come! Don't forget to shift+refresh/reload your browser to see the new content. Also, she's hateful and unlovely ... is there a reason? He wonders who hurt this poor woman.

[UPDATE AGAIN!] Boran realized how much we missed our cool car, so guess what!? He's put one in the new painting! Okay, so many that's not why it's there, but still... there 'tis! Also, giving 'em the boot... and a well deserved rest.

Arcturus is back! With a brief report on Richard Thompson and his performance at a San Francisco bluegrass festival! Who knew?

ILJ has another podcast interview, this time with Peter Barnes, who apparently wants to redeem capitalism! I have not read it, - the part I glanced over sounded interesting, but don't worry! I'm still a commie pinko socialist!

[UPDATE THE LAST!] Deano has a lifeline! No, he's not been on Millionaire (that I know of), but I think that's what the painting's title says! Something like that, anyway. Regardless, you should go look!

katiebird is being firmed daily still (5 miles and more walks!), but she also knows that a healthy self body image is a needed thing! No Kate Mosses! So there. Oh, and don't forget to lounge about! Still no massage beds, but lots of music, books and puzzles and stuff!

Lost and Found... a catnip Sunday Food for Thought that many of us might recognize! Also, she asks, " What's more important? Football profits or children?", which tells you right there she's never been a USian! Just a short trip through Texas would answer that question. Actually... reading the story, Florida hotels did something similar... only it was the Katrina victims who were displaced. However! I think she is speaking of soccerfootball, in which case the answer would likely be completely different.

Our Manny has lots of stuff on here, if you can make it past Bud's imploring eyes and the chocolate turtle cheesecake (hmmm... do you think one has something to do with the other?). Anyway, scroll down! scroll down!

[UPDATE THE DAY AFTER!] supersoling's here! And he has a beautiful and haunting remembrance piece, looking back with adult eyes at cruelties (that didn't seem so, then) just taken for granted in times past. Go read!

All done! If I have forgotten anyone, let me know!

Friday Basset Hound Blogging

Those eyes will melt the coldest GOP heart

The Future Of Immigration Reform in Arizona

Tuesday's midterm election provided mixed results in Arizona with respect to immigration reform. While voters passed the anti-immigrant ballot initiatives with overwhelming majorities, the Minutemen Candidates were rejected by the electorate to represent our state.

Randy Graf, who devoted an entire page of his website to his work with the vigilante group (now taken down), was defeated by Gabrielle Giffords for the Congressional District 08 seat spanning a huge swath of Southern Arizona including hundreds of miles of the U.S/Mexico border. Giffords not only carried heavily-Democratic Pima County, as expected, but also garnered the votes of a majority of voters in Cochise County - home of the Minutemen Project.

Pima County
Giffords (D) - 94,434
Graf (Minuteman) - 70,386

Cochise County
Giffords - 16,726
Graf - 15,687

Source: AZ Secretary of State

According to Giffords' website, her position on immigration reform aligns with the bipartisan approach offered by Senators Kennedy and McCain in the Senate.

Gabrielle Giffords has a consistent record of supporting increased security and a comprehensive approach to immigration policy. Her strong commitment to security and public safety has won her the consistent support of law enforcement, including the endorsements of the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs (AZCOPS), the Associated Highway Patrolmen of Arizona, the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona, and the Tucson Fire Fighters Association. Her record in the legislature of providing law enforcement personnel with the equipment and funding to maximize public safety is second-to-none. Like Governor Napolitano, Senator McCain, and Congressman Grijalva, Gabrielle has supported thoughtful and reasonable approaches to the immigration crisis, including a viable guest worker program that meets our state’s economic needs.

Democrats now hold both Congressional seats that span our border with our friends to the south, with Congressman Raúl Grijalva in neighboring Congressional District 07 being the other representative. It is clear that the voters who are most affected by the border policies of the U.S. government endorse a comprehensive approach to immigration reform that strikes a humane balance between enforcement, economics, and family unification. A guest worker program is a central competent to any future actions in our backyard.

Incumbent Congressman J.D. Hayworth, another Minuteman candidate, is currently trailing in the final count of votes cast in Congressional District 05 that includes north-eastern portions of the Phoenix Metro area as well as rural regions in central Arizona. His challenger, Democrat Harry Mitchell is/was a popular local figure in the Valley of the Sun as a former celebrated mayor of Tempe and State Senator. Mitchell's position on immigration reform also aligns with a comprehensive approach:

I oppose amnesty and will not support it. Still, we must deal with the millions of illegal immigrants who are already here. Catching and deporting 11 million illegal immigrants, as some have suggested, is neither realistic nor wise. I believe we should give families an opportunity to gain legal status if they pay a penalty for breaking the law, pay their taxes, learn English, and hold a job for a period of years.

Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords' tough talk on immigration enforcement helped to insulate them against the hardliner attacks that were a given considering the "bullies" and extremists they faced in the election. While it certainly grated the nerves of supporters of comprehensive reform, like myself, to hear Democrats use the rhetorical language of Republicans during the campaign, it is clear that Mitchell and Giffords will support a middle-ground approach in the 110th Congress. The same could not be said if the Minutemen Candidates were given the platform.

So all-in-all it's a mixed bag when it comes to the future direction of immigration reform in Arizona. What clearly needs to change in the short-term, however, is the divisive politics of race-baiting that has been employed by the Minutemen Project, Border Guardians, and other vigilante movements. When that occurs on a wide-scale as it has recently, we all lose.

Crossposted at Migra Matters V2.0 and Booman Tribune

Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake Open Thread

In honor of the restoration of
checks and balances

Learn English The Hard Way!

This is why those anti-immigrant propositions on the ballot last Tuesday were nothing but a sham to whip up public anger against them. Here's what Prop 300 will do in this state:

The proposition will also deny what educators estimate is 100,000 to 150,000 K-12 grade students in Arizona illegally access to in-state tuition when they are old enough to attend a community college or public university, effectively pricing them out of higher education.

[snip]

About 10,000 students in Pima County participate in adult education classes, all run by Pima College, with the bulk of them, around 6,000, studying English as a Second Language. Another several thousand take basic literacy and GED courses.

The proposition will also potentially affect about 200 adults that participate in family literacy classes, taught alongside Head Start classes. The classes aim to help parents better support their children, who most often are U.S. citizens, do well in school.

linkage

Out of all the anti-immigrant measures, I thought this one would have been defeated. I'm a frayed knot.

The vast majority of folks want them to learn English but don't want them to have any access to the programs that will help to increase fluency. How compassionate. How conservative.

Rummy's Greatest Hits

While I sound utterly despondent in the last post, my mood improved dramatically as this is clearly the first step in major changes afoot in D.C.

In honor of the demise of Donald Rumsfeld, I bring you some of the Gremlin of Defense's Greatest Hits:

August 2006:

"It was a time when a certain amount of cynicism and moral confusion set in among western democracies, when those who warned about a coming crisis, the rise of fascism and Nazism, they were ridiculed or ignored," said Donald Rumsfeld.

The secretary said today America faces a new type of fascism that, just as in the 1930s, can not be accommodated or appeased.

"This enemy is serious, lethal and relentless," he said. "But this is still not well recognized or fully understood. It seems that in some quarters, there is more of a focus on dividing our country than acting with unity against the gathering threats."

May 200X:

Originally, Geneva Conventions protections were stripped only from Qaeda and Taliban prisoners. But later Rumsfeld himself, impressed by the success of techniques used against Qaeda suspects at Guantanamo Bay, seemingly set in motion a process that led to their use in Iraq, even though that war was supposed to have been governed by the Geneva Conventions. Ultimately, reservist MPs, like those at Abu Ghraib, were drawn into a system in which fear and humiliation were used to break prisoners' resistance to interrogation.

December 2005:

I thought he explained it exceedingly well this weekend in his presentation. He is very sensitive to the importance of privacy issues, just as we are at the Pentagon. As a matter of fact, I got a number of prominent Democrats and Republicans several years ago to serve as a panel to monitor what we do in the Pentagon with respect to certain activities and give us advice on the subject of privacy because we feel so strongly about it.

December 2004:

"As you know, you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want," Rumsfeld said.

He added, "You can have all the armor in the world on a tank, and it can [still] be blown up."

April 2003:

A Defense Department spokesman said last night that the March 2003 memo represented "a scholarly effort to define the perimeters of the law" but added: "What is legal and what is put into practice is a different story." Pentagon officials said the group examined at least 35 interrogation techniques, and Rumsfeld later approved using 24 of them in a classified directive on April 16, 2003, that governed all activities at Guantanamo Bay. The Pentagon has refused to make public the 24 interrogation procedures.

September 2002:

With the intelligence all pointing toward bin Laden, Rumsfeld ordered the military to begin working on strike plans. And at 2:40 p.m., the notes quote Rumsfeld as saying he wanted "best info fast. Judge whether good enough hit S.H." – meaning Saddam Hussein – "at same time. Not only UBL" – the initials used to identify Osama bin Laden.

The Secretary of Torture has fallen. The Democrats, with their new majority status in the House of Representatives, have the opportunity to make it clear to our troops, intelligence agents, military police, the flippin' janitors for all I care, that the Geneva Conventions will be adhered to strictly. No more gray area.

Make George veto it. I doubt Junior Caligula would dare.

[UPDATE] More:

Via dada in the comments:

"Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."

December 2001:

King: you're not retaliating.

Rumsfeld: No. It's not retribution or --

King: Or revenge?

Rumsfeld: -- or revenge. In my mind. Goodness no. That's not what I'm about. What I'm about is we've got a wonderful conflict, and thousands of Americans were killed, and they were killed by people who have vowed to do it again and again and we can't let them do that. We simply are not going to change our way of life. We're free people. That is what we are. We're not going to live in a fortress and we're not going to live underground in tunnels, and we're not going to spend every minute of our waking days looking around for someone afraid they might kill us. We can't function that way.

December 2004:

BILL O'REILLY: Let's hope so. Where is Osama?

DONALD RUMSFELD: Um, you sound like my wife.

BILL O'REILLY: [LAUGHS] I hope that's a compliment.

DONALD RUMSFELD: If I knew I, I wouldn't tell you.

BILL O'REILLY: No, do you have any general idea where he is?

DONALD RUMSFELD: Well, everyone thinks he's in Pakistan, but uh ...

Nine days into the Iraq invasion:

SEC. RUMSFELD: No, I don't. "Prolonging the war" is a fascinating phrase. We're nine days into this war. This is not the ninth year. This is the ninth day of the war.

I think it's important that -- first of all, we're going to win this war. Let there be no doubt. We've got a good plan and it's working very, very well. There are a lot of second-guessers, but believe me it's going to end and it will end in victory.

September 2003:

No, I do not get into politics at all. It's the season. That's life. We can live with it.

Heh

Restoring the Conscience of a Nation

[yawn]

I was up till 4am watching the returns, blogging, finishing off a bottle of wine and generally being insane. I'm glad to have made it over to the Dem Party's party for abit to hear Gabrielle Giffords' victory speech over the Minuteman Candidate, Randy Graf. What suprised me the most was that outgoing Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe was present at the rally and even went on stage to congratulate Gabby and have their pictures snapped like obedient politicians when there are lenses pointed in their direction.

The Democrats won big yesterday. After all the recounts and close races are tallied, they will probably win by an even larger margin. I have to say - it's bittersweet.

Power is such a fluid thing. For the past six years the Republican majority has shut out the Democrats on virtually everything. It got so bad that any hearings/meetings they wanted to hold would have to be conducted in the basement of the Capitol. That's not leadership - it's bullying - and I would argue un-American.

I'm hoping that there will be a major shift in the way this country conducts its business but there are countless issues at the foundation of our people that must be dealt with in a civil, pensive manner. The first, and foremost, is the ways that we still cling on to our programmed bigotry.

Arizona will be the first state in the nation to defeat a so-called "Protect Marriage" initiative. I referred to it as the Civil Union Destruction Initiative because that is exactly what it was - a removal of rights from committed couples of all types - straight and gay. The churches are directly responsible for stoking the fires of disgust and division when it comes to this particular item. When are we going to take a collective breath, stare ourselves in the mirror, and realize that it is wrong to deny avenues of Love? I'm happy that we defeated the ban, but other states endorsed their versions of it.

The second item is something that I take very personally because it involves my personhood - immigration reform. While I am a seventh-generation Arizonan, I still find myself continually on the receiving end of the entrenched xenophobia that many people hold towards minorities. This is not some imagined blight - it is real - and forgive me if I don't feel it politically expedient to cave when it comes to supporting human rights for all people.

There were four initiatives on the ballot in Arizona directly aimed in the direction of the Latino population of Arizona. The supporters would like to tell you that they were solely designed to restrict the rights of undocumented immigrants - "illegals" - to use their demeaning term. But again, that comes from an assumption that we live in an era of equality and dignity for all people. It is a false assumption of the highest order and if you can't see it then I don't know how to describe it to you. We are imperfect beings, and the ways in which these initiatives will be carried out will adversely affect more than just their intended "targets".

So while I'm happy today that there will finally be a real check-and-balance against an Imperial Presidency, I'm also yearning for a seismic shock to the conscience of the people in this country. Rights have been restricted instead of expanded, bigotry has reigned free instead of denounced and support for an unfettered military machine continues unabated. The political power may have shifted with this election, but there is much, much more work to be done to make the Constitution a living document for all people.

Election Night Open Thread

I want to see the other baby crying by the end of the night



Open Thread! Open Thread! Open Thread!

AZ Latinos Being Targeted By Thugs At Polls

I wonder if it's Roy Warden?

Nina Perales, a senior poll-watcher for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), called me from Tucson's Iglesia Bautista precinct, where the three men are approaching Latino voters and videotaping them on their way to vote.

"As voters are coming out of their cars and walking up towards their polls, one person is videotaping the voter as he walks towards the polling place," she said. Then another person, wearing an American flag bandana and a shirt with the image of a badge ironed or embroidered on it, approaches with a clipboard to talk to the voter. "While the clipboard person is. . .talking to [the voter], the cameraperson comes up and starts videotaping their face," Perales said.

As this happens, the third man -- with a gun visible in a sideholster -- stands next to the voter. According to Perales, he is wearing a shirt with an American flag on it, and camouflage shorts.

Via TPMmuckraker

I'm not surprised that it's happening. I am surprised, however, that it is making its way out into a bigger media forum.

Lofty Donkey sent the following alert this morning regarding a vigilante movement that promised to cause problems today.

We will be exercising our “First Amendment Right to Free Speech” at the preceint polling locations protesting that “foreign nationals – legal & illegal” are being allowed to vote in our elections. We will do this on the grounds of the English Language. No speak English – No Vote! ~ IT IS THE LAW! We will have a Citizens initiated “English Only Petition” and we will lawfully ask each voter to sign the Petition. Those who cannot speak English and are under 75 will be photographed and posted on the Internet as a suspected illegal voter.

linkage to vigilante site

And don't forget Roy Warden's threat from earlier this week in the comments here at my blog:

Hay, Mexican Illegals.

Eschuchame. You are right to be afraid. Be very afraid. Because sometime in the night La Migra is comming to get you.

If you you try to vote in Pima County this Tuesday, I will take your picture and turn you in to a La Migra.

Grijalva has said: "Today we march, tomorrow we vote!" To which I now add: "And the next day you go to prison!"

You are going to cover me in yellow banana mush? Nice guts. You, who run away from the dream of Zapata, you, who are too cowardly to help Marcos to fight for a free Mexico, you, who turn your children over to Catholic Priests to sodomize, you are going to cover me with banana mush!

Nice Guts!!

Let's see how many of you have the huevos to vote on Tuesday!

http://www.wardenburnsmexicanflags.com
ROY WARDEN | Homepage | 11.05.06 - 5:35 pm | #

I hope these racist thugs are finally exposed for the KKKlansmen they are. I also hope it shakes the conscience of the people who are too shallow to realize that by supporting vigilante groups like the Minutemen and Border Guardians - they are legitimizing the rise of a dangerous white supremacist movement.

WAKE UP LATINOS! YOU are included in their anti-immigrant rhetoric - even if your family has lived here for many generations.

Early Ballots - Did I Miss Something Here?

Something's wrong:

At St. Francis de Sales, 1375 S. Camino Seco, voters had to negotiate through a pile of garbage to vote.

"It was stinking, messy. It was disgusting," said voter Becky Howard.

Howard also complained that she was forced to use a provisional ballot, which won't be counted for days. She had requested a mail-in ballot, but had not sent it in. Even though she had it with her, she had to vote provisionally.

"I found that whole part of the process unsatisfying because I wanted my vote to count today," she said.

linkage (emphasis mine)

Becky Howard should NOT have had to fill out a provisional ballot. You are allowed to turn in your Early Ballot to your polling location on Election Day if you didn't mail it in prior to the deadline (which was last Friday).

If anyone is met with this type of situation, call one of these numbers immediately and report those poll workers. It's not the correct procedure.

Questions or problems:

l Contact the secretary of state's help line: 1-877-THE-VOTE.

l County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez recommends calling her office if voters have problems at the polls. The voter information line is 740-4330.

l Questions about voter IDs should be directed toward the Pima County Division of Elections: 740-4260.

[UPDATE] I just got off the phone with Pima County Division of Elections and confirmed that you are allowed to drop off your Early Ballots at ANY polling location in Pima County on Election Day if you didn't get a chance to mail it. They also took down the information regarding the precinct mentioned in the Tucson Citizen article above and will make sure they are clear on the procedure.

'Tis going to be a long day!

AZ-05 JD Hayworth: Smells Like Abramoff

Just a reminder to CD-05 voters, JD Hayworth is under a cloud of corruption. He deserves to be retired permanently tomorrow. Harry Mitchell will make a fine addition to Arizona's Congressional Delegation.



(sombrero-tip to BooMan for the video)

Election Day Voting Tips

1. First things first, if you applied for an Early Ballot via snail mail and didn't send it out, you must take your ballot to your polling location tomorrow. Do NOT mail it. Just take it in the envelope with your signed affidavit to the polls and drop it off.
   
2. Make sure you know where your polling location is - you'd be surprised how many people can't find their assigned site and then just drive off home when they can't locate it. Your polling location is printed on all of the Official Election Mail you rec'd prior.
3. Don't forget your identification. Here is the listing from the Secretary of State on the acceptable forms of ID:
   
   For a voter to receive a regular ballot, the address on the presented identification must match the address on the voter registration file.
   
   List #1 - Sufficient Photo ID (including name and address):
   • Valid Arizona driver license or non-operating identification
   • Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification
   • Valid U.S. federal, state or local government issued identification
   
   
   List #2 - Sufficient ID without photo bearing the name and address (two required):
   • Utility bill of the voter that is dated within 90 days of the date of election. A utility bill may be for electric, gas, water, solid waste, sewer, telephone, cellular phone or cable television.
   • Bank or Credit Union statement that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election
   • Valid Arizona Vehicle Registration
   • Indian Census Card
   • Property tax statement of the voter's residence
   • Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification
   • Vehicle Insurance Card
   • Valid U.S. federal, state, or local government issued identification
   • Voter Registration Card / Recorder's Certificate
   • Any "Official Election Material" mailing bearing your name and address
   
4. If you are turned away from the polls for not having acceptable ID, make sure the workers document it. By court order, all disenfranchised voters from Prop 200 must be accounted for so they can determine how widespread the problems are.
5. Consider joining one of the campaign rallies to watch the returns. Drinking Liberally Tucson will be gathering at Trident on Speedway just east of Campbell. Michael has more at Blog for Arizona.
6. Be prepared to engage in widespread protests if the f*ckers try to steal it again.

CHARGE!!!

AZ-05 JD Hayworth(less) Engages In Dirty Tricks

Before I post the press release from Harry Mitchell's Campaign Manager, here are the contacts for the Phoenix media - alert them to the nationwide GOP campaign to disenfranchise voters and sabotage the election. This is a coordinated effort and should be denounced in every single newscast that airs tonight in the Valley.

• Channel 3 - AZ Family
• Channel 5 - CBS Affiliate
• Channel 10 - Fox Affiliate
• Channel 12 - NBC Affiliate
• Channel 15 - ABC Affiliate
• Arizona Republican Contact Numbers
• East Valley Tribune Contact Numbers

Dear Friends,

We have just received word about a dirty tactic being used against our campaign.

There have been several reports that someone is barraging homes in the 5th Congressional District with repeated recorded phone calls that give the appearance of being from the Harry Mitchell campaign. These calls happen late at night and occur several times in a row. The intent is to appear as if Harry is the one repeatedly disturbing these voters.

Let me say for the record that these calls are NOT coming from us.

Although we do not know for sure, we believe these calls are part of the Hayworth campaign’s efforts to suppress Democratic and Independent turnout by making people so angry about the number of recorded calls they’re receiving that they simply don’t vote. Furthermore, these calls make voters angry at Harry because they think he is the one responsible for them. It is a dirty trick, and we want to make sure you’re aware of it.

What You Should Do if You Receive These Calls

If you receive these calls, we request that you do the following:

1. If you receive the call(s) on voice mail, don’t erase it. Write a transcript of the call or share the recording with us.

2. If you pick-up the phone and receive one of these calls, don’t hang-up. Take notes of what the call says, paying special attention to the disclaimer at the end
of the call.

3. If you have caller ID, take a picture of the information you receive or write it down.

4. If it is a live call, hit ”*69” on your keypad to record the source.

5. Contact us as quickly as possible at 480-755-3343 or email us at info@harry2006.com.

6. Warn your friends and neighbors about these calls, and assure them that the calls are not coming from the Harry Mitchell campaign.

With your help, we can capture the information we need to take proper legal action against these imposters.

In the meantime, I’ll apologize on behalf of Hayworth since something tells me he never will.

That’s because after 12 years in Congress, the best J.D. Hayworth can do is pull cheap political stunts and run sleazy, false, negative TV ads. He has nothing else to offer. And that’s exactly why we need a change.

As our most trusted volunteers and supporters, thank you for all the support you have given to this campaign since the very beginning. We could not have come this far without you, and we cherish your friendship and support. That’s why we thought it was so important to make sure you knew about these calls right away and could help us set the record straight.

And that’s why, with your continued hard work and support, Harry Mitchell is going to be the next Member of Congress from Arizona’s 5th District!

Sincerely,

Kelly Ward
Campaign Manager

Harry Mitchell for Congress - AZ-05

For the Wonks Among Us: Congresspedia

Thanks to Conor for the email and the reminder to spread the word about Congresspedia.

Congresspedia, the wiki-based "citizens' encyclopedia on Congress," has seen a huge influx of visitors (on the order of 60,000-80,000 a day) trying to find information on the election. To serve that need we've decided to "wiki the vote": state-by-state listings of all the people running for seats in Congress this year and profiles of the challengers with a decent shot at winning (we're up to about 100) to compliment those we have on each member of Congress. We'd like to get you involved in helping us document the winners of the races as they come in as well as helping us flesh out the profiles and create new ones for the challengers we haven't gotten to, yet. All the information you need is here: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=SourceWatch:Election_2006

Tomorrow night is going to be insane as the polls close around the country and we find out what type of political climate awaits us for the last two years of Bush's Maniacal Tantrum Presidency.

As an FYI, here are the Congresspedia pages for:

• Raúl M. Grijalva - AZ-07
• Ed Pastor - AZ-04

And Dem candidates:

• Gabrielle Giffords - AZ-08
• Harry Mitchell - AZ-05
  
• Ellen Simon - AZ-01

I already spotted some typos so the pages could use revising. You can sign up here if the Flying Spaghetti Monster's Spirit moves you to assist. They are looking for people to help Live Blog the result tomorrow.

Election Day Public Service Announcement

Attention voters in North Dakota - Don't forget your bulletproofed vest when you go to the polls. Dick "Dick" Cheney will be yielding a shotgun again.

Vice President Dick Cheney will spend Election Day on his first hunting trip since he accidentally shot a companion last February while aiming at a covey of quail on a private Texas ranch.

linkage

Any other frivolous news out there? Besides the nekkid guy who was arrested for having a concealed weapon...

Roy Warden's Terrorism

Definition of Terrorism:

ter·ror·ism (tr-rzm)

n.

The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

That sounds about right, here's another entry for the dictionary - courtesy of the comments in my recent post about domestic terrorist Roy Warden.

Get a life?

I have a life, amigo. And my life is now dedicated to sending Mexican Pendejos back to Mexico where they belong.

Make sure you don't end up like Che Guevarra, Che who lost his life trying to steal another man's country.

Remember, like la Chupacabra, La Migra vivan en la noche!

Warden, the Notorious Mexican Flag Burner!
ROY WARDEN | Homepage | 11.05.06 - 5:52 pm | #

Get a clue, Warden.

Your threats don't create fear - rather sustained vigilance to fight against you and the rest of your evil ilk.

Someday you are going to die, all alone, consumed by your hate. Who knows, maybe the deal you made with the devil will let you come back to haunt the fields of Cochise County and suck off a bunch of goats as the Minutemen look on with their binoculars.