ZelphBlog

Russell Pearce Receives Law Degree

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:24:00 +0000

It's true! Jim Ninzel at The Skinny reports on December 21, 2006:

... over the weekend, Pearce was awarded an honorary degree by the Alexander Hamilton Evening Law School, run by none other than perennial candidate Joe Sweeney, another big supporter of Operation Wetback.

Certainly this can't hurt the reputation of Sweeney's diploma mill.

Groscost Dies of Heart Attack

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 00:34:00 +0000

By Mary K. Reinhart, East Valley Tribune
November 3, 2006

Former Arizona House Speaker and Republican Party activist Jeff Groscost died Friday at his Mesa home, according to family friends and lawmakers.

State Sen. Karen Johnson, a close friend of Groscost, said he had recently undergone gallbladder surgery but had come home from the hospital and told family and friends that he felt fine. He died Friday morning of a heart attack.

Mesa police and fire personnel responded at 11:42 a.m. Friday to the 2400 block of East Florian Avenue after receiving a 911 call about a person in the home not breathing, Mesa fire spokesman Mark Freeman said.

The 45-year-old former Arizona speaker of the house was found unresponsive. After life saving measures were attempted he was transported to Banner Baywood Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, Mesa police spokesman Sgt. Chuck Trapani said.

Groscost is perhaps best known for being the architect of a bill offering generous financial incentives for people who bought vehicles converted to use alternative fuels, ostensibly to reduce air pollution.

But motorists jumped on the tax credits, in some cases buying new luxury SUVs at half the cost, and the program threatened to drain nearly $1 billion from the state budget. Legislators fixed the bill in a special session, but not before $140 million had gone out in tax credits and Groscost’s political career was tarnished.

Groscost represented Mesa in the state House from 1993 to 2001, serving as speaker of the House from 1997 to 2001. In 2001, scarred by the altenative fuels fiasco, he lost his bid for the Senate to Democrat Jay Blanchard of Gilbert, an Arizona State University professor who capitalized on voters’ anger.

Groscost later went to work for a company that manufactures alternative-fuel conversion kits.

Even after leaving office, Groscost remained active in politics behind the scenes. When he died, he was Republican Party chairman for Legislative District 18 in Mesa.

State Treasurer David Petersen Resigns

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 05:10:00 +0000

"Labwiroro" Petersen assured us that this would never happen. He was wrong.

Paul Davenport
Associated Press
Oct. 25, 2006 03:23 PM

State Treasurer David Petersen will resign under an agreement with prosecutors that calls for him to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to report $4,200 in commissions he received for selling character-education materials to schools, Attorney General Terry Goddard said Wednesday.

Petersen was scheduled to appear Wednesday in Maricopa County Superior Court to be arraigned on the single misdemeanor count that culminated a months-long criminal investigation that originally centered on allegations of theft, fraud and conflict of interest.

IMHO, Petersen got off pretty light considering.

A Slap on the Wrist for Young Bennett

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Sun, 02 Apr 2006 19:32:00 +0000

Clifton Bennett, son of Arizona Senate President, Ken Bennett will serve no jail time for sodomizing 18 boys at a summer camp with flashlights and broomsticks if Yavapai County prosecutors have their way. Today's Arizona Republic informs us:

The son of Arizona's Senate president confessed that he and another counselor shoved broomsticks and flashlights into the rectums of 18 boys in at least 40 incidents at a youth camp in June.

Now Yavapai County prosecutors say they will drop all but one assault charge and likely recommend little or no jail time if 18-year-old Clifton Bennett agrees to plead guilty.

But what did you expect? Did you really think that the son of a prominent Republican politican would go to jail in Arizona? Dream on.

Nope, young Bennett will instead be going on a mission for his church.

... in a letter to the Yavapai County attorney, Bennett's lawyers said he immediately "took responsibility for his role, showed remorse and admitted that this 'hazing' was inappropriate."

They described Bennett as an honor student and active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, planning to go on a mission in September. "A felony conviction for assault will make his desire to complete his mission impossible," they wrote.

Under the plea agreements Bennett and Wheeler could face a maximum two years in prison. But the court could reduce the charges to a misdemeanor and no jail time.

Needless to say, the parents of the victims will not be pleased with this outcome.

The pleas, which describe the assault charge as "a non-dangerous, non-repetitive offense," have outraged parents who say their sons were victims of violent sexual attacks. The boys, who were 11 to 14 years old at the time, have had trouble going to the bathroom, sleep with clothes on, are afraid at night, and have undergone sexual-assault counseling.

The parents want Bennett and Wheeler to face sexual-assault charges, undergo psychosexual evaluations and spend several days in jail per victim.

"Our biggest concern is that these kids are going to do it again," said the mother of an 11-year-old Tucson boy. "My son had something shoved up his butt seven or eight times. If that's not sexual assault, what is?"

Petersen Won't Resign

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 00:14:00 +0000

It appears that Tedski was wrong and Paul D. "Labwiroro" Petersen was correct, according to a recent article in the Arizona Capitol Times. State Treasurer David Petersen has no plans to resign, despite the recent scandal in his office involving misuse of state resources and pressure from those in his own party to do so. Petersen will, however, not seek re-election.

... Malaj (Pedersen’s chief of staff) denied rumors that Mr. Petersen, 55, might resign in the wake of the investigation. The treasurer, never a favorite in his own party, received pressure to resign, said a Republican source, who spoke on background about the investigation.

“I’m the person he confides in, as well as the Chief Deputy Blaine Vance . . .” Mr. Malaj said Feb. 21. He said he had discussed an announcement of his boss’s plans with Mr. Petersen the week of Feb. 13, “and the word ‘resign’ was not in it.”

Mr. Malaj said his challenge since the investigation began is to keep employees from being distracted by it.

“There are some solid people in there, some with 30 years’ experience,” a former treasury official said.

Mr. Petersen has spent most of his time away from the Capitol since the investigation began.

...

Mr. Petersen was asked ... were he to engage in another profession, what would it be?

"Probably a minister," he said. "That’s crazy — politician to minister."

It IS crazy. The Mormon Church, to which Petersen belongs, has no full-time professional clergy.

Unless ... Bill Gothard, founder of the Christian Fundamentalist Character First program, which Petersen has been abusing state resources on behalf of, has convinced him to change religions! Has Petersen been brainwashed by a bizarre religious cult?

Assume the Position

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 05:06:00 +0000

It looks like Ken Bennett's son may cut a deal.

How did I know this case would never go to trial?

'Brooming' suspects may get plea deal

Tucson boy was among 17 police say were assaulted

By Stephanie Innes

Arizona Daily Star

Police reports say he was assaulted with a broomstick, a flashlight and a cane — and now a 12-year-old Tucson boy may see the camp counselors accused of attacking him receive a plea deal that could allow them to avoid prison.

The boy is one of 17 middle school students, ages 11 through 15, who police reports say were assaulted by three teenage counselors at a camp for school leaders in Prescott last summer. One of the counselors was Clifton Roy Bennett, the 18-year-old son of Arizona Senate President Ken Bennett.

The Yavapai County Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting the case, is saying only that Bennett and his co-defendants are scheduled for an early disposition hearing in Yavapai County Superior Court today.

Office spokeswoman Penny Cramer said she did not know anything else about the case. Two calls from the Arizona Daily Star to prosecutor James Landis on Friday and Monday were not returned. A Monday call to Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk also was not returned.

Clifton Bennett and Kyle Wheeler, 19, each had been originally charged with 18 counts of aggravated assault and 18 counts of kidnapping. They were arrested last month, after an official at one of the students' schools reported the incident to authorities. A third suspect also was expected to face charges.

Lawyers for Bennett and Wheeler did not return phone calls Monday.

Bennett and Wheeler described the activity with the boys as hazing and roughhousing, in interviews with the Prescott Police Department.

Wheeler said he had endured the same thing as a camper. Bennett told detectives he had participated in "brooming," but he thought it was all in fun.

According to police reports, the assaults took place at Chapel Rock Camp during a weeklong camp for school leaders in June. The reports say some campers clogged a toilet and, when no one would confess, witnesses told police the junior counselors lined up the youngsters, told them to bend over and "broomsticked" them.

The boys told police that "broomsticking" was done alternately with a broom, a cane, a mop handle and a heavy-duty flashlight while they were clothed. The exact definition of broomsticking varied, according to witness reports, from touching brooms to the boys' rectal areas to one description of how a boy was held down and the witness said the broomstick was "shoved" into his bottom.

Other witnesses say Wheeler choked several of the boys until they passed out.

At least two of the victims are from Tucson, according to local attorney Lynne M. Cadigan, who is acting as an advocate for one of them, a 12-year-old boy who attends Catholic school.

The father of that boy says he did not know about the assaults until a detective called the family's home in December. The father said his son spoke directly with the detective and has been reluctant to discuss the incidents with his family.

Cadigan says the assaults were clearly sexual, and both boys suffered physical trauma. She says both Wheeler and Bennett should have been charged with sexual assault and that they both deserve prison time.

The father said he spoke to the victim advocate in the County Attorney's Office, who told them Clifton Bennett was going to be offered a plea bargain to one count of aggravated assault.

Cadigan also said she was told by a representative from the office that Bennett is being offered a plea bargain to one count of aggravated assault and Wheeler will be offered two counts. They'll both face probation rather than jail or prison time, a possibility.

"Come on. I told her that was unacceptable. This was not roughhousing. These are 12- and 13-year-old kids. Anyone else would go to prison for six to 10 years," said the father, whom the Star is not naming because it would identify his son.

"I do remember when we picked him up from camp he complained that his butt hurt. But we didn't pursue it. We had no idea what had been going on," he said. "He's a pretty accomplished kid and he's in counseling now, so hopefully he'll get over it. He's a strong kid."

According to police reports, the Tucson boy was a particular target of Wheeler. Witnesses told police that Wheeler did not like the child because he talked a lot and so he "broomed" him more than any other camper. The boy told detectives that he was "broomed" seven to 10 times, and that all three of the suspects participated.

He Will Always Be Thayer

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 20:03:00 +0000

Just when I was beginning to worry that the usual suspects weren't going to introduce any really batshit crazy legislation during this session of the Arizona State Legislature, along comes Thayer Vershoor, R-Gilbert with SB1331 just under the deadline.

SB 1331

Introduced by

Senators Verschoor, Blendu, Harper, Jarrett, Johnson; Representatives Barnes, Biggs, Burges, Groe, Smith, Yarbrough: Senators Bee, Burns, Flake, Gould, Gray, Huppenthal, Martin; Representatives Allen J, Anderson, Gorman, Mason, Pearce, Pierce, Quelland, Rosati

AN ACT

amending Title 15, chapter 14, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding article 8; relating to UNIVERSITIES and community colleges.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 15, chapter 14, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding article 8, to read:

ARTICLE 8. ALTERNATIVE COURSEWORK AND MATERIALS

START_STATUTE15-1881. Alternative coursework or materials

Each university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents and each community college under the jurisdiction of a community college district shall adopt procedures by which students who object to any course, coursework, learning material or activity on the basis that it is personally offensive shall be provided without financial or academic penalty an alternative course, alternative coursework, alternative learning materials or alternative activity. Objection to a course, coursework, learning material or activity on the basis that it is personally offensive includes objections that the course, coursework, learning material or activity conflicts with the student's beliefs or practices in sex, morality or religion.

Sheesh, this could have really helped my grades in Calculus. All I would have had to do was tell my professor that integration offended my religious sensibilities and he would have had to give me an alternative assignment. SWEET!

Not surprisingly, those buzzkill college teachers oppose Vershoor's most excellent bill which has already made it out of the Higher Education Committee.

"This legislation would impoverish the higher-education system for students," said Barbara Fahey, a professor of English at Scottsdale Community College.

"(The bill) would create chaos in the classroom," said Bill Mullaney. It's "appalling," and it would undermine his ability to teach students, Mullaney said.

Brittney Patten, a sophomore at the Scottsdale campus, has a different opinion: "(Teachers) are supposed to cater to student needs," she said.

Well said, Brittney, and Jesus' General has some great ideas on just how to do this.

And remember, when it's wacko legislation you want, "he will always be Thayer for you". (actual campaign slogan)

It's All About Character

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 19:51:00 +0000

A most excellent post about the recent scandal in the Arizona State Treasurer's Office here.

State Treasurer David Petersen is just another theocrat who believes that he can break the law to further his religious and political ends. Do these folks believe in a god that is so impotent that it is necessary to lie, cheat, and steal on his behalf?

What do these legislators have in common?

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 03:41:00 +0000

An editorial in today's Arizona Republic suggests that some leaders in the Arizona Legislature seem to be reluctant to allow ordinary citizens to speak before this august body. Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Mesa, Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, and Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise seem to regard citizen input as a nuisance and would prefer to listen to their own voices. Can anyone tell me what these three legislators have in common (other than arrogance)?

... Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Mesa, who was sensationally confronted last week by a lobbyist for the Arizona Interfaith Network. After having been refused a chance to speak in Gray's committee on a host of immigration bills, lobbyist Tom Donovan attempted to grab the microphone and read a protest letter. Gray called in security.

"I was a police officer for 10 years, and I know mob rule, which was what we had here," Gray said.

Although Donovan's gambit was a bit over the top, it doesn't change the fact that in the face of "mob rule," Gray is playing mob boss. Even the state Chamber of Commerce has gotten short shrift from Gray, who has allowed chamber reps just a few short speaking moments regarding those immigration issues.

Of course, Gray doesn't cut off everybody. Gray recently allotted 30 minutes of his committee's busy calendar to hearing testimony on an immigration bill sponsored by Gray's East Valley compadre, Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa. Gray gave up 25 of those 30 minutes to testimony from . . . yes, Russell Pearce.

The anecdotal evidence of tub-thumping committee tyranny at the Legislature is too widespread to ignore.

In January, Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, cut off Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas in midsentence. He then gaveled the meeting closed and walked away, leaving an entire hearing room slack-jawed and speechless at his appalling cheek.

I know you have the priesthood power and all guys, but representative democracy requires that citizens have input into the legislative process. Don't make me have to raise my arm to the square.

Ken Bennett's Son Charged With Assault

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 04:27:00 +0000

Phoenix Fox News 10 just reported that Clifton Bennett, son of Arizona Senate President Ken Bennett, was arrested today and charged with assault. Bennett's son and another man allegedly sodomized young boys with a broom handle at at a camp where they were employed as camp counselors according to the Fox News 10 report.

Here's the account from The Arizona Republic:

The adult son of Senate President Ken Bennett was arrested Monday along with another man and accused of assaulting more than a dozen boys at a Student Council camp last summer in Prescott, officials said.

Prescott police Lt. Pete Hodap said 18 junior-high boys between the ages of 14 and 16 were "held down and assaulted with a broom handle" while clothed at the camp in June.

Allegations against Clifton Bennett, 18, of Prescott, and Kyle Wheeler, 19, of Glendale, who were counselors at the camp, came to police attention in December, Hodap said. Both men were arrested Monday and booked on suspicion of 18 counts of aggravated assault and 18 counts of kidnapping, because the victims were held down. Police also expect to arrest a third suspect, a juvenile.

Family values, anyone?

UPDATE HERE

Mayor Moonbat

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:05:00 +0000

Dale has a hilarious post over at It's a Wonderful Lie about Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman.

One of the funnier quotes from Mayor Moonbat:

Well, I won't give my mayoral business card which could shut down your business, or my Gilbert PD business card, which I own and could send in here right now and turn your place upside down, I'll give you my real estate business card!

Who elects these people? Nevermind, I know.

Secret Combinations?

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 02:44:00 +0000

An education advisor to State Representative Laura Knaperek (R-District 17) was demoted for an apparent conflict of interest. According to yesterday's Arizona Republic:

Kim Sheane took a job as a higher-education adviser for the Republican majority staff at the House on Dec. 13, three days after she resigned as executive director of the Arizona Community College Association.Sheane was paid $15,000 from the association to edit a "white paper" spelling out the organization's long-term goals. The contract also called on Sheane to oversee "grass-roots" public relations work for the association. That included building support to allow community colleges to give four-year baccalaureate degrees, a key issue Sheane was to be involved in as a House adviser to Higher Education Committee Chairwoman Laura Knaperek, R-Tempe.

Records showed that Sheane had another potential conflict of interest because she continued to draw regular paychecks from the Arizona Community College Association for back vacation time until March.

Those payments amounted to more than $34,000, records show. Between the contract and the back pay, the association paid Sheane $49,000 after she took the House job. That was in addition to her $115,000 legislative salary.

In February, Knaperek introduced House Bill 2079, which would have allowed community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees in fire science, health professions, law enforcement and teaching.

It also would have converted Eastern Arizona College, a financially struggling community college in Thatcher, into a four-year liberal-arts college.

Sheane worked behind the scenes with Knaperek and other Republicans to make sure that the bill passed at the same time as she was under contract with the ACCA doing related work. The legislation ultimately died in the Senate.

Knaperek since has embarked on an aggressive series of Town Hall campaigns to build support. Sheane was assisting in that effort until she was disciplined last week.

Where are they now?

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 06:39:00 +0000

Tedski at Rum,Romanism and Rebellion has a post up about one of the wackiest of the wacky, former Arizona Mormon state legislator Barbara Blewster of Dewey, Arizona. Apparently Blewster thinks we have an excess of democracy here in the US of A, and wants US Senators to be appointed rather than elected.

Blewster as you may recall, managed to out-Mecham Mecham, insulting Jews, Blacks, gays, and American Indians in her brief time in the legislature. My personal favorite was when she told fellow Republican Barbara Leff that she didn't realize that she was Jewish because she didn't have "a big hooked nose".

Blewster is currently the head of the Arizona Republican Assembly.

Talk about Chutzpah!

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 05:02:00 +0000

Remember Jeff Groscost? Groscost was the former Mesa Mormon state legislator responsible for the Alternative Fuels scam that cost the state of Arizona $140 million. He's baaaaaaaaaack! Not as a legislator, but as the new president of a Mesa company that sells alternative-fuels vehicle conversion kits. Have these folks no shame? Sheesh!

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0714groscost14.html

The alternative-fuel vehicle program was a disaster for Groscost's once promising political career. It also threatened at one point to drain state coffers by $800 million before lawmakers trimmed the costs to about $140 million by shutting out buyers.

"They actually sent this out in a press release?" asked Rep. Bill Brotherton, D-Phoenix, of the announcement. "You usually do that when you want to get positive press. Are they new in town?"

Brotherton, one of the few lawmakers who voted against the alternative-fuels program, said Groscost is still politically radioactive.

Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale, marveled at Groscost's ability to land on his feet after the drawn out "alternative-fuel fiasco."

"There's no end to Jeff Groscost's ability to sell himself and his quote, unquote unique skills he brings to the table," Allen said. "He's an amazing opportunist. But as I recall, we paid out a lot of money as taxpayers because of that scheme, and it was a scheme."

But Sen. Karen Johnson, who served with Groscost in the same Mesa district, believes he was a visionary when it comes to alternative-fuel technology, even though she didn't support his initial alternative-fuels legislation.

"He was a man before his time, and I applaud anybody who is working to make us less dependent on foreign oil," said Johnson, R-Mesa.

Groscost, a Mesa Republican, was a state representative from 1993 until 2001 and speaker of the House from 1997 to 2001, when he ran unsuccessfully for Senate. By then, he was immersed in the alternative-fuels scandal and he lost to Democrat Jay Blanchard of Gilbert in a heavily conservative district.

In 2000, he ushered a Senate bill through the Legislature that offered generous financial incentives for people to buy vehicles capable of using alternative fuels, to help clean the air. Then Gov. Jane Hull signed it into law.But it was so generous that motorists scrambled to dealers to buy cars and in some cases, got half the price back in tax credits. What was expected to cost the state about $10 million in tax credits ended up costing about $140 million, even after the Legislature stopped the program.

Since then, Groscost has been working as a consultant on various political and business campaigns. He has worked on behalf of Wal-Mart and shopping center developer Vestar Development Co., as well as campaigns for state Treasurer David Petersen and U.S. Sen. John McCain.

For those unfamiliar with the alt fuels scam, here's a quick history lesson:

http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:54223

In the single most irresponsible government giveaway in state history, Speaker of the House Jeff Groscost forced an 80-page bill past lawmakers in the closing moments of the 2000 session. The bill, dubbed alt-fuels, was advertised as an environment-friendly law that would get cleaner cars on the road. In reality, it was a massive subsidy that allowed Arizonans to get the state to pick up the tab for their cars, as long as they converted them to run on alternative fuels--even if they never actually used the option.

The final tab on alt-fuels ran about $140 million--and it also cost Groscost a state Senate seat when he was beaten by an unknown Arizona State University professor, Jay Blanchard, who had gotten into the race on a lark. As a result, in the 2001-'02 sessions, the state Senate ended up with a 15-15 split between the parties, with Democrats wielding more clout than they'd had in years.

Groscost's hasn't let a tiny $140 million mistake keep him out of politics; he's been spotted all over the Capitol this year, including in huddles in Speaker Jake Flake's office.

http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=14196

The fiasco would easily qualify as one of the worst chapters in Arizona's political history if only there weren't so many other contenders for that dubious honor. Former Gov. Evan Mecham was impeached in the late 1980s over improper campaign loans. In the early 1990s, in a scandal dubbed Azscam, several state lawmakers were videotaped taking bribes from an undercover informant posing as a gambling lobbyist.

Ah, those were the days my friend! We thought they'd never end. Thankfully they did. Those years were a bonanza for political cartoonists in Arizona like Steve Benson.

Abortion causes breast cancer and Bush is a commie!

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Tue, 03 May 2005 03:50:00 +0000

Arizona State Senator Karen Johnson says abortion causes breast cancer and Bush is a commie!

Karen Johnson is one of the nuttier people in the Arizona legislature. A true believing Mormon and a big believer in marriage and the family, Karen has been married five times now. She seems to like sponsoring bills to make it harder to get divorced. :)

Here are some choice excerpts from a recent interview of Senator Johnson by the Arizona Capitol Times (May 2, 2005):

Q. You have received much publicity about your position that abortion causes breast cancer. Do you base that on scientific findings?

A. Oh, very much so. I have seen many definitive studies. I have gone to conferences where that has been the sole issue. To me, there’s no question that abortion, especially in the early months, causes the structure in cells in the breast to change… and that is what’s very conducive to cancer. Wow, I’ve been blown away when the other side doesn’t want women to be aware that breast cancer is very, very prevalent among those that have had abortions.

Q. There’s a debate whether religion is creeping too far into government. Do you think that’s the case?

A. I wish it would creep in a whole lot more. Our culture has just gone into the sewer. The moral values of the people in this country are sadly, sadly declining. When our country was at its zenith we had strong families, which is the foundation of our society. The debasing of society has just set in. I’m fearful when pornography is on every corner, and our children can access it freely, I don’t know what we expect to see happen down the road if we don’t pull back from this. I don’t think we should make laws necessarily. I wish people on their own would see this and make the right decisions.

Q. Liberal talk radio hosts have been saying neo-cons see conflict between the Bible and the Constitution, whereas most people believe the Bible and the Constitution can coexist peacefully. What do you think?

A. Don’t get me started on the neo-cons. I am not a neo-con. A neo-con, actually, is a Trotskyite [supporters of Leon Trotsky’s theory that socialism must be established throughout the world by continuing revolution.] They want, in my opinion, world domination.

Q. Is President Bush a neo-con?

A. Yes, absolutely. The Constitution is a divinely inspired document from the Lord. This land of America is a special promised land. The neo-cons want to export this to the world, saying, “You will be a democracy.” That’s not our purpose.

More of the wit and wisdom of Karen Johnson here.

Senator Johnson is:

Chairman of the Rules Committee
Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health & Welfare
A Member of the Appropriations Committee
A Member of the Human Services Committee

Only in Arizoneee!

My state representative is a bisexual apostate Mormon!

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Mon, 02 May 2005 03:51:00 +0000

And Arizona's youngest legislator. And she's sharp as a tack too. I can proudly say that there is no more progessive legislator in the Arizona state legislature than Krysten Sinema. I bet she drives Mormon establishment in control of our legislature nuts. Imagine how happy conservative Mormons must be having to deal with a progressive openly bisexual apostate Mormon. BWAHAHAHAHAHA. Give em hell Krysten!

Krysten has been a guest (as well as a guest host) on local Phoenix liberal talk show host Dr. Mike Newcomb's show a number of times now. Dr. Newcomb's show has recently moved to 1010 AM in the Phoenix area (Air America).

Here's a March 11, 2005 interview with Rep.Sinema from the Arizona Capitol Times:

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema
Central Phoenix Democrat, State’s Youngest Lawmaker, Is ‘No Political Rookie’

By Jim Small

A freshman Democrat from District 15 in central Phoenix, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema has stepped right into some of the more heated debates on the House floor. A bisexual, she made an emotional plea for the House not to approve HCM 2005, which urges Congress to pass a federal Constitutional amendment to prohibit gay marriage. A recent law school graduate with an eye toward being a criminal defense attorney, she has spoken out on many bills that she feels infringe on the rights of the accused. Ms. Sinema was interviewed on March 7 by Arizona Capitol Times to discuss her first-term experiences at the Legislature.

You recently received your law degree from ASU – what type of law did you specialize in and do you plan on passing the Bar exam and practicing?

I graduated in December – criminal defense and I took the Bar two weeks ago, so, hopefully I passed it. We’ll see. Actually, the day that [the House voted on HCM 2005] was the day before the Bar. It was a real bad day. I’m the only person I know who went to work the day before the Bar. I should have been at a hotel, crying under a table like everyone else. I will practice criminal defense when we’re not in session. I find out if I passed in May. There’s high expectations because the whole state knows I took the Bar, pretty much, so I better pass.

What attracted you to politics?

I was just born involved in politics. My family is conservative Mormon, and so I was born – although the Mormon faith is not inherently political, their faith requires some political stands, and those are ones that I happen to disagree with vehemently – so I was just political from a very early age. But I think my political views really became sharper and more solidified during my eight years as a social worker, when I practiced in the Sunnyslope community. One of the things that I found on a daily basis is that I was really hampered in my ability to assist the community and to help people work toward self-sufficiency, which I think is the ultimate goal of social work, to help people until they’re able to become self-sufficient, and then they don’t need your services. I felt like my hands were tied in providing that service because of the political structure, society and the law weren’t allowing me to have the space to create the self-sufficiency for my clients.

At 28, you’re the youngest lawmaker at the Capitol. What impact does that have (positive and negative)?

I don’t think it has a positive or negative impact. The people who are most concerned about my age are the media, frankly. It doesn’t seem to have a big difference here in terms of members or Republicans versus Democrats. In the short time that I’ve been here, people have seen that, although I am definitely progressive in my political views, I’m also smart. If you’re intelligent and articulate and can make a point based on law, fact and reason, age really is not that important. I haven’t felt a detriment from my age at all. People comment on it, but it’s never hurt me in any way, because I think people realize that, while I might be younger than everyone else here, I am no political rookie. I’m not inexperienced in the world – I graduated with my undergraduate degree when I was 18. I’ve been a professional for 10 years, so I have experience, I have education – I have three degrees – no one’s really going to say I’m a young fish or anything, because I come to the table at least with what other people come to the table with, and, in some cases, I think more. I think [my age is] important, because I think young people can bring something very significant to politics, and that’s a fresh, new, innovative way of looking at things, and I think that’s something I bring here. But, again, I also bring, I think, a little maturity that’s beyond my years.

How were you able to get your undergraduate degree by age 18?

I graduated high school when I was 16. When I was in high school – I started high school at 14, the same age as everyone else – I went to community college in the summers instead of hanging out at the beach like everyone else did. My third year of high school, when I was sixteen, I went to college full-time instead of going to high school, so I graduated [high school] a year early and I also graduated with 66 college credits because I had been attending community college since I was 13 – I went to community college before I went to high school. When I went to college to get my undergraduate degree, I already had the equivalent of an [associate’s degree], so within two years I was able to complete my degree and graduate at 18.

Why the switch from Independent to Democrat from your first legislative campaign [lost to Democrats Ken Clark and Wally Straughn in 2002] to last year’s?

Well, you saw the results from the first campaign, didn’t you? Nothing about my political beliefs changed, nothing about my ideology changed. It was a practical decision. One of the reasons I chose not to run as a Democrat the first time I ran was because I felt the Democratic Party had lost a lot of its ideals. It had moved too far to the center and had abandoned the issues of importance to its base – working class people, Latinos, African Americans, women – and had really lost its commitment to those groups. There’s been a change. The party has definitely moved back and is embracing its roots. A big part of that was the momentum that was leading up to the last election. I don’t think the party’s fully there yet, but I think at the state level the party’s doing much better. We’re back towards arguing about what’s good for families, and that includes helping small businesses, making sure the economy’s healthy, but it’s really about focusing on individuals and what’s good for families in Arizona.

Now that you’ve made it to the Legislature, what do you think of the process and the daily activities?

Lately, it’s been a madhouse. At the beginning, as it always is in the beginning, it was a little slow and everyone was playing nice and we were all very cordial to each other. There have been a few things about the process that are difficult for me, and one of those would be, for instance, we had a [Committee of the Whole] session last Tuesday [March 1], and I felt in that COW session, there was a concerted effort to stifle debate and discussion, and I actually made a comment about it in caucus later that day. That concerns me, because we’re elected to represent our constituents, and that includes the full range of democracy. Representative democracy means that the people in my district elected me to be their voice and I can’t be their voice if there’s a concerted effort to not allow us to speak. I had to stand up and wave and practically scream to get recognized, but I did, and I got recognized the whole rest of that COW session, and the reason I did was because those were bills that hurt Arizona families, that I think are bad public policy and, even if they are going to pass, I have a duty and responsibility to myself and to my constituency to make sure that Arizona knows that District 15 and many people throughout the state don’t believe in what happened. That has been one of the most concerning things to me – the effort to truncate, to kind of smoosh democracy into a two-hour time period. It just doesn’t fit. Last week and this week were pretty bad, and I do know that we have this huge backlog of bills – there’s so many bills to caucus and there’s lots of bills to COW, but, frankly, if we’re going to be here until two in the morning because that’s how long it takes to debate the bad bills, okay then, that’s how long we’re going to be here. I’ve got some caffeine in my fridge and I’m ready to stay, because that’s what we’re here for. I don’t ever want to become a legislator who just rubber-stamps what’s happening. I just want to see democracy preserved. The idea is that we’re just going to rush things through for the good of the order, and what I believe [is] that the good of the order is actually respecting democracy and allowing a full debate to occur.

How does your social work background impact the legislation you support?

I think both my law degree and my social work degrees have an impact on what I do. They are a reflection of what I believe in, but they also help shape the way I look at things. Yeah, I’m not going to like [the Republican budget], because it strips money from family builders, which is a child abuse prevention program. It takes money from childcare subsidies, which is the number one key to helping low-income women get out of poverty and into the workforce. All these little programs and building blocks that really help create self-sufficiency, those are the kind of things I’m going to work to protect. In terms of social work, it’s really helped me continue to view legislation through the eyes of what is best for all Arizona families. You hear a lot of talk about families down here – I just wish we talked about all the families. Not everyone’s family is raised in the East Valley with a two-parent, two-income household and a two-car garage with plenty of money for soccer after school. In fact, I know very few of those families, and in my work as a social worker, I worked in the Sunnyslope community, which is largely undocumented, and very hard-working first-generation, monolingual Spanish-speaking families, and it’s not the same world as it is out in Gilbert. I am looking at legislation through the eyes of the at-risk people and the underserved, not through the eyes of middle-class-white-bread America.

If there were one thing you could change about the state, what would it be?

I don’t think that Arizona has a history of adequately funding the vital programs and resources in our state – education, health care, social service programs. These are all the building blocks of a healthy and safe community and we don’t fund them adequately and we haven’t for years. It’s been like 20 years since we’ve done adequate funding for those programs. I think the Legislature is very short sighted. If we want to have – I think Democrats and Republicans alike would agree that we want to have a strong and vibrant economy in the future, we just differ on how to get there. Some Republicans believe the way to get there is through tax cuts for corporations and for the wealthy. I believe the way to get there is through a very strong education system, because then we have an intelligent and articulate workforce who can then go and work at those high-paying jobs. I think that cutting taxes is going to hurt us because then we can’t fund education. I believe that our chronic underfunding of the system – and by “the system,” I mean all of Arizona’s systems – has relegated us to a place of mediocrity. We can never become a great state when we’re funding things in a mediocre manner. We have to be strong, we have to be bold, and that means that we have to invest in the future, and we don’t.

What is the biggest problem facing the state in the future?

I think it’s funding, it’s chronic underfunding. There’s other issues: I think we have a huge water crisis coming that the Legislature refuses to acknowledge and deal with. You know, you can’t ignore water forever.

I think that’s important, but I do think the number one important issue facing the state is chronic underfunding. If we do not have a balanced, reasoned tax system that provides adequate resources for a state budget so we can truly fund the important programs, like infrastructure for Arizona’s future, we’re never going to be able to have a vibrant economy. We need to do an overhaul of our entire tax system.

In what way?

Right now, we get taxes in the system in three ways: we have sales taxes, we have property tax and we have income tax. It’s kind of like a three-legged chair, but it’s not balanced. There’s a heavy burden, of course, on sales tax, which is a regressive form of taxation and it hurts low-income and moderate-income people the most. I spend every dollar I earn, not because I want to, but because I need to. For upper income people, they spend a very small portion of their income. Most of their income is not spent in the marketplace, it’s spent to invest into some stocks and bonds, so it’s not put back into the marketplace for taxation. So, sales tax is really a regressive form of taxation. By far, it’s our strongest leg of that chair – it’s going to tip over if we keep funding it that way. What we need to do is truly balance our sales tax, property tax and income taxes. One of the issues going through right now is a [Rep. Steve] Huffman bill that has passed through the House already that would reduce the valuation for property taxes for businesses. While that is a good idea in the long term, because property taxes are high for businesses in Arizona, if you just reduce property taxes for businesses in Arizona without compensating for that in the system, you have what’s called deficit, which means you can’t fund. We’re already underfunded, so now we’re going to be pulling even more money [out]. What we really need to do is reinstate a statewide property tax. The Legislature eliminated it; I believe, in the late eighties, early nineties. It would help us with education, as well. We need to restructure the income tax system. I think that the highest five per cent of wage earners paying more taxes in this state is not a big deal, and if I were up there, I’d be happy to pay it. I’m nowhere near there, and I’m happy to pay more taxes, and the reason is I believe it pays for things we need in the state, like education, healthcare and social services. If we don’t balance that three-legged chair, we’re going to have serious problems, even bigger than we’re having now. We’re going to have huge, major fiscal crises, because we’re moving away from a sales-based economy to a service-based economy, and you know how we tax sales but we don’t tax services? That’s going to be a bigger problem in the future as we move more and more towards services. We’re losing at all ends. What I think we need to do is hire some really, really smart economists who understand long term tax systems. We need to go through and fix the loopholes, fix the Swiss cheese, and get a balanced tax system that actually addresses all three of the revenue streams and is fair. We can do that by next week, I’m sure. No problem.

Why is there so much legislative opposition to gay marriage and domestic partnerships?

I think it’s fear. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Perhaps it’s fear of the unknown. Perhaps it’s fear of change. Perhaps it’s fear of losing what you know. But I do think that it’s based on fear. I think that, in my opinion, there are three targets in the Legislature: there’s immigrants, LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer/questionable] people and the poor. Now, we have a long history of targeting the poor at the Arizona Legislature, so that’s less of a surprise, but the target on LGBTQ people and the target on immigrants has, in my opinion, increased exponentially in the past couple of years — especially against the immigrant population. There are amazing numbers of bills that are targeted and persecuting those perceived to be immigrants. I would argue that the legislation that is anti-immigrant and the legislation that is anti-LGBTQ is based on the same thing: it’s fear. Because those are the people who are not here at the Legislature. How many immigrants do you see walking around at the Legislature? Perhaps someone who’s cleaning the building at night, but that’s it. These are communities that are not represented – they’re minority communities that are very small and there’s a history of oppression of these communities. I think that’s one of the reasons that we see this targeting. I think in particular, though, in Arizona and throughout the country, the reason we see so much targeting toward LGBTQ people and any kind of legislation that would positively impact that community would be as a response to the fear that gays are going to “take over marriage” or destroy marriage as an institution, which is not anyone’s interest. There’s no one in the LGBT community saying, “I can’t wait to destroy marriage.” What people in the LGBT community are saying, though, is, “We would like to participate in some of the responsibilities that are attendant with this,” and I just think that this response throughout the country is a backlash to the movement that we’ve seen — moving forward some of the equal rights for LGBTQ people in the past two decades. We’ve seen a lot of advancements and a lot of movement toward protecting that class of minority, and this is a response to the thought that it’s moving too far or too fast.

When you say immigrants, are you talking about those here legally, illegally, or a combination of the two?

All. I mean immigrants and those perceived to be immigrants. In my opinion, for instance, with Prop. 200, it targets undocumented residents. Or, as some people like to say, illegal aliens. I don’t like that term – I think undocumented residents is a better term. It’s not as divisive. But, Prop. 200 will hurt a whole lot more than just undocumented residents. It hurts children of undocumented residents who are citizens, and it’s designed to do that. And it also hurts anyone who is perceived to be a member of that community. So, [Rep.] Steve Gallardo, for example, was born, raised here in Arizona, but he really could be targeted under Prop. 200 because he looks a certain way. —

An interview with Sen. Karen Johnson

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 04:11:00 +0000

The Phoenix New Times' Robrt L. Pela interviews Mormon State Senator Karen Johnson (January 6, 2005) . Karen Johnson was named worst legislator of the year in 2002 by the Arizona Republic for abusing her authority as House Rules Chair to hold up bills. Karen is a big believer in marriage, she's been married five times so far. She has also sponsored legislation that would make it harder to get divorced.

Karen in the Hot Seat
Gays are okay, except sometimes
by Robrt L. Pela

When I arrive at her office at the Arizona House of Representatives, termed-out Republican Representative Karen Johnson is Scotch-taping the hem of her skirt, which has come unraveled and which she's rolled up into her lap for a quick repair. She laughs when I offer to help, and waves me away, saying, "Good luck finding a seat in here." The room is crowded with half-filled cardboard boxes, because Johnson -- who made a name for herself during her eight years in the House as an anti-porn advocate and a champion of gay discrimination -- is moving this week to the Senate, where Senate President Ken Bennett has seated her next to openly gay Democrat Ken Cheuvront, an irony that seems lost on no one but the lady herself.

Johnson has no time for irony. She's too busy packing; too consumed with spouting about how promiscuous homosexuals are "undermining the natural family," despite the fact that she's been married five times herself. But irony is hogwash; flapdoodle for unpatriotic people who believe in civil rights for everyone, not just those mentioned in the New Testament. Karen Johnson is a patriot; she is living proof that, when politicians aren't corrupt, they're often deeply ignorant. More than anything, she's a red-white-and-blue reminder that as long as we continue to give power to people whose clothing is held together with tape, whose political career fits into a dozen paper boxes, probably we deserve Karen Johnson.

Karen Johnson: Okay. I'm ready for my interview now. My hem is fixed.
New Times: You're the same hyper-conservative you were 10 years ago, but lately it seems the rest of the world -- politicians and your constituency, at least -- has caught up with you.
Johnson: But what's the definition of conservative now? George Bush calls himself a conservative, but he's not. He's spent more money in his first four years in office than Clinton spent in his whole eight years.

NT: Well, perhaps Bush isn't fiscally conservative, but --
Johnson: He's too compassionate. He's a neo-con.

NT: Right. Bush is too compassionate. Now, I understand you were given an "A plus" rating by the NRA.

Johnson: I love guns. They're the ultimate feminine protection! I have lots of them, and I have my permits.
NT: We wouldn't expect anything less of you. So, the new Senate seating chart has been released, and you're seated right next to Ken Cheuvront. How's that going to be -- sitting next to a homosexual all session?

Johnson: I have never had a problem with Ken. I don't have a problem with homosexuals. I really don't. Everybody, in my opinion, is entitled to choose the lifestyle they want to follow. I just don't choose personally to validate that. And I don't think the state should validate it, either.
NT: Did you see the article about you in the Republic --

Johnson: Oh, we don't take the Republic. We haven't for years.

NT: Now, there's something to like about you. So you didn't know you were sitting next to Ken until you came in to work on Monday.
Johnson: Right. And I had no trouble with it. I find Ken Cheuvront to be a very intelligent individual, especially good on business issues. I think we'll have some common ground to work together on. Ken is one of the folks that has that type of lifestyle but who isn't out there pushing it.

NT: Do you think Ken Bennett deliberately sat you next to a homo?

Johnson: No. I looked back at some of the older seating charts, and that's where Ken has always sat. And you never question the president, why he does the things he does.

NT: You're always so nice in person, but you hate homosexuals. That doesn't seem very nice.
Johnson: I don't hate homosexuals. I guess one of the things I've learned being in the Legislature is that just because I see things one way doesn't always make it right. I came in here thinking I was pretty right, and I've learned a lot. I've learned there are actually a lot of Democrats who have integrity, who strongly believe in where they're coming from. Then there are other people who have their own agendas, and that's all they're here about -- pushing those agendas.

NT: You've been very public in speaking out against the homosexual agenda. I wasn't aware we had an agenda. Where can I get a copy?

Johnson: Well, I think that most people would feel that the very strident homosexual activists have an agenda, and it's been pushed fairly successfully, all the way up to the issue of marriage. I think they've had a setback, with the 11 states that voted against validating marriage between same-sex couples. But probably the majority of your homosexuals just prefer to live a quiet life and want to be left alone. They don't want to bring attention to themselves.

NT: So you don't object so much to homosexuals as you do to homosexual activists.

Johnson: Right. Everybody has the right to push what they believe in, and I have the right to push back if I don't happen to believe in that. I mean, homosexuals criticize me, but it's very hard for them to accept criticism. They seem to take a lot of offense, and I get called a homophobe because I don't believe in it.

NT: Karen, whether you believe in homosexuality or not, it exists.

Johnson: Right. Fine. It's existed for ages. But I don't want to validate it as something good or something that children should go out and participate in, because I think there are a lot of adverse consequences to that choice.

NT: You really believe that homosexuality is a choice.

Johnson: Oh, absolutely it's a choice. There's no way that people were born that way.

NT: Really. So I guess recent findings by the scientific community about how the hypothalamus determines sexual orientation --

Johnson: I think all of those [findings] have pretty much been discredited.

NT: You often cite gays as wanting "special" rights when we campaign for marriage and the like. How are those special rights?

Johnson: (Laughing.) Gays have the choice to marry someone of the opposite sex, if they want to. If they choose to be together, they can be, but without the benefit of marriage.

NT: So let me get this right: It's okay for people to be gay, so long as we don't ask for the same rights that others are afforded, and so long as we don't talk about being gay.
Johnson: Well, it's okay to be gay, if you choose to do that, but there needs to be limits to it, because there are pretty detrimental consequences to choosing that lifestyle.

NT: Like what?

Johnson: Health, for one thing.

NT: Homosexuality does not necessarily lead to compromised health.

Johnson: I guess that's where we disagree. Not that promiscuity among heterosexuals doesn't also lead to some very bad health issues, too.

NT: How about the fact that not all homosexuals are promiscuous?

Johnson: Uh, you probably are correct about a small percentage of them.

NT: So most homosexuals are just plain slutty.

Johnson: I do believe that the homosexual lifestyle tends to be more promiscuous, yes. You're free to disagree with me.

NT: Thank you. I think I will. Like a lot of people who want to discriminate against gays, you often mention God in interviews and speeches. But the last time I checked, gays weren't asking God for equal rights. They were asking lawmakers.

Johnson: And they can do that, but I think that if we stick with our traditional family values, it won't happen. Society has moved an awfully long way away from [affording gay rights], although the time may come. But in other civilizations where that's happened, we've had very detrimental results.

NT: I think you don't have anything to worry about when it comes to homosexuals ever having equal rights during our lifetime. There are too many people like yourself in power for that to ever happen.

Johnson: That may be. I can only speak for myself. Anyway, they can marry in Canada, so I guess if [homosexuals] feel strongly about doing that, they could go to Canada.

NT: Except you have to be a Canadian citizen to get a gay marriage license there.

Johnson: Oh. You can't just go there and get married and then come back to the U.S.?

NT: No. If you could, we'd all be vacationing in Saskatchewan this spring.

Johnson: Well, the bottom line is I have to answer to my Lord, my God. I'm here to promote what I think is right from my point of view. I've always felt the best policy is to be honest about things. There are a lot of people around here who don't do that. And it hasn't been easy, being honest about things. Believe me.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2005-01-06/speakeasy.html

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 04:48:00 +0000

The new Arizona Legislature will be sworn in in January 2005. Here's what happened in the last election to some of our Mormon elected officials:

Jack Brown was the sole Mormon Democrat in the AZ legislature. Brown was also Senate Minority Leader. He was term limited out in the Senate, so Brown and fellow Mormon Jake Flake, who was term limited out in the House, cut a deal to swap seats (even though Flake is a Republican and Brown is a Dem). Flake, who was Speaker of the House, tried to discourage other Republicans from running against Brown telling them "that position is already filled".

Although Flake was not able to prevent Republican Sylvia Tenney from running against Brown, the plan worked. Flake was elected to Brown's seat in the Arizona Senate and Brown was elected to Flake's seat in the Arizona House. Isn't it marvelous!

For more on Jake Flake see link below:
http://zelph.blogspot.com/2004/09/house-speaker-flake-soft-on-child.html

The good news is that Sylvia Laughter lost her seat representing Northern Arizona and the Navajo Nation.

For more on Sylvia Laughter see here:
http://zelph.blogspot.com/2004/09/sylvia-laughter.html

Congressman Jeff Flake breaks pledge to serve only three terms

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 21:04:00 +0000

Arizona LDS Congressman Jeff Flake pledged to voters that he would only to serve three terms in Congress and then call it quits. He was only kidding.

From The Arizona Republic, November 28, 2004, B8:

Eric Winter, a spokesman for U.S. Term Limits, an Illinois-based national lobbying group, says Flake's decision this month to break his pledge to serve just three terms and run again for his House seat in 2006 will come back to haunt him.

Winter said members of Congress who break such pledges are typically able to hang on to their seats. But they often find it more difficult when they set their minds to winning some other elected office."

He's broken faith with voters, and that's a problem he'll have hanging over him always," Winter said of Flake, 41. Flake joins more than a dozen other House members, five of them Democrats, who have reneged on term-limit pledges of varying lengths.

In announcing his decision, Flake said his term-limit pledge was "a mistake." He also said he knows breaking his word will be a legitimate issue in future campaigns, that "it ought to be," and that he expects to take his lumps. But Flake said he's comfortable "leaving it to the voters."

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1128AZinDC28.html

Don't worry Jeff, the voters in your district never expected you to keep your word and they really don't care. I'm sure you'll be in office as long as you want to be.

Matt Salmon to take helm of AZ GOP

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 20:59:00 +0000

Now, now GOP moderates, the religious right hasn't really taken over your party. It's just a bad dream. Even though Matt is a socially conservative true believing Mormon, I'm sure he'll make a place for you.

From the Arizona Republic, Nov. 28, 2004, B8:

Salmon, who loves to drive his Harley, is embarking on a new ride that could be bumpy at times. The stars are aligning for Salmon to be the next chairman of the Arizona Republican Party. It's a monumental task because every statewide office,including the governor's job, is up for grabs in 2006. Salmon would be the public face of a political party that has been its own worst enemy at times with bitter infighting between moderates and conservatives.

See, he's a Harley rider too. Isn't that kewl?

Chip Scaturi of The Arizona Republic interviews Matt:

Q. What kind of role will you have in picking candidates?

A. "There needs to be some frank talk. Rather than just allowing bloodbaths in primaries, the party needs to weigh in and pave the way for the folks who have the best chance of winning. Obviously, this is a free country and no party chairman can
tell people you can't be in a race. But I think the party can exert its influence."

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1128salmonQampA28.html

Will the number of Mormon GOP candidates increase or decrease under Matt's leadership? He did take this oath in the Mormon Temple:

You and each of you covenant and promise before God, angels, and these witnesses at this altar, that you do accept the Law of Consecration as contained in this, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, in that you do consecrate yourselves, your time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed you, or with which he may bless you, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth and for the establishment of Zion (meaning the Mormon Church).
Each of you bow your head and say "yes."
PATRONS: Yes.
PETER: That will do. (All patrons sit down.)

http://www.helpingmormons.org/1984.htm

Is the AZ GOP chairmanship a blessing from the Lord?

Can you be a Democrat and a good Mormon?

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 18:41:00 +0000

TBM Arizona State University Professor Marianne Moody Jennings says the Democratic party and the LDS faith are like oil and water and chastises a Mormon Democrat:

Mormon, shmormon
Democratic party and LDS faith like oil and water
by Marianne M. Jennings
Arizona Republic, Nov. 28, 2004, V3

Mr. Scott Higginson, confessed Democrat and Mormon, looks down from his lofty perch of inconvenient religiosity, spots an Arizona full of Mormon Republicans, and offers, "Ick!"

Mr. H is offended that folks assume he is Republican and frets, "Why can't more Mormons be Democrats?" Mr. H, political consultant extraordinaire, hasn't quite mastered the art of winning friends and influencing people via op-ed work.

I confess to being one of the knuckle-dragging Republican Mormons that Mr. H disdains. As oafish as I and my fellow cretins might be, we don't subscribe to the Higginson theory that we should be more like the open and tolerant Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), who sojourned to Salt Lake City to understand the Mormon faith.

You don't need a sherpa, Nirvana, or apparently political consulting skills to figure out that the Dem Gov's trek to the mountains was about more than exploring the Family Home Evening program and taking in some Tabernacle Choir ditties.

The Gov sought funding from the Mormon Church for light rail and Mesa's revitalization. Church leaders did not convert the Gov, nor did she win them over entirely to ponying up the dough. The Gov also trekked to England, but I don't think she was converted to abandoning dental check-ups. She was courting more British Air flights to Phoenix.

Mr. Higginson is a perfect Democrat, to wit, "Being a Democrat does not mean I support every aspect of the Democratic Party's national platform. It's the party's platform, not my platform."

In the words of the Church Lady, "Isn't that special?" Spoken like a true focus group junkie. "I actually voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it." "I don't own SUVs; my family does." "I oppose gay marriage personally, but believe in equal rights." "I oppose the war but support the troops."

I have grown weary of sophisticates like Mr. H. Such Range Rover Republicans, Limousine Liberals and Modern Mormons don't want the heavy lifting that comes with principle's baggage: sacrifice and ridicule. In the words of our prophet, Mr. H, et al.: Stand for something!

Mr. H reeks of the condescension that comes from skilled hoodwinking. Mr. H's candidate, Mr. Kerry, votes in favor of gun control, but dons duck-hunting gear and a rifle if that's what it takes to net Ohio's electoral votes. He waited for the Red Sox to win before donning a Red Sox cap; he carried it in hand until then.

Mr. H claims membership in the Mormon Church even as he embraces a party that howls about choice when Republicans propose just a compromise to ban the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion. The judges, activists and members of Congress seeking to expand the definition of marriage to one of "between two persons" are of his party. That view is in direct contravention to the church's "Proclamation on the Family."

His party's NEA has indoctrinated children in public schools with godlessness, banishing prayer and then even the mention of terms such as Christmas and Easter. His party, with its "Great Society," enslaved generations in a welfare system that robbed them of their dignity. Such a welfare system runs contra to church principles of self-sufficiency.

He ignores the superior welfare system of the Mormon Church, which thrives because it employs embarrassing Republican principles of work and private - yea, private - not public, funding.

Mr. Higginson and other Mormon Democrats cannot serve two masters. They will hate the one and love the other. How convenient to enjoy the world's acceptance with the trite, "Life begins at conception, but I believe in a woman's right to choose."

Such intellectual inconsistency dismisses the eternal truths of the church in glib fashion and surrenders the battle as it sentences our children to a lesser and certainly more cruel world.

It is true, as Mr. H notes, that the Mormon Church does not take political positions, and wisely so. It teaches correct principles and relies confidently on its members to govern themselves. We Republican Mormon dolts can support our party AND its platform. Mr. Higginson ignores correct principles and has joined with the Dems' band of merry do-gooders.

And what a band they are. We know men by the company they keep. The party Mr. H aligns himself with is no longer that of Truman or Adlai Stevenson or even Zell Miller. His sterilized picture of idyllic Dems belies the reality of his political kin. Whoopi Goldberg, a fellow Democrat, used language more foul than Howard Stern's at a presidential fund-raiser with no rebuke. His party can boast of having the only president to befoul the Oval Office. One can understand why, as Mr. H notes, Mormon Democrats are reticent. This is not exactly Primary Program material.

Mr. H wants it all: our church, but the world's accolades for sophisication. You Mormon girlie-man! Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. But you can't have it both ways. You are free to choose the Dems, but don't expect us to appease your conscience by joining with you. Absolute truths and eternal principles are not just for Sundays. They matter in life. They matter more in politics.

Marianne M. Jennings is a professor of legal and ethical studies at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. She is the author of "A Business Tale: A Story of Ethics, Choices, Success (and a Very Large Rabbit)."
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/1128jennings1128.html

And this, gentle readers, is why Governor Napolitano is largely wasting her time trying to suck up to Mormon voters in Arizona. Many of them believe, as was taught by the now deceased Mormon Prophet Ezra Taft Benson, that you cannot be a Democrat and a good Mormon. And they are certainly not going to vote for an unmarried female Democrat who is reputed among Mormons, rightly or wrongly, to be of the lesbian persuasion. I don't honestly care one way or the other about the Governor's sexual proclivities, but Mormon voters surely do, and they are distrustful of a woman in her late forties who has never been married. It's all about family!

Comments on "BYU South" from an ASU alum

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 12:55:00 +0000

Recieved via email:

Actually, I see nothing wrong with a "BYU" dorm because *some* students may want such a dorm. I don't even see anything wrong with Fulton's condemnation of the boob on the front of the ASU paper.

However, I find the cancellation of the play by the gay ex-Mormon and the usurping of an academic facility (the child psych. lab) for an LDS parking lot to be immoral power politics at its worst.

Although Mormons are a distinct minority both in Arizona and at ASU, they see no moral dilemma in using campus facilities to promote their religion at the expense of a legitimate academic department. We all know that, thanks to Ashcroft, there is no longer separation of Church and State. Now there is no separation of academia from dogma "bought"by Mr. Fulton's donation.

I'm quite glad that I have refused all requests for Alumni donations. ASU's Nobel Laureate used the imprimatur of his Nobel Prize in Economics to promote the Bush campaign for the Presidency. Now we have the tragi-comical specter of a cult religion trying to dominate both social and academic life at a public institution for higher education.

As you know, there are many ways in which I am a Conservative. I work at a very "politically correct" school full of left wing bureaucracy and goofy "diversity world" values that I detest. Constitutional Conservatives, who believe in the rights of individuals to seek their pleasure in whatever way they please short of murder and mayhem, seem to be [as] asleep at the helm as [the] autocrats of the Right. However, the new autocrats of the Right violate every intention of the Founding Fathers by using privately-held religious beliefs to establish a de facto "papacy" in public life.

This New Right would have you believe that we should sacrifice all our freedoms to prevent an occasional exposed boob. If an exposed boob was the danger it was cracked up to be, countries like Italy, France, and Greece would all be like Sodom and Gomorrah. In fact, their divorce rates and teen pregnancy rates are far, far lower than ours even though their cultures are more overtly sexual and even have a lighthearted approach to it.
The Papacy of the New Right has lost its sense of proportion about what is truly dangerous to society and what is just a minor indiscretion. That's why Ashcroft put 5,000 people in prison under the Patriot Act and got precisely ZERO convictions. He, like his look-alikes, don't have a clue where the real dangers lie.

Will Arizona State University become BYU South

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 05:18:00 +0000

Local TBM homebuilder Ira Fulton is ASU's most generous donor. He gave $50 million to ASU's School of Engineering which was renamed the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering.

ASU President Michael Crow is willing to bend over backwards to keep Ira happy. The State Press has been threatened with loss of school support if they don't clean up their act (Ira was upset by a cover which showed a nude female breast). A play by a gay ex-Mormon has been cancelled. A land swap with the school's department of psychology has been proposed to build parking for the LDS Institute in the middle of campus which may result in the loss of the department's child study lab. One dorm on the ASU campus has adopted BYU standards.

Interesting article in last week's Phoenix New Times.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2004-11-18/news/feature_2.html

Mormon Church buys KTAR

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Wed, 06 Oct 2004 03:13:00 +0000

The Arizona Republic
Oct. 5, 2004 12:00 AM

Bonneville International Corp. of Salt Lake City will acquire KTAR, KKLT-FM (98.7) and KMVP-AM (860) from Emmis Communications Corp. in a deal announced Monday.

Bonneville is owned by the Deseret Management Corp., a holding company that manages the for-profit businesses for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On its Web site, the company describes itself as a "values-driven company composed of values-driven people."Bonneville officials said the company will retain all Phoenix employees and plans no format changes.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/1005KTARsold05.html

Will Bonneville have a problem when talk show host David Leibowitz makes fun of Mormon legislators for some of the crazy laws they propose? Will Leibo be history? Stay tuned.

Two months probation for Russell Pearce's son?

noreply@blogger.com (Zelph) — Thu, 30 Sep 2004 02:36:00 +0000

Recently 26 employees of the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles were arrested for issuing fraudulant driver's licenses. They were caught by an FBI sting operation. What do you suppose will happen to them? What do you think should happen to them?

They'll probably get more than two months probation which is what Justin Pearce, son of former DMV head Russell Pearce, got when he committed the same offense back in 2000. Justin was a DMV employee at the time. Russell Pearce resigned his position as head of the DMV in embarrassment shortly thereafter. Russell is now a State Representative and Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Evidently the folks in his Mesa district didn't mind that Pearce's son was making fake ID's for his buddies so they could buy booze, or maybe they just didn't know. At any rate they elected him to the State House not long after this incident. Isn't consuming liquor some kind of violation of Mormon rules? Russell, do you have a jack Mormon for a son? Or perhaps he wasn't consuming liquor himself. Maybe he was just picking up some extra spending cash by helping his underage friends buy alcohol. That might not be a violation of the WoW.

">http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=28567