Thinking it Through

Coo Coo for Coco Puffs

Seems that a 2008 video in which Michelle Obama mentions her husband’s 2006 trip to Kenya and refers to it as his “home country,” has recently surfaced on YouTube, sending the far-right birther movement into an even greater frenzy.

According to Ben Armbruster at Think Progress, Tom Tancredo now thinks "that Obama is purposefully withholding his birth certificate in order to fuel birther conspiracies that make the right wing look nuts." Here's part of the exchange on Colmes radio show yesterday:

COLMES: By the way congressman, did you actually say about Barack Obama if his wife says Kenya is his home country why don’t we just send him back?
TANCREDO: Yes I did! Absolutely.
COLMES: Did you actually say that?
TANCREDO: That’s what she believes hey who am I to argue with that?
COLMES: So you want to send him back there to Kenya?
TANCREDO: Exactly. It’s the same way we talked about sending Bush back to Texas and Clinton back to Arkansas. You talk about that in terms of the politics of it, that’s what I was doing. Talking about 2012, send him back home and if his home is Kenya, who am I to argue with it.
COLMES: Do you think he was born there?
TANCREDO: I have no idea, believe me I have no idea. My point in that whole thing was that whether he was actually, whether she was talking about his, the physical homeland, the place where he was born or she was just talking about his “home country” being that’s where his heart is – it’s not America.
COLMES: You think his heart is not in America? […]
TANCREDO: I do not. I do not believe Barack Obama loves the same America that I do, the one that the Founders put together. I do not believe that. I think that he wants that changed. I think – . . . .
COLMES: Do you really believe – you know he was born in Hawaii right?
TANCREDO: I have absolutely no idea where he was born.
COLMES: You’ve seen he was born in Hawaii; he was in two Hawaiian newspapers within two days of his birth.
TANCREDO: Anybody can put an article in a newspaper. Just show me your birth certificate!
COLMES: Why would they have put an article in a Hawaiian newspaper?
TANCREDO: Hey! You got me! Why would you not show your original birth certificate?
COLMES: The certificate of live birth has been shown.
TANCREDO: No, no, no, no, that is of no consequence. That means nothing; you can do that on the internet.
COLMES: So let me get this straight, a little baby is born in Kenya –
TANCREDO: Now they very well not want to show it because they want to propagate this whole thing that’s going on about birthers and making it —
COLMES: Well they are coo-coo for coco puffs.
TANCREDO: Yeah, they may be doing it for that reason; I don’t know why they don’t want anyone to see it.
COLMES: So the crazier the right goes, the better for people like me?
TANCREDO: Exactly.
COLMES: So let me get this straight congressman, so he’s born in Kenya –
TANCREDO: I have no idea where he was born.
COLMES: — and somehow it appears in two Hawaiian newspapers that said he was born at a local Hawaiian hospital because they knew that 40 some odd years later he would be President of the United States?
TANCREDO: I have no idea. Of course not. Of course not.
COLMES: So how would that happen?
TANCREDO: There could be other reasons why someone would want to put a thing in the paper saying that you were born there.
COLMES: Why would the reason be?
TANCREDO: How do I know? Maybe he wanted to be born in the United States?
COLMES: So this little baby, it was decided back then, his parents decided, we want him to be born in the United States? […]
TANCREDO: Perhaps! How do you know? How do I know?
COLMES: Why can’t you accept that he was born in Hawaii when it was written at the time that a certificate of live birth – the Secretary of State of Hawaii has said he was born in Hawaii! Why don’t you believe that?
TANCREDO: Produce it! The one that has the doctor’s signature. That’s the reason why this all goes on.
COLMES: It makes your party look crazy!
TANCREDO: It goes on as I say, they want it propagated because you know –
COLMES: It makes your party look nuts!
TANCREDO: Yeah well maybe that’s why they don’t produce document, I don’t know.
COLMES: Wouldn’t it make you look saner to acknowledge he was born in the United States?
TANCREDO: Why should I? How do I know that?
COLMES: Where were you born?
TANCREDO: I was born in Denver Colorado.
COLMES: How do I know?
TANCREDO: I have a birth certificate to prove it.
COLMES: How do I know? I’ve never seen it.
TANCREDO: Well you didn’t ask to. 

Oh my. This is so rich, I don't know where to begin. Just try to follow the logic here--I dare you! It seems to be this: Tancredo has no idea where Barack Obama was born but it wasn't in Hawaii, it was in Kenya, or . . .it doesn't matter because he doesn't love America, because he was not born here or was born here because he's using the question of where he was born to create a group of people called birthers, of which Tancredo is a member but he doesn't know for sure, and make them look nuts because he was born here, well, maybe here. If Obama would just show his birth certificate Tancredo would know but he wouldn't believe it anyway because, well, he doesn't know why except that Obama hates America. Whew!

According to Armbruster, Glenn Beck is also jumping on this particular crazy train No real surprise there.

Oh, by the way, Obama also killed Jimmy Hoffa, created the Bermuda Triangle, and was the one who designed Stonehenge. I'm just sayin'.

"Hateful Political Opportunists"

I have been reluctant to write about my adopted state's latest violation of civil rights--the adoption of Senate bill 1070, a.k.a the "anti-immigration law--because I am so angry that I fear producing a long rant that will feel good to write but will do little to address the issue. I also feel rather hopeless in the face of an out-dated, out of control, out to destroy everything I value, batshit crazy state legislature; a spineless governor; and a renegade county sheriff who thinks he's the reincarnation of Wyatt Erp (sorry Wyatt).

However, catching up on my feeds from Google Reader and so reading Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon's Saturday April 24th op-ed where he called proponents of the bill " bitter, small-minded and full of hate" and reminded me that Arizona is the birthplace of César Chávez and a "not a state seething with hatred, eager to trample the civil rights of residents in haphazard pursuit of illegal immigrants"--that there are good, fair minded folks here who value civil rights, who recognize the debt this country owes to its immigrant populations past and present, and who respect the US Constitution, provided me with a much needed perspective I'd lost in my outrage.

As Gordon points out in his op-ed, Sen. Russell Pearce, the author of the legislation and destroyer of public education in the state, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the out of control sheriff who is under federal investigation for alleged violations of civil rights, care more about getting attention than to paying attention to the state's needs. They're "two men who are to Arizona law enforcement what George Wallace was to Alabama government."

I get that people are angry that the US government hasn't addressed the issue of immigration, but what I don't get is why anyone would think this draconian law is a way to deal with the problem. It does nothing to address the reasons why people are willing to risk their lives to cross the border--why they are willing to pay someone to smuggle them across the border, to leave their loved ones behind, to risk everything on a chance to live and work in the US. As Eugene Robinson asserts yesterday in his Washington Post piece,

One of the concrete problems with the law treating undocumented immigrants as criminals is that it gives those without papers a powerful incentive to stay as far away from police as possible. This will only make it more difficult for local police to investigate crimes and track down fugitive offenders, because no potential witness who is undocumented will come forward.

Arresting, detaining, and deporting them doesn't solve the problem, and for all those things to happen, US tax payers are going to foot the bill. Whose else is going to pay the law enforcement officials doing this work? Whose else is going to pay to build facilities to detain them, and whose else is going to pay to have people sent back to Mexico? The American tax payer, that's who. (Note, AZ has asked the feds to fork over some cash to help train law enforcement). And while our law enforcement officials are busy racially profiling every potential mexican in their sight, who is going to be patrolling our streets and taking 911 calls about domestic violence or robbery, or rape?

Along with those problems, who is going to make up for the lost revenue from all the boycotts and cancellations? And what about the money the state will lose from the undocumented workers who have had enough of this racist bull shit, and will no longer pay taxes, shop for clothing, buy food or contribute to the state's economy in any way? And when housing costs rise because contractors are having to pay higher wages, and the price of landscaping goes up and there are more help wanted signs in fast food and retail businesses than all the ASU students on summer break can fill? Who is going to address all these problems? This so-called "immigration law" only makes these problems worse.

And the claims that undocumented workers take jobs away from hard-working Americans is just a crock of shit. I grew up in a rural agricultural area--my family grew peaches, prunes, walnuts, and kiwi--and I know that if not for the migrant workers who made their way up  and throughout California before heading to Oregon and Washington to work in the apples--our fruits and nuts would have rotted on the tree. Sure, guy--white guys--wanted to drive tractors, forklifts, trucks and harvesters, but they never once asked to pick the fruit, and they sure as hell didn't want to get paid by the bin. For the undocumented workers, though, every dollar counted because it could feed a loved one left behind or help the family come one strep closer to the "American dream." If not for their labor food, construction, landscaping--just about everything would cost more.

I could go on, but Eugene Robinson puts it so much better than anything I have to say:

Arizona is dealing with a real problem and is right to demand that Washington provide a solution. But the new immigration law isn't a solution at all. It's more like an act of vengeance. The law makes Latino citizens and legal residents vulnerable to arbitrary harassment -- relegating them to second-class status -- and it is an utter disgrace.

The Wacky, Wacky West

Perhaps the heat has finally fried Arizonan's brains?

Stewart once again nails it:

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Law & Border
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Seth Meyers Truth Teller

This past Saturday's SNL wasn't all that wonderful, but Seth Meyers on Weekend Update was fantastic. His response to Arizona's new immigration law nailed it:

"This week, Arizona signed the toughest illegal immigration law in the country which will allow police to demand identification papers from anyone they suspect is in the country illegally. I know there’s some people in Arizona worried that Obama is acting like Hitler, but could we all agree that there’s nothing more Nazi than saying "Show me your papers?" There’s never been a World War II movie that didn’t include the line "show me your papers." It’s their catchphrase. Every time someone says "show me your papers," Hitler’s family gets a residual check. So heads up, Arizona; that’s fascism. I know, I know, it’s a dry fascism, but it’s still fascism."

You can watch it here:

Blowback

Governor Bubblehead Brewer's decision to sign Senate bill 1070 into law is not only wreckless, irresponsible, and racist, but it also demonstrates she isn't a student of Arizona history. If she were, she might recall the backlash caused by then Governor Evan Meecham's 1987 decision to cancel the Martin Luther King holiday for state workers (Meecham was later impeached, hmm now that's an idea, but can we impeach a governor who wasn't even elected?).

Meecham's decision spurred cancellations of conventions that had been scheduled to be held in the state and protest marches; in addition, Stevie Wonder called for a boycott of the state, and Public Enemy recorded "By the Time I Get to Arizona":

Gonna find a way
Make the state pay
Lookin’ for the day
Hard as it seems
This ain’t no damn dream
Gotta know what I mean
—Public Enemy, "By the Time I Get to Arizona"

Here's to hoping history repeats itself. Here's to hoping Brewer's decision creates the kind of blowback that makes head's spin. Obama, Reid, and Pelosi have called Brewer's decision "misguided" and "irresponsible" and have called for "comprehensive immigration reform"; Representative Raul Grijalva, (D-AZ) has called for a boycott of Arizona and has asked the President to "limit [federal] cooperation with Arizona officials in their enforcement of SB 1070.”(and has received death threats as a result); and groups have been organizing via Twitter and Facebook to take to the streets. There's a march scheduled for tomorrow, April 25th, that my husband and I will be attending--Arizona State Capital, 17th Ave and Washington at noon; Change.org has a petition you can sign here.

The Progressive is calling for a boycott of the Arizona Diamondbacks; Keith Olbermann called for a boycott of Arizona's Cactus League; and there are t-shirts for sale at Café Press with the AZ state flag with"Boycott" written across the bottom of the flag.

Here's to hoping this is just the beginning.

The ACLU of Arizona has provided a section-by-section analysis of Senate bill 1070. You can download it here.

I urge you to contact Governor Brewer, and let her know how wrong her decision was:
Email her via this link, or write to her or call her using the information below.

Jan Brewer
Governor of Arizona
1700 West Washington
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Telephone (602) 542-4331
Toll Free 1-(800) 253-0883
Fax (602) 542-1381

Because I Need to Smile

I am so angry, so disgusted, so appalled by AZ Governor Jan Brewer's decision to sign Senate bill 1070 into law that I actually considered, for a moment anyway, buying a gun, concealing it (which I soon will be able to do legally in this backward, embarrassing, fucked up state), and storming the capitol. 

At least this made me smile:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Colbert on AZ Immigration Law

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Breaking News: Intelligence Discovered in South

From TPM: finally a sign that intelligence life still exists in the South.

In Richmond today for a one-day session to consider amendments to Gov McDonnell's racist legislation, some members of the Virginia General Assembly “are wearing black ribbons in memory of ancestors who were held in slavery”:

“This is why I can celebrate Confederate History Month,” said Del. Jeion A. Ward (D-Hampton). “I am celebrating the thousands of African slaves brought to this Commonwealth for forced labor and in spite of societal restrictions and countless tribulations, they became some of the most learned men of all time. Yes, they found a way out of no way. … So today I and some of my colleagues wear this black ribbon as a symbol of our profound sadness for the horrors our ancestor faced and had to endure under the institution of slavery. But we also join in are celebrating with you because they finally found a way out.”

Also today, The House of Delegates agreed to adjourn in honor of “the thousands of slaves who played an important role in the building of the wealth of the commonwealth and for those who called Virginia their home,” as well as civil rights pioneer Dorothy Height.

I just wish the AZ legislature had some of these same folks.

Be Still My Heart

I just read a post at Apple 9 to 5 that made my heart skip a beat or 2: seems Apple's exclusive deal with AT&T as the sole carrier for iPhones may be coming to an end:

Speaking last night, Apple COO Tim Cook commented on exclusive carrier relationships, saying, “There are three main countries where iPhones have a contractual exclusive relationship. That is the United States, Germany and Spain. There are a few smaller countries where we have an exclusive or co-exclusive but those three are the ones that are the major markets. "Over the past year we have moved a number of markets from exclusive to non-exclusive. In each case as we have done that we have seen our unit growth accelerate and our market share improve. But that doesn’t mean we view that formula works in every single case. I would just sort of reiterate what I did last time that this is how we are learning so far. That is the result we have seen so far. We think very carefully about each of these at the country level to conclude what is in our best interest.”

We believe the decision for the US market may already be made.

I so hope this is the case. I've not yet purchased an iPhone because I do not want to give any money to AT&T (not that I like giving money to Verizon but it seems the lesser of the two evils at the moment). If there will be options to use other carriers, I will be making a mad dash to my local Apple Store.

I've wanted an iPhone since they first became available, but the time I spent in CA without constant Internet access made me want one even more.

Come on Apple, give me the option to use other carriers, and I will buy yet another one of your products.

Where's Mulder When You Need Him?

This falls into the category of crazies of a feather flocking together.

According to a piece I read today at TPM, the Georgia state legislature, buoyed, I'm sure by their lawsuit against the feds, have taken paranoia to the extreme. Ginned up by a rumor that the health care reform bill mandates that microchips be implanted in each American, the south decided to rise again and hold hearingson a bill that would ban the procedure.

Seems they got lucky; one of their witnesses claimed "she's all ready been implanted with a microchip. As the folks at TPM report:

 And not just any microchip, but one the Pentagon had implanted in her "vaginal-rectum area", apparently to track her movements.

Presumably part of the Stimulus Bill.

LOL. And just so you know the folks at TPM are not just being snarky here, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports some of her testimony here:

"Microchips are like little beepers," the woman told the committee. "Just imagine, if you will, having a beeper in your rectum or genital area, the most sensitive area of your body. And your beeper numbers displayed on billboards throughout the city. All done without your permission."

Oh my! That really would be something.

From Biogenesis:



Scully: Mulder, it is such a gorgeous day outside. Have you ever entertained the idea of trying to find life on this planet?

Mulder:  I have seen the life on this planet, Scully, and that is exactly why I am looking elsewhere.