The real Raul Grijalva: At war with Arizona citizens

Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Jerry Kammer writes: From Chicano Radical to Congressman.

Take the time to acquaint yourself with Arizona’s District 3 Congressman Raul Grijalva. He is the stellar liberal who exhibits greater allegiance to illegal aliens than his state’s own citizens, calling for a “boycott of Arizona goods, services and tourism,” as a response to the new law making it a state crime to be in the country illegally.

“I support some very targeted economic sanctions on the state of Arizona,” Grijalva recently told the radical left-wing Democracy Now! broadcast. “We will be asking national organizations — civil, religious, political — not to have conferences and conventions in the State of Arizona. There has to be an economic consequence to this action and to this legislation.”

Using the signature Alinskyite tactics of the community organizer he once was, the law had to be fought at “a political, legal and economic level,” he said. Aside from a boycott, he also wants the federal government to stop cooperating with Arizona, a move he says “would render much of this legislation moot and ineffective,” according to a blistering editorial in Investor’s Business Daily.

With Arizona’s unemployment rate currently at 9.4%, the citizens of his southwest Arizona district must be thrilled with the representation they are getting.

Watch as Congressman Grijalva, whose district includes 300 miles of the U.S. Mexico border,  walks away from a CNS News reporter asking about his commitment to sealing the border and protecting American youth from the influx of illegal drugs.

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Bill to ban separatist studies sent to Gov. Brewer

FOX News reports that the Arizona Legislature has sent Gov. Jan Brewer a bill that would ban ethnic studies programs that advocate separatism and racial preferences.

House Bill 2281 would make it illegal for a school district to teach any courses that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, promote resentment of a particular race or class of people, are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group or “advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.”

It would be tough to argue with that!

The bill stipulates that courses can continue to be taught for Native American pupils in compliance with federal law and does not prohibit English as a second language classes. It also does not prohibit the teaching of the Holocaust or other cases of genocide. Schools that fail to abide by the law would have state funds withheld.

State Superintendent for Public Instruction Tom Horne called passage in the state House a victory for the principle that education should unite, not divide students of differing backgrounds.

“Traditionally, the American public school system has brought together students from different backgrounds and taught them to be Americans and to treat each other as individuals, and not on the basis of their ethnic backgrounds,” Horne said. “This is consistent with the fundamental American value that we are all individuals, not exemplars of whatever ethnic groups we were born into. Ethnic studies programs teach the opposite, and are designed to promote ethnic chauvinism,” he said.

Horne began fighting in 2007 against the Tucson Unified School District’s (TUSD) program, which he said defied Martin Luther King’s call to judge a person by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. The ethnic studies or Raza program encourages “ethnic chauvinism,” promotes Latinos to rise up and create a new territory out of the southwestern region of the United States while intimidating conservative teachers in the school system.  This is the letter Superintendent Horne wrote regarding the termination of the ethnic studies program.

National Review Online’s Liam Julian wrote this stunning account: Come Study La Raza: Grievance and Distortion 101. It’s worth your time to familiarize yourself with this deplorable program.

We previously wrote Travesty in Tucson, which included links to syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin‘s coverage of the TUSD.

Arizona’s new law tweaked

Today’s Washington Examiner carries an important commentary by Chief Political Correspondent Byron York. He describes the clarifications made to Arizona’s new unlawful entry law — which bears the title: safe neighborhoods; immigration; law enforcement (Senate Bill 1070). The bill was signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer on April 23.

York’s piece can be read here.  And check out the newly incorporated senate amendments here.

Shakira: Queen of world’s drug capitol criticizes AZ law

Flanked by Phoenix’s Mayor Philly Gordon and Vice Mayor Michael Nowakowski, Shakira, the pop singer who performed at Obama’s inaugural festivities, blasted our unlawful entry law (Senate Bill 1070) as a “violation of human and civil rights.”

“I’m not an expert on the [U.S.] Constitution. But I know the Constitution exists for a reason. It exists to protect human beings. To protect the rights of people living in a nation — with or without documents,” announced Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll.

State Sen. Ron Gould (R-Dist.3), who has more than a passing knowledge of our U.S. Constitution, responded to her appearance with these words: “As far as foreign singers coming to Arizona to tell Arizonans what to do, take it back to your own country.  We don’t need you to come to Arizona to tell us what to do.”

Shakira was in town to incite resistance to the newly passed law. “I’m in opposition to this law because it is a violation of human and civil rights. It goes against all human dignity. This law goes against all the principles of prosperity that we know and promotes discrimination and resentment. Immigrants forged this country,” she said. “They came to this country wanting to work hard. They work long hours.”

“It’s not just unconstitutional,” Shakira said just minutes after admitting her unfamiliarity with our founding documents, speaking inside a Radio Campesina van. “It’s a violation of civil rights.”

And coincidently Radio Campesina Phoenix Vice-Mayor Michael Nowakowski is the Vice President of Communications of Radio Campesina, a network of ten Spanish-language radio stations.

Headline writers needed: Must be able to lie with impunity

The Houston Chronicle must be using the same manual for hyperbolic headlines that the Arizona Republic employs.

Try this one on for size: Texas lawmaker to introduce anti-immigration bill.

Of course no lawmaker — in either Arizona or Texas — is “anti-immigrant.” The issue is illegal immigration, which doesn’t fit the flagrantly open-borders agenda of the left.

Texas lawmaker Rep. Debbie Riddle who represents a solidly Republican district, plans to introduce a measure similar to Arizona‘s new law, in the January legislative session.

“The first priority for any elected official is to make sure that the safety and security of Texans is well-established,” said Riddle, who introduced a similar measure in 2009 that didn’t get out of committee. “If our federal government did their job, then Arizona wouldn’t have to take this action, and neither would Texas.”

Ms. Riddle obviously understands the obligations and responsibilities that come with her job. We wish her well.

Editor’s note: Since this post was written, the Chronicle changed the headline to the current, less offensive one. And Rep. Riddle is now being joined in the effort by Rep. Leo Berman.

The Mark of the Beast: Did Earl de Berge call you?

In concluding that Arizona’s senior senator, John McCain is beating the socks off of conservative challenger J.D. Hayworth, Earl de Berge, of the Arizona-based Behavior Research Center claims to have called 800 heads of households, although basing the polling sample on “666 voters” statewide.

de Berge has a reputation for being left-of-center.

The results can be read here.

Meanwhile, Public Policy Polling (PPP) reports quite differently, with a headline titled: McCain’s numbers plummet, regarding his challenge from the right by J.D. Hayworth.

Republican primary voters in Arizona expressed dissatisfaction with John McCain as a majority indicate he’s too lenient on immigration and a plurality saying he’s too liberal in general. The poll found that a majority — 45 percent of voters — disapprove of his job performance, while a majority — 43 percent –think he is too liberal. A majority — 53 percent — think he is too lenient on illegal immigration.

55% of voters disapprove of McCain compared to just 34% who give him good marks. When PPP polled Arizonans in September he was at a positive 48/42 approval spread. Since then, he’s dropped 27 points on the margin.

Mexican hypocrisy: Abuses of their own illegals enshrined in Constitution

Mexico’s condemnation of Arizona’s new unlawful entry law (Senate Bill 1070) is nothing less than disingenuous and hypocritical given the abuses their own — mostly Central American — illegals suffer. The Mexican government which is complaining bitterly about our sanctions has theirs enshrined within their Constitution, trumpeting nationalism and cultural identity, while legally segregating immigrants and naturalized citizens from native-born Mexicans. 

Read Mexico’s Glass House for the astonishing facts.

And amid all of the false information regarding “papers,” try on Article 67 of Mexico’s own Population Law for size:  “Authorities, whether federal, state or municipal … are required to demand that foreigners prove their legal presence in the country, before attending to any issues.”

Syndicated columnist and blogger extraordinaire, Michelle Malkin, exposes the hypocrisy of the Mexican government in her commentary How Mexico treats illegal aliens.

Malkin writes that the Open-borders protesters marched freely at the Arizona Capitol building comparing GOP Gov. Jan Brewer to Hitler, waving Mexican flags, advocating that demonstrators “Smash the State,” and holding signs that proclaimed “No human is illegal” and “We have rights.”

But under the Mexican constitution, such political speech by foreigners is banned. Noncitizens cannot “in any way participate in the political affairs of the country.”  In fact, a plethora of Mexican statutes enacted by its congress limit the participation of foreign nationals and companies in everything from investment, education, mining and civil aviation to electric energy and firearms. Foreigners have severely limited private property and employment rights (if any).

Arizona’s law has engendered a firestorm from the left, while leaving truth out in the desert sun to wither and dry. This AP report is typical. Although it details Amnesty International’s exposé regarding the thousands (yearly) of Mexico’s own illegal entrants, who are frequently pulled off trains, kidnapped en masse, held at gang hideouts and forced to call relatives in the U.S. to pay off the kidnappers, and beaten, raped or killed in the process.

Reporter Mark Stevenson, AP’s Mexico correspondent, uses the word “migrant” throughout, as though the illegals were simply swallows making their annual migratory flight to Capistrano. He ends his piece saying [the new law] “makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and allows police to question anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant.”

Arizona’s law mirrors the federal statute, requiring that the question of status can only be raised if the person is legitimately stopped for another offense. Unfortunately, Stevenson’s article will be read by those who accept his misrepresentations as fact.

Read the entire law signed by Gov. Brewer on April 23, as Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act.

Obama’s ice cream lies and Cafferty’s truths

It shouldn’t be too much to expect this Harvard educated lawyer to read the law he‘s distorting for his hand-picked crowd of admirers. He obviously hasn’t. Otherwise he would know that the Hispanic Dad he described as walking into the ice cream shop with his child, would only be subject to questioning about his status, if he was apprehended for holding up the store.

Here is Obama’s exact quote:

“You can imagine if you are an Hispanic American in Arizona, your great grandparents may have been there before Arizona was even a state, but now suddenly if you don’t have your papers, and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re gonna be harassed,” Obama said. “That’s something that could potentially happen. That’s not the right way to go.”

In fact, the Arizona law mirrors federal law. Deception on this issue won’t play well in our border state, Mr. Obama.

Here’s CNN’s Jack Cafferty giving the real story:

Money not the issue in Arizona schools

Simple concepts:

While Arizona’s K – 12 student attendance increased by a mere 4.9% since 2004, the state general fund appropriations have increased by a whopping 51.64%.

In 2008, the number of district pupils was 950,815. However, the current number has decreased to 931,844 — a significant loss of 18,971.

Figuring the average class size as 30 students, that is a loss of 632 classrooms and subsequently a lack of need for 632 teachers. Teacher reductions are not due to low appropriations, but rather a lack of pupils. The pupil count is continuing to decline every month and will for the foreseeable future.

Vote No! on Prop. 100.

Growing Our Party has an excellent analysis. We highly recommend it.

Another day, another gubernatorial poll

Public Policy Polling must be on the Goddard for Governor payroll. The little known pollster shows lone Democrat Samuel Pearson “Terry” Goddard, III, surging ahead by three whole points, leading incumbent Gov. Jan Brewer 47-44.

Mega impressive.

Signing SB 1070 appears to have upped her ante. Brewer, who was registering only 59% of the Republican vote in their previous poll, is now at 73%.

Goddard supposedly holds a more comfortable lead against the rest of the Republican field. The pollster claims he  leads Buz Mills 45-37, Dean Martin 47-36, and John Munger 46-31. In a hypothetical contest against Sheriff Joe Arpaio — who once again is dangling the I’m-thinking-of-running-for-governor carrot  — Goddard maintains a 47-44 advantage — identical to the one he posts against Brewer.

Overall, the poll resembles a day-old bowl of salsa, warm beer and soggy chip shards.  Not much to recommend it as a tasty morsel.  The pollster has a sidebar attribution to a Wall Street Journal ranking of PPP as one of the “top swing state pollsters” in the country in 2008.

Maybe.

We Arizonans have been so busy of late, we weren’t even aware we were swinging.