Representing the forces of darkness, practically wearing a black plastic helmut and cape, Randy Graf has won the Republican nomination for the 8th Congressional District of Arizona which covers much of Tucson, Arizona, my home town and where my parents still live. This man is frightening. A
sampling of his views include:
MARRIAGE
Marriage is the union of a man and a woman. As a cornerstone of society, it is
important to protect and promote marriage. Marriage promotes and ensures
stability in homes.
Recently, marriage has been attacked from several angles. Since the state of
marriage provides psychological, political and economic advantages that are not
available to singles, marriage appeals to certain groups who would like to gain
those advantages.
. . . .
The states and the people of America need an opportunity to pass a federal
constitutional amendment protecting us from the redefinition of marriage, since
state by state laws cannot properly address the problem. This is why Arizona
must ensure that its Congressional Representatives do the job they are sent to
do!
Just what America needs in this time of rising health care costs, a quagmire in Iraq and an economy in which the psychotically rich are becoming psychotically richer . . . a national focus on other people's personal intimate relationships.
Pro Life
Our Declaration of Independence states that we are "endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." They were listed in this order for a reason and we should be ever mindful of their protection, particularly for those among us that are most vulnerable.
I believe that the life of a human being begins at conception and that the Supreme Court's decision on Roe v Wade was a tragic event, leading to the deaths of more than 40 million Americans. As your Congressman, I will support legislation that protects the unborn and elderly from those who seek to devalue life.
Of course, as with so many conservatives, almost anything that might happen to a person post-birth and pre-death is not all that important (just as long as they stick to heterosexual marriages).
But what frightens me most in the terrifying package that is Randy Graf, potential Member of Congress from the 8th District of Arizona, is his virulently anti-immigrant position.
Border Security is Homeland Security
. . . .
While serving in the Arizona House of Representatives, Randy Graf sponsored legislation to put the National Guard on our southern border, eliminate the acceptance of the matricula consular ID card and enforce sanctions against employers who flagrantly violated our laws of hiring illegal aliens. Randy was also a Senior Advisor to Proposition 200, the measure passed by the voters in 2004 to prevent voter and welfare fraud by illegal aliens. This Initiative, passed by 56% of Arizona voters, was designed to stop voter and welfare fraud by illegal aliens.
. . . .
Randy Graf has been endorsed by Rep. Tom Tancredo, the Founder and Chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus. Randy shares Rep. Tancredo's immigration reform and border security goals. His opponents do not.
If elected to Congress, will you join Congressman Tom Tancredo's Immigration Reform Caucus?
Randy Graf-"YES!"
The federal government's first and foremost role in our society is that of national defense. After 9/11, the first major attack on our nation's soil since December 1941, that role and the methods needed to implement a national defense plan were forever changed. We have failed, however, to implement a comprehensive plan that includes securing our borders against the millions of foreigners who refuse to enter our country in a legal manner. Whether they enter illegally to hide their terrorist or criminal motives, or to find work -- and in the process, tax our education, healthcare and criminal justice systems -- it is a burden on the citizens of this country that the federal government must address immediately.
Randy Graf supports a comprehensive border security plan that includes the following:
* Zero Tolerance of Illegal Entry
* Increased numbers of Border Patrol agents and equipment
* Construction of additional fences/walls to assist the Border Patrol with their job
* Implementation of the CLEAR Act that allows local law enforcement to identify and arrest illegal aliens during their normal course of duty
* Construction of additional facilities to detain illegal aliens awaiting deportation
* Requirements for employers to verify the legal status of employees through an instant check system that helps the employers to comply with the law without placing an undue burden on them
* Opposed to automatic citizenship for children of illegal aliens born in the United States.
* Revisit Federal EMTALA laws to remove loopholes which make our hospital emergency rooms free clinics for illegal aliens
* Oppose Totalization Agreement that will extend social security benefits to illegal aliens who worked illegally with fraudulent documentation
. . . .
Let's see - he thinks it would be great idea to allow emergency rooms to deny access to non-citizens if they can't prove legal immigration status. (By the way, emergency rooms are only required to provide emergency care - not free clinical care - to anyone who has a medical emergency.) He thinks the answer to our post-9/11 concerns about terrorism is to keep non-citizens from seeking employment in the US (that sounds about as useful as bombing Iraq, IMHO). His anti-immigrant credentials serving as a "Senior Advisor to Proposition 200," described by the National Immigration Law Center as follows: "Proposition 200 requires state and local employees to verify the identity and immigration status of applicants for certain services and to report "discovered" immigration law violations to federal immigration authorities. It makes failure to file such a report, or to direct an employee to file a report, a criminal offense. . . . Proposition 200 also requires that individuals registering to vote provide specific documents to establish that they are U.S. citizens and to prove their identity when they appear at their polling place." In other words - unlike in most places around the country US Citizens in Arizona must now prove that they are US Citizens before they can vote. Just take a wild guess about who might be required to come up with such proof. Not to mention the new burden on school teachers, social workers, health care professionals, etc. to report any immigration law violations they "discover." And he is opposed to "automatic citizenship for children of illegal aliens born in the United States," which means folks that he is opposed to the 14th Amendment to the Constitution which not only states that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" are U.S. Citizens but also provides the basis for civil rights in America.
All in all, Randy Graf, the most extreme in a field of Republican hopefuls, is now poised to replace an out gay, moderate-on-immigration (although admittedly a Republican) Member of Congress, Jim Kolbe. This is scary and the very opposite of what we hope for in 2006.
Ok - so I think you get the picture on Randy Graf. For those of you who can, think about supporting his opponent, Democratic nominee Gabrielle Giffords. You can read all about her views, but I'll just give you her own quick summary of her priorities:
* Expanding access to affordable health care
* Improving our public schools
* Protecting the open spaces we love
* Investing in renewable energy, and
* Promoting a comprehensive solution to the crisis on our border.
So folks, for those who would like to see a new direction for our Congress and our nation, Arizona's 8th is not a bad place to focus your energy