Russell Pearce is the new Senate President in Arizona. Pearce is the progenitor, of course, of SB1070, the attempt to criminalize undocumented immigrants in Arizona. As a terrible result of the 2010 election, Pearce and his fellow Republican troglodytes control the upper chamber in the AZ legislature by 21 to 9. They have control over Gov. Jan Brewer, as well, since Pearce can introduce legislation, and force an override if Jan vetoes his bills.
AZ business leaders and other legislators were wary that Russell Pearce, if elected senate president, would bog down the session with his nativist legislation, aimed at undocumented immigrants. Business leaders wanted assurance that the flaccid AZ economy would get some kick starts in 2011. They extracted a promise from Pearce, that he would save his three ring hysteria circus until after bills had been passed to balance the budget and get AZ on its feet. But Pearce, with his usual, FU bully approach after being elected Senate President, denied he ever promised anything to anybody and immediately booked his ticket to Washington DC to wave his newest proposed legislation directly at the supreme court.
http://findarticles.com/...
Sen. Russell Pearce and numerous out-of-state allies plan to unveil his birthright-citizenship bill during the first week of January in Washington, D.C. The model legislation will serve as a template for lawmakers in 14 states, including Arizona, which hope to force a U.S. Supreme Court case that would challenge the longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment and end the practice of granting automatic citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to illegal immigrant parents.
http://azcapitoltimes.com/...
At the heart of the debate on birthright citizenship is a dispute over the interpretation of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." The amendment, ratified in 1868, was intended to ensure that children of freed slaves were granted U.S. citizenship. But legal scholars believe the chances that the issue will be taken up by the Supreme Court are slim.
http://aomid.com/...
Russell Pearce doesn't care that the chances are slim. He'll keep beating his drum and ratcheting up the noise machine, because he's a narcissist and a bully. The AZ economy will continue to decline with Pearce at the wheel, and the national conversation will be usurped by Pearce's ugly rhetoric.
I implore you to keep your eye on this guy. The Southern Poverty Law Center does.
Arizona, it's a dry hate.