There's a scene in a Seinfeld episode where Jerry and George debate which of them is the real idiot. It ends with this comeuppance from George, followed by his realization that someone else is more deserving of the honor:
George Costanza: I just threw away a lifetime of guilt-free sex and floor seats for every sporting event in Madison Square Garden. So please, a little respect. For I am Costanza, Lord of the Idiots.
Roxanne: [yelling out the window] You're all winners!
George Costanza: But suddenly, a new contender has emerged...
That's the conversation daily in Arizona. One day Governor Brewer will make some lame-ass, insensitive remark and we think it can't get worse, only to find out the next day that Senator Russell Pearce goes her one better with one of his patented anti-Mexican rants. Then Senator Sylvia Allen will rhapsodize about the earth being 6,000 years old, or Rep. John Kavanagh will tell an Indian that this is America, and if you don't like it, go back where you came from. Facepalm, day after day.
The contest at the Capitol seems to be, Who can out-crazy the other? Well, as George Constanza said, "a new contender has emerged" and today her name is Judy Burges.
Her website proudly proclaims that she is "an active Minuteman who worked posts on the border," and she wrote the Arizona bill to delegitimize "Obamacare," so you get the picture. We really became aware of Burges last year when she was a vocal spokesperson for the Birther Bill that she and three dozen other Republicans introduced. The legislation actually passed in the House before it died in the Senate; even in wacked-out Arizona some things are just too surreal. But with Russell Pearce now ensconced as President of the Senate, and with a new batch of crazy elected to that august body, Judy is back this week with HB 2544!
Arizona legislators have reintroduced legislation aimed at making President Barack Obama prove his U.S. nationality by birth. The measure in the Arizona House would prohibit placing presidential and vice-presidential candidates on the state's ballot unless they submit specified documentation of their U.S. birth and other constitutional requirements.
The "specified documentation" referred to includes an original long-form birth certificate that specifies the date and place of birth, the hospital, the name of the attending physician, and signatures from witnesses. (I am out of luck in Arizona if I choose to seek the Presidency, as my birth certificate lists no witnesses.) Rep. Burges is the bill's sponsor and she has 41 cosponsors, all Republicans. As the state implodes economically and in every other way imaginable, this is what they're spending time on! This is sure to result in jobs! jobs! jobs!
"Please sir, may I have another?"
Apparently Judy didn't think she was tossing enough red meat to her rural base, because today she introduced HB 2583. It's another nod to the gun lobby, one that would make evidence collected during a 911 call inadmissible in court. What's that, you say? Here, check this:
A. IF A PERSON IS DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY INVOLVED IN AN ACT THAT INVOLVES THE THREATENED OR ACTUAL USE OF DEADLY PHYSICAL FORCE AND THE PERSON PROMPTLY REPORTS THE ACT TO AN APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE OR POLICE SERVICES, THE PERSON'S STATEMENT IS NOT ADMISSIBLE IN A CRIMINAL PROSECUTION OR A CIVIL ACTION AGAINST THAT PERSON, EXCEPT FOR THE PURPOSES OF IMPEACHMENT.
Translation: If you kill or injure someone with a gun, then call 911 for help, and during that call confess to the act, the call cannot be used in court. On the surface Rep. Burges almost sounds like an ACLU, Miranda-loving defense attorney. But her voting record belies that; she runs on a Law & Order platform. So, what's the deal? Stephen Lemons at New Times sheds a little light on the motivation behind the bill:
Burges' bill seems a legislative answer to the conviction of Phoenix store owner Roger Garfield, who killed an unarmed homeless man, and was later found guilty of manslaughter. Garfield ... claimed self-defense, but his claim was belied by statements he made -- you guessed it -- in 911 calls he'd made during a previous encounter with the same man. Those tapes were played during Garfield's trial.
Let's set aside the debate about concealed weapons, large ammo clips, and gun shows. What we're seeing here is that Arizona's powerful gun lobby is pushing legislation that shifts the burden of proof in crimes that involve weapons, to make convictions more difficult. Burges's bill is an example. Another is the current omnibus gun package that waters down Shannon's Law, the bill that considers it a crime if you shoot into the air and accidentally hit someone. Now the prosecution must prove you "knowingly" injured the victim. Who will confess to that?
Judy Burges: Crazy-Ass Arizona Legislator for a Day. But just wait till tomorrow ...