Worship any God you want, but if you buy into any belief system that says some people are more equal than others, you're a fool. Further, if you think your savior's prejudice should shape public policy, you're a tyrannical fool.
Former Arizona Governor Evan Mecham was all of that, but the Mormon car dealer was also a bumbling nincompoop whose fundy ego drove him straight into an impeachment cul-de-sac. Unfortunately, the state's new crop of authoritarian crazy is organized and downright vicious. In the past couple weeks, a long list of anti-immigrant, anti-women, anti-education, and anti-healthcare bills have sailed through some important committees. If they land on Governor Brewer's desk, it's unlikely she'll wake up from her 13-second stupor long enough to veto them.
To a large extent these laws are grounded in the intolerant beliefs of the legislature's Mormon leadership, abetted by other religious zealots.
Heck, Arizona brothers Mo and Stewart Udall were LDS. I met them both many times -- good men. Today the Udall name remains linked to Mormonism and politics, but that family knows where to draw the line. It's unlikely you'll see Tom or Mark Udall propose legislation because Joseph Smith told them to. It's also unlikely you'll see them use faith to justify intolerance.
If only that were the case in the Arizona legislature, and it starts right at the top with the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House.
Meet Mr. Pearce
Senate President Russell Pearce is a bully whose wife's 1980 divorce affidavit (PDF) reads, "the husband, RUSSELL KEITH PEARCE, is possessed of a violent temper, and has from time to time hit and shoved the wife." Pearce has been known to pal around with and forward the emails of white supremacist groups. Pearce is a despotic blowhard who's borrowing a page right out of Senator McCarthy's playbook with his Capitol blacklist and press conference bans. Pearce is a criminal who was forced out as Director of the Motor Vehicles Division in 1999 for falsifying records. His son Justin also pleaded guilty in the same FBI sting. Pearce's other son Joshua was just arrested for the umpteenth time; he's had more than 30 run-ins with the law. You know, traditional family values.
Russell Pearce is also a member of the LDS Church who thinks its precepts should guide public policy. There's no church-state barrier in the Senator's world because America is a religion, its founding documents authored by God. However, like fundamentalists of any cloth, he's very selective about which articles of his faith apply to government ("the rule of law" certainly trumps "compassion"). Well, using one's faith to sanction bigotry doesn't sit well with a lot of people, and some of them are Mormons who are embarrassed by the nativist peckerhead. One reason is that Latinos are joining the LDS Church at a greater rate than any other ethnic class, even Anglos. Arizona alone has more than 50 Spanish-speaking congregations, and the Church has a growing presence in Latin America. As a result, recall groups like "Citizens for a Better Arizona," which includes prominent Mormons from Pearce's own district, are hoping to oust him:
Chad Snow, a Phoenix attorney, is chairman of the political action group. He said he is a Republican and a Mormon, like Pearce, but added that it is a mistake to think all Mormons have the same views as Pearce.
"There's a perception out there that Mormons are against immigration. I think we're a bit defensive about that," Snow said. "We think he is ruining the image of the state. At least the initial reaction we got from people in Mesa was very supportive." Arizona Republic
Other Christians have also pointed out that Pearce's recent flock of hateful legislation is not so Christlike. At an explosive Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Feb. 22 where all kinds of nasty shit was approved, we heard a lot of Bible verses from people testifying against the racist and cruel bills. Passionate priests and hospital counselors talked about their role as caregivers and humanitarians, not immigration cops. The possibility of removing more than a million people from the Medicaid rolls earned a rebuke from community leaders who cited Christ's words about caring for the less fortunate among us.
Not to be outdone, Senator Ron Gould, a "traditional family values" Christian (so his website says) threw Bible quotes back in their face, and when he voted to eliminate Medicaid said, "I have no sympathy for people who don't pay their way in life." Given that half of the state's Medicaid patients are children, that's a real Christian view, Senator. The nerve of those damn poor kids ... not paying their way.
Meet Mr. Skousen
Russell Pearce lives in and represents Mesa, founded in 1878 by Mormons and home to one of the largest temples outside Salt Lake City. It's a beautiful building and grounds. The city's population is about 25 percent LDS, much higher than the state's 6 percent. Pearce is Mormon but he's not out there on the extreme fringes of fundamentalist Mormonism, which includes wackadoddles like the Lafferty brothers, who think it's okay to murder their wives (and babies) because they're not model women. Or "prophets" like Warren Jeffs, who's got a direct line to God, where he gets permission to molest young girls or give them to old farts. No, Pearce and most Mormons are not there, just as most other Christians look askance at fundamentalist murderers like McVeigh and Roeder.
But Pearce is a follower of the ultra-right political end of the LDS spectrum, represented by men like Cleon Skousen, a hardline anti-communist and John Bircher. For the past two years, Glenn Beck's been hawking Skousen's 1981 book The 5000 Year Leap on his show. The Beckster credits Skousen with turning his life around and writing "the bible of the 9/12 movement" (Salon). Beck's a believer in and frequent borrower of Skousen's anti-immigrant, anti-redistributist, anti-everything rhetoric. To express his gratitude, he wrote the foreword to the 2009 edition of 5000 Year Leap that he's been promoting through his tears.
Russell Pearce is also not shy about acknowledging Skousen's influence (nor is Rick Perry for that matter). Before he died in 2006, Skousen spoke in Arizona and Pearce attended his lectures, starting in the 1980s. He also read his books. And what did he learn there? Skousen, who saw Manchurian Candidates under every rock, preached that the U.S. Constitution was divinely inspired and that it and democracy are under attack from communism, secularism, and left-leaning "isms" of all stripes. A 1971 publication, and a Mormon publication at that,
accused Skousen of "inventing fantastic ideas and making inferences that go far beyond the bounds of honest commentary," and advancing doctrines that came "perilously close" to Nazism. New Yorker
This is the conspiratorial religious doctrine that formed the political beliefs of Russell Pearce, according to the Arizona Republic, not exactly a liberal publication:
Skousen believed in an obscure prophecy attributed to Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith that held that in the final days of the world, the Constitution would be hanging by a thread and would only be rescued by "the elders of Israel" -- Mormon men. While the prophesy is considered outside the mainstream of the church, it resonates in Pearce's comments.
"I love this country. I love this republic," Pearce said. "I believe it was inspired by God by our Founders to put together the freedom-loving constitutional republic that we have, recognizing certain God-given rights."
"Certain" rights, unless you happen to be brown, gay, or female. Not only are the nation's saviors Mormon men, but they're white. In the 1970s, for example, Skousen wrote that people who criticized the LDS Church for not ordaining African Americans are communists. That's a tough view to reconcile today given the Church's growth among Latinos, yet it's an antiquated and racist doctrine Pearce clings to. In his view, one Skousen shared, the only people capable of saving the threatened republic are white Mormon men. It's not too difficult to draw a short and straight line between that belief and Pearce's SB 1070 bill, not to mention a lot of the legislation that's passed this month: We're saving democracy here folks, brown people need not apply. And women's rights? Pffft!! The elders of the Church, all of whom are men, will tell you what you can and can't do with your body, thank you very much.
Meet Mr. Adams
Pearce's co-pilot in the other chamber, Speaker of the House Kirk Adams, certainly presents a less controversial profile, and I haven't read that any of his 6 kids has a rap sheet as long as your arm. Yet while the squeaky clean Adams may not flash the same bullying bravado that characterizes Pearce, his policies are every bit as intolerant and dangerous.
Also from a Mesa district, Adams gets a zero rating from Planned Parenthood for supporting every piece of anti-woman legislation he's ever seen. His website says it "is morally imperative" that Arizona retains its ban on same-sex marriage. He receives a zero rating from the Arizona Education Association for his attacks on public education and his support of bigoted policies like the ethnic studies ban. Adams earns an F from the Sierra Club for his willingness to give away every acre of the state to exploiters. On the other hand, he's a big hit with Americans for Prosperity for his support of low corporate taxes and deregulation. Adams's website proudly displays a picture of his family with George and Laura Bush. You get the picture.
Although it's rumored he and Pearce are not best buddies, Adams is partnering with the Senator to rig the Redistricting Commission, and he's supported every anti-immigrant measure that Pearce and his cronies have unfurled. He even wrote an editorial for the Arizona Republic last year that went national, claiming that SB 1070 "makes it crystal-clear that racial profiling is not and will not be tolerated." He's wrong, as the Blog for Arizona noted:
... the quote Adams pulls out of the law -- which he says "clearly states" racial profiling is forbidden -- leaves out the rest of the sentence, which says officers can use racial profiling to the extent it's allowed by the U.S. and Arizona constitutions. And rulings have said it's allowable by both constitutions.
The Upshot
Less than 20 percent of the Arizona legislature is Mormon, yet they control the House and Senate leadership, and Mormons chair powerful committees in both chambers, including Appropriations, where nearly every bill gets heard: Andy Biggs (Senate), John Kavanagh (House). These two men are just as Looney Tunes and would make this diary even longer if I listed their comments and voting records. Trust me, Biggs is the wackjob who won $10 million from Ed McMahon's American Family Sweepstakes and now sees any government assistance as a Stalinist plot -- Hell, I got my 10 large. Pearce wannabe Kavanagh told critics of the ethnic studies ban, "If you want a different culture, then fine, go back to that culture." Ah, John, some of those critics teach Hispanic and Native American courses. They have no other place to "go back to." This is their home, long before Brigham Young showed up.
So while only 6 percent of Arizona's population is LDS, the most conservative elements of that faith shape much of our policy. And what have they done with that power? If you want to see the ugly collusion between ultra-right religious doctrine and public policy, look no further than the bills State President Russell Pearce and Speaker of the House Kirk Adams have pushed through their respective chambers in less than a month of the 2011 session (and this is just a quick hit list):
• SB 1309 says citizenship will only be granted to persons born in Arizona when at least one parent is already a citizen.
• SB 1405 requires hospital staff to verify a patient is in the country legally before rendering care.
• SB 1611 stipulates that you can't receive any public service without first demonstrating citizenship.
• SB 1407 says school districts must check the immigration status of students, and quantify the costs of educating undocumented children.
• SB 1519 eliminates Medicaid and replaces it with a system that will serve perhaps 100,000, instead of the 1.3 million enrolled.
• SB 1115 cuts huge chunks of aid for community colleges and universities, and eliminates the Arizona Board of Regents, higher ed's strongest political voice.
• HB 2416 outlaws the nonsurgical abortion procedure known as telemedicine, which will shut down rural clinics.
• HB 2726 is Speaker Adams's attack on public-sector pensions. It cuts cost-of-living increases, raises the retirement age, and increases employee contributions.
At the same time state leaders are dismantling the educational, healthcare, and social scaffolding, they abolished the Arizona Department of Commerce and replaced it with a public-private sham that's pushing for more corporate tax cuts to solve our fiscal crisis. Yeah, that worked so well in the past. We should cut aid to the poor and middle class because, the religio-moralists say, it's about "personal responsibility," a good Christian value. The responsibility of corporations? Eh, not so much.
"Knuckle Dragging Closet Racists"
Historians of the West eventually have to confront the "Mormon issue," given their tremendous impact on settlement. I don't intend this diary to turn into an LDS debate -- only to say several friends were forced from the Church because of their public criticism of its male-centeredness. On the other hand, most Mormon friends and students are ... nice. Yeah, their scripture sounds a little loopy and culty, but have you checked out the Pope's hat lately? Many chroniclers of the Southwest express similar conflicting feelings. They admire the Mormons' ability to settle this harsh land, preserve tradition, and build strong communities. Yet they also write that the faith's insularity can sometimes breed an unhealthy provincialism and intolerance -- as any religion can. And that's the part Russell Pearce and legislative leaders have not only embraced but embellished: patriarchal authoritarianism.
Mormons don't need help getting others to suspect them: many Americans don't understand or trust the sect; even in some "enlightened" circles they're still the one major religion that's okay to joke about; their dim-witted support of California's Prop 8 didn't win them allies outside of the dwindling ranks of homophobes; and if someone like Romney runs for President, his faith will surely be an issue. In Arizona, Russell Pearce and his dog-whistlin', moon-barkin' nativist sidekicks are digging the LDS Church an even deeper public relations trench.
However, although the Church officially remained neutral on SB 1070, Mormons here rejected the "papers please" bill by a wider margin than the general population, so it's a safe bet that most LDS members do not accept Pearce's extreme views. It's heartening to see that they and people of all faiths (or no faith for that matter) are voicing protest. That can't be easy, especially for Mormons from the Mesa district that's represented by the most powerful politician in the state.
If you stayed here this long and want to read a great rant from a 5th-generation Mormon leader from Mesa, check out this letter to Governor Brewer, which he introduces with:
I believe my letter represents the views of the majority of right thinking Mormons in Arizona. We clearly still have some knuckle dragging closet racists in the Church. We pray that they will recognize the evil in their ways.
If you can help: RecallPearce.com