Greetings to All Kossacks ...
... in The Great State of Arizona and everywhere else in the Kossack Nation.You read that right, I said The Great State of Arizona. February is always a good month to be in Baja. Spring is in the air and here in the Old Pueblo, February is rodeo month and the schools take two days off for the Fiesta de los Vaqueros. But this February is special. Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, is Statehood Day in Arizona and this year we will celebrate 100 years as one of the United States of America. It is our Centennial. I know what people think of our state since the passage of SB1070, only the first of many such laws passed in other states by the way, and I don't care. It's our Centennial and I'm proud to be an Arizonan.
On that note, I invite you to put on your boots and bolo ties and follow me below the fold for news, views and some Norteño music. Baja Kossacks are encouraged to check in and let us know how y'all are.
First the News ...
The situation in CD-8 is as follows: On our side, only State Rep. Matt Heinz, (D-29) has declared his candidacy. There are other names floating around including Farley, Aboud and Giffords staffer Ron Barber, who may run as a place holder until the general. There's a good summary at Blog for Arizona. For the Republicans, there are at least three: Jesse Kelly,(R-Texas) will try again, State Rep. Frank Antenori, (R-30) is running and longtime sportscaster and Rugby enthusiast Dave Sitton, (R-Jim Click) is ready to try his hand at politics. There might even be a fourth Repub, according to Nintzel at the Weekly. Time's a-wastin' so we should know real soon exactly who's running and who's not. I still say it's Gabby's call, her endorsement will be decisive, if she makes one.
Norteño Music
Yes Buckaroos, it's rodeo time in the Old Pueblo and what could be more apropos than some Cowboy Music. Now, the whole cowboy culture came originally from Mexico. Rodeo means round-up in Spanish, from the verb rodear, and buckaroo is obviously a corruption of vaquero, literally cowboy. Where we in the US think of cowboys as being from the West, in Mexico the cowboys are in the North, and their music is not Western music, it's Northern music, or Norteño. The best, and most popular, Norteño band in the world is Los Tigres del Norte,the Tigers of the North. That name has great significance in Mexico because the original Tigre del Norte was none other than Pancho Villa. (Little known fact: The band Los Lobos originally called themselves Los Lobos del Este de L.A., a play on that same term.) I first fell in love with the Tigres back when the Tanque Verde Swapmeet was actually on Tanque Verde, at Grant Rd. where the dinosaur McDonald's is now. The beer booth was located just a few yards from Yoli's Music Store. They had Norteño blasting all the time, and every time I'd get a beer, I'd hear the Tigres, kind of a Pavlov's dog type of thing. Here's one of my favorite songs:
That whole album, Mi Buena Suerte, is excellent and for some reason, I feel like a beer.
Model Legislation
As many of you know, I've been obsessed with ALEC since I found out that SB1070 was written with their help. Since then I've learned much more about these SOBs, that they have corporate lawyers writing "model legislation" for right-wing state legislators across the country and that, in addition their work on behalf of the for-profit prison "industry," they're responsible for many the anti-public employee laws being passed wherever Rs control the ledge. (For their continuing influence in Arizona see this in the Nation and this at HuffPo.) Now, finally, there is some good news on the anti-ALEC front. My State Rep, good ol' Steve Farley, has introduced an ALEC disclosure bill in the Arizona House. HB 2665 would require legislators to disclose any free trips of conference fees they have received, that is ALEC "scholarships." How 'bout that for "model legislation" ? Something like it should be introduced in every state. Steve's a good guy, I'm gonna' miss him. If he doesn't run in CD-8, he'll run for State Senate in the new LD-9, up on the north side.
More Tigres
The standard instrumentation for a Norteño band is called conjunto and consists of bass and drums along with accordeón and a modified 12-string guitar called a bajo sexto. The Tigres, who were originally all brothers, have one brother who is multi-instrumental, sometimes playing a second accordion and sometimes an alto sax, as in this one, La Puerta Negra:
Miscellaneous
Did y'all see this? Some idiot in Florida introduced an ALEC bill with the ALEC mission statement still attached. What a maroon. I know I shouldn't be posting this one, given our state's reputation, but it cracks me up for some reason. Sorry Pinal County. Let's see what happens here, SB1070 goes to the Supreme Court, and here is Blog for Arizona's political calender for this week.
Ramon Ayala
I could go on posting Tigres videos all night, and I may if nobody shows up in the thread, but you can't talk about Norteño music without mentioning Ramon Ayala y los Bravos del Norte. This guy is the absolute King of Norteño accordeón. This is his Vestido de Color de Rosa:
Add Heinz
Baja Kossack Young Arizona Liberal has a diary on Matt Heinz HERE, just below this one on the group page.