Today, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio took time out from not investigating more than 400 sex crimes to release the findings of his months-long probe into the President's birth certificate. When Trump's "people" in Hawaii were investigating President Obama's birth, he told reporters, "I have people that have been studying it and they cannot believe what they're finding." We never did hear what unbelievable stuff they found, and today's Orly-Arpy-WoldNutDaily-YouTube press conference didn't add anything believable to the story.
That's all I'm going to say about that silly grandstanding event, starring an 80-year-old flaccid frump who'll do anything to cuddle the tea baggers's balls and keep his mug before the cameras, as he prepares for another campaign for Maricopa County Sheriff. But Arpaio's show wasn't the only racist carnival in town today. Nearby at the Arizona legislature Glenn Spencer was testifying before the Senate Border Security, Federalism, and States' Rights Committee (yeah, it's an Arizona thing).
I mentioned last year that the committee's chairwoman, Senator Sylvia Allen, a rabid anti-immigrant nutball, had called Spencer to testify (she's the knucklehead behind the volunteer militia bill). However, Allen soon uninvited him after the Anti-Defamation League and the mainstream media found out about her invitation and told the world who Glenn Spencer is: an avowed racist and anti-semite.
Here's what I said last year about chairwoman Allen's decision to invite Spencer to testify, rather than one of the sheriffs who patrols the border region:
So, instead of an experienced sheriff, why not invite a guy who has a long association with American Renaissance, a White Nationalist magazine? Why not invite a man who speaks at conferences that advocate ethnic cleansing? Why not invite someone who predicts a Mexican invasion ("la reconquista"), and so he openly courts Stormfront, National Alliance, the KKK and other swell groups to prepare? Why not invite a man who teams up with Voices of Citizens Together to host meetings for neo-Nazis? Why not invite a goon whose organization is labeled a racist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League?
After the media's exposure of Spencer created a shitstormy backlash, Allen quickly did an about-face that would've made Mitt Romney proud, and canceled her invitation hours before the meeting. Senator Allen remains the committee's chair this session as well, so what did she do to avoid a similar fate? Simple, she just didn't
tell the committee or anyone in the media that Glenn Spencer would appear today as a witness. Stephen Lemons
writes that the committee's agenda, drawn up by Allen, simply listed "Border Technology, Inc." as the speaker. Turns out that's Spencer's company; it makes sonic beams or something to spot immigrants (it doesn't distinguish people from animals but that's another story). Spencer spent most of his testimony today hawking his screwball scheme.
And for that he received praise from Republicans like Al Melvin, who called Spencer a "patriotic American." Not everyone on the committee heard the old fart's patriotic poetry, however. When it became clear that the Glenn Spencer of "Hollywood Jews are brainwashing America" fame was going to testify, the two Democrats on the committee, Steve Gallardo and Robert Meza, walked out. Here's something almost every Hispanic here, and others who follow immigration issues, knows about Glenn Spencer:
Spencer was linked to minutewoman Shawna Forde, who was convicted and sentenced to death in 2011 for her part in the murders of 9 year-old Brisenia Flores and her father Raul during a botched 2009 home invasion robbery at the Flores home in Arivaca.
Forde had lived on Spencer's property near the border, and she visited Spencer's home as she was being pursued by law enforcement. Spencer allowed her to use her laptop at his abode. She was arrestedby the FBI shortly after leaving his property. New Times
New Times also printed a press release from the Anti-Defamation League about Spencer's testimony, which was issued later in the day. This is just part:
"It is outrageous that rather than seek out unbiased and legitimate experts, our legislators have chosen the leader of a hate group to present in front of that committee. And, unlike last year, when backlash to his invitation prompted the cancellation of his talk, this year he was a 'surprise" addition to the agenda with no prior notice. The fact that Senator Allen and some in our Senate regard this man as an 'expert' on border security is appalling. And the invitation they extended to him only gives further legitimacy to someone who has a long record of demonizing Hispanics and immigrants."
So, this is what we've come to: Arizona has the 15th highest unemployment rate in the nation, our schools and universities were gutted nearly a half-billion dollars last year alone, this year the state tossed 100,000 people out of the healthcare program, and the GOP
intends to swap sacred Indian burial land to build the state's largest copper mine at the same time they want to drill! drill! drill! in the Grand Canyon. In the meantime, our Governor is best known for a 16-second brain fart and a mean-ass scraggly finger shoved in a President's face; Maricopa County is the only county in Arizona that has experienced an increase in violent crime while our Sheriff spends his time and budget investigating crazy-ass birther legends; and a Senate committee is chaired by a racist fruitcake who calls fellow racist fruitcakes to provide "expert" testimony.
Maybe I can get a job writing copy for the Arizona Office of Tourism. "Ya'll come! Your state will seem a lot saner when you go home."