"Mr. Chairman, this is ridiculous. No!"
That was a frustrated Democratic State Senator Krysten Sinema early this morning at the end of a marathon meeting of Arizona's Appropriations Committee. It was an almost comical end to the 12-hour day, as Sinema cast her vote against SB 1610, a bill that proclaims the colt firearm the official weapon of Arizona. The bill easily passed 9-4. Oh, goodie.
The debate earlier in the day was not so comical, however; it was maddeningly surreal and embarrassing, watching these supposed "leaders" pass several pieces of nativist legislation that make SB 1070 look like kids' stuff. Yesterday Arizona Republic columnist E.J. Montini called one bill, SB 1611, "SB 1070 on steroids." It passed.
Taken together, these bills turn everyone in Arizona into an immigration cop; they enlist everyone in Senator Russell Pearce's war on brown people. Last night I liveblogged the meeting, which you can read in this diary. Here's the Cliffs Notes version:
I'll highlight three votes that only serve to solidify Arizona's reputation as Hate, Inc. What was particularly frustrating last night was that the bills' opponents, led by Democratic Senators Sinema, Schapira, and Aboud, went through every page line-by-line, pointing out constitutional, fiscal, and social concerns, only to be followed by the usual GOP dog whistle or some dim bulb like Senator Rick Murphy calling Russell Pearce "a great American hero." Now there's a persuasive argument! Meanwhile, just about every group in the state but the Minutemen argued against the bills -- the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, police, hospital associations, teachers, social services, doctors, constitutional lawyers. But none of that mattered.
The main argument the bills' proponents put forth was an economic one -- pointing out how much money illegal aliens cost Arizona (without citing any reputable studies). Senator Aboud and other speakers countered, however, that these bills will undermine Arizona's economy more than the cost of delivering the babies of undocumented mothers -- and then some! Representatives from both the Arizona and Phoenix Chambers of Commerce argued that the bills will only enhance the state's racist image, driving away even more businesses, tourists, and students. That's how strong the Republicans' bigotry is: they're willing to sink the state even deeper into its already deep economic hell hole in order to "send a message," as they kept saying. Well, you sent a message all right: Arizona is led by a bunch of stupid nativist pricks, stay away.
Taken together SB 1308 and 1309 redefine the term "citizen" in Arizona. They are a direct assault on the birthright clause of the 14th Amendment, which says "all persons" born in the U.S. are citizens, regardless of their parents' status. SB 1308 and 1309 state that citizenship will only be granted to persons born in Arizona when at least one parent is already a citizen. At least a dozen states are considering similar legislation, so this'll be a test case for the courts, something Senator Pearce and Governor Brewer welcome, even though they admit the litigation will cost millions the state does not have. The bills passed 8-5.
SB 1405 is a particularly ugly piece of shit. Originally it declared that hospitals must deny care to patients if they cannot prove they are in the country legally. Even the wingnut Republicans here thought Senator Steve Smith's bill was too hateful, and so he introduced a modified version yesterday. Now, doctors and nurses can deliver care if someone shows up with a broken leg sans papers, but the hospital must file a report with the immigration office. Several health care providers spoke vociferously against SB 1405 -- private practitioners, midwives, even the Mayo Clinic. They argued that they're in the care business, not immigration enforcement. They pointed out the administration, legal, and ethical challenges raised by the bill, but the committee listened to Russell Pearce more than the health care experts. The bill passed 8-5.
Finally, SB 1611, or "SB 1070 on steroids," could be a dozen diaries by itself, as it cobbles together at least 16 pieces of failed racist bunk that Senator Russell Pearce introduced in six previous legislative sessions. When the media and the public realize what's in this bill, let's hope people speak out because it makes SB 1070 look tame. Why didn't we know about SB 1611 before? Well, Senator Pearce admitted during his testimony that he finished the bill on Friday and first provided legislators a copy of the extremely lengthy piece of garbage Monday afternoon. In other words, committee members had 24 hours to consider the most wide-ranging and discriminatory immigration legislation in state history.
The main effect of SB 1611 is that it turns everyone into an immigration cop, whether you're a hospital administrator, teacher, or social worker. You can't receive any public service in Arizona without first demonstrating citizenship; police officers can lose their job if citizens don't think they're adequately enforcing immigration law; landlords must verify citizenship status before leasing to tenants; you won't be able to rent a car in Arizona without papers; if you're caught driving in the state paperless it's a mandatory sentence; teachers must check the immigration status of all students. That last part particularly troubled Senator Schapira, an education advocate. As he pointed out, undocumented parents will keep their children out of school, fearing reprisal. That's all we need, more uneducated kids!
Again, numerous groups, associations, and professionals spoke against SB 1611. Hundreds of people filled three chamber rooms and rallied outside the Capitol in protest. The committee passed it 7-6.
This is only the Senate Appropriations Committee, and there is still a long way to go. However, few think the full Senate will overturn the Committee's recommendations, as Senate President Russell Pearce has a vice grip on his chamber. The House doesn't hold out much hope either, where wingnuts outnumber Democrats 2:1. And if the bills get to Governor Brewer's desk, forget it. She showed no spine in signing SB 1070, whereas Janet Napolitano had twice vetoed similar legislation. It's unlikely Headless Bodies Brewer will stop this racist juggernaut.
Shame on Arizona. At least we have an official gun.
