Grijalva’s Offices Targeted Again By Haters

This is terrorism.

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva’s congressional office is closed this afternoon as police respond to a suspicious piece of mail.

An envelope arrived with swastikas drawn on the outside and a white powdery substance on the inside, said Adam Sarvana, Grijalva’s spokesman.

The office is on lockdown as police investigate. Those outside the office are not allowed in, and the workers and constituents inside are not allowed to leave until police clear the scene, Sarvana said.

At about 1:45 p.m. there were several police and two fire vehicles outside the office.

It’s not the first time his office has been the target of threats.

Grijalva received death threats in April, shortly after SB1070 was signed into law and he called for a boycott in response. He closed his Tucson and Yuma offices as a result.

In July, after he called off the boycott, staffers found a bullet and a shattered window inside his Yuma office

 

Bullet Closes Grijalva’s Yuma Office

The media narrative would have you believe that those of us who are against Arizona’s Shame: SB1070 are a bunch of violent squatters, but in reality, it’s the gun-toting vigilantes in support of racial profiling and ethnic cleansing who can’t control their tempers

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., has closed his Yuma district office for the day after staff discovered that a bullet had shattered a window earlier Thursday.

A news release from Adam Sarvana, Grijalva’s spokesman, says police are investigating the vandalism and have not released details about a possible motive. Grijalva will re-open the office as soon as possible, his office said.

AZCentral.com

Recall that when SB1070 was signed by Jan Brewer a couple of months ago, Justin Haynes was arrested for calling Grijalva’s offices and threatening to “blow the brains out” of the Congressman and his staff.

The AZGOP have created these violent monsters, it’s their responsibility to denounce them and prevent further violence.

 

Barack the "47-year-old mulato"

Ever wonder why the GOP is going the way of their mammoth cousins’ extinction out west?

It’s because the Minutemen/blatantly racist crazies are the public face of their party. I’ve been saying this for a long time now.

At all levels of government, the Republican party has allowed their public faces to be the most rabid of nativists in our midst. The Arizona GOP State Chairperson is not only one of the vigilantes, he was also the architect of Proposition 200. Plus, lets not forget that the now-retired JD Hayworth was a huge supporter of the Binocular Brigade. Oh, and how about the State Legislature’s darling conservative Russell Pearce?

And their candidates? Last fall, Randy Graf was out spooking everyone for Halloween with pregnant girls warning against invading hordes of Mexicans while Ron Drake was advocating for the Great Wall of America™.

These are not the voices of moderation. These are not voices who are even making an attempt to understand where the Latino community is coming from on the various issues of the day. It is a group who has chosen to define us in the most negative way possible.

Instead of getting a clue that the public is more moderate than the far-right, Republican operatives think that electoral salvation will come to them in the form of returning to “core principles.” Yet, they try to have it both ways by giving soft or no support to GOP candidates that appear on ballots as one of them who are truly batshit-insane, failing to organize their herd enough to keep said lunatics off the ballots.

Take Arizona’s Congressional District 7 for example. This is the second time Joe Sweeney will appear as the Republican candidate facing off with Democratic incumbent Raúl Grijalva:

The Republican Party does not endorse Sweeney, a rapid opponent of illegal immigration who calls Interstate 19, between Tucson and Nogales a “Whore-i-dor” and who says illegal immigrants outnumber U.S. citizens in the 7th Congressional District.

He also complains on behalf of “Anglo-Saxon women who say they are discriminated against because they are not bilingual,” and derides Barack Obama as a “47-year-old mulato.”

He also supports legislation that would make being gay a crime.

Sweeney says he’s just saying what other people think.

Tucson Citizen (emphasis mine)

All that’s missing is the white sheet and hood – and as extreme as Sweeney is, it brings mounds of schadenfreude-laden delight that right next to his name is his party affiliation: Republican

 

Saban/Grijalva Neighborhood Walk on Sunday

For those of you in the Maricopa County slice of Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, looks like a contingent of Baja Arizonans will be gathering to head up north on Sunday to assist Joe Arpaio with early retirement.

Please Join A Whole Lot of People for a West Valley Walk THIS Sunday, August 24th!

For Congressman Grijalva & Dan Saban, Candidate for Maricopa County Sheriff

1. Meet at Grijalva Headquarters at 1:30pm to drive up
   452 S Stone, Tucson AZ
   Please RSVP if you do not have your own transportation
2. Meet at SEIU-Avondale HQs at 4 pm for door to door walk in West Valley
   316 N Central Ave, Avondale AZ

For more information and to RSVP contact Charlie at (520) 629-0050 or charlie@grijalvaforcongress.com

 

Some Data Released On Migrant Detainee Deaths

This is a good thing because it shines the light on the rot, but even better would be to stop it from happening altogether. Just sayin’…

The articles, based on thousands of pages of internal documents, found that 83 detainees had died since ICE was created five years ago and that many more sick and mentally ill people have been denied the treatment to which they are entitled. The Post found medical staff shortages, treatment delays, sloppy record-keeping, poor administrative practices and cover-ups by employees aware of the poor care.

Yesterday’s hearing was partisan and testy. Myers said ICE has been working to improve the health-care system. But detainees, their lawyers and relatives, and advocates for immigrants offered graphic testimony about misdiagnoses, medical neglect and secrecy.

Washington Post

Fortunately my Congressman, Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), is readying legislation to address the medical care of migrant workers who find themselves in the various concentration camps across the country.

House Resolution 5950 would set medical care standards for immigrant detainees.

The secretary of the U.S. Department of Health Services would be required to establish procedures for the timely and effective delivery of health care to detainees and to report the deaths of detainees to the agency and Congress. It would require any necessary medications be provided upon detention.

Grijalva may not he done yet. The congressman said he is considering co-sponsoring two more immigration bills that have bipartisan support.

KTAR.com

Thank you, Congressman. Thank you.

 

Grijalva Changes Endorsement to Obama

The realignment of super-delegates continues to move in Senator Obama’s direction.

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama will tap U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva to help persuade Latino voters to support the Illinois Democrat’s presidential campaign.

Grijalva will campaign around the Southwest for Obama, courting union members and environmentalists heading into Super Tuesday on Feb. 5. His title in the campaign will be announced Tuesday, Grijalva said. Twenty-two states will pick their favorite Democrats then.

linkage

Grijalva had previously endorsed John Edwards for the Democratic nomination. Also on the Obama front, he’ll be in that big city north of the Gila River on Wednesday.

Please join Barack Obama at a ‘Stand for Change’ Rally in Phoenix where he’ll talk about his vision for bringing America together and bringing about the kind of change we can believe in.

‘Stand for Change’ Rally with Barack Obama and special guests Gov. Janet Napolitano and Caroline Kennedy

Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
at the Arizona State Fair Grounds
1826 W. McDowell Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85007

Wednesday, January 30
Doors open: 3:30 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is strongly recommended:

http://arizona.barackobama.com/phoenix

For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal items. No signs or banners are permitted.

Still no love for Baja Arizona? Tsk! tsk!

sombrero tip to cpmaz

 

Bill Introduced For Samaritan’s Green Card

I love my Congressman – even more so because this will make the hardliners’ heads explode.

U.S. Rep. Rául Grijlava submitted a private bill Thursday asking Congress to issue a green card to an illegal entrant who officials credit with saving the life of a 9-year-old boy he encountered in the desert on Thanksgiving night.

Late Thursday evening, Grijalva submitted the private bill, “H.R. 4339, for the relief of Jesus Manuel Córdova Soberanes,” to the clerk of the house, said Natalie Luna, Grijalva’s press secretary. The bill will be referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

linkage

James offered a post over the Thanksgiving weekend outlining this instance of a modern day Good Samaritan in action. Córdova was honored earlier this week at a ceremony at the Nogales Port of Entry.

“We don’t know what would have happened to Christopher,” said Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada. “He was lost in an area where there was no help. Then Manuel Jesus shows up – his guardian angel.”

Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manuel Ruiz described Cordova as “a young man who gave up his dream of helping his family to help a young man.” He addressed Cordova’s mother, Alma Lydia Soberanes, in Spanish and commended her for raising such a compassionate son.

linkage

 

Grijalva Should Apologize For Nothing

My ears perked up when I read this over at Arizona Congress Watch

Until now, members have not revealed earmark requests, usually waiting until funding was approved to disclose “winning” projects. Before the July 4 recess, Grijalva told Giffords and other Arizona colleagues that he had no plans to change that.

But on July 5, Grijalva released his complete list. On his Web site, he posted a list of 42 projects for which he is seeking $327 million.

Giffords immediately was asked for her list, and she demurred. After a spate of negative newspaper articles and accusations of secrecy, she posted her list on her Web site a week later. The impression was that she was forced to do something she didn’t want to do.

Grijalva said he made a mistake. He didn’t intend to release his earmark requests, but was repeatedly asked about them during meetings around his district. So “I changed my mind,” he said this week.

Grijalva said Giffords told him she wished she had known he was going to release his list. “I apologized to her,” Grijalva said. “I accept that. I got criticism from all my Democratic colleagues.”

linkage

Why is Raúl apologizing to a novice on the Hill for something that, I’m sure, has widespread support among the people? Earmarks, while sometimes ridiculous, can be extremely beneficial methods of support that remind districts that the federal government is still concerned with the machinations of local communities. But, really, that’s beside the point. Here’s the real one:

Taxpayers fund the government.

I know that’s a shocking revelation. I’ll give you a few seconds to allow you to catch your breath (especially if any Congressional staffers happen to stumble into this online cantina). Bottom line is: It is our right to know how the government spends or wastes the revenue that is collected from our pockets everyday.

I find it highly amusing that Grijalva, who decided to release his list of earmarks after speaking to constituents, took flak from within his own Majority party for forcing their hand on transparency. It is one of those rare moments of public nudity where the populace can gawk in horror at the exposure of the entire political system that flaunts itself on the stage due to the pimping efforts of the Corporate Bosses.

Republicans and Democrats look the same when they’re in the buff, that’s why legislation to make the system more transparent and therefore, accountable to public scrutiny, have been thwarted or slowed-down since the mantle of power (supposedly) switched hands last November.

Gabrielle Giffords has only been a Congresswoman for a few months – it’s unsettling that she is learning the ropes that would better serve this country if they were bisected with a machete. She should be gladly receiving advice from Raúl, not apologies.