Same-Sex Marriage Soon Coming To Arizona

What will the sage of Arizona, Jan Brewer, say and do?

Same-sex couples in Arizona could begin applying for marriage licenses in a matter of days. But a few legal hurdles remain.

In legal documents filed Thursday, Republican Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne wrote that he believes a recent appeals-court ruling striking down similar marriage bans in other states applies to Arizona. But he asked U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick to wait to overturn the law until the appeals court issues its legal mandate.

A mandate instructs courts to go forward with the opinion. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued a mandate last week within hours of ruling that marriage laws in Idaho and Nevada violated couples’ rights to equal protection under the 14th Amendment. But the court withdrew its mandate so Idaho could appeal.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Has Vetoed Anti-Gay Bill

Arizona  Gov. Jan Brewer has vetoed the anti-gay bill.   We fought it, and won!

Why it took so long to do the correct thing is a mystery to those with any common sense and political courage.  There was never a time she was going to sign this once corporations started threatening Arizona’s economy.  You can always count on a Republican to think with their wallet.  And that is a battleground so easy to fight them on with many issues.  I wish, however, Brewer would have been driven by moral convictions when it came to this bill, and would have been able to stand with those who fight for gay civil rights.

But in the end this bill was vetoed and that is the most important thing.

Governor Jan Brewer To Speak Tonight (7:45 E.T.) On Anti-Gay Bill AWaiting Her Signature Or Veto

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s office says she will speak at 7:45 PM ET about a bill allowing businesses that assert their religious beliefs the right to deny service to gay and lesbian customers.

More later this evening on Caffeinated Politics.

NBC NEWS: Jan Brewer To Veto Anti-Gay Bill

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is likely to veto controversial bill allowing denial of services to gays, sources tell NBC News.

This is not a time to stop the calls and emails around the nation to keep the pressure on until the bill has been stopped.

Then we need to keep the PR on for days to make the case how his type of legislation must not be repeated, and why gay rights will not be allowed to be undermined by conservatives.

Just How Bigoted Is Arizona Governor Jan Brewer When It Comes To Gay People?

I have been at a loss for days to sum up my feelings about much of the government of Arizona.  There is no way a sane person can possibly defend or rationalize what conservatives and Republicans are attempting this week.

A bill has been sent to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer from the legislature that would grant business owners the right to invoke religion to refuse service to gays and others that they wish to exclude.    Considering this was also a state that had to be almost hog-tied to accept the idea of a national holiday for the Reverend Martín Luther King, Jr. might we also be expecting that African-Americans should also be under advisement that someday soon they too will be not allowed to eat at certain restaurants in that state?

How far should we expect the lunacy to go in Arizona?  And why don’t the people of that state rise up and demand an end to the embarrassing and unconscionable actions of their state government?

There is no way that the hair-dyed air-head in the Arizona governor’s mansion should be allowed to play coy with what she intends to do with this matter.  The moment the legislature passed it she should have immediately condemned it and told reporters in no uncertain terms she would spit on the bill and tear it in two should it reach her desk.  (That is what I would have done!)

But she plays cozy with the haters and bigots, even when logical people, some in her own party, are making statements that decry the matter.

Both U.S. Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, stated they want Brewer to veto the bill.   Business concerns echo that desire.  Apple Inc., and American Airlines have made their feelings known about this dreadful bill.

This bill has no more to do with religious liberty than a filling in my tooth has to do with communications with a space satellite.  To spin vile hatred in the guise of religion is pure bunk, and any sober person can understand that to be true.  This putrid legislation would expand the state’s definition of “exercise of religion” to protect businesses and citizens from lawsuits after denying services on religious grounds.  This can not stand!!

If Brewer does not see the light of day anyone can spin their hatred to discriminate under the guise of religion.

How in hell did Arizona get to this place in 2014?

Arizona Blocks Protests At Funerals By Westboro Baptist Church

Good news…..and one can not say that much these days.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed into law emergency legislation to head off picketing by a Topeka, Kan., church near the funeral service for a 9-year-old girl who was killed during Saturday’s shooting in Tucson.

Unanimous votes by the House and Senate on Tuesday sent the bill to Brewer. It took effect immediately with her signature Tuesday night. The new law prohibits protests within 300 feet of a funeral or burial service.

The radical Westboro Baptist Church earlier announced plans to protest the funerals of the victims in the Tucson shooting.

Rep. Daniel Patterson said Tuesday that there is a lot of political disagreement that goes on at the Capitol but on this day he said both Republicans and Democrats were coming together do the right thing.

Governor Jan Brewer Not Ready For Prime Time, Debate A Disaster

Before I start I want to state that talking with the aim to communicate effectively while many are listening is not easy. If you think it is, try to talk without pause, no ‘ums’ or ahh’s, and see if you can articulate a message about any topic in the headlines these days for 60 seconds.  Having worked in broadcasting I know how many words are needed for just one minute of air time.  There is a rhythm to such talking after one does it over and over, and it gets very easy.  Short of that however it can be hard.

So at some level I feel for any politician when they need to go into a debate and face a crowd, the clock, the opponent, the microphone, and in most cases the camera.  It is not easy.

But there are those portions of any debate, such as the opening and ending, where a candidate can have their responses rehearsed.  Generally these are the things one says in every campaign stop and so should roll off the tongue like their age and phone number  That is why the performance by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer was simply shocking in Wednesday’s debate.

It was as if  Jan Brewer had never been a statewide candidate before, and had never entered a debate situation.  This is one of the most painful moments I have ever seen in a debate.

Gov. Jan Brewer’s Latest Gig Is Bashing United Nations

I give Arizona Governor Jan Brewer credit for not replaying the old hits over and over.  She comes up with a new stage act just as the old one was getting stale.   After all, bigots need new material like everyone else.   Her latest attempt to get to the top of the charts is by bashing the United Nations.  Problem is that this has been done so many times before that the notes fall flat before they even leave her tongue.  At her age she should know better than to ‘cover’ another’s songbook.

Brewer’s latest outrage is over a report by the United Nations making mention of the unconstitutional immigration law in Arizona that she signed into law.  The courts have not looked kind on the measure she signed.  No one with a working brain stem thought the bill should ever have been signed into law.  That she now seems embarrassed enough about the law and her actions to make all this fuss is a sign of hope I guess.  Who would want any more  coverage of this dreadful action?   Even she must know that the rest of the world will find her actions shameful.

To confuse the matter, all for her political purposes, Brewer is spinning away that the Obama White House is trying to place her actions in Arizona up for review by the big-ole-bad-and-scary United Nations.  Had Brewer taken the time to read that section of the report on human rights regarding her state she would know that the writing merely acknowledges the law has caused much debate and signficant attention.  That is all it does.  The report is not all that long, under 30 pages, and I am betting one of her staff could even underline the portion that deals with this matter to make it easier for her to read.

To confuse and try to roil the waters over this matter is further evidence that Governor Brewer is continuing to do what we all know she was doing this whole time.  That is to use immigration as a wedge issue, a lighting rod, and raw meat for her election purposes.

For that alone she should be defeated at the polls.