Blog For Arizona

The New BlogForArizona is Live

By Michael Bryan

Tonight we updated the DNS servers to point all our domains to the new Word Press hosted site. BlogForArizona.com, BlogForArizona.net (until the DNS are all updated this is link for new site), and .org will all point to the new site, at which all new content will appear.

The Typepad site (arizona.typepad.com) on which you are reading this post, will become an archive site. Eventually, all comments will be disabled. If you are arriving at this site via a search engine or a referring link, please consider joining us in discussing Arizona politics at:

www.BlogForArizona.com

Thanks for your patience and patronage during this transisition

 

A New BlogForArizona

By Michael Bryan

For the past several weeks, we here at BlogForArizona have been working quietly on a complete redesign of the blog. We are now in the process of rolling out the redesign. Over the next few days we are asking for your understanding and patience as we implement the new site.

The main difference you will see as readers is that the new blog will be accessible at www.blogforarizona.com, and the current site will be archived at arizona.typepad.com. If you have bookmarked BlogForArizona, you might want to check and see if you have might have bookmarked the address of the archive site.

All our old posts will also have been transferred to www.blogforarizona.com, but some may lack graphics and some links may be problematic, so older posts might look better on the archive. Once the transition is complete (we estimate early next week), all new posts will appear at www.blogforarizona.com only.

You may need to re-register for commenting at the new Word Press-based site. Hopefully, we will have better response and load times, better searching, better social media integration, and some great new features enabled by the richer ecosystem of Word Press application developers. We will be experimenting over the coming weeks and welcome your suggestions.

Thanks for your support and interest. New posts may continue to appear below until the transition is complete. Please continue to access our blog at www.blogforarizona.com to ensure you are seeing the latest version of the blog.

Abortion access returns to Flagstaff, which displeases LifeSiteNews

Crossposted from DemocraticDiva.com

Planned Parenthood of AZ announced the good news this morning:

Planned Parenthood Arizona – Flagstaff Health Center In 2011, Planned Parenthood Arizona was forced to stop providing abortion care at a number of our health centers due to legislation that made the provision of this care nearly impossible. Our health center in Flagstaff was one of them.

For the past two and a half years, women living outside of Pima and Maricopa County have encountered miles of travel, days of wages lost, and several nights away from loved ones in order to access this safe and legal medical procedure. These barriers, created by politicians who have no business interfering with a woman’s personal medical decisions, were faced and overcome by many women – but not all.

Carolyn's Community Comes to Blog For Arizona

By Michael Bryan

Following the shut-down of The Citizen website, many great bloggers found themselves without a home. One voice that we could not let fall silent was Carolyn Classen, who has been doing a tireless job of informing the Tucson community.

We reached out to Carolyn to see if she was willing to keep serving our community here at Blog For Arizona, and she agreed to come aboard our crazy train.

Please welcome Carolyn's Community to our community!

Capitol screening of Robert Reich's 'Inequality for All'

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Blog for Arizona's own Bob Lord is a member of the panel discussion which follows:

 

Maricopa County Judge tells anti-Medicaid expansion litigants to pound sand

Crossposted from DemocraticDiva.com

No standing. That’s the verdict of Maricopa County Superior Court to the whiny cast of idiots suing the state to block the Medicaid expansion. Judge Katherine Cooper handily dispatched with all their baseless arguments.

A Day with Felecia Rotellini on Saturday

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

If you missed the campaign kickoff events for Felecia Rotellini this week, you still have one more chance on Saturday.

  

Please Join

Hon. Paula Aboud, Karen & Don Bahnick,

Marla & Dennis Daugherty, Miriam & Tom Lindmeier,

Ruth & Bill Maki, Nan & Dick Walden,

and Connie & Jim Woodbrey

for

Coffee and Conversation with

Arizona’s Next Attorney General

Felecia Rotellini

Saturday, February 8, 2014

9:30am – 11am

at

2785 East Posse Court, Green Valley

(Click Here for Map)

 

RSVP to Bill at[email protected]or (520) 232-3117

Suggested Contribution: $100

Any and all contributions will be gratefully accepted!

 

Contributions are limited to $2,000 per individual per election.

The primary and general elections are separate elections,
so individuals may give up to a total of $4,000.

If you are unable to attend but would like to contribute

please Click Hereto do so securely online

or

make your personal check payable to:

Felecia for Arizona 2014

PO Box 80025

Phoenix, AZ  85060

Personal contributions only.  No business or corporate contributions are allowed.

Foreign nationals who lack permanent residence are prohibited from contributing.

Contributions are not deductible for State or Federal Income Tax purposes.

 

www.FeleciaForArizona.com

 

Felecia for Arizona 2014  ●  PO Box 80025  ●  Phoenix, AZ  85060  ●  [email protected]

 

The YMCA: Celebrate Your Soul

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Announcement from the Pima County Democratic Party African-American Caucus:

Capitol screening of Robert Reich's 'Inequality for All'

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Blog for Arizona's own Bob Lord is a member of the panel discussion which follows:

 

Felecia Rotellini Campaign Kickoff Events

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Announcement from the Felecia Rotellini for Attorney General campaign:

Tucson Martin Luther King Day Celebration and Days of Service

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Additional information below the fold.

Scott Smith for Governor? Beware of "centrist" mayors.

I'm about to do a post that is similar to one I did on Democratic Diva a while back but since that site is down and Brahm Resnik of 12 News in Phoenix just tweeted that Mesa Mayor Scott Smith intends to announce his bid for the GOP gubernatorial nod in Arizona, I'm going to repeat my warning:

There was a guy by the name of Pat McCrory in North Carolina. He was the Mayor of Charlotte, a medium-sized city which had enjoyed a good bit of high tech development in recent years. McCrory was considered a centrist, and was the darling of the Chamber of Commerce and media establishment types in NC. When he ran for governor in 2012, McCrory styled himself as a keen-eyed, business focused pragmatist. At debates and endorsement interviews he swore up and down he wasn't going to indulge the tea party ideologues in the state legislature. He was all about jobs jobs jobs! When he was specifically asked about abortion at one forum, he gave a one word answer - "no" - to signing any bill involving abortion into law. 

Single mothers ruining everything again!

Alia Rau of the Arizona Republic is someone I've thought of as a straightforward news reporter so I was surprised to see such a biased article under her byline. The piece is a woman-blaming mess from the title on down.

More moms in Arizona skip marriage

Debate over reversing the trend, providing a secure environment for children

What?! Okay, there's a good chance that Rau didn't pick that title but someone did. Someone who has been living in what culture their entire life? Because the rest of us live in the one where it's still customary for the man to propose marriage. It worth noting that in the two times that fathers are even mentioned in the article it's to describe a successful co-parenting situation and a longterm cohabitation where the couple, who were already parents of two children, recently married.

Beyond that, it's a story of wicked, wicked women who apparently steal sperm from unwitting men. And it's the unwillingness of these wicked, wicked single mothers to force the fathers of their children to marry them that is the cause of most modern social ills. Not widening inequality, not lack of opportunity and economic mobility. Certainly nothing to look at in the fathers. We are just to assume that the flaw lies entirely in the mothers. 

Conservatives love this story and have ready-made solutions for the "problem".

Former Mesa Republican state lawmaker Mark Anderson was the force behind several successful bills to promote marriage, including using federal funds to create a state marriage education program and establishing so-called covenant marriages.

He said he doesn’t believe anybody, regardless of political affiliation, thinks the rising cost of unmarried mothers is OK.

“But if you ask them what to do about it, that’s another issue,” Anderson said. “It’s not simple.”

I'm not sure why Mark Anderson thinks I must share his anxiety over unmarried mothers. There's also no basis to conclude that what he implemented changed anything. So-called covenant marriage was clearly designed for middle class to affluent people who already intended to marry and who shared a certain religious sensibility. It was not a prescription to encourage marriage in general. 

Cultural shift

Conservatives say the solution is a cultural shift to reinstate the value of marriage.

“Increasingly, and most especially with this youngest generation, they don’t see marriage as something that has to come before children,” Hymowitz said. “It’s been very, very hard to get any consensus that this is a societal and economic problem.”

But more than a decade ago, the federal government did acknowledge the problem. And the resulting efforts to solve it have been unsuccessful.

One of the goals of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, authorized in 1996, was to encourage two-parent families. States, which receive the TANF funds to distribute, responded in a variety of ways.

Arizona established the option of covenant marriage contracts, which require the couple to get premarital counseling and can only be dissolved in limited situations such as adultery, abuse or abandonment. The state passed laws to require more education on the impacts of divorce as part of the divorce process. It created a commission that appropriated more than $1 million in TANF funds for a program to support marriage and published a marriage handbook.

Oklahoma in 1999 started the nation’s largest and longest-running state program supporting marriage, investing $10 million into the effort. But like Arizona, Oklahoma’s marriage rate continues to decline and its rate of unmarried mothers continues to rise.

Hymowitz said local and national leaders may need to be more blunt about the benefits of marrying before having children.

Really? The millions they've already spent on, uh, bluntly promoting the benefits of marriage haven't panned out already? You don't say! 

UCLA researchers probed this mystery recently. They found that low income people valued marriage as much as their higher income counterparts. Perhaps lack of willingness to marry isn't the problem after all. Looks like marriage follows financial stability, not the other way around. 

And not for nothing but, hey, didn't the single mothers "choose life"? Do conservatives even have grounds to criticize them? Would they be happier if the women had chosen abortion? I think not. Conservatives are also not exactly at the forefront of promoting sex ed and widespread contraception access either. Why, then, would any reporter take conservatives at their word on the subject of single mothers? They clearly know nothing about them. 

 

 

 

 

In Memoriam: Thomas Chandler

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Arizona lost a legend in the legal community and the Democratic Party this weekend. This guest opinion is by Tucson attorney Barry Kirschner.

Thomas Chandler passed away at the age of 93 on November 29, 2013. Tom was a lawyer, regent, philanthropist, and community treasure.

Born into poverty, Chandler picked in the fields during the 1920s and early depression years. Willing to fight for the principled underdog, he and his younger brother Robert fought the remainder of his elementary school class when the 1928 Democratic nominee for President, Al Smith, was derided as a Catholic.

Chandler rose to prominence in the late 1940s after achieving his degree from the University of Arizona College of Law. Chandler became the consummate trial lawyer and political insider, advising Stewart and Morris Udall, and later enjoying a lengthy partnership with D.Burr Udall. I believe that every Democratic Governor of Arizona in the last 50 years sought and treasured his advice.

Stories abound of the legal batles of the titans, with Morris Udall for the Plaintiff and Tom Chandler for the defense. Chandler was influential in Democratic poltics including issues related to the Department of the Interior when Morris Udall chaired the relevant House of Representatives committee. Chandler was also a powerful force in the water law reforms which loosened an agriculture dominated common law when Bruce Babbitt was Governor of Arizona.

But Chandler will be remembered even more fondly for the things he did behind the scenes. A founding influence for what is now Southern Arizona Legal Aid, Chandler continued support for the poor and access to justice through generous contributions to the William E. Morris Foundation and the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest. He was a towering influence bending the ethics of the Pima County Bar for the better.

Senior Scam Prevention Event

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Announcement from Rep. Andrea Dalessandro (D-LD2):

World War II Memorial dedication in Tucson

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Announcement from Tucson City Councilman Richard Fimbres:

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month: Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America to hold Domestic Gun Violence Event

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Press release from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America:

MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA ARIZONA CHAPTER TO HOLD DOMESTIC GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS EVENT

On the Top 10 Worst State List the Moms Demand Action-Arizona Chapter will host a Press Conference Highlighting the Need for Stronger Legislation

(Tucson, AZ) Oct. 19, 2013: In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has launched a national domestic gun violence awareness campaign to push for stronger policies surrounding domestic violence and gun ownership.

The local Arizona Chapter will be participating with a press conference on October 19, 2013 at 3202 East 1st Street Tucson, Arizona 85716, 1:00 PM.

Featured speakers will include Jocelyn Strauss, regional manager of Moms Demand Action Arizona Chapter; Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild; Steve Kozachik, Ward 6 City Councilman; and Richard Miranda, City Manager.

Congressman Ron Barber, and State Representative Bruce Wheeler will also join us.

Moms Demand Action is partnering with the Violence Policy Center (VPC) to promote its report, When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2011 Homicide Data http://www.vpc.org/studies/wmmw2013.pdf, released Sept. 25, 2013, which lists the top 10 states with the highest rates of females murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2011. The report revealed that Arizona had the #5 worst homicide rate among female victims murdered by males, with 56 percent of these homicides related to domestic violence, and 65 percent of those victims killed by guns.

In Memoriam: Robert (Bob) Carter Cauthorn

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Former Tucson City Councilman and all around nice guy, Robert (Bob) Carter Cauthorn, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 91.

Bob was a sergeant in the Signal Corps of the 102nd Infantry Division of the US Army during the WWII, landing in Cherbourg, France in September, 1944. He earned an undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech, and graduate degrees from Princeton and Tulane. Dr. Cauthorn taught at the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and West Virginia University. Bob served as a City Councilman in Tucson in the early 1970s.

Bob was one of the Tucson City Council members with the courage to raise water rates to preserve Tucson’s long term water prospects, and apportion the costs for using water more fairly on high water users in the foothills. This effort got him and three other "reform" Democrats recalled in 1976. Bob resigned his council seat in November to take a job in Florida; but his three colleagues were defeated in the recall election in January 1977. The recall was the first and only nonpartisan city council election in Tucson history. The political victors did not have long political lives, and were all replaced by 1979. The recall movement did not stem rising water rates. See, Cover Story: Down The Drain - Tucson Weekly (January 16, 1997).

Bob was a compassionate, kind, funny and a life-long learner who was much loved by his family and many friends. He is survived by his loving wife and great companion, Joan Kaye Cauthorn, as well as by his sister, Margaret Cauthorn Stevens (Pierce) and children, Robert (Paulette), James (Julie), Daniel, Matthew (Arlene), Jennifer Kaye Marsden (Steve) and Jill Kohl (Randy). He was the proud grandfather of Luke, Michael, Emma, Max, Rebecca, Sarah, Eli and Nate Cauthorn, Ayla Marsden and Siena and Jeremy Kohl.

TODAY: Campaign Launch to Move Marriage Forward in Arizona

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Announcement from Why Marriage Matters Arizona:

Mexico Independence Day Celebration

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Announcement from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce:

Tonight: Tucson Comic Relief Showcase benefit for Granite Mountain Hotshot Firefighter

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Announcement from the Tucson Firefighters Association:

Postal Service Issues March on Washington Stamp

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Press release from the U.S. Postal Service, Postal Service Issues March on Washington Stamp - USPS.com:

Postal Service Issues March on Washington Stamp

Rep. John Lewis, Gabrielle Union and Thousands of Americans Help Unveil the 1963 March on Washington Stamp Artwork with a Virtual Stamp Mosaic

August 23, 2013

WASHINGTON — Equality has a stamp of its own today as the U.S. Postal Service introduces the 1963 March on Washington limited-edition Forever stamp to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic milestone. For the first time, the Postal Service unveiled the stamp artwork with the help of people across the country. Throughout this month, individuals added their photo to the March on Washington stamp on the U.S. Postal Service’s Stamps Facebook page to help reveal a small piece of the stamp.

During today’s First-Day-of-Issuance ceremony at the Newseum in Washington, DC, actress Gabrielle Union added her Twitter profile photo to the mosaic to reveal the final piece of the 1963 March on Washington stamp.

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), the last surviving speaker at the March, joined The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund President and CEO Wade Henderson; U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr.; Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman and Union to officially dedicate the stamp and underscore the importance of this historic event.

Celebrate Tucson's 238th birthday today

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Speaking of Baja Arizona, August 20th is the City of Tucson's 238th bithday. Tucson's 238th Birthday Celebration - Downtown Tucson Partnership:

TUCSON’S 238^TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION – August 20, 2013

 

Mariachi music from Los Changuitos Feos will greet guests at the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson, where the flag ceremony will be held honoring the five flags that have flown over Tucson.   Flags include American, Spanish, Mexican, Confederate and State of Arizona, as well as the Tohono O’odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui Tribe Flags, and a replica of the 28-star American flag that was brought by the Mormon Battalion and flown over Tucson on December 16, 1846.

 

The Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission began presenting the flag ceremony to the community in 1975 and is again sponsoring this year’s event. Other sponsors/partners include the City of Tucson – Parks and Recreation and City Clerk’s Office, Pima County, Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation, El Presidio Neighborhood Association, the Presidio Trust for Historic Preservation, Los Descendientes del Presidio de Tucson, and the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance. The event will be held at the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson, the interpretive park located on the site of Tucson’s original Presidio.

 

                                                Date:   Tuesday, August 20, 2013

                                                Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

                                                Place: Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Courtyard

                                                SW Corner of Church Avenue and Washington Street

Tucson Comic Relief Showcase benefit for Granite Mountain Hotshot Firefighter

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Announcement from the Tucson Firefighters Association:

President Obama to speak at commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Washington Post reports Obama to speak at 'Let Freedom Ring' ceremony marking 50 years since 1963 March on Washington:

President Barack Obama will speak later this month at a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

The White House says the speech will be delivered during the “Let Freedom Ring” ceremony on the Lincoln Memorial steps on Aug. 28. No other details were released.

Obama’s speech will come 50 years to the day after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led approximately 250,000 to the National Mall in a march for jobs and freedom. King also delivered his signature “I Have a Dream” speech from the memorial steps.

* * *

The “Let Freedom Ring” ceremony is being organized by the King Center in Atlanta. Plans include an interfaith service and ringing of bells at 3 p.m. to mark the time King delivered his speech on Aug. 28, 1963.

h/t Finishing the March: African-Americans & the Jobs Deficit.

Happy 52nd Birthday, Mr. President

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Janet Napolitano to leave post to become president of the University of California system

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Breaking news from the Washington Post this morning,Napolitano to step down to head UC system:

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will step down to become president of the University of California system, according to two individuals familiar with the decision.

Napolitano, a former governor of Arizona once seen as a potential Democratic presidential candidate who joined the Obama administration in 2009, will leave politics to run the nation’s largest public university system.

Napolitano plans to step down in September, according to a senior homeland security official familiar with her plans.

Napolitano will be the first woman to run the 10-campus university system, according to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported her appointment Friday morning.

“For more than four years I have had the privilege of serving President Obama and his Administration as the Secretary of Homeland Security,” Napolitano said in a statement Friday. “The opportunity to work with the dedicated men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, who serve on the front lines of our nation’s efforts to protect our communities and families from harm, has been the highlight of my professional career.”

Vice President Joe Biden to attend memorial service for 'Hot Shots'

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Prescott's The Daily Courier reports, VP Biden, McCain to attend Hotshots' memorial service:

Vice President Joe Biden will attend Tuesday's memorial service for the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who were killed fighting the Yarnell Hill fire, the White House said today.

[Both of Arizona's Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, plan to attend Tuesday's memorial.]

The service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley.

The official memorial for the 19 fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots has been set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, and organizers are planning for full-capacity attendance at the 6,000-seat venue, with overflow seating outside.

Happy Independence Day!

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

 

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and ... fireworks! Happy birthday, America.

Events in the Tucson area (h/t : Arizona Daily Star):

STARR PASS

8:30 p.m.

Fireworks begin at 8:30 p.m. from the resort's golf courses. Starr Pass Resort & Spa, 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd.

Property parking is limited to guests, but the show is visible from surrounding areas.

MARANA

9 p.m.

Fireworks start at 9 p.m. near Arizona Pavilions Drive on Cortaro Road between Interstate 10 and Silverbell Road.

"The Sandlot" screens at 7 p.m. in Crossroads at Silverbell District Park, although snack vendors will start at 6 p.m.

Parking is free at the park and in the Fry's parking lot on Cortaro and Silverbell roads, and in the general parking area of Arizona Pavilions.

For maps or more information, marana.com

'A' MOUNTAIN

9:15 p.m.

Start time is around 9:15 p.m.

Watch from the Tucson Convention Center parking lot "B," off Granada Avenue between Congress and Cushing streets, where food vendors and a beer garden will be open from 7 to 9 p.m. and parking is free. Viewing is also available from the parking lot on the northeast corner of 22nd Street and Interstate 10, or from the city-state parking garage at 498 W. Congress St.

TUCSON PADRES

9-10 p.m.

Fireworks begin after the last out of the Padres game against the Las Vegas 51s, between 9 and 10 p.m. Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way.

More fireworks follow Friday's game as well.

Parking is free, gates open at 5:30 p.m. today and 6 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $5-$15.

More information at tucsonpadres.com

Granite Mountain Hotshots die in tragedy

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Arizona lost 19 Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters killed in Yarnell fire on Sunday:

Nineteen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, part of the Prescott Fire Department, lost their lives Sunday while battling the 2,000-acre Yarnell Hill fire that ignited Friday south of Prescott.

The elite 20-man hotshot team is the only one in the country that is organized through a city fire department. It earned its national interagency hotshot designation in 2008.

Prescott Fire Department Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said the 20th crewmember was working in a different location on the fire and was not injured.

"We're devastated. We just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet ...Truly we're going through a terrible crisis right now," Fraijo said.

Sunday's fatalities amounted to the highest firefighter death toll on a single U.S. wildfire since 1933, when 25 firefighters were killed on the Griffith Park fire in Los Angeles.

Authorities confirmed the hotshots deployed their individual fire shelters, but declined to elaborate on the details leading up to the tragedy.

Google Is Killing Google Reader as of July 1: Now What?

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Corporate giants work in mysterious ways. A case in point is Google's decision to abruptly end its popular Google Reader service, which allows users to get "feeds" from their favorite blogs. 

Blog for Arizona has almost 900 followers. (Hey, thanks!) The problem is that more than half of these followers are using Google Reader to stay up-to-date with our musings.

What's a person to do? So, you know the theory that if you ask the universe a question, the answer will appear to you? Well, that's what happened today.

I Googled something completely unrelated to Google Reader's death and up popped the following post about transporting your Google Reader blogs to Feedly.

Digging a little deeper, I found several other stories about what to do post-Google Reader. The catch is: If you want to maintain your current list of blogs to follow and you want to transfer said list to another service, you have to do it before July 1, 2013! (Or you are SOL and you have to re-essemble your favorites list.)

Here's what The Verge says about Feedly...

Feedly appears to be the heir apparent to Google Reader’s throne, a modern take on RSS that blends some of the niceties of Flipboard (like a “magazine view”) with useful Reader features like keyboard shortcuts and tags. But its biggest advantage may be that it’s the only RSS application that also has excellent and free companion mobile apps. In a world without the ubiquitous Google Reader API, building your own mobile apps is the only way to make sure you can pick up where you left off — in this way, Feedly is the only real Google Reader alternative.

Connecting by Feedly and other links, after the jump.

 

Drinking Liberally with Peter Eichstaedt 4/24

Hello liberals,

Notice the time change: next week will meet at 7 PM!

Our special guest for Wednesday Drinking Liberally at the Shanty on 4th Ave will start the presentation at 7:30pm, right after his lecture at the U of A School of Journalism. He is in a book tour around the country and will be in Tucson just for one day. Don't miss this opportunity!

Peter Eichstaedt is the former country director in Afghanistan and former Africa Editor for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. He has lived and worked in the Balkans, eastern Europe, Afghanistan, and eastern Africa, as well as The Hague, Netherlands, where he covered African war crimes trials.

More info at http://www.petereichstaedt.com/index.htm

UPDATED with New Events: Progressives, Mark Your Calendars for April Events!

April3 Update: New events have been added for April 6 and 9.

It’s only April 1, but already there is an impressive line-up of progressive events taking shape this month. In addition to these educational events, there are multiple fund-raisers for candidates, parties, and causes in April.  The list below is not meant to be all-inclusive. (Check out Facebook and the Pima County Democratic Party calendar or the calendar on Blog for Arizona for other events-- including multiple opportunities to donate.) The Tucson events included here are all free and are related to one or more Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) core policy issues: economic and social justice, universal healthcare, clean elections, ending corporate personhood, clean environment, or ending the wars.

April 2: Community Vision for the Ronstadt Bus Center

The Tucson Bus Riders Union and the Primavera Foundation are sponsoring a community forum to gather Tucsonans’ ideas on what should be done with the Ronstadt Transit Center on Congress Street. For several years, developers have been eyeing the Ronstadt Center for demolition and relocation out of downtown. If you believe that it is important for a sustainable city to have a bus terminal downtown—near restaurants, retail shops, major employers, and the new street car line—come to this meeting at the Rialto Theater, beginning at 5:30. For more information, call 624-0312 or email [email protected] or go to the event’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/events/496939023698809/.

April 3: Solar Energy Efficiency vs the Status Quo

The Tucson Chapter of Drinking Liberally is sponsoring a joint presentation by Bruce Plenk, City of Tucson Solar Energy Coordinator, and Russell Lowes, Sierra Club Rincon Group Energy Chair and Research Director forwww.SafeEnergyAnalyst.org. The DL social hour begins at 6 p.m., with the speakers beginning around 7 p.m. on the patio of The Shanty. For more information, check out DL’s Facebook event http://www.facebook.com/events/104680899727634/.

More events after the jump.

Kozachik Kickoff Party: Pima Dems Love Fest (video)

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Yesterday's re-election campaign kickoff for Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik was a Democratic Party love fest for the feisty Republican turned Democrat. 

There were nearly as many Pima County Democratic Party faithful in attendance at Borderlands Brewery as there were at the traditional St. Patrick's Day fundraiser a few days earlier. 

Kozachik told the crowd of Dems, Greens, Occupiers, Progressives, and, I believe, a few closet Republicans that his campaign has hit the ground running with 800 signatures in just a few weeks. The Pima County Republican Party has not announced a challenger to the iconoclastic Kozachik, who proved to be too independent minded for them, after he bucked a loyality pledge to Governor Jan Brewer, spoke out against the Arizona Legislature's multiple attempts to hurt Tucson and Pima County, endorsed Democrats Richard Carmona for US Senate and Ron Barber for Congress, partied with Pima Dems on Election Night 2012, and-- the last straw-- spearheaded a campaign for universal background checks at gun shows.

More photos and video after the jump.

BlogForArizona Welcomes Tom Prezelski of R3

By Michael Bryan

Exciting blog news! Former Arizona Representative and blog brother Tom Prezelski is going to be posting here at BlogForArizona as well as his blog, RumRomanismAndRebellion. Tom brings a wealth of legislative experience and a deep fund of knowledge of Arizona's political and cultural history to his pithy and insightful commentary.

Tom recently took over R3 from his brother Ted, who was obliged to stop blogging by professional obligations. Tom has decided that life as a solo blogger is just not as fun as being part of a community (and he's not able to post as often as he'd like due to work and his new book deal - which I'm sure he'll tell you about himself), so he decided he's like to cross-post over here at BlogForArizona.

Welcome, Tom! Glad to have you here.

 

 

Gabrielle Giffords named this year's recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

CNN reports:

Gabrielle Giffords, the former congresswoman from Arizona who was shot and wounded in a 2011 shooting, has been named this year's recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, the JFK Library said.

Giffords, who has embarked on gun control efforts with her husband Mark Kelly despite the injury she suffered from the shooting, is being honored for her "political, personal, and physical courage she has demonstrated in her fearless public advocacy for policy reforms aimed at reducing gun violence."

"Gabby Giffords has inspired the world with her bravery and her dedication to making change through the political process," said Caroline Kennedy, president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. "Instead of retreating following the tragic shooting that ended her Congressional career, she has recommitted herself to fighting for a more peaceful society free from hate and violence. She is a true Profile in Courage."

John Nichols: What Challenges Face Labor & Progressives in the Future? (video)

by Pamela Powers Hannley

John Nichols, political writer for The Nation and regular contributor to MSNBC, returns to Tucson on Saturday, March 9, 2013, to discuss the progressive movement, our mutual goals with labor, and the challenges ahead. 

With intransigence in the Congress and sequestration cuts swirling around our heads, Nichols will provide us with lively commentary and new insights into American politics. 

Nichols spoke to a packed house last year in Tucson. If you attended that event, you know he is both entertaining and thoughtful in his analyses of the news and the political climate.

This free event is sponsored by the Tucson Chapter of Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), in collaboration with the Pima Area Labor Federation (PALF). It will be 6-8 p.m. at the IBEW Hall, 570 South Tucson Blvd. 

For a taste of what you will hear, check out this video from last year's event-- after the jump.

PDA Tucson's Phil Lopes runs for Dem Party Vice Chair

by Pamela Powers Hannley

On Saturday, January 26, 2013, the Arizona Democratic Party will hold its reorganization meeting in Phoenix. New state party officers will be elected by elected precinct committee (PC) people. If you are a progressive and an elected, please consider voting for Phil Lopes. If you are a PC and can't make the meeting, contact your legislative district chair and give someone your proxy vote. Here is the proxy form. 

Below is Lopes' candidate statement...

Phil Lopes for Vice Chair

Dear AZ State Democratic Committee member,

This letter is to ask for your vote for the position of Vice-Chair of the AZ Democratic Party. I would be honored to have your support and vote. I am running for Vice-Chair to:

• strengthen the party, especially in public policy advocacy, and,
• to improve the public’s perception of the Party

State of the Union to be on Tuesday, February 12

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Reuters reports that Weeper of the House John Boehner has invited President Obama to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, February 12.

The speech will come just days before the U.S. Treasury is expected to run out of funds to pay government bills.

The speech is also widely anticipated to include President Obama's proposals for comprehensive immigration reform.

Gabrielle Giffords to do ABC interview on 2nd anniversary of tragedy in Tucson

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, will sit down for a joint interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer that will air on Tuesday, January 8, the anniversary of the mass shooting Gifford's survived two years ago. Giffords Marks 2-Year Anniversary Of Shooting With ABC Interview:

"Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly will speak exclusively to “ABC World News” anchor Diane Sawyer about an important new initiative they are launching," ABC News announced Sunday. "The interview will also be featured on 'Good Morning America,' 'Nightline,' as well as ABCNews.com, Newsmakers on Yahoo!, ABC News Radio, and ABC’s local affiliates."

Giffords recently visited Newtown, Conn., where she met with the families of those killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The interview by anchor Diane Sawyer will air at 6:30 p.m. EST Tuesday -- 4:30 p.m. Arizona time.

City of Tucson gun buy back on Tuesday

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

It must be an election year for Tucson City Council. Media darling Ward 6 Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik is sponsoring a gun buy back program in the City of Tucson on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. This P.R. stunt may make some people feel better, but Gun Buybacks Are Mostly a Waste of Time and Money, Experts Say:

[H]ere’s one [idea] that even the staunchest gun-control experts say might be a complete waste of time: gun buybacks.

* * *

On the surface, such programs seem simple. Residents can hand their weapons over to the city in exchange for cash or even gift certificates to grocery stores. The guns are then destroyed. That’s how it’s worked in places like Bridgeport, Conn., and San Diego, both of which have broken records for the number of guns collected and money doled out just since Sandy Hook.

If sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is, experts say.

The people most likely to commit crimes are also the people least likely to be turn in their weapons, research has found. And the highest-risk weapons are the least likely to be traded in at buybacks.

“The theory underlying gun buyback programs is badly flawed,” a 2004 report by the National Research Council found. The study pointed out that replacement guns can be easily found for guns turned in for cash, and the ones that are turned in are often old or malfunctioning.

A Los Angeles Times op-ed called gun buybacks little more than a public relations move: “Really cutting down on the bloodshed will require meaningful legislation and tougher enforcement. That’s harder to pull off than a gun buyback program: Good PR almost invariably is simpler than good policy.”

'Beyond Tucson' events this weekend

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

A series of events will commemorate the mass shooting tragedy in Tucson on Jan. 8, 2011. The activities scheduled from Saturday to Tuesday will mark the second anniversary of the shooting spree that left six dead and 13 injured, including then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. 'Beyond Tucson' events will begin on Saturday:

 • The second annual Beyond Tucson event is scheduled for Jan. 5. A list of events is available at www.beyond-tucson.org

• Donations to the Remembering January 8th Memorial Foundation and ideas about a permanent memorial may be sent to P.O. Box 40355, Tucson, AZ 85717-3055

Bike, hike, ride or run on Saturday

• Kidical Mass Family Friendly Bicycle Ride - southwest corner of Armory Park, 220 S. Sixth Ave. Noon-1 p.m.

• Beyond Main Event: Together We Move! - Armory Park, Children's Museum. Noon-4 p.m.

• Beyond Lights of Kindness Stroll - Valley of the Moon, 2544 E. Allen Road. 2-4 p.m.

• Hike the Arizona Trail, Passage No. 13 - south side Chase Bank at Oracle and Magee roads. 7 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Coronado National Forest - Hike or Run Beyond at Sabino Canyon - 5700 N. Sabino Canyon Road. 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Reminder: Candlelight vigil and singalong for Newtown, CT Today

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

"It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

The Arizona Daily Star's cartoonist and columnist, David Fitzsimmons, has been posting this on Facebook, and published in the Star:

Instead of quarreling, light a candle. On this Friday, one week from the day of the massacre, in loving remembrance of the children of Newtown, and in memory of all of the beautiful lights among us that have been extinguished by gun violence this year and in years past, in an expression of national outrage at our nation's inability to engage in meaningful, constructive action, let us do something small and simple.

In an expressions of grief over what has become of us, in a clear expression of our solidarity with those who favor sane and reasonable gun laws and with those who favor full support for mental health care, we will darken our holiday lights for one hour at sunset.

In that quiet darkness, we will light a candle, pray for the dead, and pray our nation's leaders will see the light.

Please join us. 'Silent Night' singalong in Winterhaven Newtown memorial:

At dusk - 5:24 p.m. according to organizers - community members and vocalists with several Tucson choruses will gather in the center of Winterhaven, at Christmas Avenue and Kleindale Road. Candles won't be provided but participants can bring them, organizers said.

The singalong sprung out of a blog posting Sunday by Arizona Daily Star cartoonist David Fitzsimmons.

Stuffed animals and candles are left in memory of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims at a vigil in in Newtown, Conn. - N.Y. Daily News.

Fitzsimmons: Candlelight vigil this Friday

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

"It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

The Arizona Daily Star's cartoonist and columnist, David Fitzsimmons, has been posting this on Facebook, and published in today's Star:

Instead of quarreling, light a candle. On this Friday, one week from the day of the massacre, in loving remembrance of the children of Newtown, and in memory of all of the beautiful lights among us that have been extinguished by gun violence this year and in years past, in an expression of national outrage at our nation's inability to engage in meaningful, constructive action, let us do something small and simple.

In an expressions of grief over what has become of us, in a clear expression of our solidarity with those who favor sane and reasonable gun laws and with those who favor full support for mental health care, we will darken our holiday lights for one hour at sunset.

In that quiet darkness, we will light a candle, pray for the dead, and pray our nation's leaders will see the light.

Please join us. 'Silent Night' singalong in Winterhaven Newtown memorial:

At dusk - 5:24 p.m. according to organizers - community members and vocalists with several Tucson choruses will gather in the center of Winterhaven, at Christmas Avenue and Kleindale Road. Candles won't be provided but participants can bring them, organizers said.

The singalong sprung out of a blog posting Sunday by Arizona Daily Star cartoonist David Fitzsimmons.

Stuffed animals and candles are left in memory of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims at a vigil in in Newtown, Conn. - N.Y. Daily News.

President Obama to speak at an interfaith vigil for families of the victims

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Hartford Courant reports President Barack Obama To Visit Newtown:

President Barack Obama will appear at an interfaith vigil Sunday at 7 p.m. in Newtown.

The event is closed to the public and open only to victims' families. Obama will not make any public appearances in Newtown.

Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, released this statement: "Tomorrow evening the president will travel to Newtown ... to meet with the families of those who were lost and thank first responders. The president will also speak at an interfaith vigil for families of the victims as well as families from Sandy Hook Elementary scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. More details will be released as they are available."

Petition Ron Barber to Lead The Charge

Ron Barber is the natural choice to lead the charge in bringing sanity to our gun laws. But he needs to hear us, loud and clear. Please, please go to the right hand column of the page, or click HERE and sign the petition. Then blast the link out via Facebook or Twitter.

UPDATE 12/16: Having just zipped though the original goal of 100 signatories in under 24 hours, we have expanded the petition to 1000 signatories. Please spread the word!

Thanks,

The BlogForArizona Crew

New posts will continue to appear below. 

Welcome Will B. Greene to BlogForArizona!

Editor MDB- I have long recognized the lack of any specific expertise in environmental issues among our writers, with the notable exception of occasional contributor Russell Lowes. We at BfAZ are all passionate about the need to preserve our environment as the foundation of all human well-being and wealth, but the crew of bloggers and I recently decided that we should invite someone with the relevant academic, scientific, and policy knowledge to write regularly and authoritatively about environmental issues affecting Arizona.

Will B. Greene (no, that is not a pseudonym!) answered our call. I asked Will to introduce himself to you. We are thrilled that Will is joining our conversation here at BfAZ. Please look for his byline for environmental news and commentary in coming days, and leave a comment with your suggestions and encouragement for our newest blogger.

By Will B. Greene

It’s an honor to receive an invitation to contribute “environmentally focused” posts for this blog – a blog that has made a significant impact on Arizona’s political discussion since its inception as Howard Dean’s Arizona campaign blog in 2003. I’ll briefly introduce myself below.

You could say I am a monster created somewhere deep in Michael Crow’s Tempe laboratory. President Crow’s School of Sustainability brought me to Tempe, and opened my eyes to the tremendous challenges Arizona, our nation, and world face if we hope to maintain our relatively comfortable and affluent society.

In Arizona, all other environmental concerns must take a back seat to the planetary emergency of climate change, and I expect most of my writing will directly or indirectly focus on climate impacts, solutions, and the politics in Arizona that affect both.

I have a unique perspective on Arizona’s energy and environmental situation, having been associated with solar advocate and Corporation Commissioner Paul Newman as a special assistant in his policy office, and most recently as his campaign manager.

My environmental background comes from my experience as a student, founding Arizona Student Environmental Coalition, a statewide student group focused on energy, climate, and environment. I am proud to serve on committees with Arizona Interfaith Power and Light, an organization committed to providing a “religious response to climate change”, as well as Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon chapter, and Environment Arizona.

 

Posted with Blogsy

TUSD Unitary Status Plan: Multiple ways to comment (without leaving your house)

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Parents, students, teachers, and activists have been abuzz in recent weeks about the new Proposed Desegregation/Unitary Status Plan for Tucson Unified School District (TUSD).

Mexican American Studies (MAS) advocates see the new plan as a potential way to bring back the program that was killed a year ago by the TUSD Governing Board, after it was found by the State of Arizona to be in violation of HB2281 and, therefore, in the opinion of the government... illegal. 

This week, three pulbic forums will be held, and after those meetings, the plan's public review and comment period will end on Nov. 28, 2012. Information about the forums and other ways to comment on the proposed plan (without leaving your house) after the jump.

PDA: Envisioning a more progressive Arizona Democratic Party

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Are you one of those Democrats who grumbles about the Arizona Democratic Party’s (ADP) slide into Republican-lite territory?

 Are you tired of Blue Dog Democratic candidates?

 Are you tired of the party’s weak stances on hot-button issues?

Did you ever wonder why the ADP’s Progressive Caucus has so little power—despite being the state party’s largest caucus? (Maybe you didn’t even know that the ADP had a progressive caucus?)

Are you ready for change?

If you said, “Hell, yeah!” to any of the above questions, then it’s time to stop muttering and start acting. On Wednesday, Nov. 14, the Tucson Chapters of Drinking Liberally/Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) are holding a special meeting  at The Shanty—beginning at 6 p.m. with FREE pizza. The focus of the meeting will be on envisioning and brainstorming a more progressive Democratic Party in Arizona. Former Arizona Legislator and PDA Tucson coordinator Phil Lopes will lead the discussion.

Why should you attend? Read the details after the jump.

Occupy Tucson sponsors People's Bailout Party and Potluck, Nov. 15

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Underwater mortgages, student loan debt, medcial bills, unemployment, credit cards, preditory lending-- for a myriad of reasons Americans are in debt and hurting financially.

How did this happen? To quote a popular Occupy chant: "Banks got bailed out. We got sold out!"

To draw attention to our national debt and solutions to solve the real debt crisis of average Americans, Occupy Tucson will Occupy Wall Street (via live stream) and host the People's Bailout Party and Potluck this Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Historic Y.  

From Occupy Tucson...

PEOPLE'S BAILOUT LIVESTREAM PARTY & POTLUCK -- NOVEMBER 15: Come to The People's Bailout Livestream Watch Party and Potluck on Thursday, November 15, from 5-9 p.m. in the Courtyard at the Historic Y, 738 N. Fifth Avenue.

From Melissa: "Join us as we watch the livestream from New York of The People's Bailout, a variety show and telethon to benefit the 99%. Special guests include Janeane Garofalo, Lizz Winstead, Frances Fox Piven, Max Silvestri, Hari Kondabolu, David Rees, The Yes Men, actor/director John Cameron Mitchell, Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Guy Picciotto of Fugazi, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio, Climbing Poetree, the Invisible Army of Defaulters, members of Healthcare for the 99%, Occupy Faith, and many more.

Join Strike Debt for an updated version of an old classic, the telethon, to launch The Rolling Jubilee, a campaign that buys debt for pennies on the dollar and does away with it. Instead of collecting the debt, we will abolish it and help free the debtors! It will be a wild night of music, comedy, magic, education, and the unexpected. This fast-moving variety show will mix well-known performers, intellectuals and activists from Strike Debt and Occupy Wall Street.

"People shouldn't have to go into debt for an education, because they need medical care, or to put food on the table during hard times. We shouldn't have to pay endless interest to the 1% for basic necessities. Big banks and corporations walk away from their debts and leave taxpayers to pick up the tab. It's time for a bailout of the people, by the people. The event will be livestreamed at www.rollingjubilee.org. The Rolling Jubilee is a project of #StrikeDebt. Please feel free to bring food or non-alcoholic drinks to share, if you want to."