Articles Posted by Strawberry AZ
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Someone recently asked, “Why is it that the John Birch Society is so opposed to an Article V amendment convention today despite the fact that they have been supporters of amending the Constitution since back in the 70s?” That’s a darned good question. It a matter of history that Robert Welch, the first president of the John Birch Society, welcomed those who would repeal the 16th Amendment (the progressive income tax) into the society and made their cause a part of JBS lore. In 1975, Larry McDonald, then a Democrat U.S. Representative from Georgia, who went on to become the...
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Of the many people I've met over the last two years who are opponents of an Article V Convention of States to Propose Amendments to the Constitution, one of my greatest regrets is that there are many with whom I would most likely agree on virtually every other issue in modern-day political discourse. Many of them, however, almost proudly admit that their positions on a COS are rooted in a decades-old fear of the unknown and an inability to trust their fellow citizens, while most COS proponents put their faith in stringent, new safeguards and an optimistic view of the...
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After two years of watching how†‬one man†‬presides over the†‬Arizona State Senate,†‬I can no longer withhold my opinion:†‬Andy Biggs lacks the courage of his convictions.†‬I refer specifically to his obstruction of Article V legislation that would add Arizona to the growing list of states applying to Congress for a†‬convention to propose amendments to the Constitution.†‬He†‬claims to†‬fear that state legislators†‬– such as himself and†‬89†‬of his closest colleagues†‬-†‬would lose control of the agenda,†‬risking a re-write of†‬the†‬entire Constitution,†‬despite copious†‬and credible†‬evidence†‬dispelling†‬such concerns...
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In case you couldn’t tell by their actions, the GOP currently holds more seats in Congress than they have since 1929, a direct result of mid-term voters demanding change writ large. Their first action was to elect leadership, and incredibly, they chose the same floundering crew who, hand-in-hand with equally inept Democrats in Congress and the White House, have nearly scuttled the Ship of State. We all know that the definition of “Insanity” is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. Let me add one to the mix: “Treason”… which one source defines as the betrayal of...
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Irrespective of our political philosophy, few among us are not concerned with the conflict between the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. Grandstanding has become the norm in an increasingly polarized environment, but events of late – specifically, the unilateral de-criminalization of millions of illegal aliens under the guise of prosecutorial discretion - far exceeds the usual. Atop the list of attributes that make the structure of our republican federalism the world’s benchmark for self-governance is our constitutional system of checks and balances. For almost 2¼ centuries it has ensured against the disproportionate amassing of power by any...
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Anyone looking for a good reason to support Mandatory Term Limits for all federal officials need look no further than the headlines. After the most resounding electoral triumph since 1947, Republican Congressional “leaders” were too afraid to do what they were elected to do – check the president's unilateral amnesty grant. They were too afraid to do what’s right for the country, too afraid that they won’t be re-elected. Job One for the Party Elite has become protecting their private power structure, not the Constitution. During the last legislative session here in Arizona, a majority of constitutional conservatives supported legislation...
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Both Article V bills, HB2305 and SCR1016, passed through all committee hurdles, and passed floor votes in the House, the latter doing so twice. But they died an inglorious procedural death in the senate because that chamber’s president, Andy Biggs, exercised his pocket veto power and refused to allow either bill to come to the floor for a final vote, despite considerable pressure brought by sponsors and supporters. Yesterday, the legislature adjourned for the year. So, we lost. Most are quietly licking their wounds, trying to rationalize the irrational. And some are asking some pretty hard questions. Unfortunately, right now,...
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Please consider this an update and a Call to Action on our efforts to get Article V legislation passed here in Arizona: After months of working its way through myriad legislative hoops, SCR1016 passed the House yesterday and is now headed to the Senate for a final vote of the full chamber... no more committees, no more hearings. I am told that the President of the Senate, Andy Biggs, has promised to oppose all attempts to allow a vote on any Article V legislation. Although a reliable conservative on most matters, he has been compromised on this issue by the...
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State Rep. Paulette Rakestraw Braddock announced that on Wednesday, March 19, the Georgia Senate passed by a vote of 30-25 the Compact for a Balanced Budget Amendment. "I am thrilled to see Georgia take the lead to restore fiscal responsibility in Washington," said Rep. Rakestraw Braddock, the lead sponsor of the legislation. Our Georgia lawmakers are saying, 'Enough is enough' to the burgeoning $18 trillion federal debt. We are the first in the nation to call for an Article V constitutional convention of states to rein in out-of-control Washington spending." The Amendment now awaits Georgia Governor Nathan Deal's signature. Read...
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Patriotism Web site draws few BOSTON, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Are you a patriot? And just what is patriotism, anyway? Those are some of the questions posed on a Web site by Korean War-era Air Force veteran George Harris. Harris is seeking to gauge patriotism in America in 2002 as the nation is in a war against terrorism and faces a potential war against Iraq. He anticipated a flood of responses but what George Harris has found out so far is, he says, "disheartening." While people who are opposed to war or some other subject speak out forcefully, Harris says...
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<p>CENTRAL PHOENIX - It's a first for Phoenix, and the businessman behind the Rainbows Festival street fair hopes it will showcase the downtown area and its diversity.</p>
<p>The October street fair is aimed at the city's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community but is open to all.</p>
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Disputes may kill election reform bill WASHINGTON - House and Senate negotiators said Friday that efforts to pass a bill that would clean up the nation's voting procedures are falling apart as partisan disagreements grow larger with the approach of the fall elections. Large bipartisan majorities of the House and the Senate voted for different versions of the legislation, intended to prevent ballot disputes like those that bedeviled the 2000 presidential election. Among other things, the bills would help states buy new voting machines. The REST of the story...
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<p>ARLINGTON (Arizona) - It's not supposed to happen here.</p>
<p>The Valley's best scholars aren't suppose to be from a tiny, one-school district 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix. Not kids who learn in an old Arizona farm school with one wing boarded up after a fire. Not in a school where half the students are just learning English and where most are poor enough to qualify for free lunches.</p>
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Life with Baby HughieSo now scandal engulfs another Rodham, the genial, decent one, Hillary's younger brother, known as Hughie. A near constant presence in the Clintons' lives since he and brother Tony tagged along on their 1975 honeymoon, Hughie has a complicated relationship with his sister. Growing up, the little warmth their father Hugh Rodham Sr. had to give went primarily to Hillary. She was the Warrior Princess of Oak Park, Ill., beating up the boys in the neighborhood, always the captain when her brothers played "spaceship," less afraid, by her telling, of the scary flying monkeys in The Wizard ...
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Arizona Expected to Gain More Clout in the HouseArizona expects to gain two seats in Congress Thursday when the Census Bureau releases the results of the 2000 population count. In the past, the state's new districts almost certainly would have been carved out in areas favorable to Republicans, who dominate Arizona politics. This time, a voter-approved citizens redistricting commission will have that job, and where they draw the lines is anybody's guess. “That really is a new twist,” Arizona State University pollster Bruce Merrill said. “Nobody really knows. It might surprise a lot of people.” Previously, new congressional districts were ...
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President-elect Bush listens to Condoleezza Rice, left, after naming her to serve as his national security adviser [photo: AP]Russia speculates on Bush relationsMOSCOW - The era of jovial bear-hugging between Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin is over. Under their successors George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin, U.S.-Russian relations are likely to be stiffer but more pragmatic in the post-Cold War world. Key sticking points will remain. Russia deeply fears U.S. plans for a national missile defense and expanding NATO, and resents U.S. global dominance. Russia wants to sell arms to Iran and strengthen ties with states that America shuns, such ...
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> Blaze in Chinese nightclub kills 309 LUOYANG, China, Dec 26: More than 300 people were killed when fire swept through a fourth-floor nightclub packed with teenagers celebrating Christmas in central China, officials and witnesses said Tuesday. Witnesses said the disco in the building was packed with merry-makers who panicked when they realized there was no escape from the blaze and smoke climbing towards them from the basement. Some people broke open windows and threw themselves down six floors onto the safety mats laid out by firemen. Officials put the death toll at 309 (135 men and 174 women) by ...
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Day-care roadblock Sherrie Buzby/The Arizona Republic Pinal County farmer Walter Lemon's henhouse would be part of the day-care center and petting zoo he wants to start on his farm. Farmer wants to help kids but runs into . . . Heather Romero The Arizona Republic Dec. 25, 2000 When Walter Lemon looks out over his five-acre property in Pinal County, he sees a full henhouse and two goats roaming the yard with a donkey named "Grandma." But Lemon, 81, of Florence, also sees the perfect spot for a day-care center and petting zoo - a combination not found anywhere in ...
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Arizona Legislature's chaplain protesting likely firing with spiritual fast Associated Press Dec. 20, 2000 Charles Coppinger is spending his nights outside the state capitol in an armchair exposed to the elements, eating nothing and drinking an ounce of juice mixed into a glass of water every few hours. Coppinger, the Legislature's 36-year-old chaplain, is on a 90-hour "spiritual fast" to protest the likely loss of his job after announcing in October that he is gay. His fast is scheduled to end at 10 a.m. Friday. He's hoping to end discrimination against homosexuals. Some of the lawmakers he ministered to for ...
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>Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 19:43:34 -0500 >From: "ALAWASH E-MAIL" >To: ALA Washington Office Newsline > >ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline >Volume 9, Number 100 >December 15, 2000 > >In this issue: > >Congress Passes Labor HHS Education Appropriations Bill with Filtering >Rider Attached > > In a 292 to 60 vote, the House of Representatives has passed the >Labor HHS Education Appropriations Bill (HR 4577) with the >McCain-Santorum-Istook-Pickering Internet filtering rider attached. The >Senate also passed the bill with a voice vote (no voting numbers >available). > >The filtering rider mandates that ...
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