Spew Racism

Two young Arizona women posted a sick, racist video on YouTube that the website has already pulled. They don't appear to be drunk or drugged -- just seriously warped. Even though the video has been yanked, if you post something like this, it's sure to be downloaded and spread across the internets, which is the case with "Arizona racist white ladies threaten Mexican people." I can understand why you might not want to sit through the nearly 6-minute piece of shit, so here's a transcript of the first minute. You can imagine what follows:

"This video is about the new law that just passed Arizona's legislator [sic] for you fucking illegals to go back to your homeland. Yeah, so grab your burritos and get the fuck out of our country, because you make our life a living hell. God, illegals, they're so nasty and raunchy and, god, they have kids like every five fucking seconds."

Not only are these twisted twits demented, they don't know Arizona history. Later in this steaming pile of garbage the girls say "Mexicans didn't come here first." Let's hope their teachers and potential employers don't forget their names and the history lesson they've given us. Thanks for upholding Arizona's reputation, ladies.

Spread Lies

It can't be an Arizona diary without Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who I mentioned yesterday will run for a 6th term. Yippie! In mid-December the US Department of Justice released a report that said Arpaio runs the most discriminatory and corrupt Sheriff's Office in the nation. That wasn't news to anyone who follows the Sheriff, but for the first time the Feds took action against the old coot -- barring him from continuing immigration investigations and putting an end to his infamous neighborhood "sweeps."

At his own Dec. 15 press conference, immediately following the DOJ announcement, Arpaio blamed Obama for starting the Federal investigation into his office's crimes, racial profiling, and financial shenanigans.

"It is interesting that after 100 days in office by President Obama, that the Democrat [sic] chairmen of the Judiciary Committee in Congress initiated this investigation." Arizona Republic

Wrong, wrong, wrong. But don't let facts get in your way, Sheriff. Or common decency. They haven't so far. The Federal probe into Arpaio's crimes and misdemeanors began in 2008, and was announced to the public in 2009. As the Arizona Republic correctly noted in their Fact Check story today,

Bottom line: The federal investigation into whether the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office discriminated against Latinos began under Bush, not under Obama.

Reinstate Bigots

If that wasn't enough for one morning, we learned today that former Senator Russell Pearce, whose racist ass was recalled last November, is angling for the go-fer spot with the Arizona Republican Party -- a dead-end, rubber-stamp position. Even the right-leaning website Politico Mafioso is puzzled:

I have to be honest here, I'm not sure how to interpret Russell's move here, because it seems to defy logic. I'm reasonably certain Pearce didn't wake up one day, look around, and say "you know how I could best serve my state, and my country... Working for Tom Morrissey!" Or if he did, then that's a sad thought indeed.

I guess it's true what they say about cockroaches.

Defy Voters

Finally, Governor Jan Brewer is up to her old voter-defying ways. Arizonans narrowly approved a medical marijuana law in November 2010, but GED Jan and Attorney General Tom Horne filed suit last May to stall or even scuttle the law's implementation. Yesterday Judge Susan Bolton dismissed the Governor's lawsuit, but late today Brewer told Channel 12 that she will refile:

BREAKING: @GovBrewer indicates she will refile lawsuit to block medical marijuana law. More on #12News at 5. Tweet

See what I'm missing?

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QUICK UPDATE: Here's one I missed, courtesy of Desert Rose in the comments.

Penalize Schools

Friday, John Huppenthal, the state's School Superintendent, withheld 10% of the Tucson Unified School District budget until the district ends its Mexican American Studies program.

This, despite the fact that his office paid for a $110,000 audit that found the MAS program actually helped at-risk kids excel. New Times

Not only that, the cut is retroactive to August of last year! It appears the Superintendent doesn't want kids to know they've been discriminated against, noting in his press release, "[A] troubling, common theme arose time and time again in course and instructional materials, books and lesson plans: Latino minorities have been and continue to be oppressed by a Caucasian majority." Even though that's true.

The Arizona law banning Ethnic Studies is worded so vaguely that wingers could use it to eliminate any multicultural course that conflicts with their whitewashed version of history. What honest course in Native American studies, for example, does not in part portray indigenous peoples as "oppressed by a Caucasian majority"?