The tragedy in Tucson on Jan. 8 shook Arizonans to the core, and those of us in public service here were doubly shaken because one of the shooting victims was a friend and colleague, and it happened at an informal public gathering — something all of us have hosted at one time or another.
My first thoughts in the wake of the shooting were for the victims of the senseless tragedy. Politics did not cross my mind. I issued a joint statement with the Democratic leader of the state Senate, David Schapira, inviting Arizonans to “join us in prayer for Congresswoman Giffords and the others who have lost or are fighting for their lives.”
While I was trying to make sense of the tragedy, many on the left had made the decision to exploit the situation to smear their political opponents and the entire state of Arizona.
Disappointingly, Arizona politicians were at the forefront of this charge. Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said, “The bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, Arizona, I think, has become sort of the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”
Congressman Raul Grijalva went further: “We have quite a high level of hate … you’ve stirred the cauldron with immigration and you have a real intensity. They’re driven by that issue as much as anything else.”
Both men have been attacking their own Arizona since my bill SB 1070 was signed into law last April. Rep. Grijalva urged a boycott against businesses in his own state, while Sheriff Dupnik called the bill “racist” and “disgusting” and stated that he would not enforce the law.
These men were joined by the chorus in the mainstream media who blamed a “climate of hate” in Arizona for the shooting. Major media outlets ran headlines such as “Bitter Politics of Arizona Loom over Shooting” in Reuters or Newsweek’s “State of Fear in Arizona.” CNN commentator Ruben Navarrette said he was sick of our state: “Raise your hand if you have had it with the drama capital of America, which seems to spend more time on the front page than the other 49 states combined. Or if you think the Grand Canyon State has become, in recent years, more trouble than it’s worth.”
Many commentators singled me out for Arizona’s woes. A Los Angeles Times article entitled “Arizona’s us-versus-them brand of politics” opens:
“Shortly before a gunman shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head and killed six bystanders, the man who helped position Arizona at the vanguard of a national right-wing populist revolt addressed supporters in Phoenix. ‘We’re leading the nation,’ state Sen. Russell Pearce told the Maricopa County Republican Party as he celebrated the GOP’s clean sweep of state elections in November and Arizona’s influence on immigration and other issues… ‘If it wasn’t for Arizona you wouldn’t have the debate going on that you have. … We’ve changed the face of this nation through the tea party, through Americans who want their government back.’ ”
Tucked away at the bottom of the piece was a disclaimer that suspect Jared Loughner “left an Internet trail of disjointed ramblings that show no clear partisan ideology, and many analysts urged caution in ascribing a political motive to the shootings. But the attack immediately drew attention to Arizona’s place in the national political psyche.”
As we get more information on Loughner, it is becoming clear that the tea parties, the conservative movement and opposition to illegal immigration have absolutely nothing to do with his alleged crime. He was a deranged man, pure and simple, who allegedly committed a senseless act of violence against innocent citizens.
So why the rush to look at “Arizona’s place in the national political psyche”?
Because what I said before the Maricopa GOP was true. We are leading the nation’s fight against illegal immigration, securing borders, going after illegal employers and restoring the rule of law. Dozens of states are introducing SB 1070-style legislation and 3 to 1 Americans support Arizona’s efforts and laws. Now we are taking on the issue to stop the unconstitutional declaration of birthright citizenship and return to the original intent of the 14th Amendment.
This fact has absolutely nothing to do with Jared Loughner, but opponents of securing our borders are jumping on any excuse to try to smear us.
I will continue to pray for Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of this disgusting act of violence, and at the same time I will continue to fight against illegal immigration and restore constitutional government to Arizona.
—
Russell Pearce is a former Maricopa County sheriff’s deputy who represented Mesa in the state House of Representatives and is now president of the state Senate.
flagtrax posted at 11:46 am on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
Desperation? Oh bull, when guns are as easily available to the mentaly unstable and fanatics as they are in AZ that's not desperation that's setting up for disaster.
maktak posted at 12:42 pm on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
Pearce, you don't represent the views of this state. You get away with your antics because Arizona has an outdated primary system. The people are tired of you and your ilk, and if they're smart....you and your kind will be run out on a rail. Thanks.
Dale Whiting posted at 2:12 pm on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
Senator Pearce,
Who were you listening to? Certainly not anyone on this cite! You state "many on the left had made the decision to exploit the situation to smear their political opponents and the entire state of Arizona." I heard many on the Right trying to smear Sheriff Pudnik. And when I suggested we think about restricting 33 round magazines, many on the extreme right smeared me.
I point out that Sheriff Dupnik made statement but directed them at no one. Yet you and others exploited his statement smearing him.
Similarly Congressman Raul Grijalva's statements were directed at no one. Yet today, you would smear him?
Yes, I did single you out. Where 4 key provisions of SB 1070 have been found unconstitutional, and where there is little prospect for overturning that decision, passing SB1070 does seem juvenile.
Here the pot is calling the yet to be used Kettle black!
ChandlerAZGuy posted at 4:44 pm on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
This guy is a joke, just looked who he held rallys with, Neo Nazi groups. I cannot beleive anyone would vote for him.
Cerulean posted at 10:06 pm on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
The Maricopa GOP are not and DO NOT SECURE THE BORDER. To make that statement, Mr. Pearce, is to be less than credible.
It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to secure the border.
Here are some facts from Numbers USA:
"Immigration and Customs Enforcement will deport approximately 400,000 illegal aliens in fiscal year 2009, up 10% from 2008 and 25% from 2007 - the last two years of the Bush Administration. The majority of the illegal aliens deported are criminal offenders who were identified through ICE's Secure Communities program."
http://www.numbersusa.com/content/news/july-26-2010/deportations-under-pres-obama-2009.html
That was 2009, before SB1070 was introduced or made into law.
Poorman posted at 6:13 am on Fri, Jan 21, 2011.
Pearce or Az. have nothing to do with the availibilty of firearms, the nutsos and bad guys can get them anywhere. No gun law short of the govenment seizing all guns and or magazines,(or is it clips?) will stop these types of attacks.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 7:28 am on Fri, Jan 21, 2011.
Senator Pearce is supported by every National Poll taken after the sad, horrific shootings in Tucson. The Liberals and the Left-Wing of the Democrat Party saw their Socialist/Marxist Agenda repudiated in the November 2nd, 2010 Local, State and National Elections. Even Democrat "dog catchers" were swept out of office.
But since that day in November of 2010....the.. Gun-hating, Pro-illegal immigration, Socialized Health Care, Pro-Abortion (they call it "women's rights"), Gays, Lesbians, Cross-Dresser and Transgender in our Nation's Military,Pro- Marxist/Leninist Anti-White & Anti-American Mexican, Black and Native American Ethnic Studies taught to Arizona school age children from Kindergarten to High School, Anti-Tea Party.....TV AND NEWSPAPER MEDIA....have been trying to tear down the Republican Agenda by any means possible.
If you don't believe me just read the Opinion page of any newspaper of any Major City in America....just turn on your television set and watch CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC and sadly one of the worst offenders our our PBS Channel 8, KAET's "Horizon" and "Horizonate" daily news programs. Listen to how many times the moderators ask the loaded question to their guests (especially the Liberal reporters on Friday night's so-called "Journalist's Roundtable"...watch the spittle forming when Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Senator Russell Pearce or Governor Jan Brewer's names are mentioned....and if Sarah Palin's name is mentioned..push the kids out of the room because you will see Liberal reporters "morphing" into werewolves before your very eyes)....all joking aside. Maybe "JOURNALISM" was always a shade of pale "yellow" but we now sadly see that here locally and Nationally it has become a bright ...."CANARY YELLOW".
The use of this tragedy in Tucson by the Left to push for their anti-gun agenda is dispicable.
The use of this suspect's mental illness as a "talking point" against Arizona's Mental Health budget is beyond contempt. Our United States Military with all the hundreds of billions of dollars in "THEIR BUDGET" can not provide for the overwhelming mental health issues of our returning warriors (just yesterday, the numbers of Military suicides were published).
We can go on the the "blame game" and the "finger pointing" and their "tearing down of America"... until we are all using chop sticks instead of a knife and fork and a red flag with a gold star in the corner is flying over the Capital building.....or we can stop this "self-destruction" and put America back on track.
Dale Whiting posted at 9:06 am on Fri, Jan 21, 2011.
Leon,
Keep up your commentary. Do you have any idea how dumb you sound with this rhetoric? Where you decry "The Liberals and the Left-Wing of the Democrat Party [with] their Socialist/Marxist Agenda repudiated in the November 2nd, 2010 Local, State and National Elections" stop all of this name calling and list some of that agenda? I dare you!
But first consider how doing so will only prove the point!
Cerulean posted at 9:38 am on Fri, Jan 21, 2011.
P.S. Russell Pearce,
I know you like to take credit for everything Jan Brewer does, maybe that is why you said "Maricopa GOP" and attached that language with "border security".
Jan Brewer allotted 10 million dollars to increase aerial surveillance over the border. She got that money from Arizona's discretionary stimulus money provided to her by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Hey, that 10 million dollars worked wonders for Arizona's economy. One or two guy's got to fly in a airplane over the border several more times. Or maybe we paid for the unmanned surveillance?
sockratties posted at 10:12 am on Fri, Jan 21, 2011.
Leon,
When you take away all of the targets of your rant, you leave only Pearce, Brewer, Fox News and Yourself. Looks like you think anyone who has a different opinion than yours is categorically wrong. You sound as paranoid as Loughner. I don’t want you to have a gun. And that name… Ceniceros; can we see your papers? Just profiling here, nothing personal.
Brittanicus posted at 3:51 pm on Fri, Jan 21, 2011.
If the Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Congress and the White House are really serious about stopping the massive financial baggage of illegal immigration, why have they not overruled Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and mandate the computer verification program? E-Verify must be considered an invaluable tool to reject both existing working and new hires foreigners, who are in the mainstream of the workforce, taking jobs from birthright citizens, naturalized citizens and legal residents. Illegal Immigration cannot be separated from Obamacare or the terrible education predicament we are in? When many States are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, we must start to erect some of barrier against the continuous influx of illegal aliens and their families looking for work and a better life, when Americans and legitimate immigrants must come first.
When talking about spiraling taxes, when governors are looking for more revenue, they have not the backbone to explain that large portions of taxpayers’ money is being siphoned off to support birthright citizenship of babies, specifically in Arizona, California, Texas and New Mexico. But then every state today is exposed to illegal immigrants being transported throughout our country. Once here the county hospitals are bombarded with new arrivals in the emergency rooms with obviously no insurance and placing the whole financial measure on taxpayers. Emergency rooms are inundated with illegal people with sore throats and carrying flue germs and not such things as appendicitis or serious injuries. Let me repeat these web-pages at http://www.jpands.org/vol10no1/cosman.pdf defines the issue as a monolithic concern for hospitals across the United States. Read this Health Care report and start spitting blood and bile.
Along the border many hospitals have sunk into insolvency, as they can no longer finance the incessant flow of illegal aliens, as in the majority of cases the Federal government has failed to reimburse fees. Education for illegal alien children to K-12 is a major problem forced on us by illogical laws, as without permanent residency the students cannot claim any rights to any further education. In the Sanctuary state of California the schools are overcrowded with children from across its border, which on arrival have no conception of the English language or American culture. In that by court order these children must be educated, the education of American children has sunk to a new low as teachers are expected to give them full support. The GAO fully supports a upgraded version of E-Verify, no matter how the Liberal-Democrats smear its operations.
There is continuous innovation to its ability to locate illegal labor, which is not just workers on farms, but in Janitorial services, construction, and entertainment and service companies. Not "just jobs that Americans won't do" but jobs found in Casino's, factories and not just poorly paid employment. E-Verify has expanded its Photo Matching Tool and stopped accepting expired documents from the I-9 form. The (GAO)(Government Accountability Office's) reports that E-Verify is still susceptible to fraud, enabling illegal labor who engage in identity theft or fraud to trick the system into authorizing them for work. The GAO has considered biometrics as a possible solution, so it’s a surprise and disappointment that they have overlooked the obvious: NumbersUSA has addressed this by saying "the Social Security Administration could seal the loophole almost entirely if it would simply notify workers with more than one employer making contributions to their social security account numbers.
Then ask them to report if they were not actually working for each of those employers. SSA, however, has a policy of not informing the victims of identity theft." Obviously--in time the E-Verification operation will become even more accurate in finding and removing illegal workers. The question should be asked, if that worker is disqualified, why should this not reported to ICE to follow up as names and addresses to chase down that worker, to see if they are legitimately in the US? When 15 million Americans are jobless, it seems commonsense to locate these people for deportation? Sometimes I wonder who either political party is working for. The amazing fact to me is why it’s not a felony to enter a country without permission, or why E-Verify is not a reducer of foreign aliens taking jobs of Americans.
The Tea Party and its advocates in Congress and in State Capitols should demand that E-Verify be applied in every business and an annual check of all workers, as the HMS and SSA program becomes more proficient in seeking out illegal aliens working under bogus documents. Communicate your major concern about the Dream Act, illegal Immigration, and Amnesty through the Washington switchboard to be connected at 202-224-3121. Learn more in depth information at NumbersUSA.