Dear Secretary Napolitano,
You were our Governor during most of my time here in Arizona. In fact, I had an interesting conversation with you at my daughter’s elementary school after you spoke to the parents, students and teachers about your full-day kindergarten initiative. You have always been an inspiration to the progressive Arizona community. I listened intently to your monthly state-of-the-state discussions on the local PBS station, and I enjoyed your periodic radio visits with Beth and Bill. You talked seriously about “the peoples' issues" in Arizona. You stood up (and vetoed) the insane racial profiling bill sent to you by State Senator Pearce. You kept the gun-crazy laws from taking effect in our state, and you spoke realistically about the small business and economic needs of Arizona.
As you know, since you left the gubernatorial office to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, our Arizona leadership has gone south. Your replacement, former State Attorney General Jan Brewer, has proven to be the most uncaring, petty opportunist ever to lead this state. Now, she is attacking Hillary Clinton for including anti-Arizona wording in the U.S Report on Human Rights submitted to the United Nations. She has been publishing local reports saying that, “It is downright offensive that (the) Obama administration stands with Cuba and Libya against Arizona.”
This is the actual wording in the human rights report in regard to Arizona SB 1070:
“A recent Arizona law, S.B. 1070, has generated significant attention and debate at home and around the world. The issue is being addressed in a court action that argues that the federal government has the authority to set and enforce immigration law. That action is ongoing; parts of the law are currently enjoined.”
This is simply a statement of fact to the United Nations regarding a human rights issue that rightfully should be in this report. But, Governor Brewer has been all over the local media saying that President Obama is aligning himself with Fidel Castro and Muammar Gaddafi.
Last night, Jan Brewer’s opening statement in the locally televised gubernatorial debate illustrates the kind of leader we may have for the next four years:
Please consider returning to Arizona as a write-in candidate for the November gubernatorial election. We need you.
Respectfully yours,
Steven Rockford
Concerned Arizona Resident
______________________________________________
Update: Justin Elliot, at Salon, has an interesting post about Bumbling Brewer.
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Comments
or you could get tired of being a serf, but so far, no sign of spine in the american electorate.
I agree, send Napolitano back to Arizona. God knows she's way out of her league in her present position.
Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I’ve been away from my computer.
This is the link for the “Report of the United States of America Submitted to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights In Conjunction with the Universal Periodic Review”:
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/146379.pdf
This report is issued to the UN by the US Secretary of State periodically as part of the membership requirements of the UN. It is meant to identify “all” human rights issues that are currently being addressed by each country. The “human rights” that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights are concerned about include the rights of all global citizens - including immigrants. The US has an outstanding “immigration rights” issue in regard to Arizona SB1070. Secretary Clinton has included the two sentences noted in my post regarding SB1070 as a matter of full-disclosure.
Cindy has a good point. No one is trying to “compare” the US record on human rights with any other country. This report is designed to provide a status to the UN of all pertinent human rights issues – big and small.
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We are currently trying to figure out how to get out (as urged in at least one letter to the editor in every issue of the Arizona Republic at the tiniest hint of dismay with the Greatest State in the Whole Wide World) without bankrupting ourselves.
And for those of you who live elsewhere, you can ignore Jan Brewer. She's nothing but a talking head (or, as here displayed, a non-talking head.) The real governor of Arizona is State Senator Russell Pearce, President of the Arizona Senate. He's the Great White Father around here.