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Tag: anti-gay bill

  • Jan Brewer, Governor of Arizona, Eschews Re-election

    In 2008, Janet Napolitano was asked by President Barack Obama if she would be willing to become his Secretary of Homeland Security. Upon accepting his invitation, Jan Brewer, then Secretary of State in Arizona, ascended to governor due to succession rules outlined in Arizona’s state constitution. Since that time, Brewer has been one of the most prominent governors in the United States and a leading member of the Republican party.

    In an announcement made at her children’s elementary school, however, Jan Brewer has announced that she will not seek re-election following the end of her current term.

    Much speculation has surrounded the fact as to whether or not Brewer would attempt to run for governor once again due to the unique way in which she came into the office. Article 5, Section 1 of the Arizona State Constitution reads that “No member of the executive department after serving the maximum number of terms, which shall include any part of a term served, may serve in the same office until out of office for no less than one full term.”

    The term many have advised Brewer to contest is the word “term”, which many believe to be ambiguously defined. Joseph Kanefield, former general counsel to Brewer, believed that the state constitution “intended to apply only to an elected or appointed partial term rather than one in which a governor inherits the office by constitutional succession.”

    In November of 2012, Brewer had yet to decide whether or not she was going to seek re-election, stating, “I haven’t ruled it out, and I’ve been encouraged by people — legal scholars and other people — that it’s probably something that I ought to pursue.”

    In her speech given at the elementary school where she first started her political career, however, Brewer’s tone had changed: “There does come a time to pass the torch of leadership. And after completing this term in office, I will be doing just that.”

    Brewer’s goal when she first left the school board of directors and sought election to Arizona’s state House of Representatives was to simply reform education standards in her home state. Upon her ascension to Governorship, though, Brewer became the spotlight for many controversial bills.

    The first bit of controversy came when Arizona passed the most stringent law on illegal immigration the country had ever seen, with provisions requiring immigrants to carry their immigration papers on them at all times and allowing police to detain anyone they suspected of being in the country illegally. The Supreme Court would later strike down most of the provisions in the law but would continue to allow police officers to question and detain anyone they suspected of being in the US illegally.

    The second biggest controversy to come from Arizona under Brewer’s reign happened recently when the state legislatures voted to pass legislation that would allow businesses to refuse service to homosexuals due to religious reasons. In a move which stunned many Republican politicians, Brewer decided to veto the bill on the grounds that non-discrimination and religious liberty are core values of the United States and the state of Arizona.

    With Brewer deciding to not challenge the state constitution to run for governor once again, the gubernatorial race is now open for the first time since Napolitano took office back in 2002. Currently, there are eight Republicans and one Democrat waiting to take Brewer’s place next year.

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  • Michele Bachmann: Anti-Gay Bill Should Have Passed

    Michele Bachmann has tough words for Jan Brewer following the Arizona governor’s decision to veto a controversial “anti-gay” bill this past Thursday.

    “I believe that tolerance is a two-way street, and we need to respect everyone’s rights, including the rights of people who have sincerely held religious beliefs.”

    Bachmann voiced her opinion on the bill during an interview with The Fine Print.

    The Arizona bill would have made it legal for a business owner to refuse service of any potential customer whom they felt to be gay. The only necessary justification would be strongly held religious beliefs.

    The bill was passed by the state’s legislative body. However, a wall of negative publicity made it unlikely to be signed into law. Outcry against the bill was so intense that senators who previously pushed for the bill changed their minds, asking that the bill be veto’d.

    Brewer’s decision to veto the bill was met with the approval of Arizona Sen. John McCain and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, both heavy-weight Republican figures.

    However Bachmann’s opinion makes it clear that there is a serious division within the party on certain social issues.

    Bachmann viewed the bill as both reasonable and necessary. She said, “There’s a terrible intolerance afoot in the United States, and it’s against people who hold sincerely held religious beliefs.”

    The Tea Party leader also voiced her opinion about the upcoming 2016 presidential race. Despite strong rumors that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could make a run for president, Bachmann thinks that her chances of getting to the White House as the first woman president are rather slim.

    “She’s proved that she would be incapable of being commander-in-chief. She’s the godmother of Obamacare, and she represents the third term of a Barack Obama presidency.”

    As for Bachmann, she has stated that she will herself not be seeing reelection this year.

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  • Arizona Governor Expected to Veto Anti-Gay Law

    “I can assure you, as always, I will do the right thing for the state of Arizona.”

    Though Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has not shown her intention either way, signs show that she will most likely veto S.B. 1062, a bill that allows private business owners to refuse to serve gay and lesbian customers in the name of “religious freedom.”

    The bill was passed by lawmakers in the Republican-run southwest state last week, angering gay rights groups all over the country.

    “…when I receive the bill, I’m going to read it and I’m going to be briefed on it. We have been following it. And I will make my decision in the near future,” she told CNN.

    Many political and business leaders are encouraging the 69-year old governor to veto the bill, including Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake. They are concerned it will hurt the economic interest of the state.

    Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines, sent a letter to Brewer, saying, “There is genuine concern throughout the business community that this bill, if signed into law, would jeopardize all that has been accomplished so far.”

    On Monday, the Arizona Super Bowl committee also denounced the bill.

    “We share the NFL’s core values which embrace tolerance, diversity, inclusiveness and prohibit discrimination … We do not support this legislation.”

    Matthew Hale, a political scientist at Seton Hall University, said, “The big question is will the NFL take away the Super Bowl next year? The NFL has a history of homophobia and bullying, and the first openly gay player is coming in the next draft. As a result, the pressure on the NFL to take away the big game will be tremendous.”

    Brewer has responded by saying, “I have a history of deliberating and having an open dialogue on bills that are controversial, to listen to both sides of those issues, and I welcome the input, and information that they can provide to me. And certainly I am pro-business, and that is what’s turning our economy around, so I appreciate their input, as I appreciate the other side.”

    State Republicans are worried since last year Brewer vetoed a similar bill, saying that she wanted to focus on more important issues such as Medicaid expansion and overhauling the state’s child protective services system.

    However, Brewer, the fourth female governor of Arizona, also realizes that approval of the bill will likely trigger lawsuits.

    Four years ago, Arizona passed a controversial “show me your papers” immigration law that showed the state as being “on the wrong side of history” and intolerant, hurting Arizona tourism. That law was eventually struck down by the US Supreme Court.

    “This legislation has already hurt Arizona and it will continue to harm the state should it become law,” says Mark Tatge, a communication professor at DePauw University.

    Brewer has until Saturday to sign or veto the bill. If she does nothing, it automatically becomes a law.


    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Jan Brewer: Arizona Gov. To Make Decision On Anti-Gay Bill

    To veto or not to veto? That is the question for Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who is facing a big decision on a controversial issue.

    The Arizona Legislature has recently passed a bill that would allow business owners to turn away service to lesbian and gay customers, as long as they hold deep religious beliefs to do so. If passed, the law would give a person, church, or business reason to defend themselves against discrimination claims. There is strong opposition against the bill becoming the law of the land.

    The bill has caused a major uproar with senators and the business community. The latest to voice an opinion regarding the issue is Mitt Romney, who is urging Brewer to veto. Senator John McCain has also tweeted his hope for a veto.

    There have been assumptions that the governor will most likely veto the bill, but there isn’t a sure sign that she will.

    CNN’s Dana Bash had an exclusive interview with Brewer on Monday, addressing the different factors that she has to consider before making a decision. The governor said that she always makes it a point to listen to both sides before making a crucial decision. She also says that she is pro-business and appreciates arguments from both sides.

    http://youtu.be/YD4wPCCkmEE

    According to political consultant Doug Cole, Brewer is no beginner when it comes to these types of deals. She always gives both the pro and opposing side their due, and she will be getting a detailed briefing from her legal team.

    The anti-gay bill was brought to Brewer’s desk last week. She is given five days to decide whether to veto it or sign in. In the event she decides to do nothing about it, the bill will become law anyway. She will be making a decision when she comes back from Washington where she has been focused on meetings with the National Governors Association.

    Image via YouTube

  • Arizona Senators: Legalizing Homophobia?

    Arizona Senators: Legalizing Homophobia?

    In a so-called attempt to preserve the religious sanctity of Arizona businesses, lawmakers in the state passed legislation making it perfectly legal to boot someone out of your establishment for being gay. So long as you’re really really really religious, it’s perfectly fine.

    Because nothing pisses off Jesus quite like giving homosexuals coffee.

    Senators Adam Driggs, Steve Pierce and Bob Worsley, all of who initially voted for the bill, have had a serious change of heart.

    Now they are practically begging Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto the measure. The bill was a mistake!

    Said the trio in a letter, “While our sincere intent in voting for this bill was to create a shield for all citizens’ religious liberties, the bill has instead been mischaracterized by its opponents as a sword for religious intolerance.”

    Even though they intended to pass a law making it perfectly legal for someone, in a display of blatant bigotry, to put a customer on the sidewalk for simply being gay…they were completely and utterly misunderstood and their bill’s intent “mischaracterized.”

    Of course this change of sentiment regarding the bill is about the potential harm caused to targeted citizens, right?

    “These allegations are causing our state immeasurable harm.”

    Never mind, then. Potential harm to affected state citizens, their families, and children is completely irrelevant; what everyone really cares about is how Arizona comes out looking in all this. Gotcha, thanks.

    In all seriousness, Arizona has good reason to be concerned as to how the state looks, considering this isn’t the first time that unarguably bigoted laws have been passed by the state legislative body.

    Those in support of the bill call it a response to “growing hostility against freedom” in the United States.

    As Arizona lawmakers scramble to deal with the public backlash, one has to ask why is it that bigotry is always considered the standing pillar of freedom by some people?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Yoweri Museveni, President Of Uganda, Signs Harsh Anti-Gay Bill

    As the support for the gay community is continually rising in the United States, things just seem to get worse for the people of Uganda. The president has been criticized for his anti-gay actions in the past, and continues to make it worse for gay people in his country.

    Despite the fact that there had been protests from multiple human rights groups, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed an anti-gay bill today, which has severe penalties for gay people in the country of Uganda. The controversial bill was signed this morning, and has been popular in his country, despite hearing protests from other countries.

    As the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni has continually made it difficult to be a gay person, and leaders from various countries around the world protested the bill that was put into action today. He was pressured by countries in the west, but wanted to assert independence in the middle of western pressure, and signed the bill anyway.

    The president had a number of outside forces trying to influence him, including President Barack Obama, but this did not seem to phase him at all, and he wanted to stay completely independent without letting other leaders have an influence on him. Other notable leaders such as retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu also attempted to urge him to not sign the controversial bill, instead wanting him to “strengthen Uganda’s culture of human rights and justice.”

    In a statement that Yoweri Museveni made on Friday, he said “We do not want anybody to impose their views on us. This very debate was provoked by Western groups who come to our schools and try to recruit children into homosexuality. It is better to limit the damage rather than exacerbate it.”

    It may be hard to believe, but the bill used to be even worse than what it was when he signed it this morning. After once proposing the death penalty for some homosexual acts, Museveni has set the maximum penalty as life imprisonment, and a 14-year jail sentence for first time homosexual offenders. The life imprisonment is for “aggravated homosexuality.” According to Amnesty International, this can refer to acts in which one person is infected with HIV, “serial offenders,” and sex with minors.

    Before Yoweri Museveni signed the bill this morning, lawmakers passed the bill in December. Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda, and the new bill, which was originally introduced in 2009, has gone back and forth for years, as outside forces have continually condemned it.

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