Leaving Arizona: Tucson Group Pushes Secession
Organizers in Tucson and surrounding Pima County have launched a petition drive that would put their plan to secede from Arizona on the ballot in 2012, a movement born out of liberal disgust with the conservatism of Phoenix and other northern neighbors. (more)
Organizers in Tucson and surrounding Pima County have launched a petition drive that would put their plan to secede from Arizona on the ballot in 2012, a movement born out of liberal disgust with the conservatism of Phoenix and other northern neighbors. The plan is undoubtedly a long shot, and the creation of a “Baja Arizona” would be the first successful split since West Virginia branched off during the Civil War. But at the very least, the “Start Our State” movement sends a signal to the country that not all Arizonans support measures like the immigrant-targeting SB 1070 or the escapades of Maricopa Country Sheriff Joe Arpaio. — KDG
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...Huffington Post Politics:
Partisan tensions have long been a fact of life between left-leaning Pima County and a Phoenix-based political establishment that has produced such conservative giants as Barry Goldwater and John McCain.
But the rift was heightened during the past two years as Republican Governor Jan Brewer and her allies in control of the statehouse pursued a political agenda Democrats saw as extreme, including a crackdown on illegal immigration and proposals, ultimately unsuccessful, to nullify some federal laws.
Even Tucson’s best-known Democrat, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, had to fight tooth and nail to fend of a Republican challenge in her bid for a third term in November.
The ballot measure sought by Arizona secession backers is a non-binding measure asking Pima County voters if they support petitioning state lawmakers for permission to break away.
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Don’t be misled by pundits proclaiming victory in the battle against religious bigotry after Arizona Gov Jan Brewer’s veto of her state’s gay discrimination bill The battle rages on, both in a host of similar measures proposed in states across the country and in a set of potentially landmark cases pending before the Supreme Court.
A new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute sheds light on the divisions in the U.S. over gay marriage.
Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer and the other "Left, Right & Center" panelists talk about the threat to Ukraine's economy and territorial integrity, the Pentagon's intention to shrink the Army to pre-World War II levels and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's veto of a law that would have allowed private businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.