Today’s Shorts: Christian Nationalism, VanLife Gone Wrong & Halloween Costumes

MAGA Mike keeps making news … homeless on BLM land … and what’s up with all of the sexy nuns?

Is Speaker Mike Johnson a White Christian Nationalist?

For someone who was unknown outside of the Bible Belt a month ago, newly elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson has been all over the news since he accepted the speaker’s gavel on October 25, 2023.

Some of the more shocking stories about Johnson focus on his flagrant disregard for separation of church and state.

Johnson describes himself as a “Bible-believing Christian.” If people want to learn his opinion on any topic, Johnson said, “Go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it — that’s my worldview.”

I served in the Arizona Legislature with many “Bible-believing Christians” who routinely voted against the teachings of Jesus and his message of universal love and compassion for everyone. Their version of the Bible had an exceptions list, as does Johnson’s. New York Times opinion columnist Charles M. Blow, who grew up in Johnson’s Congressional district, warns us not to be fooled by his Southern charm. Johnson is Trump in a “far more congenial and urbane package”and he’s a pastor in the American Baptist Church.

Continue reading Today’s Shorts: Christian Nationalism, VanLife Gone Wrong & Halloween Costumes

“He [Johnson] is from a part of the country where your nemesis will smile at you and promise to pray for you, where people will quickly submit that they ‘love the sinner but hate the sin,’ where one hand can hold a Bible while the other holds a shackle. He is from a place where people use religion to brand their hatred as love so that they act on it cheerfully and without guilt.” [Emphasis added.]
— Charles M. Blow, I Grew Up in Mike Johnson’ District, Where Kindness Can Mask Cruelty, New York Times, Nov. 1, 2023

Continue reading Today’s Shorts: Christian Nationalism, VanLife Gone Wrong & Halloween Costumes

Labor Unions Protest Amazon on May Day (video)

Amazon in Tucson

Protesting outside of an Amazon warehouse on May 1, International Workers Day, has become an tradition for Tucson labor unions. Organized by the Pima Area Labor Federation (PALF), the 2023 event drew about 50 protesters on a blustery day. AFL-CIO Organizing Specialist Ryan Kelly highlighted many union organizing accomplishments in the past year.

This video includes the speeches from several Tucson union leaders. It was heartening to see so many young people rising in the ranks of a revived union movement in the US. (My apologies for the wind and the street noise.)

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10 Props in 14 Minutes: What You Need to Know About Arizona’s Ballot Propositions (video)

Election Day, Nov. 8, is fast approaching.

Early ballots are arriving in mailboxes all over Arizona.

Signs are popping up on street corners, in front yards and on vehicles around town.

Social media is abuzz with clever memes and video pop-ups to snag your attention and sway your vote on candidates and issues.

Traditional television advertising is carpet-bombing living rooms across the nation with negative messages fueled by special interest groups, billionaires, and dark money.

This tsunami of mixed messages from random sources with questionable credentials leaves many voters overwhelmed and wondering which messages are true and which messengers are trustworthy.

This is where constituent education comes in …

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Podcast: National Infrastructure Bank Would Rebuild US, Create Jobs & Restore Global Competitiveness

National Infrastructure Bank

In our history, beginning with President George Washington and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, the US has created four National Infrastructure Banks (NIB). Under Presidents Washington, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt, National Infrastructure Banks built and upgraded infrastructure across the country from roads, damns and bridges to health clinics, schools and the national parks; provided productive work and good pay for thousands if not millions of Americans; increased production and manufacturing capacity nationwide; and created economic vitality.

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Podcast: Blog for Arizona Authors & Rep. PPH Breakdown AZ Primary Races

A View from the Left Side, Rep. PPH

Season 2 Episode 12 of  A View from the Left Side focuses on Arizona’s primary election races — from the Legislature to Statewide, Corporation Commission and Congressional races.

Joining me today for this podcast are three long-term colleagues of mine at Blog for Arizona Michael Bryan, Larry Bodine and David Gordon. Mike is the founder and managing editor of Blog for Arizona. He is a local attorney and served as a prosecutor for the City of Tucson. Larry has been a writer and editor at Blog for Arizona for many years. Larry is also an attorney by profession and a former newspaper reporter. David is a prolific blogger who has interviewed many Democratic candidates for Blog for Arizona. He’s also an accomplished science fiction author.

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Unintended Consequences Will Follow Loss of Abortion Care in Arizona (video)

Rep. Pam Powers Hannley

“Parental choice!” is the rallying cry for Arizona Republicans who promote spending state tax dollars to pay for private and religious schools.

Republicans shout “My body! My choice!” on the Floor of the Arizona House when they rail against wearing facemasks to prevent the spread of COVID.

They cry for the freedom to be unvaccinated — against COVID, measles or anything else.

They exercise their power to protect their right to carry assault weapons to the grocery store and to keep guns cheap and plentiful in Arizona.

BUT when it comes to reproductive rights and body autonomy for women, Republicans insist on government control over family planning choices that are NONE of their business. This is the height of hypocrisy. Government has no right to insert itself into private medical decisions.

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