Hey there Secular Fam! It’s been way too long, and for that, I apologize. I’ve had a lot going on personally, and am coming out of my first (and hopefully last) bout with shingles. A few weeks ago, I had every intention of getting my shingles vaccine, and then just completely forgot. My PSA to you today is: stay up-to-date on all your vaccinations!
It will be impossible for me to cover the antics of all these WTFs - Whiny Tyrannical Fundies - these past few weeks, so I’ll try to sum up some of the most notable events over the last three weeks.
SCR1013 was DEFEATED! This anti-trans bill would have gone directly to the voters, but Senator Ken Bennett (R-LD1) was the lone Republican to vote against it.
Senator Jake Hoffman (R-LD15) called the Philadelphia Pride Flag the “pedo flag”
A lack of decorum and an abundance of disrespect continue to be the norm in both chambers
And Senator Sonny Borrelli (R-LD30) recommended women use aspirin as birth control
I can’t remember if it was the 2023 or 2022 session where Borrelli said he wanted to take Arizona “back to 1958” so this is super-on-brand for him. I feel bad for the women in Senator “Pinky Rings” family WITH GOOD REASON 👀. While Borrelli denies allegations of domestic violence in his home, he does everything in his power as a legislator to keep women and other marginalized groups in the state of Arizona down any way he can.
And this is part of a larger movement. Currently throughout the US there are bills flying through state legislatures that would allow domestic abusers to obtain firearms, bills that would prohibit pregnant women from leaving their husbands, and in far too many states, victims of rape and/or molestation are forced to carry their fetus to term, even if they’re children. Oh, and in some states, rapists may be granted joint custody.
Since their choice for leader of the free world is a rapist, this makes sense.
These deeply unserious people are so out of touch with the needs of everyday Arizonans they Xeet (formally known as “tweet”) things like “just letting toddlers be toddlers,” completely out of touch about how the world actually works.
The extremist evangelicals in elected office in this country think so little of women, they highlighted it on national TV during the GOP response to the State of the Union (SOTU).
I’d say that most Americans probably know who is running for president. Maybe they even know who is running for Senate, but general voter knowledge isn’t great when it comes to the down-ballot races like state house, senate, county candidates, school board candidates, judges, etc. Just check in on any social media, or even at public committee hearings and meetings, and citizens of our state and country unabashedly share their ignorance of how our government works.
If this level of ignorance worries you, it should. I’ve mentioned it before, but 40% of Americans prefer an authoritarian form of government, and the 45th president has promised a dictatorship on Day One if he’s elected. So once again, I’m asking all of you to do everything in your power to save our democracy.
Find a candidate and hustle for them. You can make calls, knock on doors, or host events. Even better, run for your local school board! Did you know that currently there are ZERO pro-public education candidates running in Deer Valley (DVUSD)?
Remember the district where the two deeply unserious leaders there lost their leadership roles when the board reorganized? Yeah, all that progress will be lost unless someone steps up. Maybe that someone is you? Or someone you know?
I plan on digging back into school board and legislative shenanigans in the coming weeks. For this weekend, I look forward to seeing some of my favorite people at one of my favorite events, in one of my favorite Arizona cities.
Secular AZ will be there both Saturday and Sunday, so stop by booth 422 and get yourself a banned book, or pick up an “I Read Banned Books” t-shirt. And of course, like, subscribe, and volunteer!
Thanks for encouraging everyone to find a candidate and hustle for them. Right NOW, you can go on line to the Secretary of States website and sign for your candidate to get on the ballot. Don’t feel like you have enough info, pick 2 issues that concern you, go to their website and see their position. Pick the candidate who gets you closer to the goal. If you live in Legislative District 12, please support Senator Mitzi Epstein and Representatives, Stacey Travers and Patty Contreras. They are terrific.