Oh Arizona, I Love You, But...

I was born 39 years ago tomorrow in Phoenix, Arizona. I love my home state. I have lived only maybe 3 years total in other other places including my 1 ½ years in California (too expensive) and traveling. Arizona is a beautiful place but we certainly do attract unreasonable people, to say the least.

The latest embarrassment is our Secretary of State (one heartbeat from being the Governor, not that Jan Brewer is doing such a great job) Ken Bennett. Our SOS is stirring up the Birther movement, AGAIN. I guess he is just following the lead of Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County. Because everyone knows it is the Sheriff's job to investigate the quality of the current President's birth certificate. I think if this conspiracy really had legs it would have been taken care of before Barack Obama was originally elected President of the United States. But don't let the truth get in the way of publicity, not when we can be a state that will not have the current President on the ballots to be re-elected. Not that Obama had Arizona's vote, we are a very red state.

This is just the latest in a long line of things our state loves to do wrong, and get publicity for their foibles.

Just a few weeks ago, our illustrious Governor, Mrs. Brewer, decided to copy the Susan G. Komen mistake and cut funding for Planned Parenthood. We all saw how well that went for the Komen Foundation.

Then there is the whole SB1070 debacle.

If you want to get OLD SCHOOL, there is the embarrassing story of our state being one of the last to accept a Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday. Believe me, our racism is not a new condition, we are just expressing it in so many new and varied ways. Gone are the days of the obvious racism of former car salesman turned temporary (he was kicked out pretty quickly) Governor, Evan Mecham. Here is one of his famous quotes that I find hilarious: "I've got black friends, I employ black people. I don't employ them because they are black; I employ them because they're the best people who applied for the cotton-picking job."

Now are the days of “veiled” racism, because we wouldn't question whether white guy, Senator John McCain could be president – even though he was born in Panama. But Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii. Since his dad was Kenyan, we must question his status as a citizen. That is insulting to me since my husband was born in England, and my kids were born in the United States here in Tucson. Are they not really citizens? I guess they should not run for President. Should Mitt Romney be able to run? His dad was born in Mexico, ya know.

Oh Arizona, I love you, but for my birthday could you just not embarrass me for one year? That is probably asking too much. Sigh.