2012 Grand Canyon

I really like Arizona. I’ve lived here for over 20 years (for health reasons) and though I’d sometimes rather live somewhere else – somewhere green and hilly with lots of season-changing trees – I’m stuck here. The desert has it’s own beauty and OMD the mountains are awesome. Oh, the Grand Canyon is beyond grand. I’ve met some really great people, too. Arizona is an interesting place to live.

But I don’t love Arizona. Why? The embarrassing Joe Arpaio comes immediately to mind. The strongly Republican government here is next in line. It seems every time Arizona is in the national news, I’m disgusted that I’m automatically associated by just living here.

The latest fiasco is HB2467 wherein graduating students should be required to swear this oath before they can graduate:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose or evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge these duties; so help me God.

First of all, you can’t swear freely when they’re holding your diploma hostage. That’s extortion. Secondly, the “so help me God” is unconstitutional. Duh.

Hopefully this will never pass, as many stupid AZ bills have not passed. But just the fact that this and other repugnant bills have ever been submitted in the first place makes me embarrassed to live here.

Here’s the thing though, I know hundreds of people here and to my knowledge most of them are NOT Republicans. Not even a little. We’re here. And though we tend to agree with the disgust at Arizona everyone else has we’ve made a home here.

So please remember the few, the proud but completely outnumbered non-Repugnicans who live in Arizona when you paint the whole state with your contempt. We’re not ALL idiots.