Breaking News out of Tucson:
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva’s congressional office is closed this afternoon as police respond to a suspicious piece of mail.
An envelope arrived with swastikas drawn on the outside and a white powdery substance on the inside, said Adam Sarvana, Grijalva’s spokesman.
The office is on lockdown as police investigate. Those outside the office are not allowed in, and the workers and constituents inside are not allowed to leave until police clear the scene, Sarvana said.
Preliminary health checks show those in the office are OK, but further testing is needed because the substance has not been identified, Sarvana said.
I’ve had enough.
I had enough years ago when I started covering immigration and border-related issues online. Too many trips to the mechanic to fix my outrage-meter and, still, the haters find new ways to send me to new levels of disgust.
Raul Grijalva is my Congressman, and I am proud of him. He has showed courage through this onslaught of hate that was once confined to extremist vigilante groups like American Patrol, National Alliance, the Minutemen, etc. (I refuse to link to them, use the Google) Now, the Arizona Republican Party has adopted their agenda and rhetoric wholesale.
Ruth McClung, Grijalva’s opponent in this election scrubbed endorsements from her website this week after a spotlight was thrown on this type of language:
El temblando racista de (the quiverying racist of) Tucson, Sr. Grijalva, must be defeated at all costs….
He believes in, sponsors and promotes “La Raza” (the Mexican race) while we conservatives value all races equally. We have heard his silly racist name calling for decades now and it is time the electorate of the 7th Congressional District of Arizona tells him to shut up, go to Mexico City and cash in his race card where it may bring him five centavos.
“Go back to Mexico” – the Congressman was the recipient of the oldest arrow in the bow from ignorant haters. It’s one that many of us who have tierra-colored skin have had to bear verbally and symbolically through hate-legislation like SB1070 and HB2281.
This midterm election in Arizona is the front lines of a culture war being waged on indigenous communities. There will be no enthusiasm gap among Arizona Latinos this time around, because several SB1070 culprits are on the ballot: Tom Horne for Attorney General, John Huppenthal for Superintendent of Public Instruction and, of course, Jan Brewer.
Much work is being done on the ground to get out the vote between now and election day. Groups like Promise Arizona, Mi Familia Vota, Voto Latino and others are calling, canvassing and making arrangements to provide transportation to polling sites. It will take all of us, working together, to put the brakes on the AZGOP’s extremist agenda that promises to get worse in January.
Will you stand with us and fight back?