October 12, 2011
By Anita Christy
If you haven't been following the Alinsky methods being used by Randy Parraz and his far-left associates to take down Arizona Senator Russell Pearce (R), you should pay close attention. They may target your Republican legislator very soon. If they can destroy Pearce, they can destroy anybody. The recall election will be held November 8, 2011; early balloting begins on October 13 (that is, tomorrow).
So who is Russell Pearce?
Senator Pearce gained national prominence in April 2010 as the architect of SB1070, one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration laws in America. It allows Arizona to enforce the federal immigration laws which have been left unenforced for many years.
Pearce has spent his political career writing and sponsoring legislation that honors constitutional conservative principles.
Here are some brief highlights.
After former Gov. Janet Napolitano resigned, Sen. Pearce oversaw the biggest budget cut in Arizona's history: $500,000,000.
He sponsored legislation to stop eminent domain abuse and protect property rights. He sponsored SB1108, the "Freedom to Carry Act," making Arizona the number one-state for 2nd-Amendment freedom.
Sen. Pearce earned the "Apple Award" by Parents for Education for his work on achieving high results for education while supporting parents' rights in educational choice.
He is the only Arizonan and one of only seven legislators in history to receive the "Hero of the Taxpayer" award from the American Tax Reform Association. He sponsored the Arizona Competitiveness Package, which cut corporate taxes by 30% and business property taxes by 10%.
Several years ago, while serving as a deputy, he was awarded the Medal of Valor for his bravery and persistence to continue to apprehend assaulters even after being shot through the hand and chest.
He and his wife LuAnne reside in Mesa, Arizona, in a modest 1,100-square-foot home, with three of their grandchildren, all under the age of five.
Now, who is Randy Parraz?
Randy Parraz, progressive Democrat, grew up in CA. He earned a law degree from UC Berkeley and a master's in public administration from Harvard. Parraz was a leader for nine years in the IAF and the AFL-CIO. The IAF (Industrial Areas Foundation), founded by Saul Alinsky, trains community organizers, the most famous being President Barack Obama.
Parraz moved to Arizona in 2002 to "fulfill his new duties as the Arizona State Director for the National AFL-CIO."
In 2007, he began working for LiUNA (Laborers' International Union of North America). LiUNA paid Parraz $126,518.00 in 2009 for his "residential organizer" services.
In May 2009, Randy Parraz's Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability joined Salvador Reza and Isabel Garcia (Aztlán), former State Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez, and other leftists in a march against Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Salvador Reza and Isabel Garcia are among many radicals who promise to reoccupy the southwestern states, called Aztlán by South American irredentists. MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán), a group that supports Randy Parraz, believes that Aztlán belongs to them, not to the "brutal gringo" invaders.
In March 2010, Parraz and several groups, including Puente and Border Action Network, protested Russell Pearce's "bigoted SB1070 bill" and demanded that Gov. Brewer veto it.
When Gov. Brewer signed SB1070 in April 2010, Randy Parraz and the Left called for massive boycotts against Arizona.
Even Raul Grijalva (D), a U.S. congressman, called for a boycott of Arizona businesses, intentionally hurting his own state's economy.
The boycotts backfired, although you would never know it, because the left and their media allies continue to spread the lie that Russell Pearce and SB1070 have hurt Arizona's reputation and economy.
Indeed, there was great support across America for Arizona's law, including a poll showing that 57% supported it and that another 17% didn't think it went far enough. In fact:
As for the boycotts, there may have been some travel cancellations, but many visited Arizona nonetheless.
A July 15, 2011 report showed that Arizona had attracted 1.6 million more visitors in 2010 than in 2009.
Randy Parraz wasn't amused. He and other leftists joined together to shape public sentiment, demonizing
Sen. Pearce and labeling him as extreme and inhumane. They flooded YouTube with videos depicting him as a bullying white supremacist Nazi, and they wrote letters to editors, blog posts, Facebook entries, and comments at the end of online news articles.
Parraz invited liberal Republicans to join him against their common enemy and used them to chair various PACs so that he could call his efforts bipartisan.
He found a red herring: the Fiesta Bowl "scandal," which the media published repeatedly. (Arizona law does not allow a legislator to accept tickets unless they are also offered to the whole legislature. They were, and both Republicans and Democrats accepted them.)
In November 2010, Pearce had just been reelected by the Mesa voters of LD18 by a wide margin. He hadn't even taken office when Parraz started the recall effort in January 2011.
To recall a sitting legislator in Arizona, all you need is enough signatures on a petition from registered voters in his district -- Democrats, Republicans, and independents. It isn't necessary to prove that the legislator has engaged in corruption, dishonesty, or violations of the law.
Parraz brought in leftists from Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff to circulate petitions. Some were paid, and some were liberal Republicans from Pearce's own L18.
Randy Parraz got the signatures he needed.
He knew that a Democrat couldn't beat Pearce, so he identified the profile of someone who could: a respected Republican leader with deep roots in the community. He would also have to be someone from the LDS Church. Why? Because Sen. Pearce is a devout Mormon.
Once the Recall was verified, the perfect candidate appeared: Jerry Lewis. He has lived in Mesa for thirty years. A family man, he's a community leader who is also the superintendent of a statewide charter school organization. He was Stake President of an LDS church with 4,000 members.
Lewis has no political experience, but he says that he will focus on education and the economy. He will take a reasonable approach to immigration. He claims that he's nobody's "pawn" and isn't concerned about the massive support that Parraz and other extreme leftists are giving him.
Until recently, Republican Olivia Cortez was in the race. She would have pulled votes from Lewis, but Parraz initiated a lawsuit against her candidacy trying to prove that she was a "sham" candidate recruited by the TEA Party. Amid the legal harassment, Cortez withdrew. Since the ballots have already been printed, Parraz is pressuring Gov. Brewer to reprint them.
The media have published nothing about Parraz's leftist background or radical associations, nor have they been critical of him. So the average voter in LD18 knows very little about him or his role in their political future. Yet the media continues to focus on anything and everything that casts Pearce in a negative light.
With Pearce's strength and excellent record, and his strong support from conservative legislators and other conservative groups, the battle is raging.
In a recent debate with Pearce, Lewis stated that Arizona "is seen as something akin to 1964 Alabama," revealing the extent to which he himself has been manipulated by leftist propaganda.
Truly sad is this: not only has Parraz masterminded a successful recall against one of the best conservative senators Arizona has ever known, but he has also pitted Republican against Republican, and Mormon against Mormon.
It is political suicide to underestimate the power and organization of the left.
Anita Christy is the editor and publisher of the conservative blog www.GilbertWatch.com. Gilbert Watch promotes the principles of small government, low taxes, free enterprise, and personal responsibility. Gilbert and Mesa sit side by side in Maricopa County's East Valley.
By Anita Christy
If you haven't been following the Alinsky methods being used by Randy Parraz and his far-left associates to take down Arizona Senator Russell Pearce (R), you should pay close attention. They may target your Republican legislator very soon. If they can destroy Pearce, they can destroy anybody. The recall election will be held November 8, 2011; early balloting begins on October 13 (that is, tomorrow).
So who is Russell Pearce?
Senator Pearce gained national prominence in April 2010 as the architect of SB1070, one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration laws in America. It allows Arizona to enforce the federal immigration laws which have been left unenforced for many years.
Pearce has spent his political career writing and sponsoring legislation that honors constitutional conservative principles.
Here are some brief highlights.
After former Gov. Janet Napolitano resigned, Sen. Pearce oversaw the biggest budget cut in Arizona's history: $500,000,000.
He sponsored legislation to stop eminent domain abuse and protect property rights. He sponsored SB1108, the "Freedom to Carry Act," making Arizona the number one-state for 2nd-Amendment freedom.
Sen. Pearce earned the "Apple Award" by Parents for Education for his work on achieving high results for education while supporting parents' rights in educational choice.
He is the only Arizonan and one of only seven legislators in history to receive the "Hero of the Taxpayer" award from the American Tax Reform Association. He sponsored the Arizona Competitiveness Package, which cut corporate taxes by 30% and business property taxes by 10%.
Several years ago, while serving as a deputy, he was awarded the Medal of Valor for his bravery and persistence to continue to apprehend assaulters even after being shot through the hand and chest.
He and his wife LuAnne reside in Mesa, Arizona, in a modest 1,100-square-foot home, with three of their grandchildren, all under the age of five.
Now, who is Randy Parraz?
Randy Parraz, progressive Democrat, grew up in CA. He earned a law degree from UC Berkeley and a master's in public administration from Harvard. Parraz was a leader for nine years in the IAF and the AFL-CIO. The IAF (Industrial Areas Foundation), founded by Saul Alinsky, trains community organizers, the most famous being President Barack Obama.
Parraz moved to Arizona in 2002 to "fulfill his new duties as the Arizona State Director for the National AFL-CIO."
In 2007, he began working for LiUNA (Laborers' International Union of North America). LiUNA paid Parraz $126,518.00 in 2009 for his "residential organizer" services.
In May 2009, Randy Parraz's Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability joined Salvador Reza and Isabel Garcia (Aztlán), former State Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez, and other leftists in a march against Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Salvador Reza and Isabel Garcia are among many radicals who promise to reoccupy the southwestern states, called Aztlán by South American irredentists. MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán), a group that supports Randy Parraz, believes that Aztlán belongs to them, not to the "brutal gringo" invaders.
In March 2010, Parraz and several groups, including Puente and Border Action Network, protested Russell Pearce's "bigoted SB1070 bill" and demanded that Gov. Brewer veto it.
When Gov. Brewer signed SB1070 in April 2010, Randy Parraz and the Left called for massive boycotts against Arizona.
Even Raul Grijalva (D), a U.S. congressman, called for a boycott of Arizona businesses, intentionally hurting his own state's economy.
The boycotts backfired, although you would never know it, because the left and their media allies continue to spread the lie that Russell Pearce and SB1070 have hurt Arizona's reputation and economy.
Indeed, there was great support across America for Arizona's law, including a poll showing that 57% supported it and that another 17% didn't think it went far enough. In fact:
At least 16 state legislatures have introduced SB 1070 copycat bills. They are going forward in spite of the lawsuits that have been filed against Arizona by the federal government.
As for the boycotts, there may have been some travel cancellations, but many visited Arizona nonetheless.
A July 15, 2011 report showed that Arizona had attracted 1.6 million more visitors in 2010 than in 2009.
Randy Parraz wasn't amused. He and other leftists joined together to shape public sentiment, demonizing
Sen. Pearce and labeling him as extreme and inhumane. They flooded YouTube with videos depicting him as a bullying white supremacist Nazi, and they wrote letters to editors, blog posts, Facebook entries, and comments at the end of online news articles.
Parraz invited liberal Republicans to join him against their common enemy and used them to chair various PACs so that he could call his efforts bipartisan.
He found a red herring: the Fiesta Bowl "scandal," which the media published repeatedly. (Arizona law does not allow a legislator to accept tickets unless they are also offered to the whole legislature. They were, and both Republicans and Democrats accepted them.)
In November 2010, Pearce had just been reelected by the Mesa voters of LD18 by a wide margin. He hadn't even taken office when Parraz started the recall effort in January 2011.
To recall a sitting legislator in Arizona, all you need is enough signatures on a petition from registered voters in his district -- Democrats, Republicans, and independents. It isn't necessary to prove that the legislator has engaged in corruption, dishonesty, or violations of the law.
Parraz brought in leftists from Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff to circulate petitions. Some were paid, and some were liberal Republicans from Pearce's own L18.
Randy Parraz got the signatures he needed.
He knew that a Democrat couldn't beat Pearce, so he identified the profile of someone who could: a respected Republican leader with deep roots in the community. He would also have to be someone from the LDS Church. Why? Because Sen. Pearce is a devout Mormon.
Once the Recall was verified, the perfect candidate appeared: Jerry Lewis. He has lived in Mesa for thirty years. A family man, he's a community leader who is also the superintendent of a statewide charter school organization. He was Stake President of an LDS church with 4,000 members.
Lewis has no political experience, but he says that he will focus on education and the economy. He will take a reasonable approach to immigration. He claims that he's nobody's "pawn" and isn't concerned about the massive support that Parraz and other extreme leftists are giving him.
Until recently, Republican Olivia Cortez was in the race. She would have pulled votes from Lewis, but Parraz initiated a lawsuit against her candidacy trying to prove that she was a "sham" candidate recruited by the TEA Party. Amid the legal harassment, Cortez withdrew. Since the ballots have already been printed, Parraz is pressuring Gov. Brewer to reprint them.
The media have published nothing about Parraz's leftist background or radical associations, nor have they been critical of him. So the average voter in LD18 knows very little about him or his role in their political future. Yet the media continues to focus on anything and everything that casts Pearce in a negative light.
With Pearce's strength and excellent record, and his strong support from conservative legislators and other conservative groups, the battle is raging.
In a recent debate with Pearce, Lewis stated that Arizona "is seen as something akin to 1964 Alabama," revealing the extent to which he himself has been manipulated by leftist propaganda.
Truly sad is this: not only has Parraz masterminded a successful recall against one of the best conservative senators Arizona has ever known, but he has also pitted Republican against Republican, and Mormon against Mormon.
It is political suicide to underestimate the power and organization of the left.
Anita Christy is the editor and publisher of the conservative blog www.GilbertWatch.com. Gilbert Watch promotes the principles of small government, low taxes, free enterprise, and personal responsibility. Gilbert and Mesa sit side by side in Maricopa County's East Valley.
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