Arizona Birther Bill Heads to Jan Brewer After Clearing Legislature

The country's first "birther bill" could become law, in Arizona, Politico reports:

After it easily cleared the state Senate Wednesday, the Arizona House on Thursday night voted 40-16 in favor of the legislation requiring presidential candidates provide proof that they were born in the United States before being able to get on the ballot in the state. Four members of the state House didn't vote on the bill.

Lawmakers in 10 states introduced birther bills in their state legislatures at the beginning of this year's sessions, but the Arizona bill is so far the only one to make it to a governor's desk. The measure had failed twice in the last two years to make its way through the legislature, but this time was shepherded by a compliant Republican leadership that had not been eager to advance the issue before.

Governor Jan Brewer has not indicated what she will do with the bill, but has five days to sign or veto it before it becomes law.

Arizona's Lawyers Sue To Stop Domestic Benefits During Court Decision

Not content to battle just the health care law and illegal immigration policy, lawyers for the state of Arizona are now expanding their efforts to eliminate that state's domestic partner benefits.

A judge ruled last year that the state must continue paying the benefits while courts decide the legality of a Republican and Gov. Jan Brewer-led effort to end the policy, enacted while Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was governor.

According to the Copper State's attorneys, though, the benefits need to be stopped during the proceedings to help the state save money:

Assistant Attorney General Charles Grube contends that U.S. District Judge John Sedwick was wrong in issuing an injunction last year barring the state from altering its benefits package.

That ruling requires Arizona to keep funding the coverage until there is a final ruling, something that could take years.

State lawmakers voted to end the benefits as a method of saving money.

Grube said that, in deciding whether to issue an injunction, Sedwick was required to consider not only the claims of harm to the people losing the benefits but also the harm to the state of being required to maintain them. But Grube said Sedwick was "explicitly dismissive" of evidence presented by the state about the cost burden on taxpayers of continuing to provide coverage.

Here's an idea: Arizona's lawyers could stop filing politically motivated lawsuits that cost untold amounts of time, money and, frankly, make the rest of the state look bad. It's just common sense.

Arizona Legislature Blocks Westboro Baptist Church Picket from Tucson Shooting Funerals

The Arizona legislature has passed emergency legislation ensuring a 300-ft distance between the Westboro Baptist Church and funerals of Tucson shooting victims this weekend, ABC15 reports:

Arizona State Representative Kyrsten Sinema said when she heard of the plans, she got downright angry and decided to take action. 

Sinema sponsored Senate Bill 1101 and got some help from fellow legislators. 

"We patterned legislation after Ohio's law which is constitutional, it’s been upheld in court, and I got permission from the speaker and the senate president to wave (sic) the rules," Sinema said.

That bill was passed just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, and is expected to be signed by Governor Brewer, tonight.

"The bill requires them to be at least 300 feet away from the funeral from an hour before the funeral starts to an hour after it ends and that way people can grieve and love in peace," Sinema said.

The legislation is said to be similar to what 40 other states have currently adopted. 

Shortly after the shooting, the hateful church announced plans to picket the funerals, accompanied by a video from WBC Fred Phelps. The plans inspired a counter protest to raise funds for the Anti-Violence Project of Southern Arizona.

Watch: Tucson Hero Intern Daniel Hernandez Receives Standing Ovation from Arizona Legislature

Daniel Hernandez, the gay intern whose quick thinking is credited with helping save the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was recognized by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and the Arizona legislature yesterday during Brewer's 'State of the State' address.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP....

(screencap via joe)

Cher on Chaz Bono: 'She’s a very smart girl—boy! This is where I get into trouble. My pronouns are f**ked.'

Cher gets the cover of December's Vanity Fair, and here are a few excerpts from the article.

On Chaz and his gender transition:

"If I woke up tomorrow in a guy’s body, I would just kick and scream and cry and f**king rob a bank, because I cannot see myself as anything but who I am—a girl. I would not take it as well as Chaz has. I couldn’t imagine it...She’s a very smart girl—boy! This is where I get into trouble. My pronouns are f**ked. I still don’t remember to call her 'him.'"

On Sarah Palin:

"I got so obsessed with [C-SPAN] that it was kind of interfering with my life. Sarah Palin came on, and I thought, Oh, f**k, this is the end. Because a dumb woman is a dumb woman.”

On Arizona governor Jan Brewer:

"She was worse than Sarah Palin, if that is possible. This woman was like a deer in headlights. She’s got a handle on the services of the state, and I would not let her handle the remote control."

On taxes:

"I would be willing to pay a lot more taxes, because I make a lot more money, but I don’t want to give them more to just f**k things up more. It really should fall on people like me to get together and do things to help the people in this country. If you’re not worrying about how to put food on your table, you [should be] worrying about why other people don’t have food on their table. I remember a great America where we made everything. There was a time when the only thing you got from Japan was a really bad cheap transistor radio that some aunt gave you for Christmas."

Jan Brewer: 'I Misspoke' About Beheadings

In an interview with the AP published this morning, Jan Brewer finally concedes that she was wrong about a claim that headless bodies were turning up in the Arizona-Mexico desert.

From the AP piece:

"'That was an error, if I said that,' the Republican told The Associated Press on Friday. 'I misspoke, but you know, let me be clear, I am concerned about the border region because it continues to be reported in Mexico that there's a lot of violence going on and we don't want that going into Arizona.'"

"She said she was referring to beheadings and other cartel-related violence in Mexico in comments she made earlier this summer about decapitated bodies found in the state's southern region."

Guess she realized that she couldn't run away form the question forever.

Watch her original comments about the beheadings from earlier this summer, AFTER THE JUMP.