State Of (Dis)Grace

I'm beginning to think that maybe the folks over at Gawker were right in naming Arizona “the worst state in the country”... and that's coming from somebody who lives in the much-maligned New Jersey! But a couple of stories which, taken in conjunction, seem to back up the site’s theory caught my eye over the past day or two. Allow me to share them.

First, there’s the tawdry tale of Valerie Marie Topete. According to an Associated Press story picked up by Gawker, Ms. Topete, while hanging in a pizza joint, filled her toddler’s sippy cup with beer and let him drink from it. Why? Well… because the little boy kept reaching for the pitcher of beer sitting on the table. And if there’s one thing even people like me who have no children know, it's that whenever a child wants something, it should be given to them. 

But we probably shouldn't, you know, tarnish the entire state because one mom proved herself worthy of our scorn. 

However, the state’s border patrol agents didn’t exactly help elevate anyone’s opinion of Arizona when they detailed 96-year-old Raul Castro… who happens to have been the state’s former governor as well as a former US ambassador. Apparently, the trace radiation he gave off as a result of a medical procedure caused the agents to believe that Castro was a threat... even after they were told not only of his condition but that he was the former governor. 

Finally, there is the disgraceful “papers, please” law which current Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is plowing full-steam ahead with. Last week, she said police agencies would begin “practicing what the U.S. Supreme Court… upheld,” clearly not understanding that she is, in essence, playing directly into the hands of the bill’s opponents. Why? Because the court, in essence, said that they could not make a decision regarding the law until it had been implimented, basically assuring that more time (and money) would be spent in what many believe to be a pointless exercise that will lead to the inevitable overturning of the law. 

All things considered, we’ll opt to remaing Arizona-free for the time being... especially since, having just returned from the beach, we’re freshly tanned and might wind up being mistaken for the people Brewer and her ilk are so hellbent on driving out of the state.