politics

Pink doesn’t stink when it comes to Komen breast cancer race for the cure

Don’t hate them because they’re pink. The “they” in this case are breast cancer sufferers, survivors, supporters and organizations like the Southern Arizona affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, all of whom are linked to pink whether they like it or not.

Komen’s 15th annual Southern Arizona Race for the Cure kicks off March 17 at the University of Arizona Mall, which means the route won’t even clog up most city traffic (unless, of course, you plan to careen through campus in your Hummer). You’ll even get an Olympic silver medalist as the honorary race chairwoman. High jumper Brigetta Barrett doubles as a UA undergrad and her mom is a breast cancer survivor.

Despite the hard hits Susan G. Komen for the Cure has taken of late, our local branch does some pretty amazing things.

Those things don’t include paying administrative salaries at some Komen corporate office out in Dallas, either, but things that help women right here in Tucson and its environs.

“Komen Southern Arizona is the only local breast cancer foundation to turn donations into treatment dollars,” says Gillian Drummond, Komen SAZ’s communications consultant. “Many of the others are helping diagnosis and screening only. Our grants include programs for chemo and radiation and mastectomies.” [Read more…] about Pink doesn’t stink when it comes to Komen breast cancer race for the cure

No Obama for my mama: 2012 Elections wrecking family phone calls

The upcoming presidential election is one of the most-annoying yet—not only because both candidates pretty much stink, but because it’s also ruining my weekly family phone call.

Every Sunday, like clockwork, I give my parents a jingle for a dandy chat. But our compelling topics like the weather, recent deaths and my dogs’ latest antics have given way, like clockwork, to a plea from my mother.

“Promise me you won’t vote for Obama.”

I once made the mistake of asking why not.

Graphic smoking warnings snuffed out by judge: No dead people on cigarette packs

Smokers will be missing out on a number of gorgeous images that were set to be plastered on every pack of cigarettes in America.

Dang. We were really looking forward to a dead smoker with chest staples perched atop the autopsy table, a guy exhaling his smoke through a hole in his throat and seven other drastically gross and graphic images meant to deter people from buying cigarettes.

The idea is squashed, at least for the moment, thanks to a temporary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon. He ruled the images, which were approved by the FDA and set to consume the top half of every pack of cigs, go beyond freedom of speech.

“It is abundantly clear from viewing these images that the emotional response they were crafted to induce is calculated to provoke the viewer to quit, or never to start smoking — an objective wholly apart from disseminating purely factual and uncontroversial information,” said Leon in his opinion that spanned nearly 30 pages. He also noted some of the images had been enhanced to further glorify their gore.

CLICK HERE to help build the U.S.-Mexico border fence: AZ begging for dollars with new donation website

When all else fails – beg. Those wise words are blazoned on one of my refrigerator magnets to remind of the successful tactic. Granted, the magnet is in the shape of a bone as the tactic works best for dogs, but the Arizona state government is also giving it a whirl.

To raise funds to help build a border fence, a new donation website is set to launch July 20. With the click of a mouse, folks from around the globe will be able to send money our way to help pay for the construction of more fencing along Arizona’s stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Since the federal government doesn’t give Arizona much help with the immigration issue, a fact exemplified by the deflation of good ole SB 1070, state lawmakers decided once again to attempt to do something on their own with SB 1406.

The fence legislation, introduced by Maricopa Republican State Sen. Steve Smith, was approved in April, giving an A-OK to build additional fencing using donated funds and inmate labor. Inmates will be paid 50 cents per hour, along with the priceless dose of fresh desert air that comes with the job.

To spur folks to donate online, one of the proposed incentives is a contributor certificate that will proclaim something like: “I helped build the Arizona fence” – although T-shirts would be much more fun.

Tucson Slutwalk: Old Pueblo jumps on brazen bandwagon protesting Toronto cop ‘slut’ comment

Tucson is hopping on the Slutwalk bandwagon, a raucous-sounding trend that is sweeping parts of the Western World in response to an idiotic remark made by a Toronto Police Service Officer.

He said women should not dress like sluts if they want to avoid being raped.

Nice. And men shouldn’t dress like police officers if they’re going to make such inane statements.

The cop, Constable Michael Sanguinetti, made the remark back in January at a university campus safety event. The area’s local Excalibur newspaper reported he even prefaced his statement with something like “I’ve been told I shouldn’t say this.” Sanguinetti has since apologized, according to CBS, but he was merely disciplined and not fired from the force.

Meanwhile, people lose their jobs in a heartbeat for Tweeting they’re bored at work.

Although his apology was much delayed and the dude is still serving a community that he evidently neither respects nor understands, the Slutwalks are serving him a fine slap in the face.

They’ve already popped up all over Canada, England, at Arizona State University, California and Maine and one is scheduled in Tucson at 5 p.m. Friday, May 13 (today!).

The location is in front of the main Tucson Police Department station, 270 S. Stone Ave. While the location is prime for rallying against law enforcement, it does seem a bit unfair to Tucson cops. First off, it was a Toronto officer who uttered the phrase, not our Tucson men and women and blue.

Perhaps a more fitting location might be in front of a Canada Dry factory, although we do not have one. But there’s always the Consulate General of Canada offices, just up the block at 33 N. Stone.

The protest is also unfair to Tucson police because budget cuts have already cut down on manpower and patrols. With a Slutwalk scheduled for 5 p.m. on a Friday, either overtime will have to be scheduled to patrol the Slutwalk or officers will be pulled from their beat on the streets. This means fewer police out catching rapists, Peeping Toms, other sexual assault perpetrators and perverts who flash their privates at small children in supermarket parking lots.

Bet Constable Sanguinetti would say the kids were asking for it by dressing like sluts.

Those two minor TPD twists aside, Slutwalks are a brilliant way to bring attention to the backwards thinking that obviously still prevails that victims of sexual assaults are somehow at fault.

We would expect such a mentality, perhaps, from 1950s small-town America, but not from a Canadian metropolis in the year 2011.

Sanguinetti needs to get with it. It’s incredibly sad and surprising he’s not more knowledgeable about his own career field. If he were he would realize that a rapist will rape, a Peeping Tom will peep and predators will continue to sexually assault, harass and batter victims based on opportunity, impulse, obsession and mental instability more than anything else.

This includes their mode of dress. Even if they are, as Sanguinetti so delicately puts it, dressed like sluts.

AZ bill’s good intentions can’t stop the worst violent offenders

Arizona lawmakers are trying to do a good thing – but even the best of intentions can’t stop the worst kind of predators.

A bill kicking around the legislature hopes to prevent future incidents like Tucson’s Jan. 8 mass shooting that left six dead, several bystanders wounded and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot through the head.

Not unlike the measly orders of protection, the bill aims to halt violence before it really gets out of hand. Its intent it to intercept potential volcanoes, like former Pima Community College student and alleged shooter Jared Loughner, before they erupt.

While we applaud the elected officials’ efforts and find their intentions noble, House Bill 2559 seems about as effective trying to knock down Mount Lemmon with a stick.

The bill makes it obligatory for colleges and other government entities to alert local law enforcement if a person was expelled, suspended, fired or terminated from membership because of “violence, threats of violence or behavior that constitutes a danger to self or others.”

Law enforcement officials, in turn, must forward the information to the appropriate local or regional health agency or crisis center.

Then what?

Twenty-four hour surveillance? Intervention with a needle full of thorazine?

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