URGENT -- Meeting of the Commission about the Redistricting candidate list

On Wednesday morning, December 29, barely 36 hours from now, Arizona's Appellate Courts Commission on Appointments will meet in open session to consider a request made by Senate President-elect Russell Pearce and House Speaker Kirk Adams.

After this commission finalized a list of 25 candidates eligible to become Independent Redistricting Commissioners for the 2011 redistricting cycle those two, who represent the GOP leadership of the Arizona Legislature, had a conniption fit because they didn't like the list presented to them.  So, they demanded the list be changed and threatened litigation if it wasn't changed.

Your presence, if you are concerned that these two lawmakers are interfering in the process voters defined back in 2000, is needed at the hearing at 9amWednesday at 1501 W Washington in Phoenix.

You will have an opportunity to give public comment at this meeting to voice your concerns.

I am thankful that a number of people have already submitted written comments admonishing the Appointments Commission to make no changes to the list they already approved.

You may read many of these comments at the following links:

http://arizona-redistricting-nominations.com/pdf/Letters12-27A.pdf

http://arizona-redistricting-nominations.com/pdf/Letters12-27B.pdf

http://arizona-redistricting-nominations.com/pdf/Letters12-22.pdf

There are more than 150 pages of comments from concerned citizens on the linked pdf documents.

Those expressing support for the list already approved by the Appointments Commission are Republicans, Democrats and Independents.

This process is incredibly important.  Until the gavel goes down to adjourn Wednesday's meeting, we need to continue to voice our concern, lest Pearce and Adams succeed in usurping the will of the People of Arizona.

If you need further background on this issue, please read my previous posts on the Eagle-tarian.

I'll be there.  I hope you will be there too.

This link will help if you need to know how to find the State Courts Building:

http://wikimapia.org/125079/Arizona-State-Courts-Building

After reviewing the more than 150 pages of written comments at the three links above, I offer a couple of observations.  One letter is a copy of one sent by Professor Paul Bender to Pearce and Adams, apparently in response to a letter those two sent to Bender on December 17 demanding that he withdraw his name from consideration for a seat on the Independent Redistricting Commission.

That is the first inkling I had of that particular expression of Pearce and Adams' obnoxious hubris.  That alone should spark incredible outrage by concerned citizens of Arizona.  But I doubt very many even know they made this demand of Bender.

Of the 150 pages, only two letters were from people addressing the faux outrage raised by Pearce, Adams and the right-wing religious group Citizens for Arizona Policy concerning exclusion of Christopher Gleason from the final list of 25 eligible to be appointed to the IRC.  Even so, it is very clear that those two had absolutely no clue as to what actually took place at the hearing on December 8 regarding Mr. Gleason.

And finally, the letters overwhelmingly supported leaving the list of 25 names unchanged while urging the Appointments Commission to disregard the interference by Pearce and Adams.

However, make no mistake, it will still be crucial for there to be a strong show of that support at the meeting on Wednesday morning.