Baja Arizona-The Quest Continues

TransGriot readers, time to get your learn on.  

:Let's review what Article IV, section 3 of the United States Constitution says about the formation of new states from currently existing ones. 

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

If the rest of the Republican dominated state of Arizona and their supporters thought the residents of Pima County were sore losers kidding about forming Baja Arizona because they are tired of being dominated by Maricopa County and the conservamadness emanating from the state capitol building in Phoenix, the folks in Tucson and the rest of Pima County ain't laughing.  

Proposed Baja Arizona Initiative Language 

WHEREAS, the citizens of Pima County desire to separate from the current State of Arizona in order to form a new state within the Union of the United States of America, as prescribed by Article IV, Section 3 of the United States Constitution; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the citizens of Pima County hereby petition the Arizona State Legislature to enact legislation permitting Pima County to separate from Arizona and seek statehood from the United States Congress, as prescribed by Article IV, Section 3 of the United States Constitution.

Yep, they're going there.   The Start our State group launched a petition drive last month with the goal of collecting 47,339 valid signatures by July 2012 in order to put a resolution on the November 2012 ballot.   


The initiative if passed wouldn't immediately create a new state.  It simply asks the Arizona Legislature to give Pima County permission to request that Congress consider statehood under the provisions of Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution to form what people are calling Baja Arizona.

of course, the Start Our State folks are recoiling from the 'secessionist' label they are being tagged with by right wingers while pointing out the true secessionists are in the state capital of Phoenix and Maricopa County.

"Secessionists want to leave the United States of America," said attorney Peter Hormel, one of the organizers of the drive. "During the Civil War—those were secessionists." "We view ourselves as good American citizens," he said at a SOS meeting last month "What they're doing in Phoenix (in the Legislature), with the states rights moves, the nullification of federal laws—that's secession. We want to remain totally inside the United States."

Meanwhile the work continues.  A rally will be held on Friday in Tucson for supporters of the idea of statehood for Pima County and hopefully all of Southern Arizona as the rest of the country watches with interest to see if it will happen.

Happy Birthday Gabby!

While watching the various news programs on MSNBC discovered today was the 41st birthday of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords  (D-AZ).  Considering what she went through just a few short months ago it's a miracle that she's still here to celebrate it.

She's rehabbing here in H-Town and according to the doctors charged with her care is making fantastic progress, but she still has a long hard road of rehab to go

Happy birthday Gabby!   May you have many more!

Baja Arizona?

Interesting story coming out of the Grand Canyon State in that there are citizens of it yearning to be freed of the conservafool oppression and ignorance currently emanating from Phoenix.


The folks in Pima County in the southern half of Arizona have had enough of the right wing nuts like Russell Pearce and Governor Jan Brewer that dominate the state's politics.   Momentum is growing for Pima County to secede and become a state called Baja Arizona with Tucson as its capitol in light of the fact the GOP dominated Arizona legislature is cutting public education, proposing nullification and birther laws, and even a bill to designate an official state gun.


Never mind the fact that (ahem) Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is still rehabbing in a Houston hospital after an assassination attempt in Tucson back in January.

Arizona state Senators Paula Aboud (D-Tucson) and Linda Lopez (D-Tucson) , weary of hearing one wingnut proposed law after another proposed a tongue in cheek amendment to attach to a nullification bill that would allow Pima County to secede from Arizona.   It was shot down by the GOP controlled committee, but that was before she discovered there was serious discussion about the idea thanks to Paul Eckerstrom and a group called Start Our State.


Start Our State is now an official PAC and has stated (pun intended) that if other Arizona counties wished to join the movement, they would be welcomed.   

The Baja Arizona secession idea is increasingly gaining traction even in other parts of the state.   Proponents point out that the proposed state has over 1 million residents and at 9000 sq. miles, Pima County is larger than the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, New Hampshire and New Jersey.   

For it to happen, Start our State proponents would have to gather enough signatures to put the question on the 2012 ballot in Pima County.    If successful and the question passes, it would then either have to go to the Arizona legislature or a statewide referendum.   If it successfully got past that hurdle, it would have to be approved by the president and Congress before we'd have to redesign the US flag to add a 51st star.

Other counties that join the movement would have to conduct referendums in their areas before joining. 

As for the name of the new state should it happen, that would also be chosen in a referendum, with the top candidates so far being South Arizona and Baja Arizona.

While the odds of the old Pima County courthouse becoming the new Baja Arizona state capitol building are long, divorces are not uncommon in US history.  Vermont was once part of New York State before declaring its independence in 1777 and eventually getting statehood in 1791 as a result of slaveholding Kentucky entering the Union.   Maine was once an enclaved part of Massachusetts until it gained statehood in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise.  The most famous example was the western mountain counties of Virginia breaking away in 1861 to remain in the Union and become the state of West Virginia in 1863.   

This could get interesting.  Arizona is celebrating its centennial as a state next year, but the question that inquiring political minds inside and outside the state are asking themselves are will it still have Pima County as part of the state when it does?