The Arizona governor Jan Brewer has vetoed two controversial pieces of legislation, putting an end to the so-called 'birther bill' which would require presidential candidates to provide long-form birth certificates to the Arizona secretary of state in order to be placed on the ballot.
Jan Brewer's veto also stopped a controversial law which would have allowed gun owners to carry guns on college and K-12 campuses.
The 'birther' bill, HB 2177, creates significant new problems while failing to do anything constructive for Arizona, Brewer said. The bill would have required presidential candidates to present their birth certificates or other birth records to be eligible to be on the ballot.
As a former Secretary of State (sic), I do not support designating one person as the gatekeeper to the ballot for a candidate, which could lead to arbitrary or politically-motivated decisions, Brewer wrote in her veto message to House Speaker Kirk Adams.
In addition, I never imagined being presented with a bill that could require candidates for President (sic) of the greatest and most powerful nation on earth to submit their early baptismal or circumcision certificates, among other records to the Arizona Secretary of State. This is a bridge too far, Jan Brewer wrote.
I will say it again, Arizona is full of surprises, and Brewer is no exception. You just don’t know what on earth to expect from the woman. One moment she’s defending the most controversial piece of immigration legislation in the country, SB 1070, the next she’s turning against her own party and pulling out the veto pen on gun rights and birtherism.
I’m not complaining, mind you. The birther bill is an embarrassment and the gun law is just asking for trouble. But I am surprised. I guess when push comes to shove, reasonable ideas win out over fearmongering and paranoia, maybe not every time, but often enough to keep our society from capsizing.
