Arizona State Senate President Russell Pearce is at it again, disregarding the Constitution and citizens’ rights.
The Republican from Mesa, who is no stranger to controversy, announced on Tuesday that members of the public are prohibited from attending Senate news conferences, citing safety concerns as the primary reason.
This ambiguous reason leaves a lot of room for skepticism, as he didn’t name the exact concern. There seems very little motive for this sporadic decision other than his wish to stop his critics from intruding on his agenda.
And his critics have plenty to be upset about. Last year, he sponsored the now infamous immigration law, Senate Bill 1070, which has been rendered almost useless by federal courts. This year he is pursuing the revocation of birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment, and seeking to silence his opposition by essentially suspending their right to peacefully assemble.
Aside from the fact that this move is blocking transparency and openness in government, Pearce’s rhetoric doesn’t line up with his actions. He cites a “safety concern” as justification for barring members of the public from attending news conferences, yet he advocates for the right to carry a gun just about anywhere, including the state Capitol.
Which would you rather have at work, peaceful protesters or guns? We chose peaceful protesters too. But apparently the logic of the state Senate doesn’t match up with traditional logic.
Another common complaint from Pearce and several other Senate Republicans is that the media is misrepresenting them by placing everything they say through a liberal filter. If they really do believe that the media covers them unfairly, wouldn’t they want constituents to hear them speak directly at a public event like a press conference?
This comes on the heels of several arrests last week that were made during a Senate committee hearing. Protesters were present to voice their concern to several extreme measures that would deny illegal immigrants access to hospitals, schools and driver’s licenses.
Both the arrests and the closed press conferences set a dangerous precedent. If only journalists are allowed in the state Capitol and its press conferences, how will they determine who is a legitimate journalist? Theoretically, they could bar just about anyone they don’t want to be there since there’s no legal distinction between a journalist and any other citizen.
Someone from The Arizona Republic would be considered eligible by almost all terms, but what about a blogger or student journalist? What if a senator takes particular issue with an opinion writer from The East Valley Tribune or Phoenix New Times? Of course it’s hard to imagine press conferences being called with members of the press not being allowed in, but if our lawmakers think they can decide who is privileged enough to hear what they have to say, everybody is losing a right.
Restrictions like these do not only harm regular citizens, but also censor the daily happenings of what goes on at the Capitol. If you think what we’re saying goes too far, just look at what Pearce is trying to restrict — our freedoms of speech, assembly and press.
