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The Right Hook, a weekly segment which covers the machinations of the right wing, from the Republican Party to the Tea Party Patriots, and beyond. By Chris Bennett

From Arizona this week, more evidence that the Grand Canyon state is committing secession by legislation from the rest of the Union. Republican Representative Judy Burges has introduced the Birther bill. This bill bars presidential candidates who cannot prove they were naturally born in the United States from appearing on the Arizona ballot. According to David Corn of Mother Jones, Representative Burges once introduced a similar measure that fizzled out in committee. In her old version of the bill, President Obama’s “certificate of live birth” from Hawaii would fly. In her new bill, Burges has raised the bar. Now, as in the 2012 elections, a candidate must have an affidavit accompanied by a long form birth certificate, names of the hospital and the attending physician, and the signatures of attending witnesses. That’s going to exclude a lot of candidates. So, Arizonans may be taking themselves out of play for 2012 just because some Birthers want to use the GOP-controlled legislature to justify the Obama is a Secret Kenyan conspiracy theory.

From Birthers to Birthright Citizenship . . . Arizona kids, get ready to “show your papers.” Two new bills were introduced in the Arizona legislature last Thursday. One would strip the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants of their citizenship. And the second bill allows the creation of a two-tiered birth certificate system– one for kids of documented Americans, and one for the American born kids of undocumented people. Yes, the creation of a stateless youth. And, the proposed law has perhaps unintended consequences as well. Take the case of Rep. Albert Hale, D-Window Rock, and a Navajo. Under these bills, Rep. Hale would be an “anchor baby” because Native Americans were not granted citizenship until 1924. Says Hale, “my mother, born in 1919, was not a citizen. Am I to be deported? And if so, where are you going to deport me to?” Where does this attack on the 14th Amendment come from? The father of these bills is Arizona Senate president Russell Pearce (R-Mesa), who was instrumental in that other attack on civil liberties last spring: SB 1070.

Meanwhile, in Rancho Mirage, California last weekend, 25 progressive protesters were arrested at the so-called “Billionaires’ Caucus” sponsored by Charles and David Koch. The protest drew approximately 1,000 progressives, and Greenpeace flew a blimp over Rancho Mirage festooned with a poster which read: “Koch Brothers, Dirty Money.” As America’s richest brothers, Charles and David Koch have long funded conservative think-tanks and have turned out to be “the green” of the AstroTurf Tea Party movement. The Kochs’ event was a fundraiser. Even these longtime conservative rainmakers want to feel like they are not in it alone. According to Clare O’Connor, who covers the “very wealthy” for Forbes, insiders put the fundraising target at $25 Million. That can buy a lot of Tea Party poster paper, and Magic Markers. It can also buy lobbyists, t.v. commercials, and even legislators. Or, it could buy other things like education and health care for America’s kids.

The Right Hook – Reality Based News and Views.