This Man Is Right, Native Americans Got To Arizona First

Now the question is, who got there last: Mexicans or US-Americans?

The name of the state should give you a big clue. And the names of California, Texas, Florida, Nevada, Colorado: all Spanish names. The Mexicans were there before the gringos. Mexicans founded Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Antonio, San Diego, Sacramento and the bazillion other cities in the US with Spanish names. The US stole about one-third of Mexico, and that's about all there is to that. But if you want some additional detail, Imperialby William T Vollmann is a great place to start. The book focuses on the US-Mexico border in Imperial County, California, but also contains a lot of information about the history of the relationship between the US and Mexico generally.

Also, of course, learning a little Spanish, if you don't know any yet, would help. If you really want to know about US-Mexican politics and history.

Arizona Lawmaker: "Our Schoolchildren Aren't Dumb Enough Yet"

That's not an actual quote from an Arizona legislator. It's an attempt on my part to fathom what State Senator Judy Burges is thinking. Here's the story in the Arizona Daily Star: AZ bill would let teachers dismiss global warming

Here are some more fake headlines attempting to capture the real spirit of what's going on these days in the great Grand Canyon State:

Arizona Legislature Weighs Changing Name Of State To "Bizarro World"

A Clever Plan to Distract Children From 130-Degree Summer Highs In Phoenix

Drill, Baby, Drill!

The Bill Has All The Markings Of Model Legislation Written By The American Legislative Exchange Council, A Conservative Business-Backed Organization, To Suppress Certain Issues Like Global Warming (Actually, that one's not fake, it's a quote from the Daily Star story, reporting the opinion of Andrew Morrill, president of the Arizona Education Association. Hang in there, guys!)

Global Warming Is A Hoax Invented By Al Gore And Barack Obama To Take Away All Our Guns And Turn America Into A Commie Intellectual Jewish New England-Elitist Islamist State

Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Just Me? (Buh-DUM-Bum)

Sealing Our Borders And Fracking Will Reverse Global Warming, AZ St Sen Explains