Pinal County Greens Support Pinal County LGBTQ Youth Summit at Maricopa High School

Apache Junction, Ariz., Apr. 28, 2011 -

The Pinal County Greens today passed a resolution to support, endorse and express solidarity with tomorrow's first-ever Pinal County LGBTQ Youth Summit at Maricopa High School in Maricopa.

The gathering is sponsored by Central Arizona Rainbow Education (C.A.R.E.) in collaboration with Trans Youth Family Allies (TYFA), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) of Arizona, the American Clvil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona, 1n10, GLSEN-Phoenix, and Equality Arizona.

Together, the groups will present several workshops that are geared towards LGBTQ youth and a better future for them. Pinal County Greens co-chair Richard Grayson said, "We are delighted to express our solidarity with the young people who are the future of our county and nation, and we encourage all to attend the LGBTQ Youth Summit workshops."

The Pinal County Greens are members of the Arizona Green Party in Pinal County, the second-fastest growing county in the United States according to the 2010 census.

Pinal County Greens Name Sen. Jon Kyl the Arizona Asshole of the Month for His Lies About Planned Parenthood

Apache Junction, Ariz., April 21, 2011 -

The Pinal County Greens today named U.S. Senator Jon Kyl the Arizona Asshole of the Month for lying about Planned Parenthood and then having his staff say his statement "was not intended to be a factual statement."

"There are a lot of assholes in Arizona politics," said Pinal County Greens Co-Chair Richard Grayson. "But this month Jon Kyl tops his own long record of being a total moron by making an obviously untrue statement about one of America's worthiest groups, Planned Parenthood, which saves the state a great deal of money through its excellent programs, and then getting his flunkies to say, well, he knew he was lying in the first place."

Grayson said the Pinal County Greens, a group of members of the Arizona Green Party in Pinal County, thought the retiring Republican U.S. Senator would welcome the honor: "Jon Kyl is truly the quintessential Arizona asshole."

Pinal County Greens Pass Resolution Demanding Chinese Government Release Ai Weiwei

Apache Junction, Ariz., Apr. 11, 2011 -

Today the Pinal County Greens, a group of members of the Arizona Green Party in Pinal County, passed a resolution demanding that the Chinese government release Ai Weiwei, the most famous artist in China, best known for his iconic "Bird's Nest" stadium that was the focal point of the Beijing Olympics.

Ai Weiwei, a vocal critic of the Chinese government, was arrested on April 3 at Beijing Airport, his papers and computers seized, with his current whereabouts unknown in the wake of the repressive Beijing regime's latest severe crackdown against dissidents and freedom of expression.

Richard Grayson, co-chair of the Pinal County Greens, said the group's resolution reminded the Chinese government of its obligations under Article 35 of the Chinese constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a signatory, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those currently detained in China for the peaceful exercise of their right to free expression, including Ai Weiwei.

- Ai Weiwei, White House (1999)

Pinal County Greens Denounce Sheriff's Misrepresentations, Call on Irresponsible and Unprofessional Babeu to Resign

APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz., April 10, 2011 -

The Pinal County Greens, members of the Arizona Green Party in Pinal County, today passed a resolution condemning Sheriff Paul Babeu's continued misrepresentations regarding drug trafficking and his irresponsible comments regarding immigrants and crime. The Pinal County Greens called on Babeu to resign his post immediately.

As The Arizona Republic today reported, Babeu has made repeatedly called Pinal County "the No. 1 pass-through county in all of America for drug and human trafficking," but this statement is proven untrue by statistics. As Dennis Wagner reported,

Pinal County accounts for only a fraction of overall trafficking.

The newspaper also found that other headline-grabbing claims by Babeu are contradicted by statistical evidence or greatly exaggerated.

For example, the charismatic first-term sheriff raised eyebrows two months ago when he predicted that his deputies would get into a gunbattle with cartel members in the desert during the next 30 to 60 days. The forecasted encounter did not happen.

Although critics, including the Department of Homeland Security and some border mayors, have challenged Babeu's veracity and questioned his motives, the sheriff shows no sign of tempering his claims.

In an undated letter seeking donations for a legal battle against the federal government, Babeu says "things are just going from bad to worse now that our own federal government has sided with the criminals instead of law enforcement."

Babeu, through a spokesman, declined to be interviewed, saying he was too busy. He did, however, respond to questions sent via e-mail. He wrote that Pinal County residents have reported such rampant increases in smuggling activity that they are terrified to leave their homes.

By contrast, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and others in the Obama administration point to statistical evidence that America's border is more secure than ever. They have drawn support from some border officials who publicly accuse Babeu of conducting a fear campaign.

Some county residents are concerned that the sheriff is overstating the crime rates in Pinal County. A group called Pinal County Residents of Responsible Leadership has been making automated phone calls in the area, with a male speaker criticizing Babeu's "irresponsible" rhetoric about border-related crime. Listeners who want to lodge a complaint with the sheriff's "political office" are transferred to the Arizona Republican Party.

Richard Grayson, co-chair of the Pinal County Greens, said the group passed a resolution calling on Sheriff Babeu to resign immediately given his unprofessional antics and continued misbehavior in office.

"To say that Pinal County residents are terrified to leave their homes makes him not only unfit for the office of sheriff," Grayson said, "but suggests that Sheriff Babeu needs some sort of antipsychotic medicine and treatment for agoraphobia. Everyone in Apache Junction seems to be enjoying themselves in the great outdoors on this beautiful day."