WHAT I'M UP AGAINST LOCALLY

back in 1996, I flew out to Tucson to see if I would like to live and work there. The work would be fine but I recall picking up the Tucson Weekly and reading about a GOP state representative who claimed that the Russians were hiding soldiers and wheat (?) in caves all across America in preparation for a takeover.

Things haven't changed much.

Rob Haney isn't just any right-wing nut, he's the elected chairman of the Republican Party of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix. Here's some of his kraziness, courtesy of The Nation:

"One night in the '90s I went to Mass and the priest prayed for forgiveness for Bill Clinton," Haney, an ardent Hayworth supporter, says with obvious disgust. "That was it for me. The US Conference of [Catholic] Bishops, we believe, is a socialist organization with a socialist agenda."

"John McCain is right in bed with them," he continues while munching a bagel. "He says, 'Character matters.' Get me a barf bag! John McCain is the spearhead of socialism in America."