In response to recent claims about her failing health, Gov. Jan Brewer issued the following statement today:

“There have been recent outlandish and completely unsubstantiated reports on liberal internet blogs and Twitter citing anonymous sources questioning my health. Before committing to seek election, I had a complete checkup with my doctors and confirmed there is nothing to prevent me from holding office for four more years.

“I want to assure everyone that my health is fine. I intend to vigorously protect and defend Arizonans for four more years, just as I have over the last two years.”

Did you miss the fanfare on Monday?

OK, perhaps it wasn't fanfare, but more like another potential skit for SNL or more fodder for Comedy Central or Rachel Maddow.

Evidently, Gov. Jan Brewer declared Oct. 4 Arizona Child Health Day.

According to a story from Capitol Media Services' Howard Fischer, at the same time Brewer declared the special day, she also defended state cuts to child health programs.

From Fischer's story:

Brewer said the formal declaration is designed to focus on preventative care for children, including ensuring they eat good food and exercise. She said there is nothing inconsistent about the proclamation she signed and the spending cuts she has championed.

“I think today we’re celebrating preventative care for children which we all know is very, very important to that young population to make them aware of that they can be in fact in control of their destiny in regards to properly eating good food and watching that they don’t become obese and exercise daily,’’ the governor said of the proclamation.

The move, though, comes after state lawmakers — with Brewer’s approval — have closed off enrollment to the Kids Care program, which provides health insurance to the children of the working poor, including preventative health care. That has left more than 20,000 eligible children without care.

She also wants voters to approve Proposition 302. That would kill the First Things First program designed to improve early childhood health and development.

Brewer would not talk about those moves specifically, other than to say the cuts are unfortunate. But she did acknowledge the state’s financial situation is going to require even more spending cuts.

“Now, where those will be made is not entirely clear,’’ the governor said. “But we know that we cannot sustain what Arizona has been providing for in the past because of what has happened with the economy and the revenues.’’

Got a special e-mail yesterday. Here it is, verbatim:

A stupid brood mare you are and you like the rest of the damn wetbacks think it is okay. They are illegal aliens and the majority of them are little bastards like you, nothing less or more. It is a shame your parents were kicked out of the country prior to your illegal mother hady ou here. The problem is we have a too many, not a majority, who feel as you, "bring the sorry bitches on to have their babies". Sad you are in a minority and I will tell you.
Frank Bowers, FIC, Austin, TS

When our local politicians don't have illegal immigrants to kick around anymore, let's hope they don't take a page from Republican candidate Hans Zeiger in Washington state.

Essays and articles posted by Zeiger on different conservative websites were recently taken down. He said in this article from The News Tribune that they would distract from the campaign.

... House Democratic Campaign Committee noticed the missing articles Saturday, the HDCC said. The group opened its general-election season campaign with a news release questioning why the articles, more than 50 by their count, were disappearing. The HDCC said Zeiger was taking them down to hide his "extremist" views. Field Director Alex Hur said: "Voters deserve to know what a candidate’s values really are."

One of Zeiger's articles was critical of the Girl Scouts:

One might wonder why the Girl Scouts have been spared the painful attacks that have been launched upon the Boy Scouts by the Left in recent years. The reasons are simple: the Girl Scouts allow homosexuals and atheists to join their ranks, and they have become a pro-abortion, feminist training corps. ... If the Girl Scouts of America can't get back to teaching real character, perhaps it will be time to look for our cookies elsewhere."

It was the pause hear round the world during last week's Arizona gubernatorial debate when Jan Brewer fumbled her way through her prepared opening remarks. (Current YouTube viewer count: 1.7 million)

It wasn't long until the parody videos started rolling in. Here's a roundup:

From The Onion:

Following a series of embarrassingly backward laws recently enacted in Arizona, Texas governor Rick Perry pledged Wednesday to do everything in his power to reestablish his state as the most regressive in the nation. "I commend Arizona for its commitment to exceedingly draconian social policies, but [Arizona Governor] Jan Brewer should know that we still have some real doozies up our sleeve," said Perry, referring to Arizona's passage of the strictest immigration law in recent U.S. history, as well as its measures allowing concealed weapons to be carried without a permit and banning ethnic studies programs in public schools. "Don't forget, we just put an ultraconservative stamp on our educational curriculum that's going to affect the textbooks the whole country uses, and I'm still the only governor nutso enough to float secession. Mark my words, we'll be back and more fucked up than ever!" Sources close to Perry said that Texas may soon start storing undocumented migrant workers in dog cages while courts decide their immigration status, though Arizona plans to counter with a giant cannon that will be used to shoot anyone with a skin tone darker than ochre who crosses the border from Mexico.

Since he's out of the picture now, I wonder if the organization will consider replacing him with waffle-matic McCain?

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is responsible for a law that is nothing short of a state takeover of a federal power. While debate over SB 1070 could have been a catalyst for a much-needed national conversation about immigration reform, Brewer used the bill to inspire fear.

Immigrants' List also works to educate the public about what's fact and what's fiction when it comes to U.S. immigration. Check out their myth and fact sheet here.

Now, President Obama's faith or religious beliefs come up again because tea-baggers can't seem to figure out how to live with the fact we elected an African-American president. Obama could be Muslim, but he isn't. He could be Jewish, but he isn't. He said he's Christian, but that doesn't seem enough.

When Reagan was president he didn't go to church because he said he didn't want to disrupt the congregation. No one questioned it because he was St. Reagan, and white and wrinkly and all, so that was totally cool.

I hope President Obama is like most people I know—they may identify as Christian, Jew or Muslim, but they don't know what they really believe. They try to do the right thing anyway. Or they are atheists and just want people to use reason and a little more social justice to figure out our world's problems.

Or wouldn't it be cool if President Obama was actually Halk Kar from the planet Thoron, which is in the same solar system as Krypton? A little less cool than Superman, but still he’s Superman’s brother.

The Muslim holiday of Ramadan is starting, so to our Muslim friends: Ramadan Mubarak!

We also wanted to let you know that Arizona Sen. John McCain told The Weekly Standard that he opposes the development of a Muslim community center in New York City:

For McCain, his opinion on whether the Ground Zero mosque should be built, in his own words, is “obvious.” But he insisted, just as Senator Isakson had said, that he was merely voicing his personal preference, not what is acceptable according to the law: “I understand that I am a senator from Arizona, and I’m a long way from New York City. But I am entitled to my opinion. And obviously my opinion is that I’m opposed to it. I think that it’s something that would harm relations, rather than help.”

In a famous letter—the one that holds that the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens”—George Washington offered a benediction:

The Phoenix New Times reports that Trace Adkins shared a few words about SB 1070 at his concert in Phoenix last night:

Well, it looks like Lady Gaga's not the only one who can't keep her mouth shut about political issues during concerts. At last night's Toby Keith show at Cricket Wireless Pavilion in Phoenix, Trace Adkins decided to let the Valley know just how he weighed in on the whole SB 1070 issue. He not only expressed his support for the controversial immigration law, but he also told anyone who doesn't like Sheriff Joe Arpaio to blow him.

(Note: We added the bold typeface.)