Baja Arizona-The Quest Continues

TransGriot readers, time to get your learn on.  

:Let's review what Article IV, section 3 of the United States Constitution says about the formation of new states from currently existing ones. 

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

If the rest of the Republican dominated state of Arizona and their supporters thought the residents of Pima County were sore losers kidding about forming Baja Arizona because they are tired of being dominated by Maricopa County and the conservamadness emanating from the state capitol building in Phoenix, the folks in Tucson and the rest of Pima County ain't laughing.  

Proposed Baja Arizona Initiative Language 

WHEREAS, the citizens of Pima County desire to separate from the current State of Arizona in order to form a new state within the Union of the United States of America, as prescribed by Article IV, Section 3 of the United States Constitution; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the citizens of Pima County hereby petition the Arizona State Legislature to enact legislation permitting Pima County to separate from Arizona and seek statehood from the United States Congress, as prescribed by Article IV, Section 3 of the United States Constitution.

Yep, they're going there.   The Start our State group launched a petition drive last month with the goal of collecting 47,339 valid signatures by July 2012 in order to put a resolution on the November 2012 ballot.   


The initiative if passed wouldn't immediately create a new state.  It simply asks the Arizona Legislature to give Pima County permission to request that Congress consider statehood under the provisions of Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution to form what people are calling Baja Arizona.

of course, the Start Our State folks are recoiling from the 'secessionist' label they are being tagged with by right wingers while pointing out the true secessionists are in the state capital of Phoenix and Maricopa County.

"Secessionists want to leave the United States of America," said attorney Peter Hormel, one of the organizers of the drive. "During the Civil War—those were secessionists." "We view ourselves as good American citizens," he said at a SOS meeting last month "What they're doing in Phoenix (in the Legislature), with the states rights moves, the nullification of federal laws—that's secession. We want to remain totally inside the United States."

Meanwhile the work continues.  A rally will be held on Friday in Tucson for supporters of the idea of statehood for Pima County and hopefully all of Southern Arizona as the rest of the country watches with interest to see if it will happen.