Letters to the editor don't get into print for a whole lot of different reasons, but you'd think that one from the Arizona Anti-Defamation League weighing-in on the J.T. Ready flap in the local Republican Party would be a shoe-in for our paper of record's editorial page.
ADL associate director Joel Breshin says he faxed the following letter to the Republic shortly after the article mentioned in it was published, "3 seek to oust GOP official." The piece by Rep scribe Gary Nelson reported on a letter from three Arizona congressmen to Maricopa County Republican Chairman Tom Husband asking that neo-Nazi J.T. Ready be booted from the party.
Ready has been an elected, Republican precinct committeeman from Mesa at least since 2006, but many GOPers, including state Rep. Russell Pearce and others, have claimed ignorance of Ready's far-far-right leanings. Breshin's letter makes it clear that the ADL publicly outed Ready's white supremacist views in March of 2007 during a conference on immigration at the state Capitol.
The missive applauds AZ GOPers for addressing the problem of the neo-Nazi in their midst. Granted, GOP leaders have been kinda slow on the draw, but better late then never, I reckon.
As for the Republic, there's no record they ever published the Breshin letter. Maybe the fax machine was on the fritz that day. Or perhaps neo-Nazis are just small potatoes for the Rep.
Whatever the reason, when I heard about the letter, I asked the ADL for a copy, and they obliged. I think it makes an important point, one lost by many who continue to shrug their shoulders and claim they had no knowledge of Ready's affiliations. Largely because of the work the ADL has done and continues to do, they won't have that excuse in the future.
Editor, Editorial page The Arizona Republic
To the Editor:
We read with great interest the story in the Thursday, August 21, 2008 edition of the Arizona Republic titled, “3 seek to oust GOP official.”
The official in question, J.T. Ready, has been the topic of numerous media stories regarding his ties to neo-Nazis and white supremacists over the last two years. In March 2007, the Anti-Defamation League presented a thorough exposé on extremists and their involvement with border issues at the Arizona Legislature. J.T. Ready’s affiliations with racists, anti-Semites and holocaust deniers, as well as his extreme views, were described.
In Thursday’s article Ready responded to the three Republican Congressman calling for his removal from office by stating, “They’ve sold out to the Zionists and the international bankers.” Even in responding to accusations about his beliefs and associations, Ready’s true colors shine through.
We are pleased to see that prominent party leaders are finally taking action against Ready, whose bigotry and divisiveness have been tolerated for far too long.
ADL is a 501c(3) organization and does not support or oppose candidates for public office.
Sincerely,
Joel Breshin Associate Director
